Can the Lakers Take the Heat?

Does your life spin out of control at times?  Do you get overwhelmed, wondering how to cope and feeling like there is no relief?  Whether we realize it or not, life is not an individual endeavor, it’s a team event.  We were never designed to weather life’s challenges alone.

Let me explain what I mean by using an example from the NBA.  If you’re an avid Lakers fan like I am, you’re aware that the NBA season just opened this week.  Of course I’m hoping for another Lakers NBA title in 2011, which will tie them at 17 championships with the all time winning Boston Celtics.  While Boston will present a challenge again this year, all eyes are on the new superstar trio acquisition of the Miami Heat: LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

These three players possess some of the most outstanding skills in the NBA.  The question on everyone’s mind is can they learn to work harmoniously together, share a common vision and acquire the unity in teamwork that could catapult them to a championship?  Based on their first season game loss to Boston (80-88) this past Tuesday, it appears the three have some jelling to do.

James, Wade and Bosh are each used to being the team megastar and playing the game their way, being the player who takes the last shot.  Will they learn how to win together by checking their egos, building mutual trust and expectations, and surrendering stardom to become team members?  Will they defer to the direction and guidance of their coach in the team building process, even when they may have differing opinions?

Their success depends entirely on their becoming a team, because no matter how gifted each is, they can’t single handedly win games.  If they learn to team well, they will have a great opportunity to create a championship legacy.  If they don’t, the strong, highly seasoned and proven team unity of the Lakers will take the Heat and demolish them!  A well-coordinated team effort will win over individuals operating in isolation every time.

Each of us spends most of our life in various group settings. In each setting, learning to build unity through holding a common vision, choosing to work together with others, respecting what each person brings to the joint effort, and becoming accountable to others for our actions become essential.  And each group must hold a common vision and purpose and be submitted to authority through some agreed upon decision-making process.  Whether it is our employment work group, family, or our participation in any number of educational or social situations, these basic principles determine how productive and enjoyable our lives will be in each.

God designed us as social beings.  We can’t successfully take on the heat of life by ourselves. We need to know how to live together in unity and in proper alignment with one another and authority, if we are to enjoy life to the fullest.  God intends that His family be a safe, accepting place where we will learn these important living skills. 

He tells us in Ephesians 4:11-13a, 15-16:  “Now these are the gifts Christ gives to His family, the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work, and to build up the church, the family of Christ.  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord.  We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more like Christ who is the head of His family, the church.  He makes the whole family fit together perfectly.”

Come and join us this Sunday at 10:30 am to continue this discussion on unity and alignment as I share “Vision, Values and Victory” part 5 in the series on church membership.

Pastor Che

hrock church

hrock church

Who’s Got Your Back?

I remember the moment as vividly as if it was yesterday.  I had just had another nasty run in with my father, over grades of course.  My rebellion and his punitive responses had been escalating for several years, but became particularly intense the first half of my junior year in high school.  Our joint presence in almost any situation typically ended up in some violent clash like two battering rams.

So here I was in my car at nearly midnight, driving around Rockville, Maryland fuming about our most recent altercation.  I’d stormed out and gone for a drive many times before, but this time was different.  I was determined to run away and stay away!  But one sickening moment later, I realized I’d left my wallet at home.  “What now?” I wondered.

It felt like the earth slipped from beneath my feet and the deep darkness of utter aloneness engulfed me.  I belonged to no one and to nowhere.  I felt completely vulnerable, and fear washed over my anger, leaving me totally lost inside.  It was the most devastating moment of my young life.

Then I remembered my older sister, Chung-Hae, at Smith College.  I would go to her.  She would help me.  Although she didn’t always approve of my actions, I knew she unconditionally accepted me.  She had my back, and that knowledge brought me intense relief.  Suddenly life became doable again.  I was able to stay with her briefly, long enough to get some perspective on the situation, and eventually returned home.

Ever find yourself wondering who do I belong to and where do I belong?  Who’s got your back when your life is in crisis?  Do you feel confident in the loyalty and commitment of others to you, or do you experience an inner void inside as your mind draws a blank?

Psychologists tell us that in order to be emotionally healthy and secure we need a social safety net of at least 6 to 10 invested relationships.  These are friends outside your immediate family who have a committed relationship with you.  You could call them in the middle of the night and they would come to your aid.

Unfortunately many people don’t have adequate social safety nets.  As our cities have grown, our community ties have disintegrated.  Many of us don’t know our neighbors, despite the fact we have lived next to them for years.  Our busyness and mobility only further increase our anonymity.  We survive our workdays, often extended by long commutes, and then use weekends to catch up on errands, do house and yard work, and chauffeur the kids to their events. 

Our days are so crowded we have to schedule coffee time with friends, and often our friends know more about our coffee preferences at Starbucks, than they do about what is really happening in our lives.  Despite our vital need for committed relationships with others, as adults, we find few venues that offer the opportunity to connect in meaningful and lasting ways. 

God created us with the desire to belong and be significant to others.  He knows we need the mutual support and strength that comes from sharing our lives in acceptance and fellowship with one another.  In Hebrews 10:25 He says: “Do not neglect meeting together as some people do, but encourage one another.” 

God further tells us to give life to each other in hard times and crises, by serving one another.  “Jesus makes the whole community fit together perfectly.  As each person does their own special service, it helps other people to grow, so that the whole community is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:16)

Our mission at HRock Church is  “Connecting Community, Advancing People…to God”.

We believe in the importance of providing multiple ways for people to connect.  We have dozens of Rock Groups that focus on interests from fitness to martial arts, crafts to movies, and singles’ activities to Bible studies.  All our groups offer opportunities to meet others, share interests and develop relationships that will enrich your life.  You don’t have to be a Church member to join, so check us out.

Come join us this Sunday at 10:30 AM as we continue the discussion of the “Benefits of Belonging to a Small Group” and afterwards we will have a ROCK GROUP fair where you can learn about many of the available small groups at HROCK Church.

ECIVRES: The Backward Community

Have you ever felt that while you are surrounded by people your still on your own? Unfortunately this seems to be the norm for many of us. I travel all over the world, but I’ve never visited any place like Ecivres.  The first thing I noticed was how everyone was helpful and considerate.  As I neared Ecivres, people stopped cutting in front of me on the freeway, and readily let me change lanes as soon as I switched on my indicator light.  When I arrived in the parking lot at my destination, I pulled up to the last parking spot at the same time as another car.  To my surprise they motioned me to go first!

I was delivering a large box to my contact person, and as I neared the door of the building, a smiling passerby stopped and held it open for me.  When I hesitated in the lobby uncertain which way to go, several people noticed and warmly offered to help.  One even guided me to the elevator, opened the door and hit the button for my floor while wishing me a great day.

People appeared busy, but somehow not so preoccupied that they ignored each other.  Instead, they smiled and greeted each other, creating a personal, unhurried atmosphere that I experienced wherever I went.  When I mentioned to my contact how clean the streets and sidewalks were, he just smiled and said, “It’s important to us to make our environment pleasant for everyone.”

Then I asked about crime rates and homelessness in Ecivres, and my contact looked puzzled.  “How do these help others?” he asked.  “We don’t practice these in Ecivres.  We are here to serve each other.  When anyone has a need, we all feel it, and we come together to see the need is met.”

As my day in Ecivres continued, the warm, caring attitude of others relaxed and infused me with a deep feeling of peace and happiness.  I found myself wanting to move there.  How wonderful it would be to live in that atmosphere every day!

What is your most pressing concern right now?  Imagine living in a community like Ecivres where peoples’ main goal is to serve one another and see others’ needs met.  How would this change the way you experience your problems and your relationships with others?  How would it affect your stress level and your sense of hope?

Can you imagine a society where power is determined by the ability to serve, rather than the “dog eat dog,” “winner take all” attitude that tends to dominate our culture today?  How would your life be different if you knew people were committed to being helpful, rather than taking advantage of each other?  Living in such a community of service would increase understanding, acceptance and unity between people, and promote hope, encouragement and a sense of belonging and self-worth within each person.

For now, the community of Ecivres exists only in that realm called possibility, but it is a reality to which God is consistently calling us. The night before Jesus was crucified, in His last conversation with His disciples, He took time to give them an object lesson on servanthood.  He wrapped a towel around His waist and washed the feet of each disciple.  He then told them to always serve one another, for in doing this they would be demonstrating their love for one another.

Ecivres is a backward community. It is the reverse of the daily world we know and live in.  God tells us that real power is not having control over or manipulating people, but willingly serving others, lifting them to become all they can. (Matthew 20:25-28)  In God’s eyes, servants of others like Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela are the ones who are truly great and powerful.

Come join us this Sunday at 10:30 am and continue this discussion.  I will speak on  “Church Service: Meeting or Ministry?” the 3rd  part in my current series on church membership.

Pastor Che