lectio divina:: 1 thessalonians

I have been highlighting scriptures that demonstrate how to have a great attitude, and I recently read what seemed to me as the granddaddy of the scriptures on attitude.

1 Thessalonians 5:14:
“Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

in verse 14, God tells us to warn lazy people and encourage timid people-
it tells us to be patient, not impatient, and to be a caring person.
that’s what people with a great attitude DO!
and that the kind of person that I want to be.

in verse 15 it tells us not to be a hater, and instead, to always try to do good to everyone.
who DOESN’T want to be that person?

and in 16-18, it blatantly tells us that its God’s WILL that I’m joyful, that I’m praying, and that I’m grateful.

put simply, its God’s will for you and me to have an attractive, positive, believing attitude.
its God’s will that I be an encourager, a thanker, and a pray-er.

as a Christian, I should have a smile. I should have a kind word ready to be said. I should believe that God is going to take care of things. I should be patient, and most of all, I should be humbled and grateful for the load of grace that has been lavished on me.

so that settles it! a bad attitude is not God’s will for you or me.
it doesn’t come naturally, but I need to have it, so I have been finding myself praying for it.
and I have been finding myself looking for things to be grateful for when I feel like grumbling;
and it really makes a difference.

God is love.
rev-rob

rob-the-builder

last Christmas, jane got a big set of legos as a gift. these are real legos, not the big duplo blocks that she has been playing with for years, so I wasn’t sure if she was up to playing with the tiny parts; but to my surprise, she loves them. she has been playing with them a lot lately, and so I told her, “we should go to the lego store on daddy-daughter-day and get some more legos.” jane responded by saying, “that’s a GREAT idea dad!” Deanna said, “get her a lego-car. she really likes the cars.” what these ladies don’t understand is that I don’t need a kit to make lego cars! I have spent many hours of my childhood with legos, and all I need is some wheels to make some funky and chunky vehicles.

so we went to the lego store. jane was so happy that she did her patented happy-hop the entire time we were there. we got a little bucket and filled it up with wheels, steering wheels, shifters, and lego-flowers. when we got home, we spilled out all of the legos on the floor, laid on our tummies and created things for a long time. I made cars while jane made a lego garden out of her flowers. we showed each other the things that we made. at one point jane said,
“you know what dad? I like this.”
“I like this too, jane” I said with a smile.

how fun that jane likes the same toys that I did when I was a kid!
being a dad is cool.

God is love.
-rev-rob

lectio divina:: philippians

this year, one of my primary goals is to be known and marked by a good attitude. I think about this often; today I was reading through Philippians, and paul puts on a clinic on having a good attitude.

for context, remember that paul is writing Philippians from a prison cell, awaiting his execution. he has a right to have a bad attitude. instead, he shows what a great attitude really looks like. here are some notes from my journal on this:

people with a great attitude are marked by GRATITUDE.

even in the face of his execution, Paul thanks everyone. he thanks the Philippians, and he thanks God. in verse 1:3 he writes, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.” people with bad attitudes don’t do that!

people with a great attitude are marked by VERBAL AFFECTION.

paul takes time to personally thank and bless others with his words. in 1:7 he says to the philippians, “So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart.” and in 4:1 he says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.” he also gives some special verbal praise to his friend Timothy. people with bad attitudes don’t do that!

people with a great attitude are marked by FAITH.

even though he was in his darkest hour, paul believed that God was in control of both the presnt and the future, and that God can do anything. in 1:20 he writes, “For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.” and in that famous passage in 4:13 paul says, “For I can do everything through Christ,[c] who gives me strength.”

people with a great attitude are marked by OPTIMISM.

since paull believed that God is in control, he could see the glass as hal full. and he encourages the Philippians to do so as well. in 1:12 he says, “And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.” in other words, his imprisonment is a good thing. even his execution would be a good thing! he says, “But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.” and he tells the Philippians to be optimistic, positive and grateful in Philippians 4:4, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.” paul never complains about his situation and he tells the Philippians in 2:14, “Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you.” (that’s a pretty good verse to memorize if you want to grow in a good attitude!)

people with a great attitude are marked by A FOCUS ON OTHERS.

no one had a better attitude than jesus; and paul says it clearly in chapter 2: “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave…”

just before that he writes, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

people with a bad attitude don’t do that!

but we should.

be others centered. and a person with a big faith.

be a person who genuinely thanks God and others.

and watch how God uses you this year.

God is love.

-rev-rob

lectio divina:: 2 corinthians 6

I was reading this chapter this morning and it reminded me of my commitment this year to have a great attitude. paul write is verse 1:


"We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. "


even in the face of hardships, paul and his team have a great attitude. their focus is on god and on others, not on themselves. their great attitude is their identification; it is their credibility. its interesting to me the components of attitude for paul:
patience;
purity;
understanding;
kindness;
the indwelling of the Spirit;
and sincere love.


that's the kind of people that I want to be around, and those are the characteristics that I want to mark my life in this year.


God is love.
-rev-rob

jane the artist

this is a video that I took with my ipod of jane drawing some items from her room, including her bed, her toy box and the ceiling. she reminds me of a 5-year-old bob ross:

jane the artist from rob walter on Vimeo.

one LAST new year’s resolution:

one LAST new year’s resolution:

no fried food at all in 2010!

no fries,

no onion rings,

no mcdonald’s hash browns,

no tater tots,

no chicken strips,

no fried cheese sticks, corn dogs, fried burritos, nothing.

but this raises some problems:

what about chips? aren’t they fried? do they count? how will I eat salsa?

what about orange chicken at panda?

does that count?

do taco shells count?

I’m sure I’ll spend the entire year trying to figure out what counts and what doesn’t.

I’m going to focus primarily on the stuff that has been dunked in oil and is still wet from it-

and anything that has a crispy breading on it.

hold me accountable if we're out to eat!

-rob

one more goal for 2010:

tonight at the gym I was reminded of one more resolution that I have for this year:

this year is the year of the great attitude.

the year of encouragement.

the year of sparkle, of interest in others, and gladly helping others.

this is the year of no complaints.

I have blogged about some of the people that I know that have great attitudes. guys like gary and Lloyd. these guys are always glad to see me, always encouraging, always positive, and always in a great mood.

there is another person I know who works at the togo’s on Camden and almaden- whenever I go in, I always try to get to talk to her- because of her great attitude. whenever I see her I always ask, “how are you doing?” and like clockwork, she answers, “I can’t complain!” with a smile.

I want to be like her- and like Lloyd and gary, and like the many other people I know who are known for having a great attitude.

I have read several good books on the subject, and I want to implement these more than ever. I do ok at this from time to time, but this year I want a good attitude to mark me and my interactions with others. I don’t want to fake it, I just want to leave the people I meet encouraged. this is a big stretch for me; I’m a quiet person. I like being alone. I like accomplishing goals and being on time. sometimes when people discover that you’re willing to listen, they’ll just talk all day. I’m sure I’ll make mistakes, but I want to establish a habit that will begin now and continue for years to come.

Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

God is love.

-rev-rob

out of 2009, into 2010

2009 was a big year.

some pretty significant things happened this last year-

I took 6 weeks off of work for extended leave! (well, sort of)

my kid turned 5,

I celebrated 8 years at the church, and in middle school ministry,

I got to meet and work with all kinds of new and cool people-

the church grew by a lot! and so did the middle school ministry.

and some not so great things happened this year:

my parents announced that they were splitting up.

the transmission went out in the explorer, which made a tight budget tighter.

I said goodbye to some very cool work partners

I walked with some friends through some very difficult days,

and my friend Ed passed into eternity.

some friends and I have been talking about a book called “The Black Swan” which discusses the randomness and improbability of just about everything; and here on the eve of 2010, there are a lot of Black Swans waiting to be revealed. who knows what it will bring?

who will I meet in 2010 that will change my life?

who will I say goodbye to?

what will surprise me?

what will break my heart?

with everything that DID happen this year, there are a lot of significant things that DIDN’T happen, which I can be grateful for:

I didn’t lose my job or my home- even though many did.

I didn’t lose any members of my immediate family- even though many did.

I didn’t have to move, I didn’t have to stay in the hospital, I didn’t get in a car accident- even though many had to deal with all of these.

so I’m not complaining, I recognize that I’ve been fortunate and blessed.

last year I made a few new year’s resolutions:

1. no fries

2. 250 trips to the gym

3. a 6 week vacation funded by cash, not credit.

and I’m proud to say that I did them all; well, I had a few orders of fries AFTER I hit that 250 mark.

this year I want to do all of those again plus more. my goals this year are:

1. no fries.

2. 250 trips to the gym minimum. I’m hoping to actually get to at least 275 and to 300.

3. I want to pay cash for everything. no charging at all. if the car breaks- which it always does, I might have to charge that; but other than that I don’t want to charge anything. I will probably still need to use a card to buy stuff online, but I’ll have to get creative about how to pull that off without using credit.

4. I want to take my 5 year old to Disneyland. I’ve been saying that I will do it for years, but every time, something comes up.

what will 2010 bring? we’ll see! but let’s have an attitude of expectation and wonder through it all.

God is love.

-rev-rob

tour story

when i was in high school, my youth pastor’s name was marvin. I loved that guy. I wanted to be just like him. when I graduated high school, I joined his volunteer team. when I went to college, I majored in organizational communication, so that I could be a good youth pastor- just like marvin. after college (and a “no-ministry” first year of marriage) marvin hired me to be an intern. the internship at our old church was a little different that what you usually see these days. it was a full time job, and it involved pursuing a master’s degree. I interned with marvin for 5 years. I did everything with him. we had many, many adventures together. I’m sure I could spend a lot of time and space fondly remembering them all. marvin taught me everything that I know about just about everything- especially youth ministry. in 2001, my internship at the church came to an end. on my last sunday marvin came back to the church to give a speech about me (he had left about a year before I did to pursue another ministry). when it came time for his speech, he got on stage and couldn’t say a word. he was overwhelmed with emotion and decided that he couldn’t give his speech.

as you probably know, I went on to be a youth pastor- and if you knew marvin, you would know just how much I emulate him all the time. we dress alike, carry the same bag, wear the same pen in the same way, and I say a lot of the phrases that he says. we read the same books and care passionately about the same things. we have kept up over the years, but he has never come to my new church. I’ve never invited him. I have always been a little nervous about whether he thought I was doing a good job or something.

a few months ago, marvin called and said that his ministry was going on tour, just like our old ministry used to go on tour. he asked if his group could stay at the church overnight. and it worked out for everyone’s schedule. his group rolled in late last night and I felt like I was transported back in time to when I was in high school, on tour, and running all over the state with my friends and marvin. I showed marvin around the church. I was so proud to show him all of the amazing things that God has blessed our ministry with. this morning, I sat in on marvin’s bible study time that he had with his group. he asked me to introduce myself and after a few words I said, “when I was your age I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life- until I met marvin. and then I decided that I just wanted to be like him. and I’ve spent the last 8 and a half years being like marvin- and its served me pretty well. it would serve you well as well.” I didn’t expect getting emotional, but I did. (its been happening a lot lately). marvin stopped to pray for me and the ministry and he said something to the effect of, “God, I’m so proud of rob…” and then he just stopped- just like on my last sunday; overcome with emotion again.

I was so good to hear him do a sermon again and to watch him encourage staff and students. it was like coming back to home base for a minute, getting refreshed and reminded what its all about before getting back into the fight. it was like going home again.

we’ve had our moments where we didn’t see eye to eye over the years, but I still love the guy- and I still model much of what I do on the pattern that he has set. I thank God that he gave me a mentor like that. I don’t know where I’d be or what I’d be doing if I hadn’t met him. all that is to say that I come away from our time together very encouraged, and ready for what’s next.

God is love.

-rev-rob

another chapel story

last week I spoke at a local Christian school that many of our students attend. I started off with a reader’s theater style Christmas pageant, where students volunteered to be one of the characters in the Christmas story, and read their lines off of the screen. after that, I closed with some thoughts on Christmas.
I started taking volunteers. one girl that goes to our group, Elizabeth, really wanted to play the angel Gabriel. after we chose all of the characters, our play began. there was only one problem- the school that we were at had a messed up projector, and you couldn’t really see the words on the slides. this was especially hard for Elizabeth the angel, because Gabriel has a lot of lines in the Christmas story.
we got to one part, my favorite part, and there was just no way that Elizabeth was going to be able to read the lines of the story off of the slide- it was too messed up.
I said to her, “do you want to just read my script?”
she said, “no- I’ve been memorizing this verse- I can just say it from memory.”
then she turned to her peers in the crowd, held out her arms and said loudly:
“Do not be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people! Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you! He is Christ the Lord! This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
then the crowd of students in the audience played the company of angels.
they read their part off of the screen and loudly shouted:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."


and the beauty of the story came alive to me all over again.


merry Christmas!
God is love.
-rev-rob