Ryan Paulson

To say that the last few months have been a journey of faith is a ridiculous understatement. Over that course of time, I have decided to leave a job that I love to follow God’s call to become Senior Pastor of South Fellowship Church in Littleton, Colorado. I couldn’t be more excited about this new step in this journey for me vocationally (being a senior pastor is something that I have aspired to for a while) and for our family. Although God’s direction was very clear, it was still an excruciating decision to make. We have so many good friends here in Escondido, a great church that is extremely supportive and encouraging, and the Pacific Ocean that beckons us. But, we decided to follow the call and are so glad that we did!

As the journey began, everything seemed to be falling into place. I met former employees of South who could only say good things about the church. I preached at South and felt completely at home. And, we sold out house in 5 days! All of these things and more served as confirmation for us that we were indeed following the Lord. Things seemed to be falling into place in miraculous ways. Our was due to close on May 30th and we were driving to Colorado on June 1. The timing couldn’t have been better. And then, the rug got pulled out from under us…

I got a phone call that telling us that (because of the type of loan our buyers had) our house appraised for $20k less than what we sold it for. Devastating! All of the timing that we were praising God for was out the window. The fact that we were actually going to walk away with some money in our packet, non-existent. The ease of timing, a thing of the past. One of the hardest parts of the past few days has been wrestling with the reality that so many of the things that we viewed as confirmation from God that we had made the right decision had vanished into thin air. To be quite honest, I was left reeling – emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I started to get chest pains and this morning I had to take my once-a-decade voyage to the doctor to make sure everything was ok. Luckily my EKG revealed that nothing was wrong – I guess I’m just stressed out.

There are a few things that I have learned from the rug being pulled out from under me:

1. It’s easy to worship the “rug.” That transition  happens so subtly in us. God blesses us with good things and slowly our allegiance gets tied to the gifts rather than the giver.
2. I have to remember that decision making is more about following the call of the Holy Spirit rather the signs of things falling into place exactly the way that I want them to. Undoubtedly God is using this situation to shape me more into the image of Jesus.
3. I have to constantly strive to remember that my sufficiency is in God. Should he give me nothing else, he has already given me enough. He is good, and he is for me.

And so, even in the trial and the storm I will remember that he hasn’t changed. He is good and I will cling to Him.

I ran across this poem that I think is a wonderful illustration of how many in our generation view truth.

Totally like whatever, you know?
by Taylor Mali

In case you hadn’t noticed,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you’re talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you’re saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)’s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren’t, like, questions? You know?

Declarative sentences—so-­‐called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true, okay,
as opposed to other things are, like, totally, you know, not—
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don’t think I’m uncool just because I’ve noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It’s like what I’ve heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I’m just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?

What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . .
I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we’ve just gotten to the point where it’s just, like . . .
whatever!

And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness
is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we’ve become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.

To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.

I love Easter! I think it’s my favorite holiday. One of the of the reasons I like Easter so much is because there are massive implications of Jesus walking out of the tomb. For followers of Christ, that day in history changed everything! Lately I have been wondering if I have embraced, to the fullest extent, the resurrection power and life that is available to me.

A few weeks ago I preached at a church in San Diego and they were having a baptism service. They wanted the message I gave to have something to do with baptism, so I was brushing up a bit on the theological reality of our inclusion in Christ that baptism beautifully symbolizes. One of the verses that always comes to the forefront of my mind in regards to baptism is romans 6:3-5. It reads,

3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

The Holy Spirit stared to burrow into my soul the reality that today I have an invitation to live a new life. The truth is that I have been included in his death on the cross AND I have been included in his resurrection from the dead. I think we are comfortable with the reality of all that means for us AFTER we die, but I’m not sure we have grasped what it means for our life today. That For all believers a new reality is within our grasp. While we may know that truth theologically, I wonder how many of us have practically stepped into that glorious invitation?

Now, I know what you are thinking about all of the issues and the problems that are going on in your life. The struggles that you just can’t seem to overcome, the relationships that are falling apart, and a litany of other things. That’s my first thought too. But, I wonder what might happen if we really started to take God up on his offer – if we started to believe that I is possible. I think a lot of us view this new life in Christ sort of like the closet door to Narania. It’s as though we stand at the door to the closet, we might even crack it open and look at a completely new and different life inside, but we rarely walk in to experience all that God has for us.

This week I am starting a new series called The Other Side of the Cross. I’m a fan of Easter, but I think we too often let the resurrection have it’s one day a year and leave it there. I want to explore the new reality that we are invited to live in TODAY because of the truth of the resurrection. I don’t want to stand at the door and look in… I want to jump into the life God is inviting me to.

This is the fourth message I gave in a series entitled Living in Tension.

This is the third message I gave in a series entitled Living in Tension.

This is a message that I gave at EFCC. It was the second in a series of 4. The series was entitled Living in Tension.

This is a message that I gave at EFCC. It was the first in a series of 4. The series was entitled Living in Tension.

I absolutely love spending time with my two kids – especially outside! Seeing them run around and play together is the best. We have this sand box in our backyard. It has sand on one side and water in the other.

Here is what I’ve noticed about watching them play out there; I spend most of my time telling Avery not to eat the sand or drink the nasty water. The funny thing is that every time I tell her she looks at me like I’m crazy. If you have kids, you know that look!

So, I’m in the backyard today, we’re playing, I’m telling Avery once again to get contaminated water out of her mouth, and it strikes me… This is how I often respond to God. He tells me that things are contaminated; that they are bad for me, but I look at him like he’s crazy. Like he’s trying to rob me of some joy.

I’m reminded this morning that he is a loving father. That he is for me, not against me, and that he wants my joy more than I do.

So, today I’m trying not to look at Him like he’s crazy. Hope you will too.

I was rereading the Christmas story again this week. As I posted earlier, my prayer this year has been that I can hear the story fresh again. As I was reading through Luke 2 this morning, one of the things that angels said stood out to me. In the angels’ announcement to the shepherds they state,

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

If you read through the Christmas story, there are a significant number of mentions of joy. I think this passage in Luke is the pinnacle. Can you imagine the heavens opening up and angels declaring that the JOY of the Lord is coming to earth in the form of a little baby that has been born in Bethlehem? Wow. However, I think we can agree that joy is an elusive idea. it’s something that we have a hard time explaining, and something that we often have an even harder time experiencing. In fact, I think that we often tell people (maybe subtly) that joy isn’t something you experience, it’s just something you know cognitively.

As I read through the story, I was struck by the fact that I think for many years I have misunderstood joy. I’ve often taught, and heard taught many times, that the joy that God brings is a joy that comes regardless of circumstances. It is an inner cheerfulness or happiness that is detached from reality, but grounded in God (or something like that…). Many people say it is detached from the things in life that we are going through, and therefore, whatever you are facing in life you can still have joy. While that’s a comforting idea, I do not think it is a biblical explanation of joy… at all.

Here is the problem with the previously stated view of joy; joy in the scriptures in general, but definitely in this passage, is directly tied to circumstances. The angels announcement does not read, “Take heart, don’t fear, nothing in your life is going to change… but you will now have joy.” No, no, no! The angels state that everything is changing because a savior is going to be born! The coming of a savior is directly tied to our joy… it was back then and it is today. And it was the coming of the savior that changed their circumstances – maybe not materially, but in a definite real way.

I think that the problem for us is that Christianity and faith in general has become such an ethereal thing that we fail to realize that our salvation actually does change our circumstances! Paul writes in Ephesians 1:3, “We have been (past tense) blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ…” Instead of thinking that joy comes without regard to circumstances, biblical joy says that God has directly and eternally changed your circumstances. Biblical joy says that what you have in Christ, ow, today, is better than anything difficult you could ever go through. Better in a very real way! That’s where Paul lands in his great exposition of joy in the book of Philippians. Yes he’s in jail. And yes his situation is difficult, but for him Jesus is simply better (Phil 3:7-11). We just have such a hard time believing that; it’s easier for us to keep it as an other worldly thing altogether. But that isn’t biblical joy.

Biblical JOY boldly states that Jesus has come… and He has changed everything.

I was reading through the Christmas story in the gospel of Luke the other day. One of the things about Christmas is that ever year it’s the same story! Mary is always pregnant as a virgin, there is never any room in the inn, and everyone is always scared of the angels. I hate to spoil this for you, but it will be the same next year too!

It’s like every morning waking up in my house. Every day Ethan gets up at about 6:00, and every day (at least for the last month) he wants to watch Meet the Robinsons. Every stinking morning! I know that movie inside and out. I’m no longer surprised by anything in it, it’s not too exciting, and my overall opinion of the movie continues to lower. I wonder how many of us look at the Christmas story in the same way. It can be difficult to hear the story fresh, and I think we can agree, it’s a story that worth hearing in a fresh way. That’s been my goal for this year… To hear the story fresh again; as though I’d meet heard it before.

That’s what I want for this Christmas. I’m praying that the good news of a messiah born would hit me in the way that it hit the first hearers. That it would shock me. That it would encourage me. That it would cause me to talk about it. That it would cause my affection for Jesus to overflow! Lord, give me new ears to hear Your story this year!