Open Heart Surgery @ OCBF

Last night, I visited at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, TX. Now, let's be real. You cannot live in the DFW area and not visit Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and the Potter's House. Dr. Tony Evans and Bishop T.D. Jakes are renown for their in-depth study and teaching of the Bible. So, on with the high heels and off to the next stop - Oak Cliff.

The speaker was also a draw for me to attend this particular night. The youth pastor at OCBF is Daryl Jones. For those of you who are not college football fans, Daryl Jones was the wide receiver that led University of Miami to the Rose Bowl in 2001 and was declared the most accomplished track/football athlete in UM history. Add to that impressive career a stint with the Giants and Bears. Having met Pastor Jones recently, I was intrigued by what a former star athlete would preach on and anxious to hear how God placed this call on his life. Needless to say, I was pretty pumped to visit here.

The service was a full worship experience with music and drama by the youth. Impressive and moving as it was, my focus was on what Pastor Jones' topic would be. Athletics? Running the race, as Paul would say? The wait continued as the service progressed. The sanctuary was fairly full for a Wednesday night service and I was with my new found friend, Barbara. I was welcomed by a few people and felt comfortable. Pastor Jones took the podium and the topic? Open heart surgery. Open heart surgery?? Knowing God is intentional, I eagerly waited to hear this topic to be fleshed out. I mean, how does that tie to spiritual growth?

Have you ever had open heart surgery? I have a friend who has and she will tell you it was no picnic - no walk in the park. In fact, she is still recovering. Did she choose to have the surgery? Of course not! No one walks into the doctor and requests surgery - we'd rather do anything else than get cut open. In fact, she had gone into the hospital for a fairly routine procedure that ended in emergency open heart surgery to literally save her life. While none of this experience has been remotely pleasant, she will tell you that it did save her life - literally, physically, and emotionally. It caused a paradigm shift in her perceptions of how to live, where to live, and where to give of herself in service to others.

That was the point of the message. "God's Word is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intent of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 God's Word causes a paradigm shift in our lives when we read it, meditate on it, and live it out. It divides what is of me and my motives from what is of God. Is that always pleasant? No. In fact, sometimes it's pretty painful. No one likes surgery or the recovery period that follows. But, when the healing process is complete, it is worth the cutting away of those things or relationships we do not want to change.

Touchdown, Pastor. I'll be back.