Michael Hindes

We’re off to Kenya

Kathy and I leave for Kenya tomorrow night.  We’ll be on the ground there for eight (8) full days.  This is our 10th trip there; it’s become kind of our second home…

To Live is Christ?

Philippians 1:20-25 NIV I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.

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I was in Phoenix again this past week with my friend getting chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer.  Nothing new to report, he’s been battling for 16 month - sometimes it looks like we’re winning, sometimes losing.  He just keeps fighting and we just keep praying.

I woke up the last morning of our visit with the above verses surging through my head – probably catalyzed by the previous days strenuous schedule.  For more than 14 hours we went from appointment to appointment – lab work, nurses, physicians, practitioners, nutritionists, homeopaths, and finally nine hours of chemo.  Every appointment had a little good news and a little bad news.

The day was to say the least grueling!

“For me to live is Christ, to die is gain”

That last day we had a great talk sitting in the beautiful Phoenix sun at the edge of a putting green.  We talked about life, death, fears, victories, defeats, and this verse.

Here’s what we came up with.  To die is most certainly “gain”, it’s the reward for a life lived in faith.  We’re not exactly sure of what it all looks like and how it all pans out, but we know He’s there.  And wherever He is has to be spectacular!

But what about “to live is Christ”?  What does that actually mean?  We sat for a couple of silent moments and pondered this one phrase.  Then we discussed for several minutes the ideas that came to mind.  Here’s an overview of our thoughts.

“When we get to heaven; He will be there; He’s Christ; Heaven desires us, longs for us, but it certainly doesn’t need us; because it already has a Christ.  But here, living on this earth, that’s another story.  See on this earth we are Him, the world needs us, it needs our voice, our presence, our hands, and feet.  It needs our faith, our perspective, and our take on life.  I John 4:17 tells us that just as He is in Heaven, so are we on this earth.  So in Heaven He is, but in this life we are…”

We can’t be too quick to check out of life, no matter how difficult it gets.  No matter the pain, disappointment, loss, or grief.  To choose to leave before our time would be selfish - the world needs us, because it needs Christ

So we live to fight another day…

a few years back JT got a hole in one on a short par three, he actually hit the ball directly in the trash can from the tee box - here’s the proof, and I have witnesses

Living in the Now

One morning last week I had coffee with an incredible young man. In fact six-seven mornings a week you can find me having coffee with incredible young men and women. It’s kinda what I do - disciple, coach, pastor. I’m not really sure what you’d call it. We normally discuss life, spirituality, character, family, the past, dreams, fears. And together we try to find some answers to the old familiar nagging questions.

But something got in my spirit a week ago that has pestered me ever since. I’m not sure who first said it, how they said it, or who clarified what was said. But here it is - “Kingdom living is about living in the now”. No biggie right? No great revelation here? Except for the fact I can’t shake it…

Most “regular” people live in the past - past hurts, past failures, past rejections, even a few past successes. Most are usually so tethered to their pasts that it takes a lot of intentional work to help them walk free.

Then there’s “church” people, who rather than dwelling on the past, choose to focus on the future. Not the near future, not the plans for their lives and families, but the distant future - “the sweet by and by”. The rougher the economy, the more the Middle East is in the news, the more social issues get resolved by “those liberals”, and the more “us conservatives” lose our political strongholds - the more I hear talk about rapture and heaven.

I read about it all over Facebook and hear about it regularly from family and friends. This “future focus” really bothers me. Although, I’m not really concerned that I’ll miss my heavenly future, I’m really concerned that they’ll miss their heavenly present.

Christians get caught between these two things - their past with its defeats and their future with its triumph. Although my eschatology isn’t as it use to be, I still believe in something awesome and spectacular beyond this life. But my focus on heaven today is about worshipping Him rather than any reward, accolade, or escape I might step into…

Thought: to only focus on the distant future in order to overcome the pain of our not so distant past, does absolutely nothing about influencing others in the present.

Remember, “Kingdom living is about living in the NOW”.

Let’s end this by looking at Jesus’s perspective - “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow… (Matt 6:33-34 Message)