self HEALTH

I don't think I have ever posted an entire sermon on my blog, but as I was putting this together I thought it would be good to share. I am starting a series called "self HEALTH," which will focus on emotional health and spirtual transformation. With all of this talk about exercise, losing weight and getting into shape, I wanted to through into getting our emotional/spiritual life in shape. Much of the material was inspired by Peter Scazzero's Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. (See my current reading list below for a link to the book.) He has written the book that I wish I would have written. His premise is right on...there is no spiritual health without emotional health.

May God bless your 2007. May he continue to transform you by the Spirit into the image of the Son for the Joy of God the Father.

self HEALTH
A Sermon by Derek Vreeland

Who are you?

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” [20] He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” [21] And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” [22] So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” [23] He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” John 1:19-23 ESV


We are called to offer our selves to God, but how can we do that if we don’t even know who we are?


“I shall therefore confess both what I know of myself and what I do not know. For even what I know about myself I only know because your light shines upon me.”
Augustine, Confessions (400 AD)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:26-27 ESV

Our self has worth and dignity,because our self is a reflection of who God is.

In pursuit of a more healthy self, we want to avoid two very distinct ruts:

Rut #1: Exaltation of self
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment…
Romans 12:3 ESV

Rut #2: Annihilation of self
For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
Luke 9:25 ESV

Subordination of self
Who I am is important, but who I am is a creation of God.
I am created BY him and FOR him.

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
Colossians 1:16 ESV


The way of self health in the image of God includes:

1) A healthy thought life
Everything in our self is held together by our thinking.

The only thing you can do with unhealthy thoughts is to replace them with good thoughts.
Good thoughts are God’s thoughts.
God’s thoughts are in God’s book.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2 ESV

2) Healthy choices
As you look back at your life, where you are today and who you are today, is mostly a matter of your choices.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live…
Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV


3) A healthy emotional life
God feels.
You were created in the image of God.
You were created to feel.

Your emotional life is a part of who you are. You cannot get yourself healthy, without emotional health.

Emotions fall into eight major categories:
1. Anger (fury, hostility, irritability, annoyance)
2. Sadness (grief, self-pity, despair, dejection, loneliness)
3. Fear (anxiety, edginess, nervousness, fright, terror)
4. Enjoyment (joy, relief, contentment, delight, thrill euphoria, ecstasy)
5. Love (acceptance, trust, devotion, adoration)
6. Surprise (shock, amazement, wonder)
7. Disgust (contempt, scorn, aversion, distaste, revulsion)
8. Shame (guilt, remorse, humiliation, embarrassment)


To ignore your emotional life is a path towards self-destruction.

There is no need to fear or ignore your emotions, because in and of themselves emotions are morally neutral.

Jesus felt all eight emotions:
1. He felt anger over the moneychangers in the temple. (Matt 21:12)
2. He felt sadness and wept over Jerusalem knowing the city would reject him. (Luke 19:41)
3. He felt fear in the garden of Gethsemane, knowing his death was imminent (Luke 22:42)
4. He felt joy when the seventy-two returned with a good report. (Luke 10:21)
5. He felt love for the rich young ruler who came to him asking about eternal life. (Mark 10:21)
6. He felt surprise that a father questioned his willingness to heal his son. (Mark 9:23)
7. He felt disgust for the Pharisees who did not practice what they preached. (Matt 23:13 ff.)
8. He felt shame during his arrest and as he hung bloody, beaten and exposed on the cross. (Luke 18:32)


To get yourself healthy you need to:
1) Know what you feel
2) Understand why you feel
3) Allow God to transform you

...all of which can happen in Christian community.

Christmas Reflections

I spent a few days offline during Christmas. I didn’t even have my laptop at home. I didn’t check email or spend much time on the internet. Ok, I did go online to check the playoff picture for my beloved Kansas City Chiefs.

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. I did not expect a huge crowd for the service. A number of people said that they would not make it, but we ended up with a full house. We worshiped Jesus as we sang the old carols. We had a Hendrix-inspired, guitar solo of “O Come All Ye Faithful” and I talked about Jesus coming as a light in dark places. Darkness leads to disorientation, depression and death, but light leads to liberation, laughter and life. Jesus said that He was (and is) the light of the world. We drank coffee and snacked and talked with friends and family. It was a great night. One of our church member’s grand-daughter said I looked like Dr. House. It must be the scruffy beard.

On Christmas Day, we opened gifts and the boys played in a sea of wrapping paper, empty boxes, Playstation 2 games and an endless collection of trains, Thomas the Train of course. I received a new Bible…a new translation actually. I am going to try out the ESV over the next year. I also received two Bob Dylan CDs – The Essential Bob Dylan
and Modern Times.

The Essential includes some of his early “classics” and Modern Times is his most recent studio release. I have been listening and my knowledge of (and love for) Dylan continues to grow. As always, I am interested in his spirituality and am looking for spiritual references in his songs. I still do not have enough evidence to cause me to doubt whether or not Bob is Brother Bob or not. Really, who I am to judge another man’s relationship with God. Before his own master he will stand or fall.

Let me share a few verses from two different songs that highlight Dylan spiritual yearnings. These lyrics form bookends around Dylan’s career. The first lines are from “Blowin’ in the Wind” and the last lines are from “Thunder on the Mountain”.

Blowin’ in the Wind (1962)
Bob Dylan

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Thunder on the Mountain (2006)
Bob Dylan

Thunder on the mountain rolling to the ground
Gonna get up in the morning walk the hard road down
Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king
I wouldn't betray your love or any other thing

Every day, I need to get up and walk down the hard road of life, ministry and service, but one day, I will stand beside my King. Amen Bob, Amen…

Wesley on Transformation

From Sermon 44: Original Sin
"Ye know that the great end of religion is, to renew our hearts in the image of God, to repair that total loss of righteousness and true holiness which we sustained by the sin of our first parent."

John Wesley

I was recently telling someone that Calvinism and Arminianism are not theologies as much as they are perspectives. Calvinism views theology from above, that is from God’s vantage point. Arminianism views theology from below from humanity’s vantage point. So for the Calvinism the chief end of man is to glorify God. This is true. For the Arminian (as represented by Wesley), the chief goal is our renewal, our transformation into God’s image. I think they are both right. I think God is glorified when we are transformed into his image, the image of his Son.


Theodore Runyon in THE NEW CREATION: THE WESLEYAN DISTINCTIVE notes that Wesley had a relational and real change in his understand of salvation. In justification, there is a relational change, whereby our relationship is restored. In sanctification, there is a real change whereby the Holy Spirit renews us into the image of God. Runyon points out that this is more Trinitarian than the typical reformed Christ-centeredness.

I was thrilled to discover this in Wesley’s theology, because it fits with my own Trinitarian view of spiritual transformation as the Spirit’s work in transforming us into the image of Son for the Father’s joy. We need a renewed relationship with God, but we equally need a renewed heart that looks more like Jesus. We need not only the forgivness of our sins in a legal sense, but we need the Spirit to renew our sin-ridden hearts into the image of Jesus.

Have a Merry Christmas!

If you are in the Americus area join us Sunday morning at 10:30am. The kids will be singing and I preach a message entitled "He Made a Way in a Manger." Come and hear the connections between Superman and the baby Jesus. Also don't miss the candlelight worship service at 6:30 pm that night. See you then...

Kansas City Chiefs' Owner Lamar Hunt died last night

Lamar Hunt, the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs died last night. Below is an article from the Kansas City Star. Hunt was an inovator and has made the NFL what it is today. He not only formed the Chiefs in 1963, but he also brought about the merger of the AFL and the NFL. The AFC trophy is named after Hunt. I appreciate his contribution to pro football and the Chiefs orgainzation. He certainly is a legend in the NFL and his memory and legacy will live on.

Chiefs founder, AFL pioneer Lamar Hunt dies
Sports visionary was an innovative businessman who turned daydreams into reality and transformed the face of pro football.

By RANDY COVITZ and KENT PULLIAM
The Kansas City Star

Lamar Hunt was a sportsman. A visionary. An entrepreneur. A gentleman. And a bit of a rebel.

Hunt, founder of the Kansas City Chiefs and one of America’s most innovative and creative sports figures of the past half-century, died about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday at a Dallas hospital of complications from prostate cancer. He was 74.

Hunt’s decision to relocate the Dallas Texans of the fledgling and struggling American Football League and rename them the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963 helped establish the region as a major-league community and ensured big-time sports would continue here for generations to come.

His belief in Kansas City was rewarded by the club’s appearance in two of the first four Super Bowls, with the Chiefs winning the NFL championship in 1970.

“He changed our way of life,” said civic booster Bill Grigsby, a member of the Chiefs broadcast team since their arrival. “Despite the fact it was tough going in the beginning, he hung in there and has done so much for Kansas City.

“He has given the people here something to hang on to and enjoy. Our life would not be the same without that man.”

Hunt was stricken with prostate cancer in September 1998 and underwent a series of chemotherapy treatments. In October 2003 he had surgery to remove the prostate gland.

“We are very grateful for the thoughts and prayers we have received over the last few weeks and we ask that our privacy be respected in this difficult time,” said Clark Hunt, one of Lamar Hunt’s four children and Chiefs chairman of the board.

“Information on memorial services will be forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Heart of a Champion Foundation.”

Hunt was one of the creators of the AFL in 1959 and was a principal negotiator in the merger of the AFL and NFL in 1966. He was credited with coining the term “Super Bowl” for what’s turned out to be the country’s most-watched sporting event, with the name coming from his children’s toy “Super Ball.”

Hunt also was a driving force in the creation of the Truman Sports Complex. The twin-stadium idea of Arrowhead Stadium, completed in 1972, and Royals Stadium in 1973 was years ahead of its time and later replicated by other cities. Hunt, in concert with the Royals, spearheaded a public initiative during 2006 in which Jackson County taxpayers approved a 3/8 -cent sales tax to help raise $575 million for renovations of Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums that will begin in 2007.

However, he was disappointed in the failure of a second initiative of $202 million that would have financed a rolling roof and fulfilled Hunt’s dream of nearly 40 years ago, when the stadium complex was designed, of bringing a Super Bowl to Kansas City.

“I would hope the dream of the rolling roof and the Super Bowl for Kansas City can be kept alive,” Hunt said at the time.

Fred Arbanas, a Chiefs Hall of Fame tight end and now a Jackson County legislator, not only played nine seasons for Hunt, but also worked with him on pushing through the stadium renovations and said Hunt never lost his humble nature.

“He was a real gentleman and a tribute to the game,” Arbanas said. “A lot of owners have been boisterous and arrogant. You never saw Lamar that way. All the trips we took on airplanes, Lamar would be helping serve food to the players, bringing them drinks and picking up the trash. He just pitched in. …

“He’s not going to be forgotten. He’s done too much for this community. The community has put out a lot of money for his football team, too, but he also took a big chance and spent a lot of money in this community.”

Hunt not only made Arrowhead Stadium a showplace for NFL games, but also was at the forefront in bringing big-time college football to Kansas City. Arrowhead has been the site for 16 college games since 1972, including four Big 12 Conference championship games and several interconference matchups such as Kansas State-California and Florida State-Iowa State.

“In so many ways, Lamar Hunt made our city major league,” said Kevin Gray, president of the Kansas City Sports Commission. “He took a gamble in bringing his team to Kansas City, and the overwhelming admiration that people have for him is remarkable.

“We take many things for granted, and we have been so blessed to have not only the finest owner in professional sports, but unquestionably one of the classiest individuals I have ever had the pleasure to know in this business.”

Clark Hunt, 41, will oversee the family’s sports interests.

Although Hunt never lived in Kansas City, he contributed significantly to the area’s economy. Hunt, as chairman of Dallas-based Unity Hunt Inc., a large, diversified private company, also owned Hunt Midwest Enterprises, located within an underground business complex in Kansas City.

Hunt Midwest Enterprises developed two multimillion-dollar recreational theme parks in Kansas City: Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun. Both parks were sold in 1995. Hunt Midwest also is the key corporation in the development of the Kansas City International Foreign Trade Zone and owns a limestone rock mining company.

“He was not just a Dallas Texan,” Grigsby said. “He’s a Kansas Citian. He left his legacy here.”

Click here to read more about Hunt's life and legacy

Also logon to www.kcchiefs.com for pictures, video and articles on Lamar Hunt.

Dylan is still asking: "When You Gonna Wake Up?"

Here is the final video from Dylan’s 1979 SNL appearance. And how timely is this song! Say what you want about Dylan’s voice, the genius in his music is its lasting quality, it’s prophetic edge, it’s ability to speak for a generation and for future generations. Do you think anybody will be singing or thinking about Beyonce’s "Irreplaceable," which is #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list today.
Give me a break.

Why is Dylan prophetic?
Two more Colorado churches have experience moral failures after news of Ted Haggard’s sins became front page news over a month ago. A youth pastorin Greenwood Village was arrested after it was discovered that he "sexually involved" with a 16 year old girl.

And more recently, Paul Barnes, senior pastor at Grace Chapel in Englewood resigned from his position after 28 years admitting that he has had sexual relationships with men and that "I have struggled with homosexuality since I was a 5-year-old boy….I can't tell you the number of nights I have cried myself to sleep, begging God to take this away."

oh boy….God help us…

When I was talking with a friend about the Ted Haggard situation, he reminded me that Jesus came with both grace and truth (John 1:8). My response to moral failure continues to be grace and truth. On the side of grace, I have stones to throw. My heart does break for the men, their families and the churches when these thing happen. I was tempted to email one of the churches, just to send them a word of encouragement, like Paul did any many of his epistles. It seems that what is trying to tear the church a part is not persecution and false doctrine that attacked to apostolic church, but sin within church leadership.

I can hear Dylan ringing in from 1979’s Slow Train Coming. Look at how prophetic these words are. Will we ever wake up???

When You Gonna Wake Up?
Bob Dylan

…Adulterers in churches and pornography in the schools,
You got gangsters in power and lawbreakers making rules.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

Spiritual advisors and gurus to guide your every move,
Instant inner peace and every step you take has got to be approved.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

Do you ever wonder just what God requires?
You think He's just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

There's a Man up on a cross and He's been crucified.
Do you have any idea why or for who He died?

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

Dylan is a bard in the truest sense. [Bard: noun: poet-prophet, declaimer of epic or heroic verse] He is able to go deep and "rip off the lid before its time." It would seem to me that Dylan’s question is still being asked: When are we gonna wake up and see that God is not there just to satisfy our desires? When are we gonna wake up and see that the way to freedom is through the cross?

Bob Dylan "Gonna Serve Somebody" - video

This video is the second installment of Bob Dylan’s October 1979 appearance on Saturday Night Live. "Gonna Serve Somebody" earned Dylan a Grammy Award in 1980 for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. This song appears on four later Dylan albums, including Dylan & the Dead (1988), recorded with the Grateful Dead.

This song also seemed to rub John Lennon the wrong way. Lennon wrote “Serve Yourself,” in obvious mockery of Dylan’s “Gonna Serve Somebody.” Lennon recorded “Serve Yourself” as a demo on November 14, 1980, before his death on December 8th that year. Lennon's song (which is filled with profanity) was released in 1998 on Lennon Anthology. The song begins: “You say you found Jesus Christ…he's the only one…you say you found Buddah sittin' in the sun, you say you found Mohammed facin' to the east…you say you found Krishna dancin' in the street. Well, there's somethin' missin' in this god almighty stew and it's your mother, your mother, don't forget your mother, lad. You gotta serve yourself… nobody gonna do it for you…you gotta serve yourself nobody gonna do it for you…" Lennon’s song is a pitful rant, but it does underscore the power of poetry that remains in Dylan’s songs. Good poetry evokes emotion. Here are the lyrics if you want to follow along. Enjoy!

Gonna Serve Somebody
Bob Dylan

You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage,
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a business man or some high degree thief,
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,
You may be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
You may be living in another country under another name

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a construction worker working on a home,
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome,
You might own guns and you might even own tanks,
You might be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk,
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk,
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything but no matter what you say

You're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Copyright © 1979 Special Rider Music

Bob Dylan "I Believe in You" - the video

In October 1979, Bob Dylan sang three songs on Saturday Night Live: “Gotta Serve Somebody","When You Gonna Wake Up" and "I Believe In You." Thanks to the global digital village and the beauty of youtube, we can all watch all three performances.

I searched for “Dylan I Believe In You” on youtube and found two other videos of Dylan perfoming "I Believe in You." One video was from 2004. Dylan’s voice sounds like it was about gone, but it does give me more of an indication of his current faith. I believe that he would not still be singing “I Believe In You” if he had truly departed from his faith in Christ. My wife said that maybe he just likes the song, which may be true. He may continue to sing it as a musician for the artistry. He could pull the existential trump card and say that the song was true when he wrote it, but that it is not true today. I disagree. I think he continues to sing it, because it is still true, he still believes. He is still praying “Don't let me drift too far…Keep me where you are…Where I will always be renewed."

Bob Dylan "I Believe in You"

I have mentioned this in a blog before, but I have been listening to more Bob Dylan recently and I cannot get this song out of my head. There is something enduring about Dylan’s songs. It is deeper than just the catchy pop melodies that get stuck in you brain and you get angry because they won’t go away. Dylan has the enduring, folk, persecuted-individualistic, thoughtful song writing ability to produce songs that will be around long after I am gone. This song is from Slow Train Coming (1979). The first of Dylan’s so-called trio of Christian albums. This song speaks of the prophet-pilgrim that stands alone in pursuit of God. It is a passion prayer. It is a song of faith and confidence and it is easy to play on guitar.

I Believe in You
Bob Dylan

They ask me how I feel
And if my love is real
And how I know I'll make it through.
And they, they look at me and frown,
They'd like to drive me from this town,
They don't want me around
'Cause I believe in you.

They show me to the door,
They say don't come back no more
'Cause I don't be like they'd like me to,
And I walk out on my own
A thousand miles from home
But I don't feel alone
'Cause I believe in you.

I believe in you even through the tears and the laughter,
I believe in you even though we be apart.
I believe in you even on the morning after.
Oh, when the dawn is nearing
Oh, when the night is disappearing
Oh, this feeling is still here in my heart.

Don't let me drift too far,
Keep me where you are
Where I will always be renewed.
And that which you've given me today
Is worth more than I could pay
And no matter what they say
I believe in you.

I believe in you when winter turn to summer,
I believe in you when white turn to black,
I believe in you even though I be outnumbered.
Oh, though the earth may shake me
Oh, though my friends forsake me
Oh, even that couldn't make me go back.

Don't let me change my heart,
Keep me set apart
From all the plans they do pursue.
And I, I don't mind the pain
Don't mind the driving rain
I know I will sustain
'Cause I believe in you.


Copyright © 1979 Special Rider Music