Something New!

Pat and I laugh about our first home decorating. We tease each other that while our peers were doing their homes in Early American, we were doing ours in Early Attic. Our stuff was found at curb sides, saved from decomposition in landfills. (Green people ought to love us!) A few pieces have survived three children and eight grandchildren. They remind us of a happy era and wonderful people.

“New” is special. I have been making a mental list of “new” experiences. A freshly washed the car feels new. New tires make the ride safer, but pleasingly new for a few miles. An old room with a fresh coat of paint has a new attraction. And, have you shared a small, but distinct pleasure of being the first to squeeze a new tube of toothpaste? I enjoy opening a new ream of paper, writing with a new disposable pen, or opening the morning newspaper are small pleasures for me.

And, then there are a few really BIG “news,” firsts that represent life-altering change. As I write this item, I am aware that it is unlikely that I will ever be a pastor again in the same manner that I have been for most of the past 45 years. I will write as frequently as possible with a pastor’s viewpoint and desire in my heart. But, this forum is new in a significant way.

Above my boyhood pastor’s head, on the rear wall of the sanctuary, was a banner which read, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17. At my bedside at age 5 or 6, in the middle of the night my father and mother prayed with me and the “new” began. And, it is still happening in me. The “old” is more “passed away” than it was when I began, and everything remains new.

Our plans are to travel to Phoenix for the General Council of the Assemblies of God this week. If we do not post something new before Monday, August 8th, it is because we are absorbing “new” and spending time with old-time friends. That never gets old!

Enjoy something new today! We expect to continue exploring and discovering too!

When change is good

As our regular readers have learned, Pat and I have been processing many changes. The following message is being sent to members of Highway Tabernacle-Resurrection Life Church today. We will continue to write, but the audience will be a bit different. Please sign on to our blog as a “follower” or “member” if you have interest in reading our offerings. And, please enter the discussion when you are so inclined. Thanks!

Anne Sullivan, best known as Helen Keller’s teacher and companion, observed, “We imagine that we want to escape our selfish and commonplace existence, but we cling desperately to our chains.” We are quite comfortable with pointing out what could or should be different, but at the same time are slow to exert the necessary effort to affect that change. I am often that way, sadly.

Pat and I have been experiencing a season of change for several months now. Some days I remember the rather simple-minded man who cut off his dog’s tail one inch at a time, so it wouldn’t hurt so bad. We have slowly, incrementally, moved from the fast, noisy, multi-tasking life of big city pastors to, well, we are still trying to figure out what it is we are experiencing. While filling out change-of-address forms, arranging furniture in a new place, planting a garden for the first time in over 25 years, exploring new, best-fit Medicare supplement insurance policies, at the request of the deacons, we continued to write several “e-bulletins” weekly.

Happily, Highway Tabernacle - Resurrection Life Church has elected Mark Boucher as pastor. That is good! It is an answer to the prayers of many and will be celebrated for as long as Pastor Boucher serves the church. Pastor Boucher will communicate information, vision, and pastor messages in keeping with his experience and preparation for ministry. It is time for our communiques in this form to end.

My last words are taken from Philippians 1, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Pat and I assure you –
• The last twelve years have been the most fulfilling and memorable of the more than 45 years we have shared together. All our memories are good!
• Our prayers for you will go on.
• While the church’s history is rich, the future is greater. The good work will go on. The best is ahead!
• “The day of Jesus Christ” is the one day to which we look forward together. Pat and I will look for you among the 1000's of 1000's and tens of 1000's. We will sing, shout and wildly celebrate. The anthem has been written, rehearsals have begun, it won’t be long before we join the chorus singing, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5)
We say, “Goodby!” from this forum with joyful anticipation of what lies ahead. Pat and I love you, always!

Otto Wegner

P.S. If you would like to follow our blog, messages written to a wider audience, go to http://renewedcities.blogspot.com/

The Presence of God's people and the presence of God

In 1715 Isaac Watts wrote the lyrics to “I Sing the Mighty Power of God,” and published the poem in Divine and Moral Songs for Children.

I sing the mighty power of God, that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at God’s command, and all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food,
Who formed the creatures through the Word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.

There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God art present there.

The last words of the anthem, “And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God art present there,” helped form a deeply held conviction. We adopted a ministry theme that has served for the past two decades, “The presence of God’s people guarantees the presence of God.”

We, God’s people, are the temples of the Holy Spirit, the presence of God in this world. (1 Corinthians 6:19). Everywhere we go, God is present! The life applications are rich.
1. If we live with an awareness that God lives within, we will be vigilant about the reputation we establish as “God’s presence.” The preacher’s message often addresses the authority and blessing resulting from God within. The balance is that we in whom God lives are revealing the nature and acts of God to those who do not know Him.

2. Since God is light, and we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), we ought to be a redemptive influence. Our neighborhoods, workplaces, and recreation centers are to be flooded with the light of truth and blessing. The presence of God is present and powerful to referse the ravages of sin.

3. It is better for the world for those within whom God is present, to be widely distributed throughout all people. Consider how unpopular a mayor would be if he confiscated all the lights in his city and replaced it with a mega-watt bulb on top of city hall. Howe would people see to do daily chores in the dark? Yet, Christians thrive on clustering together and often fail to see they are effectively removing light from the place it is needed most.

4. The sounds of singing by Spirit-filled church-attending people were often heard in pre-air conditioned days. The joyful sounds of summer church services were driven outdoors through open windows, a simple reminder that the Word and worship were meant for the marketplace also.

5. Following the light analogy, we might consider the value of having ten churches of 200 placed in strategic neighborhoods being more effective than one church of 2000. The churches would be within reach of real people able to be touched and be moved with the feeling shared in real community. Is it time to consider the possibility that a smaller, properly ministering church is not something to be fixed, but to be celebrated because it is effectively distributing light to a dark place?

The great thing about writing is that one can present a subject, stir up thought, and have no concrete answers, and usually don’t hear too many objections! If we don’t have answers, maybe we should be begging for a venue, a forum for serious, prayerful consideration of some things that should be discussed.

In the meantime, I hope that many will memorize Mr. Watts lyrics and allow the present Holy Spirit create a liberal amount of thoughtful consideration to the themes suggested.

My favorite presentation of the ageless anthem can be heard at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33cWtJ-dCHs. I encourage you to take time to listen.

Ma Taught Psalm One

My mother, Annie Wegner, was a remarkable lady. During the school year, Monday through Friday, Ma led a worship service with my brother and me. Our older sister and father were gone for the day, and the three of us read and memorized Scriptures and prayed before leaving for elementary school. Annie was an effective teacher. When the Sunday School superintendent issued a challenge for everyone to memorize the books of the Bible in order, I’m sure he thought it would take weeks to accomplish. The very next Sunday Ma happily marched us up to the superintendent to tell him we had mastered the assignment!

The three making up the quorum for church each weekday committed Psalm One to memory in the older King James Version. The Psalm still advises, cautions, encourages, and shares wisdom 60 years later. The world-class truths are wonderfully alive during restless nights and in waking hours. I have repeated the Psalm’s words to men and women before they exit this world and entered another. One man who made little attempt to honor God in his lifetime, listened intently while I quoted the verses at each visit over a period of months,
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
A once scoffing, “I-have-no-time-for-that” hard-nosed agnostic softened with each visit. As I finished, my friend who was inching toward eternity often nodded in affirmation and said, “That’s good!” Someone probably had taught him the same Psalm in a confirmation class, or maybe his mother was like mine? The Psalmist’s wisdom was still echoing in his spirit. Alas, he failed to heed its counsel.

One thing I’ve noticed, one must discipline himself to appreciate and benefit from silence. “Meditating day and night” is a learned exercise as surely as hitting a 90 mile an hour fastball or reading a book. The nuances of Psalm One must marinate in ones spirit. Truth is not injected with a spiritual hypodermic needle. The counsel of Scripture that remains and affects our quality of life seeps in! Godly counsel can appear silly, until it gets past the conventional wisdom gathered from culture like the accumulated grime from an Arizona dust storm. The noisy marketplaces where we spend much of our lives are dominated by messages cleverly designed to overtake sound judgment. The pitch is, “Buy! Experience! Own! Lead!” The counsel of God is, “Give, learn, share, serve!”

One of Job’s laments is, “I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.” (3:26) I wonder, was Job politely asking his visitors to leave? The obverse is the fear of many social networkers today. Having a Facebook page with hundreds of “friends”, composing and reading endless e-mails daily, and being accessible to others twenty-four-seven is conventional, unchallenged standard operating procedure. But, I suggest that we are compelled by the Psalmist to set boundaries where the noises of the world and voices of family and friends cannot interrupt the Spirit who is intent on bringing Holy counsel to our lives. Stillness of spirit must permeate many hours, not the 30 minute “Quiet Time,” isolated from daily reality.

A walk down an ocean side boardwalk is a sensory attack with one vendor attempting to out-shout his neighbor. Do you wonder why restaurants have moved away from ambient music to full-speaker sound injections? Do we really need the tinny tweeters and thumping woofers urging us up and down aisles as we gather butter, briskets and bananas? Could multitasking runners avoid mixing sweat and heart beats with whatever is simultaneously pumped into the mind through ear buds? Is anyone else concerned about the deafness, physical and spiritual, of a generation which has mastered sound and ignored silence Rather than attempting to drown the noises of the world with more of our own, we might explore the prophet’s promise, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.” (Isaiah 32:17-18)

Ma, thanks for introducing me to Psalm One, and much more. My life is so much richer because of our simple morning church services on the living room sofa. My leaves are still green! My soul prospers. The cumulative effect of those 15 or 20 minute services are still informing me, frequently calling out to me. It happened again this morning.

The power of the Holy Spirit to enable forgiveness

Last night was uneasy and restless. Pat and I retired at the usual hour but after I had slept less than an hour, I was awaken with a heavy burden the Holy Spirit placed upon me. I was led to pray through the night for several Pat and I know who have received God’s merciful forgiveness, but will not, or cannot, express the same toward others.

Through the night and early morning hours I was reminded of the father and lost son in Luke 15. The older King James Version, the Bible text of my youth, records, “And he (the one who is often called “Prodigal”) arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. (Verse 20) Jesus’ parable is too simple to misunderstand and teaches all-important truths.


1. No grievance or wrong is beyond our Heavenly Father’s willingness or capacity to forgive. Paul reinforced the lesson in his letter to the Romans, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (5:6-8)
2. The Father’s forgiveness is immediate, no “waiting-to-see-if-you-mean-it” time lags. Unfortunately, those whose life experiences burdened me to intercede throughout the night are leveraging their hurt and extracting what our Father in Heaven never required of us.
3. Our Heavenly Father’s forgiveness includes full restoration. Think of it! There is no limitation placed on the child of God who in response to the Holy Spirit’s wooing returns to the Father! Rings a nd robes await all who return to the Father.
4. God’s forgiveness is filled with joyful promise, enough reason for looking ahead with a song and spirit of expectance. Consider John’s encouragement to all who have received the Father’s mercy. “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2) It will get even better than the best we know today!
5. The ones who have wounded others, while enjoying their new freedom and our Father’s acceptance, must also observe closely that they have wounded others. The Prodigal came home with a broken spirit and willing to serve his father as a hired hand. But, his brother still struggled and received the father’s rebuke. Our Father addressed the needs of both sons.

Forgiveness is not an easy exercise. In practical experience, I have observed people who nurtured a grudge and froze others out of the church’s or family’s circle of friendship and acceptance. They were crippled and unable to forgive, forget, and restore. On occasion spiritual siblings worshiping a few feet from each other refused to greet one another.

I learned an important lesson as a pre-teen boy listening to a camp meeting speaker who told the story of a couple who had one child, a son. When the son was old enough, the parents encouraged the boy to work a paper route. One collection day when the boy’s pockets were full of money, an older, stronger boy stole the money, and during the attack inflicted wounds which led to the son’s death. The parents grieved, and grew increasingly bitter because the object of their affection and hopes for a future with extended family were dashed. The angry, mother and father withdrew emotionally and refused to do anything except reinforce the memory of a heinous injustice. The man who told the story in my hearing was the family’s pastor. On communion Sunday, the pastor told of the love and forgiveness of our Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit cut through the deadly bitterness and anger. The mercy of God cleansed and mended their broken spirits. As Christmas approached year, the once bitter and angry couple petitioned the court for permission to visit their son’s murderer. During their visit the parents extended forgiveness and later even took Christmas appropriate gifts. In time, the courts allowed the forgiving, Spirit-transformed couple to adopt the boy who had taken the life of their son.

The lesson has served me well for more than 50 years. Last night the Holy Spirit used the story to release faith in my spirit as I interceded for people who have been terribly wronged, who need the ministry of the Holy Spirit to enable them to forgive.

Live to Give!

The conventional wisdom in preacher conversation is, “If you want visitors in church, preach about money.” The sequel is, “If you do, you will never see them again.” For that reason, some will avoid the subject or become apologetic.

Giving is a theological issue. Those who are born of the Spirit and filled with the Spirit lead the world in giving as a direct result of the Spirit. It is inescapable! When the power of the Spirit is applied in those who come to God for salvation, he becomes a new man. A large banner hung on the wall in my boyhood church on which 2 Corinthians 5:17 emblazoned, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Nothing should affect Spirit-filled people more aversely than having someone assume that they have not learned to follow the Spirit, that they are reluctant to give. Pentecostal people are givers by virtue of being born of the Spirit and filled with the Spirit. In short, the “getter” become a “giver.” Paul wrote to the Ephesian church, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.” (4:28) Giving is both evidence that a person is truly born of the Spirit and a gift of the Spirit needed in the congregation.

True spiritual giving is an investment. If one gives something away, no return is expected. The gift is gone. But, when one gives to God’s work, God promises a return. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38) Conventional wisdom says, “Someday, when I have more, I’ll give.” Listen to Paul’s accolade for the Macedonians, “We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. (2 Corinthians 8:1-5) Expect God to bless!

Giving is better than getting. And, by extension, spending time with givers is far better than being trapped with a getter. “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:33-35) One recommendation, we might begin asking ourselves, “How have I given today?” Or, “Who is better off because of how I spent my life today?”

Many have heard me say, repeatedly, “Dogs bark, fish swim, lions roar and Christians give.” One does not need to overcome reluctance to give in Jesus’ disciples, unless the need presented is spurious. Spirit-filled people have an extra spiritual sense and discern between authentic need and something lacking true substance or legitimacy. As a boy, my parents took our family to a tent meeting. My brother and I were curious and wanted to see what attracted the crowds. The ministry team sang and played an array of instruments but abruptly switched to multiple appeals for money. Each team member added manipulative pressure, insisting that a large accordion case be filled with money before prayer would be offered for the sick or a sermon be preached. Dad led our family in a hasty exit before long. My father was a man who regularly emptied his wallet for legitimate need but demonstrated no patience for what he called “those hucksters.” If the appeal is manipulative, spiritual sensitivities should be on alert.

Conversely, when the need is real and the person asking asks negatively, the one appealing is often revealing his own reluctance or lack of faith assumes others are like him. The converse is also true. Some making huge appeals, authentically and passionately, will lead others to give, surprisingly more than the stated need is given.

Let us find someone to whom we may give our lives today. Let us live to give!

Shine as stars!

The All Star Game, the annual Major League Baseball summer classic, features the best of the best players representing their respective leagues. Last night’s contest featured the Phillies pitchers, Halladay and Lee, who lived up to expectations. But, it was a mammoth first baseman from Milwaukee, Prince Fielder, who took Most Valuable Player honors by hitting the game-winning home run. I found it interesting that a pitcher who earns over $17 million per season, and a near all-star this year, was traded for cash and two players to be named later while the game was being played. The ways of professional sports must wear away on the players’ psyches.

Saint Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.” (2:12-16)
The simple word picture will serve us well, if we apply the lessons.

Lesson One: Stars are suns. Suns are balls of gas and other matter still be being analyzed by scientists. A reaction within the sun’s matter generates heat and light continuously. The action is on-going, often increasing in intensity. On the other hand, moons are like mirrors, reflecting light from another source. When the Apostle calls God’s people suns, he is affirming that the life and light of God is within, continuously increasing, burning, emitting light. Some posing as Jesus’ disciples find satisfaction with standing near another saint and reflecting another’s light, but true saints have their own light within. Didn’t the Baptist say, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire?” (Matthew 3:11) Stars have a fire in the depths of their being.

Lesson Two: Stars do their best work at night. We sometimes speak about how the “stars come out at night.” Stars are not in hiding in daylight hours, their lights are simply dwarfed by a larger star, our sun. Growing up in a large industrial city, I thought that there were only a handful of stars because only the brightest stars were able to penetrate the urban haze and artificial lights of the city. But, a visit to a family farm introduced me to the marvel of thousands of stars lighting the night. The application is obvious, Christians ought to seek dark places to live, work, play and build friendships because stars do their best work in the dark. If we want to make our lives count, we must confront our inclination to find warmly lit places of comfort and convenience, and aggressively seek out places to let our light shine. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Lesson Three: Stars must stay in their own orbit. Most of us know someone who shined bright for a season and then, like a meteor or “shooting star,” flamed out as they left their proper orbit. Many are familiar with the term for short-lived stars is “flash in the pan” or “weekend wonder.” Some acquire the reputation because of compromised values and corrupted virtues which drew a perfectly good star off course. Others allowed the cares of life change their trajectory and the once bright light within was snuffed out by winds of adversity. And, some attempt to be someone they were not designed to be. But, I think that most often, we seek out a place of minimal stress and nurture our own desires, reducing a potentially powerful light to a smoldering “what could have been” curiosity. Saint Paul calls out to us, “ ... continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Sure it is rigorous! Maintaining orbit requires vigilance and expends energy. But, those who “continue to work” will enjoy their orbit of influence and be around for effective living for a long, long time!

Tomorrow Major League All Stars will suit up and face the rigors of the second half of the season. The stretching, sprinting, weight lifting, film viewing ... all that it takes to stay in the lofty orbit of the major leagues will be resumed today. True sports stars will do it without complaining, or they will soon fall out of the orbit enjoyed by very few. The lessons are simple. It is our responsibility to obey what the Holy Spirit brings to us light-increasing, orbit-refining truth.