Posted by jklossner    0 Comment(s)    Add a Comment 
Jul 21 2017

In Mario Kart (unquestionably the world’s best video game), one of the final rounds of whimsy takes place on a track called “Rainbow Road.” The course is exactly as the name describes - colorful, bright and fun.  You drive around a long and winding multicolored road that poses one small challenge: there are no rails to keep you from falling off the edge. So the word ‘fun’ may be a bit of stretch for those of us who find ourselves falling off the track over and over again. I may have mentioned this before, but I don’t like to lose. I’ll be honest… I find this whimsical rainbow track to be a dream crusher.

So what happens when things turn out to be a lot harder than we originally thought? What do we do when it seems like we just keep falling off the track?

When Dorothy sets out on her journey, she’s given the simple task of following a yellow brick road. Sounds easy, right? Not by a long shot. The journey isn’t nearly as clear-cut and smooth as the instructions suggest it should be. I want things to be simple, clear, and maybe even convenient. I don’t want the hassle of running into a mindless scarecrow, or a rusted tin man, a cowardly cat - and especially not flying monkeys. I want the road to be easier than that.

My dad has a sign that hangs in his office that reads, “Faith makes things possible, not easy.” In the moments when we feel like we’re failing or falling apart, I wonder if we look for the quick fix and miss the possibilities that God offers to us. It’s often in the middle of set backs or disruptions that there resides a possibility - the possibility to think more critically and find a new perspective. Or to be compassionate and empathetic. Or to face our struggles with resilience and strength.

Isn’t this Mary’s story? Mary, the mother of Jesus, faced a lot of obstacles that could have derailed her from the calling that God had on her life. Here’s a little Christmas in July, from Luke’s gospel:  In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” As the angel told Mary that she would give birth to the son of God, she saw all the roadblocks, pitfalls, and difficulties that laid on the road ahead. Yet, in the midst of being perplexed, Mary pondered the possibilities and somehow saw the heart of God. The angel said to her “for nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

We face challenges, struggles and roads that seem endlessly hard at times. I don’t have the answers, and I certainly don’t have quick fixes to these difficulties. But I do know that I need God a lot more than I need answers and quick fixes. I need my focus, my attention and most importantly my heart to be on track with heart of God. My prayer for you, and for me, is that we sense God’s presence and turn our attention to the possibilities on the road we are traveling - no matter how many times we fall off the track.

On Sunday we are continuing our series “The Games We Play” by talking about the games we play with God. And if you feel as strongly about the world’s most fun Nintendo game as I do, come play it with us Sunday afternoon at 5pm in Worship and Arts Center!

See you Sunday!

- Julie

Posted by rrindfuss    0 Comment(s)    Add a Comment 
Jul 13 2017

Our church staff is learning about the Enneagram, a tool that helps people understand the motivations behind their actions. We learned that some people's desire to be well thought of by others leads them to present themselves very differently depending upon the group they're in. It could be scary if two of their friend groups met, because they couldn't meet both group's expectations. The Bible gives us two stories of people that changed themselves for those around them and some clues as to when it's spiritually healthy to do that and when it's not.

In the book of Genesis, we meet two siblings, Jacob and Esau. Their father lives in a culture that favors the eldest son, and he continues the tradition by favoring Esau and planning to give him a special blessing. Their mother favors Jacob and convinces him to pretend to be his older brother and trick her poorly-sighted husband into giving Jacob the blessing.

In the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 relates these words of the apostle, Paul:

For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Christians generally consider Jacob's behavior as something to avoid and Paul's as something to emulate. Drawing on these stories, here are two questions that might help discern when it's spiritually healthy to change how we present ourselves to others and when it's not:

• Is the "you" others see still you? – Jacob presented himself as a completely different person. Paul drew on different past experiences to find common ground with different people. For example, Paul had lived as a strict adherent to Jewish law and used that experience to relate to Jews. He had also lived as a Christian under Christ's law and used that experience to relate to non-Jews.
   
• Do others know the full you? – Jacob only showed his father what he wanted him to see. Paul wrote a letter (the scripture I quoted) publicly to share the full range of his personality and experiences.
   
• Who benefits? – Jacob sought to benefit himself. Paul sought to benefit God and others: "I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings."

Adapting to those around me in a spiritually healthy way means sharing part of me that will connect rather than inventing a new me, seeking to bless others rather than to manipulate them, and sharing the "full" me with everyone.

This Sunday at Access we'll look at how crafting an image for others shows up all around us and imagine what might ensue if we showed who we really are. Join us Sunday for "Picking Your Avatar," the next sermon in our series, Games We Play.

See you Sunday!
Rich

Rich Rindfuss
Access Pastor
First United Methodist Church Richardson 

Posted by jklossner    0 Comment(s)    Add a Comment 
Jul 7 2017

Any time I begin playing a game there are two things I want to know: how do you win the game? And what’s the best strategy to get there? It’s a pretty uncomplicated method when playing games and yes, the narrow focus brings out my competitive nature. Similar to a magic trick or a puzzle, I want to know how it’s done.  This insight can be eye opening and gratifying. It can be like getting to be behind the scenes, seeing the full picture, or having a VIP pass. On the other side, the lack of knowing how something works often leaves me so frustrated and discouraged. 

My faith at times has felt like a game where I don’t know the strategy. In times of questioning or moments of stagnation where I long to be closer to God, I find myself asking ‘how?’ repeatedly. How do I move forward? What is the next step? Is there a way to do this? The quick answer here is yes, but the strategy takes a lot longer, it looks a lot different and it is both more challenging and strengthening than I expected.

This strategy is one that starts with the premise that growing in our faith has much less to do with finding success as it does processing our failure. It’s the sort of strategy that takes a willingness to see our weaknesses and limitations so that we might seek wisdom and strength beyond our own. In Richard Rohr’s book “Falling Upward” he says “if there is such thing as human perfection, it seems to emerge precisely from how we handle the imperfection that is everywhere, especially our own.”

Transformation and change may not come from adding something, but instead, by letting something fall away. Paul in a letter to the church in Corinth said it this way: ⁹ And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast, about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰ Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-11

Paul’s words certainly teach us something about God’s grace. How much more might we see God’s grace at work, receive it, and give it to others if we saw how much we are in need of this grace? I find relief in knowing that the same longing I have to be in deeper relationship with God is a longing that God has for me as well. I see God’s love and pursuit of me when I see my need for the grace that is so freely given to me. Instead of staying stagnated and frustrated, there is a way to do this: we can join God in God’s own desire for our deepening and growth. 

This Sunday we start a new sermon series called “The Games We Play.” We will be looking at how we find ourselves playing games in the workplace, in interpersonal relationships, and even in our spiritual lives. These games don’t always lead us to a place where we are more Christ-like.

As we go into this series, I want to invite you to maybe take a different strategy for growing in your faith. Instead of looking at what could be added, look for something in your life that could fall away.  Call it self-examining, or confession, but there is a way to find growth that is strengthening through our weaknesses. My hope and prayer for you and me this week is that God stretches us to see just how amazing grace is.

See you Sunday! 

-Julie