Well, as you know, this has been a devastating week in the world..As we watched those horrific images from Tuesday's attack on the World Trade Centre and on the Pentagon..and our hearts have gone out to the American people..At the outset of our service I'm going to ask you to join me in prayer for the victims and their families and the United States as an entire Nation..PRAY
We had a tough week trying to decide whether to go ahead with our Country Celebration Weekend or not..it seemed strange to be celebrating during such terrible times..The truth, however, is that we still have much to be thankful for...for a God who is near..A God who answers our prayers and for a God who is faithful even in tragedy..
So today, we will continue to worship..and now we will do that through song..
Well folks, I gotta admit - I was a little disappointed at the response of all those city folks..when they were asked to define a cowboy. Seemed to me that their view was pretty limited - to rednecks and cowboy hats (neither of which are necessarily a bad thing..) So I thought what I would do is spend some time re-educating all of us on what we can learn from the character and lifestyle of real cowboys from the Old West..guys like this..(video clip - City Slickers).
Having Country Weekend only once a year just isn't enough time for us to learn how to live out the traits of a real cowboy..But today, we'll give it a try..Here's the first thing we can learn from a cowboy..
I. Simplicity
Listen to the practical wisdom in these nuggets of cowboy logic:
"The only way to drive cattle fast - is slowly."
"No matter where you ride to - that's where you are."
"Generally speaking - fancy titles and night shirts are a waste of time." (Cowboy logic)
Simplicity - is something cowboys just naturally understand..low stress, a relaxed demeanor, and a basic and simple lifestyle..
For them (and especially cowboys of old), negative stress was not part of the package - they lived off the land..they never worried about the phone bill or about things like taxes, or being politically correct. They took life in stride, they spoke their minds and hearts....They were tolerant of the good and moral and intolerant of anything contrary. They were hard working - life loving - low stress - slow talking folks, whose life just kinda made sense.
They had the ability to see life from an angle most of us have forgotten..that angle is from the back of a horse...which is a whole lot slower and quieter than what most of us deal with every day...I mean a lot of us are running at about 10,000 RPM most of the time - and we're wishing there was a higher gear we could push our lives into so we could go faster and get more done..We're a society that assumes that faster and more is better, and that faster and more is more effective..That's the creed most of us live by....and what living out that statement has done - is this..It's created a society of uptight, worried, stressed out, running people. People without time to reflect on their lives..
Then something like the atrocities of this week happens...and all of our lives slide into first gear...into this surreal kind of pause..where our priorities begin to line up very quickly..When you hear news like that (bombings and high-jackings and large scale disaster and hate.) you just want to hug your kids and stay close to home - and suddenly the rat race we're so often in, looks exactly like it's name - a meaningless and pretty ugly venture....
My initial thought along with all of you was one of unbelief - it didn't seem real...then came other emotions - sadness - anger - frustration and fear..How can something this horrible happen - what kind of people do this kind of thing and where was God in that - Does He see the hurt and pain of these poor people?..Lots of big questions this week..And the answers are coming slowly. Yes - evil is terrifying and sometimes it's a little too up close - it's a little too scary - and no, God doesn't always stop evil and sin from affecting our lives and our families and our countries..God doesn't stop evil every time, but He certainly wasn't the source of it either.
What a great truth President Bush read in Psalm 23 - "The Lord is my Shepherd..I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters - He restores my soul...Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil - for You are with me." There is no question that there is evil around us in this world..But God is not in that..He didn't fly those planes - He was not there - not in the evil..
But He has been everywhere in the past few days (In the shadow of evil..He has been with us). He's been in our responses and tears - as we pray for those people. - He's in the rescue workers' responses and the thousands of volunteers who are giving their time and energy to help something good come from this..and He's in every prayer for wisdom for the President...and He's in our prayers for peace to somehow rule..But more than anything - He is the Source of peace - for every person who calls out to Him at a time like this - and He is more than real to each of us..When our response is to simply say - Where are you God?.. His answer is simply this - I am very near..
I don't know how an up-close look at the brevity of life affected you this week - but for me, it just forces me to a more reflective mode - (not necessarily a CNN TV watching mode) - too much of that isn't good either...but a reflective mode - where you re-evaluate what life is about for yourself....where you think about how you're spending your time and energy and money..what your priorities are...The questions we need to answer are these: What is life about anyways?...and where does faith fit in?..and how about other people..is how I live my life helping other people see love and life and goodness and God more clearly? - Those are the questions I asked myself this week..and you know..Sometimes we've gotta have a forced slow-down in order to be a bit more introspective..Now, if you want a picture of this kinda life - one with a little more space in it - you don't have to read about cowboys from the old west..all you have to do is go to a small town sometime - or spend a day on a ranch...People have more time for each other out there. They take time to ride slow, and watch a sunrise or a sunset; they take time to see people and look at life around them; they take time for people (every time).
Their lives aren't so full that there isn't room for others...and other people aren't interruptions.. [In fact, they value people and family and life so much that they keep the stress down and out, for that reason.] They don't worry about tomorrow - they know tomorrow will come and take care of itself. They live by principle, not by stress. They don't sweat the small stuff...
Folks...what am I saying?... I'm saying too much running won't take you where you think it will....and too much chasing after the next big thing won't get you the fulfillment you think it will either...So.let's not let the realities of this week's news go by without reviewing our own principles and priorities and schedule....take some time this week to reflect and pray - and ask God to help you live a life that would honor Him....
If there is something I wish I could do for each one of you this week - it's this....I'd get you on a horse and let you ride outside of town for an hour or two...and let you watch a sunset..and let you reflect on the goodness of God and His ability to help us live as we were created to live..
I'd give you the opportunity to refocus your lives so we could see people and time...like we should - from the back of a horse..It's just a whole lot simpler there..
That's the first trait of a cowboy that I hope you can take home today - simplicity - in a week of atrocities. The second is this..
II. Loyalty
Here's a great line I read recently.."Money can buy you a dog, but it can't make him wag his tail.." Just let that sink in a bit...If you've read much from the old west or have studied what it was like to be a cowboy in the 1880's...you'll see most cowboys had partners..Someone you rode with for a season or 2 or 3..You worked together - traveled together - ate together - fought together - camped out under the stars together - protected one another - you trusted each other with your life....and when you had a day off - you whooped it up - together!!!!! And there was a loyalty ..that was unspoken but incredibly strong. Partners and teamwork was a centerpiece of the old west..
"A man can pretend to care..but they can't pretend to be there.." (Cowboy Logic)
Another cowboy loyalty occurred when cowboys signed up for work..they rode for the brand...Every person in the old west knew the importance of a brand..A brand was the mark that a rancher would burn on his stock - on his cattle....A brand was a mark of ownership..but it was also much more than that...When a cowboy hooked up with a certain outfit.. it was said he was "riding for the brand". Again, Louis L'Amour - the greatest story teller of the west - talks about the significance of those words...He says..
"The term "riding for the brand" was an expression of loyalty to a man's employer or the particular outfit he rode for. It was considered a compliment of the highest order in an almost feudal society. If a man did not like a ranch or the way they conducted their affairs, he was free to quit, and many did, but if he stayed on, he gave loyalty to the brand and expected it back."
One of the greatest examples of loyalty and partnership I've ever seen was something I watched take place as a kid....I was just talking to someone about this - this week...my dad had a loyal friend - his name was Taggy - Tagner Christionsen..Swedish bachelor who lived 2 miles down the road...He'd help my dad with farm stuff..fix a tractor, repair a motor - help combine at harvest time...Taggy would also share bread with my dad - many times he'd come at meal time..(in fact, it got to be so that we'd all be surprised if he didn't show up!!) Taggy was there whenever it seemed dad needed him...When something went wrong, he would show up with an answer...through thick and thin - Taggy was a loyal partner and friend to my dad. He rode for the brand..
Again, we saw such strong examples of loyalty and unity this week as well - Americans took loyalty to one another, and to their country - to a whole new level..Spontaneous flag waving and singing the National anthem - Amazing to see the patriotism - Warming to see the loyalty - (we have much to learn here..in Canada..about loyalty).
As I talked with Americans this week..I had a couple thoughts.
- How complacent I and many of us are about our Nation..we are so divided most times..and how much do we really care?
- How a crisis brings out heightened emotions and inner responses - The U.S.A. has responded in unity and with passionate loyalty to one another and to their leadership. Amazing thing to watch.
So it got me thinking about my life and where my loyalty gauge is at..in everyday life (not just National loyalty). - Here's what I thought and how it transfers into my everyday life..
Well...I think it's about relationships...Think with me for a minute or two about your 2 or 3 or 4 closest friends....get a picture of them in your head...Now ask yourself this question: In what ways have you shown your loyalty to them in the past..2 weeks? Ask yourself - are you going above and beyond the call of duty, to create an amazing friendship? So many times in the rush of our lives, we forget to build that which is most important, and our priorities or energies get spent on other stuff first. (That's just sad.) Here's one more cowboy quote: "A person should count himself blessed if he can look back on his life and say that he's had at least one good horse, one exceptional dog, and one true friend." Loyalty...
Or how about family loyalty? This has always been a big deal in our family - to never have to question each other's loyalty. Especially when I was growing up, it was kind of nice to know that I had a couple bigger and older loyal brothers ahead of me - kind of paving the way..See I tended to be a little mouthy when I was young (some may have described me as somewhat cocky...I think not, personally). But when I look back, their loyalty probably saved my skin more than once in jr. high school.
See, our family was always there for one another, through thick and thin. Now - take a second and get your family in your mind..Again ask some questions - Are you doing whatever it takes to create stronger family relationships? ..Is your loyalty getting stronger?
Well - loyalty is a really nice thing to talk about on Country Sunday - but how do we actually make it become part of who we are?....I mean, if you're honest and I'm honest - we're not naturally loyal people..We're not naturally great friends or great spouses, we're not great parents, we're not naturally great brothers or sisters..Look at the stats people - in and of ourselves..our closest relationships fall apart..Our society is a testimony to that..The Bible talks very clearly about our human tendencies - our natural leanings..
The Apostle Paul says this - "We are always doing what we don't want to do..We have the desire to do the right thing - but we can't carry it out." And then he goes on to say..(and I'll talk more about this in a few minutes) that the only way to conquer this inability to do the right thing - is to allow God to live through our lives by faith..Then it's about Him living out loyalty through us..Allowing us to live right..
Folks, what we must get our heads around is this - if you want something like loyalty in your life..just trying harder to be loyal won't do it for you..Hearing this preacher today..(then just getting after it)..will not make you a loyal person..Instead, today - let me give you this knowledge - that Jesus Christ makes all of us new when He comes into our lives..and then it is no longer me alone fighting to be loyal or good - or whatever attribute you're working on - but it's Him in me - that creates that great attributes in our lives. - Here's what I'm saying - loyalty is an outcome of faith in our lives..It's a gift from God to us - and to strengthen it in our lives - we must apply faith to it..You'll get more on that in a second..but let's get to the third cowboy trait and characteristic that will help us live in a greater way..
III. Honesty, Integrity, and Standing for What's Right
Quote - "Honesty is not something you flirt with..you should be married to it!" (Cowboy Logic)
I don't know how many of you have met a real life cowboy or not - I mean somebody that works on a ranch - knows how to rope and ride - somebody who's tough and hard-working and someone who's honest and shoots straight from the hip.
I know some cowboys in Southern Saskatchewan - (some are cousins of mine)..who fit that picture pretty clearly..They're people who still feel most comfortable sitting on a horse..and they get up early on their ranch and they drink strong-black coffee...I know one who has this great saying.."There's no such thing as strong coffee - only weak people."...They're people who work pretty hard all day and go to bed tired....and to those folks, integrity and honesty are words that still have meaning.
To a cowboy (today and in the old west) - honesty is and was a given - A man's word was his bond..and a handshake deal was a done deal....Honesty seemed to simply come easily - it seemed like second nature..
Well, I am the kinda guy who likes to know why ... why was integrity so natural for cowboys of the old west? So I studied up a bit and here's what I found out..The cowboy's behavior was the result of, or the outflow of truth in their lives....
Truth mattered to cowboys...and they were seekers after the truth.... Let me explain... In the American west - cowboys were made up of all different kinds of people - from all over the world. Those included English Noblemen - European Elite - highly educated people - poets - scholars - actors...and in the saddle bags of many cowboys - they carried books..Classics.
...And many carried the Bible as the source of security and strength and moral truth...a guide book .. on how to live their lives.
Here's what I'm getting at....A cowboy's ability (to be honest and live an integrity-based life) was not just something unique for the times...or a nice part of history or something that just happened...it was the direct result of truth..or a moral code - being taught, ingrained, and then lived out..
At that point in American culture..Christianity was the key and central faith...and many of these cowboys grew up living by the principles set out by Jesus...Their families knew Jesus and lived their lives based on God's Word .. (the Bible). And they understood that in that Book lay the moral ground zero they were looking for. They knew it was their guide - their moral compass for life.
Cowboys were a group of people who stood together and weren't separate in thought and no matter where you found them - from Alberta to Wyoming, or from Kansas to Texas - even the ones who strayed away - who rode on the wrong side of the law - could be trusted with a child or your wife or with your life...if you were in trouble...
In their day, cowboys defined what was real - what was true - they were the norm morally, and it was a good thing to have a norm...
Folks, I gotta be honest - We need more people like this today - people who you know you can count on, people who understand truth and live it out..... The world we live in today has no normal - no moral gauge - there's no right or wrong...And the line between the two is pretty hazy - at best. In New York City there were no rules this week..in those bombings - there was not even the smallest sense of right and wrong or justice - Just mayhem.
Now..we gasp at that and think how terrible that is..but as a society we are heading exactly in the same direction. As a nation, we laugh at God's word and the moral truth stated there..There is no absolute moral truth anymore (at least in some of our minds).
The lines between right and wrong are getting hazier and hazier..
It seems we have to be tolerant about everything, and can't take a stand on anything.....seems like these days - taking any kind of stand is seen as intolerance (and that's bad). We can't seem to find our moral compass..We can't find normal..We can't find true north in this society.....Whether it's about families or marriage or education or sex or money....or the debate over when life starts or when it ends....no one in our society today knows where to take a stand. Why? Because we're not ingrained into truth..(capital T Truth anyways..) We're ingrained in a whole bunch of little truths..(anything from positive thinking gurus to Oprah..is where we gather our truth)...and our society is showing where that compass is leading us - by our actions. Our society is a mess morally..we're getting farther and farther away from God's design every day..Farther away from the truth of His word...So here's what I'm getting at..
If you want to be a genuine person - a person who lives the truth - who has integrity and honesty as their markers...a person who knows where true north is - morally - then your life must be built on true north principles..not shifting every day like our culture is... In Psalm 51 in the Bible it says this - "Surely you desire truth in your inmost parts." All of us have that innate desire - a longing within us to find answers to our spiritual questions....We all want to know truth...because we believe Jesus' words when He said "The truth shall set you free." We all desire to feel that freedom. Then just a few seconds later - Jesus said..John 8:36 - "If I set you free, you will be free indeed.." And then continued and said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." People - build your life on the principles of Jesus Christ and you'll know truth north. Let Jesus guide your choices, let God's Word create your value system, let Jesus lead your life..Allow Him to direct you where you need to go. Here's a great verse about seeking real truth:
Proverbs 3:5 & 6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Folks trust me on this one..When Jesus is in control of your life you will immediately see changes in your character, and in your behavior pattern - you'll immediately see changes in your relationships..You'll see changes in the way you approach and treat your family. If I'm gonna be honest today, I'd say this: [Most of us don't have a sniff about how much greater our lives would be if we simply let Jesus control us 100% of the time]. I mean if we truly allowed Him to be in the driver's seat, and we were just along for the ride..
You know what the Bible says? In John 10:10 it says that the whole reason Jesus came to earth was to give us real life....more and better life than we can imagine.....Well, there's a lot of us here today that don't really believe that....I mean, we wake up most mornings thinking this - that if anything is gonna go right today, it's gonna be me that's got to get it right...Well, that's only partially true. Folks...If you want a real and better life tomorrow morning, wake up with Jesus. Before you put your feet on the floor, ask Him to lead you, ask Him to guide you, ask Him to help you love people and see the future, and ask Him to help you live a life of integrity. Ask Him for the faith and strength you need to keep going. More clearly..ask Him to help you seek Him. Don't try going it alone.
Here's what we believe at Lakeview - we believe that living life alone is the wrong choice for human beings - that we weren't created to be alone. We believe the very best is life with Jesus Christ, [living a life that is forgiven and clean and led by God Himself]. That's real life. Then let me add another dimension....At Lakeview we believe life is best lived out in community - (not alone, and not just you and Jesus either...) but you and Jesus and the community - (community = [a group of people who will love you and love God with you]). Community is really what we're after - that's what Lakeview Church is all about..and this weekend we're kicking off our year. It's a year where together we will learn how to passionately seek God with our lives. A year where we will mark out a new path for our lives together..Today I'm inviting you again to join this community by placing seeking and knowing Jesus as a high priority..
Here's a theory I've held for a long time - that the cowboy lifestyle and moral code died too early..not because of technology or changing times or moral corruption, but it died because they tried to live the right way alone, outside of community.
Here's the key to being a real cowboy..(we're gonna kick it up one notch, from the cowboys of old.) Folks - chase after loyalty and honesty and integrity and adventure in your life..but don't do it alone. Let Jesus chase life with you, and then live that life in the community. Place your life this year, not only in the hands of God, but in the arms of community. Let's walk together this year, and live the life we've always wanted to - a cowboy's life, built on faith and lived out in community.
Just before we take our offering..It's Loonie/Toonie Weekend here..outside your regular giving this weekend, all loonies and toonies will be going to the Uniformed Firefighters' Association of New York's widows and children's fund..Also, take a moment to fill out the communication cards in your information folders. If you're new here, we'll be sending you a letter of welcome out this week.
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