It's funny as a teacher you are in the Bible and learning and communicating Scripture to people. But we can never forget that we aren't simply learning to teach Scripture. But learning for the Scriptures to transform ourselves and direct our lives and know God, not just for those we teach.
I just finished teaching at the Sunday morning worship gathering up at Zephyr Point Conference Center which is right on Lake Tahoe. This is an incredibly beautiful place and the beach here is wonderful and the staff is great. I taught through Psalm 27 this morning which was about David addressing his fears.
My primary points were observing how David started the Psalm worshiping and remembering who God is. He is our light, our salvation and our stronghold. Then David poured out his fears and concerns. Then he waited on the Lord. But putting our fears and anxieties in perspective with the truth of who God is is so important. Our minds can take us to crazy places when we allow our fears and anxieties to shape our emotions and how we view things and respond. So we have to have truth from Scripture guiding us, not our emotions.
I used these slides with the hearts and lightning bolts to show how perspective does change things. It doesn't mean what we are facing which causes fear or anxiety goes away. But when we put it in perspective with biblical truth, it changes how we face them. I showed the first slide being how large our anxiety or fear is. But then we get perspective of how vast, and big and incredible the God of creation who created the universe is. Then our fears and anxieties get in perspective when we focus on God's greatness.
It was actually very helpful to me as I can easily get so anxious and even fearful from the many things in life we face. From minor ones like being afraid of spiders (which was my opening story as I have had a general fear of spiders in my life due to watching this film when I was a little kid and it freaked me out). To big things... friends with cancer. The state of the economy. Church staff transitions of bringing on 8 interns and wanting the absolute best experience for them. Being 3 years late on my latest book for Zondervan and now it turning into 2 books and wanting them to be helpful to the Kingdom and mission (these are good things, but cause anxiety). Finishing my doctorate and dissertation (also 2 years late).
But perspective is everything. These fears are minor in comparison to reading through world headlines a few minutes ago. Tragedy, deaths, flooding, wars... so horribly sad. But we do each live in a reality where our fears and anxiety do impact us. And the wonderful truth from Scripture that God does care about even the smallest things.
So, it was one of these times when teaching Psalm 27 which really was needed in my life personally.
Becky, Katie and Claire are here with me this week. It is also a study week for me while at this conference center. I am prepping and studying the series in Jonah that we will be starting at Vintage Faith Church in September. So I have several commentaries and books I will be bringing down to the beach. I think I brought 25 books with me here. I get book panic when going somewhere like this and stuff so many books in our suitcases and I even have a full suitcase of just books I brought.
Katie and Claire wanted to have fun and put some color in their hair, so yesterday we sprayed blue on Claire's hair and pink in Katie's hair. It's the kind that comes out when you wash it. But they liked it.
I am looking forward to this season being over and getting done these projects I have been working on. I don't blog hardly at all as I just don't have time (or perhaps I should say, priorities of time shift of how I spend time). And I will be intentionally blogging regularly starting in September. But I will now wrap this up as I won't blog for at least 2 weeks. We have this study week here prepping sermons. And then next week we are taking a week of rest and going to another lake for actual non-working/serving vacation. And that means no cell phone, no internet, no email, no Twitter, no media or TV, no Facebook... nothing. It will be one free week of quiet, rest, family - before coming back to really engage wrapping up books/dissertation/preparing for interns and Fall activity with church and also getting ready for a bunch of speaking I am doing in other places this Fall.
So, off to the water now with a backpack of books and Bible. I will try to imagine Jonah on Lake Tahoe as I study the Scriptures for this. I also am so thankful for truths of Scripture like in Psalm 27. The honestly of David expressing his fears and anxieties. And that God is God, and He is with us always, not matter what we face.
