Sounds like a great rock band name, doesn’t it? No, it is a pool problem.

Chemical lock is actually when you have too much stabilizer in a pool. Stabilizer, or cyanuric acid for you academic types, keeps the chlorine from evaporating too quickly in sunlight. Too little and the chlorine leaves the water without treating it; too much and the chlorine gets “locked” in the water and can’t do the job. We need a healthy balance.

The only solution to chemical lock is to replace the water… all the water. The problem with only getting rid of some of the water is the existing water continues to pollute the new water and we are never quite clear of the problem. We had this problem and we needed to empty the entire pool.

Seems like God has to do that with us, too.

Our stabilizer is self-worth, which can act like an acid in all our relationships, especially the one we have with God. If we have too little, we become poor stewards over what God provides and have little foundation in anything we do; too much, we become acidic in all our relationships and have little foundation in anything we do. We need a healthy balance.

Here’s the irritating rub: Unlike the pool, the source of our self-worth is equally as important as the amount. If the source of our self-worth is polluted, so will any amount we carry with us. To fix this problem, God empties us entirely and gives us a new self-worth originating with Him.

Jesus spoke about this often, explaining how the old will be replaced by the new. He compared this process to new wine poured into new wineskins. Since the old wineskins would burst, everything had to be replaced. Clearly, His point is the old and new cannot co-exist. Paul was writing about this in his second letter to the Corinthians, in verse 5:17, where he states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

The emphasis in Paul’s words is the old is ALL GONE, nothing remains of it. That is, we are completely emptied and renewed by God.

Emptying the pool of all water is real work:

• It is messy (the water is greenish-black and rank).
• It is wet (remember, it is water).
• It is painful (there’s no resting here, you gotta move or the liner will skrink). 

Being emptied by God is real work:

• It is messy (some memories are greenish-black and rank).
• It is wet (real men cry, too).
• It is painful (there’s no resting here, you gotta move through it).

The result of this process in the pool is clarity.

My experience of this process in life is clarity.

While I cannot guarantee the same results in your life, I am fairly confident it will be better then some sort of chemical lock or polluted self-worth.

Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com
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After going through the normal spring chore of changing the oil and sharpening the blades, a bracket on the mower deck came loose on its first voyage around the yard. Turns out this bracket is fairly vital in keeping the pulleys all working together instead of against each other. Within seconds, this thing ate itself alive… I mean, it literally tore itself up, grinding pulleys and ripping off other brackets, shearing springs, and shredding the belts.

It was pretty cool in a “whoa, demolition derby” sort of way; not so cool in a “now I have to replace it” sort of way.

I spent $20 on a parts mower with the incredible idea of taking parts from both mowers and making a super lawn machine… yeah, as-if… just call me John Deere the tractor man. After two hours of poking around both mowers, I came to the conclusion they are fairly incompatible, not made for each other, and no matter how I tried the relationship would not work. The path I was taking to solve my problem was not working.

So, last night I ended up push mowing my yard and then it hits me: Here I am trying to carve time out of my schedule to walk, jog, or workout to keep in shape, and at the same time I am trying to scrape some money together to buy another riding mower to lug my lard-butt around the yard when mowing. Hello? Glenn? I found a new path to solve my problem, and this one went back and forth across my yard behind a push mower.

So often we tend to focus on the problem when the solution is right in front of us. One of my favorite passages in Scripture is Hebrews 12:2, which tells us, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” This is one of my favorites because it reminds me of several things all at once:

• Jesus is bigger and better than any problem I am facing.
• I need to focus less on the problems in life and more on Christ.
• Jesus is the source of my faith.
• Jesus endured the Cross for me.
• Jesus is alive.
• Jesus is sitting on the throne.

I believe Jesus gives us peace through our relationship with Him. We have a responsibility in this relationship just as we do in any other relationship – in this one, we have to keep our focus on Him. There are many solutions in this focus and peace, so much so that some problems simply cease to exist. I can’t really explain it any better than some problems simply cease to exist… when this happens for you, you will know what I mean.

Last night I push mowed my yard. I had two very minor problems get answered in one solution, yet in a way the problems simply ceased to exist. No one dropped off a mower or a rowing machine; in this situation, finding a different path provided the solution.

I wonder how often the Lord is waiting to answer our prayers when we first take a step on a new path. What about you? What do you think is waiting for you if you take a new path to solving a problem?

Glenn Sasscer
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Is it possible some Christian leaders today have fallen into the same trap as the Pharisees? Jesus spoke about them in Matthew 23:2-3, saying, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees… they tell you what to do and you should obey… but do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”

The sad thing here is I don’t have to give any examples to drive this point home. As you read this, you are probably already thinking of a few prominent leaders caught in the very sin they preached heavily against. My criticism here is not so much to their stumble into the sin as to their preaching on the rules and not to the heart of the matter: the relationship.

We are told Jesus is to be our example. Ok, how did Jesus minister?

Check out how He calls Matthew to follow Him in Matthew 9:9: “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”

Notice there wasn’t a part where He told Matthew to go get cleaned up? Notice there wasn’t a part where He told Matthew to change first?

Dirty laundry? So what?

Jesus did the same thing with brothers, Peter and Andrew, telling them in Matthew 4:19-20, “‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said… At once they left their nets and followed him.”

Dirty laundry? So what?

Again, there are no clean-up instructions, no rules, no religious rites they must go through in order to follow Jesus. Jesus accepts them, flaws and all. When Jesus ministers to them, He does not minister by telling them the rules and how to follow them, but instead He ministers to their heart and works through their motivation. He accepts them as friends and ministers through His relationship with them.

The Apostle Paul followed this example; he ministered through relationships with each church he planted and through his friends. He felt no pressure to claim to be something or someone he was not, but instead wrote in Philippians 3:13, “…I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…”
 
In other verses, Paul confesses he is not perfect and warns he is not the one to follow, but points us to our example in Jesus. Paul knew he wasn’t perfect and didn’t expect or tell others to be perfect. Paul ministered by speaking about his relationship with Jesus and encouraging others in their relationship.

With faith or without, most family counselors will tell parents that rules without relationship will lead to rebellion. This is probably a good reminder for all Christians. Perhaps we should focus more on the relationship and less on the rules man tries to place on the relationship… aka religion.

Perhaps then, when our dirty laundry is aired, there will be less fingers pointing at us and a few more helping us.

Glenn Sasscer
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You know what I’m talking about, right? If you drift a little while driving your car, your wheels start to hum when they come in contact with the rumble strips, alerting you to veer back onto the road.

My kids think it sounds like passing gas, so you know their comments each time I cut onto the off ramp a touch to early and run over a few strips. Some no passing lanes have rumble strips in shorter frequency, but they are still enough to get a comment out of the kids.

For those of you who are suckers for the odd bits of trivia (and you know who you are), the rumble strip was first introduced in New Jersey in 1952 to keep the New Jersey ditches from filling up with cars. They are successful in alerting drivers and preventing accidents, except cyclists and the Amish don’t care much for them. Cyclist just don’t have enough padding in those funny shorts they wear and the Amish claim rumble strips are hazardous for their horse-drawn carriages – so much so, they successfully lobbied the State of Michigan to have some paved over in 2009. An Amish lobbyist… that would be a unique job.

Love them or hate them, we find those comment inducing, cyclist’s bum bumping, Amish hazards on most major highways today, and many can thank them for the alert when they might have otherwise drifted off the road.

The rumble strips may keep us alert when driving a car or truck, but what about navigating in life? This is where I really need the rumble strips and maybe more so than when driving a car. When temptation takes my focus off my purpose in life, I need a rumble strip to alert me and keep me out of the ditch. When my anger or frustration sends me off the path, a rumble strip would be great to knock my attitude back in line. When worries, fear, or suspicion clouds my vision and I drift a little, a rumble strip would be a great reminder to take a deep breath and relax.  

Those rumble strips don’t exist. A pity, huh? Instead, the Lord encourages us in Deuteronomy 5:32-33:

So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

Any encouragement that comes with a Spock-like promise to live long and prosper is really pretty good encouragement, yet not too many of us take the Lord up on this promise. I know I find myself turning to the right and to the left so much, that if you charted my progress in life it would be a zigzag line. Maybe the rumble strips in life are the sound we make when we rumble about our circumstances?

Whether veering to the right or to the left, my goal is to continue forward, stumbling and falling, but still making progress. I am thankful for a forgiving Lord who sees past my flaws, my rumble strips, and my complaints… and sees me not for who I am, but who I will be at the end of the journey.
Glenn Sasscer
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Replacing the cable took all of about twenty minutes. Taking the bracket that was in the way off and reinstalling it took about seven hours. The problem with the bracket was a hidden nut.

I seriously worked for about five hours trying to remove this stupid bracket, not knowing there was a hidden nut in a spot I could not see from under the car. I finally ended up on the Internet and found a website where someone knew exactly how to address the hidden nut.

No matter where we are in life, there seems to always be at least one nut causing us frustration or some form of anxiety. Whether this nut is on a car, part of the family, a coworker, someone at school or church, someone managing select baseball and putting locks on soccer field gates, or a neighbor, we will encounter a nut in some form and have to react to it or him.

How will we react?

Let’s consider the hidden nut on the car. I didn’t ignore it. I couldn’t walk away from this nut and leave it alone. I had to come to terms with this nut and address the issue it was causing. I could have cut the bracket off and been done with it (and don’t think I didn’t consider this path), but there was a purpose to the bracket, which means there was and is a purpose to the nut.

And, when we really consider the nuts in our lives, isn’t there always an overriding purpose for them?

There is a verse in 1 Corinthians 14:33 that tells us, “…God is not a God of disorder but of peace…” If we are in a situation where a nut is taking away our peace, it may be God has some intention or purpose for the nut and we have something to learn.

Ignoring the nut does not address the issue or the nut, it just extends the amount of time we have to deal with the nut. With the car, I found someone who knew the purpose for the nut and knew what to do. In life, there is Someone who knows the purpose for the nut and knows what to do.

A passage in Acts 17:26-27 states that God determines the times set for people, “…and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that [we] would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”

It may be that sometimes… just sometimes… the purpose of the nut is to get us to reach out to God for direction.

How are you dealing with that nut today?

Glenn Sasscer
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I immediately told him I didn’t believe him. I told him I thought he was a great goalie. Then, I asked him where the game is played. At this age, the game is played in their head before it makes it to the field. They have to be thinking about the game, thinking through their kicks, and setting up their shots. Otherwise, they are just kicking the ball around.

I told Eli to tell himself he was a good goalie, to which he replied, “I might be able to say in my head, but I’m not sure my body will know it.”

He blocked five shots to the goal during that quarter.

Encouragement can change someone; the lack of encouragement can shut them down.

Over this past weekend, I came across an awesome encourager in Scripture. We find his story beginning in Acts 4:36.

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement)…

Now here’s this guy named Joe who was such an encourager, the apostles gave him a nickname to set him apart from other “average Joes”… Barnabas, Son of Encouragement!

Later in Acts, we find this guy hanging out with Paul… you know, the Super Apostle? Paul is known as one of the most influential early Christians and missionaries in Scripture and secular history. I wonder how far Paul would have gotten if God hadn’t paired him up with the likes of Barnabas?

We also find Barnabas taking a stand with a guy named John Mark. It seems the young John Mark tagged along on one of Paul’s first missionary journeys when it became too much for him and he dropped out. That was a strike-out for Paul, but not for Barnabas. Check it out in Acts 15:37-38:

Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.

By the time they were done discussing this, Paul went one way with Silas and Barnabas when another way with John Mark. Now, here is where I have to wonder if Barnabas would not have stood his ground, what would have happened with John Mark? I mean, this could have been a complete shutdown in God’s service for John Mark, but Barnabas stood by him and encouraged him. The game is played in his head before he takes it to the mission field.

By the way, with a little encouragement, John Mark went on to later write a small portion of Scripture we know now as the Gospel of Mark.

Encouragement can change someone; the lack of encouragement can shut them down. Is there someone you need to encourage today?

Glenn Sasscer
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Jenny walks up the driveway and through the front path leading to the lawn. Do you remember Jenny in Forrest Gump?

• This is on-again, off-again Jenny.
• This is leave-without-saying-goodbye-Jenny.
• This is anger-filled-Jenny.
• This is stone-throwing-Jenny.
• This is abandoned-Jenny.
• This is selfish-Jenny.
• This is hurting-Jenny.
• This is broken-Jenny.

An analysis of Jenny, at least the character in the movie, is not a judgment on her lifestyle, but a reflection on how many of us relate to this character and her feelings. Forrest has nothing by genuine love for her, yet we watch her scorn his emotions, leave him, abandon him, and chuck him aside for something less fulfilling.

And, each time she re-enters Forrest’s life, he accepts her without question, without comment, and without hesitation. The writers knew what they were doing when they wanted to express unconditional love in the character of Forrest Gump.

I am not saying Forrest Gump is God… yet, I find myself pulling a Jenny with Him way too many times in some area of my life. I am the on-again, off-again Jenny with worship. I am the leave-without-saying-goodbye-Jenny in the middle of prayer. I am the anger-filled-Jenny when I don’t get my way. I am the stone-throwing-Jenny when I want to lash out in my anger. I play the abandoned-Jenny when I think God isn’t paying attention anymore.

And, how does God respond? Jesus shares the prodigal son parable with His disciples to express His Father’s love and acceptance. Luke 15:20 is the specific verse revealing the heart of God, and the true nature of unconditional love when the prodigal son returns home:

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

In the scene mentioned above, Forrest Gump stops his mower and impulsively runs to Jenny. They speak for a moment and embrace. Forrest Gump yet again accepts Jenny without question, without comment, and without hesitation.

Again, I am not saying Forrest Gump is God or God is Forrest Gump. What I am saying is that as tired as I am of being the Prodigal Jenny, I am so grateful for each and every time He accepts me without question, without comment, and without hesitation. His unconditional love for me – and for you – is far beyond what our lifestyles, actions, or problems can limit.

As Forrest Gump would put it, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

Glenn Sasscer
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I’m not real sure why she thought she had to wait until the third year of soccer… is there a waiting period for those kinds of questions? If my son were playing football, would she only have to wait two years? 

Yet now, I guess I can see why she might be hesitant to ask the question: she was opening a door and who knows what lies behind it. If you open this door with some Christians, they might thump you with the Bible and shower you with judgment, while others get smug, preachy, and condescending… and once this door opens, there is no closing it without closing the door on the whole relationship. So, it took her three years to figure out it might be safe enough to crack this door open a little and see what pours out.

So, what kind of a minister am I? Perhaps some would say I’m not a very good one if I have to be asked, but let’s not open their doors here… we wouldn’t want all that judgment spilling out all over the place.

I explained our church structure, but I am not sure that answered her question. So, for Rose, let me try to explain a little better:

Well, first I am a sinner. I am a heathen. I am a broken, lost, miserable soul. I am desperate, starving, and thirsty. I am a foolish, self-centered, egomaniac. And, this is the good stuff! It all just goes down hill from here. Yet in all honesty, this is the truth; I’m not writing this to be funny.

I’m not a person who got all cleaned up to become ordained… if that were the criteria, I would still be in the bath. I am still drenched in sin. By all appearances, I am still a heathen. Yet, this very condition is what reminds me of how desperately hungry and thirsty I am for salvation. My brokenness… my foolishness… these qualities are what makes me a minister. These are my core values, because without these I wouldn’t have a need for Jesus.

I minister out of relationship. I have a relationship with Jesus Christ and becamea minister for Him. I do not have a relationship with religion, legalism, judgment, or criticism, so I cannot minister in these areas.

Think of it as being really thirsty and getting a drink of water at the fountain, then showing others where they can get a drink. Some ministers may think they need to be the water or the fountain, but who would want a drink of that? Ministers are not the water, but we can show others where to get water.

Are you thirsty? Let me know. I know of this awesome Fountain and I’ll be glad to open the door for you.

Glenn Sasscer
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Those following my blog by email may wonder if this is spam? Is Glenn writing again?

It has been four months and four days since my last article to the blog. Why? Actually, several reasons, a few I am just now beginning to realize.

One, something inside was questioning my purpose in writing. Was it self-indulgence? Was it ministry? Was it something else?

Two, that same something inside was questioning the effectiveness of what I was writing. Was it meeting the purpose in the question above?

And three, I personally thought my writing was getting stale… at least to me. Every writer, no matter what the subject, genre, or style of writing, writes to a certain degree for their own enjoyment of putting the words together. This is probably true with anyone who creates, whether assembling words, machines, cars, or anything else. When we truly enjoy putting it all together, there is a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment… a sense I was losing four months ago.

There may be a four and five to the reasons for the writing sabbatical, but let’s roll with these three for now. Any other reasons are much deeper and will probably come out in the writing topics over the next few months.

By the way, if you are receiving this by email and want to unsubscribe, now is your time… I may begin a little slower at first, like two or three posts a week, but I will likely work back up to four to five posts… a daily post for encouragement.

Get out now before I build up steam.

Glenn Sasscer
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As some might already know, the word “Christmas” originates as a compound meaning “Christ’s mass”. It is derived from Old English Crīstesmæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038.

When we break down Crīstesmæsse further, we find Christes comes from the Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of the Hebrew word meaning “Messiah”; and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist.

“Xmas” is not an abbreviation of Christmas, but an alternate form based on the initial letter chi (Χ) in Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), or “Christ”. While some think it is taking Christ out of Christmas, the origins show it is merely another representation of Christ in the word.

This may be interesting to some, but does it answer the question as to the correct name for the holiday? No. The reason is simple: it is not the name of the holiday that gives the celebration the meaning; it is the intent of our hearts and our purpose in the celebration. Knowing the origins merely helps us formulate a response to those taking offense to the name we use for the holiday.

I’m not citing exact figures here, but let’s just say there are a gajillion people celebrating Christmas as believers (aka Christians). We have to recognize there are also a cazillion atheists celebrating a day off work, cashing in on Christmas deals, and many are exchanging gifts in their own traditions.

Does it really matter to me if they call the day a Winter Holiday and I call it Christmas? Am I offended? Absolutely not.

Does it bother me if they are offended? Absolutely not.

With the options available to us today, if someone is offended by the holiday name “Christmas”, they can buy a calendar that calls the day whatever they want to call it. I will not require them or expect them to call it Christmas, but they shouldn’t require or expect me to call it what they want to call it, either.

Yet, as a believer, what should be my response? Let’s check out Peter’s answer in 1 Peter 3:15-16:

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

My response should begin with knowing in my heart Christ is my Lord. My relationship with Him lays this out very well. Then, I should be prepared to give an answer if questioned regarding my hope, faith, or relationship with Christ. But, and here is the huge point often overlooked, my response must always be given with gentleness and respect.

These last two words are the key to expressing the true meaning of the holiday: Love.

What will be your response?

Glenn Sasscer
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