Coffee and black holes

 

In sales, bad days, weeks, or even months happen—especially when no one is selling cars. Sometimes, the entire team experiences this slump, and when it does, there's a noticeable shift in the tone of our meetings.

I remember a particular meeting along those lines. For some reason, we were in a dealership-wide slump. The manager or the owner (I cannot remember which one) tossed out a warning, "Do not get sucked into the negativity of your coffee clutches." Despite the threat to our coffee, there was a lot of wisdom in those words. Negativity is a black hole that steals all hope from our hearts, minds, and intentions behind our actions. It impacts how we interact with customers, present vehicles, and apply effort when closing deals.

Negativity isn't just limited to the workplace; it can seep into every part of our lives, including our spiritual communities. It focuses our mind on an inevitable crash site instead of the destination. Rather than reaching the destination, we crash and burn based on our certainty of failure. And this attitude will not only infect us but also spread like a virus in a kids' classroom. Soon entire groups are moving like the Titanic toward an iceberg, only they collectively decided to hit the iceberg.

Negativity can feel as pervasive and consuming as a black hole, drawing in our hope, energy, and efforts. As Christians, are we not called to be a people of hope? Do the scriptures not teach us to focus on the things above?

There is an interesting scene in Exodus 18, with Moses being visited by his father-in-law, Jethro. They had been a part for a period and a lot had happened. You know the whole "let my people go" saga. Moses shared everything that happened to him and the people with Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and other troubles in their journey. But Moses focused his story on what God had done for them. Verse 9 shares Jethro's reaction: "Jethro rejoiced because of all the good that the LORD had done for Israel, whom he had delivered from the hand of Egypt." (NET)

Moses didn’t hide the difficulties, but he highlighted how God led them through adversity. The focus could have been on the mind-numbing fickleness of Pharaoh and his love for self-torment, but instead, it was on God. The focus could have been on how they left Egypt to be stuck on the seashore with an army charging at them, but instead, it was on God. The focus could have been on the lack of water and food, but instead, it was on God. Because Moses shared God's faithfulness through adversity, Jethro rejoiced.

So many churches have not been the same since COVID. Actually, many churches only became aware they were not the same because of COVID. It seems negativity about the church, the pastor, and the laity are often topics being discussed in our Christian circles, spreading from Christians to those who might come to church if not for all the complaints they have heard. A friend once shared with me that after Sunday services his family had the pastor for lunch. Not as a person invited, but as the main course!

Has the Holy Spirit quit moving? The same Spirit who hovered above the chaotic waters at the beginning, do we really believe that wind has ceased? Or could the real issue be we are all too glued to the negative to see the ways God is moving? Imagine if our conversations shifted from the negative to sharing how God moved, even if it is only in the smallest of details. Instead of being surrounded by clouds of stinking thinking, we would ourselves surrounded by clouds of witnesses. Instead of angry chants, we would hear rejoicing that draws our eyes to the things above.

Like the crew of the Titanic who tried to steer clear of disaster, we too must actively avoid the pull of negativity. But we can only do that by focusing on God's movements, even in the smallest details. We need to stir clear of the negativity found in the black holes of our coffee clutches. But that cannot be achieved if all we stare at is the negative. Witnessing and rejoicing over the moves of the Holy Spirit requires us to seek God's movements in every moment, no matter how small the detail might seem.

Written by Rev Jason Barnett, aka The Dirt Path Pastor

He serves as the Pastor at Ravenna Church of the Nazarene in Ravenna, KY and is host of The Dirt Path Sermon Podcast.

I hate snakes

Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark is a fantastic film, one I used to assign as homework for youth group students who had never watched it. At the movie's beginning, Indiana obtains a rare gold idol by overcoming big spiders, narrowly avoiding sharp sticks and shooting darts, and escaping a giant boulder—only to have the idol taken by a rival archaeologist. He has to flee the rival who has employed the local natives to kill him. As Indiana escapes that, he catches his breath in his buddy’s plane when a giant snake crawls up between his legs. Indiana is informed that the snake is a pet named Reggie, to which Indiana responds with, “I hate snakes, Chuck. I hate them.”

Though I have no fear of snakes, many people are petrified of them. They often either flee in terror or grab a shovel. My grandma, for instance, preferred to run them over with the lawnmower. If you are someone who suffers from ophidiophobia, you may find comfort in knowing a popular biblical figure may have shared in your suffering.

In Exodus 4, God is answering Moses’ question about what to do if the Israelites do not believe Moses. God points Moses to the shepherd’s staff in his hand, and in verse 3 says, “Throw it down on the ground.” Moses does as God commands, with the rest of the verse reading, “So Moses threw it down on the ground, and it turned into a snake. Moses jumped back from it.” (CEB) The NET translates it as “Moses ran from it.”

Moses asked God, “What if they do not believe me?” In response, God provided a sign, a snake that scared Moses. We have no idea what species of snake, but cobras and vipers are deadly ones common in the area. Reading this and Moses’s reaction to God’s sign immediately made me think of these words from Jesus, “Who among you will give your children a stone if they ask for bread? Or give them a snake if they ask for fish?” (Matthew 7:9-10, CEB) Jesus spoke these words about asking and seeking in faith. God is unchanging, but in the OT with Moses, it certainly seems God indeed gave Moses a snake when he asked for a sign.

It's important to note that God’s intention was not to encourage us to test our faith with snakes. Nor do I believe Exodus 4:3 does anything to take away from Jesus in Matthew 7. I think both verses are lessons on different sides of the same coin. We are to trust God with our needs and trust the revelation He gives us for that need.

After Moses runs from the snake in verse 4, God tells him, “Grab it by the tail.” Moses’s answer was more than a visual aid, he was required to pick it up. The same man who ran from the snake immediately picked it up, and it was then through his obedient faith the snake became a staff.

When we are given a sign or provision from God, it might be something that appears scary at first glance. Before going to Corenilus’s house in Acts 10, Peter had overcome his fear of being “unclean.” We are not to be afraid of what God reveals. A snake that terrified Moses became a tool in his hand that declared God’s blessing.

Perhaps you've been seeking a sign from God. What has He revealed to you? Does it seem unlikely to be from Him? Does it make you feel afraid? Walk the plank. What you think are sharks waiting for you in the water could be dolphins. If it is of God, it is good, is for your good, and will be good.

Written by Rev Jason Barnett, aka The Dirt Path Pastor

He serves as the Pastor at Ravenna Church of the Nazarene in Ravenna, KY and is host of The Dirt Path Sermon Podcast.