Thinking About What I NEED

A teaser headline that came up on my Facebook wall reminded me of a conversation I had the other day.

"The Beatles: Facts and Scandalous Trivia
You Need to Know"

Really?
If I don't know these things I might go hungry, or shiver in the cold, or my wife might leave me?  A friend and I were talking about this matter of need a few days ago.  He teaches Sunday School to a group of first-graders.  As the gift-a-copia of Christmas was on the near horizon, the topic of a recent lesson was, "What do we really need?" You probably have a pretty good idea. High on the list was the latest electronic gadget. I have more sypathy for those who "needed" a bike--at least it will cause them to exercise. On it goes. To get a lesson on 21st Century need--of course not to be confused with a word that rhymes and begins with "gr"--just watch one of the house hunter type "reality" TV shows. Two people need four bedrooms. How have so many of us survived so long without granite counter-tops? Just listen to the show; they are necessity. Listening to the house-shoppers, it is easy to see why kids in primary school have warped views of what they need. We have taught them well.

The Bible is not opposed to people having nice things, but when we come to think that we need them, we are well on our way to the things having us.  It's a form of idolatry.
This is Something to Think About, so I'd encourage you to think about it.  The following will give you some material for your thought-mill:

• Matthew 6:19-34
• Hebrews 13:5
• 1 Timothy 6:6-11
• "Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction." - Erich Fromm, Escape From Freedom

By the way, I didn't read the article about the Beatles. I don't need to know.
 

It's STTA.

Resolve or Do?

I've never been all that impressed with New Year's resolutions.  I have noticed that they generally have a very short shelf-life, and I always wonder what is special about January 1.  Why not start that diet on December 3 or February 27? Having said that, if the passing of the old year gives you incentive to start doing something that you ought to do, go for it. I think the operative word in the sentence above is "doing."  Too often we live our lives in the realm of "gonna." I'm gonna lose weight.  I'm gonna start having a quiet time with the Lord. I'm gonna quit that bad habit. Etc, etc. If you have a list tacked on a bulletin board in your mind that says, "Stuff I oughta do and am gonna do, as soon as I get a round-tuit." Pick something on that list and actually start doing it.  If you must, start doing it on January 1.  I'd encourage you, though, to do it now. As Yoda might say, "Resolve not. Do!" From a time not so long ago and a Galaxy quite near . . .   It's STTA.

Something to NotThink About:

It's the Eve of Christmas Eve.  You have enough to think about so I'll not suggest anything else. Don't give it a second thought.  Have a   MERRY CHRISTMAS.    It's STTA. Explore more about why the Son of God came to earth, here.

Christmas, On the Road Thoughts

While You Are "On the Road":

More Christmases than not, Kathy and I have been on the road.  For the early part of our family life, we lived away from our parents.  Now we live away from our sons and grandchildren.  Because of other responsibilities we frequently ended up driving on Christmas Eve, sometimes all night. We'll be home this Christmas, but one of our sons is traveling.  Some other relatives are traveling here to be with us.  Friends of mine are already on the road; more soon will be.  Airports and bus stations are full.  the traffic can be intense.  I'm reminded that right before the first Christmas Jesus' family was on the road.  Countless Christmas programs--bathrobes and all--show the Holy Family making the journey.  We feel sorry for Mary.  If we guys think about it, we can feel the knot of responsibility in Joseph's stomach as he neared the City of David, wondering if they would make it on time.  What were their thoughts as the amazing words from heaven that had come to them mingled with the immediate and urgent?  There were three on that first Christmas journey, Mary, Joseph, and, as we say using the beautiful, familiar words, the Babe.  Christ's journey began well before Nazareth from whence Mary and Joseph embarked. In broad, cosmic terms John said, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."  Paul adds, "[H]e gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being" (Philippians 2:7, NLT).  Isaiah had predicted, "Unto us a Son is given" (Isaiah 9:6).  God the Son, Who became the God-man Jesus Christ, existed for eternity.  He came to earth.  It was a journey. As you pile into the family car, wait for your flight or bus, or look at your watch wondering when your loved one will arrive, be reminded of the journey that began it all, and know that "[T]he Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).  That would be me and you. It's STTA. Merry Christmas. Explore more about why the Son of God came to earth, here.

Children Paying The Price

Hurting Our Children:

In our 24/7, multiple-news-outlet day a story has to be pretty bad to give us that knot in the stomach feeling.  The report of the death of three-year-old Acen King got my attention.  Acen was on a shopping trip with his grandmother.  There was a road-rage incident at a stop sign.  An angry motorist, got out of his car and fired into the car Acen was in.  A little boy died over a few seconds' delay at a stop sign.     It's sad enough that one little guy died in such a senseless way.  The reason, though, that this tragedy got to me is because we do this all the time.   Little people grow up in need, or, like Acen, don't get to grow up at all, because of the destructive habits of the adults in their lives. Dad needs to prove his manhood, or mom needs to find herself.  The kids pay the price. In my neighborhood it is common to see forty and fifty thousand dollar pickups.  Too often they're driven by folk who can't come close to affording them.  Guess who ends up on the short end? Same with houses, clothes, toys, and meals in restaurants. The ways youngsters end up paying the price go far beyond finances.  The emotional, developmental, and educational price that our children pay is far higher. Here's an idea.  How about if the grown-ups actually act like they are grown up. It's STTA.

Jesus Was Born Into A Family

Family and Christmas:

My family is pretty spread out.  Kathy and I have six living siblings.  They live in five different states.  Our two sons live just under, and a bit over, a thousand miles from us.  Our two oldest grandkids have moved out of their parent's house.  They aren't far away from them, but it does complicate visiting.  For a third of the year Kathy and I live on the other side of the world. Everybody is busy.  When we can get together with family we really appreciate it.  We had a wonderful week-long visit with family around Thanksgiving, we've seen all our siblings except one in the last couple of months, and one of our boys and most of his family are stopping by after Christmas. : ) One of the joys of the Holiday Season is family. That is intirely appropriate, because when God the Son came to earth He not only became human; He became part of a family.  The church tradition I grew up in probably doesn't make enough of that.  Luke records these summary words about Jesus growing up in Nazareth.   “The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. . . . [a]nd Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:40 & 52).   We get some idea of how Jesus appeared to His neighbors when we hear their objection to His claims to be Someone other than what He appearted to be.    "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him” (Mark 6:3). Though the church fathers argued as to whether it was appropriate to refer to Mary as the "Mother of God," there was never any doubt that Jesus was the son of Mary.  Though we know from the fulness of the Bible record that Jesus was not biologically the son of Joseph, in the social sense he was the "Carpenter's son" (Matthew 12:55). One of my students reminded me this morning about another way that family and Christmas are related.  Christ did not come to earth for selfish reasons.  Though His career as Savior of the world will result in great Glory to God, The Trinity had no lack before Bethlehem and would not have suffered loss had the Son never been given.  Philippians 2 points out that the coming of Christ was an act of humilty.  John 3:16 holds it up as the supreme act of love, and Jesus, Himself, said that He "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).  Neither I, nor my family, can save the world, but we can be part of the process.  God chose family--wife and husband--as a miniture model of the relationship between Christ and His church (Ephesians 5:21-33).  One of the greatest things we can do, to impact the world for Jesus is to have a Godly family before a watching world.  Christmas is a great frame for that picture. (I didn't include my family's picture in this STTA, for a reason that is totally in line with what I'm saying.  One of my family members is sometimes involved in serving the Lord in some places that don't embrace the message of Christmas.  If someone reposts the picture and mentions his name, and someone traces it back to this ministry, it could create problems.  What I have done instead is to, with permission, include some lovely pictures of some lovely families, friends of mine who are seeking to do family God's way and for God's glory.)  It's STTA. Merry Christmas.

Sharing the Good News. Building the Community:

Let me give you readers a heads-up, maybe a warning.  You might want to quit here.  This STTA is more stream of consciousness than usual, perhaps rantish, and with more polical overtones than I am generally comfortable with. I love my little community, nestled in the Alleghany (for you folk up north, that is the way to spell it) Mountains.  My town is made up of pickup-driving, deer-hunting, fish-catching, lunchbox-toting folk who have been wonderful neighbors for all of my adult life.  They helped me raise my boys.  Covington is a mill town.  It has been for most of its history.  It's just that the product "the mill" produces has changed.  For all of my lifetime, and a couple before mine, our chief export has been paper/packaging and activated carbon.  No matter where you are in the world there is likely to be a package on your shelf, that was once a tree that grew not far from me, and I can almost guarantee that you have driven a vehicle in which our carbon is part of the environmental control system. It hurts me to see the forces-that-be make decisions that diminish my community.  The papermill is like many industries.  It has gone through a succession of mergers and sell-offs in recent decades.  It appears that it has decided that as many of the people who think for their supper as possible ought to be moved to Richmond or elsewhere.  The railroad made a similar decision a while back.  Maybe putting all the really smart, well-educated heads all in the same place makes sense.  Personally, I think it removes them from a great source of wisdom with greasy hands.  When I moved to the "Highlands" about forty-five years ago, the community had a mix of managers, professionals, and workers.  Doctors and lawyers were part of the mix.  Top execs sat next to newly hired high school grads at basketball games.  Not only has corporate centralization of management changed all that, but amorphous entities, like market-realities and globalization have reached in with unseen hands to change my town--not for the better. From the chair where I sit it seems clear to me.  I am surrounded by mountains covered with trees.  For longer than folk can remember, hearty men have hauled logs out of these hills and valleys.  Millions of logs, in the days before coal was used, were reduced to charcoal to fire the early iron-furnaces of the region. Teams of horses and mules hauled gigantic logs to sawmills, train tracks that no longer exist carried bark to leather tanning plants. In a seemingly never ending procession I've seen logs, pulp-wood, and trailers full of woodchips go by my house to the papermill.  Yet the mountains are green in summer and a brilliant calaidascope of color in the fall.  Long ago those who think ahead realized that unless new trees were planted, or in the case of hardwoods, allowed to repopulate on their own, the resource would be gone, the soil would wash into the rivers and out to sea.  Nothing of value would be left. I wish the same kind of thinking were applied to the human-resources.  I look at what my home was, what it is, and where it is headed, and I have an ache in my gut.  Certain industries are built on extraction.  You mine gold until it is gone, then you are done.  I don't think anyone has planned to do so, but it looks like to me that my community is on that same extraction trajectory, only it's not something dug from the ground that is being extracted.  It's people. When you take a woman or a man with a PhD out of a place like Covington and move them to a place like Richmond it makes a difference.  If that well-educated person is the kind that I've known over the years, they are making great contributions in the community at large, their absence from town makes it less likely that the next young engineer, school teacher, or physician who sets up shop here will choose to buy a house, put their kids in the local school, etc. etc.  What I've seen happen in my time in my home, here, is the PhD gets moved to a place where you can't throw a rock without hitting someone with a graduate degree, the young professional who plies her trade here decides to live elsewhere and commute, and the sharp high-schooler sees no alternative other than relocation, again there are etc. etc.  If we treated our forest resources like we are managing our human resources our mountains would be nude. I'm not saying it is anybody's fault.  I am saying that if anything is going to change somebody has to do something about it. Believe it or not, I started in on these somewhat dark thoughts by thinking about an outreach that my church just finished.  As we have for a couple of decades, Covington Bible Church hosted a Live Nativity.  For free--in fact we give away cookies and hot-chocolate--we host a simple, but effective event that points people in our community to the real meaning of Christmas.  Obviously I'm pleased with this event, because it is an outreach centered around the Gospel, the heart of the faith that I have spent my life proclaiming.  I'm pleased, as well, however, with the fact that this is a home-grown, local, people being "good-for-nothing" effort.  It is the kind of thing that people do not only because they love the Lord, but because they love their neighbors.  It is our gift to our community. No doubt a young lady who reported back to her mom has a certain measure of bias, but I was encouraged with her report.  She now lives in big, Happening-place, USA.  She attended a Live Nativity in her new home. She wrote back to her mom, who is a key leader/worker in our outreach,  "Ours [meaning the one she grew up with] is better."  I thought it was ironic when I talked to a young family after their visit to our live nativity.  I asked them if they had a good time.  They gave us high praise.  "They used to have an event like this near our home.  For some reason they don't do it anymore."  The irony is, these folk are from one of those places where the upwardly mobile who work in my community often choose to live and from whence they commute to work here. A fellow pastor has said, "The church is this world's last best hope."  As I look around at my community I see that the church is one of the few entities prepared to invest in little places like the place I call home. If you are still with me, thanks for listening.  I hope you enjoyed your coffee; mine was good.  I need to change clothes and go down to help some guys tear down the sets from the live nativity.  Tearing down, it's part of what we do to build-up our home.   It's STTA.       We thank the Lord that we were able to give this gift to our neighbors.  Merry Christmas.

Pointing To The Void, But With Nothing To Fill It

They're not from Siberia, It's not an orchestra & They don't have the answer:

It is hard to believe that it was six years ago.  One of my sons gave Kathy and me a very memorable Christmas present.  We were visiting their house, and they took us to the Christmas Concert put on by the Trans Siberian Orchestra, They're not from Siberia & it's not an Orchestra.  The group's homebase was Austin TX, where we were, and this was the last concert on their tour, so they played everything in their repetoire and then some.  I wrote a blog post about the experience,  Here is part of it. The impression the show gave "was that reality is made up of little girls who don't come home, whiskey, hard-boiled bartenders, and nations at war. We can't stand that. So:   'If our kindness This day is just pretending ,    If we pretend long enough,    Never giving up,    It just might be who we are.'    (Promises to Keep, http://www.trans-siberian.com/lyrics/xmaseve7-promisestokeep.shtml) Like much in our world today, the program pointed to what was missing, but we were left with nothing but wishing to fill the aching void. The first half of the program was like a production of Ecclesiastes, worthy of Solomon, but missing the crucial 'Conclusion of the whole matter' (Ecclesiastes 12:13).' With the exception of some mega-churches with a staff dedicated to the production of mega-programs we cannot compete in creating the mood. We have the real story, though. We need to explore ways get that real story out." You can read the entire post here. I'm glad to say that my church is one of those groups that is trying to tell the real story.  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 6:00 - 8:00 you are invited to come to Jackson River Sport Complex, here in Covington VA, and attend our Live Nativity.  I think you'll find . . .  It's STTA.          For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16, KJV).

Shocking Values

ARE YOU TOO SHOCK-PROOF?

I imagine you have gotten emails, or perhaps seen articles on TV about the "Shocking Values" in our world today.  I just saw one a little while ago.  Clearly the values of the Western world have declined to levels that should give us a jolt.  I fear, though, that way too many of us are like some old electricians I heard of some years ago.  The wire-benders had received so many shocks over the years that a mere hundred-and-ten volt circuit barely gave them a tingle.  They would show off, by sticking their finger in a light socket to test whether or not it was hot.  Not recommended in the electrical code book. I see the syndrome all around me in the ethical, moral realm.  Way too many people have become way too unshockable. OK, let me make a confession. The article on shocking values was an advertisement for a Christmas sale at a discount store.  But I wasn't in the market for anything anyhow, so I figured . . .  It's STTA.          Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?          No, they have no shame at all;          they do not even know how to blush.  (Jeremiah 6:15a, NIV).

So Much Grace, It's Not Fair

GRACE:

The last time we were together we talked about a social engineering project in China, that some have compared to  Orwell's 1984 or Huxley's Brave New World.  In case you forgot your high school literature, neither of those dystopian novels presented a very pleasant scene. Here is the question that concerns us: What if there were a system that would reward each of us with exactly what deserved? Really, it's not a matter of if; the fact is there is such a system and it presents a far more alarming scene than any fictional account.  We tend to think in terms of more-or-less.  God is perfect; His standards are likewise perfect.  These words from our Lord's earthly brother are one example of what the Bible has to say on the subject:  "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10).  The question is not, "Am I better--or less bad--than others around me?" but, "Do I measure up to God's standard?" The answer is, "NO!" “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”  (Romans 3:23)   We don't need justice.  We need grace.  Grace of such a quality that when we examine it we'll be tempted to say, "That's not fair!"  Take the case of the Apostle Paul.  He was a legalistic leader of a warped brand of Judaism.  He felt driven to, and totally righteous about, persecuting followers of Christ.  He was involved in the stoning of Stephen, and proceeded to wreak havoc in the church.  See here, and here.  Yet this former one man wrecking crew, came to be a recipient of God's grace.  He, himself, was amazed at the scope of this grace.  Paul called himself the "foremost of sinners."  Yet he saw God's grace as sufficient to deal with any quantity of sin.       "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,           so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21 Yes, God is righteous, but, without any compromise to either, He is also gracious.  That is why the Apostle Paul puts both concepts in one brief statement.   "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. . . ." (Romans 6:23) We are right to respect God's justice.  That should not be the end, however.  A knowledge of God's absolutely holy standard ought to drive us to God's grace.  What John Newton called God's "amazing grace." That great grace is captured in a verse that is likely the best known passage of scripture in all the Bible. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16, KJV) I encourage you to find out more here.   A good place to start is to scroll down to the "The Good News About Jesus."   It's STTA.

Social Credit, Karma, & the Gospel

MAKING SURE PEOPLE GET WHAT THEY DESERVE,  ONLY GOD'S JUSTICE CAN DO THAT. GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY DON'T DESERVE, ONLY GOD'S GRACE CAN DO THAT:

In the car, last night, I listened to a fascinating discussion on NPR about a new program in China that is engineered to foster more desirable behaviour among the population.  It is being described as "Social credit."   It's kind of like the system that creates FICA scores in the USA, only on steroids. The social engineering project is supposed to keep track of a wide range of behaviours that are deemed to indicate whether or not one is trustworthy.  Not only will the database keep track of financial transactions, but also things like how often one calls their parents, or how many disposable diapers they purchase.  All of this data is being crunched by the network, and then based on algorythms the system issues a score.  This score will have wide-ranging impact on a person's life. Official penalties for a low score range from inability to get a job, to being required to pay a deposit in order to book a hotel room.  In addition to stick-type consequences, there are also carrots.  Those with higher scores are given preverential treatment in many business transactions.  There are also unoffficial consequences.  Chinese citizens are encouraged to make their high scores known.  Having the right number could be more important than the right look in getting a date with the hot prospect. As I listened to the conversation I was reminded of another conversation I had earlier in the week.  It was about Karma, the Eastern concept that says each person gets what they deserve.  The book of Proverbs is full of Karma-like maxims.  Those who work hard and save are likely to have more good things.  Those who show themselves to be friendly are probably going to have more friends on whom they can depend in a time of need.  Responsible parents are apt to have well behaved children.  A broad view of Scripture, however, as well as observation of life in this world indicates that Karma is a capricious lady.  Since computers are built and programmed by humans with their agendas and limitations, and those who scam the system are often as resourceful as those who build it, we won't create a system that will significantly improve on what Asaph saw three millenia ago.   "I saw [the proud] prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people . . .   Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain" (Psalm 73:3–14, NLT). As Asaph went on to say (read all of Psalm 73.  Note especially the corner the Psalm-writer turns in verse 17) he is confident that justice will eventually be done. The real problem, though, is not that, outside of the God of the Bible, there is no system, either mystical or silicon-based, that can perfectly deliver what we deserve.  The supreme problem is that God will make sure that ultimately everyone of us will get exactly what we have coming.  It is a theme that runs through Scipture, but is captured in its brutal reality in two sentences from the Book of Romans: "All have sinned. . . ."  Romans 3:23 "The wages of sin is death."  Romans 6:23 To gain a greater understanding of those words, read the first three chapters of Romans and Revelation 20:11-14.  If Karma shows up at all it will be to nod approval of God's justice. I'm way overtime on this STTA, but the good news we celebrate at Christmas is not only is God righteous, He is also gracious.  I'll be back Monday with more, but you can go on, on your own, by exploring this page.  A good place to start is to scroll down to the "The Good News About Jesus."  Until then . . .   It's STTA.