West Cobb Church / Ken Williams Blog

I’m sitting here at church, watching third, fourth, and fifth graders practice drama for a Kids Express program in a few weeks. Karen Howell is directing this group of six children and they’re having a blast!

Karen is an experienced, caring actress and director. She works in professional theater and I’m always amazed at her work. Right now, one of the children is giving Karen suggestions. It’s hilarious! The child means well and fully believes she’s right.  And Karen is so patient with this girl, as well as the other children. She listens, nods, and gently tells them to follow her lead.

When I watch Karen, I see God. He’s just like that. Patient, loving, and guiding us… even when we’re sure we’re right.

God is amazing! Karen Howell is too…

- Posted from My iPhone

If you live in West Cobb, then you probably heard about the death of Rajaan Bennett.  Rajaan was a smart, caring, and gifted student athlete, a senior at McEachern High School.  With a Vandy football scholarship in hand, Rajaan was about to leave difficult circumstances behind and enjoy a bright future for years to come.  All that ended on February 18th when the boyfriend of Rajaan’s mother killed him.

An entire community grieved for Rajaan and the tragic ending to his life.  My heart still aches for his mother.  And when situations like his arise, I think… ‘Why does God allow this stuff?’  But then I remember that “God’s ways are not my ways” (Isaiah 55:8).  In fact, when we try to look at life from God’s perspective, we usually see a very different picture.  For example,  Rajaan became a follower of Jesus through the ministry of an FCA missionary.  (btw… WCC helped sponsor this missionary.)  And even though we grieve when someone dies, for believers death is the beginning, not the end.  Isaiah 57 actually calls death a reward from God, as God spares us from more evil.

Now jump for a moment to today’s story about Gideon – another time when I don’t understand God’s ways.  You tell me.  Do God’s army recruiting techniques make sense to you, turning away able-bodied recruits???  What’s God thinking?

But let’s face it.  God’s like that.  He sees life so differently than me and you.  Our earthly goals and daily worries keep us from understanding why God works the way He does, especially in tragedy.   God can do more with less???  Death is the beginning???  God brings good out of the most awful situations??? Come on… do we really buy that stuff?

My heart aches for Rajaan’s family and friends, as they deal with a tragedy that makes no earthly sense.  But I want to be more like Gideon, trusting God especially when life doesn’t make sense.  Here’s what I’m learning…  God’s ways are not only different than my ways; they’re better.  And when I join Rajaan in heaven, I’ll understand why.

What’s God saying to you through this passage?

“But Why???” I constantly asked that question growing up. I wanted to understand every request from my parents, and if their answer didn’t make sense to me, I kept asking them “Why?” until I understood their request… or they gave up.

Now, fast forward to when I’m 15 years old and learning to drive. One afternoon, I started to pull out into traffic and my mother told me, “Stop, Ken. Don’t go!” But instead of listening, I asked “Why?” and lunged the car forward. Needless to say, my mother was right. We were almost blindsided by a truck. Of course, when we made it through the intersection, I told my mother, “Chill out, mom! Anyway, it’s that guy’s fault, not mine. He was driving too fast.” That’s when my mother told me – using very animated expressions – that I’d better start listening to her and stop blaming others for my mistakes. Truth is… my arrogance almost got us killed.

In Judges 6, there’s two times that people ask God “Why?” In verse 7, the Israelites ask “Why the hardship?” God answers them, “You’re not worshiping Me. You’re worshiping the gods of the Amorites.” And even though the Israelites ask the question, evidently they didn’t like God’s answer because they didn’t change anything. They just lunge into traffic and say, “Chill out, God! There’s nothing I need to change. It must be someone else’s fault.”

We also see another “Why?” in verse 13. Facing the same circumstances, Gideon asks, “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” Evidently, Gideon is following close to God and he’s frustrated that he has to endure the same tough times as those rebelling against God. But do you notice God’s answer to Gideon? He says, “Gideon, you are the answer to this problem. I’m sending you to make this world a better place.” (vs. 15, my paraphrase). Interesting… Same problems. Same questions. Different answers.

Right now, our world is experiencing tough consequences from our rebellion against God. And many of us are asking, “Why???” Well, here’s God’s answer: For those of us who are running from God, He says, “I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of (this world).” But to those of us who are following God, He answers, “Go. I am sending you to change this place.”

Same problems. Same questions. Different answers. Which answer is for you?

btw…God’s answers aren’t as animated as my mom’s, but they’re every bit as right.

Growing up, we spent most Sunday afternoons at my grandparents house in Bushnell, Florida.  After church in Leesburg, we’d drive twenty-five minutes and enjoy some of the best southern cooking around.  The food was amazing and it always hit the spot, largely because it was a smorgasbord of our favorite dishes.  It was heaven!  Fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes, homemade biscuits and my all-time favorite dessert… pecan pie.

The only problem with Sunday lunch was the drive.  It was way too long!  Okay… it was only twenty-five minutes, but to an eight year old that’s a very loooong time in the back seat of a car.  And other than cows, there wasn’t much scenery along the way.  But the trip was worth it because the smell of fried chicken filled the air.

Abraham had a VERY long trip in Genesis 22.  The only thing that kept him going was hope.  Sometimes we call it ‘faith.’  But faith is ‘realistic hope,’ facing the reality of bleak circumstances, but holding out hope that God will provide a ram.

Right now, the journey is especially long for some of you.  You may even feel like God is testing you beyond what you can handle, but trust Him.  The destination has a way of making the long, tiring trip worth it.  While the food at my grandmother’s house was amazing, the love there was even more incredible.  Her mashed potatoes were legendary, but her hugs were life-giving.

Anyone have a similar place in your childhood like my grandmother’s?  What’s God teaching you?

This story in Genesis 16 is one of the craziest stories in the Bible.  Sarah tells Abraham to sleep with her servant, Hagar, because Sarah feels guilty about being childless.  Abraham obliges Sarah.  Sarah then blames Abraham for following her advice.

I’ve always thought it would be easier if people lived by the motto, “Say What You Mean; Mean What You Say.”  It’s just not that simple, though.  Relationships are complicated and Abraham learned an important lesson that day: People often say one thing, but mean another.  When Sarah said what she did, she wanted to be consoled by her husband.  She needed to hear that he trusted God and didn’t need another ‘partner’ to bear a child.  Abraham missed the boat all together.

I miss the boat, too, when it comes to people.  But I’m learning to trust a VERY IMPORTANT communication tool when understanding people… their body language.  Only 7% of our communication is through words.  That’s why, “Say What You Mean; Mean What You Say” only works if you take in the other 93% of communication – body language and vocal tone.  It’s amazing how our body language (almost) never lies.  So as I become a student of people’s body language, God gives me insights into what people are really thinking.  It’s important that I hear and see ALL their communication, not just their words.

We really do ‘Say What We Mean; Mean What We Say.’  We just communicate with more than words.  If Abraham had watched Sarah’s body language on this one day, thousands of years ago, his life – and ours – would have been much, much easier.  (More about that on Sunday.)

What’s God saying to you through these verses?  Have you ever took someone’s words literally, only to discover that’s not what they meant?

I organize life through my Inbox.  It’s my To-Do list.  An email stays in the Inbox until I complete the request, then I file it or delete it.  My goal by the end of the week is to have a clean Inbox.  So, I sleep well when my Inbox is empty.

I have a friend in Florida, Carey Roesel.  He does things differently.  He leaves all non-spam emails in his Inbox, so he can “have easy access to them.”  For Carey, his Inbox is a snapshot of his life… past, present, and future.  Right now Carey has over 21,000 emails in his Inbox.  21,000.  Can you believe it???  He would have over 40,000 emails, but his computer crashed a couple of years ago and he lost about 19,000.

When I first heard about Carey’s Inbox, it freaked me out!  I developed a twitch right there on the spot.  It overwhelmed me and I began to shut down, but somehow… it doesn’t bother Carey.  He’s brilliant.  Mensa brilliant.  He remembers every email in his box and has a (not so simple) system for finding them.  (He explained his system to me once, but I couldn’t understand it, either.)

This brings me to my issue with God.  God rarely does things the way I would do them.  I read passages like Genesis 12 and I wonder why God would choose Abraham to father ‘His people’.  No offense to Abraham and his descendants, but he had significant issues.  Why didn’t God consider Noah?  He was still alive then.  Wouldn’t he be a better candidate???

God’s ways are amazing, frustrating, and confusing… all at the same time.  But when I start looking at all the issues that He has to deal with, they quickly overwhelm me and keep me up at night.  So, I find great comfort that God’s managing the world’s Inbox, not me.  I figure… if Carey’s Inbox gives me a twitch, imagine what I’d get if I saw God’s…

Anyone want to share a time when God’s ‘ways’ didn’t make sense to you?

The rooted blog has been moved to a different location: http://www.westcobbchurch.com/rooted

You’ll still find future blogs from me here. If you want a daily Bible reading plan that mirrors our sermon series, click on the “Daily Bible Reading” page on the toolbar above.

If you have any questions, email me: ken.w@westcobbchurch.com

- Ken

Thankful; Gratitude in Your Hearts. Those are the words that jumped out at me today. I talk about Defiant Gratitude all the time; but today, I don’t need defiance to be grateful.

Today is our last Rooted reading and I’m grateful for all that’s happened during this study. You’ve taken this study seriously. Thank you! You’ve had fun with it. Thank you! Our Connection Group Leaders have worked hard at facilitating their lessons and leading by example. Thank you! Several of you have memorized scripture. Thank you! Chris Sanders has led a team of prayer warriors. Thank you! Our Pipeline & Kids Rock leaders have given us engaging family devotions. Thank you! Our Creative Arts team has engaged our hearts, eyes, and ears. Thank you! The staff did an awesome job planning and implementing Rooted (this is all homegrown – even the graphics). Thank you! The bloggers have hung in there, allowing God to use them in ways they don’t even know. Thank you! Our West Cobb Wednesday teams are amazing. Thank you! Our men’s and women’s groups are seeing exciting life change. Thank you! You took time out of your busy schedules to complete the Rooted survey (hint, hint, hint). Thank you! You have embraced this study more than I could hope. Thank you!

As a pastor, it’s exciting to have a church that’s serious about Growing with God. Several of you have mentioned that we should continue with the format. So, we’re going to try your suggestion – on a smaller scale. Here’s what we’ll do…

• I’m going to blog at least once a week, maybe more. The first blog will post by Monday morning. In that blog, I’ll give you the topic for next Sunday’s sermon and five passages that you can read throughout the week.

• I’ll give a verse of scripture from the week’s reading that you can memorize.

• I’ll also write lessons for our ABS Groups that will mirror the Sunday sermon. We’ll continue this format through the next series. Then I’ll take May – July off, allowing the groups to explore their own topics.

If you’re going to follow the blog, I HIGHLY recommend that you ’subscribe’ to it. If you don’t know what it means to subscribe, we’ll have an explanation on the HELP Page by Monday.

In the meantime, you’ll find the Rooted survey by clicking HERE.

In Today’s Comments, I’d like for you to share how God has shaped you through Rooted…

THANK YOU!

I love Colossians, chapter 2. It’s helped me survive ministry, especially verses 18 and 23. Here’s what those verses say in The Message:

Don’t tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with (spiritual things) and seek out visions like they do. They’re a lot of hot air, that’s all they are. They’re completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ… They sound impressive (especially when they talk) in a deep voice. They even give the illusion of being pious, humble and (spiritual). But it’s just another way of showing off, making (themselves) look important.

Some people sound so spiritual. They’re even respected by many in their church, but they’re really ”a lot of hot air.”I prefer people who are honest with themselves and God. Take Trey Fraser, for example:

Last night, Trey (age eight) found me at church and told me that he was raising money for the American Heart Association. He had his pledge form in hand and wanted me to contribute. Trey said, ”I want to be truthful with you. I am raising money for people who have heart problems, but I really want to raise alot of money so I can win the big prizes.”

I love someone who’s honest like that! After hearing Trey’s pitch, I gave him an extra dollar…

How do you feel when you talk to someone who’s a bunch of hot air? What’s God teaching you through Colossians 2?

P.S. We don’t have anyone in our church (that I know of) who’s full of hot air. I think it’s because we like to pop their balloons.

There’s someone in our church that I’ve been missing lately.  We’ll call her Jan.  I emailed Jan and asked how she was doing.  She’s struggling.  Depression, loneliness, and feelings of abandonment by God.  Now, Jan’s a remarkable lady.  Everyone who knows her loves her.  I’m telling you, she’s really amazing, but she’s had a tough life… really tough.  And she wants so desperately to feel loved by God, but right now she feels nothing.

Since I’m an exceptionally wise and intelligent pastor, I offered Jan a few thoughts – some might call them suggestions – on her difficulties.  Her response?  “I just can’t buy them right now.” The platitudes that usually sound so good (never doubt in the dark what God taught you in the light; just hang in there; or perseverance produces character) just don’t work in Jan’s case.  She has already ‘hung in there’ longer than I ever would.  She has endured more heartache in any ten year period of her life than I want to experience in my entire life.

So what do I do???   That’s where Philippians helped me.  “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.” I’m not sure what acts of kindness Paul is referring to in that verse, but I do get the sense that the church at Philippi cared for Paul – and showed it.  And that’s all I can do for Jan, care for her and show it.  God will have to take care of the rest.  He did for Paul and He will for Jan.

Have you ever had someone reach out to you when you were in an awful place?  How did it help?

What’s God teaching you through Philippians 4?