LEARNING TO TIE YOUR SHOES

One of my kids made an achievement this morning. It wasn’t a remarkable achievement in fact I thought it was something she had already accomplished. Jasmine my 6 year old learned how to tie her own shoes. I know that is not a big thing for a six year old, like I said I thought she already knew how to do it. A lot of her shoes have been the Velcro type through the years and I guess without really thinking about it I have just always tied her other shoes, usually because we are in a hurry to get somewhere. She demanded to tie her own shoes this morning and I was like okay, so how long is this going to take, I am not known for my patience when trying to get my kids to school in the morning so I had to take a deep breath and say to myself, “Breathe deeply it’s going to be okay”. I had already been told by her mom that she had asked the same thing the night before and the lesson hadn’t gone so well. So once the shoes were on the feet I took one foot and showed her how to do it. She tried it a couple of times and just couldn’t get the concept. That was the end of my patience so I very quickly tied both and said, “Okay let’s get going we are late.” After I took Charlie to his classroom I went to Jasmine’s class to check on her. I found her sitting on the floor trying to tie her shoes again. She was not giving up. So I sat down next her and said, “Okay let me show you this again.” She watched and then successfully did it herself. Learning to tie your shoes might seem like a minor thing in life, but I still remember when I first learned to tie mine and how proud I was, I could see that same pride in Jasmine’s eyes this morning. Plus there is a freedom in knowing how to tie your own shoes; you are no longer dependent upon someone else to do it for you. I also experienced a little sadness because what’s next? What else is she soon going to learn that I will no longer have to do for her? Before I know it she will have a driver’s license, then she will be out of high school, graduating from college and moving to some other part of the country. Okay maybe I am being a little dramatic, but the fact is I want my kids to always need me. It’s a stupid worry because no matter how much we achieve in life we still need our parents in some way. Even when we are completely independent we still value their advice, their wisdom and their amazing love of us. The fact is no matter how old we get we are still the kids and they are still the parents, even though the roles may be dramatically different.
My children have provided me with a different view of God lately. When I look at the relationship I have with my children and how much I love them, no matter how bad they act at times, it brings me comfort, because God the Father loves us even more than that. No matter how much we love our children, God loves them more and loves us more, I personally find that comforting. I also realize just as my children learn to be more independent they will always in some way be dependent upon me, even if it is just for emotional support. In the same way we are even more dependent upon God. We may think we can handle everything on our own, but that is not the truth. The big difference between our children and us as children of God is that we never really grow up. We are always dependent upon God for everything. We never really learn to tie our shoes. We are perpetually children before God the Father. As much as my sinful nature rebels against that thought, my new nature relaxes in that knowledge that Dad is always there handling things. In many ways I still provide all of that for Jasmine. I may have lost the tying the shoes job, but I am still her ride to school, at least for another 10 years.

Pastor Fred

What's The Fusion About?

Fusion is a new old chic word that most people thought they knew the meaning of. Well I should say they knew what the idea was, maybe not the actual definition. When you used to mention fusion people would immediately think of nuclear fusion. Again they may not have understood it well but they had heard it enough to recognize that the two went together. Today if you mention fusion you will get a number of different responses. People may talk about a car or they may talk about business or they may talk about food. The dictionary definition of the word is that it is a fusing or melting together. A union of different things by or as if by melting; blending. Nuclear fusion is defined as, “The process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or fuse, to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy.” And here I thought nuclear engineering was supposed to be complicated. I mean it’s not rocket science, well then again maybe it’s harder. But I digress. For foodies fusion has become the new word that gets everyone excited. Fusion Cuisine is defined as the combining of elements of various culinary traditions which not being categorized per any one cuisine style, and can pertain to innovations in many contemporary restaurant cuisines since the 1970’s.” Quite clearly not nuclear science, but it tastes a lot better.
Now if you have read this blog before you know I am not going to talk about nuclear fusion that would just lead to confusion. You know that I am going to talk about fusion cuisine. If you are going to talk about fusion cuisine you have to mention the name of Richard Wing, who in the 1960’s combined French and Chinese cooking at the former Imperial Dynasty restaurant in Hanford, California. Unfortunately for Richard he was not good at marketing himself and so has become a footnote in culinary history. I mean have you ever heard of him? Here is a name that you have heard, Wolfgang Puck. Wolfgang, the short chef from Austria, is the most famous pioneer of fusion cuisine. Puck’s restaurants are known for combining foods from different countries into new dishes. From Chinese and Italian, to Japanese and French you name it, Puck has probably done it. The result of fusion cooking has been new recipes and new tastes that people had never experienced before. Where cuisine used to be regional it is now becoming global. The lines between Italian, French, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian, and whatever regional food you want to name, have begun to disappear. Another good illustration of this is Bobby Flay who has never lived outside of New York City and yet cooks Southwestern U.S. food with a California – New York understanding. This movement has traveled down to those of us who cook at home as well. My wife and I have taken her fantastic spaghetti sauce and have southwesternized it by adding chili powder to it among other things. I won’t tell you the other things, that’s a secret.
Fusion also applies to the human race. If you live in a larger city like I do you see this all the time. The Europeans are not just hanging out with Europeans anymore and neither are the Asians or the Hispanics or the Africans. To take it a step further the Europeans are not purely Europeans anymore and neither are Asians or the Hispanics, or the Africans purely Asian, or Hispanic or African anymore. In my family we have seen a wonderful fusion happen over the years. My close family of my wife and children and brothers and sisters-in-laws and nephews and nieces includes people with ancestry from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. Many of those family members are products of at least two of those different regions. The result, a very interesting blending of cultures, languages, music, art, and yes food. I was eating Japanese noodles with a side of baked potatoes and a salad containing seaweed long before Puck came around. I love the fusion in my family because it makes life interesting.
So what’s my point? Fusion is important in the church as well. The early church struggled with that. It was primarily a Jewish church. It was not an easy thing to let the Gentiles in because they were different. Their food was different, their music was different, and their choice of words was very different. God had to perform a miracle to convince the church leaders that God wanted this done. This fusion thing has been a hard thing for the church to swallow throughout its history. Many of the church bodies that we have today came into existence because of ethnic differences instead of doctrinal differences. That is why you see historically black churches or historically Polish churches you name it. People groups through the years have found it easier to worship with people like them, but this is not the way God intended it. Jesus’ constant prayer for the church is that it be one. Paul talks about how now because of Christ there is no difference between Jew and Gentile and you could apply that to every people group. I have worshipped in churches that were primarily full of people from Africa, from Poland, from India, from Mexico, and I have spent my life in churches that are full of people primarily from Northern Europe. I have enjoyed all of those experiences and learned from them, but at the end of the day I have always thought something was missing. God was there, but the representative church as a whole wasn’t. It needed some fusion. Even though I grew up in a part of the country that is primarily of European stock I have always loved diversity, probably because from an early age my family was diverse. I really love diversity in the church. Unfortunately diversity is largely lacking in the church today. As someone once said, I forget who, Sunday morning is the most racially divided day of the week in America. I hope someday that will end. I don’t know how to end it, I don’t have a plan, but I do hope it ends. I love walking into a church and seeing people from all around the world in it. I think it is a little glimpse of heaven. In heaven there is only one church and it is the ultimate fusion church, everyone thrown into one pot and stirred up. Fusion, let’s let it happen.

Another School Year of God's Grace

Today is the third day of the new school year for us here at Family of Christ. My son and daughter, who are first graders and therefore too old for our school are actually in their third week already. They go to a school with a different calendar which leads to some confusion every year in our family. Today was our first big chapel at Family of Christ and I was Bible Man who had “come to save the day” with his huge Bible. I wear a disguise but I think the kids have figured out that it’s really Pastor Fred who is Bible man. At the same time it is exciting for them and it’s a good way to lead them into thinking about God’s Word. Our chapels are very energetic with lots of singing and dancing and praising God. We have a truly amazing staff and director who keep the kids on the edge of their seats. As I have walked though the classrooms the last few years I have observed this energy and joy that the teachers bring. One word I have never heard about our school is boring. Education should be exciting and the presentation of God’s word should always be filled with hope and grace.
At Family of Christ we have two things we want to accomplish with our kids. The first one is providing the best quality education that we can. The second one is presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ to every student and family in our center. We want to give head and heart knowledge at the same time. We want to have an eternal impact on the children that pass through our doors. We see that impact many times in how God moves in the children’s lives and in their parent’s lives. It is one of the reasons there is so much energy and excitement around here on a daily basis. God is at work and we get to watch. So we rejoice at the beginning of yet another school year, another year of God’s grace and love, another year of growth.
Pastor Fred

To Compromise or Not To Compromise

In the last month we have heard a lot of talk about compromise and we have seen a lot of people not willing to compromise. The result, a stalemate. The way the stalemate got solved, compromise. I am referring here to the recent debt ceiling issue that our government has dealt with and also the negotiations between players and owners in the National Football League. Thankfully both of those issues are solved, no one wanted to see the effects that a default would have on our country and I think we all want to see a little football this year. These stalemates though have brought up another issue, compromise. Some people say that compromise is always good, and some say that compromise is always bad. I think we should compromise and find a middle ground between both of those statements. I think they are both equally wrong and I won’t compromise on that fact. I am not going to get into the political issues going on in D.C. and I personally couldn’t care less what deal the owners and players came up with I just want to see them play, but I do want to look at what God says about compromise.
For God the issue of compromise depends on the situation. There are some situations where compromise is called for and there are some situations where God clearly says there can be no compromise. The trick is figuring out where what applies. For instance in Ephesians 4 Paul calls for us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. He follows that up by telling husbands and wives to submit to one another as well. In other words compromise with one another when you have different ideas of what you want to do. When there is not compromise in personal relationships you do not have healthy human relationships. You either have two people who can never get along and are constantly fighting or you have one person controlling the other person, neither of which is good. We have all dealt with that person who refuses to compromise on anything and we know how impossible they are to work with or be around. I have usually either walked away or ended that relationship. To compromise with someone is to show respect for them. Most successful businesses and all healthy relationships practice compromise. Without compromise most things do not get done.

At the same time there are situations where there can be no compromise whatsoever. God clearly says there can be no compromise when it comes to his word or the doctrine that comes out of it. There are situations where the lines need to be drawn in the sand. When Scripture for instance says that something is immoral there can be no leeway given. It doesn’t matter if the culture has changed or if society has accepted it or if we are related to a person doing the immorality it is still immoral, end of argument and not an inch of ground can be given. For instance where there might be compromise in a business deal over price, there can be no compromise if one party asks the other party to do something that would be defined as stealing or otherwise unethical. In the church there might be compromise on how a worship service is conducted but there can never be compromise on the doctrine that is taught in that worship service. In the church there may be compromise on how programs are carried out but there can never be comprise on the mission and vision that God has given to that church. In the family there might be compromise when a child is going to clean their room but there cannot be compromise on the fact that the child is going to clean their room. In the family there can be compromise with the kids on when and what church they are going to, but there can never be compromise on the fact that the child is going to church, whether they like it or not is not an issue, it is a Scriptural command to parents to make sure it happens.
To compromise or not to compromise, well let’s compromise and say it depends on the situation. Wisdom is knowing when each applies, on that fact there is no compromise.

Pastor Fred