Richland Creek Welcome Ministry

Well, I’ve joined the super hi-tech world of smart phones. I have more computing power in my phone today than we had on the computer at my first job as a programmer for the entire campus of Santa Fe Community College some 30 years ago. This phone has some great applications–there are literally thousands of programs available. But there’s one that is just too amazing. It’s called a reality browser.

What is a reality browser, you ask? Well, you turn the phone’s camera on and point the phone in any direction and it shows you things you can’t see with the naked eye. If you want to know where a grocery store is, you simply say “grocery store” and point the phone in any direction and if there’s a grocery store within six miles, it provides you with the name, phone number, driving directions, and all kinds of information about the stores it “sees.” It “enhances” reality. It lets you see what’s there that you can’t see.

As I was driving to work the day after I got this application and I was looking at the people in the cars in rush hour traffic, I wondered what would happen if I pointed my reality browser at some of those people. Would it show me things I couldn’t see by simply looking at them with my unaided eyes? And, if it could, I wondered what I would see.

Well, obviously it couldn’t do that. But what if it could? What would I see? Have you ever thought about that? And, I guess the question really should be, would you want to be able to do that?

What if people could see past your exterior facade and look into your heart? Not just some of the time, but all of the time? Would people be surprised by what they saw?

In 1 Samuel 16:7, when speaking about one of David’s brothers, the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

I’m thankful people can’t see into my heart. I know there are times when they might be disappointed. No. I’m sure they would be more than disappointed. And, while I can’t speak for all people, I suspect that everyone would prefer to guard their heart from prying eyes.

But isn’t it sad. We shower, brush our hair, and put on perfume or cologne. We take the time to put on the right clothes and make up. We even put on our best behavior for others to see. And for the One we claim to love above all others, we are always exposed for who we really are.

I’m thankful God loves me like He does. How much does He love me? Read Romans 5:8 and Ephesians 2:1-9. If I could love like that, I might want a reality browser to see other people. But until then, I really don’t think I could handle it. In reality, I don’t think anyone could.

Thom Fishow

June 20, 2010

My sister’s bike looked so cool that I just had give it a try even though it was way too big for me. I couldn’t sit on the seat and reach the peddles at the same time, so needless to say, I wasn’t very successful on my first attempt. Or my second. Or my third. But my father knew what to do. After lowering the seat and the handlebars he then ran alongside of me, holding the bike steady as I learned to ride. After I mastered my sister’s bike, he bought me my very own Schwinn. This was just one of the many problems he solved for me when I was a child.

But there were some problems he didn’t solve. At about this same time in my life I had bad dreams two or three times a week. I’d wake up in the middle of the night so scared that I’d bury my head under my pillow. I remember lying that way, waiting to get up the nerve to call to my father. When I did, he’d come into my room, pick me up, and carry me into his and my mother’s bed where it was safe. He’d put his arm around me making me feel so secure. The bad dream wasn’t gone from my memory, but it didn’t matter because my father was with me.

I was reminded of this time in my life because of a question that came from a friend who asked me why a loving God would allow people to go through some of the pain and suffering we sometimes face in our lives. I guess he thought that after becoming a Christian, all the problems of the world would just disappear.

Many people think this. They think that since God is good He just naturally wouldn’t allow bad things to happen. I’ve heard people attempt to address this apparent conflict by saying that in order to grow and to be able to help others, we have to deal with problems that are inevitable in this world. And while that’s true, it’s not the answer.

We need to understand that the Bible doesn’t say that when we accept Jesus as Lord all evil and sin is removed from our world. Far from it. It doesn’t even say that bad things will never again happen. Because they will.

Here’s what the Bible does say in Matthew 28:20b. Jesus told His disciples, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

You see, my father didn’t solve every problem I ever encountered. But, he was always with me as I faced those problems. And with him by my side, I could solve the problems myself or, at the very least, I could draw on his strength to get through the problems. I wasn’t alone.

There’s a song by Scott Krippane that says, “Sometimes He calms the storm and other times He calms His child.” And you know what I like? God knows when He should do one and when He should do the other.

Because just like my earthly father when I was a child, sometimes I need God to take care of the problem for me. But sometimes I just need Him to take care of me.

Thom Fishow

June 13, 2010

Not too long ago, I spent a few years selling long term care insurance.  I liked the job because I was selling a good product and because I got to meet some pretty nice people.  And, for the most part, the people I met were in about the same place in their lives as I was.  They were planning for retirement in ten to twenty years with the hope that whatever they’d managed to save over their lifetime would be enough to live on.

Most of the people I talked to would be okay in retirement.  But many might have to take their lifestyle down a notch to make it.  Count me in that second group. 

But there was a third group.  It was rare, but I ran across these folks from time to time.  These were people who were my age, mid-fifties at the time, but with more savings than they could spend if they lived to be 100.  For some, life had just been good to them; for others, scrimping and saving throughout their lives with a lot of hard work made the difference.  For whatever reason, they would be better off in retirement than they had been during their working years.

I remember interviewing a couple in that third group one night.  When they explained their finances to me, it almost made me sick.  I couldn’t focus on selling them insurance, so I got out of the interview as quickly as I could.  I was angry and upset.  They could retire in luxury that very night and live better than I was living working 60 hours a week.  I’d barely be able to retire in 20 years and I wanted what they had.

That meeting stayed on my mind for the next week.  I was angry with God.  Hard times in my past were now keeping me from ever having what this couple had.  And I blamed God for that.

But even in my anger I prayed.  And through my anger He spoke to me.  He made me look at what I had.  And I realized that what I had and what I still have today is not lacking.  I have a wonderful family, a home, a job, food on the table.  I have always had what I need.  Through the good times and the bad times, God has always provided.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or stow away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?” 

Listen, when we take our eyes off of God and put them on ourselves, we stop seeing what we have and start noticing what we don’t have.  That’s when we start wanting what others have.

But when I consider what’s truly important, I really do have it all.  Because I have my salvation.  And no amount of money can replace that.  In Hebrews 13:5, we read, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”  So you see, with God at my side, I really am doing quite well.  Because, by His grace, I count His riches as mine.

Thom Fishow

June 6, 2010

Have you ever had someone say to you, “I have some good news and some bad news?” If you had the choice, which would you rather hear? I suppose the answer is obvious. It’s never hard to hear the good news, but no one likes to get bad news.

I remember when I first learned of my late wife’s cancer when the biopsy came back positive. Strange how they use that word “positive.” It sure didn’t feel positive to her or to me. That was bad news that scared me to my very core.

Of course, there are times when the bad news isn’t quite that bad, but it’s bad just the same. Maybe you can remember a time when you took your car into the shop for a “minor” problem. Something as simple as the car not heating up like it used to. Well, you thought, perhaps $100 and a new thermostat and things will be back to normal. But then the mechanic calls and tells you it’s going to be $900 for a new radiator. Okay, so it’s not the end of the world, but at that moment, it sure feels like it is.

And as hard as it is to receive bad news, it’s sometimes almost as difficult to deliver it. I’m sure the service manager at the shop doesn’t enjoy telling someone they are going to need a new radiator. And I know doctors struggle when they have to tell a family that the thing they feared the most has become a reality.

Pastors have a choice when it comes to bad news. The Bible is filled with thousands of sermons. Pastors could choose to deliver just the easy ones. The ones that make you feel good. And to be honest, those are the ones I like the best. But, sometimes a pastor will deliver a message intended to convict his flock. Sometimes the message, while true to Scripture, will make some people just a little uncomfortable.

As I’ve grown in my faith I’ve learned that I need those sermons; sometimes I need them more than the easy ones. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 2:3 that his teaching never came with “impurity or by way of deceit.” He then went on to say, “so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts. For we never came with flattering speech.” I’m sure there were some in his audience who would have liked some of his messages sugar coated or maybe even with the convicting stuff left out. But Paul wasn’t going to mislead these young believers. He thought these brothers and sisters deserved the truth.

And, to be honest, I’m glad the pastors at the Creek aren’t afraid to tell it like it is. Because I know that’s how God wants us to hear it. God’s Word isn’t like the grocery store–take what you like and leave the rest on the shelf. In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, {and} for training in righteousness.” And I’m absolutely certain all means all. So I guess we need to just put on our big-boy pants and take the bad with the good. After all, God loves us enough to tell us what we need to hear. We ought to love Him at least enough to listen.

Thom Fishow

May 30, 2010

I remember hearing a story about a kindergarten-aged girl who asked her Sunday school teacher, “What are we here for?”

Not wanting to miss a good teaching opportunity, the Sunday school teacher gave the question some serious thought before answering. And after carefully considering the age of her audience she said, “We’re here to help other people.”

The litte girl pondered this answer for a minute with deep thought which caused her little brow to furrow. And then, as if she had stumbled on a great revelation that perhaps the teacher had overlooked, she proudly asked, “Well then, what are the other people here for?”

Now, I don’t know about you, but that’s a question I’ve asked myself from time to time. And don’t get me wrong; I have a long way to go when it comes to selflessly helping others. But that doesn’t stop me from wondering why sometimes it seems that it’s always the same group of people who are doing the helping and another group of people that are always needing help. Is that the way it’s supposed to be? Did God put some people here just to be helpers and others just to be helped?

And, then it hit me. It’s not the answer that gives me a problem; it’s the question. It’s the wrong question. You see, we don’t need the answer in order to do the work we’re called to do. The question is irrelevant. Here’s what we need to understand: It doesn’t matter what the other people are here for. Our only concern should be what Paul writes about in Ephesians 2:10 where he says, “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

You see, when we ask the wrong question we will never be satisfied with the answer, no matter what it is. Look at it this way: When we’re looking for results from our work or questioning why we’re even doing the work rather than simply getting the joy from the work, we are missing part of the reason for doing the work in the first place. Because it doesn’t matter if it’s the same people who are always doing the helping and it doesn’t matter if another group is always needing the help. It’s not about any of that. Notice what it says in Ephesians 2:10. It says the work God has planned, has been “prepared in advance for us to do.” That means God planned the work even before the need arose. Now, I don’t claim to understand how it all works, but God does.

Listen to what Paul says in Galatians 6:9-10. “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

So, the question is not, “What are the other people here for?” The question is, “Who are the other people? And, how can we help them?” Because the work is already planned. We just have to find the place to do it.

Thom Fishow

May 23, 2010

I remember when I was four years old and my family was moving from Washington, DC to California. I think we moved because of my father’s job, but as a child the reason didn’t matter. The family car was huge as most cars were in those days–I’ve been told it was a 1952 Dodge. I think it was brand new. During part of the trip we went straight through the desert. I remember my father had to get the car repainted shortly after we arrived in California because we encountered a sand storm that pitted the paint.

Seatbelts didn’t exist for cars at the time of this trip so we three kids (six, four, and three) could move about as long as we stayed in the back. Above the back seat was something we called the “window well”. We took turns lying up there to look out the window as we drove. (Does anyone besides me remember that?) The back seat was our bedroom and our living room. My parents fixed up this space by putting our belongings on the floor boards and then topping it with plywood and a full-sized mattress. This gave us plenty of room for sleep and play.

My mother didn’t have a driver’s license so my father did all the driving. I know it had to be tiring for him. But we didn’t think about that, and as far as we kids knew, we were as safe as if we were playing at home. There were games, Lincoln Logs, our Little Golden Books, and other toys from our home. No one told us we didn’t have to worry about anything as we traveled. We just didn’t worry. We were completely unaware that we were traveling 3,000 miles in five days–over 12 hours a day on the road. But we were safe in our little world. That’s the faith of a child. Jesus refers to that kind of faith in Mark 10:15. To a child it’s a faith that needs no explanation.

Jesus said we need that kind of faith to get into heaven. It’s not analytical. It’s not questioning. It’s real. It’s tangible. The area in the back seat of our car wasn’t like our home; it was our home. When we were playing, we were playing on our bed at home. And when we slept, we were sleeping on our bed at home. It wasn’t like our bed; it was our bed. Just as safe. Just as secure. No one told us that. We just knew it. That’s child-like faith.

The writer of Hebrews describes faith so adults can understand it in chapter 11, verse 1, when he says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is substance. It’s real. Faith is evidence. It’s tangible. As children we don’t need those fancy words to understand faith. We just know. There’s no reason not to. As adults, it’s different. Jesus said, “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

Do you remember that kind of faith? I do. I just wish life didn’t make it so hard to understand it now that I’m grown up. I wish Hebrews 11:1 didn’t have to be written.

Thom Fishow

May 16, 2010

It’s funny how people are willing to reach conclusions without getting all the facts. People do this with the Bible all the time. But there’s one place that results in a misconception about what it means to be a Christian that I just feel compelled to correct. I know there are many people who see Christians as doormats, trying to get along at any cost. And, while it’s true there are some who fit this mold, this is not because the Bible teaches this behavior.

As most people know, the Old Testament teaches, “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, . . .” (Exodus 21:24), but in the New Testament we read the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount where He says, “whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:39) And, from this simple passage, many people, including many Christians think Jesus is saying that when we are assaulted we are to allow our attacker to strike us again on our other cheek. In other words, once wasn’t enough, hit me again.

But, let’s put this teaching in context. This is a slap on the right cheek so it would have to be a backhanded slap from a right-handed person. This action is intended as an insult to the person being slapped. Definitely back in the time of the message, but even today, rare as it is, a backhand to the face is an insult.

Now when most people read this passage they think of only two possible responses: strike back or back down. But in reality there are three responses. First, and unfortunately the most obvious response is that a person could retaliate escalating the encounter to the level of a fight. Second, and sometimes the easiest and least painful response would be to present the same cheek back to the person saying, I accept your insult and concede. In effect telling the person who delivered the insult, you have made your point without a fight.

But the third response, the one most people miss, is to turn the other cheek. Now, because the backhanded slap is rarely used to insult someone today, this third response is unfamiliar to most people. But, the meaning was clear in Jesus’ day and the effect is the same today. This response said to the person delivering the slap that while you have attempted to insult me, I do not acknowledge your insult and I will not allow your action to change my feelings for you. I will not show you my reddened check, but instead will show you my cheek that is unchanged to represent that our relationship is unchanged. In other words, I am indifferent to your behavior and yet, I forgive you. And henceforth, I will treat you as though it never happened.

No escalation. No defeat. Victory without words and virtually without action. And, let me be clear: Both parties know who won and who lost the encounter. And yet, the relationship survives. Simple and conclusive. But clearly, no doormat.

Thom Fishow

May 9, 2010

I was listening to the news several weeks ago when some of the talking heads were discussing rewriting history. The news I’m talking about had to do with the Texas book depository and the way some people are attempting to change some of the facts in the textbooks that are used in classrooms across the country. It seems there are those who want to leave out parts of history–some things I learned when I was young that I just assumed everyone knew and thought were important to learn–and they want to recast other parts so they will be seen in a better or less favorable light. My thinking had always been “history is history” and you just tell it like it happened. I guess there are some who see history as part of a larger agenda to be manipulated to achieve some specific end.

When I heard this I was surprised that anyone would ever feel the need to corrupt the truth and change history. I’m sure we’ve all heard it said at one time or another that people who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. So you’d think it would be a good idea to record it honestly. I would never attempt to change history and I’m sure most of my readers wouldn’t do that, either. At least, that was what I thought. Then I learned something from my training to be a leader for the Truth Project. Something about the truth that opened my eyes.

I learned that any lie we tell is an attempt to change history. Let that sink in for a minute.  Any lie.  That means the time when you told your teacher you lost your homework when, in reality, you didn’t even do it was you changing history. The time you told someone you would help them with something and then didn’t show up as promised so you told them later that “something came up”; that was you changing history. The time you called into work “sick” when you really weren’t sick was your attempt to change history.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not judging and I’m not saying I’ve never done those things myself. As a matter of fact, the examples I just cited are real lies from my past. But, here’s my point: Every lie is an attempt to rewrite history. Now I’m also not saying that in every case telling the truth is the only option. For every man who’s ever had to answer the question from his wife, “Do these jeans make me look fat,” I can assure you the wisdom of the adage that “honesty is the best policy” is clearly questionable wisdom, at best. But, here’s what’s important. We need to know the difference between a lie and the truth and we need to know the source of each.

And, let me also say this: A discussion about what is the truth and what is a lie is much too large to be addressed in a blog such as this. As a matter of fact, it’s a topic that can only be sufficiently covered in a much larger forum. For example, it can be covered fairly and completely in a 13 week study that it just so happens is something Richland Creek is sponsoring on an ongoing basis right now.

As I write this, there are about five Truth Project Bible studies currently underway. Sandra and I will be starting one on May 10th. (Ours is already full and has been for some time.) I hope many more offerings will be starting soon because the study is truly enlightening. If you are not currently signed up to attend one of these offerings, I encourage you to contact Pastor Brian and ask him to get you registered. I also encourage you, as you are participating in a study, to be open to the idea of leading a future study. I promise you, it will be time that you will agree will have been well spent.  And, I assure you it’s something that you will be quite capable of doing.

Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32) And in chapter 18 verse 37, Jesus said that he “came to testify to the truth.” He then goes on to say, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice,” which seems to say to me that if we want to hear His voice we must be of the truth. And, to be of the truth, we must know the truth.

For this reason, I would recommend that each one of us should make the effort to know the truth. And, I think the Truth Project is a good place to start.  Because the Truth Project will teach you the source of the truth.  What you do with it is up to you.

Thom Fishow

May 2, 2010

I got a new toy a few months back. It’s a “Smart Phone”–a Motorola Droid. Really, it should be called a “Personal-Digital-Assistant-That-Just-Happens-To-Also-Make-Phone-Calls.” But that’s a discussion for another day; and perhaps that name is a little too long to catch on. I say it’s a toy because I’m such a geek that anything that takes advantage of the latest technology totally fascinates me. Sorry to those of you who hate technology. I guess we all have our faults.

But this “phone” is functional. It does everything. I plan my daily tasks on it. I keep my business and personal calendars on; I can even check Sandra’s calendar. I monitor my exercise by miles walked, minutes per mile, and calories burned. While I’m walking, I can even see where I am on a map in real time (for you non-geeks, that means as I’m walking). Sandra and I track our budget in “virtual” envelopes using our phones. I get turn by turn directions to wherever it is I need to go. I store notes and shopping lists, passwords, bank account numbers, and documents. I text, receive and send email, check Facebook, and browse the web, all on my phone. I store pictures, addresses and phone numbers of friends and business associates, listen to music and sermons, and play all kinds of games. I even have a “reality” browser to enhance reality. (That’s a whole blog in itself, so be watching for it.) And, I read the Bible.

The Bible on my phone has 44 different translations in 21 languages (even one that I’m pretty sure is Chinese). It has daily devotions and Bible reading plans. I can search for specific words, phrases, or verses and bookmark the ones I want to come back to. There’s only one thing I can’t do with the Bible on my phone: I can’t use it in church. Oh, functionally, it works fine in church; it’s just that I get looks if I use it in church. To some people, it’s not a Bible if it’s not made out of paper and ink.

I remember a Bible study I was in years ago in Pasadena, Maryland. I remember the look I got from an elderly woman when she saw I was using the Good News Bible in paperback. She kept watching me in her peripheral vision throughout the evening but she didn’t say anything until the Bible study was over. Then she got up her nerve and came over to give me some of her “I-earned-it-by-living-longer-than-you” wisdom. She said, “If you want me to, I can buy you a real Bible.” She then explained to me that I should be using the “original” Bible; of course, that would be the King James Version. She actually acted quite incensed that the church would even allow a Bible such as mine in a Bible study. (I’m not sure which bothered her more: the fact that it wasn’t King James or that it was paperback.) I don’t know if she used the word blasphemy, but I could almost feel it hanging in the air after she had finished chastising me.

I wonder if people had a problem when they moved away from scrolls to separate sheets of paper or pages for the Bible. Or when Gutenberg invented the printing press and they transitioned from handwritten script to machine printed block letters. I know that even now there are people who look down their noses at translations different from the one they believe is the only valid translation. Of course, that would be the one they use.

I bet God thinks it’s all pretty funny. I know I do. When people ask me what I think is the best translation, I always say, “The best translation is the one that gets you to read it.” Okay, I’m not big on “interpretations,” but if someone will at least read an interpretation, I think God will bless him for making the effort. And, I think God will give him the understanding he needs based on his level of spiritual maturity.

In the same way the Ten Commandments are just words God gave us to point us to His moral law or His character, the text printed in Bibles is only there to point us to His Word. The text itself is not God’s words. God inspired some 40 men to write down what He wanted us to know. They wrote it; others copied it; still others translated it; and now we read it. It all points back to His Word, but it is not His words. When we read it (or, yes, even listen to it on CD), God interprets for us. He provides the meaning. He gives each one of us the level of understanding we need based on our spiritual journey. Each time I read the Bible, I learn new things. Not because the words are different, but because God takes me beyond the mere words to His Word based on where I am in my walk with Him.

So then, what Bible should we use? Well, since you asked, let me answer by saying this: If God is truly sovereign (and He is) and we make the effort to study His Word, He can use whatever Bible in whatever format we have available to us. Because even that Bible you’re holding in your hand is temporary (2 Cor 4:18). It, too, will pass away. Now, maybe that’s not what you think. But it doesn’t matter what you think. And it doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what He thinks. And rest assured, He’s got it all figured out.

Thom Fishow

April 25, 2010