Extra Points and the Only Score that Matters

The Falcons' Matt Bryant was 39 for 39
this year in kicking Extra Points

   Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the National Football League, revealed Monday that he is considering changing the rules of football to eliminate the kick attempt after a touchdown. For as long as the sport has been played, touchdowns earn a team 6 points before the chance to kick the ball through the goalposts for an extra point. It is sometimes called the Point After Touchdown or PAT, for short. He explained, “The extra point is almost automatic. I believe we had five missed extra points this year out of 1,200 some odd. So it’s a very small fraction of the play..." The plan would be to make touchdowns worth seven points, not six. Rather than sending the kicking team on after a touchdown, teams would have a choice whether to attempt to get in the end zone for a conversion and a total of eight points. A failed conversion, however, would drop the damage down to six points, so as involve a little risk in exchange for the higher return.

   I don't like the idea. I really don't. Here is why.

   I like getting extra stuff. We all do. I like paying one amount and getting more for it. I like upgrades and discounts and two-for-one deals, but I don't see these as being comparable to what is happening on the football field. In football, the point after the touchdown is something you earn. Who cares if teams have become so consistent with it that kickers make it 99.9% of the time? Some games have been won because these kicks are not automatic - just ask the Jaguars who won 20-19 when the Saints' kicker missed the PAT with .00 on the clock. Make the teams play. Make them execute. Excellence is found within the details and the small stuff. Extra points might seem like small stuff...until you miss one to lose the game.

   What does this have to do with God, Jesus, the Bible, and the rest of the world apart from sports? Nothing. Unless in this conversation we are reminded that life is really about the small stuff. Executing the details is where days are won or lost for the good. We are remembered by most people not for the dramatic, suspenseful, daring acts that come around so rarely. Most of our actions are of the PAT variety:  

When you forgave your sister. 

When you offered grace before the meal in front of your kids. 

When you spent your afternoon in a church kitchen preparing a hot meal for hungry people.

When you wrote that check that helped a teenager to go serve in missions.

When you read with your grandchild.

   What does the bible say about extra points: not one thing. But, Jesus did surprise a bunch of people when he said heaven is open to those who do the little things like visit the sick, feed the hungry, clothe and care for those who are without. He said we do those things for Him in Matthew 25. 

   The NFL can do what it wants. I would hope we would see how important the little acts we execute every day add up to something much larger than any game played in a stadium.
   Grace and Peace to you, Scott

Truth Is Easily Transferable

   We are surrounded by truth. We are also surrounded by half-truths, myths, and outright lies, but I tend to worry less and less about those the more I grow in faith and the greater my confidence in Christ becomes. 
   I once listened to Rob Bell, a pastor in Michigan, go into great detail about how Christians are to deal with truth. Bell bases his teaching on John 14:6, where Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." If Jesus is the truth, then can we dare to believe the converse is true also; that anywhere we find truth, Jesus is there. This is bold. 
   What do we do with the truths that surround us? Do we collect them? Apply them? Pass them on? Which raises another question: Can we pass them on? Or is the truth I hear today limited by the specific and narrow context (time and place and circumstances) where I encountered it? Can 'church truth' make a difference at work?  I think truth is translatable. Truth is not limited to one place.
   Think about what you learned early on about manners, sharing, rest, nutrition, or the joy of playing. Most of that came in Kindergarten. Yet, those truths are still true today. How can that be, except that truth is transferable. 
   This pushes me to think, "In what ways do I need to transfer the truth I am learning in worship, in my Sunday School, and in my personal devotions to further areas of my life?"
   I think I saw an example of truth being transferable earlier this week as I was catching up on some reading. INC. magazine published a brief article by Geoffrey James called, "5 Toxic Beliefs That Ruin Careers." I think it has truths that extend to our everyday lives, too. I offer his list, with large sections omitted for space. You can read the entire article online. He begins: "The Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament is, in my opinion, one of the best business books ever published.  One passage, in particular, contains a world of business wisdom: "As a man believes so is he." (Proverbs 23:7). I've observed that there are five other beliefs that consistently make people less successful. Make sure you don't subscribe to any of these:
1. My self-worth is based on what others think of me. 
2. My past equals my future. 
3. My destiny is controlled by the supernatural. 
4. My emotions accurately reflect objective reality. 
5. My goal is to be perfect or do something perfectly. 
   I take exception with some of that third statement. James goes on to say he is talking about fate, luck, and divine intervention which "robs such people of initiative, making them passive as they wait for their 'luck' to change." I agree that too much emphasis on the first two (fate and luck) can be harmful, but I think we should pray without ceasing for divine intervention into our lives! We believe in the supernatural, but also believe that God has given us freedom and power to choose. 
   May God, who is truth, see us take truth and run with it for His glory. Grace and Peace, Scott

Epworth Vision Team Starts This Month

   Every Christian lives in service to God. None of us performs such service perfectly, but all of us are working towards God's Kingdom goals. Paul captures this idea in Romans 8:28. Probably the best understanding of how we serve is captured in the idea of stewardship. I am not talking about financial stewardship. I am talking about something larger. All that we have comes through God's goodness. We are stewards over God's goodness to us. We are challenged to invest it, grow it, share it and return it.
   The leaders of Epworth are stewards. We are stewards over abundant blessings, dynamic families, a rich history and a promising future. For as much as we have going for us, I believe something is missing. We are doing okay where we are right now. Good things are happening and lives are being changed. We are in a nice season of the ongoing ministry of maintenance  - worship, Sunday School, and even improvements to our buildings and ground. But, is this enough? This season will end. I think we are missing answers to important questions; Where are we headed next? Who are we called to be? Who are we called to serve? What is our mission, our purpose, our reason?
   I am convinced that God has the perfect answer for all of that and that God is ready to share it (and already sharing it) with leaders from our congregation. I am excited to share the names of twelve who have accepted a spot on our Epworth Vision Team. There will be awesome opportunities for input from the whole congregation as we move forward, too. This will be a short-term journey of working through a process to listen for God's leading that will have long-term influence.
   The first meeting of this group happens later this month. The process is lengthy. It might last six months or more. But, the desired product is important so we will treat the process that way, too. Right now, I ask everyone to be in prayer for the team and for God's leading in our lives.

Janet Cheraisi

Kelley Conkle

Scott Hagan

Jamie Johnson

Leslie Morris

Diane Morris

Carson Revell

Quinley Russell

Steve Sawyer

Bobby Smith

Andy Unger

Millard Wilson

Four Proven Tips on Keeping New Year's Resolutions

We are starting January with a Sermon Series on regaining our spiritual momentum. It is for every person who wants to "Get Back" to a place they have been before. At the same time, lots of people are thinking and talking about new resolutions. Of course, the research on resolutions is discouraging: A study of 3,000 people from the University of Hertfordshire found that 88% broke their resolutions - even people who resolved merely to “enjoy life more” failed 68% of the time. I wanted to pass along some great ideas I read earlier from two brothers who are brilliant writers and researchers in the area of motivation, momentum, and productivity. These four research-based tips to improve your chances of keeping your resolutions were first shared by Chip and Dan Heath. 

1. Look for your bright spots. Psychologists tell us that we are wired to look at the negative. One famous study concluded that, when it comes to the way we think, “bad is stronger than good.” So when it comes to changing our lives, we’ll tend to ask ourselves, “What’s the problem and how do I fix it?” But often we can benefit more by asking a different question: “What’s working and how can I do more of it?” In other words, we can learn from our own “bright spots.” 

2. Make one change at a time. Over the last 15 years, a series of studies in psychology has confirmed a sobering result: Our self-control is exhaustible. The research shows that we burn self-control in many different situations: when controlling our spending; holding in our emotions; managing the impression we’re making on others; resisting temptations; coping with fears; and many, many others. Why is this important? Because any life change will require careful self-monitoring and self-regulation—in other words, self-control. Self-control is the fuel that allows change to succeed, but it is limited. For that reason, you will have a better chance of success if you can focus on one change at a time. If you try to change jobs and exercise routines and relationship habits all at once, you are more likely to stall, because you’ve run out of “fuel.”

3. Turn that one change into a habit. Steve Gladdis of London found that he was constantly falling behind on his personal “to do” list. “Looking at the list on my phone now,” he said, “I need to hang those pictures, phone a friend I haven’t spoken to in a while, extract that box from the back of the shed, investigate child-friendly mousetraps, the list really does go on and on.” He resolved to create a daily routine: Every morning, like clockwork, he’d finish one task. “Once I’m on a roll, it seems easy to carry on. I remember to look at my list for today’s task because I’m used to doing it, and I almost look forward to ticking off that day’s chore,” he said. Habits are effective because, once established, they no longer burn self-control. You’ll be more likely to keep your resolution if you can turn it into a habitual behavior—something that happens in the same time and place on a regular cycle.

4. Set an “action trigger” to start your habit ASAP. What’s the best way to start a habit? It is by using a mental plan an “action trigger.” Action triggers (I will do something at this place or following a regular event) can be surprisingly effective in motivating action. One study found that Physical Therapy patients who used action triggers recovered more than twice as fast as others. Psychologists have compared action triggers to “instant habits” because what they do, in essence, is make our behavior automatic when the trigger moment comes. Seize that power for yourself: Jump-start a new habit by setting an action trigger.

God Said Go

   Sunday's worship services, featuring the rhythm of alternating scripture with song, were a welcome change of pace to the driving hustle and bustle that many of us are experiencing beyond the confines of the Sanctuary. Sunday offered music and truth and song and prophecy. I love it when our people literally hear and see the good news on display - the dozens of people who shared their talents embodied that. They were generously sharing from the abundance God has given to them. 
   Those were great moments of worship. But, we are called to live outside the Sanctuary. We are a people who are sent. This was the purpose of the Great Commission in Matthew 28 when Jesus said, "Go...." He said more than that, but one word captures a lot. We are not built to stay put basking in the warm candlelight of even the best moments of worship. Interestingly, the same word is used at the start of Jesus' story. When told of the birth happening just up the hill from their fields and flocks, the shepherds knew they were supposed to, "Go...."
   Our Missions Committee challenges us every month with a different agency or cause in town that is deserving of a portion of our abundance. One of the ways we live out the call to "Go" is through our annual Christmas Offering. Helping our neighbors in great need this Christmas season makes my list of things that are right and good. 
   The Epworth Christmas Offering goes to support three of our key partners in ministry with specific goals in mind: Open Door Community House ($2,000), the Wynnton Neighborhood Network ($1,000), and Brown Bag of Columbus ($1,000), and the total received will be shared among them. If you feel led to give beyond your regular contribution to Epworth, consider making a gift in honor or memory of loved ones, or receive a certificate to give as a present at Christmas. 
   Grace and Peace, Scott

Music at Christmas

   Jingle Bells, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, and O Holy Night are just a few of the dozens of songs that we have memorized and treasured. From Bing Crosby singing White Christmas to choirs on televisions singing carols in the background while families open presents, for most of us music and Christmas cannot be separated.  
   This is not new. Music has shaped the way we remember and pass along the story of Christmas to little ones. Music also played a prominent part in the actual Christmas story. We immediately think of shepherds watching their fields one night only to be startled by a commotion overhead. The Gospel of Luke goes on to say:

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" 

- Luke 2:13-14

   But, in the spirit of Advent, it is worth talking about the music that went before Christmas morning. In truth, music played a significant role in preparing others for the coming of God's anointed One into the world. When the angel Gabriel came to a young girl in a forgotten village with news that would change her life and change history, her response was captured in a song. It is known today by the opening word from one of the ancient Latin translations, Magnificat. 

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 

- Luke 1:46-49

Mary's song here reminds me that sometimes music captures best the intentions and desires of my soul. 
   As Christmas approaches, what songs do you cherish? What parts of the story do you know best because of the songs you have memorized (verses about a red-nosed reindeer are not what I have in mind)? 
   Epworth keeps the tradition of music preparing us for the great celebration of Christmas going this weekend with our Service of Lessons and Carols. You will be delighted by nine passages of scripture that are followed by nine carols and songs of the season. You will not want to miss worship this weekend. And, of course, our Christmas Eve services on December 24 at 4:00 and 6:00 PM are such blessed times for your family and mine. I hope to see you soon and see you singing. 
   Grace and Peace, Scott

Christmas {Jesus}. All Year {Jesus}.

   The church’s new year, underway this week with the start of the Advent Season, began with the prophet Isaiah shining light into a dark world. Before there was a baby that first Christmas, there was a world longing for a Savior. The message from Isaiah 2 is still true today: Every generation needs assurance that the powers of this world (Assyrian, Roman, or modern) do not determine the future.

   Who does?

Prince of Peace, by Akiane at the age of 8

   Paul writes to the church in Ephesus that there is One who is in charge of the future. Paul claims to know who the One is. He uses a compound word, anakephalaíomai in the original Greek, to describe how this is happening. It literally means recapitulate, but Paul reworks it to say that this One he is talking about is the organizing center, causing all the parts to work together in harmony. Read it in Ephesians 1:8-10. Paul says that Jesus of Narazeth, who is the Christ (christos was an ancient word for Lord), is the One.
   This was a bold claim then. It is just as bold a claim now. Jesus is Lord over the future.
   Christmas is about Jesus. When we pull away all of the other distractions that would cover up the story underneath, Christmas is about God’s love breaking into the world that the world might be saved. God changed the trajectory of history.
   I want Epworth to spend more than just this Christmas season talking about and searching for Jesus. I want 2014 to be about Jesus. I want more Jesus in our teachings, our songs, our lessons with children. When our lives together are summed up, I want the tally to be Jesus. I believe the world needs more Jesus. I think we do, too.
   I am excited that the new year is here and excited we can choose to pursue the One who holds the whole word in his hands.
   I offer for you to join in praying with Paul from Ephesians 1: I pray that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. 
   Grace and Peace, Scott

What determines history? Lincoln, JFK, and Us

   The passage of even a few decades makes such a difference in history. I remember hearing, some years back, that the letters first included in the New Testament were not originally written with a thought that they would become sacred Scripture. At the time they were written, they served a more narrow focus: to instruct and encourage specific, local house churches. However, the passage of time changes how things are remembered.

   The Gospel writers, just three or four decades after Paul was writing those first letters, seemed to have a grasp that they were collecting and compiling the good news of Jesus in a way that would be kept. Luke opens with, "I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you...so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed." See Luke 1. John's Gospel closes with a note reminding readers that not all of the stories of Jesus were included, because there were too many to include. 

   Seven score and ten years ago this week, Abraham Lincoln scribbled notes onto a page in order that he might deliver a minor speech at the dedication of the cemetery where soldiers had been laid to rest in Gettysburg. On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln spoke for only a few minutes and, with a "few appropriate remarks", he was able to summarize the war in just ten sentences. From what I've read, he did not intend to make history. He even says, "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here." Yet, those very words are still committed to memory and cherished as one of the great intersections of l literature and history in our nation's annals. 

   Tragically, one century would pass and another moment of history would be marked within days. This time, the actions were certainly intended to be noticed and to be remembered. The assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963 was a national tragedy, though not everyone immediately perceived it as such. My mother shared with me that she remembers students in the segregated school cafeteria in Tifton, Georgia cheering when the announcement was made on that Friday afternoon. Apparently his Catholic faith was not embraced, nor was the fact that he became the first president to call on all Americans to denounce racism as morally wrong in an address earlier that year. I have to believe the kids in that lunchroom only heralded the blind stupidity of their parents and culture. 

   The passing of these historic anniversaries in the same week gives me reason to pause and consider the words I speak and the actions I take. We rarely, if ever, act with history in mind. Both of the events marked this week started on otherwise ordinary days. Yet, the trajectory of our country has been altered. We have this same power. It is most often exercised on ordinary days. We can change the trajectories of lives with words and actions. In our own, small way, we help determine history with our lives. May we choose wisely and with grace.