A New You

Even though it has been almost 45 years since Sammy Davis, Jr. recorded his hit single, "I've Gotta Be Me," some people seem to think they invented the phrase. They use it to explain their peculiarities, to justify their decisions, and to excuse their lapses in judgment. They would lead you to believe the most unreasonable thing you could do would be to challenge them to move out of their self-defined comfort zone. They complain, “That's just not me!”

While there is certainly some value in knowing yourself—your strengths and weaknesses, your good and bad habits, the way other people interpret your personal relational style; most people are not content to live a life that offers no promise of improvement. Indeed, many more people are frustrated that they can’t make the changes they would like to see reflected in the mirror, than are content to just accept the status quo.

The forty-day season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday. It has been a time when the community of faith has turned its attention to spiritual preparation, repentance and reconciliation. A time when the whole congregation is reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. A time when we reclaim the hope that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

It is also a time when we recall that “all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ” (5:18). No one is able to recreate themselves entirely from their own resources. By self-examination and repentance; in times of prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating of God’s Holy Word; those who seek God’s will for their lives, remember that only by God’s gracious gift are we given everlasting life.

     Lent is a season when we are challenged to exercise some discipline. As we enter this season together, let me encourage you to notice the beauty all around you as flowers spring from the earth and trees and shrubs are covered with blossoms. Let that be a reminder of the transformation God wants to work in your life as God’s grace changes you. That will make this Easter a particularly significant celebration of new life.

Destined for Greatness

A little over ten years ago I was serving as the Minister of Youth at St. Luke in Columbus. During the summer the group traveled to Six Flags over Georgia for a Christian music festival. While we were there we heard a new group from Australia perform at one of the late night stages. The youth really liked the group and their music, so we talked about inviting them to our church to do a concert that fall.

After we set the date and negotiated a contract, I called one of our church members whose family owned a local radio network to ask him if he would help me promote the concert in the area. He had never heard of the group and asked me if I could bring him one of their tapes. I took him the one cassette I had purchased at Six Flags and he passed it on to his program manager.

The concert date was getting closer and I hadn’t heard anything from either the church member or from the program manager. Some of our youth had not made the trip to Atlanta and I wanted them to hear who we had coming so they could tell their friends to join us for the concert.

When I went back to the radio station to retrieve my cassette tape, the program manager was a little embarrassed that he couldn’t find it at first. When he learned it was my only copy, he went back to his office and looked again. In a few minutes he returned with the tape in hand. “I threw it in my ‘junk’ box,” he explained.

I was more than a little disappointed that he thought it was “junk.” The concert was just a few weeks away and now it looked like we were not going to get much help from them to let the community know who was coming.

The band was “The Newsboys.” Over the last ten years they have sold over 8 million units, garnered six Gold albums and 28 #1 radio hits. They have been nominated for four Grammy awards and won five Dove Awards. Their website reports: “Just last year they captured the headlining slot on the world’s biggest tour, the Winter Jam Tour, playing to more than half a million people.”

Peter, James and John had spent over a year with Jesus before they went up “the mount of transfiguration” to pray with Jesus. Even after they saw his “glory,” they still didn't know how to respond.

Let’s pray that the Spirit will help us recognize and testify to God’s glory whenever and wherever it appears.