What is freedom?

Do you know anyone who’s stuck? Their life seems to be just one setback after another. They can’t seem to catch a break. It seems like their life is a fifty-mile stretch of quicksand, and they’re barely staying above the surface.

I’ve seen this many times, and it’s tragic and sad, but, it’s even more depressing when a person’s stuck like this, but it’s their faith that keeps them stuck. They’ve exchanged common sense for religious superstition.

I will admit that God’s will is sometimes hard to discern. But sometimes it’s not. You don’t need a sign from God to figure out if you should get a job. You don’t need to pray and fast in order to determine whether you should pay your bills. You don’t need to consult with a spiritual advisor to make sure you should love your next door neighbor, or your in-laws, or your boss.

Sure, when you set out to do what’s right, there’s often a gray area between what’s obviously right and what’s obviously wrong. But that’s no excuse to sit on your hands when things need to be done. You don’t have to wait until all the lights are green to leave your driveway. You don’t need to have a burning bush moment in order to get out of your La-Z-Boy. Going off half-cocked is often better than not going at all.  And God honors risk taking within the context of The Way of Jesus.

Remember the wise words of President Teddy Roosevelt, who said, "The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything," and Jesus' brother, James, who gave us a reminder of God’s forgiveness when he suggested that, in a cage match, mercy beats judgment every time.

Join us this coming Sunday for a challenging message about Gideon, and about how trust is impacted by doubt and risk and waiting and acting. It’s gonna be great fun. 3:30 p.m., 111 W. Olive St., Arlington Heights, IL.

Come and join us!
Pastor Ed

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Message title: “Is that You?” (Gideon)

Main Scripture passages: Judges 6:25-40, Matthew 16:1-4

Questions/thoughts for group discussion or personal reflection:

• Do you think you’ve ever felt the clear call of God? Explain.

• What are your experiences with “The Paralysis of Analysis?”

• When does waiting become hiding? When does caution become cowardice?

Would you?

Andy was super jazzed. "You've gotta try this, man! You won't believe it. Best high EVER!"

I was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, and Andy worked down the hall from me. He had come by my barracks room and could barely contain himself. "You've seriously gotta try this. Just a few hours of training, a few bucks, and you’re in. They do all the hard stuff for you. You just show up."

Andy was already an excitable guy, but I'd never seen him like this. "I'm still coming down, Ed." This from a guy who, I'm here to tell you, knew a little bit about "getting high." He just wouldn't shut up about it. "What a rush, man."

"Sounds awesome, bud. Give me all the details!" I knew he was heading down to the airfield that day, but, honestly, I figured he'd probably chicken out. Andy had joined the Fort Riley Jump Club, and he'd just had his first jump.

Everything about it sounded great, and, because we were active duty Army, it was super affordable (like $20, which was dirt cheap even by 1982 standards). So, I decided I would give it a try.

But then I started thinking about it. Who would be packing my chute? Another soldier? Someone just like me? Oh, crap. Not sure I like that. And then I kept seeing myself falling 10,000 feet to my death. Not liking that either. But the clincher was when I called my mom and told her what I was contemplating. She started crying.

So, I decided not to jump. Still regret that decision. But, hey, I didn't fall to my death, so there's that. But, I keep remembering that look on Andy's face. There's nothing quite like facing death and living. What a rush, indeed.

How much safety do you need in order to act? And how much risk do you need for the rush? And what role does trust play in all of this? Joshua joined the Jericho Jump Club, but what about his buddies? Were they ready to risk it all? Were they ready to follow Joshua into life-threatening danger?

Join us this coming Sunday as we talk about trusting God and overcoming fear.  Come check it. 3:30 p.m., 111 W. Olive St., Arlington Heights.

See you then!

Pastor Ed

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Sunday's message title:

“Really, God?” (Joshua)

Main Scripture passages:

Joshua 3,Isaiah 41:10-13, 2 Timothy 1:7

Questions/thoughts for group discussion or personal reflection:

• What’s the craziest thing you regret not trying?

• Share a time when you did something that scared the crap out of you.
• What is the danger of trusting too much?

What am I doing?

Why don’t kids come with an owner’s manual? This is a reasonable enough question. If I buy an electric can opener, it includes a 25-page instruction booklet with illustrations, safety warnings, and a troubleshooting guide. With kids, you get nothing.

Sure, everyone has advice. Everybody thinks they know how to raise your kids, except, if you’re honest, you. In retrospect, I’m mostly just happy that I didn’t totally mess my kids up.

You might be tempted to say something like, “The Bible is a pretty good instruction manual for child rearing,” to which I would respond, “Really?”

Good luck trying to deal with the problem of cutting (self-harm) based on Scripture. Or internet porn. Or ADHD. Or school shootings. The Bible doesn’t really speak to these things in modern, practical ways, because the Bible’s not an instruction manual. That’s not how the Bible works.

Now, before you call me a heretic or say I don’t believe in the Bible or claim that I don’t trust God, take a deep breath. That’s not what I’m saying at all. The Bible has much to say about how to live, but it doesn’t work like a Black & Decker troubleshooting guide. And God can be trusted 100% to do and be and act like God, but that’s not always going to look like a step-by-step illustration.

Unless we’re ridiculously cocky or over-the-top legalistic (for example, anti-tattoo people), we have to admit that, even if we’re really knowledgeable about the Bible, we’re still hopelessly underprepared to do a whole host of things, not the least of which is child-rearing.

So what does it look like to trust God, when we’re faced with these obligations and responsibilities for which we feel dreadfully unqualified? What can we learn from the Bible about how to live today, even though it’s talking about things that happened thousands of years ago? How do we follow Jesus into these tricky areas of our lives if, indeed, we have no instruction manual?

That’s what we’re going to talk about for the next five weeks at Quest, so join us Sunday afternoon, 3:30 p.m., at 111 W. Olive St., Arlington Heights, to learn more.

See you then!

Pastor Ed

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Message title:

“Why Me?” (Moses)

Main Scripture passages:

Exodus 3, Exodus 4:1-17, 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Questions/thoughts for group discussion or personal reflection:

• Consider/share a time when you were asked to do something for which you felt completely unqualified.

• What does it feel like to be trusted with something huge?

• What’s the difference between fear and humility? Are they completely different, or do they overlap?

Come and See

Guest Blogger - Lance Hurley

For the past couple of years, I have put together a calendar on Shurtterfly for our house. This involves going through photos that have been taken and then putting them together based on whatever theme comes up. The thing I like about it is the different memories that are revealed with the turn of a page. Last year, Darla and I found ourselves looking at each page as a new month began and saying, "I remember when we did this..." There were pictures on that calendar of trips we had taken in the past to Colorado, Texas and California. Of course, there were pages of pictures of our grandson (now we have many pictures of our granddaughter in the 2016 calendar). The pictures are good reminders of experiences we have shared together.

I enjoy being reminded of things that have impacted my life. Maybe that's one reason I appreciate the job that God has given me. As each new church is started, new stories begin as people encounter Jesus in a fresh way. My job allows me to not only hear the stories, but to share the stories with others. These stories also provide a platform for me to invite others to come and see what God is doing in a particular area through the ministry of a new church.

I am looking forward to being back with you at Quest this weekend as we look at the lives of several people who encountered Jesus. If you want to prepare for Sunday, I encourage you to read John 1. There are two great themes revealed in this passage that will help us move forward spiritually in the year ahead. Plan to come and see what John has to teach us on Sunday at 3:30 pm.

Lance Hurley.