By Gobel Brockman
I honestly don't know how many funerals I've conducted over the years, but a couple have always stuck with me. One was for an elderly gentleman at the church I was pastoring at the time. This man was a loving husband and father, was active in the church, and left a positive impression on just about everyone he met. He also had an incredible sense of humor. His memorial service was amazing. Of course there was sadness for the family's loss, but it was also a time of joy for a life that touched many, many people. There were many times people broke out in laughter as stories were shared of the humorous things he had done over the years. There was also much joy in recounting the times he had touched other's lives by his example. It was truly a memorial service that honored a life well-lived.
The other funeral was for a person I did not know personally. The funeral home contacted me because the family had no "religious affiliation" and needed someone to do the service. In those times all a minister can really do is talk to the family and friends to learn as much as possible about the person. In this case, there weren't really any "funny stories" and only a few impersonal, generic niceties. I was literally told by the funeral home director, "The family has asked that the service be short, and they don't want to be preached to." There were very few tears, and I heard little from those in attendance that could be considered 'grief.' At the end of the service, almost everyone walked by the casket seemingly out of obligation, barely stopping before heading to the door.
The feeling - "spirit" if you will - of those two services were as different as different gets. One was a celebration of a life that everyone there was happy to be a part of, the other little more than a necessity. When I think of this, I think of what kind of legacy will I be leaving behind. I'm not talking about my funeral, I'm talking about how I'm living my life while I'm alive. Questions like:
What am I doing for Jesus?
Am I touching people's lives in a positive way?
Am I being as forgiving of others as I hope they'll be of me?
Does my life reflect the faith I say I believe?
There have been people in my life who have not only been a blessing to me, but who have influenced me to strive to be a better person. (Of course there have been other people who have been influential to me by showing me what not to do!) I know everyone reading this can say the same thing. My goal is to hopefully be a living example of what God can do in a person's life. In II Timothy 4 the apostle Paul told Timothy to "...be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love. in faith, and in purity." As Christians in a world where hope is a rare commodity, may people see "Christ in us, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)
I promise my goal this week is not to depress you, it's simply to remind us all that RIGHT NOW is our opportunity to live a life of faith, hope, and power that will honor Christ and let others see the goodness of God through us. RIGHT NOW is our time to be light in a darkened world. Philippians 2:13 is one of my favorite verses, which says: "It is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure." That verse tells me that not only does God want me to honor Him with my life, but He's constantly working in me to make it happen. May we all be willing vessels in His hands so that we can leave a legacy behind that brings glory to God and joy to our family and friends.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Careful What You Wish For
By Gobel Brockman
A priest, a rabbi, and a pastor were stranded on a deserted island. In spite of their theological differences they became close friends. One day a ceramic lamp washed ashore. When one of them picked it up, a genie appeared. (Oops, I forgot to tell you - this is NOT a true story.) The genie said, "Normally when someone finds me I grant them three wishes. What I will do in this case is grant each of you one wish."
The priest said, "I wish I was at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City."
*POOF* He was gone.
The rabbi said, "I wish I was at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem."
*POOF* He was gone.
The pastor looked around and realized his friends were no longer there. With a twinge of sadness in his voice he muttered to himself, "I miss those guys. I wish they were back here..."
*POOF*.....
Have you ever wanted something so bad that it was all you could think of, then when you got it the joy only lasted for a short while? "Buyer's Remorse" is a common affliction. How often do we strive for things, only to realize they didn't really give us the joy we thought they would? We buy a new car and before we pull in the driveway we start thinking of the higher plate fees and insurance, and worry that it will get 'dinged' in the parking lot before we make the first payment. A business professional spends countless hours striving to make it in their chosen field, only to realize that the price tag was time away from their family that they'll never get back. We spend so much time wishing for things we don't have that we sometimes fail to enjoy the things that are right in front of us. How often do people buy things they can't afford, with money they don't have, hoping to impress people they don't like? As I heard a former pastor say, "Sometimes we get so busy living that we forget to have a life."
Jesus told a parable in Mark 4 about a farmer sowing seed. He said some fell by the wayside, some among rocky ground, some among thorns, and some upon good soil. The part that stands out to me in that story are the ones that fell among thorns. Jesus said those are the ones who hear the word of God, but then "...the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, so that it proves unfruitful." That really hits home to me. We have the greatest thing we will ever have - a relationship with God through what Jesus did on the cross - and yet how much time do we spend (AKA "waste") wishing for things that won't satisfy and won't last? We sure can be a hard-headed bunch, can't we?
I'm not saying it's wrong to enjoy things. I'm saying let's keep it in the front of our minds that that's all they are - things. I've never heard of anyone on their deathbed saying, "Please let me see my bank statement one last time" or "I want to see my Bachelor's Degree" or "Please bring me a picture of my car." What I have seen is people wanting to be with the ones who have loved them, and pray to and worship the Savior whom they have lived for. THAT'S where the real treasure is. I hope that we all remember that there's nothing greater than knowing Jesus, and this world has nothing to offer to take His place.
I also hope that if I'm ever stranded on a deserted island with a pastor, his name isn't Pastor Gilligan.
A priest, a rabbi, and a pastor were stranded on a deserted island. In spite of their theological differences they became close friends. One day a ceramic lamp washed ashore. When one of them picked it up, a genie appeared. (Oops, I forgot to tell you - this is NOT a true story.) The genie said, "Normally when someone finds me I grant them three wishes. What I will do in this case is grant each of you one wish."
The priest said, "I wish I was at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City."
*POOF* He was gone.
The rabbi said, "I wish I was at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem."
*POOF* He was gone.
The pastor looked around and realized his friends were no longer there. With a twinge of sadness in his voice he muttered to himself, "I miss those guys. I wish they were back here..."
*POOF*.....
Have you ever wanted something so bad that it was all you could think of, then when you got it the joy only lasted for a short while? "Buyer's Remorse" is a common affliction. How often do we strive for things, only to realize they didn't really give us the joy we thought they would? We buy a new car and before we pull in the driveway we start thinking of the higher plate fees and insurance, and worry that it will get 'dinged' in the parking lot before we make the first payment. A business professional spends countless hours striving to make it in their chosen field, only to realize that the price tag was time away from their family that they'll never get back. We spend so much time wishing for things we don't have that we sometimes fail to enjoy the things that are right in front of us. How often do people buy things they can't afford, with money they don't have, hoping to impress people they don't like? As I heard a former pastor say, "Sometimes we get so busy living that we forget to have a life."
Jesus told a parable in Mark 4 about a farmer sowing seed. He said some fell by the wayside, some among rocky ground, some among thorns, and some upon good soil. The part that stands out to me in that story are the ones that fell among thorns. Jesus said those are the ones who hear the word of God, but then "...the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, so that it proves unfruitful." That really hits home to me. We have the greatest thing we will ever have - a relationship with God through what Jesus did on the cross - and yet how much time do we spend (AKA "waste") wishing for things that won't satisfy and won't last? We sure can be a hard-headed bunch, can't we?
I'm not saying it's wrong to enjoy things. I'm saying let's keep it in the front of our minds that that's all they are - things. I've never heard of anyone on their deathbed saying, "Please let me see my bank statement one last time" or "I want to see my Bachelor's Degree" or "Please bring me a picture of my car." What I have seen is people wanting to be with the ones who have loved them, and pray to and worship the Savior whom they have lived for. THAT'S where the real treasure is. I hope that we all remember that there's nothing greater than knowing Jesus, and this world has nothing to offer to take His place.
I also hope that if I'm ever stranded on a deserted island with a pastor, his name isn't Pastor Gilligan.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
I Hate It When People Don't Finish Their
By Gobel Brockman
Several years ago a Dutch filmmaker directed a drama. The movie ended with the 'good guy' passing away and the 'villain' getting away with the crime. A few years later he made an American version of the film. However, he changed the ending so that the good guy won. I don't remember his exact words, but when asked why he changed the ending, he said something to the effect of "I had to make it palatable to the American audience. They like their happy endings."
Sad but true. Our culture seems to like everything wrapped up neatly and quickly. Problems on TV shows are always resolved by the end of the 30 minute program. We don't like cliffhangers and we don't like unresolved or unfinished story lines. We want everything to make sense. Spelled out. Clear as a bell.
It's a nice thought. It's just not reality.
I'm reminded of something that happened in the 12th chapter of John. The Bible says that some Greeks came to the disciples and asked to see Jesus. When they told Jesus, He didn't say 'Yes' or 'No.' What did He say?
"...unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit."
I'm trying to imagine the reaction. The disciples are looking at each other, frowning, shrugging their shoulders, shaking their heads, and saying "WHAT?!?" Their words seemed simple enough: "The Greeks want to see you." There was nothing in their statement about grains of wheat dying. However, the disciples should have been used to this by now. Jesus always seemed to leave things hanging. He would tell a parable to the masses, then only explain its meaning to a few. In another place He told people "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you cannot be my disciples..." and never bothered to explain what He meant by that. As a result, many walked away from Him. At first glance it may seem that the greatest teacher who ever lived didn't care if His students learned or not.
There are many factors to this, too many to address here. What I would like to focus on this week that goes along with this is a Scripture found in Jeremiah 29:13:
"And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart."
I think that's part of the reason that God seems to leave things hanging sometimes. There are people who are committed to following Jesus regardless of the cost, and then there are people who seem to only want the quick answers and happy endings. The problem with that is the 'quick answer/happy ending' people always walk away from Him with neither. It's those who have decided to follow Jesus with all of their hearts, regardless of what comes their way, that are the ones who find what the Bible calls "...peace that passes all understanding." Sometimes our questions don't get answered. Sometimes we face situations that break our hearts, ask God for answers, and get nothing more than "Trust Me." I look at it this way: the Bible says that it's impossible to please God without faith, and if He explained everything clearly to me, I'd have no need for faith. So would I rather follow Christ in times of uncertainty, or have no times of uncertainty and no need for the faith that I must have to please God?
So let me ask you - and myself - a few questions. Why are we following Jesus? What will we do when we ask for 'A' and instead get a heartbreaking 'B'? Will we hang on to Him when He leaves things hanging?
(Notice how I ended with questions?)
Several years ago a Dutch filmmaker directed a drama. The movie ended with the 'good guy' passing away and the 'villain' getting away with the crime. A few years later he made an American version of the film. However, he changed the ending so that the good guy won. I don't remember his exact words, but when asked why he changed the ending, he said something to the effect of "I had to make it palatable to the American audience. They like their happy endings."
Sad but true. Our culture seems to like everything wrapped up neatly and quickly. Problems on TV shows are always resolved by the end of the 30 minute program. We don't like cliffhangers and we don't like unresolved or unfinished story lines. We want everything to make sense. Spelled out. Clear as a bell.
It's a nice thought. It's just not reality.
I'm reminded of something that happened in the 12th chapter of John. The Bible says that some Greeks came to the disciples and asked to see Jesus. When they told Jesus, He didn't say 'Yes' or 'No.' What did He say?
"...unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit."
I'm trying to imagine the reaction. The disciples are looking at each other, frowning, shrugging their shoulders, shaking their heads, and saying "WHAT?!?" Their words seemed simple enough: "The Greeks want to see you." There was nothing in their statement about grains of wheat dying. However, the disciples should have been used to this by now. Jesus always seemed to leave things hanging. He would tell a parable to the masses, then only explain its meaning to a few. In another place He told people "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you cannot be my disciples..." and never bothered to explain what He meant by that. As a result, many walked away from Him. At first glance it may seem that the greatest teacher who ever lived didn't care if His students learned or not.
There are many factors to this, too many to address here. What I would like to focus on this week that goes along with this is a Scripture found in Jeremiah 29:13:
"And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart."
I think that's part of the reason that God seems to leave things hanging sometimes. There are people who are committed to following Jesus regardless of the cost, and then there are people who seem to only want the quick answers and happy endings. The problem with that is the 'quick answer/happy ending' people always walk away from Him with neither. It's those who have decided to follow Jesus with all of their hearts, regardless of what comes their way, that are the ones who find what the Bible calls "...peace that passes all understanding." Sometimes our questions don't get answered. Sometimes we face situations that break our hearts, ask God for answers, and get nothing more than "Trust Me." I look at it this way: the Bible says that it's impossible to please God without faith, and if He explained everything clearly to me, I'd have no need for faith. So would I rather follow Christ in times of uncertainty, or have no times of uncertainty and no need for the faith that I must have to please God?
So let me ask you - and myself - a few questions. Why are we following Jesus? What will we do when we ask for 'A' and instead get a heartbreaking 'B'? Will we hang on to Him when He leaves things hanging?
(Notice how I ended with questions?)
Sunday, February 2, 2014
God's Word Is True. His Timing Is Just Different.
By Gobel Brockman
Back in the mid 90's I had an interesting thing happen. In the space of two or three months our church had two different guest speakers. Both of them, not knowing what the other had said, both told me that they felt led by the Holy Spirit to let me know that my music would go beyond this area and be heard by people in other countries. (See I Corinthians 12 for more study on prophecy and other spiritual gifts.) In my limited understanding I wondered how this would come about. Would I get a "record contract"? Would other established and more talented artists record my songs? I figured that was the more likely scenario, so I began doing what I thought I should - I sent demos of my songs to publishers. Most I never heard back from, but one in particular, a label with national exposure, did something different. Their policy was to have several people with the label 'grade' the songs, and if the combined average score was 6.0 or higher, they would publish the song(s). I sent three songs, and after several months I got the results: all scored 5 or higher, with one scoring 5.7. I missed having a song published by a national label by .3.
I wasn't devastated or anything, but at that point I pretty much decided to give up on the idea. I simply figured that if God really impressed on those two ministers to tell me what they did, then God would do it in His way at His time. Several years later, a new phenomenon came along:
YouTube.
I began posting some of my songs there, and in the matter of a few months a pretty cool thing happened - people in other countries were clicking a mouse and hearing my music. A partial list of the countries that are listed as having clicked on the links include Thailand, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Philippines, Germany, Vietnam, Turkey, Italy, and France.
I know that was kind of a long story, and my point is not to talk about me and my music. I want to talk about God, His word, and His promises. If God says something is going to happen, it will. It may not happen when or how we think it will, but it will happen. The word spoken to me never said anything about record contracts, royalties, or any of the trappings that go with it. The word spoken simply said that folks in other countries would hear the songs that God gave me. At that time, there was no YouTube. But God knew there would be. It took over a decade, but what I was told would happen did happen.
The Bible is filled with both promises for our lives now and prophecies of things yet to come. Every promise and every prophecy will come to pass. The Bible says that God "...is not a man that He should lie..." In another place it says that it is impossible for God to lie. My point this week is to simply get across to you that God's word WILL be fulfilled - in His way, and in His time. God is faithful. He has promised to never leave or forsake you as a Christian, and He won't. If He has made a promise, He will fulfill it. At times the answers come out of left field, sometimes long after we have given up on it.
There's probably a sermon on YouTube about that very thing.
Back in the mid 90's I had an interesting thing happen. In the space of two or three months our church had two different guest speakers. Both of them, not knowing what the other had said, both told me that they felt led by the Holy Spirit to let me know that my music would go beyond this area and be heard by people in other countries. (See I Corinthians 12 for more study on prophecy and other spiritual gifts.) In my limited understanding I wondered how this would come about. Would I get a "record contract"? Would other established and more talented artists record my songs? I figured that was the more likely scenario, so I began doing what I thought I should - I sent demos of my songs to publishers. Most I never heard back from, but one in particular, a label with national exposure, did something different. Their policy was to have several people with the label 'grade' the songs, and if the combined average score was 6.0 or higher, they would publish the song(s). I sent three songs, and after several months I got the results: all scored 5 or higher, with one scoring 5.7. I missed having a song published by a national label by .3.
I wasn't devastated or anything, but at that point I pretty much decided to give up on the idea. I simply figured that if God really impressed on those two ministers to tell me what they did, then God would do it in His way at His time. Several years later, a new phenomenon came along:
YouTube.
I began posting some of my songs there, and in the matter of a few months a pretty cool thing happened - people in other countries were clicking a mouse and hearing my music. A partial list of the countries that are listed as having clicked on the links include Thailand, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Philippines, Germany, Vietnam, Turkey, Italy, and France.
I know that was kind of a long story, and my point is not to talk about me and my music. I want to talk about God, His word, and His promises. If God says something is going to happen, it will. It may not happen when or how we think it will, but it will happen. The word spoken to me never said anything about record contracts, royalties, or any of the trappings that go with it. The word spoken simply said that folks in other countries would hear the songs that God gave me. At that time, there was no YouTube. But God knew there would be. It took over a decade, but what I was told would happen did happen.
The Bible is filled with both promises for our lives now and prophecies of things yet to come. Every promise and every prophecy will come to pass. The Bible says that God "...is not a man that He should lie..." In another place it says that it is impossible for God to lie. My point this week is to simply get across to you that God's word WILL be fulfilled - in His way, and in His time. God is faithful. He has promised to never leave or forsake you as a Christian, and He won't. If He has made a promise, He will fulfill it. At times the answers come out of left field, sometimes long after we have given up on it.
There's probably a sermon on YouTube about that very thing.
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