Something to Think About

Life's Unfairness, #3:

2012-02-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

"It's always darkest just before the dawn."

Really?

Lot's of people would argue with that, with good reason, I might add. The experience of many is, "It's always darkest just before the lights go totally out."

Eleven of Joseph's 28 years had been spent as a slave or in jail. Even if Joseph had done something worthy of incarceration back in Israel, he would have been tried as juvenile--by today's standards. The fact is, other than, perhaps, getting caught being stupid and having a penchant for self-importance--a tendency, which was fed by his father's foolish behavior--Joseph was innocent. But it's LIFE that appears to be wearing the black robe, sitting behind the big desk and life isn't fair.

Even in jail, Joseph's abilities were clear, those and the blessing of his God. Even though Joseph in essence ran the jail, I am sure he wanted out. He was about 28 years old when an opportunity presented itself. Joseph successfully interpreted the king's cupbearer's dream. Sure enough, just like the dream said, the high-ranking servant was restored to his position. Surely his gratitude would cause him to remember Joseph, his jailhouse buddy, the one who first broke the good news.

How many mornings did Joseph get up thinking, "It will probably be today. Pharaoh will send guards to get me, and few minutes examination will reveal that I was thrown in this place because of lies."? How many nights did he go to bed thinking, "Maybe tomorrow."?

I don't know, but I have to believe that on one of those 730+ days the bottom fell out. "He's not going to remember me." Or worse, "He did remember me and Pharaoh didn't listen."

That was the day hope came crashing down.

Perhaps life's greatest unfairness is to allow us to think it is going to get better, so that when the realization comes that it is going to stay bad, our disappointment will be all the worse. The words of the Sawi, a cannibalistic stone age tribe in New Guinea, "To fatten him with kindness for the slaughter," certainly apply. It seems that life is like a hog farm--lotta weight being put on to a deadly end.

It is clear to me that part--a big part--of God's purpose for letting this world be the way it is, is to keep us from loving it. If we love it with all its unfairness, just think how much we would if skies were always blue, and cupbearers always remembered their buddies back in jail.

Again I encourage you to readRomans 8.

If you put your ultimate hope in anything in this world, look out. All bottoms are subject to falling out without warning.

It's STTA.

You'll find some resources that explains the true hope here.

Life's Unfairness, #2:

2012-01-31T15:26:00.000-08:00

"Time and chance happeneth to them all." (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

Modern versions of that observation by Solomon abound:

"That's the way cookie crumbles." or,

"The cake breaks."

One wag observed, "I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not sure."

Another said, "This world is a mess. None of us is going to make it out alive."

Brendan Gill, said, "Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious."

James Barrie concluded that, "Life is a long lesson in humility."

Anyone who thinks that life is predictable and that it rewards those who ought to be rewarded had

better stay in bed. And even that might not work.

Life isn't fair. We cry out for an answer as to why bad things happen to good people. Since I am so often obviously undeserving of the blessings I receive, I generally don't clamor for an answer to the inverse, but often good things befall real losers. Life isn't fair.

One of the points of honesty about the Bible is that it makes no claim for life's fairness. I quoted Ecclesiastes above. Just before Jesus suffered the preeminent unfairness of all time He warned His followers that they would be persecuted (John 15:20 &16:33), later the Apostle Paul said the same (2 Timothy 3:12).

The present condition of this world is "groaning and travailing" (Romans 8:22). God isn't done yet.

The patriarch, Joseph, certainly met with life's vagaries:

A dad with poor parenting skills.
Killer good-looks.
Finding his brothers near a caravan route.
The fact that neither TV nor soap-operas had yet been invented, compelling Mrs. Potiphar to look for a real-life outlet for her "Real Housewives of Egypt" fantasy.
Etc.
Etc.

Sure Joseph did some dumb things. He would have been wise to keep his dreams to himself and maybe he should have saved that fancy coat for special occasions (Genesis 37) but come on. Life smacked Joseph awfully hard for some immature behavior.

Life is like that.

In the end, though, Joseph affirmed God's goodness.

God is the one delivers us from this world.

It's STTA.

You'll find some resources that explain that deliverance here.

It's not fair:

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

If Joseph had been in our high school class he would likely have been voted "Most Likely to Succeed. He was handsome, well-built, articulate--at times to much so--he dressed sharp, and was the kind of guy who tended to rise to the top in whatever situation he found himself. Yet for the first thirteen years of Joseph's adulthood his life was a mess. He was rejected--and I mean really rejected--by his family, sold into slavery, falsely accused, put in chains, jailed, forsaken and forgotten.

His life is a poster-child for life's unfairness.

I wish I could say that life was more fair today than in Joseph's day. I wish I could, but I can't. I know children with parents who don't care, spouses with mates who are unfaithful--sometimes blatantly and cruelly so--hard workers who are under and un appreciated, and folk with the best of intentions who end up with the worst of results. If you got out of bed this morning you probably have already noticed that life isn't fair. A friend of mine says this is the way life is. And I'm the gopher.

Why?

Why does a good God allow such a dissonance between what obviously ought to be and what is?

Let's explore that a bit over the next couple of days.

First, as I begin to plumb the depths of messed-up-ness in this world I need not begin out there, I find plenty to examine right in my own heart:

Stubbornness will compel me to insist on my own way even if it places someone else in a position they don't deserve.
Selfishness causes me to defend mine even when it costs someone else theirs.
Pride so inflates my opinion of my own importance that I will do all sorts of mean things to others, because I see myself as so much better than them.

I call Pogo to the witness stand.

Is it Mr. Pogo?

Just Pogo is fine. No, wait. Mr. is nice.

OK Mr. Pogo, would you comment on Life's unfairness?

We have met the enemy and he is us.

It's STTA.

Two Brothers Coming Together:

2012-01-24T06:10:00.000-08:00

Jefferson Bethke, achieved something that lots of young adults--and not a few of we older adults--hope to achieve. He produced and starred in a video that went viral. When I watched it last night over 16 million others had already done so. Even better Bethke's message is worth the four + minutes it takes to watch it (not counting the slow buffering because of the demand). http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1IAhDGYlpqY

The young man skillfully contrasts religion--the version he lambasts sounds a lot like American Evangelicalism

--and Biblical Christianity. Much of what he has to say is right on. I encourage you to watch his video.

Another Internet citizen, who in some ways looks a lot like someone Bethke is criticizing, Kevin DeYoung, wrote a thoughtful, though admittedly less artful, and interesting, response/analysis of Bethke's poem. When you have time, it is worth reading. (here)

What impresses and encourages me is the response. You can find the link at the beginning of DeYoung's piece, but here it is in part:

I just wanted to say I really appreciate your article man. It hit me hard. I'll even be honest and say I agree 100%. God has been working with me in the last 6 months on loving Jesus AND loving his church. (Bethke)

Thanks for your email. It confirms my impression of you-humble, sincere, a real love for God and the gospel. . . . What can I do to help you? . . . I don't want people to take this in the wrong direction. . . . Let me know if there is something I can do. (DeYoung)

This is a paradigm that I see way too infrequently. Brothers who love the Lord reaching out in honesty and love to one another.

Lord make me like Barnabas. Someone who helps a brother. Amen.

It's STTA.

Grieving:

2012-01-23T10:36:00.001-08:00

"During such tragedies, daily village life comes to a halt while everyone sits and mourns together."

So wrote a friend of mine who works at an orphanage/school in the hinterland of Nigeria. The tragedy she speaks of is the death of three young boys, who had apparently locked themselves in a closed car and died in the heat.

I participated in a funeral recently. My friend was buried in a small family cemetery, that looks exactly like a family burial place should look. Neighbors had come and dug the grave by hand. Because I was riding with one of the staff from the funeral home, I was present when the guys gathered again, and with good-natured ribbing and joking--that wasn't at all irreverent, if you understand the culture--filled the hole and covered the grave with the sod they had removed a few days before.

In my community it is still common for folk to pull to the edge of the road and stop when a funeral procession goes by. It is silent testament to the reality John Donne wrote of when he counselled those who hear the village bell announcing someone's death, "never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

When we gather to grieve, even if it is just for a moment as we pull our car to the side of the road, or as we take a moment to sign the register at the funeral home, it is an entry into the grief of another and a reminder of our own mortality. One cannot easily claim earthly immortality while shoveling dirt into a hole that contains the body of a friend and neighbor.

Not to put urban-ites down--I'm sure they have their own rituals--but I have been in funeral processions that passed through large cities. We had to struggle, even with the help of police on motorcycles, to keep the cortege together. Too many people, in too big a hurry to get to where they were going, not realizing where they are really headed.

Lord deliver us. May we, like these simple African villagers, acknowledge the grief of another and our own mortality.

It's STTA.

Find out about the message that will defeat the ravages of sin and death here.

You will find some ideas for having more meaningful devotions in the New Year here.

2012-01-18T06:59:00.001-08:00

Put the fire out!

My son, in a prayer update for a new assembly of believers he is leading, used an analogy of fighting fire to describe the urgency of the church's task and the importance of teamwork in seeking to address the great need. Comparing those of us who share the Good news with those who fight fires, he said, ". . . we too are seeking to save people from the fire."

Last night I was doing something that many (most) people regard as no fun at all--I was in what could generically be described as a committee meeting. Not in an administrative sense, but rather in the sense in which my son uses the picture, we were fighting fire. How can we take the resources God has entrusted to us and invest them in such a way so as to fight the fire?

It is a reminder that I often need.

There is an urgency about the task of the church.

It is a matter of eternal welfare.

We have been sent to fight the fire. Our mandate comes from the Lord of the Universe--the One who made sure the complete and final defeat of the blaze that rages in our world.

Grab a line.

Help us set a ladder.

We need all hands in the fight.

It's STTA.

What Did He Die From?

2012-01-17T11:31:00.001-08:00

What he die from?

It's a common question, often asked at funeral homes or when news of someone's passing comes. We have gotten more specific in recent years, but still a common answer is the generality, "He died of natural causes." What we mean by that is, it wasn't an accident or foul play that took the person's life. He died of some disease, or the deterioration brought on by age. In a sense nothing is more natural than dying. It is one of the few universals in life.

Looking beyond the realm of our experience, however, death is shown to be "dreadfully unnatural." So says Michael Horton.* He points out that, "No one really dies of natural causes, but of the most horrific and unnatural cause." Contrary to what some people who haven't really read the Bible think, God's word gives a very realistic view of death. It is an enemy. It entered the world because of sin. (Romans 5:12) It is through fear of death that Satan holds the world in bondage. (Hebrews 2:14-15) Death was not a part of the world when it was fresh from God's creation and it won't be again when God renews all things. In the mean time, death is a large part of the reason that we, and indeed all creation with us,groans and travails in this world of mortality.

Micheal Horton goes on to say about death: "We die because we have rebelled against our creator, collectively and individually. So in order for God to raise us bodily from the dead, the judicial sentence has to be removed."*

While the Bible speaks realistically about death it also speaks hopefully. There is life beyond the grave, and purposeful life in the here and now.

It's STTA.

Find out about a hope that death can't kill, here.

You will find some ideas for having more meaningful devotions in the New Year here.

*Michael Horton, These Last Days, p 64-65

Does God Care?

2012-01-13T13:58:00.001-08:00

Does God care?

Just about anyone who is Theologically aware at all would answer affirmatively, "Of course He does." Wait a minute, though. Gordon Monson, of the Salt Lake Tribune, makes a point with which I strangely agree, though I know it is wrong. Don't tune out yet. Let me explain.

Monson's comment is part of an article about perhaps the most controversial athlete in our nation, Tim Tebow. "I've always believed," the commentator says, "that God favors no professional athlete over another, no team over another. . . . He's too busy working to save the Earth, thwart evil, watch over the innocent, and publish peace. He blesses the pure in heart, not the Denver Broncos."

First a couple of caveats: God isn't too busy for anything. Psalm 121:4 points out that God neither sleeps nor slumbers. Jesus pointed out that the falling sparrow, and my falling-out hair are part of His ever-present attention. David observed that He keeps count of my most mundane movements (Psalms 139). From a logical viewpoint, since infinitesimal actions can have incredible consequences, if God isn't in control of the smallest things then He isn't in control at all. Having said that, I agree with Monson. I know I'm wrong, but that is what I think. I came to this utterly contradictory conclusion while participating in another sport--deer hunting. Back before I figured out that I wasn't any good at bringing home the venison I used to sit or stand at a deer-stand and talk to myself and the Lord.

"OK, Lord, I'm here. I sure would like to get a deer."

Did the fact that I most often went home without a deer mean that God didn't hear my prayer? Maybe He was letting me know that I ought to look for a better way to spend my time, or perhaps the lessons had to do with patience and persistence. Did the success others had have to do with God's favor, or was it just a matter of my horrendous lack of the skills so valued by my outdoors-men buddies? After a time of pursuing these mental rabbits on their circular trails, I would quit and come to the one conclusion that I knew was wrong, but that allowed me to settle down and take a nap--I was good at that.

God didn't care whether I killed a deer or not.

I come to the same conclusion about football games.

I don't know what Tim Tebow prays, when he famously takes a knee. It might not have anything to do with who wins or loses. Could it be something like, "Lord, I have no idea why I'm here in the end zone instead of under a pile of linemen on the other side of the line of scrimmage. I don't really figure it matters in any way that really matters who wins this game, but it matters supremely that I live for You. Lord, I give you glory. Help me to use the opportunities you give in a way that is pleasing to You. Amen"

I don't know what Mr. Tebow prays. (If someone else does, let me know.) I do know that for which I need to ask.

"Lord, even down to things as simple as my eating and drinking, may I give glory to You."

(1 Corinthians 10:31)

It's STTA.

How is my love?

2012-01-11T14:52:00.001-08:00

I didn't think about until this morning, but last evening I did things that I like a lot that are really very similar.

Kathy and I had supper with the mom of one of our daughter-in-laws. We spent a considerable part of our time together bragging about the wonderful grandkids that we share. It was great fun.

Just before that supper I met with a group of guys for a weekly Bible study. We are going through the Life of Christ. It, too, was very enjoyable.

This morning I took note of the similarity of these two enjoyable experiences. In each case I was talking about someone that I love.

Perhaps, when I fail to talk about my Lord it is because my love for Him has grown cold.

Click here for something the Lord Jesus, Himself said about this.

It's STTA.

Good Byes:

2012-01-06T20:58:00.001-08:00

Did you hear about the man who had a dog that he had decided needed to have its tail bobbed so it would look right? It was a boxer, or some such breed. He knew this would be painful to his pet, so he decided to cut it off a little at a time. Please know I don't recommend it. I tell this tale about a tail, which I sincerely hope is fictitious, because earlier today I felt somewhat like that poor beast.

My wife and I just had a wonderful visit with our two sons and their families. They live in two different states so we saw one first then another. Today we said our good byes to the second of the families. We were able to visit the two grandchildren at their lunch break at school. Kira has an early lunch, so we met her about 10:20. After she ate her hotdog, chips and Go-gurt, she went out to recess and we went back to our car-Good Bye number one.

There was enough time between Kira's lunch and Silas's for us to meet our son and daughter-in-law for lunch, after which he went back to work--#2.

It was time for Silas's lunch, so we watched him eat his P,B,&J, apple and granola, then he went to his recess, and we again left-The third set of hugs & kisses & lumps in throats.

Back to our son and daughter-in-law's house. Chris was still at church, Nancy was there. After gathering our stuff & loading the car the quartet of farewells was complete. My heart, though, doesn't feel complete. Not only are there those four holes, but six more in another state.

Beyond that, while driving down the interstate I called my uncle who has cancer. Uncle J. trusted the Lord late in life. As I spoke with him we were both aware that we might not see each other again on this earth. During our conversation we talked about his sister, my mom. I saw her a couple of weeks ago. Barring a miracle she will never again, in this world, look at me and know who I am. It is a strange good bye, but a profound one.

I'm not looking for sympathy. I am wonderfully blessed. Should I die in this metal box that is hurtling across the earth as I write, I am confident that I will see all the people I have mentioned in a place where Good Byes will be forever banished. I say that because of the Good News of Jesus Christ in which I and all those above have put their trust. Good Byes here are inevitable, but in the ultimate scheme of things they are totally unnecessary. I write these little daily thoughts to provoke thought-thought that will lead to life change. May the inevitable Good Byes of this world lead you to that which will last. Find out more here.

It's STTA.

2012-01-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

I'm neck deep in the blessing of heritage.
As I type this, I'm upstairs in my son's house. He and my daughter-in-law are downstairs doing premarital counseling with a young couple who show every sign of being world-changers. In just a few weeks the young man is headed to a land that was closed to the gospel until just recently for a short-term ministry. I'm connecting the dots in my mind. The dots go back to times with a skinny kid,and beyond. They fade into the horizon, who knows where.
It's one of my granddaughters' birthday today. All of my grandchildren profess to love the Lord. The oldest of them displays a passion for the things of God that challenges me. They are growing up in homes where Joshua's words apply. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
I just heard reports about a spiritual son and grandson who are serving the Lord. Like John, I take joy in knowing that they are "walking in truth" (2 John 4 & 3 John 3) and serving the Lord.
Another, with whom it has been my privilege to share life, is together with his family, on his way back to place where they are punching holes in the darkness,

I'm asking myself, "What will I do this year that will go beyond me?"
You?

It's STTA.

Resolution #5:

2011-12-31T06:54:00.000-08:00

The Apostle Paul told Timothy to not depend on worldly fables to bring about the kind of Godly life that he needed to live. The false teachers about which Paul warned had all kinds of plans for quick spirituality. With modern communication those kind of ideas have proliferated beyond imagination. This book, or that conference, or some spiritual sounding gimmick is offered as the cure for spiritual malaise. To the extent that any of these resources are based in the truth of God's world they may be part of the answer. None of them are the answer that, too often, their hype proclaims them to be.
Instead the Apostle told Timothy to "discipline himself for the purpose of godliness." (1 Timothy 4:7) In the context he speaks of laboring and striving. The word "discipline" speaks of intense activity. Several translations use the verb "train," as an athlete in training, to render the word. Bottom line there is no spiritual equivalent of a sit-on-the-couch-and-develop-awesome-abs pill. You have to work at it.
Athletic training, the sports-fan apostle points out, yields little profit--benefits in this life, the kind of training Paul is recommending, however, "holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (4:8)
The disciplines we need to work on in our lives are not complicated or esoteric. I have suggested several over the past few days.

We need to spend regular time in God's word.
We need to pray.
We ought to be an active part of church that is based in the Word of God.
We ought to actually be doing something for the glory of God.

Discipline yourself for the purpose of Godliness. That is a resolution that covers a lot.

Resolution #4:

2011-12-30T11:32:00.001-08:00

Over the past several days I have been encouraging us to live more RESOLUTEly in the New Year.

There are things, however, we should not resolve.

Don't resolve to change the world.
Don't resolve to do what only others can do.
Don't resolve to do the impossible.

Many of the specifics behind the intentions expressed in those resolutions are very good.

Our world certainly needs to be a better place.
The changes that others need to make are legion, and not of few of these modifications would be for their own good, as well as that of others--me included.
Curing cancer, solving world hunger, getting all youngsters to treat their parents with respect, or getting all politicians to work for the greater good are certainly changes that would make the world a better place. They are also well beyond the resources that any of us have at our disposal.

These kind of resolutions are akin to the sentiments of the guy who loved mankind; it was the people around him he couldn't stand. As we survey our world let's identify that which is within our capabilities--and I'm not saying we shouldn't stretch ourselves--then resolve to do that.

Instead of:

Resolving to change the world, make concrete plans to actually do something to make the little environment where you live a better place. "I resolve to say 'Please," and 'Thank You,' even when I'm not in a particularly grateful mood."
Resolving to make others (you fill in the blank with whatever good you choose), resolve to be kind, respectful, loving, grateful, etc. to them.
Resolving to do the grandiose, and impossible, commit to doing that which is possible, might contribute to the big need, and which will be a good thing even if no one else does their part.

Many resolution are an exercise in hubris. I shouldn't resolve to do what I can't do, or what others must do if it is to be done. Above all I must realize James admonition, "Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."" (James 4:15)

Resolved:

In 2012 I will do what I can do, pray about both that and that which is beyond me, and trust God.

It's STTA.

You will find some ideas for having more meaningful devotions in the New Year here.

Resolution #3:

2011-12-29T09:09:00.001-08:00

Paul's little letter to his protege', Titus, is full of admonitions to do something that will make a difference in our world. The operative word is "do."

In particular chapter 3 has a great deal to say about this:

"Be ready for every good deed." (1)
To be "careful to engage in good deeds." (8)
To "learn to engage in good deeds." (11)

As Jesus said, "By their fruits you shall know them."
What do our good deeds, or lack thereof, show about us?

Resolved:

In 2012 I will be watching for opportunities, preparing to engage in, and actually involved in doing GOOD DEEDS.

It's STTA.

You will find some ideas and resources for time in the Bible here.

Resolution #2

2011-12-28T07:57:00.001-08:00

Now that most of you are back to work finishing up 2011, it is a good time to think ahead to the New Year.

What should I be doing in this New Year to make a difference for His glory?

Resolved:

In 2012 I will be involved in both private and corporate (with God's people) prayer.

(You can practice this evening at the CBC prayer meeting, 7:00.)

It's STTA.

Resolution #1

2011-12-28T07:56:00.000-08:00

Now that the flurry & JOY of Christmas is past, and the awareness that the Son of God has come into this world is fresh on my mind, what should I be doing in this New Year to make a difference for His glory?

Resolved:

In 2012 I will be involved in God's Word in a more meaningful way.

It's STTA.

You will find some ideas and resources for time in the Bible here.

Christmas, It's Providential:

2011-12-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

Providence is God working in the background to accomplish what He wants done in the fore.
Consider the process by which Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem. Luke, excellent historian that he is, records:

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus,

Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem.

that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David," (Luke 2:1-4, NASB95)

We can be sure that neither Caesar, nor any of his underlings had any interest in the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy, but his decree accomplished just that. More than half a millennium before Jesus birth Micah made the prediction made famous in the Christmas Carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem.

. . . as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah . . . From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." (Micah 5:2, NASB95)

Caesar wanted what all political rulers want--more tax. Quirinius and the other functionaries wanted their cut and to toady up to Caesar so they could maintain their comfortable position. In spite of the announcements by the Angels (Luke 1 and Matthew 1) I doubt that Joseph or Mary put it all together--"Oh, yeah, our son is going to be the Messiah. Micah says he is supposed to born in Bethlehem. That's what all this is about." More likely their response was like yours or mine when we are forced to jump through some unreasonable bureaucratic hoop. At this point I'll avoid putting unflattering words in the mouths of Mary and Joseph.
Bottom line: Nobody on earth knew what was happening, but God was providentially accomplishing His will in totally unseen ways.
He still is.

It's STTA.

Click here to find out about life's greatest decision.

What if?

2011-12-16T16:27:00.000-08:00

What if George Washington wasn't the first president of the United States?

Most of us believe that he was. I've even been to Mount Vernon and seen his famous false teeth.

But what if it is all a big conspiracy? I mean it would be hard to come up with a more ideal Father of our Country. Than the gentleman Northern Virginia. What if it really is a hoax? Somebody painted the portraits and wrote the diaries, even adding impressive folklore like the cherry tree and the dollar across the Delaware.

If I found out that George Washington wasn't the first president, I would be surprised, I'd instantly become ten pounds more skeptical, and I might even be a bit disappointed, but my Honda would still have a dead battery, my wife's car would still have an oil leak, I'd still have to pay my quarterly dues to the IRS, my grandkids would remain the most talented, best looking and smartest children in the world, and my knees would still be stiff. In short little if anything would change.

On the other hand I totally identify with the Apostle Paul. In1 Corinthians 15:14-19, he says, "If Christ has not been raised, then . . . we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied."

That is the great difference between believing that George Washington was the first President, or merely believing that Jesus was the Son of God come to earth Who lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and came forth from the grave, and believing in Christ as my Savior. In the latter case I am depending on this truth. I am resting in it.

This Sunday is the final message in our John 3:16 series. Have you put your trust in Christ's finished work in such a way that if it proves to be false you have no other hope?

It's STTA.

Click here to find out more about belief.

It's Not Fair!

2011-12-15T07:58:00.000-08:00

"It's not fair!" You don't actually find the words in the text, but they would certainly make an excellent sidebar to the story the Lord told. A landowner needed people to work on his farm. He went to the place where the day laborers gathered and hired a group, telling them he would pay them the standard rate. At various times during the day he returned to the manpower facility and hired more workers. There was no contract, he simply told them, "whatever is right I will give you." The workers had to trust him to do right. The last batch of workers he hired showed up at the farm just one hour before quitting time.
At the end of the day the employer lined up his workers. He first paid those who had only worked an hour. They must have been overjoyed when they received a full-day's pay. The average day-laborer of the time lived a hand to mouth existence. What they could earn in a day was sufficient to support life for a day. These men, because no one had hired them in the morning, faced the prospect of a hungry night, but here it was: a whole day's pay! Those who had worked all day, observing that the workers who had barely broken a sweat were paid a day's wage, naturally figured that they would be paid more. No wonder when they were paid the same they "grumbled at the land owner."
You read it for yourself. It is a story of grace. What the workers took home was not determined by how hard or long they worked, but by the graciousness of the landowner. "Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?"
Inherent in the concept of grace is unfairness-or at least the perception thereof. If you are getting more than you earned that is wonderful. If you perceive that you are not getting a fair shake . . .
People look at a passage of scripture like John 3:16
, the passage we are looking at this Sunday morning at CBC, with its "whosoever believeth," and say "That's not fair. You mean to tell me that this person with all the bad things-really bad things-they have done can be forgiven just by their believing?" Yes, that is what I mean. It appears to me that is what Jesus meant when he told the thief on the cross "Today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43) Or what Paul said to the Philippian jailer in reply to his question about salvation, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, and your household." (Acts 16:31)
It's not fair, but it is wonderful.
Stay tuned.

It's STTA.

Click here to find out more about belief.

Mud!

2011-12-09T04:43:00.000-08:00

My older son is fond of reminding me that I married over my head. He is right. One of the qualities my lovely wife possesses is her "togetherness." When she goes out of the house--and most of the time when she is in it--she looks together. Today was an exception.

Her shoes were coated with mud and her pants splattered with the same. Her hair, usually well coifed, was suffering from the effects of humidity. It has nothing to do with her giving it all up, rather the explanation is that she was involved in something messy, but important.

Friday evening, 12/9, 6:00, we present the first night of our Live Nativity. Kathy is in charge of a significant portion of the set up. We just came through a three day soaking, so mud abounds. There was an important task to be done, and in order to do it she had to get muddy. We are remembering, celebrating, and encouraging our community to consider the meaning of the coming of Christ to earth. The Apostle Paul says about that unique birth that "Christ Jesus, who . . . existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped [selfishly clung to], but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:5-8) The book of Hebrews says that He became, other than sin, completely like us (Hebrews 2:14, & 4:14-16).

He got down in the mud with us, that He might lift us out.

It's STTA.

Displaying the Ten Commandments, #6:

2011-12-07T04:26:00.001-08:00

"For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."" (Galatians 5:14, see also Romans 13:8, &10)

In particular this summary of the law applies to the second half of the Decalogue, the portion that gives direction treating one's fellowman in the right way.
It is certainly unloving to kill, commit adultery against, steal from, lie to, or look with covetousness on the possessions of one's neighbor.
Over the past few years there have been notable cases where courts have forced various entities to remove copies of the Ten Commandments from public display. The case is made by some that the Law of God is not welcome in the public square. Perhaps in bronze or marble, or on parchment the Law is not welcome, but when others are threatened with harm they welcome the restraint that God's God's Law written on our hearts brings.
Let's display the law in the place, and in the form that it can do the most good. Paul speaks of that which is written on the hearts of the Corinthian believers as being his letters of commendation. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)
May we live lives of Godly control in a world that is increasingly out of control. Let's let our "light shine before men in such a way that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16).

It's STTA.

Displaying the Ten Commandments, #4:

2011-12-06T04:53:00.000-08:00

One of the requirements on Old Testament Israel was the keeping of the Sabbath. God, Himself, set the example on creation week by resting on the seventh day. The requirement was formalized in the fourth of the Ten Commandments, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8)

I have met Christians who meet for worship on the seventh rather than the first day of the week, also observing at least some of the Sabbath restrictions. Others have transferred the idea of the Sabbath to Sunday. My wife grew up with a version of this. Others of us, following the pattern of the early church have concluded that the Sabbath is part of the ceremonial aspect of the law fulfilled in Christ. The Book of Hebrews has a lot to say about Christ fulfilling the law. It is significant that in Acts 15:20 when the leaders of the early church announced expectations for Gentile believers, nothing was said about the Sabbath.

All of the Ten Commandments emphasize important principles. Just as the tithe made known that really all that one has comes from God, the Sabbath clearly indicates that all time is His. Makes sense; as C. S. Lewis pointed out, we are incapable of making any. The Sabbath also teaches us the importance of worship. The New Testament says that serving the Lord is our reasonable service. The word in Romans 12:1 is the word from which we get "liturgy." Our worship ought not to be limited to one day a week; everything we do, whenever we do it ought to bring glory to God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

It is another opportunity for us to display the Ten Commandments. Those who read our lives ought to see clearly that God is worthy to be worshiped.

Stay tuned.

It's STTA.

Displaying the Ten Commandments, #5:

2011-12-06T04:51:00.000-08:00

"Honor your father and mother." "Children obey your parents. . . ." So says the fifth of the Ten Commandments and its New Testament parallel (Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:1) In the Decalogue this command is the bridge between the portion of the law, 1-4, that primarily speaks to our relationship with God, and 6-9, which speaks about how we ought to get along with other people.

This command fits in this critical juncture

because parents are God's representatives in the family. Parents are responsible to lead, teach, and provide. Children are to be obedient and submit to the leadership of their parents.

Yes, I know there are incompetent--even abusive--parents, but let's leave that aside for a moment. Every child that is mistreated is a tragedy, but a far greater, sadder story is that so many parents have abdicated their responsibility to lead, and our culture is telling so many kids they don't have to listen.

As God's people we have an incredible opportunity to display the ten commandments in a very attractive way. When our world sees children who accept the leadership of their parents, honor and obey them; and when those who watch see parents who love their kids and show that love by exercising appropriate leadership, they will take notice.

Stay tuned.

It's STTA.

Displaying the Ten Commandments, #3:

2011-12-01T07:09:00.000-08:00

Many Christians are quite passionate about maintaining our "right" to display portions of scripture and religious symbols in public places.

The central symbol of Christianity has been a public symbol for two millennia. Our Lord was crucified in plain view, and the early martyrs gladly owned the cross as they went to their deaths, some of them, like Peter and Andrew, even dying on crosses like their Lord. The word of God, as well, ought not to be a private matter. The book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament tells the story of how the early church spread the Good News from Jerusalem to the far reaches of the known world. I don't see that the concern of those disciples was to get the Romans to let them hang copies of scripture in the Coloseums where they gave their lives. Rather they made the Word known by lives that clearly demonstrated the power of God's word to change the world one life at a time.

There are good reasons why it makes sense to have a copy of the Ten Commandments displayed in a High School. The sweeping secularization of our public spaces ought to be appropriately resisted, but far more important than a plaque on a wall, is the Word of God shining out from a life. Perhaps the courts in our land will prevent the display of Ten Commandments in our schools and other government buildings. No power on earth can prevent us from living out the truth of those ten guidelines for Godly, sensible living.

The third of the Ten Commandments says that we are not to "take the name of the LORD [our] God in vain." When I consider this with other passages of scripture that speak about my speech, like Ephesians 4:29 and 5:4, I see that what I say ought to display the fact that God is in control in my life.

When I open my mouth, what comes out?

Stay tuned.

It's STTA.

Displaying the Ten Commandments, #2:

2011-11-30T07:54:00.000-08:00

Not far from where I sit, a case is being decided related to displaying the Ten Commandments in public space. It is not the first such lawsuit, and likely won't be the last.
I am not so much in favor of the display of the Decalogue as I am opposed to the mentality that has forced the removal of similar displays. We are on an ice-coated incline. What I am heartily, and completely in favor of, is the display of the morality and ethic that is presented in the law received from the hand of God on Sinai in the lives of God's people today.
Take the second of those ten terse statements:

"You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth." (Exodus 20:4)
It is a standard that the People of God in the Old-Testament habitually violated. In fact before Moses had even returned from the mountain they had made a golden calf to represent God.
One of the clear points God makes about Himself is that He is beyond all such constructs, be they wood, gold or stone, whether they are produced in the Sinai desert, Hollywood, Detroit, or Wall Street. (Deuteronomy 4:12, 1 Timothy 6:16)

When Moses came down from having met with God, there was no doubt what was going on, Aaron's lame excuses not withstanding. I fear that even a quick, casual observation of the average Twenty-first Century Christian would demonstrate a modern version of idolatry every bit as obnoxious as the reveling of the people before the calf that, according to Aaron, just came out of the fire.

I need to ask myself, "Does my life show that I worship and obey the God, Who is other than all that is around me, or do I look way too much like everyone else--devoted to a god of human manufacture?"

Stay tuned.

It's STTA.

Displaying the Ten Commandments:

2011-11-28T06:22:00.000-08:00

I just saw that the Giles County 10 Commandment case is back in the headlines. It will likely surprise no one to hear that the case is being driven as a result of a suit brought by well less than a handful, maybe one student and a parent ( here).

The Giles County display includes a number of historic documents

I am thoroughly convinced that our schools and other public institutions would be far better places if the there was a greater awareness of and adherence to the Decalogue. Yet as I think of the horrendous persecution inflicted on Christians in some lands dominated by Islam, I certainly want my nation to respect the faith of nonChristians. The rights of minorities--even minorities of two--need to be respected.

I'm not saying the display at Narrows High School--a school, by the way, my pastoral associate attended--constitutes discrimination, or coercion. I'm not sure that any of our founding documents guarantees the right to never see anything that makes one uncomfortable. Since the two complainants in this case have remained anonymous, I don't know, but if they are like others who have similarly complained in other cases, their problem is "I am an atheist. Seeing this display makes me feel that I am not a welcome part of this public--as in, "paid for by my tax money."--institution." Do atheists demand the right to practice atheism, or the right to not practice theism? (Here is one atheist's viewpoint on the dispute in Giles.) Either way they have that right, and I endorse it. I'm open to being convinced, but I don't see that this display violates either right.

I won't be filing an amicus curiae in this case. Instead I'm advocating for a far more effective and, as far as I know, totally legal, display. I'm advocating that we live out the principles of the Ten Commandments in our everyday life. Start with #1. Live in such a way that it clearly shows that there is one God and that He is my Lord.

Stay tuned.

It's STTA.

Ultimately the law shows out profound need. When you see that look here to see the soul-u-tion.

Tension can be good:

2011-11-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

I spent a considerable bit of time recently shopping for a movie to use on a date night with my lovely wife. Weeding out all the choices that are too this or too that, doesn't leave a large selection. I'm certainly open to your suggestions, but I digress; that's not the purpose of this piece.

One of the things I noticed as I looked at the plot summaries, especially of the older flicks, is that many of them are built around the tension that exists when one finds a romantic interest in someone other than the person in whom they ought to have such an interest. In plainer terms: "I'm married to, engaged to, going steady with, Bob (or Suzie), but I'm falling in love with Jane (or Bill)." Sometimes this conflict is developed through comedy, and in other presentations it leads to tragedy in the fullest sense. I'm wondering, though, when the pull that the viewer needs to feel in order for the plot to work will no longer be present. Is the device becoming like the elastic in an over-used garment? You can pull on it, but it doesn't pull back.

The stress that such plot lines depend on is dependent on certain qualities in the viewer:

Marriage is a special, even sacred, relationship.
Sexual activity should have some relationship to love.
People ought to keep their promises, and
In general tell the truth.
To use another human being for one's own advancement is wrong.

In other words the elastic is the watcher's commitment to a basic system of morality. I see that basic morality being drained from our culture at large.

I don't figure that a plot-line built on the debate of whether whale oil or beef tallow was the best fuel for lighting homes would gain much traction in our electrified world.

I'm wondering whether we are rapidly headed to a place where stories that depend on what one ought to do, will be meaningless, because most people will have concluded that other than to do what pleases me at the moment there is really nothing that I ought to do.

It's STTA, but add in Matthew 5:13-16 & think about it some more.

You can find out here about how Jesus changes hearts.

Trust? Oh!

2011-11-15T06:14:00.000-08:00

Several trust issues have come way recently. It is no wonder; life as we know it depends on trust. One example: When I drive I trust my life to numerous people I have never even met. Way too often someone violates that trust through substance abuse, texting-while-driving, or just utter irresponsibility, yet early this morning I trusted a score of people to stay on their side of the road, stop at stop signs, and generally pay attention to the task of driving. Especially, considering that at that hour, in a mill-town, many of those on the road have been up all night, the trust that I place in them involves considerable risk.

So, maybe I should just play it safe and walk everywhere? But, that raises a new set of trust issues. I can't even lock myself in my room without the necessity of trusting someone. The question is "who to trust?" and, "how much?"

When I opened my email this morning I saw that one of our world's observers of human foibles had weighed in on the issue. (At this point you might want to take a look at Scott Adam's Dilbert cartoon for 11/15.) Asok is asking Wally a question. If you are not a Dilbert fan, you need to understand that Wally is an incredibly clever individual, who uses his intellect to avoid all meaningful work. "Wally,is there any difference between trust and stupidity?" (emphasis mine)

Wally, ever present coffee-cup in hand, replies, "Hold that thought. I'll be right back."

The middle panel is blank except for Asok standing, waiting, trusting.

The third panel show's Asok, still alone, but with one word of enlightenment, "Oh."

It is a hard lesson that many folk in the non-comic world have learned through bitter experience, and one that many more need to master--hopefully, minus the bitters.

Asok, Howard, reader, there are those who just aren't a good risk. They will leave you all alone in the second and third panel, looking foolish before all the world. An old farm related proverb makes the point this way. The first time the mule kicks me it is the mules fault, the second time, I'm to blame. I regularly see people with multiple hoof prints, sincerely asking: should I trust him or her again?

To which I ask, "Is there any credible reason to think that the mule has reformed since the last time you were kicked?"

Trust involves taking a chance. Wisdom involves making sure it is a risk worth taking.

It's STTA.

Compassion:

2011-11-10T10:35:00.001-08:00

Being compassionate isn't free.

It is said about Jesus Christ that He "felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) Isaiah predicted of Christ that He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. (Isaiah 53:4) I've always been intrigued by the words from the Lord after the woman succeeded in touching His robe: ""Who is the one who touched Me?" The disciples pointed out that people were pressing in on Him from every side, but Jesus replied, "Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me." Power had gone out of me. Obviously, something was going on, here, that is beyond you or me, but just what went out. Was there a wearying effect that Jesus contact with needy people had on Him. It is a real possibility.

Last night a friend was telling me about his friend and his spiritual need. He apologized because he was getting teary. I should have apologized because I wasn't. In the last hour I heard from someone who needs help with finances, and another who is concerned because a loved one is being treated badly. In each of these cases, compassion will cost something.

I know I can't meet every need, but do I too easily use that as an excuse for not trying to meet any need?

Compassion is expensive. Is it a cost I'm willing to pay?

It's STTA.

Self-control:

2011-11-08T04:38:00.001-08:00

Hello, I'm Howard Merrell. I'm lacking in self-control. Maybe we should start a Twelve-Step Program.

My admission is true on any level; just ask my wife or those who work with me, but that isn't my point. A loss of temper, overeating, failure to do what we know we should do but never get around to survey would show I'm not the worst of the lot, but I'm sure an honest evaluation would show others who are in better control of self than yours truly.

I'm somewhere in the vast horde of those struggle with temptation, who are to one degree or another controlled by habits that ought to be broken, and who find themselves making the admission, "I did it again."

I've often thought that "self-control" for the Christian is an incorrect term. Just think about the part of self that each of us finds hardest to control.

". . . no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." (James 3:8)
David, realizing this truth, looks to the Lord to do for him what he cannot do for himself. "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips." (Psalm 141:3)
Galatians 5:23 tells us that one of the aspects of the fruit that the Spirit of God produces in the life of those who "Walk in the Spirit" and are "led by the Spirit," is self-control. (Galatians 5:16-18)

So, is it self-control or Holy Spirit control? If you put the passages I referenced above together with

Ephesians 5:18

, which says we are to be controlled by the Spirit, perhaps we ought to call it a

"Spirit enabled ability to control self."

Whatever we call it. I need it.

Lord, I confess my sin, to get out of the way, yield to You, and commit myself to be in Your word and let Your word change me. My desire is to be controlled by Your Spirit so I can control myself.

It's STTA.

Mercy!

2011-11-07T07:30:00.001-08:00

A year or so ago I stopped at a traffic check that state and local police had set up just down the road. As I pulled up next to the officer who was holding out his hand for me to stop, I recognized him as a young man who had grown up in the church I pastor.

"This is my worst nightmare," I said, adding his name.

Without missing a beat, from beneath his broad-brimmed hat and from behind his sunglasses, he said, "It's about to get worse, if you don't have your license and registration."

Of course he delivered the line in that flat, octave-lower-than-normal, state trooper voice they all seem to have. I was glad I had the necessary paper work.

Thankfully, my young friend has never pulled me over when I was actually guilt of something. His colleagues have. Officers have been kind enough to remind me that my inspection sticker had expired, or that I was exceeding the speed limit. Whenever I have been apprehended in this manner there is a very long period of time between when the officer first announces my observed offense, and when they go back to the police cruiser to check things out. During that couple of minutes which seems like a few hours, one thought dominates my mind.

Mercy.

To be honest, I know I don't deserve mercy. Isn't that an oxymoron? I want police to to be tough on crime; I realize that is essential to a well-ordered society; but I sure hope--with an element of confessed selfishness-- that this officer will choose to make someone else an example.

I want mercy.

I think about my checking account. I need mercy.

My mind runs to the ribbing I will take when others read the public record of my offence, and I desperately hope for mercy.

As I have already said, I know I don't deserve mercy, but I remember the great feeling of relief I have felt when an officer said those most welcome of words, "I'm giving you a warning."

I know how blessed it is to receive mercy. Jesus said blessed are those who show mercy. That beatitude goes on to say, that those who show mercy will receive mercy. (Matthew 5:7) It's not karma at work. Really the first part of each of those beatitudes describes the way God's people are. When I have the power, from a purely human viewpoint, showing mercy isn't much fun. It is one of the reasons power corrupts. But if God has done His saving work in my heart, the Holy Spirit will give me a spirit of mercy (Look at the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23, while mercy isn't listed there, these are traits that tend in that direction.) Even on those occasions when duty demands that I do the right thing, and give the ticket, mark the student with a failing grade, or punish my child, I will, like Joseph, do right tempered with mercy (Micah 6:8,Zechariah 7:9).

Lord, give me a willingness to show mercy that equals my desire to receive it.

Amen.

It's STTA.

I'd like to be courageous, but I'm kinda scared:

2011-11-03T09:27:00.001-07:00

C. S. Lewis said, "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."

I think it was that great thinker John Wayne who said, "Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway."

Courage is that quality that motivates and enables us to do right when it is hard. I suppose one may possess courage during good times, but it will not be seen until the time of trial. To paraphrase Thomas Paine, when we come to one of those times that try our souls, unless we are possessed of courage, we like the "summer soldier, the sunshine patriot" will shrink from doing right.

Those of us who have earned some gray hair and bear the scars of battles past know the difference between courage and fool-heartiness. Sometimes people happen to charge into the right battles, without real courage. Their eagerness to engage has more to do with ignorance than bravery. True courage requires a solid foundation. Proverbs 28:1 offers such a platform: "The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion."

You may be able to correct me, but I don't know of anyone who is truly courageous concerning what they know is a wrong cause. Out of desperation we may do something that on the surface appears to be courageous, to cover our guilt, but that's not courage. Knowing I am right, knowing the value of the right, and being convinced that righteousness is worth standing for--even dying for--it is on such stones that courage is built.

Lord, give me a conviction of that which is right so that I will have the courage to do what is right. I need to see clearly so that I can act courageously. Help me not to buckle at the point of crisis, but rather to buckle on the armor You have provided, and having done all to stand,help me to stand. May I not forget that if I lead out of fear then I can only lead in retreat. Lord, make us, Your church, those who, knowing that our cause is right and our victory is secure, live lives of courage.

Amen.

It's STTA.

Depending on the Kindness of others:

2011-11-02T05:12:00.001-07:00

Plenty of us share a dependency with Blanche Dubois, We depend "on the kindness of strangers," and friends, and family, and anyone else.

From the person who stops so we can pull out onto a busy street, to the youngster who helps pick up the contents of a dropped grocery bag, to the friend who uses their time to comfort and encourage us in a time of need, we all appreciate kindness.

The person who exhibits Biblical kindness doesn't just think nice thoughts, she actually does something. One definition I found was "benevolence in action." The kind person looks at another then asks the question what do I have and what can I do to help, encourage, protect this person. We enjoy the presence of the kind-hearted, love to hear kind words, and soak up kind deeds. Most of us would not have survived, certainly not thrived, if we hadn't had kind mothers. Most of us look back with fondness on at least one teacher who treated us kindly at some difficult time in our life. Contrary to numerous jokes, I was wonderfully blessed to have a kind Mother-in-law. Sometimes we find ourselves like a dry sponge. When kindness is poured out we soak it up.

Colossians speaks of God's people wearing kindness like a garment. Galatians tells us it is one aspect of the fruitthat the Holy Spirit bears in our lives. That makes sense because it is a characteristic of God. (Ephesians 2:7)

I readily admit that I depend on the kindness of others.
My prayer is that I will be one on whom others can depend for acts of kindness.

It's STTA.

Depending on the Kindness of others:

2011-11-02T05:11:00.001-07:00

Plenty of us share a dependency with Blanche Dubois, We depend "on the kindness of strangers," and friends, and family, and anyone else.

I readily admit that I depend on the kindness of others.
My prayer is that I will be one on whom others can depend for acts of kindness.

It's STTA.

Patience? It looks good on others:

2011-11-01T04:06:00.001-07:00

"A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, But the slow to anger calms a dispute." (Proverbs 15:18)

How often we think, or say, "Just give me a minute." Yet how selfish we can be with a minute if someone else needs one.

I sometimes wonder when I'm walking down a hall behind a group going slower than I want to go, "Do I slow others down as much as they do me?" Probably.

When I'm out for a leisurely drive I "Tsk, tsk," the horn-honkers. When I'm late for an appointment I find the same delays quite irritating.

Lord give me patience. I'm tempted to add, "Right now!"but I'm working on it.

The New Testament has two words for patience.
One is primarily patience with situations and things. We can get impatient with the weather, the passage of time, balky machinery--things over which we have little or no control. Hupomone speaks of patience in trying circumstances. It is a trait I greatly admire in others, especially people like police officers, moms, or ticket agents in airports.

Lord, in the midst of turmoil and trying situations may I be surrounded with patient people.

But, often I'm not surrounded by people with that kind of patience. In fact I frequently find myself surrounded not just by trying circumstances, but trying people. I imagine there are times when others find me to be that trying person. Makrothumia is often translated as "long-suffering." Think about loving spouses with irritating mates, or kind parents with demanding children, or loyal, faithful employees with irritating bosses--those who suffer long and thus model patience.

Patience, it is one of the virtues that we ought to practice, model and promote.

It's STTA.

Here are some places where God's word speaks about patience:

Masks

2011-11-01T04:05:00.003-07:00

If tonight is like most Halloweens we won't see many trick-or-treaters at our house. We live on a busy road, no sidewalk, and there are other neighborhoods where kids can more easily get a haul of candy. Usually the ones who stop by are friends who make a special effort to ring our doorbell. Kathy and I enjoy seeing the youngsters all decked out. Generally, in spite of their masks, we know exactly who they are.

Masks are common these days, and it's not just because of Halloween. The political season is also going full-bore. Every candidate who is anybody at all has a cadre of handlers who try to make sure that their candidate is never seen or heard without the "benefit" of a mask. These consultants and their counsel remind me of a cynical comment that I heard attributed to the late George Burns, "People are impressed with sincerity. If you learn to fake that, you've got it made." Pollsters, and consultants stick their fingers into the breeze of popular opinion and then try to make their candidate appear to be what they think the public wants them to be. The right clothes, being seen in the right place, having an adoring (often another level of mask wearing) spouse by their side--cute kids/grandkids don't hurt, and even sporting the right haircut are seen as essential elements of politics. In other words--spoken with an element of cynicism--wear the right mask, in such a way that it appears to not be a masquerade, and you will get elected.

I find it interesting that much of what politicians are trying to appear to be (I'm not saying there are no sincere politicians, but I am speaking of them as a group.), is what we as God's people ought to be in reality.

Honest
Sincere
Compassionate
Responsible
Courageous

It is common for folk to rhetorically cry out, "Take the mask off!" Let's think about that one. Maybe the shock will be too great. Perhaps we ought to say, "Become something fit to see, then take the mask off."

It's STTA.

Where is your treasure, now?

2011-11-01T04:05:00.001-07:00

Last night I had a wonderful time with a group of guys in our Prayer Meeting (We are open to ladies joining us, it is just that there is a meeting parallel with Prayer Meeting where we guys aren't welcome, so the Wednesday evening prayer and Bible study time tends to be mostly male. Last night we discussed Matthew 6:19-24. It begins with Jesus command/counsel about where to put our treasure. We can put it down here, which Jesus says we shouldn't do, because down here "moth and rust corrupts and thieves steal." Or, we can put our treasure in a place where it will be secure, heaven. Not only is that where Jesus says we should put our treasure, He gives us sound reasons for doing so.

It is interesting that my study of this passage of scripture coincided with a tragic happening in the life of a friend of mine. My friend has a house that is temporarily empty. He's done a lot of work on the house, getting it ready for someone to move into. Included in the refurbishing is (or "was," now) new plumbing. Just like the Lord Jesus warned, thieves broke in and stole. Thousands of dollars worth damage and stolen plumbing netted someone hundreds of dollars worth of scrap, which has likely already been burnt up in the form of drugs. My friend is hurt, but he knows clearly that "this world is not my home. I'm just a passin' through." I'm confident that he knows that his real treasures are above.

Jesus warned that how we view our stuff, what we treasure, and where our treasure is stored, will affect who we are, how we think and what we do. If our treasure is on earth so will our heart be. I think it is likely that Paul had the Lord Jesus' words in mind when he said, ". . . if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:1-2)

Just as the Lord Jesus said, I must make a choice. I can't serve both God and Mammon (wealth personified). As Midas found out, before he got into the auto exhaust business, where I set my affection will change my life.

It's STTA.

Before you can put treasure in heaven, you need to know you are going there. http://covingtonbiblechurch.com/lifesmostimportant.html

2011-11-01T04:04:00.001-07:00

I hate to pick a fight with the redhead from Charlottesville--him being dead and all, I think I could take him--but he was wrong All men aren't created equal.

I'm watching Monday Night Football. So far the Bears aren't doing so well. Somebody is less equal. But, that's not my point. Sports announcers have to announce, and often they make stuff up. I'll get back to that. A few minutes ago a receiver for Detroit made a remarkable catch. Said announcers needed to fill some space, so they filled it up with some arithmatic. Take the player's height, reach and leaping ability, do the calculations that tell you how far he can reach foreward, backward, left, right, and up, and you come up with the same space contained in a two-card garage.

Me? I can barely reach my orange-juice next to the couch. Got that, Tom? Not even close to equal.

I regularly read stuff online & think I'd really like to comment on that. Then I think, the person who wrote that comment is way smarter than me. I'll just stay out of this. On the other hand I have conversations where things run the other direction. I feel like I need to tie one hand behind my back to make it fair.

"But," someone says, "that's not what Jefferson meant."

Maybe not. He goes on to speak about people being endowed by their Creator.. . . I'm not all together sure that Tom really believed in the Creator, but since he brought Him up, I'll agree. People who jump high or sit firm, folk who are smart, not so much, or average--as the children's song says, "Red, brown, yellow, black, and white. all are precious in his sight." All have sinned, and all can find salvation in Christ.

It's STTA.

What Matters Now?

2011-10-21T08:15:00.001-07:00

Gadhafi, Qadafi, Moamer Kadhafi, Muammar Gaddafi,Qaddafi, or the nick-name President Reagan gave him, Mad-Dog. I read that there were 112 ways to spell the Libyan dictator's name. The linguistic wonder was even the subject of a Saturday Night skit.
For over forty years the alphabet-soup ruler of the African nation reigned with absolute power. His terror reached around the world, to Scotland, Germany, and Syracuse New York. His palaces were huge, his wardrobe beyond even Elton John's. In the "end" he was dragged out of a highway culvert and killed.
I put quotation marks around "end" because we know it isn't the end. Hebrews 9:27 gives us the truth, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
Gadhafi was known as a "Strong-man" here. Before God he is weak. Even at the end of his life he was surrounded by guards and servants. Before God he will stand totally alone. The only thing more varied and colorful than the Libyan dictator's name was his wardrobe, but before the Lord nothing will be covered. Not only the deeds he has done, but the thoughts of his heart will be judged.
About a day yet to come John said, "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:12-15)

Some things you just can't avoid, no matter how powerful you are.

It's STTA.

2011-10-18T06:26:00.001-07:00

I had just done the final burst on my Airdyne, so it may be that all the blood had gone out of my cranium, but I think I heard the news say that a majority of Americans thought we needed to rally around a hopeful message. "Amen!" says the oxygen deprived one. But--and that is a big word right here--but, what do we hope for? All across America, right down to the little community where I live, it seems there is agreement on one thing. We are in a mess. Once you get beyond that generic observation, though, unity splatters like my wife's china bowl after I drop it on the ceramic floor.

More laws.

Fewer regulations.

Tighten the borders.

Remember we are a nation of immigrants.

Free Trade!

Impose Tarrifs.

Occupy Wall Street or put them all in jail.

So for what do we hope?

I'm not encouraging civic lethargy, but if I might be so bold I'd like to give an answer I once heard from Curly Fine, of Three Stooges fame. When asked if he was a Democrat or a Republican, I believe he answered, "Neither. I'm a Pedestrian." Our hope ought to not be based in what the government can do but in the way we walk,

and that's where God's word comes in. Scripture frequently gives instructions for walking in such a way that engenders legitimate hope. Here is one example: ". . . walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love. . . . just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;" (Ephesians 4:1-4)

Let's rally 'round that hope.

It's STTA.

Here's hope: http://covingtonbiblechurch.com/lifesmostimportant.html

2011-10-18T06:25:00.001-07:00

My wife and I have lived in two houses for our entire 39 years of marriage. Our first nine months were spent in a trailer between Clarks Summit, where I was finishing college, and Tunkhannock, PA--our church was near there. I know the more accepted term is "mobile home," or "manufactured housing," but ours was a trailer, with the odd quirks associated with that kind of house. Since then our home, remodeled almost constantly, has been at 2106 S. Carpenter Drive. You might think that for folk who have avoided the American urge to move and/or build bigger and better that simplicity would come easily. You would be wrong.
My part of the garage is a paradigm for the rest of my life. If someone had charted the clutter in my "shop" over the years it would probably look like a perfect up and down oscillation. Clutter, just plain dirt, and disorganization will increase until it gets to be too much. Then a cleaning, putting away, creating organizational solutions, and just getting rid of stuff binge will begin. After that there will be a steady state of "Doesn't this look nice?" and "Doesn't this make your shop a more inviting place to work?" that will last for a few days or maybe weeks, before, "I don't have time to clean up." will cause the curve to inch upward again.
My wife's mottos are "Simplify," and "Eliminate and Concentrate." As is true about almost everything, I'd be far better off if I listened to her more.
My head and heart need cleaning as well. There are times when the clutter--and in my head the clutter doesn't even stay still; it swirls around--gets so great that it prevents regular, more important activity from progressing.
This morning my grandson helped me out.

"Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread."

What an uncluttering thought!
Sharp kid!

It's STTA.

BTW, you can find that bread here: http://covingtonbiblechurch.com/lifesmostimportant.html

Sure Could Use Some Good--even sensible--News:

2011-10-03T14:33:00.001-07:00

As I often do, I started this morning by watching some news. As usual, it was mostly bad. This morning, though, a particular kind of badness struck me. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. seemed more ready for football than to answer questions about the current political scene. His answers were mostly mono-syllables, barely above grunts, though he did manage to link our president to Adolph Hitler. Then we were given the benefit of Roseann Barr's careful analysis of the economy. Everyone who earns more than $100 million--no doubt, a number arrived at after careful study--should give back the excess, or go to Cambodian style re-education camps, or, failing said re-education, be beheaded. Is "demouthed" a word?
Then there was an enlightening series of interviews with the residents of a tent-village, who want to "take over Wall Street." As near as I can tell none of them have any idea what they will do with the financial capital of our nation if they manage to seize it. Perhaps watch Roseanne reruns, hang out with Rowdy Friends, and broadcast old Michael Moore movies?
I was about to despair of hearing not only good news, but any that actually made any sense, when the story of Josh Ripley helping a cross-country competitor came up.

Lord, help me to live so as to help those in need, and to encourage those who search for good news like a thirsty man in the desert looks for water.
Amen

It's STTA.

Can I really claim to be "Christian"?

2011-09-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

This thing called Christianity, what's it about?

For the first several years, maybe decades, of people walking in the way of Jesus the movement lacked a definitive name. We read in the book of Acts that "the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." (Acts 11:26) What compelled the neighbors of these "Christians" to give them that name? The name stuck, maybe too well. Today, all kinds of people claim to be "Christians." "Christianity" is used to describe movements so broad and disparate that I sometimes wonder whether the word has any real meaning.

I admit my prejudice in the matter. I'm convinced that Christianity is a religion, movement, philosophy of life, way of life--call it what you will--that is described by, and defined by the Book, the Bible. When I speak of the Bible I am talking about those 66 books that form the common core that Christians regard as their holy book. Does Christianity simply mean "Bible-anity"?
Others would say that Christianity is a set of rituals, a liturgy. We get together and do these rites that define who we are. So, does having been baptized, regularly taking communion, and doing the Christian thing, make one a Christian?
Still others would see Christianity as a way of thinking. Christianity is a philosophy of life. It is different than materialism, or secularism, or Buddhism or Islam. Some folk who don't even believe in the Jesus of the Bible will consider themselves "Christian" in this sense. Should we consider ourselves to be "Christian-ists"?

All of these have an element of truth to them. (I've already admitted my fondness for the first.) I was reminded this week, though, as I began a new round of a Bible study on the Life of Christ, that preeminently Christianity is about a person--the person of Christ.

The Bible points us to Christ, and leads us into a relationship with Him
If rituals have value--and not all do not--it is as they point to Christ. In particular the two ordinances that Christ left us, baptism and the Lord's supper, point us to Him and the need that we have to be found in Him.
It is essential that all of our life--what we say, what we do, even the very way we think be shaped by our relationship with Him.

It was said about some of the early followers of the Lord, that they were recognized " as having been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13) I think that the folk in Antioch, perhaps intending it as an insult, called those followers of Jesus "Christians" because their lives were so marked by Christ.

I am praying that this will be the mark of my Christianity,Christ-like-ness.

In that sense of Christianity:

I could be a scholar of the Book and not be Christian.

I can do certain rituals--Christian though they may be--and not be Christian.

I can subscribe to a philosophy, even be able to articulate it accurately and not be Christian.

Unless:

In the fullest sense, I believe in Christ,

I can realistically claim that He is at the core of who I am,

My life is increasingly marked by a likeness to Christ,

And I am living to, and in such a way so as to, make Christ known,

Can I really claim to be Christian?

It's STTA.

Downs and Ups:

2011-09-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

The conventional wisdom is that though the stock market may go down, it will come back up--eventually. I heard that most folk who just left their money in stocks through the Great-Depression actually made money. I'm in my Sixties. My retirement funds, like many of yours, are in "funds" i.e. stocks. I'm wondering if I'll live long enough to see the upturn. With the Greeks threatening to have a "Going out of Business Sale" and pay creditors fifty-cents on the dollar, I heard that even gold was down this morning. Since I don't personally have any gold to sell it really doesn't affect my fortune--or lack thereof--but it is another downer.

Maybe it's just complacency, but I figure I can't really do anything about it, so I don't pay much attention. I talked to a really sharp guy, recently, someone who was paying attention to markets and such. Through shrewd investment he was able to grow a few hundred-thousand dollar nest-egg into something like nine hundred dollars and change. That's right, less than $1K. So, I'm hangin' on hopin' this rickitey roller-coaster bottoms out soon.

Something I do spend a good bit of time looking into--not near enough, but a lot. Is God's grace. It is up. The prospects are great.

I just read & reread, & read again, this about the Apostle Paul. ". . . when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased [He]. . . reveal[ed] His Son in me." (Galatians 1:15-16)

I only claim kinship with the great Apostle in that both of us owe our eternal prospects to the same resource--God's grace. God's grace is never in default, shortage, recession--single, double, or triple dip--or depression. It is neither inflated, quantitatively eased, not deflated. It's abundant supply in described by another commodity that is prolific, ". . . where sin increased, grace abounded all the more." (Romans 5:20).

As an old hymn puts it, "Grace that is greater than all my sin."

It's STTA.

Thoughts on 9/11, #5, Change that lasts:

2011-09-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago in a well-planned series of terrorist attacks three-thousand people died. Many others were wounded, widowed, or orphaned. Still more gave their lives or had their lives drastically changed as a result of what took place as a result of those attacks. The terrorism iss indefensible, and the carnage rightly moved Al Qaeda, and its leader Osama bin Laden, to the top of the "most-wanted list."

Still, in spite of all of that horror, as many of us look back from our vantage point a decade away, we see some good things that happened as a result of 9/11. I've reviewed some of those positive responses over the past week and a half. Unfortunately, the willingness to turn to God for answers, recognition of the reality and presence of evil, and the unity that that came after 9/11 were mostly gone by 10/11. In my four decades of ministry I've observed the same phenomena many times. Life will smack us hard--perhaps knock us to our knees--as a result we will make promises, vow to change, and even begin to walk a new path. Generally, though, such "conversions" are temporary. The speed with which we abandon these new ways is almost as great as the rapidity with which adopted the news way.

Peter makes a couple of very unflattering comparisons when talking about those who soon repent of their repentance: "It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2:22) A dog does doggish things because it is a dog, and hog does hoggish things because it is a hog. No amount of merely external activity, no matter how well-intentioned can change that. On the other hand 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
The difference has to do with whether anything has taken place at a heart-level, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death." (2 Corinthians 7:10)

If the circumstances of life drive you to change that change will likely be short-lived, but if you flee to Christ. . . .

It's STTA.

Thoughts on 9/11 #4, Irony and Heritage

2011-09-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

Living most of my life in a small town I've grown accustomed to seeing relatives take opposite sides of issues, or when events impact people in the same family in very different ways. It is strange to me, however, when it takes place on a global level.

Not long ago Saudi Arabian Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal announced that his Kingdom Holding Company will build a kilometer-high sky-scraper on Jeddah Saudi Arabia. The building designed by a Chicago archetectural firm will be, by far, the tallest building in the world.

What I find ironic, is the construction of the mammoth edifice will be undertaken by the Bin Laden group.

Yes, the very same family that provided us with Osama, who was intrumental in destroying two of the world's tallest structures. At the time of their completion the twin towers of the World Trade Center were the tallest buildings in the world. In defense of the Bin Laden family, and the company that bears their name. They disavowed any connection with their terrorist offspring in 1990. Still, I find the strangeness of it all quite deep.

I don't expect that the bin(s) (sons of) Howard Merrell Family will build the world's biggest anything. I do see great evidence that they will do that which is far more significant. My sons and their wives love and serve the Lord. While we can't be immediately sure about decisions that little people make, my youngest grandchild says she trust the Lord. My eldest grandchild just posted this on a social media site:

Tonight I'm left with this question: Being my last year of high school, what am I going to be remembered for? That I was a drummer? That I was "cool"? or even that I went to church alot? Will anyone be able say that I was the guy that wouldn't shut up about Jesus?

You can have that tallest building, and I'll throw in the biggest bank account to boot.

It's STTA.

9/11 Thoughts #3, Calling Evil What It Is:

2011-08-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

"Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature." These were the words of President George W. Bush at the end of the momentous day known ten years later simply as "9/11." As one who had grown weary of the politically-correct soft-speak that had become, and still is the norm, I found the president's words very encouraging. The Commander in Chief's words swelled up in my chest in the same way I imagined the British people must have reacted to Winston Churchill's description of Nazi Germany as, "a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime." (http://www.winston-churchill-leadership.com/speech-blood-toil.html)

"Don't demonize your opponent." It is hard to find commentary on public discourse that does not contain such a warning, or rebuke. I fear that we have so deeply imbibed this bit of "universal wisdom" that we are now unable to identify the demonic. We live in a fallen world, and those of us who live here are fallen. I believe that the events of Genesis 3 are historical. The Theological truth established by this Biblical account, and many other scriptures is undeniable. It is called the Depravity of Man (see post for 8/31). Those of us who accept this doctrine drawn from the Bible and abundantly illustrated by observation of human behavior do not mean that people are incapable of acts of kindness, etc., nor that everyone is as evil as she/he could be. Among other implications, however, the Bible's teaching on the human condition is that people are capable of almost unimaginable evil. Technically, the kind of evil we are talking about is not "demonic" but "humanic."

Keeping that correction in mind, one of the great problems of our world is the opposite of demonizing our opponents; it is the failure to recognize the demonic. Incredible evil is at large in our world. It is a truth that we ignore at our own risk. When a leader has the courage to point to it and call it what it, power, resolve, and inspiration are communicated. When we allow the "very worst of human nature," to go unidentified, or when we act as if there is no "dark lamentable catalogue of human crime," that is still growing as we speak, have we not become part of the evil?

It's STTA.

August 30, 2011, Rushing in where others are fleeing:

2011-08-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

On 9/11 the first plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center about 8:45 AM. The building, with incredible damage and fires raging within, stood for about an hour. Stories from survivors tell of the heat, confusion, smoke and wreckage blocking exits in the massive building. A short time later the horror was repeated in the South Tower. Thankfully in the time between the attacks and the collapses of the towers thousands of people were able to escape. In the supreme statement of terror and desperation, some jumped from hundreds of feet up.

While thousands were fleeing, there were hundred who were going in. Firemen and paramedics went in to do their duty. They rushed into buildings from which others were fleeing. Because of their efforts many survived.

Though I live five-hundred miles from New York City, and ten years have passed since that tragic day, I still see shirts and hats emblazoned with "FDNY." The quiet heroism of New York's first responders is incredible. With them it isn't a boast; it is more of a job description. "We go into burning buildings while other's are fleeing." In the Brotherhood that makes up the country's largest fire department, the members encourage one another to "Do the right thing."--the FDNY motto.

If you read the words of Christ on the night before the Crucifixion, John 13-17, you'll notice that He didn't mince words in speaking of the evils and dangers of the world.

"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. (John 15:18)

". . . you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. . . ." (John 16:20)

"In the world you have tribulation." (John 16:33)

"The world has hated them [Christ's followers]." (John 17:14)

Remarkably, though, the Lord does not help His followers to leave the world. John 17 explains how He is leaving, but He is leaving them (for His followers today, "Us") A short time later, after His death and resurrection, he sends His peopleinto the world.

With good reason many Christians see reason to flee the world. Obviously, we can't do so completely, I mean, we are stuck here on this piece of rock, but the temptation to so insulate ourselves from the world that we have essentially abandoned it is great. Doing the right thing is often hard. In the case of those who follow Christ the right thing is to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel."

To go into a world, from which we want to flee, with the message of salvation. It's the right thing.

It's STTA.

A follow-up note: (post for 8/30)

Thoughts on 9/11:

2011-08-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

It was Tuesday. I was in my office working. Kathy called and told me there was an explosion or something in New York. What I did next says a lot about me, and the condition of our world. I just confirmed my recollection by looking at a list of terrorist incidents that took place in the time just before 9/11. (also here) Bombs--suicide, car, and otherwise--attacks on trains, buildings and historic monuments, and man-made tragedies of all sorts had become common place. Less than a year before the USS Cole had a massive hole blown in its side. Distance and repetition had removed the terror from terrorism for me. The flow of blood in the newspaper and on the news, combined with troubles closer to home had made me more numb than I wish I were. I just kept working.

As I remember, Kathy called me again a few minutes later. Like many of you, she had been watching the horror unfolding. I heard an emotion in her voice that I had only heard at times of family deaths or other major troubles. I knew that this was beyond the wickedness that, for me had become the new normal. I came home and struggled to take in the magnitude of what had just happened.

It is a balancing act with which we all need to struggle. Somewhere, right now there is likely some atrocity that is being planned, carried out, or just inflicted on innocent people, yet this morning I need to take a helium tank back to a vendor, return some borrowed equipment we used at a church event last night, and do this STTA. My wife is going to the dentist. While I type she and I are discussing what we need to do this evening. Life goes on. I can't just quit. On the other hand the numbness to the pain of so many that too easily hardens my heart is troublesome.

I want to be more like my Lord, who when "He saw the multitudes . . . was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) I know my capacity for meaningful empathy is infinitely less than Christ's, but I pray . . .

Lord, help me to see and be impacted by the needs of others, and show me what I can do to make a difference. Amen

It's STTA.

The Upper Room:

2011-08-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

For nearly a year three of we guys have been hanging out with the Lord Jesus and the Apostles. We have been meeting once a week for a time of study on the Life of Christ. Last night we were in the upper room as Jesus transformed the Jewish Seder, the commemoration of the great Old Testament deliverance, into the Lord's Supper, the symbol of the even greater deliverance which Jesus was about to accomplish. The Apostle Paul tells us that"

". . . as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." (1 Corinthians 11:26)

As I read through the gospel accounts of this final meal, I was again reminded of the humanness of what went on--the jostling for positions (Luke 22:24). the unwillingness of the Apostles to take the servant role (John 13), and of course the bluster of Peter.

You and I would have been right at home.

The meal that these men were sharing is a powerful communication of Christ giving Himself as the sacrifice for sin, thus becoming the Savior of sinners. It is significant that He did not share this "Last Supper" with idealized, airbrushed stand-ins, but real people.

It's STTA

Unshaken and not Stirred

2011-08-26T05:14:00.000-07:00

Here in Covington some felt it and others didn't. Some of us thought it was something else. When I felt the earthquake I was in a restaurant near a highway project. I assumed there was some blasting going on. In typical small world fashion, I found out it really was an earthquake via Louisiana--a phone-call from my son.

I feel like this is a warm-up for a Rodney Dangerfield routine, but one Californian commented that his cellphone set on vibrate registered higher on the Richter Scale. At first, based on my mostly unshaken and not stirred experience, I was ready to agree with the Left Coaster. Then reports of actual damage started coming in. The Washington Monument may be damaged. I heard of at least one school that is closed. At least one wedding was disrupted. Numerous buildings were damaged. It's nothing like what happened in Japan, but, for many, not insignificant, either.

For those who are dealing with damaged property, the earthquake clearly had a negative impact. Where the damage was to public buildings whole communities are impacted. Just because the quake didn't really move me, doesn't mean it was insignificant.

On the other hand, the Mid-Atlantic 2011 Quake does not merit any name that ends in "geddon." Based on the promises in the Word of God I am confident Jesus is coming again. I was sure of that on Monday. I'm no more or less sure today.

Any time God taps us on the shoulder and says, "See what I can do." we ought to pay attention.

It's STTA.

"We Were Family"

2011-08-24T04:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't read the book, yet, but I hear good things about it. A young friend, who has read Francis Chan's Crazy Love, sent this quote from the popular book:

" A while back a former gang member came to our church. He was heavily tattooed and rough around the edges, but he was curious to see what church was like. He had a relationship with Jesus and seemed to get fairly involved with the church.
After a few months, I found out the guy was no longer coming to the church. When asked why he didn't come anymore, he gave the following explanation: 'I had the wrong idea of what church was going to be like. When I joined the church, I thought it was going to be like joining a gang. You see, in gangs we weren't just nice to each other once a week--- we were family.'"

Ouch!

"A few decades ago Bill Gather got us singing, "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God."

And I am glad, especially when the rest of the family loves on me. I confess, far too often, though, I regard my spiritual family kind of like an insurance policy--nice to have when I need it, but ignored most of the rest of the time.

Thanks, Maria & Francis, for reminding me that we need to be family all the time. For those of us who claim God as our Father . . .

It's STTA.

The News--Listen or Else:

2011-08-23T04:06:00.000-07:00

Things are happening so quickly, that I imagine by the time this is read much will have changed in Libya. I don't want to make light of a very serious situation, but have you seen the video of the Libyan news anchor waving a pistol while broadcasting the news?

We often see hard reporting, but . . .
This female journalist vowed that she was prepared to defind her nation and leader, and was willing to die doing so. The fact is, though, that journalists, politicians, preachers, and just plain folk regularly deal in that which is deadly. Not long after the gun-waving newscaster made her on-air threats the TV station was shut down. Did she make good on her bluster? If she did, the damage, though it might have been deadly, was limited. Her gun only had so many bullets. Her aim and ability to shoot quickly were likewise limited. The force I am speaking of is far more destructive.

" . . . the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. . . . it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." (James 3:6-8)

No need to wave a gun. We are already using a weapon far more powerful. Be careful with that thing. Somebody might get hurt.

School Days:

2011-08-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

My youngest grandchild just went off to her first day of school today. Have a great day, Kira.
It is an experience that has been, or will be going on all over the country. It is a significant day for parents and kids. Most of the home-schooling families I know haven't started their program for the year, yet, but when they do, though it will be more subtle, the reality will be the same. Our children are growing up.
And they should!
In one of the New Testament's most definitive passages on parenting, Ephesians 6:1-4, we read that parents,are to "bring them up," literally to nourish them. Like many of you, I've lately been enjoying some home-grown tomatoes. The luscious fruit is the result of plants having what they need to grow from tiny two-leaf seedlings to productive vines. Especially those of you who grow those dinner-plate-sized 'maters made sure that those plants had what they needed to grow and produce. Now the delicious result is dripping off your chin. I don't want to get carried away--children aren't garden-vegetables, but that word "ektrepho" describes both what good parents and successful farmers do--we "bring them up."
I enjoy my children, especially since at this stage in life they provide me with grandchildren, but God did not entrust them to me primarily for my pleasure. The Psalmist observed that they are a "heritage" from the Lord. I need to invest in them in such a way so that these children will be and become a blessing to the world. Today Kira stepped out into the world in a new way, At the end of this school year Christopher, my oldest grandchild, will take another step, when he graduates from high-school. It is part of bringing them up. I continue to pray that my sons will bring them up well.

For moms looking at the taillights of a school bus with tears in their eyes, and dads handing off a set of keys . . .

It's STTA.

Where Is My Retirement Fund Going?

2011-08-22T07:17:00.001-07:00

My family is spread out. As the next generation gets older and moves out--something that will begin to happen shortly--it will, likely, be even more multi-sited. So, it was a great privilege to be with my two sons and their families and most of my wife's family over the past couple of weeks.
I am an incredibly blessed man. My sons and daughters-in-law are involved in significant ministry in churches that are making a difference in their communities and beyond. All of my siblings and my brothers, and sisters-in-law love the Lord. and are serving Him. I see great promise in the next generation.
When I ask myself why I am so privileged, I am quickly driven to the reality of God's goodness. Knowing, though, that God often works through human instuments, I am reminded of faithful parents, my father-in-law who began a spiritual stream sixty-plus years ago when he turned to Jesus Christ, of my grandmother who faithfully raised three boys by herself during the depression, and countless others who have gone before me. I want to leave something behind that will be there long after I'm gone. I am the ancestor of someone great that I will never meet. I enjoy my family. I want to live so that even my family that will be born after I'm gone will appreciate me.

Family, it's STTA.

FAMILY"

2011-08-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

Family:

My family is spread out. As the next generation gets older and moves out--something that will begin to happen shortly--it will, likely, be even more multi-sited. So, it was a great privilege to be with my two sons and their families and most of my wife's family over the past couple of weeks.
I am an incredibly blessed man. My sons and daughters-in-law are involved in significant ministry in churches that are making a difference in their communities and beyond. All of my siblings and my brothers, and sisters-in-law love the Lord. and are serving Him. I see great promise in the next generation.
When I ask myself why I am so privileged, I am quickly driven to the reality of God's goodness. Knowing, though, that God often works through human instuments, I am reminded of faithful parents, my father-in-law who began a spiritual stream sixty-plus years ago when he turned to Jesus Christ, of my grandmother who faithfully raised three boys by herself during the depression, and countless others who have gone before me. I want to leave something behind that will be there long after I'm gone. I am the ancestor of someone great that I will never meet. I enjoy my family. I want to live so that even my family that will be born after I'm gone will appreciate me.

Family, it's STTA.

FAMILY"

2011-08-17T04:46:00.001-07:00

Hard Preachin'

2011-08-15T04:27:00.001-07:00

I've been a preacher for nearly forty years, so I've heard--and told--a lot of jokes about preaching. "You stand up to be seen. Speak up to be heard. And, shut up to be appreciated."
I can tell you about the preacher who used to time his messages by placing a lozenge in his mouth. When it melted he knew it was time to quit. By mistake he put a button in his mouth one Sunday morning--preached himself to death.
A friend of mine is fond of commenting--often correctly--that a preacher passed up several good opportunities to quit.
I don't recall that anyone has ever told me, but I figure folk have surely thought that I'd "done quit preachin' and gone to meddlin'."
A number of comments and stories about preaching have to do with "hard preaching." Putting those two words in your web-browser will produce a number of hits.
I never considered myself a hard preacher. I want folk in the front row to be safe from slobber-showers, and I've found that pounding the pulpit tends to make my fist sore. Yesterday, though, I preached so hard that one of my fillings came out. Truth be told, it was already loose. I had already made an appointment with the dentist to get it cared for.
All humor aside, Biblical preaching is often hard. I don't mean loud or bombastic. Rather I refer to the fact that some of the truths that the Bible contains are hard to proclaim. Things like the universality of sin, Romans 3:23, or Romans 6:23, which speaks of the consequences of that sin. The Bible frequently instructs us to do hard things, Matthew 5:10-11, for example. Those are hard truths, They are hard to proclaim. But, they must be told. It is not hard, for example, to tell people to love the nice and lovely, but to proclaim Jesus message that we are to love even our enemies, that is hard preaching.

Lord, I'd like to keep my fillings, but let me be a hard preacher. Amen

It's STTA.

OK, You Can Straighten Up, Now.

2011-08-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to not hearing about the "debt crisis," or the "debt ceiling" for a while. At least I'm hopeful.

Some of my smarter, better informed friends can correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand what just happened/is happening like this:
Everyday we spend more money than we take in. In order to finance this deficit we sell savings bonds to grandparents as birthday gifts for their grandkids, and treasury certificates to the Chinese because they have our best interest at heart..
Somewhere along the line somebody got the idea that this might not be the best way of doing things, so some law was passed that set a limit on just how much red-ink we could use.
That law, regulation, scout's-honor promise--whatever it is--has proven to be no real impediment to our continued, and increasing indebtedness, however, because whenever we feel the ceiling brushing our fiscal spike-hairdo we simply raise the limit. I read that we have done so 74 times since March of 1962. I have no doubt, though, that Congress felt really bad every time they did.
As this current debt ceiling approached somebody got the bright idea--who let this guy in?--that maybe this continually spending more money than we have coming in wasn't such a good idea. I mean, what if the Chinese show up and offer to break our thumbs? So, totally ignoring the long-standing rules this gang of thugs--he recruited some like-minded friends-- said we won't raise the ceiling unless we slow the flow of red-ink--turning it off completely would cause National D. T.s. so that was never seriously considered.
Thus the horse-trading, arm-twisting, back-scratching, and log-rolling began. We now have a piece of legislation that no one likes--giving it the GOLD-STANDARD BIPARTISAN Compromise Seal of Approval--but which will get enough nose-holding "Ayes." to stave off Debt-a-geddon one more time.

Whew!

OK, here is an undeniable debt crisis, and a totally real solution we should all--and I mean "all"--really--and I, likewise mean "really"--get excited about:

" . . . where sin increased [that brings about an indebtedness that will cost us out lives Romans 6:23*], grace [resulting in forgiveness of that debt] abounded all the more," (Romans 5:20

It's STTA.

To find out how you can infinitely raise your debt-ceiling look here.

(Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.")

God's Protection?

2011-07-27T11:18:00.003-07:00

A modern Western leader was widely hailed as God's instrument in his country. He had brought a new level of economic prosperity, created unity where there had been near chaos, and was credited by many for improving the moral climate if the citizenry. A group of conspirators--some motivated by religious zealotry, mounted an assassination attempt. The ensuing bomb blast killed some of those nearby, and even reduced the leader's trousers to tatters, resembling a hula-skirt. The leader gave credit to God. "God has preserved me!" He and his allies considered it a statement from the Allmighty that Heaven approved of the administration's policies. This "Divine protection" became the political leverage used to push along their agenda.

The leader of whom I speak is Adolf Hitler. The Valkyrie plot was but one of many attempts on the Fuhrer's life. His survival of the bomb blast in his Wolf's Lair Prussian military stronghold is indeed remarkable. If the meeting had taken place in the bunker where it was originally scheduled, if the table had been of a different design, if the briefcase bomb had not been placed in, or moved to a spot behind the massive supports of the table, plus a thousand other "if"s had not been exactly as they were, Hitler would have died.

So, is this any more than an interesting, ironic twist of history?

Yes, there is a powerful lesson. The collective teaching of scripture would clearly indicate that God was in control July 20, 1944, as well as July 27, 2011. The Fuhrer's conclusions, though, based on his reading of what happened, were entirely wrong. God was most definitely not on the side of the Third Reich. I have a definitive answer as to why God allowed Hitler to live that day--a survival that led to the death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and many people of excellent character. "I don't know." Often my quick and easy conclusions based on my observations of God's sovereign actions are just as faulty as those of the leader who had his pants blown off.

I've been learning recently from Job that my job is not so much to figure out, as it is to trust.

It's STTA.

Oh, for leaders like this!

2011-07-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

I have been working through the list of qualifications that Paul gives for leaders in the church in 1 Timothy and Titus. A concept that stands out big time in this list is self-control. As I interact with the text I keep thinking, "Oh for leaders like that today!"
Men who:
Are sexually pure and known for faithfulness to their wives and who place family responsibility at the top of their list.
Have the good sense and discipline to put, and keep, first things first.
Possess a calming-spirit.
Can make a point honestly and forcefully, without flying off the handle, because they have the ability to teach the truth.
Are truly worthy of respect.
In the recent past, in circles in which I move, I have come across men who have allowed lust to lead them away from marital fidelity, observed leaders who allowed pettiness to escalate to unfortunate separation, and seen failure to take decisive action lead influential ministries to the brink of disaster. I wish I could paint all these situations with a brush of self-discipline, but it's not applied from the outside.

These characteristics are not merely the pedigree of the upper-echelon. They are traits to which all of us should aspire and for which we all should strive. They are qualities of life that lead to a better world for all concerned. (See here.)

I invite you to find out more Sunday.

It's STTA.

Protecting the right to believe the unpopular:

2011-07-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten about the proposed case.
Asra Q. Nomani, a Muslim woman and former Wall Street Journal reporter wants to sic the IRS on the likes of me. To be honest, Ms. Nomani has congregations that gather in Mosques primarily in mind, but her reasoning and proposed action applies to any of us who believe that the tenets of our faith include any substantive difference between male and female. Al Mohler does a good job pointing out the issues, here.

Yesterday I attempted to deal with the later half of 1 Timothy 2. (Check our website later; the message should be posted.) This morning Mohler's article reminded me of the enforcer that Ms. Nomani and her allies want to make the upholder of their view of things. Whether you agree with him or not, it is clear that the Apostle Paul maintains that there are differences between women and men, and their place in the church. If I understand her reasoning correctly--a line of thought shared by others--Ms. Nomani thinks that the considerable force of the IRS should be unleashed on the likes of me--a prospect that chills my bones even in the July heat.

Like Mohler, I have no interest in arguing Islamic Theology. It is clear, however, that Nomani's argument is one that is based in the truth claims (many of which I reject) of Islam. She claims that Mohammad did not require the gender-separation, practiced in many 21st Century Mosques, therefore modern Imams should not. It is this apartheid that is at the root of her objection. See here.

Ms. Nomani is in no way forced by the IRS or any other government entity to participate in a place, or system, of worship that she regards as faulty. I have no idea what mechanisms exist within Islam for the reform of practices, especially forms of worship deemed to not be in keeping with the teachings of their founding prophet. As one who considers himself both a Protestant and an Independent, I could (but I haven't been asked) give advice on one route leading to reform.

Bottom line:
I really have little if any interest in what goes on in the Mosque where Ms. Nomani worships. I am vitally interested, and I maintain that you should be, in the idea that the force of government agencies should be involved in telling religious organizations what they should and should not believe. (I do acknowledge that the government ought to be involved if women or others are forced to be involved in a system to which they object. Ms. Nomani is not being so coerced.)

If I am to be free to publicly interact with some of the Apostle Paul's unpopular thoughts, then I must be willing to grant other religious entities the freedom to teach beliefs with which I disagree.

It's STTA.

It's HARDER!

2011-07-14T06:32:00.001-07:00

The first three letters in "diet" spell "die."
Wasn't it Mark Twain who said something like, "Whenever I feel the urge to exercise, I lie down until I get over it." Whoever it was, it would appear from the increasing girth of American's young and old, that it is a popular practice--only instead of lying down the modern equivalent is to sit down in front of the TV--wide bottoms parked in front of wide screens. First Lady, Michelle Obama, among others, has emphasized that this syndrome is not only true about we oldsters, but is pandemic among the younger set.
I fear that the "Big Easy" is more than a nickname for New Orleans. Our dedication to ease leads to an unpleasant reality--we are headed for a life that is not easy at all.

Our dedication to the path of least resistance, which leads to a result that we resist in non-effective ways, is not limited to our intake and usage of calories. We read less and "surf" more. Social niceties are abandoned because they are too much trouble. Spiritual disciplines like time in the Bible and prayer and regular attendance with an assembly of believers for worship, fellowship, and learning, have given way to spiritual equivalents of diet pills. It is weird. We look at the end of the path we are on and say, "I don't want to go there." Yet we are unwilling to get off the road that inevitably leads to where we don't want to go. We maintain this schizophrenia accompanied by whining choruses of "It's hard!"

Indeed!
The Apostle Paul challenged his younger protege to "discipline yourself for the purpose of Godliness." (1 Timothy 4:7) Hebrews 12:11 puts it in perspective. "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." (Hebrews 12:11) I know it is a jock-cliche, but it is true: "No pain, no gain!" Let me add to it: "No gain, worse pain." It is hard to live right. Eventually, though, it is harder not to.

It's STTA.

It's HARD!

2011-07-13T15:21:00.001-07:00

Why are parents so unwilling to encourage--is "force" to strong a word--their kids to do hard things? I'm talking about everything from cleaning a room, to eating vegetables, to dealing with a painful social encounter.
I fear the answer stares back at us from the mirror. I don't expect my kids to do anything hard, because I'm not willing to do anything that measures beyond a "3" on the diff-i-cult-o-meter. Hebrews 12: 4-11 gives the perfect example of parenting. It comes from the perfect Father.
Read it. The text is full of hard things. Our heavenly Father brings the difficult into our lives because He loves us.

When we say we aren't going to make our child do something that he or she ought to do, because it is hard, can we really say we are doing it because we love them? Or is it possible that we don't make our kids do the hard-but-right because it is hard for us to do so?

I fear that an honest--and therefore painful, another hard thing we tend to avoid--examination may reveal that the reason we are not willing to require the difficult but right in the life of our child is because we have abandoned that in our own life long ago.

Child discipline begins with self-discipline.

It's STTA.

It's The Economy, Stupid!

2011-07-13T11:50:00.001-07:00

As I type and you read, I hope, our representatives in Washington DC are discussing and dealing with the fact--I have to take their word on this--that in a few weeks the money our nation owes will pass the limit of the amount we can legally borrow. I'm told, that when that occurs somebody won't get paid. As a guy who tries hard to pay his bills, I find that problematic, to say the least.

It is inevitable that discussions of our Federal budget bring up memories of $500 claw-hammers, and $600 toilet-seats, as well as studies on methane emissions from dairy cattle. (http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/government-waste-20-of-the-craziest-things-that-the-u-s-government-is-spending-money-on) There is no doubt, it's a mess.

The real problem is not in DC, though. The heart of the problem is found in places like Covington VA, or (fill-in the name of your home town). We have come to expect government, especially the Federal government to pay for about everything. In my area everything from baby-sitting to medical care, education to law enforcement, dirt-preservation to air-watching, highway maintenance, to low emission enforcement are paid for by money that comes from the great fount in Washington. It is not uncommon to hear comments at local governmental meetings like, "It is all covered by a grant. It won't cost us a thing."

Really?

I'm not railing against school teachers or road builders who gain their livelihood from these programs. Full disclosure: My wife's job is funded by a grant. What I am encouraging is an evaluation of our expectations. We tend to vote based on what a candidate promises to give us, or based on the bacon she/he has brought home in the past. That thought-paradigm needs to change.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about. In a few days a group of dedicated volunteers will pull off an incredible series of events for young people called TEENWEEK. They will use some public facilities, but the program would go on even without them. The bottom line is TEENWEEK is funded not from Washington but from the offerings of local people who love teenagers and are passionate about the need to make a difference in their lives. If you look at their budget you'll find that the whole program is being carried out for less than it would likely cost to purchase coffee for the planning meetings for a government run program for teens. (OK, that is an exaggeration, but you know what I mean.)

I hope my people in DC act like adults and actually address the looming crisis in our National budget. When it comes to looking for real solutions, though, I have more hope in what my friends are doing at TEENWEEK.

It's STTA.

THE ELIJAH SYNDROME:

2011-07-09T08:19:00.001-07:00

Right now, I am watching a series of prayers being answered in an incredibly powerful manner. Though what is happening is literally stunning, it is the kind of thing that we often miss. This answer is unfolding over a period of time, through a series of events, involving decisions and actions by a number of people--no explosion, or bright light from the heavens, or storm ripping up the landscape. Yet when all is said and done--probably not until eternity--the landscape will have been radically changed, and there will be light where there was darkness. (Now that I have raised your curiosity, let me say that I'll give specifics when I can.)

Remember Elijah?
He had fled from the wrath of Jezebel. He was out in the wilderness, desperately in need of a word from God. (1 Kings 19)

There was a wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but Elijah did not hear from the Lord in any of these impressive phenomena. Then there was "a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice [The voice] came to him and said . . ." (1 Kings 19:12-13)

Could it be we often miss what God is doing because we are awaiting the storm, while the busy-ness of our lives drowns out the "sound of a gentle blowing"?

It's STTA.

JUSTICE?

2011-07-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

The talking heads are working overtime in the aftermath of the Casey/Kaylee Anthony trial. Instinctively, we feel that when a little girl's body is left to rot in a swamp that someone ought to pay. This morning the chief suspect, the mom, has been found not guilty. Many people feel that justice was not done. With no reflection on the jury, clearly justice was not done--often in this world justice is a very rare commodity.

Justice is a major theme of the book of Job. Job accused God of injustice. His three friends accused Job of denying the fact that God is just. As outside observers, given a view into the heavenly scene, as well as Divine perspective on the beginning and end, we can see things differently than those submerged in the events as they happened, yet we still wonder about the questions of right and wrong, and balancing the scales.

Rightly, or wrongly, the case in Florida, in many ways, came down to: "Do I know enough?" Our law, quite reasonably, requires a standard of "Beyond reasonable doubt." (We may question whether the juror's doubts were reasonable, but we cast away that standard at our own risk. Another post, another time.) As believers in the Word of God, we know that justice is often not served down here. We look forward to a time when God will bring flawless judgments to bear.

Elihu, the young spokesman in the book of Job comments on this toward the end of the book. With God there is never a lack of knowledge, never a foundation for doubt. It's STTA.
"His eyes are on the ways of mortals;
he sees their every step.
There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness,
where evildoers can hide.
God has no need to examine people further,
that they should come before him for judgment.
Without inquiry he shatters the mighty
and sets up others in their place.
Because he takes note of their deeds." (Job 34:21-25)

In a world where we often don't know--even can't know--for sure, it is inevitable that justice will not be served.
When we deal with the Lord of the Universe there is no such lack.

It's STTA.

FREEDOM!

2011-07-06T06:54:00.001-07:00

I still haven't watched the fireworks.
The local display was delayed because of threatening weather. I plan to watch tonight.

I did spend part of the American holiday celebrating freedom doing something I didn't want to do.
Wait. I thought I was free from that.
I do have liberty, but I can't absolve myself of having to deal with the consequences of my choices.

Yesterday morning, my lovely wife decided that it would be a good investment of part of our day off to clean the garage. Any of you who have a "box for cars (That's what a Russian guy with limited English called a horseless-carriage house.) know the routine. Garages seem to magically attract an eclectic accumulation of stuff--otherwise known as junk. In my case there were tools that haven't been put away, leftover construction and decorating materials--not to mention materials for projects yet to come--sporting goods, toys for the grandkids, and a few "what-in-the-world-is-that"s. To complete the picture sprinkle liberally with leaves and debri that blow in the door, a liberal helping of dust and dirt from refinishing projects, and you'll kinda-sorta get the picture. I figured both cars would still fit in, so what's the big deal? Kathy can explain the BIG-DEAL.

So, in the interest of domestic tranquility, I helped her clean the garage. (By the way, be watching, a yard sale is coming.) Though I admit I am pleased with the result, and I did find some stuff that I haven't been able to locate for months, at the time I didn't really want to spend my Fourth toting junk and pushing a broom.

My better half--and she is a blessedly better half--was operating from a superior understanding of freedom. I was thinking about what I have the freedom to do--or in this case not do. She was wisely considering what no amount of freedom can prevent--eventual suffocation by the accumulation of stuff. She is right. Freedom always brings responsibility.
Let me change the picture for a moment. Your metabolism might be different than mine, but concerning me: I have the freedom to eat sugar, french-fries, and ice-cream three times a day, but if I do, I am not free from the consequence of becoming so big that I can't fit into the newly cleaned garage.

When we cry "Freedom!" the inevitable echo says "responsibility and consequences." We can't have the first without the latter.

While Liberty is on our minds, it's STTA.

Some Nonexplosive Thoughts on the Fourth of July:

2011-07-06T06:53:00.000-07:00

I'll likely watch the fireworks this weekend. I can "Ooh" and "Ahh" with the best.
I remember several years ago landing a Dulles Airport on the evening of the Fourth. As the plane descended it was interesting to see various communities' displays blossoming below. They look a lot bigger from down here.

Though the cumulative force of patriotism is a powerful force, it can become an evil power, or it can devolve into weakness, unless it is imbued with a far greater might--that of a people whose collective will is to do what is right.

In short, as important as our armed forces are, our ultimate strength will not be seen on the battle fields, or political campaigns, this weekend, but in our pulpits and pews.

Let's band together to pray for our nation. I'll be talking about that this Sunday at CBC.

Here are three websites, two mine and one from a cyber-friend I respect, that take this thought further.

http://hoggback.blogspot.com/

http://hoggback.blogspot.com/

http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/before-we-celebrate-freedom/

On the Birthday of our Nation it's STTA.

The Power of the Willing:

2011-07-06T06:51:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine often comments that there is a lot to be said for those who simply show up. I'm not denying that finding the right person for the right position is very valuable. I was reminded last night that most of what gets done in God's kingdom is not accomplished by folk carefully matched with the positions in which they work most effectively. It get's done by those who show up.
It's trite, but true. The best ability is availability.
I've found over the years that if we are willing, God makes the way for us get into doing what we do best. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6) Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT) The picture is that the Lord himself is out in front preparing the way for us.

People ask, "What should I do to serve the Lord? How can I make a difference?"

Just show up. The Lord will make sure there is a path you can follow.
Lord, help me remember that worry is always uncalled for.

It's STTA.

130 mph + Alcohol=Disaster:

2011-06-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

". . . blunt force trauma and thermal trauma. . . ." that was the cause of Ryan Dunn's death, according to the coroner who examined the broken, charred remains of Dunn and his traveling companion. You might not recognize the name, but even if, like me, you never watched the show named for a male donkey, you likely know about the stunts that Dunn and the other "stars" of the show pulled off. I remember a few years ago there was a rash of news stories about young men who seriously injured themselves trying to imitate the shows antics.
It is one thing to flout the dictates of fashion with an unorthodox wardrobe. Talking in anti-social ways will likely limit job opportunities, but will walk away from the interview without physical harm. Laws of physics, though, like centrifugal force, gravity, and the shear strength of sheet-metal--not to mention of the ability of the human skull to successfully resist said blunt trauma--are rules the breaking of which bring their own consequences.
One of the officials who worked the wreck said it was the worst he had ever seen. The sports car was not merely crushed, but literally torn to pieces.
What a tragedy!
The Bible, a book one ignores at her or his own peril, says "the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) and, ". . . it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27) The fact that God's patience and grace allows us to get by with our sin for a time ought not to lull us into the mistaken notion that we will get by forever.

We won't.

It's STTA.

WATER!

2011-06-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

A few minutes ago I did something that we Americans do all the time. We take the action for granted. I turned on the water. I was making some lemonade. When the jug was about full I noticed that the contents looked more like iced-tea than lemonade. Public works has been doing some work and the water is full of a reddish substance. That batch of lemonade went down the drain.

I was bugged that the water that came out of the tap was more than water. Many people in the world would be surprised to see water like that which ruined tomorrow's beverage. They never see water that pure.

Around the world people suffer and die for lack of clean water. Dysentery, cholera, and other diseases born by polluted water devastate many communies. The very young and the weak are especially susceptible. In some places women spend most of their days finding and transporting enough water to keep their families alive.

Here is a website that gives a great deal of information about the need for clean water around the world. http://thewaterproject.org/how-to-give-clean-water.asp

Not to in any way am I seeking to diminish the importance of clean water, but of even greater importance is the fact that vast areas of the world are practically devoid of the Living Water (and here and here). Again, many of us take the opportunity to hear the Good News--in church, on the radio, Internet, or TV--or to read it in a book or magazine for granted. We shouldn't. It is a precious privilege.

An old saying says, "You never miss the water until the well runs dry." For me it was "until the tap runs brown."

It's STTA.

Are We Afraid of Our Kids?

2011-06-18T19:46:00.001-07:00

Some time ago I received an email with this subject line: "Confronting the Fear of Losing our Kids." It got me thinking..

Often when I talk to the parents of teens their descriptions of their problems and their explanations for what they are doing include these words: "I'm afraid. . . ."

It goes like this:
Mom and/or dad says I know what my child is doing is wrong, or I know that she should be doing this, but I'm afraid that if I make an issue of it, I'll lose her.
I don't know for sure, but I'm fairly sure I saw an example of it at a restaurant a while back. My wife and I met a group of friends for a meal out. It was the night of a big dance at a local school. The restaurant was full of young people having a nice meal before the event. The guys' dress drew notice because so many of them looked utterly out of their element wearing a necktie. A number of the young ladies drew attention because of what they didn't have on. After one young lady walked by, whose outfit was best described with words like, "short," "low," "tight," and "skimpy," I told my friend--a father of teen boys and one who works with young people--"We need to pray for her date."
As the saying goes, "I'd be willing to bet dollars to donuts, that some of the parents of those high-schoolers had serious misgivings about the attire of their daughters. I'd bet more bucks to pastries that in more than one home the "I'm afraid" line was uttered.

The syndrome is equally true with guys, though the crises are often different.
Do parents ever "lose" their kids over a confrontation? Yes, they do. Sometimes when we do what is right others respond wrongly. Often there are a bunch of contributing factors, too many for this piece. Those of you who are parents of youngsters well younger than teens need to not be unconcerned. Too frequently, parents train children to believe they are royalty, never saying no, or denying the little sovereigns their will. Then after 14 years of this training the parents "rebel" and change the rules. For the first time in his/her life the little prince or princess hears the words "You can't." Yes, sometimes they lose their teen, but the loss started twelve years ago, and if the indulgence continues the child would be lost in another way..

Make Sally eat her green beans. Don't allow little Bobby to live in squalor that would cause a hyena to upchuck. Begin early to teach the valuable lesson that sometimes we have to do hard things, that we don't always get our way, that frequently doing right will force us to be different from those around us. About thirty-four years ago Kathy and I had a tag-team marathon with our eldest over a fish-stick, one of his favorite foods. That day he said he wouldn't eat it. We said he would. We had to gang up on him, but we won. Thirty-four years later I'm incredibly glad we did!

Parents, in your home there are grown-ups, and those who don't yet know the ways of life. God has put the grown-ups in charge. If you abdicate that responsibility you are very likely to lose your child. Sometimes the loss of a child is a sudden occurrence, over which the parent has little control. Still, even when kids check out in a purely unilateral way, it is important for parents to do what is right.

It's STTA.

[An addendum for those who may have lost their kids, or who realize that they have set a pattern of never saying "no." but who need to begin.
It is tough, my heart is with you, I will be glad to pray with you. Know that you won't get a good result by continuing a bad practice. Be as reasonable as you can. Someone is liable to stomp and yell, make sure it isn't you. For those who have set a bad pattern, begin with confession. "Son/daughter, I have done something terrible to you. . . ." Be kind but firm.
Teens are in that realm bridging childhood and the adult world. Sometimes they make wrong adult-level choices. Try not to burn all the bridges. Continue to be the voice of reason and what-is-right. Model that kind of life. Reach out when you can. It may not be your fault. It never is totally your fault. Assigning blame is only important if it leads to corrective action. More important is winning back someone you and God love immensely. My prayers are with you.]

What Will We Leave Behind?

2011-06-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I participated in an unusual funeral. For one thing it was the biggest and longest funeral I ever attended, For me, it was odd that I had never met the deceased or his family, live two-hundred miles away, yet was asked to participate in the service.
V. T. Rector (and here) lived most of his life in Washington County VA. He was an educator. I first became aware of Mr. Rector when my son was a high school runner. At some of the big cross-country meets and regional and state track meets my son and V. T.'s daughter, Kelly, ran in the same meet. As a dad who tried to support my boy's athletic efforts, I was incredibly impressed with Rector's over-the-top enthusiasm in cheering for his daughter. I wrote a story about his cheering. Originally, I had no intention of sharing the story with the family. I even changed the name from Kelly to "Cary." When I wrote the story I didn't even know her dad's name. I simply referred to him as "Run Kelly Run." A year or so later, knowing nothing more than a name, I sent a copy of the story to the state track meet. "If you see Kelly Rector, or her family, give this to one of them."
Email correspondence, especially from Mrs. Rector, made known that I had been privileged to observe a characteristic that marked much of V. T.'s life--he was a major encourager.
That fact was eloquently confirmed at the Memorial Service. Family, friends, co-workers, and former students all spoke of the power of a smile, a hug, and encouraging word, or a meaningful gift given at an opportune time. (The newspaper article referenced above gives some of the testimonials.)

God and people are eternal--God always has been; people live forever going forward from their beginning. The Bible asks a question about our world. After pointing out that "all these things are to be destroyed," (emphasis mine) Peter asks, " . . . what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness . . . ? (2 Peter 3:11)
Part--maybe all--of the answer has to be that we invest in that which is eternal, and people are part of that.

After an almost three-hour service I had no idea what kind of car Rector drove. I don't know how much money he left, or whether his mortgage was paid off or not. No one spoke of his immaculate, or shabby, yard. Whether he graduated Magna Cum Laude or Barely-Made-It-Through appeared to be irrelevant. What did matter, what people remembered, was that he had invested himself in people's life in such a way that it helped them become better people.
I never really met him, but he helped me to do so.

It's STTA.

Run Cary/Kelly Run

We need to need each other.

2011-06-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm in the midst of a project to help a member of our church with a particular need. It is a need that wouldn't exist had this person not made some radical choices for the purpose of advancing the cause of Christ. I'm glad to say that the project is going well. I had just talked to someone who was helping to meet this need when I heard this statement by David Platt, in an audio version of his book Radical, "We are not Lone Rangers trying to accomplish the purpose of God." He explains that everyone who knows the Lord needs to be committed to, and serving with, a body of believers, a local church.
Very high on the agenda by which most of us live is the concept of independence. We regard it as problematic, even shameful, for us to need to someone else's help in order to get along. Our culture is full of sayings and cliche's like: "Pull your own weight," "Be beholden to no one." or "I pay my own way." According to 1 Corinthians 12, however, no Christian can be the person she ought to be unless she is integrally involved in an assembly of believers. Even more mind-shaking is the truth this chapter puts forth that without our involvement, the church--The Body of Christ--will not be able to function as effectively as it would if we were plugged in.
We need to need one another within the body.
Another friend of mine, one who has invested his life in missionary service, once commented about what a strange way to live this was. His income and ability to do the work to which God had called him was totally dependent, in a human sense, on the continued financial investment of others in his ministry. All of us in the body of Christ need to abandon the fiction of independence that we too often maintain. Our commitment to the cause of Christ ought to be such that it places us not only in dependence on the Lord, but on one another. Since the church is His Body, the two are really the same.

We need to need each other.

Thanks Guys

2011-05-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

On the beginning of this Memorial Day Weekend I was privileged to share lunch with two guys who made sure we Americans have something to remember. I'm the volunteer chaplain at a small assisted living facility. As such, I'm given the opportunity to share lunch with the guys who live there at least once a month. Since there are more ladies than gents at the home, it is nice for us to talk guy stuff--cars, hunting, fishing, work, and today--The war experiences of two of the more articulate fellows.

Mr. M. will be 94 in a short time. In his mid twenties Mr. M. was one of the older guys who flew in B24s over the Pacific. I have flown over and landed on some of the Islands from which the Army Air Corps operated. It is incredible how much water and how little land there is out there. Without all of the sophisticated geo-positioning, and communications stuff that we have today, crews who were just a short time before, teachers and bakers and mill-workers--Mr. M.--flew those planes over hundreds of miles of ocean and landed them on pinpoints of land. While they were at it they helped us win the War of the Pacific. Mr. M. was the flight engineer. It was his job to keep that plane flying so he and the other nine crewmen could make it back to their dot of land in the blue.

He did it over fifty times.

I don't know if Mr. M. flew over Chuuk (Truk), Palau, Guam or Yap. I know people from all those places, and have been to three of them. My friend Sam told me about standing in the primitive bomb shelter where his family would hide when Mr. M's comrades unloaded over Yap. Most of the men on Sam's Island had been conscripted as slave labor and taken to other islands to build airstrips and fortifications. Children, like Sam, women, and the aged were left behind.

I stood in one of those fortifications on Babeldaob, Palau's largest island. My friend Hyob, a pastor on Palau told me that his dad had helped build that fortification. He was forced to do so by the Japanese. I saw the bullet holes, small on the outside but blasted huge on the inside, where US sailors had raked it with machine guns. A massive reinforced concrete roof had protected the occupants of that fort from the likes of Mr. M.

On Guam, a territory of the USA, folk celebrate not only the Fourth of July, but the twenty-first as well. On July 21, 1944 the Island was liberated from Japan. I get the idea that it is a sentiment that is shared in the rest of the region.

With all of the criticism of our nation, some clearly justified, it is valuable to remember that our nation has gotten a great many things right. Mr. M. & Mr T. and another guy whose mom I tried to see today, risked, and are risking their lives to preserve what is good about the our land, and to give others an opportunity to have a better life, as well.

I'll continue my thoughts tomorrow, but for now, on this Memorial Day Weekend, this is Something to Think About.

It's STTA.

Part 2:

I told you yesterday about the opportunity I had to share lunch with a couple of military veterans at the beginning of this Memorial Day weekend. I told you about Mr. M.

The younger of the two is Mr. T. He served our country in the Army in Korea. I had trouble following his story--my fault, I'm sure--but I heard about waiting and uncertaincy on board a transport vessel and an amphibious landing. I've never waited on a ship wondering what the future--the very neat future--would hold. Nor have I hunkered down in a pitching boat waiting for the ramp to fall revealing I don't know what, but knowing almost for sure that it wouldn't be good.

Another veteran of the Korean War told me about the cold--bone-chilling, toe-freezing, unrelenting cold. Part of my friend's task was caring for dead comrades. The fact that he has ten toes today, might well be due to his "borrowing" some socks from a guy who didn't need them any more. I take putting on socks for granted. My greatest concern has to do with colors that match. How does one decide between freezing feet and honoring the dead? Early in the Korean War GI.s faced overwhelming opposition. Later they dealt with under-whelming support. I don't know what Mr. T did, but he did it. I'm glad, on this Memorial Day Weekend that I remembered to thank him.

On the same weekend I was enjoying lunch with these distinguished Americans a friend of mine is on his way to Iraq, and his family is dealing with having a son "in harm's way." I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it seems to me that our world is a better place because of the cumulative efforts of the Mr. M.s and T.s who did the job before them. The jury of history is still out on our current involvements, and I certainly don't like much of what is happening in the Middle-east. I know, though, that my friend, who is on his way to the desert, loves his country and wants to share the blessings that he, we, enjoy. It seems to me that he is part of the line in which Mr. M. and T. marched. Another friend in that line, who served in Afghanistan, allowed me to use a momento he brought back from that land as an illustration for a message. He brought back a ballot of the first Presidential election held in that nation. It is a token of the greater freedom that his efforts and those of his comrades brought to those people. I know that problems abound in that nation, but my friend is proud enough about giving Afghans the opportunity to choose that he brought that memento back as a gift to his daughter.

On this holiday weekend I'm remembering to thank those who are currently serving, as well as those from the past.

It's STTA.

The Ultimate Answer? Hardly:

2011-05-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

It was twenty years, or more, ago when I read the book on Depression by Don Baker and Emery Nester. Don was a busy and "successful" pastor. Emery helped him climb out of a near fatal depression. I can still feel my stomach tightening when I think about a conversation that Baker had with a counselor after he was hospitalized for depression. He had been thinking about killing himself; that was one reason he was now in a place where others could protect him from himself. In excruciating detail the counselor pulled out the plans Baker had. How would he do it? Where? When? Then the the counselor took him where he didn't want to go.

"Who would find you?" the counselor probed.
You can imagine where the conversation went from there. As he saw in his mind's eye, his sweet daughter discovering his deed, Baker begged his interrogator to stop, but he wouldn't. He wanted this loving man to know that suicide is not the end, not for the loved ones left behind. (The quotes are from my memory, not the book.)
I saw some of that pain recently as I looked into the eyes of a friend. A classmate of hers--she sang at the wedding--had taken his life. My friend's relationship with the man who so tragically died is several steps removed from the closest of attachments, yet the pain is real. How much greater when the connection is described by words like, parent, son, daughter, sibling, spouse, or closest of friends.

Arthur Miller said in "A View From the Bridge," "A suicide kills two people, Maggie, that's what it's for!"

Maybe more.

It is the living who have to pick up the pieces and go on. They are left with the "What if?"s. Perhaps that is not the immediate intention of the person who takes their own life. It is the reality. All of us on this side of the grave need to take note of the fact. Like it, or want it, or not, all of us are part of a fabric of relationships.
"[N]ot one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself." (Romans 14:7)

I'm not even going into what awaits the person who takes her/his life on the other side. Right now I'm just thinking of those left on this side. To take one's own life:
is not brave, or heroic.
isn't the result of living life honestly. (No one faced life in this world more squarely than King Solomon; look at his conclusion at the end of Ecclesiastes.)
is not the only alternative. There is hope.
is not autonomous. Others will be drastically affected.
is not the right thing to do!
For those, like my friend who, are dealing with that final act of selfishness, I have great sympathy. I am aware that your loved one may have had to deal with demons that I know not of. My goal is not speak ill of the dead. Rather it is to encourage the living to go on.
Look at those who love you.
There is good reason to find help.

It's STTA.

Thanks, Harold:

2011-05-24T02:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Mr. Camping!

I mean that on several levels:
Sarcastically - Those who don't make appropriate distinctions lump those of us who believe the Lord will return with guys like Camping who claim to know when. I don't mind taking lumps for what I really believe. I'd just as soon not have to answer for his ilk.
Theologically and hermeneutically - Camping's false, unfounded, foolish, and sinful, predictions caused a lot of questions to be asked. Many have a sharper sword than they had a week ago.
Sincerely - As one who claims to speak for God, I frequently remind myself that God once used a donkey as His voice. I actually saw some good results in some lives that came from this false-prophet's announcement. "Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?" You look up the Apostle's answer to that one. (Romans 6:1-2. Here is a hint: You can spell the answer with two letters, beginning with "n" and ending with "o.") Still I can rejoice that God sometimes uses donkeys, and false-prophets to motivate people to right action.
I spent a lazy couple of hours, this morning, intermittently watching the news on TV. For nearly a hundred folk in Missouri the end did not come in an apocalypse May 21, but by a tornado May 23. I believe the Lord will return, but considering the flow of history, most of us will have that meeting of with our Maker not as a result of Him making a house-call. The likelihood is we will be summoned by the grim reaper to appear before the Lord of all. ". . . it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)

Old advice to preachers goes, "Be ready to preach, pray, or die at any time." I'd say two-thirds of that advice applies to us all.

It's STTA.

When Will The Lord Come? #2:

2011-05-18T04:56:00.000-07:00

On the day that Jesus was bodily taken up to heaven His Disciples stood gazing heavenward. Two men were with the Apostles. These figures, dressed in white are generally considered to be angels appearing, as they often do in the Bible, as men. Their words to the amazed mortals can be paraphrased, "Quit staring. He'll be back." If you then add to that the words, still echoing in the amazed watcher's ears, which the Lord, Himself, had shared just a moment ago, in answer to their question about the establishment of the kingdom, you have the complete statement, "Quit staring. He'll be back. Now, get to work!"

The expectation of the Lord's return is a New Testament reality.
It provides hope, Titus 2:13.
It motivates to purity, 1 John 3:1-3.
It is a source of comfort, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
It encourages faithful service, 2 Timothy 4:7-8.
The expectation of, and longing for the return of the Lord is a good thing. Attempting to set dates as to when He will return is foolish, an act of hubris, and, dare I say, sinful. (Acts 1:7; Mark 13, esp. vs. 32&33; and yesterday's STTA)
We ought to be living our lives everyday in light of the fact that the Lord may come today, yet our activities should be such that, should He not come in our lifetime, we will leave behind something worthwhile and lasting. Peter asked. in light of what we know about the future, "What kind of people ought you to be?" (2 Peter 3:10-18) We should not spend our time in a futile attempt at figuring out when the Lord is coming--that might make the headlines--but in living in the knowledge that He is returning--that will show up in the story of my life, and the lives of those in whom I invest. That will have eternal value.

It's STTA.

When Will The Lord Come?

2011-05-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

A few minutes ago I was keeping track of one countdown and reading about another. The final lift-off of Space Shuttle Endeavor appeared to be flawless. Harold Camping's wrong-headed countdown to the Lord's return is without merit.
Watching the space-ship vanish into the sky I was reminded of all that had led to the ability that allows people to fly into and live in Space. My memory recalls John Glenn, Gus Grissom, and Sputnik. Smart, dedicated people a concept, a piece, and a launch at a time made this possible. They were inspired by words like these from President Kennedy, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." Mr. Kennedy and the scientists and technologists who made space travel possible were/are working on the basis of a mandate of God--"[S]ubdue [the earth]; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:28)
Mr. Camping, and all those who claim to know what the Lord ,Himself, has said is unknowable are clearly and arrogantly wrong. (See also Matthew 24:36 & Acts 1:7) It is an example of we humans pursuing what we cannot catch. There are limits to what we can know by our own observation, what we can do by our own efforts, and fix by our own ingenuity. "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever. . . ." (Deuteronomy 29:29)
I rejoice in the skill, thought, and daring that has allowed us to explore the fringe of space--the fringe on our side--but I am appalled at the hubris of those who claim to be able to do what God says they cannot.
.
Will Jesus return this Saturday. I am tempted to say, "Absolutely not!" I would like to think that high on God's agenda is the need to show people like Camping for the ____ (you supply the word) they are. I would like to do that, but if I did I would be doing what Camping has done.

More to come.

It's STTA.

Truthers, Birthers, Deathers, Doubt-everything-ers . . .

2011-05-04T05:54:00.000-07:00

When I first heard the jokes, I had a nagging suspicion that it would soon be spouted with deadly seriousness--"Osama bin Laden isn't dead," or so say the "deathers." Look it up; their websites are up and running. (Well, maybe not. Actually the deathers may not really exist. Their presence on the web might be a conspiracy concocted by alien fugitives from Rozwell.)
What if--as at least one of these websites requests--the bullet-riddled body of the bearded terrorist were put on display, online as well as in the decaying flesh? I have no doubt that ten minutes later another site would be up and running. The "Medders" would claim that this body is not that of the famous terrorist. In reality, they would solemnly claim, these are the remains of Achmed Murphy Steinbaum, a New York cabbie who recently died in gang-war crossfire.

The Truthers were mainly regarded as wackos, at least in the United States. Most of us who watched the events of 9/11 on TV find it incredulous that this was anything other than what it appeared to be--a terrorist attack. A couple of years ago, though, I stood in a Mosque in Kazakhstan and listened to a totally sincere cleric explain why 9/11 wasn't really 9/11. He also told me, by the way, that Neil Armstrong had converted to Islam. Check it out. The Birthers, with their mega-rich, Donnie-come-lately spokesman got enough traction that our President found it wise to produce his documentation. (Though, the documentation needs to be documented.)

OK, I didn't just fall off the turnip truck. I am aware that big lies have been perpetrated. I know that with today's technology, the ability to spread and support such falsehoods has never been greater. I see in the scripture that monstrous lies will be foisted on humanity (2 Thessalonians 2:11).
I'm concerned, though, about living in a land, or world, where every pronouncement is considered false until proven true (with affidavits signed in blood--certified to be that of the signer), and every explanation is considered a conspiracy. A very old joke asks, "Do you know how to tell if someone is a communist?"
The answer went: "You ask them. If they say,'No.' then they are communist, because they always deny it."

I fear that Thomas is being elevated to chief of the Apostles.
I see a coalition forming, and I'm not sure I like it. Some of my more intellectual friends say, "You believe that?" How naive." My more radical associates say, "You're buying that? Here, have some more cool-aid." The cynical among us--with the burn-scars to prove it--can not only point out the "lies" but point to "where this whole thing is headed." The coalition is formed around the certainty that we are being lied to. That seems to be the one truth that isn't doubted. No one is trusted. Doubt is elevated to the chief of virtues.

I'm not just picking at the wacko-fringe of our society. I have a serious question: Can a culture long exist when the mortar of trust is reduced to the sand of doubt and cynicism? And more important: What can God's people do to restore trust in our relationships?

It's STTA.

Justice:

2011-05-03T03:19:00.000-07:00

After church last night Kathy and I did our usual Sunday Night veg. on the couch and eat pizza routine. The news-casters kept saying that President Obama was going to make an announcement. Speculation abounded as to what he was going to say. I was nearly asleep when word about the death of Usama Bin Laden finally was broadcast.
"Wow!" I thought, and went to bed.
The news programs today were full of stories related to the raid on Bin Laden's compound, and people's reaction to it. By far the greatest reaction in the USA is one of rejoicing and relief. Nothing can bring back the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the 9/11 attacks, not to mention the other lives lost to Bin Laden planned terrorism, but knowing that the terrorist had died at the hands of the military of the nation he attacked helped to bring some resolution. As our president and many others said. It was an act of Justice.

OK, I'm going to take a pretty big jump, here, but stay with me.
It has become quite fashionable of late to question how a loving God could hold sinners accountable for what they have done. Eternal damnation has been condemned by many. I understand it even made the cover of Time. There is no doubt that our military, Commander in Chief and, indeed, our nation have gained a great deal of respect because of what happened yesterday. It was right. It was just. It was a step toward setting a grievous wrong right. In addition to being a God of love, the Lord of the Universe is a God justice. While we protest that our sins are incomparable to the crimes of Bin Laden, we tend to forget exactly Who it is we have sinned against.
The Saudi terrorist attacked a nation, civilized society, families, and many individuals--no small offense. We have sinned against an infinite God. Therefore our offense takes on infinite proportions. How can we admire an act of justice by our nation, and despise an attitude of justice in our God?

It's something to think about. And when you are done it is worth thinking about again.

It's STTA.

(Find out more about our sin, God's justice, and His mercy--purchased at Christ's expense--Read Romans 3.

Really, we don't need justice. We need mercy and grace, and it is available. More here.)

Here is an article that raises some issues thinking about on the matter of justice:

I want that robe!

2011-04-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Roman soldiers assigned the gruesome task of executing a prisoner by crucifixion were given a small bonus. Since one was crucified naked, the soldiers were able to take the clothes of the prisoner and do with them as they pleased. The Gospel of John records , "[T]he soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, "'Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be.'" (John 19:23-24) One lucky--or so he regarded himself--soldier walked away from the cross that evening carrying the garment, likely woven by Mary, that had been worn next to the skin of Jesus. I figure he thought he could make use of it, or sell it for a few shekels.
Of course in centuries to come The Robe became one of the most important relics in Christendom. Some claim that this garment can be found in Trier Germany, a gift from Helena, mother of Constantine. Others claim that the robe, or at least four pieces of it are located in the Cathedral in Argenteuil, France. Still others claim that fragments of one of the garments Jesus wore before His crucifixion can found in Moscow, and St. Petersburg, Russia, Mtskheta, Georgia, and Kiev Ukraine. (more info.)

If the fragment of cloth in St. Sophia in Kiev is authentic then I was once within a hundred feet, or so, of something that the Lord wore. As I remember, when I was there, I wasn't aware that the relic resided on the other side of the wall.

In the Gospel accounts of the day the Lord was crucified there is an interesting juxtaposition of events. Luke 23:34 records, "Jesus was saying, 'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.' And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves." A gift of infinite value was being bestowed on them, and these soldiers were concerned with a few pieces of second-hand clothing. Today the seamless garment of Jesus would be worth hundreds-of-millions of dollars. That day it was just a shirt, too nice to tear up, but nothing extraordinary. But that was the focus of these practical, down-to-earth soldiers. The Savior of the world, the God-man, Jesus Christ was dying for the sin of the world, and four guys were there at the foot of the cross gambling over a shirt. How typical of human nature.

Tomorrow we have a special opportunity to be reminded of this great event of history, but many of us will, like these Soldiers of Rome, be so occupied with the mundane that we won't pay attention to the sublime. At least one of those soldiers, later on that day, came to see that something special was happening. I hope you will take the see beyond the here and now, as well.

At Covington Bible Church we'll be looking at what happened that day. It will be a solemn time of Scripture reading, prayer, contemplation, music, and reflection. Join us at 7:00 PM, Good Friday.

It's STTA.

Pilate for President:

2011-04-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not really serious. There are two major reasons why Pontius Pilate cannot run for President of the U. S. One, I'm fairly sure he isn't an American citizen, and two, he is occupied elsewhere--he's dead.
I just worked through the account of this First-century political hack presiding over the trial of the Lord of the Universe, and I saw several characteristics that seem to be essential for today's politics.

Pilate famously asked, "What is truth?" (John 18:38) Clearly the query did not represent a search for veracity. It was the statement of a cynic--one who had given up the search for the authentic and certain as a futile effort. If truth is an unavailable commodity, then one is left with what works--in particular, what works for ME.

It is clear that Pilate's commitment to doing what is right was, to say the least deficient. He clearly had an interest in insulting the Jewish leaders. He wanted to keep the peace--I doubt because he regarded peace as virtuous, but likely because conflict was an aggravation to him.

He knew Jesus was innocent. He was totally convinced that the Jewish leaders had brought Him before his judgment seat for selfish, corrupt reasons. He was warned by his wife to have nothing to do with this "righteous man." He had the power to do what was right. What he didn't have was the character that would give him the resolve to be virtuous.

In the end Pilate did what was convenient. I figure he dispatched a contingent of soldiers and then went back to bed, while the greatest travesty of justice of all time unfolded.

I hope I'm not guilty of the cynicism that I spoke of earlier, but I see a lack of commitment to truth and right in our world. Since politics involves working with people it tends to exhibit the same characteristic that is observed concerning some poisons in the environment. The further up the food-chain you go the greater the concentration.

I wonder. If we took care of the Procurator's problems that I mentioned at the beginning of this article, gave him a 21st Century image, and hired a good political team to manage him, how far would he get?

My answer scares me.

It's STTA.

Were You There Last Sunday?

2011-04-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

Generally when I go for my regular dental checkup the hygienist will ask if I floss my teeth. I reply that "they are flossed regularly." Sometimes the technician is impressed, until I explain myself. They are flossed every time I come to the dentist's office--that is regularly. According to a study quoted by Rebecca Barnes and Lindly Lowry, only about half of those who say they attend church are actually there on Sunday morning. The report's author, Olson's "findings reveal that the actual rate of church attendance from head counts is less than half of the 40% the pollsters report. Numbers from actual counts of people in Orthodox Christian churches (Catholic, mainline and evangelical) show that in 2004, 17.7% of the population attended a Christian church on any given weekend." (You can find some other interesting data on Olson's website, (http://www.theamericanchurch.org/free-state-of-the-church-2008-download.html) There are churches that are growing--they tend to be younger congregations--and we need to learn from them, but since this is a very short article, let me offer a simple solution (knowing it is inadequate, but confident it will provide a start). It would appear that when Mr.Barna or Gallup calls a significant number of professing church goers give an answer similar to my flossing report. It is called the Halo-effect. We want to look good, so when asked a question about something that could make us look good or bad, we tend to find a way to justify giving a reply that flatters us. It may help us look good, but it does no good. People who say they attend church but don't show up: Provide no encouragement to other Christians by that behavior. Empty seats aren't very stimulating. (Hebrews 10:24-25) Likely are not helping the church with the worldwide work to which the Lord has called us. (Matthew 28:19-20) Are probably growing colder--meaning they are not only contributing to the churches increasing irrelevance, but are helping to accelerate the process. It has been popular for a long time now to make fun of the old Sunday School pin. Do you remember them? You got a succession of more impressive looking badges for "perfect attendance for a certain period of time. After a while you started adding bars for numbers of years of faithfully showing up. I can remember some old-timers who looked like they were wearing military decorations. They could trip on them! How quaint, how pre-postmodern, how prone to hypocrisy and other vices that 21st Century types despise. But you know when I think back to Mr. Lietzow, Ed Ostrowski, Kaye Marseau, and Mr. & Mrs. Baber--perfect attenders all--I see folk who had a profound impact on my life. A large part of that impression simply came from the fact that they showed up--They were there. It's STTA.

Why Should I Go to Church?

2011-04-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

I could simply do a bullet list. There are a great many reasons why one should go to church--assuming the church in question is one that teaches the truth and encourages Bible-based living. I may continue in coming days to explore the question, but today let's consider a basic inversion. Rebecca Barnes and Lindy Lowry, in an informative article say, "We've created a church consumer culture." What am I looking for? What can this church do for me and mine? That is a valid line of questioning, but if it is the only path of inquiry we pursue we are sure to end up with the wrong answer. Hebrews 10:24 is one of those "One-another" passages. ". . . consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds." Way too many of us (But apparently not as many as we think. Tune in tomorrow.) show up with a me rather than a us attitude. Or, we choose to stay home or do something else because we conclude or assume, "There is nothing there for me." Here is a question: What do I bring to church that will help others? Don't answer, "Nothing." too quickly. I realize I am weird--my experience as the guy who works at church is far different than those of you who actually choose on a given Sunday whether or not to come, but I think I share this with you normal folk. At the end of a Sunday's worship I am more or less likely to make a difference for the Lord, Monday - Saturday, based on the involvement of others--or lack thereof. This past Sunday a little girl shared a smile with me that could melt a glacier. It put gas in my tank. A young woman lit my fuse with her passion to do something significant. A husband/father/manager/home-owner/etc. challenged me with his dedication to do something more--not be trapped in the mundane. One of the officers in our church impacted me with his faithfulness to his responsibility--responsibility with a great attitude. I figure that these people and a great many others who actually showed up had the same kind of impact on a number of others. I received a great deal by showing up at Covington Bible the day before yesterday, but if that was all that concerned me, I blew it. What did I bring? It's kind of like one of those diet-ruining church suppers where everyone brings something. Sure it is a great meal because Mrs. X brings that cooking-show-worthy casserole, and Mr. T brings some of those blue-ribbon tomatoes,.but the single dad who brings a bucket of chicken, or the bag of chips from the college kid also makes the meal. (I notice that generally the fast-food chicken and potato chips are gone at the end of the meal.) What do I have that I can bring? It's STTA.

Demas?

2011-04-06T04:47:00.000-07:00

"Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone. . . ." (2 Timothy 4:10)

I've been wondering about Demas for a while.

During the imprisonment when the Apostle Paul wrote several of the New Testament Epistles, Demas was there with the "Prisoner of Christ." Apparently he was well known in the Christian community; Paul passed greetings from him to the believers at Colossae and to Philemon. (Colossians 4:14, Philemon 24) He is called a fellow worker. Being on the same team as the great Apostle is quite a line for ones resume.

But at the end of Paul's life, Demas had decided to go elsewhere. He wanted something else. He forsook his old friend. I wonder what was in Thessalonica that attracted him so? Based on some Demases I have known, and the inner Demas that tempts me, here are some possibilities:

There is short-term enjoyment in sin. Moses turned it down in favor of permanent benefits. (Hebrews 11:25-26) Demas may have been looking over Paul's shoulder, when he wrote, "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.". (Colossians 3:2) Like the prodigal son, though, he decided in favor of the here and now.
I figure that Demas didn't make the decision all at once. Certainly Lot--an Old Testament counterpart--didn't. You can follow his decline in Genesis 13. He looked, chose, and moved toward that wicked place. He was a part of the City of Sodom in chapter 14 and when we get to chapter 19, he has become a leader there.
There is a need for constant vigilance. "Be sober, be on the alert." Why, because the enemy of God's people, one who is integrally involved in and holds power over this world, goes about like a lion looking for a meal. (1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 2:2, & 1 John 5:19)
Maybe Demas had watched Paul be treated badly and decided he wanted better, not taking into consideration that by walking away from what seemed negative he was forsaking the infinitely positive. It takes grace to rejoice that you have "been considered worthy to suffer shame for Hisname." (Acts 5:41)

I'm sure Paul wrote about his friend and former co-worker with a great deal of sadness. I'm not sure exactly what happened to Demas. I'm looking to God's grace to keep it from happening to me

Lord, keep me from following the pattern of Demas. May I be faithful like Timothy. Amen.

It's STTA.

Something to Think About

Life's Unfairness, #3:

Life's Unfairness, #2:

It's not fair:

Two Brothers Coming Together:

Grieving:

What Did He Die From?

Does God Care?

How is my love?

Good Byes:

NEXT

Resolution #5:

Resolution #4:

Resolution #3:

Resolution #2

Resolution #1

Christmas, It's Providential:

What if?

It's Not Fair!

Mud!

Displaying the Ten Commandments, #6:

Displaying the Ten Commandments, #4:

Displaying the Ten Commandments, #5:

Displaying the Ten Commandments, #3:

Displaying the Ten Commandments, #2:

Displaying the Ten Commandments:

Tension can be good:

Trust? Oh!

Compassion:

Self-control:

Mercy!

I'd like to be courageous, but I'm kinda scared:

Depending on the Kindness of others:

Depending on the Kindness of others:

Patience? It looks good on others:

Masks

Where is your treasure, now?

What Matters Now?

Sure Could Use Some Good--even sensible--News:

Can I really claim to be "Christian"?

Downs and Ups:

Thoughts on 9/11, #5, Change that lasts:

Thoughts on 9/11 #4, Irony and Heritage

9/11 Thoughts #3, Calling Evil What It Is:

August 30, 2011, Rushing in where others are fleeing:

Thoughts on 9/11:

The Upper Room:

Unshaken and not Stirred

"We Were Family"

The News--Listen or Else:

School Days:

Where Is My Retirement Fund Going?

FAMILY"

FAMILY"

Hard Preachin'

OK, You Can Straighten Up, Now.

God's Protection?

Oh, for leaders like this!

Protecting the right to believe the unpopular:

It's HARDER!

It's HARD!

It's The Economy, Stupid!

THE ELIJAH SYNDROME:

JUSTICE?

FREEDOM!

Some Nonexplosive Thoughts on the Fourth of July:

The Power of the Willing:

130 mph + Alcohol=Disaster:

WATER!

Are We Afraid of Our Kids?

What Will We Leave Behind?

We need to need each other.

Thanks Guys

The Ultimate Answer? Hardly:

Thanks, Harold:

When Will The Lord Come? #2:

When Will The Lord Come?

Truthers, Birthers, Deathers, Doubt-everything-ers . . .

Justice:

I want that robe!