The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Bob Dylan -- The Times They Are A-Changin'

As 2012 comes to a close I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect the state of America, Heartland Church and maybe a personal observation or two.  So forgive me in advance if this is a bit rambling.

On America.

Maybe its just me, but I am not sure that America has been more divided as a country since the Civil War.  Great debates are raging about a variety of social and economic issues -- from taxation, to the role of government, to gay marriage, to gun control.  There seems to be little consensus on anything anymore.  In fact, the very definition of "freedom" seems to be in flux.  Is freedom of religion, for example, the right to freely practice your religion or the right to be free from religion entirely?  On that issue, check out this opinion piece from CNN today complaining about people publicly turning to God in the wake of tragedies like the one that took place in Newtown.  Why Must The Nation Grieve With God?

There is at least one thing, though, that I think we can all agree on -- and that is that the times they are a-changin'.  The fact is that American attitudes are changing at unprecedented speed, and our culture is changing right along with those attitudes.  You can like it or not like it -- but that is reality.  Really, this has been our reality for the last 50 years.

For some of us, this incredible social, political and economic change is progress -- it is the inevitable result of social evolution.  In fact, here is a CNN piece that also came out today focusing on social "progress" in the areas of gun control, gay marriage and taxation.  2013: America on the Cusp of Social Change.

For others, these changes (or some of them) are evidence of a nation that increasingly is turning its back on God.  I wrote a blog about the consequences of a nation turning its back on God a while back called God Has Left the Plane.  

Interestingly, Mike Huckabee (former pastor, governor and presidential candidate) has publicly linked what happened in Newtown to God being removed from our schools.  Huckabee on Fox.  In this day and age of social, political and economic change, I guess its not surprising that Huckabee has taken a good deal of heat for that opinion/observation.

Changing gears a bit (I warned you I might ramble), while I think Mr. Huckabee's comments were made tastefully, and while I do not necessarily disagree with them, I think we need to be very careful before we link specific national tragedies to the sins of America. Other Christians have been quick to blame Newtown and other tragedies on our abandonment of God, and have done so quickly and in harsh tones.

But, I think our responsibility as Christians in the immediate aftermath of such tragedies is simply to be loving and caring.  The country will not listen to preaching in the midst of these types of tragedies, and we can do far more good by simply reaching out and being good neighbors.  There will be a time for reflection.  

Beyond that, it really doesn't make sense to try to draw conclusions from a single event.  The sign of a nation left by God to its own devices is not a single event -- not even something as unimaginable as 911.  

Make no mistake -- I do think that we are turning our back on God as a country, and I think that there have been and will continue to be consequences for doing so.  It probably started with Bob Dylan -- one of my heroes during high school and college. ...  Just kidding! ... Sort of!  But, I also think that there is hope.  I don't think its too late for us to return to Him.  But, to do so will require a lot of love -- and the full armor of God!!  See Ephesians 6:10-18.

On Heartland Church.

2012 was a great year at Heartland Church.  But, I definitely think the best is yet to come.  

I have been amazed at the grace by which Pastor Dan has handled his bout with cancer.  Thank God that it was caught early!!

Maybe its just me, but I also really believe that PD is just hitting his stride as a lead pastor.  It just seems like God has really been speaking into him this year in a new way and, as a consequence, the church is on an incredible course.  I have always been in awe of Pastor Dan's love for the flock that has been entrusted to him.  But this year I have seen an increased focus on impacting the outside world for Christ, and I am extremely excited to see how that unfolds in the future.

I also keep hearing great things about what Pastor Dusty is doing in Elevate, and his Reveal conference just keeps getting better and better -- and bigger and bigger.  In fact, I think in the near future the conference will be way too big to be held at the HC campus -- even after the new construction is completed!!  

But as great as the past has been, I think we need to anticipate God doing even greater things in the future -- and not just at HC, but across the globe.  When we truly humble ourselves God inevitably shows up.  And, this is the time for the church, for God's people, to do just that.

The world needs the church perhaps more than ever before.  We are at a turning point.  Things are definitely changing.  But to see the fullness of what God can do means we must surrender fully to His will.  We need to remember that the Bible is a radical document -- that we are called to radical obedience, radical faith and a radical life lived for Christ.  It is my prayer that HC continues to relentlessly pursue God's will for us, and that He, in turn, will continue to guide us on this incredible journey.

Personal Notes.

I am, without a doubt, a blessed man.  I wake up every morning thankful for all that God has done for me.  

I am grateful to Pastor Dan, Pastor Dusty and the rest of the Executive Staff at HC for allowing me to be a part of this ministry.  It really is humbling to serve with such a talented and God-driven group of people.

I have a great wife and great kids.  Here is a little blog I wrote about Pam a while back, if you want to know a little about her.  Pam.  It would have been enough if Pam was merely supportive of my career change, but she is actually excited and passionate about where God is taking us.  Amazing.

But, lately I have been asking myself a question that I think all of us should contemplate from time-to-time.  And that is this:  If God has given me every blessing He intends for me to have, would it be enough?  Would it be enough, or would I somehow feel cheated, slighted or ungrateful.

I have been asking this question because, at the end of the day, although God is incredibly good to us, shouldn't the sacrifice on the cross -- the price of our salvation -- be good enough?  Shouldn't that incredible gift be blessing enough?

Don't get me wrong -- I am extremely grateful that God didn't stop there and that He has blessed me in so many other ways.  I just think that the blessing of the cross should put everything else in perspective for us.  

In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul said "[f]or I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."  In other words, Paul was saying that he wanted to keep "Christ and him crucified" as his focus -- everything else was incidental.  I want to get to the place where I feel that way about God's blessings.  At the end of the day, what really matters apart from the Cross?

Finally, I just want to say thank you to all my family and friends who have been part of my life in 2012.  What a year it has been.  I have seen God do so many great things on Saturday morning with the men, on Wednesday night at our Bible study, on Tuesday nights with our life group, and on Sundays in the sanctuary.  This next year, God willing, we will add Celebrate Recovery to that list!


God bless you all in 2013.