Could Unity be a Spiritual Gift?

By Rick Blumenberg / @RickBlumenberg

The small congregation where I have served as pastor for the past year is facing some changes in the next few weeks and months. They are combining with another neighboring congregation and together, under the leadership of Pastor Herb Smith with his daughter Rachel Green as worship leader, they are beginning an entirely new congregation of the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) in a building that has been around for more than a hundred years.

I’m using this experience to introduces thoughts about the uniqueness of church groups, associations, denominations, etc., as a part of the greater fellowship of Christ. Several years ago I worked for a Christian Music radio station in advertising sales. I met Christian business men and women in a wide variety of churches and we worked with a wide variety of church groups through the station.

During this time I became convinced God also gives spiritual gifts to different church groups. The various Mennonite and Amish groups clearly have the gift of service and they have taught the greater church so much from their giftedness.

The Pentecostals and some high church groups have taught us much about worship from widely divergent worship styles, and the greater church has benefited from them both.

The Baptists, particularly Southern Baptists, but really most of them, simply by exercising their evangelistic gifts, have made us all better evangelists. There are many other examples, but I think you get the point. I thank God for spiritual gifts, both individual and corporate.

Perhaps our (Church of God, Anderson, Indiana) fellowship has a spiritual gift in regards to our ability to work with both the liberal and conservative wings of the church. One place where I was pastor I belonged to two different pastoral fellowship groups—one very conservative and one quite liberal. I had great fellowship and worked cooperatively with ministers, ministries and organizations from both groups, but I was the only pastor in the community who was normally present for both.

This may be stretching it a bit, and I’m not sure what spiritual gift that would be, but I do think our concept of the unity of all believers has developed into a ministry in which many Church of God pastors are involved.

So could Unity be a spiritual gift? I really don’t know, but I thank God for that ministry and for all of you who are involved.

I’m Rick Blumenberg and that’s My View from Tanner Creek.

     

Focus 40—a time of prayer and fasting

Congregations across the Church of God will spend forty days of prayer leading up to Easter. Will you join us for those forty days, as we pray for various concerns such as the vitality of our movement, and for our Church of God congregations, missionaries and pastors all over the world? If you do not attend a Church of God congregation, pray for your congregation and denomination. As we do so, we join with Christians around the world who fast and pray during the Lenten season.

It is my custom in my prayer time, to pray for all the saints, as directed by God through the apostle Paul in Ephesians (6:18) (“always keep on praying for all the saints.”) I urge you to also pray for the entire family of God, which includes all the saints of God in and out of every communion throughout the world. Pray we will love each other and will each love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Pray we will be witnesses for our Lord Jesus Christ in all our thoughts, words and behavior, and finally pray we will all be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, living our lives in the awesome power of the Spirit rather then limiting ourselves to our own inadequate human power.

But the primary purpose of this year’s Focus 40 is to pray for those who do not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. So pray for people you know who do not have a personal relationship with Christ, to experience his salvation for themselves. The goal is for 25,000 people to be saved in Church of God congregations around the world. In whatever church group you worship, I encourage you to pray for similar results

As we do this, I also urge you to also pray for all people on earth who do not know Christ—about 4,666,666,667 (4.6 billion) persons! If you are like me, you can’t even conceive of that many people, much less comprehend how to pray for them. The immensity of those numbers is overwhelming to us but they are not overwhelming to God. When we pray for them all to be saved, they are to us, an incomprehensible mass of humanity, but to God they are individuals whom he loves with a passion, and persons he knows by name. This ministry of prayer is a tool God gave to humanity so we can work together with him to accomplish his marvelous Will—especially the salvation of all humanity.

At this Christmas time let us not forget the reason for Christ’s coming—to proclaim God’s love for all mankind—to bring “peace on earth, good will toward men”. In other words Christ came not only for your salvation and mine, but so the entire world might personally experience the love and peace of God.

As we do so, we strengthen God’s Kingdom locally and world-wide. We draw near to God, individually, congregationally, and altogether as a movement, and we join together in this wonderful work of prayer with all the marvelous family of God throughout the earth.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . . and that's My View from Tanner Creek.

Yeast in the Bread of Society

My parents grew up as a part of the Church of God reformation movement, also known as the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana, which identifies us according to where our national offices are located, and as opposed to other groups that use the name Church of God, with denominational offices in Ohio or Tennessee and elsewhere. When Mom married Dad, a divorced man, they apparently felt they didn't fit any more and in the early years of my life our family didn’t go to church on a regular basis.

My first church memory and experience came at a Baptist Church in the Southern California town of Ontario. At that time it was a small, sleepy town rather than the bustling metropolis it has become. There, a neighbor took me to church and I was saved as a kindergartner at an altar of prayer. Although it was genuine, and had a permanent effect on my life, when we moved back to Southeast Missouri and the family didn't attend church, I didn't either, except occasionally. Dad started attending the Dogwood Methodist Church, near our Bertrand, Missouri home and my siblings and I attended with him. He even taught a Sunday School class for young boys. He wasn't really a born again Christian yet, but everyone assumed he was, because he was such a good man.

Later, my parents got serious about church attendance when we moved to Pinhook, a rural community near Pulltight, in Mississippi County, Missouri. We then began to attend church regularly at the little Pulltight Church of God where Mom and Dad had attended as young people when their families lived on nearby farms in the community. Before long, my Dad was saved at a revival service when my mom's brother Linvel Arington was the evangelist. My Mom also renewed her relationship with the Lord and they were both baptized in one of the local ditches at an outdoor service.

I gave my heart permanently to the Lord at the age of fifteen in a revival service at Mounds Church of God, where my cousin, Alan Hendrix was pastor. Our Uncle, Linvel Arington, brother to both our mothers, was the evangelist. All these events changed our lives in marvelous ways. I thank God that His Spirit continues to work in our lives even when we think we've turned our backs on him. My parents got away from the church for a while, but they could never get totally away from the influence of godly parents and church family and friends. When the time was right, God's Spirit, in His always perfect timing, drew them back to the Lord Jesus Christ and to his salvation. Their lives were blessed and they blessed the lives of countless others.

You can see from the family involved in our conversions, that our family was a religious one. Preachers are so common that family gatherings are one place where preachers, although respected, are just treated like one of the family—because they are. Our families can be our greatest spiritual heritage. If, as you read this, you are a new Christian who didn’t grow up in a Christian home, don’t despair. Just realize that something special has begun in you that will transform for good the lives of your descendants, neighbors, friends and family. You will be the yeast in the bread of society and because of what God has done in you, the whole loaf of society around you will rise and be better because of what God has done in your life.

If you aren’t yet a Christian, didn’t grow up in a Christian home and feel totally left out of the word picture I have drawn, you need to realize that you too, have a godly heritage. God, our heavenly Father, who is Creator of the heavens and the earth, is also your heavenly Father. He loves you and even though you are now a prodigal, he wants you to come home to him and to the rest of the family. When you accept Christ as Savior and Lord, you also accept his family, which includes people of every nation and tribe, denomination, race, and society. With all its flaws and failures, yes, but also with all its glory and good. And, you can be the beginning of a heritage of godliness that will last for generations to come and be a blessing both here and in eternity.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .and that's My View from Tanner Creek.

Confessions of a Christmas Lover

Guest Essay by Kathy Gray

I confess. I love Christmas—all of Christmas. I love decorating trees and fireplaces; I love twinkly lights and baking Christmas cookies. I love silly Christmas movies with silly stories. And yes, I love gifts. I LOVE gifts—unapologetically.

I love finding the perfect gifts and the excitement of giving them. I love the thrill of a gift-heaped tree and the anticipation of all the surprises. I love opening presents all morning and enjoying them all afternoon. And...

I think God enjoys it too. I think he's a Father in heaven that finds pleasure in joyful, excited kids, just like we do. And I believe we glorify him more in our overflowing joy, than our dour admonitions to "have the right focus."

What exactly is "the right focus" anyway? I'm curious. If someone went to a remote part of the world today and discovered a pagan holiday, imbibed it with religious significance, then declared that March 14th was the day we were all to observe this—would we be obligated? Would God expect us to focus extra hard on that specific truth because some Christian somewhere decided this was a good idea? God gave numerous celebrations in Scripture, loaded with spiritual significance, which we routinely ignore. But the revised pagan celebration from ancient England, which is nowhere to be found in the Bible—we endlessly admonish ourselves for neglecting. How ironic.

I love thinking about the incarnation. It is an awesome and stunning reality that deserves to be renewed regularly in our hearts. But I feel no more obligation to do so in December than I do in July. There is nothing Biblically binding about our Christmas celebration beyond the principles that apply to every day of our lives such as goodness, faithfulness, generosity, gratitude, contentment, peace, joy, patience, and kindness.

I'm not sure what it says about us when the pagans exhibit more joy in their holiday celebrations than we do. I think we should be the merriest people on earth, exhibiting such contagious joy that everyone around us is asking why we enjoy life so much. If I were an unbeliever, I would certainly NOT want to be a Christian during Christmas...with the incessant guilt-laden admonitions, dour expressions, and weary sighs. Nothing about this is attractive.

So no, I don't feel guilty in the least during the holiday season for not focusing enough on Jesus' birth. I feel the same freedom I feel every day of the week to focus on Christ in a whole array of ways. And yes, I love Christmas. I choose to focus on Christ by observing that he gave the most amazing gift to those he loved when he came to earth. Consequently, I want to have a generous heart towards those I love as well. I want to reflect his goodness by rejoicing in the fact that every good and perfect gift is from the Father above, and he gives these good gifts for our enjoyment. I want to honor him with exceeding joy and gratitude in the midst of all these good gifts. And if any unbelievers are watching, I want my joy and celebration to be irresistible.

Meet Kathy Gray. . .

Kathy Gray is our daughter, a home-school mom, a teacher par excellance, and, as you can see, an excellent writer—and a lover of Christmas. She, and our daughter Twyla, get their writing ability from me (and my mother) and their love of Christmas from their mother, my wife, Carol. (I actually enjoy it almost as much, but only because of how well Carol and the girls pull it off. They all three love to give gifts that fit and bring happiness to the people they love, and like Kathy, I think that’s a virtue to praise God for, not a behavior to be ashamed of.

Thanks Kathy, for a beautiful essay and a wonderful statement of faith. I love you!

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .and that's My View from Tanner Creek.

The Slaughter of the Innocents

President Obama didn’t waste any time overturning President Bush’s limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. In my opinion it was a very sad day in our nation’s history. He who talked so much about bringing people together not only “dissed” millions of people who sincerely believe such research is wrong because it destroys people, he also endorsed as "good" science something that has not proven to be good science. Embryonic stem cell research has not been nearly as effective as adult stem research, which does not have any bad ethical implications. Why then, do people continue to insist on something as being “good science” when the preponderance of scientific evidence supports something else entirely? It may be politically correct, but it is definitely not good science.

There is a God and he is fully involved in the human experience. When we do what is right he helps us to accomplish it. When we do what is wrong he not only doesn’t help, he may even hinder our efforts. Do you think maybe he is trying to tell us something about embryonic stem cell research? Could it be when he created us he built into our DNA the possibilities of adult stem cells being used in such powerful ways and now that human understanding has developed to the point we can use such research effectively he is ready to open up to us great new areas of scientific knowledge in the area of human health?

On the other hand, because he who even sees the sparrow fall, agonizes over the death of even an infinitely small and unborn human being, perhaps even before creation he looked into the future and saw that “the heart is deceitful and exceedingly wicked” perhaps therefore, he created us so that it would be impossible for us to effectively used embryonic stem cells that require the destruction of his beloved children? Perhaps it will never be successful and therefore we will spend billions on worthless, pseudo science that is totally out of touch with reality.

President Obama also over-turned President Bush’s executive order that ended taxpayer support of abortions in the world outside our nation. I pray for President Obama and I hope you do as well. One of the things I pray for is that God will impress on him the fact that he has been elected to be president of all the people, even those who are not yet born. And, I pray God will help him make godly decision that will bless our nation.

Our home and congregation are just a few miles from the famed Catholic University of Notre Dame. The president and leaders of the university have asked President Obama to be a speaker at this year’s Spring graduation exercises. They also plan to give him an honorary degree. However, many students, faculty and staff of the university, as well as laity, cardinals and priests throughout the church are speaking up with the conviction that his strong pro-abortion stance is totally out of sync with the theology and ethics of the Catholic Church. (Notice I said “pro-abortion”, not “pro-choice”—the babies have no choice at all.)

You’ve probably heard about this on the news, although we probably hear more because we’re so close. Please pray for the university to make the right decision and reject the concept of ignoring sin just because it is politically correct.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's My View from Tanner Creek.

Welcome to "My View from Tanner Creek"

Hello to citizens of cyberspace! Let me introduce myself. I live on Lake Street in Bridgman with my wife Carol and we are transplants to our delightful community. We’ve lived here almost thirteen years now and really do feel at home nestled into the sand dunes here on the banks of Tanner Creek. We see Lake Street as Bridgman’s Yellow Brick Road to the local land of Oz, better known as Weko Beach and Warren Dunes State Park. We can take a hike anytime we feel like it, take a swim anytime it’s warm enough and all it costs is to keep up the various payments life brings and remember the taxes we so joyfully pay. (OK, I admit that last part is a bit of an exaggeration.)

This began when I was privileged to write a column for the Bridgman-Baroda Beat (a monthly newspaper) based on my view of life from Tanner Creek. Previous to that, for three and one half years I edited and published a 16 page tabloid sized monthly newspaper called Church of God News. I don’t miss the grind of putting out a monthly newspaper, but I do miss the opportunity to express my opinion on current events and other things I find interesting. I most enjoyed writing the editorials. Let’s face it. I am rather opinionated and there is a limit to how much my wife, children and grandchildren will listen to what I think, so after a bit of begging and pleading, our local Editor / Publisher agreed to let me write a column. My monthly column appeared for about three years until the paper ceased publication. So now, I’m writing a blog.

Sometimes I’ll write about what happens in our home if I can get it past my wife. It will most often be about life in the Bridgman-Baroda area or other parts of Southwest Michigan and many times it will be just what it says at the top— My View from Tanner Creek. I’ll write about current and world events as I see them and I’ll try to convince you to agree with me, but I’ll enjoy your comments just as much even if you don’t as long as your comments are written in good taste.

I may occasionally write about religious issues since I am a minister and presently serve as an Associate Pastor of Life Groups, Missions and Prayer Ministries at First Church of God in St. Joseph, Michigan.

I call this column “My View” so I can write it the way I see it. I usually have an opinion about everything whether I know very much about it or not. Sometimes because you agree you will think I’m a great communicator. When you disagree you’ll think I’m just another hack writer. I hope you continue to read as you have time and inclination. I’ll try not to be narrow-minded or intolerant. I’ll always try to see both sides of every issue but sometimes I may give both sides without telling you how I see it.

The “from Tanner Creek” means it will be a view from the heartland. I’m conservative in my views, although my fellow Missourian Rush Limbaugh would probably consider me a flaming liberal. My view is molded by a Midwestern up-bringing, Southwest Michigan living, and conservative Christian theology. I lean toward Republican party, but I’m a staunch independent. I often vote for Democrats and occasionally for third party candidates who have no chance of winning— if I think they say something that needs to be heard. My vote is to thank them for saying it.

I’ll try to keep My View From Tanner Creek very positive. I won’t often complain and will emphasize positive values that give life meaning, as well as recognize wonderful people that make life worth living.

I hope you’ll read “My View from Tanner Creek” and if you like it, share it with friends and family. I also hope you will write your thoughts and comments.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's my view from Tanner Creek.