OOPS

If you are reading this from the HTML email that Holy Cross sent out.. Well, Chris sent you to the wrong blog.. Click on the link below and you will go to the new Pastor's Blog.

THE PASTOR'S REAL BLOG

The blessings of God

This weekend I had the privilege of sharing what has happened at Holy Cross over the last 25 years with six pastors from around he country. Whenever I tell the story, I am struck with just how blessed we are and have been!
The Pastors who come take notes and gather information with the idea that somehow what is happening here can happen at their own congregations, and that is certainly our prayer and the reason that we spend this time together, but the fact is that it is the blessing of God that will transform their congregations.
One of the questions that they kept asking was how did you know which things would work? I told them what I have come to believe and that is that we have a tendency to plan where we would like to go and then we ask God to go there with us. Instead we need to look around us and see what God is blessing and then go there! Whenever I have tried to plan just what would work for Holy Cross it has failed. The things that have worked are the things that I would say just "fell into our laps". Again and again God has shown me that it is in His time and in His way that He will bless us in our task of reaching the lost for Christ in the Central Florida Area!
Do you think that this attitude works in our personal lives as well? Should we be looking for where God is blessing you and your family and go in that direction?
What do you think?

In Christ,
Paul Hoyer

a prayer

Here is something I prayed today

Hey Father, teach me what it looks like to be known by you

I mean I know you made me for yourself, 

things work best when our relationship is dynamic

But sometimes I struggle with how that looks for us

So today, Holy Spirit, would you come

Open my mind and heart to new ideas and fresh disciplines

to new possibilities and different approaches

So I can become who I already am, a man known by you and living with you for the sake of your son in his kingdom. In Him and through Him...Amen

sparrow

I like to listen to podcasts while I work out; things like this american life or speaking of faith. I know it's not pump you up music, but workouts for me are relaxing and these add to it. 

This morning, relishing the anonymity of being one of several people on dozens of elliptical machines, I listened to a conversation with an interesting atheist turned Jew. She wrote a book called the Sparrow. The book sounds a little crazy if not interesting, but it was when she spoke about how she got the title that I was really intrigued. 

She quoted from where the Bible mentions that not even a sparrow falls without God seeing it. She said that is supposed to be a comfort. But it has always caused her to question: why then does the bird still fall? If God is watching why does the bird die. I love this question. 

Our God is complex. Larger than we can handle or understand. Often we try to explain away the problem of sparrows dieing, like we are trying to get God off the hook. To imagine up our own reason why God might have the sparrow die. But in the end the two things exist right next to each other: Bad things and all powerful Good God. Both are true...some things are just all bad, and the all powerful God is all good. It can be confusing if you think about it too much. We're better off letting this be a comfort--in the midst of bad the all powerful Good God is on your side. 

rain, rain

I have a friend whose favorite weather is cold and rainy. Normally I don't agree, but for me today has been nice. It has given me an excuse to drink coffee and eat tasty vegetable soup (made by my talented and beautiful wife). 

In the olden days (days were never golden but just older) rain was associated with the blessing of God. Lots of rain was lots and lots of blessing. Usually we associate sun and blue sky with God, maybe that's because we don't grow our own food. 

It's good to remember that our God has been around a long time. That people have been dealing with him for a lot longer that we even have a concept of. That American or Enlightenment understandings of scripture, or spirituality, or even God are relatively new. We have definitely learned some new things that help, but I think we are losing some things too. Maybe rain ought to be associated with our good and gracious God. That helps me when I look out my window, welcome the rain and imagine God's blessing coming down with the water. 

duality?

I know that I've talked about this before, but I have been thinking more about it lately. The more I think about it, the more I see it affecting all sorts of stuff. 

It came up in my mind the other day when I heard an interview about the problems with our economy. The guy was a christian that worked with the poor somewhere in New England. He said the reason it was messing with people so much was because the economy had become a God for our culture, and when it fails people's God fails.

I started thinking, "I don't know anyone who would say that money or the economy is their God." But the next thing that came to mind was, "I suppose that a lot of people's security, or hope comes from money, and really isn't that what Gods are for?" That thought made me think another thought, "there are a lot of people in that camp--the camp of looking to money for things Gods provide--I find myself in that camp sometimes, how does that happen?" (sometimes my thoughts run through my head really fast like that). Finally I landed on one thought, "it's hard to find security and hope in a spiritual God for physical things. For some reason I want to separate them."

This brings me to the aforementioned point that affects a lot of stuff. With the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob there is no separation of physical and spiritual. They are wrapped up together, and he is equally concerned about all of it. That God is concerned about my quality of life physically and spiritually. That means I can trust him with my money just as much as my sin, I can trust him with my physical health just as much as my emotional health. That's what makes him such a good God, it's why he's been around for so long. 

Where did my insurance go?

So after 25 years of car and house insurance with State Farm, I now need to look for a new insurance company! I am having a hard time understanding just how they can simply decide to quit covering the homes that they have in Florida. Equally ridiculous is their commercial that says even though we are dropping your house just keep paying us for your car and by the way why not give us your money to invest.

This whole thing is another reminder that "Service Organizations" are not really service oriented they are profit oriented. I suppose that you can not expect a corporation to continue to do business at a loss, but then they should not be able to do business based on the idea that "You've Got A Friend" this is not something that a friend would do!

All of these thoughts came to me yesterday as I prepared for my Crossways Class where we were discussing the fact that Jesus came as the "Cornerstone" and his pattern of living as a servant to all was a model for us as followers of Christ. No wonder the world has a hard time understanding the actions of Christ Followers as they live to serve those around them and consider the needs of others as more important than their own. Even our "Service Organizations" do not operate in that way.

Christ calls us to see the world differently and to act differently. This is confusing to us and to those around us. You can begin to see why in the early church they separated themselves from the world and tried to deal just with other believers. The Mennonite church has some of that as they don't do insurance but if someone loses a home or property they all simply get together and rebuild what they lost!! Now that is servant living!

Searching for new insurance for my house is going to bring up a raft of new problems and I will try and keep you informed as my frustration mounts.

In Christ,
Pastor Paul

Winter Games!

Can I get an Amen for living in florida!? AMEN

I am going out on a limb...are you ready? I don't think there was black ice, frostbite warnings, or even "wintry mix" in the Garden of Eden. If that is the case, then Florida in the winter is much closer to paradise than lots of places to our north and winter games makes perfect sense. At least it does to me. Just a thought. 

Here are some pics from the Winter Games; a fun time was had by all. P.S. Duke Shumate won the chili cook-off.

cold weather

I drove out to Mt. Dora on monday and saw some folks picking oranges. I saw them, with ladders and bags and thought, "Wow I didn't know anyone cared about those fields. I thought they were abandoned." Then as I sat huddled under covers last night (our heat pump was having trouble keeping up with freezing temps) I learned why they were out there. The news said people didn't want to loose orange crops to a freeze so some were picking early. 

Chris and I were trying to figure out what the deal is with Florida cold. Both of us have lived places where cold is a much more normal experience. We should not really balk at the temps we are seeing now. But we are both very cold. How does that happen? Just something I was thinking today.

new president

so...we have a new president, in case you missed that. We want you to be privy to all the latest news. 

About two years ago I was on my way to church in St. Louis. I was scheduled to help out and was running late. So I was speeding. Right at the worst point (just after the limit had been decreased) I was pulled over. The officer wrote me a ticket. I was a post-grad student with little disposable income and none that I wanted to give to a ticket for being late to church. Needless to say I arrived at church not only late, but also in a bad mood. As I tried to get ready for worship, I sat in church praying and a scripture came to mind: something about "there is no authority but that given by God." I felt as if God spoke to me saying submit to that officer as you would to me, because the authority his position holds is given by me. That was tough.

When Jesus was questioned about the authority of worldly rulers he seemed almost dismissive. "Give them what is theirs." I think it is important to support and pray for rulers, and to follow the laws; but that should always be secondary to the King of all Kings. I mean, my first citizenship is in the Kingdom of God found in the universal church. I hope with America and for it, but I place my hope in Jesus. What is cool about hoping there, is that Jesus is trans-national. Hoping in him ties me to people all over the world who are doing the same...just something I was thinking today. I'm going to go watch Obama's speech.

stressed?

Earlier today Chris and I walked over to Albertson's. (incidently, as we bought our weekly sodas, we also picked up our 3-d glasses for the super bowl. yahoo!) As we made our way through the Krystal parking lot a guy drove by and tried to sell us cigarettes; he said he was almost out of gas and needed the money. Judging from stories I have heard, more people are going to be doing things like selling cigarettes from cars for gas. I mean it sure seems like money is going to be tight for awhile.

I listened to an interview in the car today where the woman said that 8 out of 10 americans are stressed about he "economic downturn." That number is almost as high as it was after 9/11. The woman said that people get stressed when they feel like things are out of their control, and they we should find ways to put things under our control.

I am not being interviewed on the radio, so maybe my opinion counts less, but I think just the opposite. I mean peace comes to me when I realize that I'm not in control. When I learn that everything I have that is good in my life is a gift, and that a God who is stronger than me is involved in my life. I have found that it is just as important to trust God with my money as it is to trust him with my sin, and my eternity. They all go together.

What happens when you die?

We have had a rash of funerals at Holy Cross in the first two weeks of 2009. One person died of surgery complications, one person abused drugs, one person had a heart attack and one killed themselves!

My Son Jacob sent an article to the Sanford Herald from Africa where he is now and spoke about the way that the African people deal with death.

In addition to that the "Crossways Class" that I was leading this week spoke about Christ's second coming and the time when all of our lives will be over.

These things have caused me to spend some time thinking again about what it means to die! People who live without a relationship with Jesus Christ, will usually be afraid of death. I think that this comes because we are naturally afraid of anything that we have not experienced and that we know nothing about. I have no desire to eat Sushi, I have not experienced raw fish and I am therefore a little afraid to have that first bite. Once you get past the first taste, you decide that raw fish is not that bad. As the commercial used to say "now you know and knowing is half the battle".

In Jesus Christ, we know that death is not the end to our life but a door to a new and glorious existence with God in Heaven. We believe that He will never leave us alone and when we leave this life He will be with us to guide and protect us. For many of us we begin to look forward to the opportunity for this new existence. However we are still afraid of death! (we have not experienced it). We face our death as the great door that must be opened but with out Jesus we have no idea of what is on the other side, when we know Him and believe what is on the other side we have a hole through the door. Instead of a big solid door, we have a sort of picket gate. You still have to open it to get to the other side, but you all able to see just what is coming.

When we begin to think in this manner about death it changes just how we grieve and even end of life issues. Our views on death will change our views on life.

In Christ,
Paul Hoyer

biggest loser

I think I have confessed before that I watch Biggest Loser. So last night I watched and there was this cool moment in one of those "talk to camera," interview things. The girl had just one this challenge where they kayaked and climbed up a mountain (not like harness and hand over hand or anything. But it was certainly a steep walk). She said excitedly to the camera, "I can't believe I just did that. Man I feel so alive!" 

That really landed on me. "I feel so alive." How did she feel before? She wasn't dead before. But now she feels more alive. I love the concept that we could be here, living but not alive. Not because I want to feel that way, but because it hits at a reality that Jesus mentions. "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." This is a personal goal: to be present and alive in each moment. I don't have obesity robbing me of my experience of life, but there are other things that can do that: lies I believe or habits I can't break or thought patterns I can't avoid. 

Working Out

I got back into a gym this week. It had felt like a long time since I was there. About three years ago I made it over that hump people talk about, but you're not sure is real. That hump where working out quits making you feel worse than not working out. I can honestly say that I feel better when I am working out regularly...I eat better too. 

It has begun to occur to me over the last two years or so that body health is important. I mean that spirituality is not separate from physicality. That following Jesus is not like achieving Nirvana, we're not snatched up when we get faith. We're left here because life is a gift and calling from God. 

What's more, Jesus himself is not separate from the physical things in our world but all wrapped up in them. Often he is found in the people around us. I listened to a short interview the other day with a guy named Shane Claiborne, it renewed my desire to live life in the middle of real community. Where life is lived together with people...I don't know if it would work or what it would look like, but it sounds good.

Thoughts from 30,000 feet

I like flying. It gives me time to think. I was really looking forward to this flight back to Orlando for a number of reasons. Reason one, the wind chill was 8 when I left Detroit on New Year's Eve. But more importantly, thanks to so many people traveling today, I had to use a lot of frequent flier miles in order to make it back for our New Year's Eve service. Translation: I'm flying first class. As I got to the airport, I got to go to the first class check-in and was treated really well. As I got ready to board the plane, I felt a little bit of entitlement creeping into my attitude as if I wanted everyone to notice, "I'M FLYING FIRST CLASS. I'M A VERY IMPORTANT INDIVIDUAL." Pride is scary isn't it?

I thought about a story that I heard told about Winston Churchill. He was at a worship service walking up to the altar to take communion. A man, not very well dressed was about to be placed next to him. When his companions tried to usher him away, Mr. Churchill is reported to have said, "let him be. We are all equal here."

What would our world look like if we remember that we are all sinners in desprite need of His forgiveness? What is we not only knew, but believed and lived the truth that God loves us unconditionally and welcomes us at His table, regardless of the way we come? What if that began to shape our attitude toward other people?

We have a great, loving, compassionate God. I really hope that people are able to meet Him through me.

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790

So I am starting to think that life can be a pretty busy thing. I mean there can quickly become more things that you want to do than have time/energy/know how/money to do. I'm not even talking the classics like learn the piano or guitar or golf. I'm just talking the basics like eat at the right times or talk with the right people. 

I have found there are times where the sort of tired I am is not helped by more sleep. Sometimes the best rejuvenation comes from laying and listening to praise music and being open to God. Just something I was thinking today.

I am glad to have made it through the holidays. Sometimes this time of year that we just passed through feels like a good party. Lots of fun while your in the middle of it but a lot to clean up afterward. That's where I am right now. Trying to find a routine and put things back in place. Case in point: I got a ticket before the holiday for not wearing my seatbelt, forgot to pay it, got a suspended license, and spent last wednesday afternoon and the earliest part of this morning at the D.M.V. getting it all straightened out. 

The D.M.V. is mostly filled with no fun interspersed with line waiting. If there is a silver lining to the D.M.V. it's standing around sorts of people you otherwise never would. This morning there was a construction worker (who was not working today but mentioned several times that he was working tomorrow) a painter (who was a seriously loud talker and what he lacked in teeth he made up in hair) and a short guy who counseled he friend on the phone that Vegas was best for divorce (whatever that means). 

I know that the world takes all sorts of people, but it's nice to be reminded. I mean I can get so rapped up in what's going on with me that I lose perspective. When I realize how life could be going, I am glad for mine. God has been at work all around me this past year, I have to believe he will be in this next as well.

There is this one Christmas song I've been listening to that I really like by a guy name sufjan stevens. The song is "It's Christmas let's be glad."

Lately I've been trying to figure out why I like Christmas so much. Or maybe more accurately how best to understand the holiday. Just a few minutes ago I was praying and playing through Oh Come All Ye Faithful. In the midst of that, I had a thought. Maybe we should approach Christmas like we do Palm Sunday. In case you and I approach Palm Sunday differently I'll explain. 

Maybe Christmas is a very simple holiday. Maybe we are just supposed to come and shower worship on Jesus. For one short little time everything stops and we call Jesus who he is, sing to him, remember him. I mean the day is coming where all of life will center on Jesus, but right now we can only manage that for moments. Maybe that's Christmas...Jesus Son of God, really good guy, worthy of my time, my nice clothes, my good cheer, my songs, my praise. Pretty simple. 

Merry Christmas everybody.

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."
~ Leonardo Da Vinci

It was 5:00 somewhere when it hit me. It was Wednesday. I was tired and to be honest, a little cranky. I get that way after long days. Tuesday was a very long day. I was at the YMCA at 5:30a and didn't get home until 12:30a after a late night meeting with my India team. (No pitty please, I'm the goof who wrote all the appointments into my Microsoft Outlook.) So with confirmation time quickly approaching and knowing that I still needed to pick up the pizza beforehand, I was confronted with the opportunity to go home for a quick nap or go to the Y for a swim. I really, really wanted a nap. I knew I needed to get some exercise. I got in the car and wallowed in the endless quagmire of self-pity all the way to the lockerroom. I swam. Actually, I swam farther than I have swam in a long time, 2000 yards to be exact. Nothing my Michael Phelps standards but pretty good for me.

The reason I swam so far is because I spent so much time thinking. It's amazing how peaceful a pool can be. No noise. Nothing to do except think and not drown. I thought about my schedule. I thought of all the things that I don't like doing. I thought of all the things that I would like to do. I thought of all the things that I should do. I asked God for clarity. I think we all need to take some time to ask the question, "what am I doing with my dash," that little line that seperates our birth date from our death date.

I know what God wants. He wants us to go. Go and share with the world that a Savior has been born. Go and share. Go and give. Go and help. Go and live. Go and love. Go and learn. Find out what God is asking you to do and go. Just do it.

So I heard a story earlier this week about a famous Pentecostal pastor who recently decided that there was no hell. That any god who would "suck people" into eternal burning is a monster..."worse than Hitler." He just could not believe that the God who sent Jesus could be that way--there must not be a hell.

The story really hit me. I mean I felt for the guy. As he began to write books about and preach this false teaching he lost hundreds, maybe thousands, of members more friends money and prestige. The change in thinking occurred to him as he watched a story about families dieing in a struggle in Africa. His heart ached for lost people, knew he couldn't save everybody, and felt sure that God did. 

For me this hits on a fundamental contradiction in Christianity. I mean, it is true that Jesus' sacrifice counts for all people of all time. It is also true that God is willing that none should perish but all come to eternal life. It is also true that the time is coming when Jesus will come back and separate the sheep from the goats, and that he tells us: there is one name under heaven by which all men shall be saved. 

The heart that want's there to be no hell, connects to the compassion of God; that desire is righteous. At the same time, somehow I think there will be people who don't want anyone else to pay for their sins (or to admit to sin) and God won't force it. Followers of Jesus are in a tough spot. I suppose we just trust in the goodness of God to resolve it in the end, and try to proclaim the same thing Jesus did and the scriptures do. There is salvation for those who know Jesus as their savior, and eternal separation from God awaits some after this life.

This weekend I mentioned to people how cool it was that there used to be people who knew people who knew Jesus. That the Christmas story started not as a movie or a children's play or even as Luke 2 but as this story about how a guy was born. That thought occurred to me while reading about Mark's gospel, and I found a quote from a 4th century historian quoting a 2nd century church leader.

The first history written about followers of Jesus dates around 326ad by a guy named Eusibius. We still have copies of that book. There are some crazy stories in there, but at one point he quotes a guy named Papias. 

Papias lived from around 70ad to around 155ad. He was a bishop in the church, and collected stories (people still do that today...collect stories I mean) from people that knew Jesus. He wrote a book called the sayings of Jesus. We lost that book, the only way we know it existed is because Eusebius quotes it. 

"For I did not take pleasure as the many do in those who speak much, but in those who teach what is true, nor in those who relate foreign precepts, but in those who relate the precepts which were given by the Lord to the faith and came down from the Truth itself. And also if any follower of the pastors happened to come, I would inquire for the sayings of the leaders, what Andrew said, or what Peter said, or what Phillip or what Thomas or James or what John or Matthew or any other of the Lord's disciples were saying. For I considered that I should not get so much advantage from matter in books as from the voice which yet lives and remains."

Instead of reading things that had been written about him, Papias would listen to stories of people who knew people who knew Jesus. 

I love hearing things like that because it reminds me how simple Christianity is. Jesus came lived, died, rose, ascended then sent his spirit. Since then people have been following his teaching, and encountering his spirit. 

My little brother Jakes is out on this sort of epic journey around the world with four or five other people. They are experiencing a lot and telling people about Jesus. Last I talked with him he had just finished a scavenger hunt through the streets of downtown Hong Kong. Since then he has taught english in a chinese boarding school and climbed the great wall in China. Now he is with this pretty amazing tribe of people in africa call the Turkana people. I googled them and found some pictures. Looking at them first made me think of the "its a small world" ride at magic kingdom: just the thought of people who look so different, with such a different experience of the world...it's a neat reminder that they're out there. But then I was struck by their smiles. Their smiles look familiar. People all over the world smile the same. 

Lately I have been looking at pictures of past Christmases. My wife smiles so well in every one and I look goofy in every one. I have been thinking a lot about why we smile at Christmas. I mean there is always a lot of stuff packed in to this time of year, but what do we mean by "the spirit of Christmas."

I haven't figured out exactly why yet, but I do like this season...it makes me smile.

ben hoyer