Truth Matters

Taking a Stand

I receive an email every day from Christianity Today Magazine. It gives three notable events in church history that happened on the day's date. One could make a case that July 6 was a pretty rough day in Christian History. On this day in 1535, Thomas More was beheaded. He had been sentenced to die by hanging, but Henry the VIII commuted his sentence to the swifter death of beheading. No such mercy was bestowed on Jan Hus, in 1415 he was burned at the stake for heresy. No one died, at least not immediately, but on July 6, 1054, the emissaries of the Pope placed an official document on the altar of the church in Constantinople, excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Celularius. The division between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy continues to today and was so complete that for most of that time the two sides couldn't even agree on what day it was. A millennium of division in the body of Christ. Two men, who did nothing worthy of death, executed. That's hardly a banner day. It's a day you remember, not celebrate. But, there is a common thread in these stories that is worth upholding. Likely you know very little about these three stories. All involved politics, church and/or secular, so, no doubt, the narratives are complicated. One thing is clear, though, right on the surface. All three of these events are driven by a desire to act on the truth. I'm not saying I agree with what was done. Clearly, in each case somebody was wrong. Just as clearly, though, and as plain as the nose on your face, in each account, there is a dedication to the proposition that truth matters. Some truths are so valuable and indispensable that they are worth dying for. I fear that in my day, the 21st Century Hus would have rationalized a way to avoid the flames, modern More would have made a decision shaped by the latest public opinion poll, and new millennium West and East would have swapped flowery, meaningless declarations and met for coffee, followed by a joint press conference. As I look at this listing of three days in history that should have been just ordinary, I am reminded that truth matters. That's extraordinary. Truth, let's labor to get it right and let's hold it as precious, sometimes more precious than life itself. It's STTA (Something To Think About).

Something To Think About, Blurry Vision:

It was a foggy day at the beach, where my family recently gathered for vacation.  The one souvenir my wife wanted to bring home from our gathering was a family photo.  Everyone packed the appropriate clothing.  We showed up at the appointed time.  The camera was set on ten-second delay and fog or no fog, Kathy got her picture. It would be a good time to use an "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." or "When the going gets tough, the tough get going," cliche'.     Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night nor fog of day stays grandma from getting her picture. But the truth is there wasn't any fog.  It was late.  A storm was on its way.  In our hurry I didn't notice that the lens on my camera was smudged--probably sun-screen.  When we quickly looked at the pictures, we just thought the view-screen was fogged by the humidity.  The lightning was flashing, so I took the baby--it's what grandpas do--and headed to the house. There are lots of ways I see things that aren't really there.  I suspect I'm not alone.  Here are just a few of smudges that cause our view to be skewed. Prejudice--"Don't confuse with me with the facts.  My mind is already made up. Projection--like when I project the way I think and feel onto you, and assume that is how you think, and feel. Pack-think--allowing my thoughts to be shaped by "my group" or by the way all "those people" are..   Perspective-blindness--that's when I assume that I am the completely unbiased viewer, and that my perspective is completely objective.  This is never true. Lord, sharpen my vision.  May I see things the way they really are, not the way my out of focus perception sees them. AMEN Stay tuned.  Lord  willing, tomorrow, I'll offer some lens cleaning suggestions. It's STTA.

Saying What I Mean:

Jesus and His half-brother James both spoke of saying "Yes," and meaning yes, and saying "No." and meaning no (Matthew 5:37 &James 5:12).  I was just listening to the news.  A great deal of what fills such broadcasts would be eliminated if more of our leaders followed this admonition.  Much of political reporting and commentary consists of, "This is what I said, but this is what I meant." or, "It is important to hear what ____ didn't say."  
It would be easy at this point to descend into a rant about politicians and their ways, but, since neither I nor most of my readers are running for office, that would just give us an opportunity to pat ourselves on the back for being better than them.  Rather I need to ask myself about my reputation in regard to the truth.  My devotion to truth-telling ought to be such that, without a handbook for decoding purposely dense language or the need to reinforce my statement with oaths, I would be believed.  People who hear me say, "Yes." ought to be able to conclude that I mean yes, and likewise with my "No."
In case this idea catches on among the political-types, I suggest filling the dead air with some good news stories.

It's STTA.

Perhaps one reason there are so many liar, is there are so many of us who listen to them.

SOMETHING  TO THINK ABOUT A friend of mine noticed from my web postings that I wasplanning to preach about "stepping out of my comfort-zone."  She knew of a song that she thought would fit with the message.  I agreed.  I used the song to make a video with which we finished the message.   The song is called The Voice of Truth.  A couple of lines from the song have haunted me for past week or so.  I'm quoting it from memory, so I might paraphrase a bit, but here is what plays in my head:  "Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen to and believe the voice of truth." It ought to be easy to listen to and act on the truth.  It's not. We live in a world that is dominated by the father of lies.  (See here and here.)  To listen to and act on truth takes determined effort.  Often times lies are attractive because: They appeal to our prejudice. They allow us to do what we want. They provide an easy way out. They justify our continued residence in our comfort-zone. Acting on truth is courageous, living a lie is cowardly.  The lie might provide temporary comfort, only truth can bring long term security.  We have the volume control.  Turn down the racket of falsehood.  Get in the Word, get with a group of people who are relentlessly pursuing the truth, face the truth squarely even when it looks scary, and then do it.  It's STTA.     You can access the message, STEPPING OUT WITH PETER; Out Of Our Comfort Zone, That Is,  athttp://covingtonbiblechurch.com/recordingsofmessages.html.  The video, which begins with a song by Theresa McCoy, ends with the song-video.   Here is a simple presentation of the truth that flows from God's love.