Paul Clark

Pure pleasure

As I tweeted a while back, I've started reading Gary Thomas' book, "Pure Pleasure." It's a thought-provoking book. I think I'm one of the people he hoped would read the book.  I'm certain I have not had a biblically-based view of pleasure--or at least have not recognized pleasure in the way God would like.

Contrary to the way my faith was formed regarding pleasure in life, Thomas explains, "Let us learn to fill our souls with beauty, art, noble achievement, fine meals, rich relationships, and soul-cleansing laughter. When we acknowledge these pleasures, we acknowledge God as a genius creator of brilliant inventions. Let us be wary of a faith that denies these blessings as "worldly" and unfit, as though Satan rather than God had designed them."

I have to admit that for much of my Christian life, when I find myself really enjoying, ok--perhaps relishing, simple things like driving with the top down on my Jeep, or spending the day bumming around with my wife, or reading a great Civil War novel, or even sitting on the back porch with a glass of wine listening to the birds sing, I have felt this twinge of guilt...like maybe I'm not supposed to derive so much pleasure from things that aren't directly associated with God. That the deep pleasures in life should come only from serving, praying, sacrificing...you know what I mean-- doing the sacred stuff. Having too much fun in the world means you're getting too close to THE WORLD.

This book is helping me rethink what it means to enjoy life. God created all things for our pleasure (1 Tim. 6:17).  When I am enjoying all the things God has allowed in my life for me to experience, then God himself derives pleasure from watching me experience pleasure.

Thomas writes, "Enjoying God and what he has created (in the way he intends for us to enjoy it) brings pleasure to God. It is the pathway to worship and increases our spiritual vigor." Psalm 104 says, "He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate--bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart..."

The real impact so far is that over the past few weeks, I've felt close to God and connected to God even when I'm doing stuff that isn't even remotely sacred. Whenever I'm doing something that brings me joy, I'm recognizing it as a gift from God and cause for worship.

My three sons

Taking care of Kevin today as he recovers from having four wisdom teeth removed has reminded me of how great it has been to be a Dad. I turned 50 last summer, and lately I've been much more sentimental about family. I spend more time looking at pictures of my boys growing up and all the stuff we did together.

I even asked for a used slide projector for Christmas, which Jeff bought me for $5 off of Craigs List. Sweet! We had a bag full of slides back from the days when slides were popular, and Kay and I spent a couple of evenings looking at them and remembering how much fun we've had. God has been so gracious and kind to us. Coming up on 30 years of wonderful marriage with three sons who are walking with Jesus: I am amazed at how much grace and goodness God has given us.

My son Ryan (right), my oldest, is an extremely gifted artist. Check out his blog for some laughs and some "wow." He spent a couple of years interning here on staff while he was studying at Cedarville University. Now he's a graphic designer with a rising design firm in downtown Dayton, called Forge. He and his wife Sara are expecting their first child in August--which means I'll be a grandfather!!! 

My second son Jeff (left), is a web developer and is currently our Director of Hello Media here at Fairhaven.  He manages the print and web creatives in between redesigning and coding our website. He's also our Fellowship One champion, which is no small deal. He too came on after interning here while finishing at Cedarville. He's maybe the most creative and crazy person in our family. He keeps us laughing. I'm trying to get him to start blogging. It would be "must read." 

My youngest son Kevin (center), is a sophomore at... you guessed it: Cedarville University, with a dual major: accounting and marketing.  Internship at Fairhaven?  ...still figuring that one out.  Not sure it will work.  But he's an awesome young man with a tremendous personality and a great future. He's the athlete in the family, traveling all over South America last summer with Athletes in Action on a touring soccer team.

One thing I love is how much they love each other. They hang out together. They call each other. They get along and they respect each other.

I don't brag on my kids as much as some guys. Sometimes I almost feel guilty about that. But I just have this awesome peace in my soul about who they are... and how grateful I am to God that he gave them to Kay and me. And that seems like enough.

Don't mess with Rush

In a recent sermon I preached, I used daytime talk radio as an example of what the Apostle John warns us about in 1 John 2:16, specifically avoiding the pride of life.  To be exact, here's what I said:

"I used to be a big fan of talk radio. I listened all the time to those guys on the radio in the afternoon and agreed with lots of the things they were saying—not all, but lots. But after a while, just the sheer, arrogance of their personalities began to make me cringe. It wasn’t their ideas, it was the arrogance, the self-importance with which they communicated their ideas that finally made me stop listening. “Talent on loan from God…” We too can fall prey to a haughty spirit—thinking that we control our fate, that we are the source of our success—instead of living with humility. We are nothing and we have nothing, except what God has allowed us."

Now I know that was a not-so-veiled dig at Rush Limbaugh, but let's be honest: he is full of himself.  Regardless of the truthfulness of his arguments, you'd likely agree that he is a person steeped in pride, or at least that's the persona that's helped him earn millions of dollars. I don't hold that against him, since at least he's never, as far as I know, professed to be a born-again Christian, or even an evangelical, for that matter.

What surprised me is the reaction my negative assessment of talk radio elicited. Some people did not like it, and they let me know in a variety of ways.  Which brings me to my point: I'm concerned about our willingness to compartmentalize when it comes to faith and politics.  I believe that we have a responsibility to not only live as followers of Jesus' example, but avoid those, or at least not become fans of those, who do not.  Here's my response to one email taking me to task:

"Thanks for the note. I knew that when I used the talk radio personalities as an illustration I might incur the “wrath” of some people. Please know that my disagreement with Rush Limbaugh and others like him, is not on the fundamental ideals of conservatism, but rather the way in which those ideas are carried out. I do not believe that the ends justify the means.

I prefer to listen to others who can communicate their ideas with tact, wisdom and humility—people like Charles Krauthammer, George Will, Newt Gingrich, Bill Kristol, and of course, the late William F. Buckley Jr. These men are/were able to communicate their convictions through the thoughtful exchange of ideas, which I believe to be more effective in the long run.

I believe as a Christian, I am responsible to discern not only the truth of someone’s argument, but also their attitude and their methodology. That is where I break with talk radio"

What do you think?

Pushing through the demons

I was deep into my preparations for my message last month (David was taking a one-week break before the Christmas series started), when David asked me how it was going.  I probably had a somewhat pained look on my face, which usually reflects how I feel mid-way through my sermon prep. He took me aside and gave me some great advice.

He told me that even though he preaches every week, (and in my opinion, does a masterful job with it) he still faces the "preaching demons" about mid-way in his study.  The fears and doubts that keep whispering in your ear:

• This sounds like the same thing you said last time
• This is not coming together
• This is going to flop
• You're going to let people down
• This isn't powerful or engaging
• This isn't worthy of the opportunity

He was right.  Those were exactly the things rolling around in my head.  He told me to keep praying for God's blessing, keep working hard, and push through with what I believe God wants me to say to the congregation. He said, "Those thoughts go away by the time you get to the weekend."

He was right! The weekend came and it went well and people seemed to respond to the message. I felt like I had said what God had placed in my heart and I sensed God had given it his favor.

Don't we often hear the negative voices in our heads when we're out of our comfort zone? Isn't it true that so much of life requires "pushing through."  You push through because you know you're doing what you're supposed to do.  You push through because God has given you the opportunity and he deserves your best. Doesn't matter whether it's parenting, marriage, ministry or career: perseverance is the virtue that will make the difference. The voices will fade away.  Just keep pushing (Heb. 6:12).

Rediscovering our imagination

In the Skye Jethani book I'm reading, The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity, the author challenges the reader to consider whether they have the capacity to see the Kingdom of God through their imagination.  Jethani writes:

"Learning to see the world as it truly is- saturated with the presence and love of God- should be the essence of Christian discipleship... most ministries and churches have focused their efforts at spiritual formation upon two areas- knowledge and skills- and have neglected the vital role of the imagination."

That's an intriguing concept for me.  I'm left brained; I have the spiritual gift of administration; I'm immersed in details; I see things as usually black and white; and I've never been accused of being an abstract thinker.

Yet I do sense that God wants me to be more aware of what he is doing all around me. What Jethani is saying dovetails with other things I'm reading that also point to the need to see beyond the two-dimensional reality that presses in on us.  John Ortberg says the same thing in, A River Runs Through It.  Dallas Willard says much the same thing in his VIM structure--calling us to grasp the vision of who God is and what he desires for us.

Jethani points to the church's fixation on "how to" Christianity: i.e. "5 ways to be a better ______." I know I've heard too many of those sermons without much transformation. As a church manager, it's easy to get caught up in a two-dimensional world. One of my prayers for the new year is that God would illuminate my eyes to see and understand the radical vision of Jesus and grasp the fuller reality of "God's Kingdom come down from heaven."

In praise of resolutions

What do you think of New Year resolutions?  I came across Dave Barry's take on setting realistic goals... "Many people give up because they "set their sights too high." In making a New Year's resolution, pick a goal that you can reasonably expect to attain, as we see in these examples: Unrealistic Goal: "In the next month, I will lose 25 pounds." Realistic Goal: "Over the next year, taking it an ounce or two at a time, I will gain 25 pounds, and my face will bloat like a military life raft." Unrealistic Goal: "I will learn to speak Chinese." Realistic Goal: "I will order some Chinese food." Unrealistic Goal: "I will read a good book." Realistic Goal: "I will examine the outsides of some good books, then waddle over to the part of the bookstore where they sell pastries." Unrealistic Goal: "I will do volunteer work for a worthy cause." Realistic Goal: "I will give myself a hearty scratching." That's funny stuff...

Seriously, on this last day of 2009, I'm thinking about the resolutions I made almost 12 months ago.  I know lots of people think New Year resolutions are goofy, but I like them. I'm a big believer that if you aim at nothing, you're sure to hit it. Better to have some goals, some direction, than to just hope things will be better tomorrow than they are today. I'm a planner. I had 5 categories of goals: spiritual, physical. intellectual, pastoral and leisure. There were 26 goals (I know, I know) under those headings. So how did I do? 

I did well on things like:

• Getting my weight down to 190 lbs. (currently at 192 and falling)
• Writing blog posts and articles for magazines
• Leading the "After I Do" ministry with greater passion and attention
• Getting to the office earlier
• Focusing on healthy staff relationships
• Spending more time on vision and planning
• Making time for Civil War reading
• Turning off the TV
• Exercising regularly (3-4 times each week)

There are things on my list that I didn't do so well on: stuff like reading an article or two each day to expand my thinking, sharing my faith regularly, working through a John Stott Bible study (my fault, not his), and getting up early enough to have Bible reading and prayer with Kay (started well but faded--again my fault, not hers).

Does failure mean I stop trying?  No way. In 2010, I'm thinking about the idea of spiritual formation in my own life and what I can do each day to cooperate with God's desire to change my soul from the inside out.  I'll be using a book called, "Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice," to help me stay focused on daily exercises that can move me forward in my faith. Over the next week or so, I'll make other goals that will help move me in the right direction. I'll have them posted in my office at home so I'll see them every day.

Life's too short and too precious to waste time. I want more than anything else (I hope) to be the person God wants me to be. Resolutions give me some sense of direction. What's your thoughts about resolutions?  Do you have any for 2010?

5 questions to ask yourself at year's end

I'm by nature an introspective person. I'm always evaluating myself--maybe to a fault. Nevertheless, I think it's a good thing to step back and take inventory from time to time. The New Year is a great time to do just that. Here are some questions I'm asking myself in order to make sure I'm still on the right track:

1. Am I growing personally and professionally?
 I want to stay a learner. I want to keep growing spiritually. I want to be different next year than I am this year, both to the glory of God and to the benefit of my family and church.  

2. Am I working hard and producing quality results?
This should be easy, right? Every pastor works hard. Well the truth is, you can get into a routine and start to coast. You know you're not giving your best effort or producing your best results. I want to know I've given my very best each and every day. I want to make a difference and produce something of value.

3. Do I experience fulfillment in my ministry?
Subjective, I know. But do I sense the favor of God through who I am and what I do? Do I sense that I'm making a difference in the Kingdom? Life's too short to waste it on things that have no lasting impact.For me, fulfillment means I wouldn't want to do anything else because I see the fruits of my efforts.

4. Do I have clear goals for achieving greater success in life and ministry?
What's my path to a better me? I'm a goal-maker. I like to have a plan-- yet I don't beat myself up if I stumble or fail. I'm human and God knows that. But I always want to know where I'm going.

5. Are my relationships with family and colleagues healthy and reflective of the person I desire to be?
A measure of a person's character can be seen by their relationships with the people around them.The older I get, the more I realize that my legacy will be seen through how I live with the people God has placed in my life- family, friends and co-workers.

Those are five questions I'm asking myself as the calendar turns one more time.  What questions are you asking?

Growing in grace

I have been asking myself lately, "Am I really growing in grace?"  I wrestled with that idea.  What does it really mean to grow in grace?  The old, "God's riches at Christ's expense," just didn't seem to help me.  What is "grace" as evidenced in the life of a Christ-follower?  One thing I did was to think back through my life to the two or three people who seem to stand out to me as grace-filled people.  What was it that set them apart?  Two men quickly came to mind, so I thought through the qualities that made them special to me.  Long story short, I came up with this definition:

Growing in grace means being able to connect the kindness and favor of God to my own life and my interaction with the world around me, such that the kindness of God leaks into everything I encounter.

I like that definition. I'm working on that premise. Several times lately, I've been prompted by the Spirit  when the kindness of God was NOT leaking into my circumstances. I appreciate that.  We cannot walk in God's grace without the Holy Spirit's help. Life becomes so much richer when we focus on grace.

A river runs through it

John Ortberg has a great article in the current issue of Conversations, a journal that I highly recommend to stimulate your thinking about spiritual formation--your own, that is. I'm especially challenged by the idea that living in the flow of God's Spirit is simple...

"What if Jesus really meant what He said? That the Spirit of God is like a river and flowing all the time? What if your job as a follower is not to try harder or run faster or get up earlier or rev up your emotions? What if God really is at work in every moment; in every place? What, if in a sense, my job is to learn simply not do those things that close me off from the Spirit? Instead of needing to do something else, what if it’s about how I keep myself aware and submitted so that rivers of living water are flowing through my being?

Paul puts it like this and in some ways, the spiritual life is that simple. Just don’t quench the Spirit. The Spirit is already at work. He is bigger than you. He is stronger than you. He is more patient than your failures. He is committed to helping you 24/7, so just don’t get in His way. Don’t quench the Spirit. Don’t grieve the Spirit. We are always either opening ourselves up—walking in the Spirit—or quenching the Spirit."

Read the article

Our story

I was recently reading through Stephen's story in Acts 6-8. His story--how he lived his life-- created such a bright light for the Gospel that untold numbers of people were brought into the Kingdom of God. Our stories can be so powerful. The story of how God’s love has impacted us can change the world!

Below is a beautiful story shared in a service recently-- Jenna's story.  Notice how clearly and wonderfully she articulates the intersection of her life with the love of God.  Are you using the power of story to communicate the Gospel?

My Story: Jenna Doyle from Fairhaven Church on Vimeo.

That’s not an easy story to hear. It pains us to hear about one of our own, a beautiful young woman, going through such darkness. But the power of her story is how she comes out on the other side. Something dramatic has happened in her life and she doesn’t hesitate to explain how that change came about. I think that’s what Jesus had in mind when he was standing on a mountainside and telling his followers about the light each one of them would carry (Matt. 5:14-16).