Global in both directions:

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just blocked the traffic in front of the Covington Bible Church where I sit typing this STTA.

OK, the president of Iran was not actually out in the street directing cars, but the interruption of traffic-flow did have to

"Road's blocked. Turn that way."

A

do with him.  The pronouncements of the hot-headed public face of Iran's intransigent government are one factor in the rise in global oil prices.  The US government, in an attempt to get individuals and industry to use alternative sources of energy, is offering various incentives for conversion to "Green" technologies.  Our local industry--a paper/chemical company decided that it would take advantage of these tax-breaks, etc. and is currently building a bio-mass boiler--more or less a huge wood-burning stove, which is part of its effort to become energy self-sufficient (which is something else to think about).  Since property around the mill is limited, they are taking advantage of a vacant (unoccupied because of other global influences) industrial site just down the road from Covington Bible, and this morning several over-sized components of the project were making their way to this lay down area.  As I chatted for a moment with the cop who was directing traffic, a friend of mine, I thought I felt the breeze from a butterfly's wing.  We live in a world of incredible complexity and inter-relatedness.

Just recently I met with a group of people who want to deal responsibly with a potential issue, should it materialize.  All of us have the same zip code, yet we were dealing with concerns that involve complex international relat

ions, U. S. national politics, complicated matters of ethics in regard to church and state, and a the result of several hundred years of history.

Who'd a thunk it?  

 

Here is the encouraging, other side.

I can't think of a time--leaving out Adam & Noah--when one person, or one small group has had greater opportunity to influence the world than right now.  This email message will be read round the world, including some folk who could drive to Ahmadinejad's neighborhood--that is if he doesn't have the road blocked there on account of something that is going on here.  Over the past month people in my little circle have visited Brazil, Asia, Central America, the Pacific Islands, and I'm probably missing some place.  Across the hall, my associate spends a couple of days most weeks translating the Bible into a language that most of you have never heard spoken, for people that most of you will never meet.  Last night our CBC Sunday Nite group chatted in real time, video included, with colleagues who live where it was already the middle of today.

This morning the road out front was blocked because of something going on eight-and-a-half time zones away.  There has never been a time when the road has been more open for the Good News to penetrate every time zone around the world.   

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations."  (Matthew 28:19) 

 It's STTA. 

A Heritage Worth Inheriting:

It's early morning.  I'm sitting in the room that used to be the sanctuary of Covington Bible Church.  It has been otherwise for so long, now--about thirty years--that only a few of us can still picture our fellowship hall with pews--I remember when we painted and padded those pews--and pulpit.  As I sit here in the morning quiet I think of Maxine Kouns, George and Ava Reynolds, Berlin and Alma Sizemore, Guy and Eleanor Brown, and others.  All of those I named are folk who worshiped with us in this building and have since gone to heaven.  They are names that mean little to most of those who come here for Sunday School, Prayer Meeting or Sunday morning breakfast, but they left their mark.  In some cases this room is part of the mark they left.
Last Sunday, here at CBC, I asked myself and ourcongregation, "How can we leave behind a worthwhile heritage that lasts?
Joseph certainly accomplished that.  His lasting impact is summarized in the deathbed words of his dad, Jacob.
I won't re-preach the message here.  (If you check at ourwebsite you'll find how to access a recording of it.)  A couple thoughts, though, to keep in mind:

• Building a positive heritage usually takes a long time.  That is certainly true about Joseph.  His young adulthood was spent in obscurity--slavery and prison--preparing him for his public impact.  Moses spent eighty years preparing for the last forty years of his life.  Most of us will not do any one outstanding thing.  If our life is to have lasting impact, it will be because we have taken a great many baby steps in the right direction.
• What would otherwise be a solid heritage can be torn down.  Maybe it is one of life's "unfairnesses," but it can be ruined much quicker than it can be built.  Both Saul, the King of Israel, and Benedict Arnold, of colonial American fame, had  sterling qualities.  They were eclipsed by their failures.
• Heritage building is one of those pursuits that is self-defeating.  It must be a by-product of Godly, obedient living.  If it is our main goal we will fail at it.  It is clearly one of those "He that tries to keep it will lose it" concepts.

My grandfather used to say, "You pay for your raisin' when you raise your own."  The same can be said for heritage, as a member of family, a member of THE church, and my church, as well as a member of my community and nation, I am greatly privileged by the heritage others have left.

Lord, may live so that I will leaves something for others.  Amen. 

 It's STTA. 

Only One Know-It-All in the Universe:

It's a bit long for a one-liner, but it does have that "keep it in your pocket it will be handy" quality that one-liners need.

If God couldn't do anything I couldn't understand, He wouldn't be much of a god, would He?  

I enjoy and acknowledge the benefits of modern technologies, but hasten to remind you and me that this world, and especially the God of this world is bigger than my mind can envision.  

Modernism was/is--I don't know whether we are living in a new version of modernism, postmodernism, or an era that defies labels--at its best when it recognized the order and predictability that God, Who is infinitely consistent (Immutable), and applied that to the study of and respectful use of the natural world.  From the technologies that have grown out of the understanding the nature of steam, to the complex calculations that are involved in sending back pictures from distant planets, to this collection of silicon, plastic, and copper on which I am typing this message, science and technology have brought us incredible benefits.  When scientific knowledge and technology become arrogance, the notion that we have it all figured out, that is modernism--or call it what you will at its worst.

The Biblical portrait of this world includes a misty horizon. God has graciously told us a great deal about Himself, His creation, and particularly the portion of the creation known as "me."  To extrapolate from that, however, and claim that I know all that is to be known beyond what God has revealed, is to say the least foolish.  If God is truly God then He is the only know-it-all in the Universe.

God does a great deal that I don't understand.  My mind is not big enough to encompass Him, but He has told me enough about Himself so that I can trust Him.  My point of security is not that I always understand.  It is that I understand enough to know that God is trustworthy.

And that is enough.

 It's STTA. 

Nancy was more right than she got credit for:

Nancy Reagan was soundly ridiculed because of it, but I liked her one-liner,"Just say no." 

It's not the complete answer but it sure is part of it, and it is generally the first step in the rest of the process.  The concept acknowledges that we are not autonamatons, controlled by environment or inner urges over which we have no control.  Saying no may be very hard.  We may fail and have to start again, but we have a will, and particularly if we enlist the assistance of others--Divine, human, and even technological, where appropriate--we can say "No."  

I've met folk who said, and continue to say, "No" to drugs alcohol, tobacco, and pornography.  Every successful dieter has announced the negative to chocolate cake, ice-cream and other goodies.

We may have to do more than say no, but when we are dealing with that which is sinful, immoral, or unhealthy it is a good idea to look that monkey in the eye--since it is on your back, you might have to use a mirror--and firmly and deliberately say "No."

I meet people all the time, in fact I've been among them, who are having their lunch consumed by habits and addictions.  Just say no.

• Ephesians 4:27 says "do not give the devil an opportunity.
• 6:11 says Christians have been equipped with what they need to stand against the devil.
• James 4:7 gives the positive as well as the negative:  "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."   

It sounds a lot like saying "No."

It's a one-liner worth remembering and . . .

 It's STTA. 

Yes You Can!

I can't imagine anyone in America who isn't familiar with theLittle Engine Who Could.  Chugging out, "I Think I Can.  I Think I Can . . ." the diminutive locomotive was able to pull its load over the mountain.  I'll leave lessons about the power of positive thinking for another day.  Right now consider the power of negative assurance to keep one nailed down to the status-quo.

 Until we stop saying "I can't," it is about certain that we won't.  

Sometimes the "I can't" represents reality, as in "I (HM) cannot run a four-minute mile."  Other times it represents prudence, as in "I can't pay that much for that."  On still other occasions it represents a moral stand.  "I can't let this injustice go."  What concerns me today is when "I can't is an excuse."  We hear it from little children.  "I can't finish my milk."  Unfortunately I frequently it from adults.

Some involved in adulterous affairs will claim an inability to break it off.  Those enslaved by addictions claim they can't stop.  I know better than to say it out loud, but I sometimes think in my mind, "I can't forgive that person."  

The fact is, in every one of the examples above, and countless others this reply, which is one of my Seventh and Eighth grade one-liners, applies.  

Yes you can.  

I'm not saying it won't be hard.  It may not be something you can do in one fell swoop--it may very well involve a process.  You might need to enlist the help of others, and constant vigilance may be required to keep you from regressing, but when we are talking about something that the Lord tells us to do, it can be done.

If you are determined to stay stuck in one place on God's railroad of obedience, at least have the honesty to change your chant.  Instead of "I know I can't."  it ought to be "I'm sure I won't."  Bottom line it's not a lack of ability, but the presence of stubborness.

When God tells us what to do, and we say, "I can't," listen for a moment.  You'll hear the reply.  "Yes, you can."

 It's STTA. 

It's Not About Me:

Those born in the 70s, 80s, and 90s are sometimes called the "Me Generation."  The demographic takes in my sons, their spouses, and a lot of my friends.  I think labeling them with a title that glorifies egoism is unfair.  I don't say that because young adults don't spend more time in front of a mirror than they should or more money on #1 than is appropriate, but because the issue is not one isolated to their generation.  It is part of the human condition.

This brings me to another one-liner:  recently wrote about the brief summaries that I try to come up with for my Junior High Sunday School class.  In that STTA I mentioned a one-word-er, "Hold!"

I thought I'd explore this a bit.  Here is another.

"God is not an idiot."  (I use that word not to refer to one who is unable to think clearly, but who doesn't, or even chooses to not, act in a clear thinking manner.) It's not about me.

 In the Garden of Eden the serpent offered Eve a way to "be like God."  In essence Satan said, God is holding out on you.  (Another one liner.)  To put it in modern parlance, Eve said, "I'm going to have it my way."  "I deserve it."  and she took the fruit.  

At the other end of Scripture there is a group that rises in rebellion against the King of kings.  Like those envisioned in

Psalm 2 they say, "Let us . . . free ourselves from slavery to God."  

Every generation left to itself is the Me Generation.  God is calling us to be counter-cultural.   It's not about me.  All of creation is to bring glory to God.  (See Psalm 150 for example.)   It's not about me.  It is about Him. 

What am I doing today that will bring praise to my great God?

 It's STTA. 

God Isn't Lacking in Good Sense:

I recently wrote about the brief summaries that I try to come up with for my Junior High Sunday School class.  In that STTA I mentioned a one-word-er, "Hold!"

I thought I'd explore this a bit.  Here is another.

"God is not an idiot."  (I use that word not to refer to one who is unable to think clearly, but who doesn't, or even chooses to not, act in a clear thinking manner.) 

Certainly no Theist who takes her information from the scripture would ever claim that God acts in a manner that doesn't reflect clear thinking--not in so many words.  However many people claim practical, Divine contradictions that are signs of idiocy. 

• I acknowledge that God tells me to do (you fill in the blank), but I claim I can't do it.  So, God Who made me, and knows me, Psalm 139, has given me a task to do without the corresponding ability to do it?  Doesn't sound like clear thinking to me.
• God has given clear guidelines for living--actually "guideline" is to soft a word--yet I see my situation which clearly falls under the purview of one of God's laws, as utterly unique (Check this out.) and therefore God's law and the associated consequences don't apply to me.  
  It makes the God of the universe look like a despotic and idiotic office-manager who writes grandiose sounding policies that don't apply in the real world.

God is not an idiot.  He did think this through.  It may be hard, but you can obey, and obedience is clearly what is best.

It's something we ought to learn by Junior High.

 It's STTA. 

A Remarkable Man:

I have come to appreciate Joseph, the Old Testament patriarch, all over again.  Over the past couple of months it has been my privilege to hang out with Joseph, as I've prepared and shared several messages about his remarkable life.  

One the traits of Joseph's life that I find remarkable is his acknowledgement of God's sovereignty.  At the end of his story there are some clear statements about God's ways.  

In Genesis 45:5-7 Joseph says that it was God Who sent him to Egypt.  Remarkable because Joseph was talking to the very people who had seized and sold him into slavery--the means by which he came to Egypt.

Later he said, " . . .am I in God's place?  As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. . . ."  (Genesis 50:19-20)

Psalm 105 gives some further information about Joseph's treatment. "Joseph . . . was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;"  (17-18)

For thirteen years of his life Joseph was either a slave or a prisoner, yet as he looked back he could see God's hand in what had happened.  God was/is bigger than the petty jealousy and cruelty of his brothers, the conniving ways of a wicked woman, and the forgetfulness of a fellow-prisoner who could have helped prisoner number J-O-S-E-P-H.

I know God is certainly bigger than the petty offenses that come into my life.  I'm praying for the grace to acknowledge that even though others might mean it for evil, God in His sovereignty not only intends it for good, but actually brings good to reality.

Lord, make me like Joseph.  Amen.

 It's STTA. 

Doing Nothing And Doing It Right:

I always try to give my Sunday School class a simple answer to the question, "What did you learn in Sunday School?" or, "What was Sunday School about?"  This week the answer was "Hold!" delivered with a raspy intensity.  One of the guys in the class got it about right.  We were looking at the Exodus from Egypt.  The Israelites were up against the Red Sea and all the chariots in Egypt, sent out out by Pharaoh, whose hard heart had only appeared to soften for a few minutes after the death, not only of his first-born son, but of thousands of others.  

It looks like Moses critics are right.  "Why did you bring us out here to die?  We were better off as slaves in Egypt."  Here is Moses reply:

"Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.  "The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent."  (Exodus 14:13-14)

Moses speech sounds a lot like a line in Psalm 46, "Cease striving and know that I am God;"  (v. 10)  

The Apostle Paul applies the truth to our praying, "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes forus with groanings too deep for words." (Romans 8:26)   

There are times when not only is there nothing we can do, but when doing nothing is the right thing to do.  That is, if--if we are trusting the Lord.

I'm praying for a friend right now, who needs to hold.  

Oh, "hold!" comes from that scene in Braveheart.  At Stirling the English are charging with "Heavy Horse"  Wallace's forces are all on foot.  Their one hope is to hold until precisely the right time.  

Holding is hard, but when we cease striving and stand still, we get to see the slavation of the Lord.

  

HOLD! 

  It's STTA.