Author: Tim Ehrhardt

I'm just a common ordinary pastor, chaplain, father, grandfather, and dog owner who loves the smell of a genuine leather Bible and the aroma of its message. I'm on a quest to track down the best Bibles, how to best read and use them, and to discover the encouragement inside.

Aliens and Strangers

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.” –1 Peter 2:11
 
 
 
            It will get better.  God promises it will.  It will not always be this way.  If you and I will not surrender to our desires to get even, fight back, cajole, manipulate, intimidate, talk under our breath to others, and live like the natives – and if you and I continue to do good in both speech and action – then, by God’s grace, we will together bring honor to Jesus Christ on the day he comes again.
            You might think I’m talking about all the worldly people out there who assault the faith.  Yes, they are in the back of my mind.  But, to be honest, I’m thinking primarily about the culture within many (not all or even most) churches today.  Maybe you can relate to these kinds of scenarios:
·         Suzy sits in the back of church, all by herself.  Everyone else seems to have it all together.  But today she is hurting, lonely, and scared.  Suzy wants to live for Jesus, to learn more about him, but no one seems to share her deep passion for this.  She quietly cries, the tears streaming down her face.  She cries alone with no one willing to sit and cry with her.
·         Bill really enjoyed the sermon.  It was as if the pastor were speaking directly to him with solid biblical truth applied with wisdom to his heart.  In the narthex afterward, Bill tries to engage others in discussing what they all just heard.  He only gets blank stares and uncomfortable looks.  The weather, sports, and a dose of how politicians aren’t getting it right are the topics of conversation.  No one will talk with Bill about Jesus.
·         Jim has lots of great relationships with people outside of church.  He enjoys talking with them about his faith because its just a natural point of conversation for him.  Jim loves Jesus, and he wants others to know him, too.  Inside the church, Jim feels like others look at him like he’s weird.  No one seems to share his passion to share Jesus with others.
These, and many more real examples just like them, can be found every Sunday.  Suzy, Bill, and Jim all feel like aliens and strangers in the foreign land of church.  Its tempting to either get angry, or depressed, or just quietly leave, never to return to the awkward place that feels more like a country club for insiders than a church full of broken people in need of the grace and healing ministry of Jesus in their lives.
            The Apostle Peter, writing all those centuries ago, did not tell his readers and listeners that it will all be okay.  On the contrary, he promised them that suffering is a reality.  The point for Peter is whether we suffer as Christians, or as like any garden variety worldly person who doesn’t know Jesus.  It’s one thing to suffer for you own bad decisions, and its another thing to suffer for being a Christian.
            The good news is that Jesus knows what you are going through.  He suffered here on earth.  Now you must be ready to suffer as he did because suffering shows that you belong to him (1 Peter 4:1-2).  Don’t be surprised at how indifferent and even calloused people in the pews can be.  Take heart from this in God’s Word:
“Dear friends, don’t be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through fire. Be glad for the chance to suffer as Christ suffered. It will prepare you for even greater happiness when he makes his glorious return.  Count it a blessing when you suffer for being a Christian. This shows that God’s glorious Spirit is with you. But you deserve to suffer if you are a murderer, a thief, a crook, or a busybody. Don’t be ashamed to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God that you belong to him.” (1 Peter 4:12-16, CEV)
 
I can’t even begin to tell you, my dear friends, how many hurting people I’ve dealt with who have left the church; and, the many folks currently within churches who feel lonely, isolated, and don’t know what to do because they have a sincere passion for Jesus, an ardent desire to know God’s Word, and want to fellowship with others around these longings… but have found a cool reception.
Now, here is the punch line, and why I’ve been speaking with you about the condition of so many congregations today and the hurting people who love Jesus within them:
“God has already begun judging his own people. And if his judgment begins with us, imagine how terrible it will be for those who refuse to obey his message.” (1 Peter 4:17)
 
            I want you to know that you are not alone.  God has chosen and reserved a great number of passionate believers.  You are not Elijah, all by yourself in the cave.  You are not Stephen, the singular saint who stood in front of his own people and was stoned.  You are, however, a precious stone in the building which God is erecting with Christ as the cornerstone. (1 Peter 2:4-8)
            I’m not here to tell you what to do in or with your church.  I am here to communicate grace, mercy, and peace to you in your sincere desire to honor and please Jesus in everything you say and do.  Peter is one of the great witnesses watching over you and cheering you on.

 

            Blessings to you, and may God fulfill every good desire in your heart through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Romans 9:6-13

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            I want to break this to you as gently as possible, but as straightforward as I can:  My friend, you are not in control!  Any semblance of control we think we have is only a delusion.  Now, before you push back on this its important to make the distinction between control and taking charge.  Taking charge of your life means that you own your decisions and take responsibility for their outcome.  The Bible describes this as “self-control.”
            But “control” is not your job – never was, isn’t, and never will be – that’s God’s business.  God makes his choices.  This was the Apostle Paul’s point to the church at Rome.  The congregation was a volatile mix of both Jew and Gentile.  There was some bad history between them that stretched back centuries.  Yet, here they were together in one church worshiping Jesus.
            Paul made his choice to step into the mess between them and let each group know something important: It is neither their choice about who’s in and who’s out as God’s people, nor their choice about how someone gets in to start with.  Again, this is God’s choice.
            The Jews needed to know that Gentiles are in because God did his work of calling and including; Gentiles are chosen just as much as Jews.  The Gentiles needed to know that they were not replacing Jews as chosen people.  The point? God chooses whomever he darn well pleases to choose, and its not up to you, my friend.
            This speaks on so many levels about how to conduct ourselves with one another in the church.  The foundation of all good church dynamics is the recognition that God is the one who calls and gathers people together in the church.  This needs to be the starting point in our relations with each other.

 

Sovereign God, you choose whomever you will to include in your kingdom.  Allow me to see Jesus in each person you call and save so that I can love and encourage them in the faith which is mutually and graciously given to us all; through Christ our Lord, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Create New Experiences

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

trail riding horses

My wife grew up around horses.  They’re almost second nature to her.  When she was young, each kid had their own horse.  It was a daily ritual to go riding when the weather permitted.  After we were married and had kids of our own, horse culture was still important.  I learned to enjoy watching rodeos, bull riding, and barrel racing.  Even though we lived in the city, the annual sojourns back to the country led to our own girls learning to ride.  My father-in-law, while not the horse whisperer, knows horses quite well.  He knows a lot about what it takes for any person to ride and care for such powerful and majestic animals.

To ride a horse means to learn, and to learn means falling off the horse and/or being thrown from a horse.  I never saw my father-in-law so adamant and tough than when each of my girls fell off the horse for the first time.  They didn’t want to get back on.  But Grandpa more than insisted – he commanded them back on that horse with some very firm instructions on what to do.

Grandpa knew, as all horse people do, that its important to get back on for two reasons:

  1. You have got to create a new experience with the horse so that you will overcome the bad experience; and,
  2. The horse needs a new experience with the rider so that he doesn’t get the idea that the old experience is the norm.

I don’t pretend to be a horse guy, but I’ve come to appreciate how to ride and how necessary it is to not let old experiences and spirited horses dictate the way things are going to go.  I’ve learned to take charge of a powerful animal and discovered the enjoyment of being in rhythm with a horse.  If you have a bad experience – whether it’s with a horse, a person, an event, a group, or a circumstance – it is vital you create new experiences.

Daily chronic bad situations and experiences is not healthy.  I’ve come to discover, and maybe you have, too, that emotional vitality and health will only come with some good solid positive new experiences that strengthen and reinforce your faith and spirituality. 

The Apostle Paul mentored Timothy (and numerous others) in the teachings of Jesus and the craft of ministry.  He did it because he knew that young persons need new experiences under the tutelage of an experienced mentor.  Paul also did it because Jesus intensively mentored twelve disciples, not to mention an entire coterie of men and women who followed him.

People, no matter where they’re from, need the encouragement to begin a new experience, and someone to come alongside and help them when it’s needed.  That’s important because every one of us has fallen off the horse at one time or another.  Some people have fallen badly and required surgery with a long time of healing or convalescence.  They especially need new experiences.   Its more than understandable that they’re afraid.  Yet,

Fear cannot dictate what needs to happen any more than a horse should call the shots about what happens when riding.

Even when you have a bad experience, you can look at it, learn from it, and celebrate the new knowledge of things.  Then, you have the choice to move on.  You can be, and maybe should be, ruthless about purging things, including experiences, that don’t serve you well.

Find new ways and experiences that do serve you well.

That will take some experimentation and the freedom to allow yourself to fail and fall off the horse.  Maybe it means saying “yes” to something you’ve been saying “no” to.  Maybe it means taking the step of doing something you’ve wanted to do for a long time, but haven’t had the gumption to do.  Maybe there is just some old negative stuff cluttering your mind and rambling around in your heart, and you, like me, need to do some early Spring cleaning with some new thoughts and experiences.

Today is the day, my friend.  Go ahead and walk with me.  Let’s take some small steps.  Tomorrow, we’ll take some more.  The next day, we’ll get rid of some more stuff and take another step.  I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.  You just need somebody telling you, commanding you, to get back on that horse and create a new experience.  Do it to the glory of God, for the blessing of others, and to serve yourself well.

Proverbs 8:1-21

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Maybe you, like me, are wary of get-rich-quick schemes.  Those marketing strategies typically involve some path to becoming a millionaire in a short amount of time.  Sometimes it works.  If you look more closely to the success stories, you will almost always find a person who had a laser focus to acquire wealth, and a dogged commitment to seeing it happen.
            There is a get-rich plan in the Bible.  It’s called the book of “Proverbs” and it has something a whole lot more valuable than earthly riches.
“I can make you rich and famous, important and successful.  What you receive from me is more valuable than even the finest gold or the purest silver” (verses 18-19). 
 
Interested?  It’s a great headline.  It’s also very true – no scam.
            So, who can do this? How does it happen?
Wisdom is the genuine path to a wealth that transcends dollars and cents, stocks and bonds, cash and credit, gold and silver. 
 
Wisdom in the book of Proverbs, and throughout the Bible, is the ability to take the truth about God and his world and apply it to actual concrete situations in life.  Just think about that for a moment… Have you ever wondered what in the heck you’re going to do? Do you have times when you just don’t know what your life is supposed to be about?  Are you ever uncertain about how to deal with someone, or a group of people?  Wisdom has the answers.
            How do I obtain this biblical wisdom?  She speaks to that question:
“I always do what is right, and I give great riches to everyone who loves me” (verses 20-21). 
 
There you have it.  Consider that statement from Wisdom for a minute… When we love someone, we desire to spend time with them, to have an intimate relationship, to do anything for that person.
            There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs.  One way of moving through this book of Wisdom is to read one chapter a day for a month.  I do this exercise in reading at least once a year.  I typically pick out one or two verses a day to meditate and contemplate.  The goal is to simply let Wisdom have her way with you – into your heart, mind, and soul – so that she is with you always.  When that happens, you will find the kind of wealth and riches which are far beyond what you could ever dream.

 

Ever-Wise God, you call out at every crossroad and on every hill.  Yours is not a secret wisdom – it is for all to hear and learn from.  May Wisdom fill me to the full, so that I might live wisely, knowing how to live well; to the glory of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.