Moving to NC!

WFPC

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:3-6)

OK, folks, pretty much everyone we needed to tell personally has received the news by now, so Rebekah and I have agreed  it’s time for me to “spill the beans” via my blog. Besides, we’re already being “scooped” by half the population on Facebook!

THE FACTS: First, the short version; after almost 17 years in Brandon, Florida, Rebekah and I are moving to North Carolina.

Sunday morning (June 16), following an enthusiastic report from their “Pastor Nominating Committee,” the congregation of Wake Forest Presbyterian Church voted, unanimously, to extend a call to Rebekah to be their new senior pastor/head of staff; she will begin her ministry there in mid-August.

Rebekah

THE STORY: The whole story – of course – turns out to involve much more. It starts in Pensacola, back in 1982, where “ACT I” comprised a rich and exciting 14-year ministry with Trinity Presbyterian Church. The story has grown and continued (“ACT II”) here in Brandon, where we have enjoyed almost 17-years of a shared faith-journey that has been startling in the scope of its blessings, but quite impossible to summarize in a few words (so I’ll save that for another post).

ACT II has been such a positive affirmation that – a few months ago – it became clear to both of us that we should be open to talking about the possibility of pairing Rebekah’s passion for discipleship with one more community of faith.

But it had to be a church that both needs to take a fresh look at those “R” words we’ve been talking about, and is ready to take a fresh look at those “R” words (reconciliation, redemption, restoration, reaffirmation, rekindling, renewal, rebirth, resurrection, reawakening, reanimation…). These “R” words can be – and will be – remarkable.

So, in due course, and according to the mysteries of providence, Wake Forest Presbyterian Church and Rebekah Maul found one-another, and fell into an increasingly deep conversation about the possibilities. There were telephone conversations, emails, a Skype interview, more conversation, the trip we both took to visit the community, and then one more Skype conversation where the seven-member team asked, beautifully, “Rebekah, would you come to Wake Forest and be our pastor?”

ACT III: This has been a journey that could only have been orchestrated by God. Both of us feel excited, motivated, and specifically called to move to North Carolina and to begin “ACT III” in the context of the hope and promise-laden challenge that is the faith community known as WFPC.

I promise to write more about this wonder and joy in posts to come, but for today I want all of you to pray for the following:

• Wake Forest Presbyterian Church; that they will be open to the moving of the Spirit as they renew their commitment as Followers of the Way of Jesus.
• First Presbyterian Church of Brandon; that they will enthusiastically embrace the possibilities and the promise of a new direction in the near future.
• Rebekah and Derek Maul; that we will continue to be sensitive to God’s leading as we negotiate the myriad details involved in relocating after 17 amazing years here in Brandon with this faithful church family we love so deeply.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:3-6)

New Baby!

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)

Craig with the new Campbell, “Rebekah Mae”

This is Rebekah Mae Campbell; she was born early this morning, June 18 2013; she weighs 9 pounds 8 ounces; she is our new granddaughter; she is loved.

For nine months, or thereabouts, this particular miracle of grace and joy has been preparing for the day she would move out of her comfort zone and into the amazing and wondrous panoply of possibilities that we call “life.”

And so, wondrous miracle of grace, here are a few words of welcome.

First, know that you are loved beyond the scope of reason or imagination. Personally, I have spent a lifetime thus far learning to understand the depth, the breadth, the length… and any other parameter that helps define that love; and I can tell you with complete assurance that there are no limits to the kind of love you have been born into. Enjoy.

Then, I want you to understand that you already have everything you will ever need. For the next 18 years or so, until you become  a legal adult, this world is going to try to convince you that you need a wide array of material things in order to be happy. I want you to know right now that you don’t.

You see, you have a family that loves you, you will develop meaningful relationships with many good people, you will learn and grow and play and develop your unique gifts, and you will discover how your identity as a child of God makes everything complete. So don’t be distracted by what is false, and what will lead you away from the Gospel of Love.

And that’s all for this morning, Rebekah Mae. I am so thankful for your life, and so full with anticipation and joy for what the future will bring. Children really are God’s answer of hope and promise for a world that so often forgets about what really matters. I know you will help me to remind them all.

In love, and because of love – your Grandaddy Derek

The Good Fight

Thoughts from the desk of Derek

But you, man of God… pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:11-12)

Yesterday in church my Everyday Christianity class talked about First Timothy. It was the latest book in our “read through the New Testament” series, and probably one of the most misunderstood. It’s easy to get hung up on specific social commentary relevant to the Roman world (circa 100 CE) and, consequently, to forget the book’s rich collection of spiritual insight.

We talked about a lot of things, but for me the conversation about what it means to “fight the good fight of the faith” was the most challenging – and I mean “challenging” in a good way.

MONDAY: “Fighting the good fight” turns out to be a great thought for Monday morning, a day when a lot of us need a boatload of inspiration and encouragement to emerge from the weekend with a sense of motivation and direction.

It’s almost as if Monday surprises us – every week – and we have to deal with the fact that life is seldom an easy challenge to engage; and sometimes we’re tired before we even begin, and discouraged, and in a rut; and we think, “Well, shouldn’t it be easier than this?”

And here’s where faith works so well, because God doesn’t promise to make things easy, just wonderful. So we truly must apply the principles of the good fight, not just because life is worth the effort, but because this is exactly how things work.

ACTION: The text instructs us to, “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…” There’s nothing passive about that idea. We haven’t been introduced to this “New Life in Christ” in order to wait around for the blessings to come rolling in, delivered directly to our doorstep. No, we are told to, “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness…”

• “Pursue”
• “Fight”
• “Take hold of…”

Is there a pattern here? A theme, maybe? An imperative to actually, and proactively, “Live into” what God intends for us to experience?

Of course there is. It’s the pattern of “the life that is truly life” (verse 19).

It’s a new week, people, another Monday, another “this is the day the Lord has made.” Time to “TAKE HOLD,” time to live like we mean it - DEREK

Surrender.2

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Encouraging one-another!

couple of days ago I used the phrase, “Surrender to God is not about giving up, but about giving over.” Here’s the exact quote, from “Giving the Garden Back to God.”

SURRENDER: “Giving it back to God” turns out to be a useful plan for life in general. And I’m talking about surrender rather than resignation. Resignation has to do with giving up, whereas surrender has to do with giving over.

So Rebekah and I were talking about the idea this morning, over our daily “coffee and newspaper before breakfast” ritual. I had sighed – fairly deeply – about something, and then she had responded with, “Isn’t that the whole idea of surrender to God? Giving over all of our uncertainty, and letting go of our need to feel like we’re always in control, and then replacing it with faith, and belief, and the confidence of stepping into God’s promises?”

Whatever it was that I was concerned about didn’t go away, but the cutting edge of my anxiety was replaced with the unmistakable fact of God’s comfort and presence. I didn’t “give up,” but instead I “gave the situation over” to God.

TWO THINGS: So there are two principles I want to communicate in this post this morning:

1. The first is the beauty of walking with God on a day-to-day basis. My confidence in God grows with every step; not God making things necessarily any easier, but God being in things and – consequently – inhabiting the processes with grace and hope and promise.
2. The second is the beauty of walking in faith with Rebekah, of having these spiritual conversations as a part of the routine of life. I’ll say it again, we should not imagine our “spiritual life” as distinct from our “life.” Our life is our spiritual life. This is (must be) true of our relationships as well, and most especially with our spouse.

So, peace – the peace that is outside of our traditional human understanding – to you all on this day - DEREK

World News

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:16-18)

World news headlines this week have continued to push the envelope in terms of the dramatic:

• Espionage!
• Espionage against our own citizens!
• Riots in Turkey!
• War and revolution!
• Storms bringing floods and tornadoes!
• Iconic world leaders at death’s door (Mandela)!
• Wildfires!
• Kidnappings!
• Murder!
• More, much more!!

Meanwhile, commentators like me doggedly advocate for positive change via the invitation to becomeFollowers of The Living Way of Jesus.

SO WHAT? Nice. Bravo. “Preach it!” Whoop-de-do. However, having made such a profound statement of applied faith, what does that look like? And how “in the world” can being a disciple of Jesus actually make any difference?

Good question. So today, in one more of those handy “Top-10″ lists, I have included the following, “10 Ways You Can Change the World for Good.”

1. Believe, with a passion, from the moment your eyes open and your feet hit the floor on your side of the bed…
2. Live as if what you say you believe is actually true (live faith out loud)…
3. Harness the power of prayer as a constant open line of communication…
4. Let love be your guide (see 1 John 4)…
5. Live with an “attitude of gratitude,” front and center…
6. “Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourself” (Philippians 2:3)…
7. Never begin a conversation without first placing Jesus, visually, in the room with you…
8. Use your gifts as resources placed, by God, in trust with you…
9. Become a committed, active member of a faith community…
10. Tell the truth about the Gospel of Love, simply by being….

STARTING PLACE: This list is neither definitive nor all-encompassing. However, if everyone in the USA who is even vaguely interested in faith were to follow these ten principles, then the consequence would be to effectively change individuals, families, churches, communities, and – eventually – nations.

Listen closely. I’m not suggesting conversion to a religion. Instead, I’m simply recommending a conscious decision to follow Jesus. If you do, if you dare to live this challenge, then I can promise you nothing less than a transformed life… in a transformed world.

So, are you in? - DEREK

Open-Spirited

Jesus asked [Bartimaeus], “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see.” (Mark 10:51)

Thoughts from the desk of Derek

THE LETTER “R” - Sunday morning, the focus at First Presbyterian Church of Brandon was on “R”-words. Not just R, but words that started with “RE.” You know, words such as “redemption,” “renewal,” “resurrection,” and “remarkable.”

Tim – who was preaching – opened by pointing out that, over the previous two weeks, Rebekah had already focused on “remember,” and “reconciliation;” and then she interrupted him to point out that she is an “R-word” too.

My “Everyday Christianity” class picked up the theme during our church-school hour discussion of First Peter, adding several relevant R-words to the mix. Then, later, I couldn’t help but think about ideas such as “relationships,” “reality,” “renovation,” “restoration,” and “rejuvenation” when it comes to our experience of living faith.

THE LETTER “C” - In the evening our small-group met. 18 of us sitting around a large, square, table for dinner, conversation, study, support, prayer and encouragement; it’s always a beautiful and affirming experience.

Our current study – in another nod to the Sesame-Street Presbyterian Church style of learning – is being brought to us by the letter “C.” We’ve been talking about leadership in terms of Competence, Courage, Clarity, Coaching and Character (From Andy Stanley’s book, Next Generation Leader).

Clarity (yesterday’s word) is one of my favorites. Clarity is one of my “10 Life-Charged Words,” yet it seems like too many of us live in a spiritual fog and routinely experience a “now I see through a glass, darkly” kind of a world.

Fact is, Jesus was forever telling people things like:

• “Open your eyes!”
• “If you only had ears, then maybe you could hear!”
• “If you all paid attention then you might get it!”
• “How many different ways do I have to explain this to you?”
• “Are you people even listening?”
• “Could you [disciples] be any thicker if you tried?”

If the word “duh!” had been invented 2,000 years ago, then Jesus would have made a point of using it all the time!

OPEN-SPIRITED: When I wrote 10 Life-Charged Words I coined the phrase “open-spirited” to describe people who are willing to see with new eyes and to ask Jesus in to add clarity to their vision. However, not only did spell-check have a hard time with the concept, but one of my editors kept changing “open-spirited” to “open-minded.”

“No,” I had to say, “leave it alone! The term open-spirited is both descriptive and prescriptive. If we’re going to gain clarity, then we must approach life, and faith, and relationships, and the future, with open spirits.”

I like that. So I’ll repeat it. It probably should be my entire post.

If we’re going to gain clarity, then we must approach life, and faith, and relationships, and the future, with open spirits.

- DEREK

I surrender all

NOTE: Read this blog at its home location www.derekmaul.wordpress.com:

Here in the Tampa area we’re well into our “summer pattern” of Florida weather. That means heat, humidity, afternoon storms and the occasional tropical system blowing through.

One positive about all this (mostly) is the unremitting growth. Grass, flowers, trees, mold, weeds, everything. You name it, and it’s going to grow, grow, grow. Our new sod is beautiful; thick, green, tall. Even the old grass is doing well.

Then there are my favorites, the beautiful flowers you see in the picture. I’m sure they have a scientific classification, but Rebekah and I simply call them “Rain Lilies,” because every time it rains we get a new flush that seem to appear without any prior announcement. They last just a few days, then wither away in the heat. But every time there’s a fresh rain the lilies come back, bright and fresh and full of affirmation.

Our Rain Lilies have proliferated well beyond our carefully conceived plans. Instead of “a few along this pathway,” and “a bunch under this tree,” the lilies have taken up residence in three distinct areas: “hither,” “thither,” and “yon.” They seem to have a more balanced sense of outdoor design than the naive homeowners who first tried sketching it all out on a graph before eventually throwing their hands in the air.

Rebekah has a phrase for this level of landscape architecture. “We’ve given the garden back to God,” she says.

SURRENDER: “Giving it back to God” turns out to be a useful plan for life in general. And I’m talking about surrender rather than resignation. Resignation has to do with giving up, whereas surrender has to do with giving over.

• Not “Giving up,” but “Giving over.“

Personally, I’ve found that’s when I tend to bloom; that’s when I shine like “the lilies of the field;” that’s when the refreshing rain of God’s love, and grace, and mercy transform me – albeit for just a short while – into something alive, vibrant, and beautiful!

– DEREK

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

I surrender all,
I surrender all.
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame.
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory to His name!

Judson W. Van De Venter, 1896