Mike Edmisten

On August 22, I blogged about my trip to Great American Ballpark where I watched the Reds come from behind to beat the Astros. Last night I watched a much greater comeback. I went to the Bengals game with my friends John and Yance. It was just a preseason game, but you would have never known that by the atmosphere. Paul Brown Stadium was sold out, largely because this would be Carson Palmer’s first game since his knee injury in the playoffs last year.

Palmer’s performance was outstanding. He threw for 140 yards and three touchdowns in just two quarters of play. He scrambled, he took hard hits, he did everything a pro quarterback has to do. It would have been an impressive performance on its own, but when you consider that this was his first game back after major reconstructive knee surgery, it was borderline unbelievable. It really was an amazing comeback.

I keep getting reminded about comebacks. They make for exciting baseball and football games. They make you sit up and say, “Wow, did you see that?” They’re reminders of how important it is that we persevere through the tough times.

I was reading through the book of 1 Peter this morning. Peter writes, “For a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These 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.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Carson Palmer received all kinds of accolades and applause last night because of his determination and perseverance. If we persevere in our faith through hard times, we’ve got something much better than the applause of people in store for us. We will have “praise, glory, and honor” lavished on us by God! How amazing is it that God will be praising us? That’s a great motivator to hang in there.

August 24 is a special day. Today is the birthday of the potato chip. It is believed that the original potato chip recipe was created by Native American chef George Crum at the Moon Lake Lodge in Saratoga Springs, NY, on August 24, 1853. Crum became fed up with a customer who continued to send his fried potatoes back claiming they were too thick and soggy. So the chef decided to slice the potatoes so thin that they couldn’t be eaten with a fork. The customer was delighted, and these “Saratoga Chips” became a regular item on the lodge’s menu.

Yep, today is a special day because it’s the day that the potato chip was born. Oh yeah…it’s also the day I was born. I came into this world on August 24, 1977. However, I would much rather celebrate the potato chip’s birthday instead of my own. It’s ironic that I share the same birthday as the potato chip, because I definitely have a “chip on my shoulder” about my birthday. I realize that I’m not old, but there’s no denying the fact that I’m older.

My family has become quite annoyed with my lack of enthusiasm about my birthday. Everybody wants to celebrate except me. I admit that I am quite the “stick in the mud” when it comes to my birthday. I guess in my mind, it’s just a reminder that my life is passing by at warp speed. Sometimes I allow myself to get so busy that life passes by without my noticing…until something like a birthday comes around. A day like this makes me notice how much I haven’t stopped to notice. I do think that I’m making strides in this area, but I’m definitely not there yet.

Maybe this will be the year when I always remember to slow down enough to see and appreciate everything that God is doing in my life. That sounds like a pretty good goal. Now, please pass the chips.

Nicki and I recently went to a Reds game with our friends Dave and Shara. Dave’s company has four season tickets and Dave and Shara were kind enough to invite us to tag along. The weather was perfect, the seats were stellar, and my soft pretzel was just the way I like it. This was going to be a great evening.

Then the game started. The Reds were as flat as I’ve seen them this year. Twice they loaded the bases with less than 2 outs and were unable to push one runner across homeplate. The Astros’ 3-0 lead began to look insurmountable. Then came the eighth inning. With two runners aboard, Rich Aurilia came to the plate and smoked the first pitch he saw over the centerfield wall. The game was tied and the stadium, which had been very quiet for most of the game, erupted with cheers. The Reds proceeded to tack on one more run to win the game 4-3.

It was so much fun to watch my team come off the mat and win the game. There is something special about comebacks. It shows a lot of character and heart to keep giving your best effort when it seems like everything is stacked against you.

There are times in life when it seems like you’re swimming upstream; times when you don’t think you’re making any progress at all. In those moments, it’s easy to quit trying. As recently as today, I said the words, “I give up” when my wife and I were discussing a particular situation we’re dealing with. It’s a frustrating situation where I’d rather just quit. I don’t understand what God is doing in this particular area of our lives, and quite frankly, I’m losing my patience with him. Instead of waiting on his timing, I’d much rather “give up.”

But then I remember the ballgame we attended. Good things happen when, instead of throwing in the towel, you keep on trying. When the best we can do is just grind through another day, we just keep on grinding. It’s important to remember that, while we can’t see the end result, God can. And there’s an old song that reminds us: “I know who holds tomorrow…and I know who holds my hand.”

That’s good incentive to keep going.

I’ve been working on making a bonfire/picnic area in the woods behind my house. It’s required much mowing of weeds, clearing of brush, and cutting of roots. I especially dislike that last one. While I love the gigantic trees in this little area I’m working on, I don’t like their roots that come up to the surface of the ground. They’re a tripping hazard and you really don’t want tripping hazards around a bonfire. So I grabbed an axe, a grubbing hoe (that’s an actual name of an actual tool), and a shovel and I went to work on these roots.

Funny thing about roots…they’re rooted in the ground. And because they’re rooted in the ground, it’s not easy to pull them out of the ground. It’s this root system that has allowed these trees to grow so large. It’s their roots that have enabled them to withstand the worst storms that nature could dish out.

In clearing out my bonfire area, I also took down some small, dead trees. It took no work at all to uproot these trees because their roots had shriveled up. If I hadn’t taken them down, the next storm probably would have.

In our spiritual lives, it’s up to us to feed and cultivate our roots. If we’re not spending significant time in God’s Word, if we blow off meeting with God’s family because we have something better to do, if our walk with Jesus is more of a religion than a relationship…we’d better beware. This verse could easily describe our lives. “His roots dry up below and his branches wither above.” (Job 18:16)

On the flip side, if we cultivate our roots in the way and will of God, nothing is going to move us. “…blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

I’ve dealt with both kinds of roots at my house this week. Living roots that stubbornly hold to the ground and dead roots that can be pulled up by hand. Which one more accurately describes our lives?

Our annual church picnic was yesterday. By all accounts, everyone had a grand time. There is something special that happens when God’s family gets together. It doesn’t have to be for a worship service. In the New Testament, we see that the early church simply enjoyed being together. Sadly we’ve lost much of that community in today’s church atmosphere. When we get together, it’s usually because it’s Sunday and it’s time for our worship service. But when God’s family gets together just for the sake of being together, something special happens.

Actually, I want to go even a step further than that. When God’s family is together, something spiritual happens. It is a spiritual thing to get together and play softball or football or volleyball. It is a spiritual thing to sit around talking and swapping stories with each other. It is a spiritual thing when we decide that, although we have other stuff to do and other places to go, it is important for us to be together with our church family. The reason it is a spiritual thing is because it is following the biblical pattern of fellowship in the life of the church.

The problem is that we’ve bought into our culture’s idea of spirituality. Picnics don’t feel spiritual. But true spirituality isn’t based on feelings. Emotions are certainly a part of our spiritual lives, but they are not the basis or foundation of our spiritual lives. There are things that are truly spiritual that don’t evoke a deep emotional response. God created us with emotions and with intellect. We’re called to love and serve God in a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional way. It is spiritual when we give God ourselves in total, not withholding anything.

That’s what Jesus had in mind when he called us to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) That’s a call to love God with everything we have. Emotions, intellect, actions, and beyond.

Just because something doesn’t feel spiritual doesn’t mean it isn’t. And that includes picnics.

This week has been a rough one around the office…and I’m not surprised. We had an amazing weekend as I’ve noted in earlier postings. Our youth minister, Brian, told me we had five new students at Quest (our Jr./Sr. High ministry) on Wednesday. There are some incredible things happening in our church. Lives are being touched. The gospel is being shared. And Satan doesn’t like it…not even a little bit. Hence, the aforementioned rotten week.

I’m not discouraged, though. I remember the old saying: “You only get tackled when you’re carrying the ball.” How true. So Satan’s attacks will come, but I’ll hold onto God’s promise. “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) How true. Indeed, how true.

I’m still reflecting on APEX last Saturday. (Check out my previous blog entry for a full description of what went on there.) I’m still trying to figure out exactly what happened. I know what happened physically. We washed one another’s feet. But what happened spiritually? What was it that broke so many people?

I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand what happened in that room, but as I continue to reflect on that night, some things have come into more clear focus. I shared a long conversation with my friend Jim. He said that one thing that struck him about the evening was the authenticity. That’s it! He nailed it! It was authentic. It was people being selfless, authentic, and real. People broke down because they were real with each other…and even more so because they were real with God. It was the authenticity of the night that made it powerful.

But it’s also a scary thing to be authentic with God. Mike Yaconelli wrote, “The tragedy of modern faith is that we no longer are capable of being terrified. We aren’t afraid of God, we aren’t afraid of Jesus, we aren’t afraid of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we have ended up with a need-centered gospel that attracts thousands…but transforms no one.”

What I saw at APEX was the church being real with one another and with God…and it was uncomfortable. It was disconcerting. It was scary. But that is why APEX has already been an amazing ride…because it’s scary real. I had a person tell me that they almost didn’t come to this APEX because they couldn’t handle the “emotional bodyslam” again. This person is very thankful that they came anyway. But sometimes that’s what it’s like when you really, truly come into contact with God. We’ve gotten so good at just waltzing into God’s presence and saying, “Hey God. What’s up?” Then we slap a high-five with Jesus and go on our merry way. Let’s not forget that this is GOD that we’re talking about. When we honestly and authentically come into his presence, we’d better come with honor and reverence and, yeah, even fear.

“Our world is tired of people whose God is tame. It is longing to see people whose God is big and holy and frightening and gentle and tender…and ours; a God whose love frightens us into His strong and powerful arms where He longs to whisper those terrifying words, “I love you.” (Mike Yaconelli, The Safety of Fear)

Authentic faith means being authentic with God…even if that authenticity scares us to death.

Did you ever have an experience where the line between the physical world and the spiritual world became blurred? It’s something that can only be described as a “God moment.” Our church had just such an experience this past weekend.

We have started an incredible new ministry called APEX. On the first Saturday of each month, we get together for a time of worship that is very, very different. The music is infectious. The energy is high. The atmosphere is intimate and personal. This ministry allows us unlimited freedom in how we bring our worship to God. This past Saturday, we took advantage of that freedom in a huge way. After a powerful set of worship songs, I talked for about 5 minutes. I introduced the idea of “Jesus: The Servant” based on the time when Jesus washed his disciples feet (John 13:1-17). We had placed water basins all around the room, so after I finished introducing the idea, I turned our people lose to wash one another’s feet.

I had enormous doubts in my mind. “What if nobody participates?” “What if everyone just thinks this is too weird?” “What if this absolutely bombs?” I have to admit that I didn’t even have a mustard seed sized faith about this. And God…well, let’s just say he moved me out of his way. I had hoped the foot washing would last for 15 minutes. In my mind, that was the best case scenario. It lasted almost an hour and a half! I saw hearts totally broken by this selfless act of service and worship. I saw strained relationships begin to mend. Most of all, I saw the Spirit of God moving in the lives of everyone who was there. Like I said…it was one of those times when the line between the physical world and the spiritual world became really blurry.

My family is all joining together for a huge yard sale in Georgetown this weekend. Nicki and I are contributing to the cause by offering a bunch of stuff that we don’t need. It’s incredible how much stuff we have that falls into that category.

The whole idea of a yard sale is intriguing. People searching through someone else’s unwanted possessions; and in many cases, purchasing these unwanted items. The buyer knows that the seller has no use for these items. Otherwise, why would they be selling them in the first place? So to sum up the whole yard sale phenomenon: someone pays good money to buy what someone else considers to be useless junk.

There’s a spiritual parallel here…but I’ll let you connect the dots yourself.

Oh, and you can feel free to stop by our yard sale and buy any of our junk, er, um, stuff. Just mention my blog and you’ll receive a 10% discount and valet parking. :)