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Monday, October 29, 2007

Sixty Years

Okay, so you caught me. The titles for each of the entries for October increased each time by a decade (Twenty Years, Thirty Years, Forty Years, and Fifty Years, for those who don't want to do the math). But since October has five Mondays, that meant that I had to come up with a "Sixty Years" theme to keep things nicely in order, as I like so much.

Didn't happen.

Oh sure, I could ruminate on how I've aged sixty years over the course of this month, with all that has happened (new baby, wife going back to work, Homecoming revival services, and a myriad of other things). I could figure out some clever little way to tie all this together, but quite frankly, I'm tired and I just don't feel all that creative at the moment. I'm sure I'll snap back before too long, but for now, I'll just keep the "Sixty Years" title and figure out something else to talk about.

I know! Our Homecoming services! As I mentioned earlier in the month, my congregation is marking 20 years since its founding, and so we kind of had a month of celebrations and activities to keep us focused not only on the past, but on what is possible in the future. The culmination of these celebrations was a Homecoming revival, complete with a fund-raising concert with a nationally-known singer and songwriter, and messages by a guest evangelist. It went better than I could have hoped: attendance was decent, the Spirit was moving, and there was a true sense of togetherness, growth and revival apparent throughout the week and even through the weeks leading up to the series of services.

As we concluded events yesterday, I said to the congregation that most if not all of us were saddened that the week had to end, but were confident and desirous that the spirit of revival continue through us in the months ahead. As wonderful as the time had been, there is still much to be done, and little time to do it. We could easily revel in the glories of a wonderful week, or we can use its memory to inspire us forward for the Lord. We choose the latter.

October was also Pastor's Appreciation Month, and there was much appreciation to be had yesterday. The pastors in the room, myself included, were honored and lauded, perhaps far more than any of us deserved, but to know that we have made a positive impact on souls we've met over the years is something that we all cherish. And as I told everyone in attendance, without a congregation a pastor is just a guy who talks a lot. So Pastor's Appreciation Month cannot truly be celebrated unless the pastor appreciates the congregation he or she serves. For all the pastors out there, I say thank you on their behalf. Thank you for your attendance, your prayers and support as we serve Christ together.

Well, after a week of sermons (which you can listen to at http://feeds.feedburner.com/westwoodonline or at iTunes [search for Westwood Church of God in the store]; sorry for the commercial), there's really not much left to say. Autumn is finally in full swing and the holidays are approaching. I can't wait to share them with you. Thank you for reading, and if the Lord wills, I'll see you back here next Monday. God bless!

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Fifty Years

Everything in the Old Testament is important. If examined properly, it is possible to find out some very interesting insights into the Christian era and into the life and ministry of Jesus. Over this month I have attempted to follow a pattern of blog entry titles which, if nothing else, would spark interest. I don't know how successfully this has happened, but nevertheless I wanted to give it a shot. The topic of this entry, Fifty Years, deals with something that many people know little about, something that just isn't talked about much. The subject is what is known as the Year of Jubilee.

In order to get some of the background, I would ask you to read the 25th chapter of Leviticus (I would quote it here, as well as giving definitions and backgrounds, but that would take up the entire entry; instead I will proceed as though you have already read Leviticus 25, and will discuss some of my thoughts on the matter).

All of us are familiar with the Sabbath day, the seventh day of the week. What some might not be aware of is that there was a Sabbath year, celebrated one year out of every seven, as well as the Year of Jubilee which was a celebration of seven Sabbath years. After seven cycles of the seven years of Sabbaths (49 years), the Year of Jubilee was observed, and there were some interesting conditions for this fiftieth year.

During this fiftieth year, the soil was to rest, no planting or sowing, and whatever grew was not to be harvested, but left for the poor, for the traveler, or for the livestock. There was a promise from God that there would be enough of a harvest in the sixth year (prior to the Sabbath and Jubilee year) to sustain the people until they could harvest again at the next cycle. During this time, the people were allowed to do other work (fish or hunt, manufacturing and whatnot); it wasn't a vacation year.

This jubilee year also brought about what is called "reversion of property." The land (and what was on it) was divided to each family like modern lots of land. Even if it was sold, it was with the understanding that it would be only for a certain number of years. At the Year of Jubilee, the property was returned to its original owner. In this way the land, in a way, remained the property of the person/family to whom it was originally given.

And then there was the release of the slave/servant. Whether a Hebrew person had offered himself or herself to be a slave/servant to provide for the family, or sold to pay a debt or a crime, the person was to be released, which honored the rights of every class of Israelite servant.

The Year of Jubilee was, in a way, a God-instituted way to fix all of the evil which man can bring upon himself through government and society. It was away to start over, start fresh, and what could be more worthy of a celebration? In fact, the word "jubilee" comes from a Hebrew word which means "joyful shout or sounding of trumpets," which were ways that the Year of Jubilee was announced. Bondage and poverty were eliminated, the people were given rest and a sense of joy, and what's more, they all knew they had this waiting for them after the period of fifty years.

Now what does this ancient practice, of which we know relatively little, have to do with us in the modern world today? Well, the Sabbath is not just a day set aside for rest and worship. Jesus Himself IS our Sabbath. In Him we find our rest and worship, and it is much fuller than just a day of the week; it is a state of Christian existence. So if Jesus is our Sabbath (which I might do an entry on sometime), then He must also be our Year of Jubilee in a symbolic way.

As we have seen, the Year of Jubilee itself was a year to be anticipated, to be celebrated. Jesus offers us the same things not only today and every day, but also promises it for our eternal future. When we accept Christ's forgiveness, and make Him the Savior and Lord of our life, we, too, are set free from the bondages of our sin. The poverty of our souls brought about as a result of that sin will be eliminated, resolved, and we will be filled to the overflowing with the treasures of salvation and eternal life.

It is in Christ and Him alone that we find rest. In Jesus alone do we find that sense of joy even in the midst of the most dire of earthly crises. Only in the Son of God can we find our true rest and joy. But most importantly of all, we know that this condition of freedom, richness, rest and joy is ours every day, and that it is an absolute certainty that it awaits every single Child of God (and through the blood of Jesus we who accept His sacrifice as our salvation are made spiritual Israelites). No matter how bad things are, no matter what we must face, we know that there is coming a day in which the word "jubilee" will not be sufficient to describe the level of eternal praise and joy that lays ahead.

So embrace the "Year of Jubilee" as not only a quaint Old Testament law, but as a promise for our today, our every day, and our future. Allow Jesus to be your Jubilee, and let your praises ring forth for all the world to hear! Rejoice!

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Forty Years

In looking at the visitors' statistics here at "Soulscape," I have found there are a few topics which are highly popular in searches, and for those topics, previous entries of this blog are ranked at or near the top in Internet search engines. By far the most popular is the study of Ecclesiastes, followed by a series on the armor of God. But third on the list is "Wilderness Experiences."

What this verifies is what I've said for years: we all have times out in the spiritual wilderness, those times in life that seem so barren and parched and there doesn't seem like there is an end in sight. In keeping with my theme for the month (all the entries increasing by ten years, i.e. twenty, thirty, and now forty), I wanted to take a look not so much at the wilderness experience itself, but the emergence from those types of experiences.

Whether it was forty days (as in the case of Noah and Jesus) or forty years (like the Israelites), the wilderness experiences we go through will eventually end. The Lord leads us through exactly what we need to get us to the place we need to be, and sometimes it takes a long time. But when that experience ends, what do we do? Most of us look forward to the day when we can put that difficult time behind us, but that is not the moment to kick back and relax. Instead it is the time to get to work even harder, and to put the lessons of the experience into practice.

In the examples I listed in the previous paragraph, we can see just how important is the work to do after the wilderness experience. We begin with Noah. After forty days of what my grandparents would call a "frog-strangler," or the deluge of rain and flood, no doubt the inhabitants of the ark were relieved and happy. But they couldn't sit back and do nothing. There was still a lot of work to do. The waters didn't recede for quite some time, and so the animals in the ark (along with the ark itself and no doubt the relationships of the people on board) still needed attention and care. Once the ark came to rest, the job was to rebuild the world and society. That was no small task. While the trial had been severe, it helped prepare Noah and his family for the struggles they would face. Life didn't end on the ark, nor was the work over once the ark stopped atop Ararat. It was just beginning.

As Jesus was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, it was to prepare Him for His ministry. While there He faced hunger both physical and spiritual. He faced temptation; like us He was forced to live by faith in the most desperate of times. Once He came out of the wilderness, it was a time to fill Himself with the food He needed, immerse Himself with the Father's presence, and go to work in the ministry of salvation.

When the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land after wandering in the wilderness for forty years, they did not have the time to take a breather, to take a vacation and enjoy the scenery. They immediately had to get to work claiming the land. There were great battles to be fought, many struggles left to overcome, but over the forty years of wandering they had grown to appreciate what was possible with the Lord. They were now ready to go in and occupy the land. And when they trusted in God and followed His guidance, they won.

These and other experiences teach us that we have a great responsibility after our wilderness experiences. There is always a temptation to kick back and relax, to kind of give up in a way or slack off. We hear a voice say, "Hey, take a break. You've earned it after all you've been through. Just take it easy for a while." But the responsibility needs to be seen. The wilderness experience was a time of preparation, getting us ready to tackle the obstacles and tasks that wait for us after the wilderness experience is over. God is there through the entire trial, and because of this He is able to help us in the job He has waiting for us.

So as I mentioned in the original "Wilderness Experience" entry, don't give up during the trial, even if it seems to take forever to escape. But once you emerge, don't stand around admiring the view. Instead look to the tasks at hand and go to work, putting the lessons you learned into practice. In this way, and in this way alone, will your wilderness experience not be in vain.

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Thirty Years

October, as I have previously mentioned, is a very special month. There are many items of note for me during October, things personal and professional. Last week I talked about how the twentieth anniversary of the founding of our church is observed this month. In fact, yesterday, October 7th, was the official twenty-year mark, and we had a "Fill-The-Pew" Sunday to mark the occasion. It was a success, and we had a great day.

Today is, I suppose, a special day as well. At the very least it is a day that is marked and/or noted by nearly everyone who reaches this point. Today, as the title suggests, marks the thirtieth year since I was born. I have a few friends who have beaten me to the mark over the last month or so: Karl, Jason, Laura (hers just two days ago). I liked what Jason had to say concerning his 30th birthday just twenty days ago: "Being in your 'twenties' just sounded cool. But now that I'm THHHHIRRRRRRTY, it's just sluggish coming off the tongue, and it just sounds old."

I'm not sure how some of my other friends feel, but for me, kissing the twenties goodbye is something I've looked forward to for a long time (I know, I know, I've waited 30 years; but in truth I've just been waiting for the last six or seven, and the reason is that a lot of people have a hard time taking seriously a pastor who is still in his or her 20s). Yesterday at church some people said, "How do you feel now that you're turning thirty?" My response was always some variation of the word "ecstatic." Still, my mind cannot help but drift to the more philosophical side of the 30-year-old issue.

I remember looking at the years of a calendar when I was younger, imagining when I'd turn 20, how old I would be in that far-off magical year 2000, what year I would turn 30, and it seemed so very far away. I mean, thirty was just down-right old. Now that I've left the milestones behind, pastor a church, have a family of my own with two kids, I realize that the time has flown by faster than I could have imagined, and more than that I have learned a valuable truth:

THIRTY ISN'T ALL THAT OLD.

Now, I did not arrive at this conclusion merely by listening to older folks talk about how they wish they could go back to their thirties, how a young whipper-snapper like myself has years ahead of me. Nor is it looking at the young people around me, including my own children, and realizing that they will reach their milestones in record time, either. No, what really set it apart for me was a thought I had last year. (You may recall that last week I said that I realized that 20 years isn't a long time at all, and that was well-illustrated yesterday at church.)

So, this is the thought that really made me think: Jesus started His public ministry around the age of 30. Now that I have arrived at that same age, I realize just how young He was when He began going about His Father's business. Having had some experience with some older people who felt that someone of my tender young age had no qualifications to be or no business at all being the pastor of a church (at least, being their pastor), I can certainly begin to see where many older religious leaders would have considered Jesus just some upstart, punk Hebrew kid who didn't have the first clue about what He was talking about.

I know Jesus was the divine Son of God, but I often wonder if He experienced any of the insecurities that I have, such as realizing, "Hey, 30 is old compared to a lot of people, but it's still young to a lot more." He had all power. I do not. I can only rely upon the strength that dwells within me through the power of His Holy Spirit. At this age, Jesus only had three more years to minister. I don't know how many more I have ahead of me. As stated last week, I already have six years as a full-time pastor behind me and almost 15 years as a preacher. Nevertheless, I hope I can be better and do more for Him in the days or decades ahead. All I can try to do, I guess, is try not to mess up so much.

So, today I am a man … an old man, according to some who have yet to reach this point. But hopefully when they get here they will see it's not so advanced an age. It was eleven years ago today that my grandfather died, passing away on my 19th birthday. As I think back to that day, it seems like only a year or so. Time does fly, far too quickly for all that we would like to do. Plans are made and changed according to the circumstances of the moment. But for now, I suppose it's just a matter of faithfully using the time at hand. The past is the past, the future is uncertain, but right now is a perfect time to work for the Lord.

And I don't know about some folks, but I'm going to enjoy telling people, "Yeah. I'm thirty."

(Also, special thanks to some new regular readers in Bucharest, Romania and Santiago, Chile.  Welcome, and I hope you enjoy the blog!)

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Monday, October 01, 2007

Twenty Years

Wow. October is here once again. This is pretty much the start of my favorite time of year: fall and winter. But this particular October is special for a number of different reasons, and I just want to share some of them with you over the course of this month. Once we get into November I hope to go back to some Bible-study-oriented posts, but for now, I want to take this time to share some thoughts with you concerning the special things that are going on here.

October 2007 is the 20th anniversary of my church, Westwood Church of God in Ashland, KY. This is special to me because I was one of the "founding members" of the congregation, and now I have served as Senior Pastor of the church for the last six years (the anniversary of my installation as pastor was actually yesterday, September 30th). I remember hearing as a child my parents and grandparents saying things like, "I've known them for 20 years," or "This happened 20 years ago." At the time I thought that twenty years was like an eternity and that the definition of forever was, "Anything 20 years or longer."

Now that twenty years of ministry is now behind us, I realize that it's not all that long at all. Over the last 20 years we have been able to reach a great many people and to have a positive impact on a number of individuals. This is not to say we've been perfect or we haven't had our share of troubles. In fact, we have had trial after trial. Of the original 13 members of the congregation, I am the only regular member left. Many people have come and gone over the years, some under not-so-pleasant circumstances. Close to 60 of our members have passed away over the years. Times have been rough, but times have also been miraculous.

Still, I want to share here what I did with my congregation yesterday (when talking about the sixth anniversary of my pastorate). It's not about me, and it's not about what has been. It's about what CAN and WILL be. I am grateful that I have been around to witness the wonder of God's hand in Westwood Church of God over these past twenty years. I don't know what the future holds, but I look forward to whatever He has in store in the years ahead.

My prayer for me and my church (and the prayer you, too, should have for yourself and your church) is that I and my congregation will continue to be open and willing vessels in the hands of Christ, and that He would work His will through us, that we might grow stronger in our faith and testimony, and that souls might be touched, healed, and saved through His work in us. The glories of the past are wonderful memories, but the prospects for the future are beyond imagination.

My thanks to the Lord and to those who have made and are making Westwood Church of God what it is today, and may God's will be always done in our little corner of the store.

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press.  All rights reserved.  All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States.  It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted.  Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.