Steve's Blog

Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-informed maturity in you. Romans 12:1-2 The Message

Fix your attention on God and you’ll be changed from the inside out. God is the one who brings out the best of you. That’s a truth worth pursuing with our whole hearts. God lovingly invites us to pursue our shared calling as a Christian community and our unique vocation as individual disciples. There is only one Moses, one Ruth, one Peter, one James, one John – and only one you.

We are all on a common pursuit of loving God, loving one another and loving others in Jesus’ name. We do so in slightly different ways – reflected in the tens of thousands of denominational niches worldwide – but more importantly, we call ourselves Christian and mean it from the bottom of our hearts. Our commonality is a beautiful gift to reflect on and is our delightful inheritance. We are set apart and called to be the people of God, “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that we we may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). But even though we all live our lives in a wider community, we also find ourselves in daily pursuit of a life that’s uniquely set apart for God’s distinct purposes – evidenced in our personal rule of life.

Consider crafting a Rule of Life early in the New Year – and be assured that it’s a worthwhile resolution to keep! Go to www.ruleoflife.com for more information.

Over the next few days, you and many others may be making resolutions for the new year. Some of those resolutions will be about weight loss, others about financial gain; still more will concern relationships and many will be about exercise. Those who are Christians might make a commitment to “read the Bible through in a year” or “pray more often” or “finally make that trip to the Holy Land.” What’s on your list for 2014? One hint: keep your list specific, manageable, and achievable!

However, before you determine your new years resolutions, I’d like to make one suggestion…first take prayerful stock of your past year blessings. Consider the question, “In what way(s) have you seen God work in, through and around you that is especially noteworthy in 2013?”

Sitting with the gospel of John chapter 1 in my prayer chair this past weekend, I noticed a verse that jumped off the page as I read it for what must be the gazillionth time. “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another” (John 1:16).

Looking back on the past year, I’m confident there have been countless blessings offered to us from the hand of God. The Lord has given us blessings…one after another…all from the fullness of His grace. And, all are to be received with a heart of gratitude and joy.

Blessings from God come in all shapes, forms, and sizes. They arrive in tangible and intangible ways, forming within and around us a seedbed for God’s redeeming work to be fulfilled. They arise from out of nowhere and even in the mundane of daily routines. They are as large as a blazing sunset and as small as a whisper of love. Blessings are uncountable, they measure up to much more than we could ever ask, dream or imagine. Blessings are what God delivers generously and indiscriminately and simply – all because of His loving grace.

So, unless we take the time to count our many blessings they will flee from our memories almost as quickly as they are delivered. To count our blessings on a daily basis is to live reflective lives of noticing the handiwork of God all around us. To recount them at the end of a year is to foster a heart of gratitude to Almighty God, the giver, sustainer, redeemer, and transformer of the abundant life we’re offered each new day.

Receive both the blessings and the recollection thereof…all are to be seen as gifts from the hand of a loving, grace-filled God. Then, with blessings all around us, let’s lean into a new year with clear and conscious resolve to notice God as we make commitments to deepen our affection for Him. Another year is dawning, may it be dedicated to the Lord as we continue to receive the fullness of His grace. Glory to His Name – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and a blessed New Year to all!

In the ancient and majestic Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” we are greeted by 7 beautiful “Antiphons” which point us to Jesus as the fulfillment of all prophecies spoken of Him in the Old Testament and among the people of Israel. Already we have reviewed the first 5 “types” of Christ: Emmanuel, Wisdom, Lord, Rod of Jesse, and Key of David. The final two are “Dayspring” and “Desire of Nations.”

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by Thine Advent here,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

Dayspring is literally “dawn” as in the physical light of the sun at the start of a new day. At the dawning of light, we welcome Christ into the world to shatter the darkness that had previously plagued the people of God. At long last, the promised One has come to light up the world and cheer our waning spirits. With the dawn, the clouds of night are dispersed and new life emerges from below the horizon…come dayspring, come quickly, so our darkly shadowed world can find freedom and joy in the light of day.

O come, Desire of nations, bind in one the heart of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, and be Thyself our King of peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

As King of all nations, we now anticipate the arrival of genuine peace. In fact, our hearts cry out for such peace each time we celebrate another season of Advent. Why? Because every year of our lives there are wars that hinder our peace…somewhere in the world, and even in our country, community, church, neighborhood, and among family and friends. Every division, whether large or small, is sad…simply sad. There is nothing we desire in times of strife more than peace. Jesus is the author and perfect example of reconciliation…in Him there is peace.

Christmas is coming and our hearts are growing in loving anticipation and joyful celebration. The season of Advent reminds us to simply wait…in due time, in God’s time, He sent His Son into the world in an unlikely way through unconventional means and in an unglamorous place. We wait with prayerful hope that once more the worshipful celebration of the coming of Jesus in a humble stable will draw us back home…into the arms of God.

Rejoice, dear brothers and sisters in Christ…Jesus has come in a manger and will come again in glory. Rejoice! Rejoice! Alleluia! Amen!

Merry Christmas to you and yours from all of us at Leadership Transformations and the Macchia clan too!

In the Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” we discover 7 “antiphons” that depict 7 “types” of Christ presented to us prophetically in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the first Advent of Christ’s incarnation recorded in the New Testament. The antiphonal voices of the prophets are joined responsively by the king himself, Jesus, and his faithful disciples then and now.

The first two antiphons are “Emmanuel” and “Wisdom” which we covered in the previous blog. The next three are “Lord” and “Rod/Root of Jesse” and “Key of David” – expressing Jesus’ lordship and power.

O come, O come, thou Lord of might, Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law, in cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

In Exodus 3 we see how the angel of the Lord came to Moses in the burning bush, invited Moses to lead the people of God out from their slavery in Egypt and give them the Law, both of which would set them free. The Lord works mightily in their midst and behalf, all of which resounds with shouts of rejoicing and praise. In the Incarnation, Jesus Himself fulfills the Law and comes to set us free!

O come, O Rod of Jesse free, Thine own from Satan’s tyranny,
From depths of hell Thy people save, and give them victory o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

In alternative hymnals, the opening line is changed to “O come, O Rod of Jesse’s stem, from every foe deliver them that trust they mighty power to save…” Either way, the rod or root of Jesse signifies the stem from which Jesus would come would be through the lineage of David, the youngest offspring of his less famous father Jesse. The humility of this reference is striking indeed…mentioning Jesse rather than King David. Jesus came in all humility as well, born of a teenage mother, birthed in a simple manger, but with power, majesty, and offering a salvation on He could provide.

O come, thou Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home,
Make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

The Key of David reference signifies kingly authority; holding the keys to that control of domain that David once held in a geographical and historical setting would now have worldwide influence in Christ. Found in Isaiah 22 and Revelation 3, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant and the head of the Church in Philadelphia.

So we cry out once more, “Come, yes come even more, Emmanuel” and be with us, guiding, protecting, sustaining, and ruling over our hearts and lives this new Advent season. With prayerful and joyful anticipation, we await your coming once more in the humble manger of hay, and having risen miraculously from the dead, we look forward with heavenly intent to the time you will come again and usher us into glory with you forever! In response to that life-changing truth…Rejoice!

Advent hymns speak to the longing in our hearts for the coming of Christ. We sing them each year during this holy season, embedded with rich and deep significance for all. By far one of the most popular, and my personal favorite, is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” with 7 grand stanzas. Each verse known as one of the “O Antiphons.”

The term “antiphon” literally means “opposite voice” or “responsorial voice” as would occur between a choir and congregation, a call and response. From one to another, the voices call out from side to side, back and forth, to and from. The Antiphons in this hymn are filled with “alternating” voices of meaning, from the Old to the New Testaments, from the prophecies foretold of Christ to the fulfillment thereof. From the not yet to the already and back to the not yet…anticipating Christ’s coming, His incarnational arrival as a child, and His future coming in glory yet to be revealed.

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

This first “type” of Christ, foretold in Isaiah and revealed in the gospel of Matthew, is Emmanuel. The “with us” God is prophesied and fulfilled in Christ Jesus. He came to us in the flesh as a baby boy, and He comes to us and abides with us as Emmanuel.

O come, O Wisdom from on high, who orders all things mightily
To us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

The second “type” of Christ is as Wisdom, also predicated by Isaiah in chapter 11, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord – and He will delight in the fear of the Lord.”

We cry out to the Lord, “Come” – “Yes, come even more!” we pray. Come alongside us and abide “with us” and offer to us “wisdom” from on high, and teach us to walk the well ordered path of your will. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Rejoice!

On the heels of Reign of Christ Sunday, the crossroad and in many ways the apex of the Church year, we are reminded of the eternal leadership of Jesus Christ as we are about to turn the page into the season of Advent.

We join our hearts in praise to God as we sing hymns such as “Crown Him With Many Crowns” and “Lord, Enthroned In Heavenly Splendor” and “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” We turn our attention to the rule and reign of Christ in our hearts and lives, breaking forth and coming to fruition due to his sacrificial work in our behalf on the cross. This is a unique time in the Christian year to prayerfully consider the love and lordship of Jesus, in stark contrast to the ways we’ve allowed the kingdom of this world to be prioritized over the Kingdom of heaven.

From A Guide to Prayer for All Who Walk With God, “We end the church year with our focus on Christ as the Sovereign Servant, who rules like no other…the rulers of this world often seek to govern through fear and intimidation. The Sovereign Servant governs with love, trust, and example. The rulers of this world seek to intimidate, dominate, and control. The Sovereign Servant seeks to encourage, inspire, strengthen, and set free.”

In Colossians 1, the apostle Paul reminds the Church then and now how central the reign of Christ is to be in our souls. We’ve been rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought instead into the Kingdom of the Son he loves. The Lord Jesus is the image of the Invisible God, firstborn over all creation, for by him all else is created. Because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we are reconciled to himself as the head of the Body, the Church.

His supremacy over all creation, even over our lives as his disciples, is what we receive when we acknowledge his position of first place in our world and in our hearts. But, when the kingdom of this world occupies more of our attention than the kingdom of lights, we find ourselves in the territory of foreign gods who lure us in their direction. Instead of Jesus in first place, our idols of money, sex, and power topple over the reign of Christ.

The week before Advent is a perfect time to audit your heart and amend your ways, especially as we also celebrate Thanksgiving. To what or whom do you need to be rescued from in this dominion of darkness, in order to live abundantly and redemptively in the Kingdom of the light of Christ? Prepare for Advent and Christmas by thanking God for rescuing you from this-world-priorities through Jesus, and let him reign supremely in your soul as heavenly-minded disciples today. May it be so!

This past weekend we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of Leadership Transformations. It was a grand time for all…beginning with our team and extending outward to our inner circle and constituency. The celebrations included a brunch for our board and ministry team, a worship service of consecration and thanksgiving, and a banquet for 350 friends of our ministry. After the big party was over, our ministry team went on a two day retreat to deepen our affection for Christ and one another. All in all, it was a fabulous time of joy!

Celebrations are important for families, friends, and ministry colleagues. It’s important to punctuate accomplishment and relationship with celebrations, commemorations, and consecrations. Especially in our world of fast-paced lifestyles, to press the pause button and remember to give thanks in this way builds unity and provides for a creative way of relishing the myriad gifts of God.

Celebration can come in the form of parties…filled with fun, happy, jovial laughter and delight. They can be times of commemorating important highlights, hallmarks, and significant accomplishment. Or, they can serve as meaningful ways to rededicate oneself and others to the fulfillment of a shared mission. In whatever way you choose, celebration is an important aspect of ministry and life together.

In what ways are you promoting a spirit of celebration among those with whom you live and serve? Are there ways you can add celebration into the mix so as to be refreshed and renewed, rather than always exerting effort and pursuing goals?

Jesus found ways to engage in celebrations. His first miracle was at a wedding feast (John 2). He even taught in parables using an image of a great wedding feast (Matt. 22). He was accused of partying too much, even called a glutton and drunkard (Matt. 11) because He would associate with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus was found in homes, at meals, with friends, and among sinners and disciples in a myriad of celebratory ways. One of his greatest celebrations actually happened just before his life came to an end…at the Last Supper with his closest disciples (Luke 22), commemorating his very life in their midst by expressing “the fullest extent of his love” for them.

Some of Jesus’ celebrations were party-like, others were prayerfully and intentionally focused on meaning and intentionality. Both were a part of Jesus’ journey here on earth, both held significance for His followers and friends. We look at these texts as disciples today, and we rejoice and give thanks for the many ways Jesus was comfortable celebrating with prayerful serenity and joyful intentionality.

Take time to consider ways you can bring celebration into your relational and ministry contexts. It’s been life-giving and restorative for our team, that’s for sure…and I’m confident it will deepen your faith community as well.

The spiritual discipline of reflection includes several alternatives: journaling, meditating, processing with a friend, even via creative alternatives like photography, hand crafts, and strolling outdoors. Depending on one’s personality and preference, reflection can take on various ways of being deeply present with God, others, and even oneself.

Reflection is best done in the context of one’s prayer closet, when time is taken to simply be present to the reality of one’s experiences, thoughts, relationships, responsibilities, and desires with and before God. When combined with the Scriptures and prayer, reflection is the place where ideas germinate, memories are enjoyed, relationships get refocused, and decisions are solidified in the intimacy of fellowship with the Lord.

To live without much room for reflection, one can easily miss the true meaning and significance of so much that life affords. As a Christian, it’s important to reflect…and in so doing, to remember and give thanks to the Lord, the author and giver of life. To remember is to recall the gifts that come generously from the hand of Almighty God. Since all of life is under God’s tutelage, if we ignore that reality we begin to consider much of life as being fulfilled in our own strength, wisdom, and commitment. However, God delights when we acknowledge – with thanksgiving – His presence, power, and guidance at work in, through, and around us moment by moment, day by day.

In the Bible, we see many places where the people of God chose to remember and give thanks. Read 1 Samuel 7:7-13…when God thundered against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that the Israelites were able to conquer them in battle. On the heels of that victory, the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. To remember and give thanks for God’s strong hand of protection, Samuel placed a stone between Mizpah and Shen…he called it Ebenezer.

Earlier in the Bible, Genesis 28, we read about how Jacob took the stone he had used to sleep upon and turned it into a “memorial stone” of encouragement. God was encouraging Jacob by reminding him of the promise He Himself had made to Jacob, “I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!” His dream about a stairway to heaven was God’s way of reminding Jacob of His love and faithfulness…the stone was for Jacob a way to remember and give thanks.

For many years, the Israelites had seen God do some amazing things: delivering them from Egyptian captivity, splitting the Red Sea, providing manna in the desert, and giving them the ten commandments. Now they were finally crossing the Jordan River into the promised land. After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, they were finally arriving in the land of Canaan. God did not want them to forget this moment, so He commanded them to make a “memorial” out of twelve stones taken from the midst of the Jordan River. (Joshua 4:5-7)

These are just a few examples of how God’s people remembered and gave thanks for the ways God’s faithfulness was manifest in their midst. By far the most supreme act of sacrifice in behalf of His people is Jesus’ death for us on the cross. The Lord’s Supper is therefore the premier place where we gather regularly to remember and give thanks, “This do in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22; 1 Cor. 11).

The discipline of reflection continually takes us back to the many places where God’s love and faithfulness is remembered…and held with an open heart of gratitude and praise. Will you reconsider the importance of this practice for yourself?

This coming weekend we celebrate the first decade of ministry for Leadership Transformations. More than 320 friends of LTI will gather to remember and give thanks…for the myriad ways God has blessed the work of our hands and the prayers of our hearts. To God alone belongs all the glory, honor, thanks and praise!

In a recent conversation with a young leader, he was curious about our “rule” at Soul Sabbaths (which are day-long retreats of silence and solitude) when we discourage doing homework, or other reading outside the Bible, while they are alone, quiet and prayerful. His defense was something like this, “I don’t see how reading a Eugene Peterson book would interfere with my day of prayer. Isn’t it better not to dichotomize our life with God and include even a good Christian book into our day set apart for prayer and reflection?”

While I agree to him to a certain extent, and of course I love all of the Eugene Peterson books I’ve ever read, I mentioned to him that each time we read something other than the Bible we begin to attend to that author’s voice…and potentially miss the Real Author’s voice. While reading a Peterson book can indeed be prayerful, as are many other similar books, it shouldn’t become a replacement for attending to God’s voice in prayer. And, although in another setting…like a study day…when it’s our express purpose to read our assigned texts or ones of our choosing, we may indeed have a “strangely warm” experience with God tapping us on our shoulder and inviting us to notice Him in the midst of our reading.

But, when we’re purposing to focus our fullest and most complete attention on the God of the universe, and we have this one day set apart for that intention alone, why potentially clog up the pipeline of communication with something other than the singular and loving voice of God? Why not simply read God’s Word, and enjoy Him in our solitary place of prayer? Do we need Eugene Peterson to open that door for us? Sometimes, yes…but most times not.

I responded to him, “It would be like taking your paint brush, canvas, and small vials of paint into the gym, and while you’re on the treadmill also trying to paint a picture. Although that may be possible, and might actually produce some kind of interesting art, is that the best way to exercise? Or, to paint?” The point I was trying to make is…yes, indeed, painting on a treadmill is possible, but is it best? The “dichotomy” is then the best choice…when I’m in the gym, I’m going to concentrate on my exercises on the treadmill. And, when I’m in the studio or standing outside in creation, I’m going to focus my attention on the canvas, brush, and colors used to create a beautiful picture.

We far too often come up with excuses for not having solitary time with God. This is just one of a thousand others. Aren’t we trying to “paint on a treadmill” in many other ways in our lives too? Texting while driving. Television during family time. Cell phones next to our dinner plates and under our bed pillows. Not focusing on a conversation with a loved one. Believing that we can actually multitask. Saying yes too many times. Not saying no enough. Constant motion, noise, and activity. The result? Never being alone and focused exclusively on God, His Word, His voice, His creation.

At Leadership Transformations we are advocates of painting in a studio, treadmilling in a gym, and praying – yes, primarily praying – in a solitary place. If God has many more important things to say to us than we to Him, shouldn’t we press the pause button on the treadmills of our lives and actually stop the machine long enough to notice, attend and truly listen to God? No more excuses please…just listen. And pray. And notice. Your painting will look awesome!

I call myself an EpiscoBaptiPentaGationalist. My worship preferences have changed over the years, and my love for the variety of styles in the body of Christ has correspondingly deepened. I grew up in a Congregational Church (UCC). My beloved hero grandfather introduced me to worship in a Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod). College years were in a Reformed Church (RCA). I was ordained in an Independent Baptist-like Church (Grace Chapel). In my previous leadership post (Vision New England) and now at LTI we work with dozens of denominations. And, for the past two years my wife and I find ourselves worshiping most Sunday mornings with Episcopal Monks in a Cambridge (MA) Monastery.

In each of these settings, there exists a particular liturgy. A liturgy is what a church customarily does in their worship service at approximately the same time and place within the hour (or so) that the community gathers. Also considered a set of ritual practices, liturgies are found in all traditions, even in those church settings not generally considered “liturgical.” For example, even in the most contemporary worship services, the opening song set occurs generally at the same time and in the designated tempos (i.e. a song of praise, followed by one of thanks, ending in a more serious tone of confession). The prayers, offering, and sermon happen at roughly the same time each week. The public reading of the Scriptures occur from about the same place in the order of service and usually by the same person or representative member of the team.

Yes, liturgies exist in 99% of the churches we attend. Pay attention to your own church over the next several weeks and notice the ritual. Some would see liturgies as boring, redundant, and lifeless. However, I am of the opinion that liturgies are good for the soul of the congregation and the souls of the congregants. Although I encourage pastors and worship leaders to consider ways to creatively change up their normal order of service, I find the liturgy of worship something that comforts worshipers and provides a structure by which the people of God are guided into a shared awareness of the presence, power, and peace of Almighty God.

What part of the liturgy of your church’s worship means the most to you? This past week I found several aspects of the worship service which were most meaningful to my soul, especially the recitation of the Nicene Creed, singing the Lord’s Prayer, and savoring the Eucharist meal. I also enjoy holding the hymnal with my wife, as there’s something special about seeing each other’s thumbs holding down our respective pages. And, listening to the reading of the Gospel seemed to penetrate my heart in a special way too. The time together with this eclectic group of hungry souls was particularly rich. I left the sanctuary renewed and grateful.

Not only do our liturgies provide important structure for the worship life of our congregations. But, they remind us of the importance of liturgies that define our broader experiences as Christ followers in all aspects of our life. In essence, there are “liturgies” we follow at work, in the home, among family and friends, and in our personal lives. Crafting a rule of life provides a way for us to consider and reconsider our personal liturgies, keeping in place what gives us life, removing what’s detrimental, and including new practices that foster the relationships and rhythms that enhance our life in Christ.

In this coming week, why not look carefully at the liturgies that define your worship life, and consider prayerfully the liturgies that release the kind of life God is inviting you to pursue humbly and for His glory? What you’ll discover are elements of a Rule of Life…part of the corporate rule of life practiced by your congregation and elements of the personal rule of life you are fulfilling as a pilgrim on a journey toward love and faithfulness to God. Be sure to choose liturgies that create, redeem, sustain, and ultimately transform your life!