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Going over to Bethlehem

Posted December 24, 2013 by Gary Combs & filed under Current Affairs, Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us'” (Luke 2:15 ESV).

Robin and I had the privilege of visiting the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem this past summer while touring in Israel.

The church was originally built in 327 AD by Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine I. The church sits over the grotto that early Christians believed to be the place where Christ was born. Early Christian writers Justin Martyr (c.100-165 AD) and Origen (c. 185-254 AD) attest to this as the location of the manger in Bethlehem.

The original building was destroyed by fire in the Samaritan revolt in 556 AD. It was rebuilt in 565 AD by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. It survived the invasion of the Persians in 614 AD, but fell into disrepair after the invasion of the Turks in 1244 AD. The roof was rebuilt and the church repaired in 1480 AD by a combined effort of King Edward IV of England, who supplied the lead for the work, the Kingdom of Burgundy supplied the wood and the Republic of Venice, the labor.

Visiting the Church of the Nativity, we saw that the church has again fallen into disrepair. According to our tour guide, one of the problems is that the building is shared by three different Christian sects: the Catholics, the Greek Orthodox and the Armenians, which often can’t agree on who should be responsible for the upkeep of the building. Add to this the political complexities of the church being located in an area of Israel that is now under control of the Palestinian Authority and the future of this 1500 year old building is at risk.

Even the city of Bethlehem is at risk. Once a city made up of 70% Arab Christians, the city has been separated from Israel by a security wall and its resident’s dependence on Christian tourism has been greatly hampered. We heard many Arab Christians despair of the way the world’s Christians have seemingly forgotten them.

Yet, there has been some good news recently concerning the Church of the Nativity. As strange as it may seem, the Palestinian Authority has helped broker a deal with the three Christian sects, and repairs on the roof have finally begun. The Palestinians have raised millions for its repair and in spite of political resistance, they finally received recognition for the church to be a UNESCO World Heritage site.

And just in time too. Just a couple of weeks ago the Middle East was hit by one of the most powerful storms in a century, dumping several inches of snow on Bethlehem. The storm caused some leaks at the Church, but the water damage was relatively minor, thanks to the cooperative venture already underway to repair the basilica’s roof.

Warning sign at checkpoint entering Bethlehem

“David Nour, a Palestinian Christian who lives in Bethlehem, praised the efforts to salvage the church, but said that without jobs and the ability to traverse Israeli checkpoints, the tiny community of West Bank Christians — whose numbers have been decimated by emigration over the decades — will eventually disappear, leaving only the churches” (Huffington Post).

And that would be the real loss in Bethlehem– not the loss of this ancient basilica built in the city of Christ’s birth– but the loss of the true church, the members of the body of Christ.

Yet, there is hope in Bethlehem. As the news of the Church of the Nativity being repaired is heard, there is also good news that there is a movement among Palestinian Muslims considering the claims of Christ. While I was there, I met some of them. And just as Jesus was born in Bethlehem, so these new believers are being born again in the city of Christ’s birth.

Do the opposite

Posted December 19, 2013 by Gary Combs & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:” (Isaiah 9:6 KJV).

I started watching the sitcom “Seinfeld” only after it went into syndication. I guess the daily dose of reruns finally got me interested.

If you know anything about the show, you know that the character played by Jason Alexander, is an inept, self-absorbed, all around loser named “George.” Except in one episode– in this installment, George decides to do the opposite of what he would normally do in every situation. In a hilarious 30 minute story line, George finally gets the girl, becomes popular, gets promoted, etc. Apparently, when George does the opposite of his character’s nature, everything turns to gold.

In our consumer culture today we’ve turned Christmas into a frenzied time of spending and going into debt. The more we spend, the more unhappy we are with Christmas. In fact, the more we spend, the more unhappy we seem to be, period. In a recent survey, Americans ranked above every 3rd world country in the incidence of clinical depression. It seems that the more we spend, the more depressed we get.

Perhaps we should start doing the opposite. What’s the antidote to greed? What’s the therapy for spending?

Giving. That’s the antidote. That’s the therapy. Instead of doing what the rest of Americans are doing, do the opposite. Stop spending and start giving.

Do the opposite this Christmas. Spend less so that you can give more. That’s what God did when He gave us Jesus. That’s what Christmas is all about.

(This entry is a reprint from a previous blog I wrote in 2009.)

Don’t let the Grinch steal your Christmas!

Posted December 12, 2013 by Gary Combs & filed under Current Affairs, Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:2 ESV).

Now, before you panic and stop reading. We’re not trying to throw a “Grinch” in your Christmas. Neither are we trying to steal your Christmas joy. In fact, we hope to convince you that by spending less this Christmas you and your family can actually enjoy more margin in your life. More margin for time together, more resources to share with others, and a more and greater sense of satisfaction too!

We’re spending less at my house again this year. I’ve asked our family to limit themselves to $10 gifts and to try and make them, rather than buy them, if possible. Robin, has been busy making homemade gifts for a couple of months now. We’ve followed this practice for the past few years and it has made a huge difference. It has caused us, our kids and our grandkids to focus more on the story of Jesus and it has freed up more time and resources so that we have more to give to others.

We’re also challenging our church family to spend less again this year too. Many of them don’t need any convincing. They have already learned the joy of spending less on themselves in order to give more to others.

When we spend money and go into debt buying things we can’t afford, we turn Christmas into a very unhappy and ultimately, dissatisfying season. After all the labor at shopping and spending, we often find ourselves feeling exhausted, empty and overwhelmed, especially when the credit card bills arrive.

We’re spending less, not because we’re stingy, but because we want to spend more on:

Reflecting on the Christmas story
Slowing down to ponder and worship
Enjoying fellowship with friends and family
Giving to those in need in our community
Sharing God’s story with the nations through our Advent Conspiracy offering

Someone has defined worship as “pulling our affections off our idols and putting them on God.” If we’re going to have more time to worship the Babe of Bethlehem, then we’ve got to stop spending so much time waiting in line at the Walmart.

“Why spend money and labor on that which does not satisfy?” The Lord asked the people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah.

I think He still poses the same question to us today.

Who will win the battle for your worship?

Posted December 5, 2013 by Gary Combs & filed under Current Affairs, Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11 ESV).

The word “worship” comes from the Middle English, “weorthscipe,” literally meaning to “ascribe worth.”

We were created to worship. From dandelions to dinosaurs, no other creature but man has the capacity for worship. We have a God-given desire for it. So, we’re going to spend our worship on something. It’s not a question of whether we will worship, it’s a question of what and how we will worship.

Worship might be described in two parts:

Recognizing someone or something’s worth.
Giving it or them what they’re worth.

When the Magi traveled from the East looking for the one “born King of the Jews,” they first encountered His counterfeit, the usurper Herod the Great. This half-Jew, half-Idumean took the throne that never belonged to him and demanded the worship of a people that belonged to God. He even “super-sized” the Jewish Temple to move the focus from God to his own “greatness.”

I’m sure the Magi were confused by the contrast between the gold and glamour of Herod’s palace and the humble house that they found in Bethlehem. Yet their pursuit for the true king won out. They followed the star. They were overjoyed as they fell on their faces, worshiped, and presented their treasures to Jesus.

We still have a choice between worshiping King Herod or King Jesus. There is still a battle between this world’s kingdom and the kingdom of heaven for our worship.

This Christmas, why not join the Advent Conspiracy? The word advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming.” The season of Advent has been celebrated by Christians for centuries as a way to prepare and remember that Christ has come and is coming again. The idea of an “Advent conspiracy” is that we would go against what the consumer culture of this world has made of it and instead remember the real reason for the season.

Who will win the battle for your worship? Let’s focus less on giving presents and more on celebrating His Presence during this Advent season.

F.A.T. from Thanksgiving

Posted November 28, 2013 by Gary Combs & filed under Current Affairs, Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty” (Acts 6:3 ESV).

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39 ESV).

Are you feeling fat from Thanksgiving? The holiday, I mean. Not the actual act of giving thanks to God.

Many of us will feel fat during the holidays. Fat from too much turkey, too much shopping, too much spending and even too much time with… your brother-in-law (think the Griswolds). As Americans, we have trouble doing anything in moderation. We tend to eat, spend and consume… too much.

But there is a fullness that God loves to see in us, a filling that makes us F.A.T. in a way that overflows with life and joy. There is a fullness that comes from living a life of thanksgiving, a life that is marked by three spiritual attributes (F.A.T.):

F – Faithful – Dependable, reliable, trustworthy. God is looking for one who He can trust as a conduit of His grace. A steward who faithfully uses God’s gifts of time, talent and treasure for the Kingdom of Heaven.
A – Available – One who shows up when needed. God cares more about our availability than our ability. He made us, so He can give us ability, but He allows us the freedom to choose whether we use those abilities for Him.
T – Teachable – This is about being humble and easily corrected. God is looking for one who will be quick to obey and also quick to repent when wrong.

When the apostles sought men who would serve God and His people to lead in the feeding of the hungry and guarding the unity of the fellowship, they looked for men that were full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom and faith.

God is still looking for F.A.T. followers. They are the kind of followers that He can trust to let His Spirit flow to and through them to others.

Against the FLOW of Black Friday

Posted November 22, 2013 by Gary Combs & filed under Current Affairs, Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others” (2 Corinthians 9:11-13 ESV).

Next Friday is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving day that retailers begin their Christmas shopping season in earnest. Many even begin their “Black Friday” sales early, starting on Thanksgiving Day in their pursuit of the consumer’s dollar. This shopping day represents one of the top three sales days of the year for most retailers along with Christmas Eve and December 26th.

Black Friday has become a national obsession for many Americans. The really committed Black Friday shoppers camp outside of stores like Best Buy, Target and Toys-R-Us, to be first in line when the doors of these retailers open. They do this to get the best deals on this year’s PS4, XBox, Barbie or Furby. Some even miss Thanksgiving turkey with their families while camping for days in advance of Black Friday outside their favorite store. Black Friday shoppers are willing to sacrifice a lot to compete for their desired advertised item.

The apostle Paul talks about another way to celebrate Thanksgiving. He wrote a letter to the very wealthy and gifted church in the city of Corinth about a need in Jerusalem. A famine had struck the land of Israel and he was raising money to help feed the hungry. He challenged the Corinthians to go against the “flow” of their culture to spend on themselves and instead to “overflow” in generosity toward others, and so offer thanksgiving to God.

He said that their “submission” of this generous thanksgiving gift would come out of their “confession” of Christ’s gospel. In other words, their generosity would be proof of their confession of faith. It would be evidence of what they really believed.

The word “generosity” in the Greek is rich with meaning. It includes the idea of living a life of simplicity in order to give more. One Bible commentator translates it as “unworldly simplicity.”

Do you want to go with the flow of the world? Or do you want to “overflow” with the radical generosity of Christ? How you and your family answer this question will reveal a lot about what you really believe.

Experiencing FLOW

Posted November 15, 2013 by Gary Combs & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38 ESV).

“Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8 NIV).

“Flow is… being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost” (Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago, Finding Flow).

Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced chick-sent-me-high-ee), is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of positive psychology. “Positive psychology” focuses on improving human strengths in contrast to more traditional psychology which tends to focus on human psychosis. Dr. Csikszentmihalyi says that he has devoted his life to the study of what makes people truly happy, satisfied and fulfilled. His research led him to a metaphor to describe what several of his respondents described as being “carried away by a current, everything moving smoothly without effort.” He called this level of living “flow.”

Perhaps it is similar to what athletes sometimes call being “in the zone.” Or what students of peak performance refer to it as working out of your “sweet spot.” Csikszentmihalyi may have been the first to describe this concept in Western psychology, but as he himself readily acknowledges he was not the first to discover the concept.

This psychological theory of flow reminds me of another kind of “flow” that Jesus spoke of over 2,000 years ago. He said that those who believed in Him would have “rivers of living water” that would “flow” out from within them to others.

As a Christ-follower, I believe in a Creator who made each of us with a unique purpose and destiny in mind. I believe that our deepest satisfaction and fulfillment is discovered when we live according to that calling, that design.

Csikszentmihalyi describes flow as an “optimal experience,” wherein one’s skill level at a task and its challenges are at their peak alignment. I think his observations are brilliant. Yet, they don’t come close to describing the joyous ecstasy of “freely receiving” and “freely giving.” that Jesus offers.

Perhaps Olympic runner Eric Liddell comes closer to describing this kind of spiritual state of flow in the movie Chariots of Fire when he said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

The pleasure of flow that Jesus offers is a shared pleasure— Ours and God’s. For Liddell it was running, for me it happens sometimes when I’m preaching, sometimes when I’m playing the guitar, sometimes when I’m in an engaging spiritual conversation with a friend or a seeker. This feeling of transcendence comes over me as I seem to become one with the task and with the One who made me for it. It’s better than sleep or food or play. It comes from being fully engaged in doing the very thing for which I was created.

Jesus often described His own state of flow, saying things like “My Father never stops working, so why should I? … I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” (John 5:17, 19 NLT).

When his parents couldn’t find the twelve year old Jesus, he said, “Why did you search for me? Didn’t you know I would be about my father’s business?” (Luke 2:49)

Jesus was the picture of flow. Always connected to the Father. Always working out His calling. Always flowing.

But Jesus didn’t just live in a constant state of flow. He brought flow. He is its source.

He told the Samaritan woman at the well, “You don’t know what God wants to give you, and you don’t know who is asking you for a drink. If you did, you would ask me for the water that gives life… The water I give is like a flowing fountain that gives eternal life.” (John 4:10-14 CEV).

The Dead Sea (Golan Heights in background)

As a student of the Bible I’ve been learning and speaking about this idea of “flow” for several years now. It seems to me that it happens as long as we let it, as long as we don’t dam it up. We can build dams in our life in two places that can prevent flow. The first is between us and God. If we aren’t open to God, His life can’t flow to us. The second place we can stop it is when we don’t open our lives to others. We become like the Dead Sea— all inlets with no outlets. The picture that I have in my mind is of one hand open to God and one hand open to others. As long as I keep both open, I experience the state of flow.

I feel God’s pleasure when I let Christ’s life flow to and through me to others in joyous generosity!

The Davion Effect

Posted November 8, 2013 by Gary Combs & filed under Current Affairs, Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

Davion Only asking members of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church to adopt him — Davion asking worshipers at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida to adopt him

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18 ESV).

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you” (James 1:27 NLT).

This past September, 15-year old, Davion Only made the news after standing before the members of a Baptist church in Florida and pleading for a family to adopt him.

Nervously standing before the church on a Sunday morning he said, “My name is Davion and I’ve been in foster care since I was born.” Letting go of the podium and rubbing his sweaty palms together, Davion continued, “I’ll take anyone. Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don’t care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be… I know God hasn’t given up on me. So I’m not giving up either.”

Davion was born in prison, raised in foster care, and has never had his own room or felt wanted. Last spring, while researching his roots on a computer in the library, he learned that his mother, La Dwina “Big Dusty” McCloud, had died of a heart attack. After this he determined to find someone to adopt him.

The Tampa Bay Times ran the story on Davion’s plea that resulted in it going viral. More than 20,000 people have shared it on Facebook and Twitter. Publications from around the world picked up the story. Websites from Fox News to Yahoo, Reddit and Gawker, MSN, People, Cosmopolitan and the Huffington Post have reported on it. Television networks from ABC to Al Jazeera carried the report. He was on the Today show. Producers of The View flew him to New York for an interview.

When Barbara Walters asked him to describe his perfect family, Davion said simply, “Anyone who would love me.”

As a result of Davion’s plea, over 10,000 families have contacted his caseworker to find out more about adopting him. She had to hire a public relations firm to handle all the media requests. Davion could finally have his own room and his own family by Christmas.

The outpouring of response to Davion’s story has been called “The Davion Effect.” Americans have been learning more about the plight of the orphan and the foster care system as a result. Many are amazed to learn that nearly half a million children are in foster care and that nearly 100,000 are available for immediate adoption.

This story is timely for our church because this coming weekend we are sponsoring a conference called An Orphan’s Hope and joining other churches nationally in recognizing Orphan Sunday. We’re interested in the care of orphans because Jesus has given us this calling.

Jesus told his disciples that he had to leave them for a time because he was going to prepare a place for them in the Father’s house (John 14:1-3). But he told them not to worry because He would not “leave them as orphans.” Jesus has made it possible through His death and resurrection for those of us that believe on Him to be adopted by the Father and included in His family as His children. Jesus has not left us as orphans.

I hope “The Davion Effect” continues to raise American awareness about the plight of the orphan.

More than that, I pray that the “pure and genuine” faith that we have in Jesus moves us to care for orphans, the Davions, in our world.

Sabbatical still bearing fruit

Posted November 1, 2013 by Gary Combs & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 ESV).

This Sunday we will conclude the seven “I AM” sayings of Jesus sermon series. I’ve tried to interweave our sabbatical learnings throughout each message to give our WCCers a taste of what our summer in Turkey, Greece and Israel was like. But the truth is… I hope that our time spent away in the land of the Bible, following rhythms of rest and reflection, will fuel our preaching and leadership for years to come! I pray that our sabbatical will continue bearing fruit in us and in you.

Thanks again for letting us go. Here’s the video overview of our summer sabbatical that we showed at church a few weeks ago. If you missed it, this is for you.

Crown five is here!

Posted October 25, 2013 by Gary Combs & filed under Current Affairs, Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged…” (Proverbs 17:6 ESV).

Our fifth grandchild arrived this week! His name is Samuel Abbott Mitchell and he was born at the Wilson hospital at 9:14 AM this past Wednesday, October 23, 2013, weighing 7 pounds and 11 ounces. Both of his grandfathers (me and Stewart Mitchell) and his uncle Stephen waited in the hallway outside the delivery room as the event took place. It was like hearing a play-by-play radio broadcast of a ballgame.

“I think I hear them telling her to push!” I said, pressing my ear closer to the delivery room door.

“Yeah, that sounds like Erin grunting!” My son Stephen exclaimed with a grin.

“I wonder what Abbott’s doing?” Stewart asked, leaning in towards the door too.

“You’re doing beautiful, beautiful!” We hear my wife, Robin encouraging Erin from inside the room.

Then… “Whaaa! Whaa! Whaa!…” The sound of baby Sammy crying fills the air!

“Wow! He sounds mad.” I announced pulling away from the door a little. You could hear his persistent infant cry up and down the hall.

“He sure does!” Agreed Stewart with a smile. “I wonder if he looks like Abbott? Abbott came into the world looking so serious.” He continued.

“Well, I don’t know whether he looks serious, but he sure has some serious lungs on him!” I announce.

Then, the door suddenly opens and Robin steps into the hall with tears pouring down her face saying, “He’s beautiful Stewart. He looks just like Abbott. And Gary, your daughter was amazing! I’m so proud of her!”

After answering a few questions we bombarded her with, she quickly stepped back into the delivery room, leaving the three of us standing in the hallway, gawking at one another with goofy grins. Grandfathers and uncles don’t get to go into the delivery room. Only mothers, fathers and special request grandmothers are allowed.

That’s OK. I’ll get my time alone with Samuel. And I’ll tell him about the day he was born and how much we all wanted him and couldn’t wait to see him. I’ll tell him about the meaning of his Hebrew name and the biblical prophet he was named after.

I’m sure that Stewart has some things to tell and teach him too. After all, we grandfathers know stuff, important stuff that we want to pass on to our children’s children.

Most of all, I want Samuel to know and follow Jesus. Like all of our other little “crowns,” I want to present him to Jesus on that Day.