Pastor Ed’s Blog

More Post-Operative Reflections

I’m home from the surgical center, and it’s time for my post-operative blog, which has become something of a must-read blog if you want to catch a glimpse behind the invincible persona that I project on Sundays (not that it fools anybody).

Nowhere is your humanity more exposed than when you’re in a hospital (or surgical center) facing an operation. No one projects an image of invincibility wearing a shower cap on your head, a pair of ugly, heel-less socks, and one of those hospital gowns that force you to walk backwards everywhere you go. If I had the power, I’d make the doctors and nurses wear those backless hospital gowns and let the patients wear the scrubs!

Don’t get me started on those hospital gowns!

Someone said that the purpose of a blog is to let people get into your mind. Why anyone would want to get into my convoluted, far-from-renewed mind is a mystery to me—my wife has been trying to get in there for 32 years! So here are some of my post-operative reflections, distorted no doubt by the lingering effects of the anesthesia they gave me.

First of all, let me clear up some confusion regarding my surgery. I didn’t have an ear transplant (although that’s an intriguing possibility). I didn’t have a cochlear implant. I didn’t have a tumor removed. I had a reconstruction of the middle ear bones. I had the same operation in 1994 and it helped my hearing considerably. I won’t know how successful the operation was in improving my hearing until they take out the packing next week.

This surgery was done at a surgical center in Millburn; my last surgery was done in a surgical center in Fort Lee. I asked them if they sold mugs with a picture of the surgical center on it, so I can start a collection of surgical centers that I’ve been operated in. But they had no mugs. And no souvenir plates. No souvenirs of any kind, although they did offer me the hospital gown I wore as a memento of my visit. No thanks!

Don’t get me started on those hospital gowns!

I signed the usual myriad of forms that warned of dire consequences if they don’t get paid by my insurance company—I think one of the forms said something about indentured servanthood for up to 20 years if they’re not paid.

Then they warned me again of all the terrible things that could happen in the event of a medical “anomaly.” Anomaly means “Oops.” The doctors know how to cover their backsides…even if the patients can’t cover theirs.

But the worst possible fate is to die and your medical insurance doesn’t pay  the surgical center. In that case, they bury you face down dressed in…you guessed it, a hospital gown!

Don’t get me started on those hospital gowns!

After I changed into my fashionable hospital attire, and started walking backwards to my seat, the nurse reminded me that I had to remove all jewelry (in case your medical insurance doesn’t pay the bill no doubt). And then she pointed to my wedding ring. I told her that I didn’t want the single nurses to get their hopes up (especially all decked out in my fashionable hospital attire), but she assured me that she would let all the nurses know that I was unavailable. So I surrendered my ring.

The anesthesia was administered differently this time. This was the first time that they gave me an oxygen mask and told me to take a few deep breaths. So I took a few deep…

The next thing I remember is staring at blue scrubs and hearing a faint and distant voice asking me if I was OK, and did I want anything to drink. I don’t know if this is true for others, but the worst part of an operation for me is when I first wake up: not because I’m in pain, groggy and disoriented—but because my bladder feels like it’s going to burst. Apparently, they give you about 6 gallons of IV solution during the operation and it all goes into the bladder. When I first wake up, I  just want to get to the bathroom.

“Are you OK?”  “I’ve got to use the bathroom.”

“Do you want something to drink?”  “No, I’ve got to use the bathroom.”

“Do you want…”  “No, I don’t want one of those milk carton jug containers. I’ve got to use the bathroom.”

“We sent for your wife, since someone has to stay with you while you’re using the bathroom.”

By this time, I didn’t care if the entire hospital staff stayed with me in the bathroom! Fortunately, my wife showed up soon and Janet and the nurse helped me walk to the bathroom. I was still pretty unsteady on my feet and the nurse asked Janet if I was always this wobbly on my feet. I was ready to say, “That wobbliness comes from the six gallons of fluid sloshing around in my bladder.”

To prove my point, after emptying my bladder, I skipped back to my seat…backwards! (OK, that’s not exactly true).

But, in time, I was steady enough to take off my fashionable hospital attire and get into clothes that cover the whole body.

Don’t get me started on the hospital gowns!

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Releasing the Treasure of His Grace

I have been in a series these past few weeks entitled Blessing.

We have seen that God’s will and purpose for us is to be blessed by God, not so that we can be a RESERVOIR of blessing, hoarding it all for ourselves, but so we can be a CHANNEL of blessing to others.

This Sunday, I’ll be wrapping up the series with a message entitled “Releasing the Treasure of His Grace.” The Bible says that “we have this TREASURE in jars of clay” (our fragile and flawed lives). We are to “guard through the Holy Spirit the TREASURE within.”

Ministry is not about doing stuff; ministry is about releasing the treasure that God has deposited within us. Paul said that his ministry was based on two things: the “gift of God’s grace”and the “working of His power” (Ephesians 3:7).

Paul had an exceptional measure of God’s grace in certain areas. For example, he had an exceptional measure of grace to teach the word of God with spiritual understanding and insight. This area of exceptional grace operating in Paul’s life is called a spiritual gift, not only because it is a “gift of God’s grace,” but because the grace of God is also supernaturally energized by the “working of His power,” i.e., the power of the Spirit.

The teaching of scripture is that EACH one of us has received the “treasure of His grace” in the form of a grace-gift, or spiritual gift. To use our spiritual gift to serve others is to “faithfully administer God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).

In what area has God given you an exceptional measure of grace? What ability has God given you that is supernaturally energized by the Spirit of God? What aspect of the character and nature of God does your gift highlight?

Are you serving others with your gift? Have you released the treasure of His grace?

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The Paradox of Joy

Last Sunday, I introduced a three-message series entitled Blessing.

Last week’s message was entitled “Blessed To Be a Blessing.” God is a God who loves to bless people! But you wouldn’t guess that from the early chapters in Genesis.

In the first eleven chapters of Genesis, God cursed the earth, destroyed the world and judged the attempts of mankind to build the Tower of Babel by confusing their languages. Man, left to himself, spirals down in the evil inclinations of his heart, meriting only cursing, destruction and judgment.

But, in Genesis 12, God initiates His plan for redeeming man and reclaiming the hearts of rebellious mankind. His plan revolves around blessing. He commissioned Abram of Ur to become a channel of blessing to the families of the earth.

“I will bless you…so that you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2).

God wants people everywhere to know that His posture toward us is one of blessing not cursing, one of grace and peace not one of judgment and condemnation.

As the “seed” of Abraham (Galatians 3:29), we are commissioned by God with Abraham’s commission to be channels of God’s blessing to others. We also looked at 1 Corinthians 12 and saw some of the reasons that we tend to discount and devalue our contribution to the “body.”

This Sunday, we continue our look at the subject of Blessing. In particular, we’ll see what the paradox of joy is. HINT: Joy is like a boomerang; it won’t come to you unless you “throw it away,”i.e., give it away.

There’s an old joke that goes: The more you take away, the bigger I get. What am I? The answer: A hole. Well, the same could be said of God’s blessing. The more you give away God’s blessing, the more you get blessed. The more you give joy to others, the more joy you get.

Hope you’ll be there Sunday, not only to be blessed but to be a blessing!

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Oddballs, Black Holes & Champions

Did you know that there is a group of people who cannot distinguish between green and blue because they only have one word in their vocabulary for both colors? Did you know that half of thirteen can be 8? Or 3? Or 2? Do you know who Procrustes is? Or why his “bed” often determines and shapes our theology?

Did you know that most of us have limited conceptual “boxes” in the framework of our understanding, so we have a large catch all box called “Oddballs.”Did you know that there is an important category of leaders known as “Black Holes.”

Did you know that most of us have only two categories in our thinking when it comes to leaders—”Real Leaders” and “Not Really a Leader.” Which category do you think most of us put ourselves into?

Do you know the leadership styles that make up the “Spectrum of Leadership?” Do you know the “Seven Key Functions of a Leader” that the leader MUST take responsibility for? Or the “Four Primary Components of Leadership?”

If you do, it’s because you attended the first session of Leadership Insights. As you may have picked up—it was about leadership “outside the box” and was designed to stretch our thinking (”Stretching with Ed”). It was also designed to give everyone a “Whack in the side of the head” as well as a “Kick in the seat of the pants.”

If you’re ready to get stretched, whacked and kicked, our next session of Leadership Insights is scheduled for Thursday, October 22 at 7:30 pm. In future blogs, I’ll let you know what aspects of leadership we’ll be covering. If any of you were unable to attend and would like a set of the notes, just let me know.

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How to Respond to Suffering

This past Sunday, I spoke about hardship and suffering, and how God uses the suffering we experience to cultivate godly character and lead us into His purpose. There’s an important verse that offers valuable insight into how we should respond to suffering. It’s found in 1 Peter 4:19:

“If you are suffering according to God’s will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for He will never fail you” (NLT).

To “suffer according to God’s will” refers to suffering that God has ordained for us to go THROUGH. Some suffering God delivers us FROM (He spares us from experiencing it), some suffering God delivers us OUT OF (He removes the source our suffering), and some suffering God delivers us THROUGH (He has ordained for us to go through some suffering in order to accomplish His purpose).

If we’re “suffering according to God’s will,” then there are several things that Peter says we should do.

• “Keep on doing what is right,” i.e., keep a right attitude, continue to trust in God and live one day at a time, maintaining hope and perseverance. Keep doing what is right with a heart of thanksgiving.
• “Trust yourself to the God who made you,” i.e., entrust yourself to the God who created you, believing that He has your best interests at heart and that He is working out His purpose. Keep trusting in God and keep your eyes on Christ.
• “He will never fail you.” Know that God will never forget you (He’s carefully orchestrating the events of your life), He will never forsake you (He with you in everything you face), and He will never fail you (His purpose never fails; if you put your trust in Him, you will never be disappointed).

Simple, but certain: Trust God…keep doing what is right…wait patiently for God to reveal His purpose.

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Character Trumps Comfort

To listen to a lot of the teaching in the body of Christ, you’d think that God’s sole reason for existing is to ensure our happiness, our success, our comfort and our blessing. When astronomers discover the center of the universe, a lot of Christians will be disappointed that it’s not them!

Last week, I began a two-part series entitled Disciplined Living. Essentially, disciplined living is saying “No” to some things so that you can say “Yes” to God’s purpose for your life. This aspect of discipline speaks of self-discipline or self-control. But there is a more fundamental meaning of the word discipline.

Discipline is training that produces character and orderly behavior (including self-discipline). When a parent disciplines a child for misbehaving, while the immediate goal is to correct a wrong behavior, the ultimate goal is to cultivate right character. Discipline is training.

It is this aspect of discipline that we’re going to look at this Sunday. Hebrews 12:7 reminds us to “Regard hardship as [God's] discipline.” In other words, regard the hardships and suffering you experience to be part of God’s training process for developing godly character in your life.

Hardships are not God’s punishment for sin (which is to say that Christ didn’t pay the full  penalty for the forgiveness of our sins). Hardships are not a lack of faith (faith is how we respond to hardships). Hardships (and how we respond to them) are part of God’s training.

In God’s training program, character trumps comfort! No pain, no gain!

In this Sunday’s message, we’re going to look at how hardships, trials, tribulations, afflictions, adversity (pick whichever word you want) have a redemptive purpose in our lives.

Remember: you’ll never find the purpose of God in a velvet-covered rut.

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Sometimes You Have to Say “No” in Order to Say “Yes”

“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls” (Proverbs 25:28).

In biblical times, a city without walls was defenseless and vulnerable to attack by its enemies. Likewise, an undisciplined life leaves a person defenseless against emotional, moral and spiritual attack. We’re emotional unstable. We’re mastered by our desires. We’re driven by our impulses.

This Sunday, I will give the first message of a two-message series entitled Disciplined Living. If you hope to accomplish anything of significance, disciplined living is indispensable. In other words, you have to say “No” to some things in order to say “Yes” to what is really important to you.

I used to think of disciplined living as a joyless, legalistic bondage—a life filled with rigid routines, inflexible rules, rigorous restraint and suffocating self-denial. A life lived within narrow parameters; a life without spontaneity or fun; or, worst of all, a life without chocolate cake!

I now realize that disciplined living is simply a well-ordered, focused life that reflects godly priorities. A disciplined life is a celebration of true freedom and abundant life.

The title of this Sunday’s message is Running the Race to Win. If you’re going to run the race of faith to win, then you’ll need to say “No” to whatever slows you down or trips you up. And you’ll also need to do what you don’t want to do so in order to do what you have always hoped to do. And, finally, you’ll need to rely upon the grace of God for the resources to run the race of faith…and win!

Hope to see you Sunday. Be sure to wear your running shoes.

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This Sunday

We had a great service this past Sunday. The worship brought us before the throne of God as we meditated on the goodness of God and celebrated His love. Jerry Tolve, a talented new member of the worship team, sang a very moving song about Christ’s love for us which He demonstrated on the cross.

This coming Sunday should be a great Sunday as well. Pastor Korey Mininger will be teaching the Word. He will be speaking about how we can understand and reach the next generation. He will also be describing a new monthly Sunday morning worship service that we’re beginning for High School teens, college students and those in their 20’s. It not your parent’s church for sure! It will be called Encounter and begins on Sunday,  September 13th. It will be held in the “old sanctuary” at 10:30 am.

Regardless of what generation you are, you won’t want to miss this Sunday.

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Monthly Leadership Training Begins in September

It’s been on my heart for some time now to equip those who want to increase their leadership effectiveness by providing monthly leadership training—training sessions that will provide leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to keep their leadership edge sharp.

So, beginning in September, I’ll be teaching a monthly leadership training session called LeadershipINSIGHTS. Everyone is invited to come—leaders, leaders-in-training, potential leaders, leader wannabes or anyone who is interested in learning about leadership.

The first session will be held on Thursday evening, September 17th, at 7:30 pm. The format will consist of teaching, discussion and questions, and creative interactive exercises. The teaching will:

• challenge you to re-think many of your views on leadership,
• spark a chain reaction of insights and ideas, and
• equip you with the necessary skills to lead effectively.

In September, our topic will be What Makes a Leader a Leader? What does a leader look like? How do your spot a leader? How do you recognize the leader in yourself?

We’ll take a creative look at how conceptual limitations and inadequate categories in our thinking can blind us to the leadership potential in others as well as ourselves. We see no more than we’re conditioned to see. We’ll discuss the importance of understanding the “Spectrum of Leadership Styles.”

You’ll also learn the Four Key Components of Leadership: a Leader’s Calling, a Leader’s Character, a Leader’s Competence and a Leader’s Context. All of these components together determine a leader’s Credibility Factor.

And much more!

If you’re a leader and are interested in sharpening your leadership skills, then let me invite you to this leadership training event. It may just stretch your thinking to new dimensions of understanding and insight.

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The Shepherd Heart of God

This coming Sunday, I’ll be wrapping up my series on Psalms that Encourage the Heart with a message entitled “The Shepherd Heart of God” based on Psalm 23. We’ll be looking at how God provides for us, protects us and guides us the way a shepherd would care for his sheep.

Because God is our Shepherd, we find security in Him, we find rest and peace in Him, He’s with us in the dark valleys of life, He leads us in paths of righteousness, He causes our cup to overflow with abundance and He even enables us to feast in the middle of our enemies!

What a rich psalm of encouragement!

The best verse is the last—”Surely (you can be sure of this) God’s goodness and love will follow [you] all the days of [your] life!” And the word “follow” is more literally “actively pursue you” or “chase after you.”

You can’t outrun the goodness and love of God!

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