Jeff Peterson

I have these random memories. My family laugh at what I can remember from 45 years ago, but not 3 weeks ago. One such hit me today as I recalled hearing for the first time from a friend at summer camp, “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover.” Warms your heart this Thanksgiving Day, doesn’t it?

As I reflect on that ‘classic’ I suppose the point is there are multiple ‘easy’ ways to do so: “Just slip out the back, Jack. Making new plans, Stan. You don’t need any coy, Roy…” Good grief…gotta love what drives the many genres of American music. Thanks, Paul Simon.

As I was spending quiet time with the Lord early this Thanksgiving Day, I just felt led to list 50 things to thank God for. You know, the act of true thanksgiving is an oft ignored spiritual discipline in the life of many believers. It’s so good for the soul, though. I enjoy reflection and this was a reflective moment. There were things from those 45 years ago to things in the very present. God is so good. It’s truly endless how much we have to thank Him for.

Why don’t you take a few minutes to list your 50? Be careful of only focusing on those easily deemed ‘good’ things, but include the trials and challenges life has brought you. Remember, “In everything give thanks.” It will enrich your soul and please your Father.

During a moment of Central’s worship recently, a no-brainer truth still struck my heart like an arrow: “We are singing His truth in these songs.” Each song just seemed to be not only melodically beautiful and enjoyable in rhythm/sound, but the doctrine flowing out of the songs was incredible!

The apostle Paul twice referenced the connection of our music to our doctrine. He wrote that we are to ‘speak to one another’ (Ephesians 5:19) and ‘teach and admonish one another’ (Colossians 3:16) AS WE ‘sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs’. I think this gets lost in the multiple aspects of worship services and in particular, the teaching/preaching of God’s Word. Yet, that moment reminded me of yet another value to the music aspect of public worship: the TRUTH of God’s Word is being rehearsed, even ‘preached’ for others to hear. Every worshiper suddenly becomes an expounder of God’s truth to ‘one another’. If the song is solid in its theology, everyone singing is speaking to others the incredible truths mined out of Scripture. What a moment!

At Central, we are very intentional about our music. We sing a mix of ‘brand new’, ‘somewhat new’, ‘used to be new’ and even ‘really old’ songs on most weeks. We strive to do something unique to today’s church: bring in the whole family and lead them to God in a worship encounter. Yes, I mean from the grandpa/grandmas to our students back for our local colleges/universities. It’s a tall order in today’s view of generations and church, but it’s in our DNA, something we believe is biblical and actually something we take delight in.

Next time you stand to sing at church, consider you are a mouthpiece of God as much as when the pastor gets up to teach from God’s Word. Not to over-focus, missing the worship experience, but consider the words coming out of your mouth. Simply: what are you singing? Hopefully the songs are written well enough that you will be able to delight in the excellent, even ‘deep’ truths coming out of your mouth. At that moment then, ‘preach it!’ to those around you. Let the whole earth hear of the glories of God! Fulfill that dimension of worship that Paul talked about twice in his letters. It’s more than just feeling good about the music…you have become a mouthpiece for God.

3 different strokes. 5 lengths each. Some days a chore, others a delight…but, always rhythmic.

That describes my main mode of exercise the past seven months. Swimming laps is great when your knees are like mine. Incredible cardio work out. Lungs ready to burst. Low impact as you pull through the water. And, very rhythmic.

At times I find my mind wandering, but still it’s always counting. Seems I just fall into it naturally – again, a rhythm. Almost without fail the strokes on each length/lap are within one or two of the previous. And, recently as my mind roamed a bit, I realized another ‘life lesson’ as I pulled myself through the water.

The first cycle of ’3s’ are usually the hardest. The second easier and by the third, I’m considering how long the swim will be that day. It’s as if there’s a ‘wall’ of sorts, that once pushed through, the rhythm takes over and carries me much smoother through the rest of the swim. Without fail, lengths 30-45, 45-55 fly by in comparison to 10-15.

Life doesn’t get any easier. I used to fantasize that it would. As one family shared with me in our church lobby today, they are hoping that the past few years of struggle will soon lessen. I pray with them to that end, yet figure as with us all, new struggles are just behind the present ones. Yet, the lesson in that pool comes to mind…

It’s almost as if we press through life’s walls only to fall into a rhythm with God and the journey He charts for us. No matter the season, the resistant current will always be there, the effort required to push through and the goal yet unreached. But, if we push through those difficult times and hold to our patterns of worship (word, prayer, fellowship, solitude, etc.) we’ll fall into a rhythm that will carry us through every time.

Not long ago, I was at another of life’s walls. It hasn’t fully passed and actually will be absorbed as yet, another part of ‘me’ in my life journey. Yet, as I keep pressing forward as Paul described in Philippians 3:12, hopefully the rhythm God intends will take over and I’ll not only make it, but things will smoothen. I just have to keep pushing…

They greeted her as she returned to her hometown by her name, Naomi, which means pleasant. Yet, she immediately rebutted, “Call me Mara, [bitterness] for ‘the Lord has made my life very bitter.’ (Ruth 1:20) Reading through this story in recent days I once again was struck by the overwhelming anguish the losses of life had brought into this woman’s soul.

This same week I have sat with two couples that are feeling much the same; as life has dealt them incredible bitterness of loss. Thankfully both are couples with deep faith, still clinging to their God as they seek to stumble through the present darkness.

Thankfully they are not alone in their suffering. For this is what this week of Passion is to remind us of in the life of our Savior. Isaiah 53:4 says one aspect of his suffering for our salvation would be the carrying of our ‘sorrows’ (grief, pain). The focus of our ‘Service of Shadows’ tonight will be that anguish Jesus endured for us. It will be a sobering night, even as life can be so very sober.

The beauty of it all, is resurrected in our souls at the close of the book of Ruth, the fulfillment of Isaiah 53 and my firm belief these couples will find themselves in a new season of life and gain and blessing one day. Naomi was returning to Bethlehem in her bitterness, with no knowledge that centuries later her name would be associated in the family lineage of God’s own Son, born in that very town. Oh the mysteries of God…and of the lives we lead. As we follow Him, He truly resurrects our ashes to beauty, our sorrows to joys and our losses to gain. That is the message of Easter.

Such moments are daggers. Due to the uniqueness of my schedule today, I left home with three changes of clothing. The middle set was a suit and tie to attend an event honoring an incredible man, Loren Triplett, for his years of missionary service/leadership. When I went to change for the meeting, I realized I had everything except…my dress shoes. After looking over the shoes of every guy on staff I realized I was doomed to wear the casual ones I had (at least the right color) in the hope no one other than myself would notice.

As I sat listening to an incredible over-view of the ministry of Loren and Millie Triplett, another aspect of shoes struck my heart. This great pioneer preacher, with a burning passion for souls and missions was being honored for the path of faithful ministry he is leaving behind. His four children, all in vocational ministry were lined across the front row. The room was filled with those like myself that were relishing to hear and see the old clips of his passionate preaching. Afterward, we were led to the lobby of AGTS for the unveiling of a plaque and endowment in his honor to pass on his legacy to future graduate students headed into missions work.

It was standing there that the paranoia of my own shoes gave way to a biblical reality of much greater importance. This ceremony was one of replacing shoes. As we feel of so many in our lives, ‘no one’ can fill Loren Triplett’s shoes; and yet, someone will and already has. This stark reality is found throughout Scripture as one man’s leadership is passed to another – generation to generation. How sobering…and yet, how beautiful.

In my short time of pastoring Central, I have had several incredible moments with a man I only knew and admired from a distance. Now, there have been multiple prayer times at the altar and I have been blessed as so many, by the ever-positive outlook of an aging great leader in our movement. I love his shoes. They were filled with what Isaiah called “beautiful feet” (52:7). Yet, I am confident that God will continue to supply others with the same size and fit, to continue the building of His Kingdom in this earth. As was emphasized in the summary of Loren Triplett’s legacy today: “Everything to God’s glory!”