Rev. Dan Polecheck - Universal Life Church Ministries - Older Blog Posts - Precision or Confusion

Before I started this blog I was writing for a blog on the Family Worship Center - Algoma Campus website. This is a copy of one of those posts with links to the original blog.

Prescision or Confusion
Originally Posted Apr 26, 2020
Original Blog Post

Ever been to a football game at half time when the band forms words or pictures in the middle of the field? They look great from up in the stands. But have you thought about what they look like from the sidelines? Pointless, confusing, apparently meaningless. We see life from the sidelines. God sees it from the stands. As we gain perspective, we leave the sidelines and start working our way up.

G.K. Chesterton’s character, Father Brown, said “We are on the wrong side of the tapestry.” How true. We see the knots, the snarls, and the frayed underside. But God is on the right side of the tapestry—the side He is weaving into a beautiful work of art. We may not always know what the Master Artist is doing in our lives. But the important thing is, He does.

When we see the all-powerful God on the throne of the universe—God our Father committed to our good—we are relieved of much stress. And the stress we must still experience leaves us far richer.

Having a biblical perspective is seeing life through God’s eyes. It is seeing order in chaos, use in the useless, and good in the bad. If we are to develop eyes to see God’s hand in everything, we must believe (not necessarily understand) what Scripture says about the purpose of stress. Stress is an effective tool in the hands of our God, a tool that is intended both for His glory and our good. In this article we will look at some ways God uses stress.

God uses stress to get our attention

God created our bodies. He designed them to send us messages. If I stick my hand in fire, my body will send me a message, quickly and clearly. If I ignore it, I’ll pay the price.

C.S. Lewis said “pain is God’s megaphone.” Some of us are hard of hearing. We ignore physical, mental, and spiritual warning signs. God wants us to tune our ears to the messages He sends us through our minds and bodies.

God uses stress to help us redefine or rediscover our priorities

Bill and Evelyn’s marriage relationship was a distant one. They had drifted apart over many years, pouring themselves into their jobs and shortchanging their family. But when their son Jason was found in possession of heroin, the months that followed brought unprecedented crisis… and also the desire to pull their marriage back together.

Everyone has priorities. Some have never chosen or experienced the right ones and need to redefine them. Others of us have long known the right priorities and merely need to rediscover them: we’ve tasted right priorities, but we’ve allowed ourselves to drift away from them; we’ve replaced fellowship with entertainment, giving with buying, and family time with the television, the lawn, the remodeling job, the causes, and the committees.

By abandoning our God-given priorities we set ourselves up to learn a hard lesson. "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" (Haggai 1:4). In response, God sent lack of fulfillment, disillusionment, and failure as His messengers. He withheld His blessing till His people rediscovered their priorities.

Twice in Haggai 1:5-11, God’s people are admonished to “Give careful thought to your ways.” Stress should take us back to the basics. It is an opportunity to re-evaluate our priorities and bring them in line with God’s.

God uses stress to draw us to Himself

Time and again it was said of the people of Israel, “But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them” (2 Chronicles 15:4). It was in Jonah’s darkest hour, in his most stressful circumstances that he said this: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me” (Jonah 2:2). The Psalms are full of references of turning to God, seeking Him and finding Him in times of intense stress.

In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears (Psalms 18:6).

I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me (Psalms 120:1).

When our lives are comfortable and stress-free, too often we withdraw from the Lord into our own worlds of spiritual independence and isolation. Smug and self-satisfied, we forget what life is really all about. But as the thirsty seek for water, those under stress often seek God. Many non-believers have come to Christ and many believers have returned to Him in times of stress.

God uses stress to discipline us

Quoting Solomon’s words to his son, the writer of Hebrews offers what he calls a word of encouragement:

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons (Hebrews 12:5-7).

(The word son, of course, is generic for “child,” and applies equally to God's daughters.)

To some of us, this doesn’t sound so encouraging. But we fail to realize how essential discipline is. Scripture says that to withhold discipline from a child is, in essence, child abuse: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him” (Proverbs 13:24). Discipline is corrective. It is remedial, not revengeful. God sends stresses not to get back at us for doing wrong, but to deepen our dependence on Him in order to do right. Though the stressful experience may seem excruciating at the time, it is ultimately all for good:

God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:10-11).

God uses stress to strengthen our faith

1 Peter 1:7 tells us: “These [trials] have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

There is only one way a muscle grows—through stress. A muscle that is rarely exercised atrophies; it shrinks into uselessness. A muscle seldom stretched beyond its usual limits can only maintain itself. It cannot grow. To grow, a muscle must be taxed. Unusual demands must be placed upon it.

Stress is a demand placed upon our faith. Without it our faith will not, cannot, grow.

Ever seen grass grow through asphalt? It’s amazing if you think about it. How does grass, pressed flat and robbed of light, persevere and break through hard ground? Yet we’ve seen it. Somehow God made those tiny blades of grass to rise to the greatest challenge.

In the crucible of stress, as we draw on our resources in Christ, He gives us faith and strength to crack through and rise above the asphalt coat of life under the curse.

Rev. Dan Polecheck - Universal Life Church Ministries - Older Blog Posts - Does God Have An Ego?

Before I started this blog I was writing for a blog on the Family Worship Center - Algoma Campus website. This is a copy of one of those posts with links to the original blog.

Does God Have An Ego?
Originally Posted Apr 25, 2020
Original Blog Post

“Let’s face it; God has a big ego problem. Why do we always have to worship him? In all the religious books I have read God proclaims himself as a super being, wanting the whole world to lick his boots. God seems to have a big ego... who does he think he is!”

These are just some of the comments that screamed at me as I browsed questions about God and his existence on the internet. There appears to be a strong school of thought among several atheists and the non-religious who believe Christians have created a God of their own making... with a mega ego.

We have the story of the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, about 606 BC, whose super ego was personified in his declaration... as he stood on the rooftop of his magnificent palace; “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power, and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). God soon brought him down to earth through the fulfillment of a dream which resulted in Nebuchadnezzar being reduced to a mad animal-like being that ate grass for seven years. His hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails became like the claws of a bird during this time.

God wanted the king to learn and understand that the Most High allows whomsoever he pleases to rule in the kingdoms of the earth. Nebuchadnezzar was completely transformed through this period of humiliation to the point where he not only came to appreciate and sincerely acknowledge the sovereignty of the true God, but also insisted that all his subjects bow down to the God of Israel.

In essence, God revealed his supremacy as the majestic God of the heavens who carries the ultimate authority over all the kingdoms of humankind. However, many will argue that this speaks even more strongly of an egocentric God, who demands adoration, obedience and worship.

Is God Concerned And Preoccupied With Himself?

Let’s take a moment to examine what egocentric means. It has its beginnings in the ‘id, ego and superego model of the mind’ developed by Sigmund Freud, known as the father of psychoanalysis and one of the most influential thinkers of the early twentieth century. Various dictionaries, including the Dictionary of Psychology by J.P. Chaplin sitting on my bookshelf, essentially define egocentric as ‘concerned and preoccupied with the self, self centered, selfish, and the noun... a self centered person or egotist.’

Yet, the proclivity of human beings to create gods of their own making through the aeons of time is clearly evidenced in the pages of ancient and modern literature. Pagan worship of a plethora of gods and the crafting of idols after such gods has threaded its way into the very fabric of civilizations throughout history, and continues to this day.

Should we not therefore deem it appropriate for our Father to powerfully and spectacularly command the attention of humankind to the reality that there is only one Sovereign God who created the vast and magnificent splendor of the universe? And in so doing, God created the space for people to enter into the loving embrace of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Apostle John’s aptly describes the essence of who God is in 1 John 4:16, 9-10: “God is love... This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him... he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” We also note in 1 John 3:16 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” And in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” God sent his Son to die for you so you can live and receive the gift of eternal life.

The absence of ego and the presence of a deep abiding sacrificial love are clearly demonstrated in Philippians 2:6-8 “Who [Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even the death on the cross.” Think for a moment about the depth of Jesus’ sacrifice. How he emptied himself and became sin incarnate for you.

Here we find the antithesis of egocentricity... as far as the East is from the West. The very thought of an egocentric God evaporates as we gasp in amazement at the wonder of His unfathomable love. Indeed, God is about healing your human brokenness (egocentric nature) in a fallen world and giving you refreshing newness of hope and vitality in Christ.

Become A Whole New Person

The Apostle Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here.” He adds in Ephesians 4:22-24 “...put off your old self (ego) which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires... to be made new in the attitudes of your minds and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” The astounding truth is that God through Jesus and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit inspires you to let go of your old self (ego) and become a whole new person in him.

Herein lies our awe-inspiring potential in Christ, leading to a relationship that will enable you to become more fully yourself as you blossom into the person you were created to be. The pages of the Bible are filled with the good news of the indescribable opportunity you have been given, to grow to your full potential in the presence of his divine embrace, now and for all eternity.

In the book entitled Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola we read; “Knowing Christ as your “rest” and allowing him to live his life through you is one of the most freeing things you can know as a Christian. Resting in Christ doesn’t mean being passive. It means allowing the Lord to do the heavy lifting.”

True worship embodies a wholehearted relationship with the Triune God... living in the presence of the Lord and creating the room for him to flow continuously, powerfully and deeply in your hearts, each and every day; in everything you do whether it be in song, praise, thanksgiving, adoration, respect, devotion, prayer, meditation, relationships or your work. This is very unlike the blind subservience and fear-filled worship of an egotist such as Nebuchadnezzar and the gigantic 90 foot high and 9 foot wide gold image he erected to himself, before he was humbled under the Almighty hand of God.

Contemporary psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung gave a fitting description of human nature in the egocentric model, which is generally in keeping with the state of the human mind as a result of the fall of humankind. What a stark contrast to the selflessness of the Triune God who “is love.” God is the personification of love, who died so you can enter into a faith-filled, dynamic, life-giving eternal relationship with Him.

Rev. Dan Polecheck - Universal Life Church Ministries - Older Blog Posts - Twinkies and Root Beer

Before I started this blog I was writing for a blog on the Family Worship Center - Algoma Campus website. This is a copy of one of those posts with links to the original blog.

Twinkies and Root Beer
Originally Posted Apr 23, 2020
Original Blog Post

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.

The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.

Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

Reprinted from Sweet Song Ministries