May 2011
Life is About Loving
Tuesday, May 31 2011
It was one of those days. I was standing still and was sweating. I could have turned on the air conditioner in the house but my wife says I’m cheap. I prefer to call it frugal. So we did the next best thing. We got into the air-conditioned car and drove to the air-conditioned mall for a slice of pizza.
After the pizza and an hour of roaming two levels of stores I realized there was not one thing in Macy’s, Sears, Penny’s and all the other stores that I wanted or needed. You could turn me loose with a hundred dollar bill and it would be safely returned to you an hour later. This is a bit disturbing. How can it be? Is it because I already have everything a human could possibly need? Could it be that I have grown old and products are designed for younger people’s tastes? Could it be I think just about everything I saw was overpriced? Could it be I am more than a bit put off by a super-consumptive culture? Could it be that I think 90% of what is in that mall is not needed by anyone? Probably the answer is a combination of all of the above.
When I was little heaven was described to me as a place full of things that would make me happy. I loved Christmas because I would get things. I used to watch The Price is Right because of all the things people won. When we watch the people in Joplin being so grateful just to be alive and have their loved ones and watch those who no longer have their loved ones, we understand life isn’t at all about things. Life is about loving people and being loved.
After the pizza and an hour of roaming two levels of stores I realized there was not one thing in Macy’s, Sears, Penny’s and all the other stores that I wanted or needed. You could turn me loose with a hundred dollar bill and it would be safely returned to you an hour later. This is a bit disturbing. How can it be? Is it because I already have everything a human could possibly need? Could it be that I have grown old and products are designed for younger people’s tastes? Could it be I think just about everything I saw was overpriced? Could it be I am more than a bit put off by a super-consumptive culture? Could it be that I think 90% of what is in that mall is not needed by anyone? Probably the answer is a combination of all of the above.
When I was little heaven was described to me as a place full of things that would make me happy. I loved Christmas because I would get things. I used to watch The Price is Right because of all the things people won. When we watch the people in Joplin being so grateful just to be alive and have their loved ones and watch those who no longer have their loved ones, we understand life isn’t at all about things. Life is about loving people and being loved.
Memorial Day
Monday, May 30 2011
On a corner property connected to our college is a hillside, once the home for settlers who braved moving westward from the safety of Boston. They paid a harsh price for their adventure. In 1675/6 a war party of natives came burning, killing, scalping and capturing. Only ashes were left behind. I got to thinking about them this Memorial Day because of an engraved stone that memorializes that hillside. The stone is small considering the magnitude of what happened to those people.
Memorials are interesting. We try to build something that will keep us from forgetting. Yet, as hard as we try, our carved stones always seem inadequate, no matter how well designed. Stones with names can never compensate for the loss of flesh and blood. Memorials in time seem more meaningful than stones because time cycles round and round. Each time the day returns we remember. This is so much better than a stone that will fade away in the wind and rain.
God wanted us not to forget where we came from. We are not the product of an impossible chain of favorable mutations. We are the fruit of His loving design. When Moses descended Mt. Sinai with the tablets of stone, there tucked in the middle was the fourth commandment. It started with the word “Remember”. God had established a memorial in time. Every Sabbath day we are to stop our commerce and remember Eden. It became even more meaningful at the Cross. That wasn’t just a god from heaven who died for us. It was THE GOD who made us and paid the price for our failures by becoming one of us. John 1.
It is Memorial Day. Memorials are, without a doubt, very important.
Memorials are interesting. We try to build something that will keep us from forgetting. Yet, as hard as we try, our carved stones always seem inadequate, no matter how well designed. Stones with names can never compensate for the loss of flesh and blood. Memorials in time seem more meaningful than stones because time cycles round and round. Each time the day returns we remember. This is so much better than a stone that will fade away in the wind and rain.
God wanted us not to forget where we came from. We are not the product of an impossible chain of favorable mutations. We are the fruit of His loving design. When Moses descended Mt. Sinai with the tablets of stone, there tucked in the middle was the fourth commandment. It started with the word “Remember”. God had established a memorial in time. Every Sabbath day we are to stop our commerce and remember Eden. It became even more meaningful at the Cross. That wasn’t just a god from heaven who died for us. It was THE GOD who made us and paid the price for our failures by becoming one of us. John 1.
It is Memorial Day. Memorials are, without a doubt, very important.
Heaven University
Friday, May 27 2011
While taking our lab for a snuff tonight, (our old dog went for a sniff, this dog snuffs – really, you should hear her) we were looking at Arcturus and wondered what the beings on its planets call it. We call our giant ball of burning gas Sun. I gather that is its name even though we do not capitalize sun. Since we can see Arcturus it would make sense to believe its planet’s population can see our sun and I wonder what name they have for it. Perhaps because of Adam and Eve’s transgression they call it “sin” instead of “sun”.
There is so much to learn. When I was a teen I thought the idea of eternal life was a nice idea. Now it is an essential idea. Part of the problem was when I was eighteen I knew everything. All you had to do was ask me. Now I know so little and my curiosity continues to grow. What Jesus offers isn’t just living forever. Under certain circumstances that could be awful. But what He offers is eternal matriculation into Heaven University. I need a sweatshirt with a big HU embroidered on the front. I know it might seem like I’m jumping the gun a bit but I already have my acceptance. Check out John 5:24. Usually when someone is accepted into a college or university they get the fat envelope with all the forms that need to be filled in. There are no forms needed for HU. The Registrar already knows everything about us and when it comes to financial aid, well there is a scholarship that beats all scholarships. This one comes with housing and all books are included; probably an e-tablet. (See John 14)
There is so much to learn. When I was a teen I thought the idea of eternal life was a nice idea. Now it is an essential idea. Part of the problem was when I was eighteen I knew everything. All you had to do was ask me. Now I know so little and my curiosity continues to grow. What Jesus offers isn’t just living forever. Under certain circumstances that could be awful. But what He offers is eternal matriculation into Heaven University. I need a sweatshirt with a big HU embroidered on the front. I know it might seem like I’m jumping the gun a bit but I already have my acceptance. Check out John 5:24. Usually when someone is accepted into a college or university they get the fat envelope with all the forms that need to be filled in. There are no forms needed for HU. The Registrar already knows everything about us and when it comes to financial aid, well there is a scholarship that beats all scholarships. This one comes with housing and all books are included; probably an e-tablet. (See John 14)
This Land is Mine
Thursday, May 26 2011
In 1940 Woody Guthrie was tired of hearing Kate Smith sing “God Bless America”, so he wrote “This Land is Your Land.” He recorded it four years later. It has become one of our more famous folk songs. But, other than Mr. Guthrie, who said this land is our land? Was it really Manifest Destiny or “might makes right”? What about the few million people who lived here before Columbus? The history of the world has always been that of the conquer and the conquered. How would we feel if at a Fourth of July concert a citizen of the Mohawk nation walked to the microphone and sang “This Land is my Land”?
We like the word conquer. Somehow it isn’t as harsh as “took.” The children of Israel conquered Canaan. My very first issue with this came to me in Sabbath School when I was about 12. How was it that only 40 years prior God told the Israelites killing and stealing was wrong? Did that only apply among the 12 tribes or was that universal? How was it that the materials used for the building of the temple were offerings and plunder?
I understand they believed God told them to take the “Promised Land” but most every war is fought by two sides who believe God is on their side. Just read the history of our own Civil War.
I am not trying to stir up controversy and don’t seek responses. I am just thinking about our history as a nation and as a human. It has been a bloody road to where we are. I am so pleased that Jesus was not the leader of any armed group. He really was the Prince of Peace.
We like the word conquer. Somehow it isn’t as harsh as “took.” The children of Israel conquered Canaan. My very first issue with this came to me in Sabbath School when I was about 12. How was it that only 40 years prior God told the Israelites killing and stealing was wrong? Did that only apply among the 12 tribes or was that universal? How was it that the materials used for the building of the temple were offerings and plunder?
I understand they believed God told them to take the “Promised Land” but most every war is fought by two sides who believe God is on their side. Just read the history of our own Civil War.
I am not trying to stir up controversy and don’t seek responses. I am just thinking about our history as a nation and as a human. It has been a bloody road to where we are. I am so pleased that Jesus was not the leader of any armed group. He really was the Prince of Peace.
When God Doesn't Like Me
Wednesday, May 25 2011
I am fairly sure there are days God doesn’t like me. I know He loves me but loving and liking are two very different things. I officiated at a marriage several years ago where it was evident the couple didn’t like each other. So why would they want to get married and why would I participate? It was complicated as are most relationships but it was evident they loved each other. I was hoping they would grow to like each other. It didn’t work out. I should not have been so hopeful. Without the liking the love eroded away.
I don’t think Jesus much liked the religious establishment that governed Israel. His comments in Matthew 23 are extremely harsh and certainly are not used for persons we like. Yet He sat outside the city on the Mount of Olives and wept over them. I think He liked the woman who bathed his feet with her tears. He certainly came to her defense when she was criticized. There must have been something special about Zaccheaus other than his height. It was obvious that Jesus liked him. Jesus invited Himself home for dinner. Liking someone is wanting to spend time with them and desiring to get to know them better.
Have you ever met someone for the very first time and didn’t like them? Sure you have. We all have. Usually it is because they remind us of someone else that we don’t like and the new person is cashing in our dislike of the other. The days God doesn’t like me are the days when I am very much unlike what He wants me to be. Hopefully those days are not coming as frequently as in the past. That’s what it is all about. It’s about growing.
I don’t think Jesus much liked the religious establishment that governed Israel. His comments in Matthew 23 are extremely harsh and certainly are not used for persons we like. Yet He sat outside the city on the Mount of Olives and wept over them. I think He liked the woman who bathed his feet with her tears. He certainly came to her defense when she was criticized. There must have been something special about Zaccheaus other than his height. It was obvious that Jesus liked him. Jesus invited Himself home for dinner. Liking someone is wanting to spend time with them and desiring to get to know them better.
Have you ever met someone for the very first time and didn’t like them? Sure you have. We all have. Usually it is because they remind us of someone else that we don’t like and the new person is cashing in our dislike of the other. The days God doesn’t like me are the days when I am very much unlike what He wants me to be. Hopefully those days are not coming as frequently as in the past. That’s what it is all about. It’s about growing.
Singing in the Rain
Tuesday, May 24 2011
It’s been raining here in New England for most of two weeks. Needless to say we have a few puddles decorating our landscape. Thankfully we are not like the folks along the Mississippi River or in tornado alley. Our prayers are for them. This has been a horrible spring they will never forget.
On a much lighter note I watched a robin this afternoon who has to be the Gene Kelly of the bird world. He was bathing in a puddle and singing his heart out. He was singing in the rain. It looked like he was having a glorious feeling. I found myself wanting to go and join him. There is something infectious about joy. When we hear a child laugh it is difficult to not at least smile. Happiness breeds happiness. And of course the opposite is also true. Maybe I enjoyed the robin so very much because I could not stop thinking about all the loss in the Midwest and the South.
So many prayers will ascend containing the word “Why.” And the answer is because we live in a world where awful things happen to really good people. As much as we want to believe it, the truth is being a Christian does not inoculate us from horror. If it did we could win the world for Jesus in 24 hours, but it would be for the wrong reason. It wouldn’t change hearts; only church membership.
So today I tried to divert my thoughts by watching a robin sing and dance in the rain. If we try we can find some delightful things to brighten our days. But since God is all-knowing I wonder if He ever has a good day. Does the robin help even Him?
On a much lighter note I watched a robin this afternoon who has to be the Gene Kelly of the bird world. He was bathing in a puddle and singing his heart out. He was singing in the rain. It looked like he was having a glorious feeling. I found myself wanting to go and join him. There is something infectious about joy. When we hear a child laugh it is difficult to not at least smile. Happiness breeds happiness. And of course the opposite is also true. Maybe I enjoyed the robin so very much because I could not stop thinking about all the loss in the Midwest and the South.
So many prayers will ascend containing the word “Why.” And the answer is because we live in a world where awful things happen to really good people. As much as we want to believe it, the truth is being a Christian does not inoculate us from horror. If it did we could win the world for Jesus in 24 hours, but it would be for the wrong reason. It wouldn’t change hearts; only church membership.
So today I tried to divert my thoughts by watching a robin sing and dance in the rain. If we try we can find some delightful things to brighten our days. But since God is all-knowing I wonder if He ever has a good day. Does the robin help even Him?
Our Moral Responsibility
Monday, May 23 2011
It is amazing to Google a satellite nighttime picture of Korea and look at the electric light difference between the North and South. North Korea is a nuclear power that doesn’t even supply its people with lights. Then there is the issue of food. Once again because of government mismanagement and/or deliberate action masses of people in North Korea are facing starvation. We have food, lots of it. Too much if you look at the size of our children.
Our moral dilemma is should we send North Korea food only to have it put in storage for their military. It is difficult for us to imagine a government allowing its own people to starve and yet we saw such behavior during the years we lived in East Africa. Tons of food rotted on shipping docks while fifty miles away people were dying for lack of nourishment.
Have we done our human duty to give and then not have control over the use of what we give? This is a question akin to giving our offerings only to see church officials with large travel budgets using the money to fly all over the world when they could have used Skype for free. Is the issue not our concern because we did the right thing by giving; thus transferring the responsibility to others?
Living in a modern world with new technologies continually changes the moral landscape. Does God wish for us to carefully ponder our giving and not merely blindly trust others to do the right thing? Service and sharing is the noble part of our humanity. It is the substance of our happiness and of our moral values.
Our moral dilemma is should we send North Korea food only to have it put in storage for their military. It is difficult for us to imagine a government allowing its own people to starve and yet we saw such behavior during the years we lived in East Africa. Tons of food rotted on shipping docks while fifty miles away people were dying for lack of nourishment.
Have we done our human duty to give and then not have control over the use of what we give? This is a question akin to giving our offerings only to see church officials with large travel budgets using the money to fly all over the world when they could have used Skype for free. Is the issue not our concern because we did the right thing by giving; thus transferring the responsibility to others?
Living in a modern world with new technologies continually changes the moral landscape. Does God wish for us to carefully ponder our giving and not merely blindly trust others to do the right thing? Service and sharing is the noble part of our humanity. It is the substance of our happiness and of our moral values.
Cockamamie Stories
Friday, May 20 2011
My wife and I went to a boarding high school. It is where we met. Last week I suddenly realized I had become the principal of that school. Well, not the principal, but like him. Let me explain. We all thought he was a pushover. Whenever we got into trouble he would believe any story we made up to explain our behavior. He was such a nice guy with such a big heart. We thought he was naïve.
Now back to me. Last week was finals week at our college with lots of papers due. You should have heard all the lame excuses I received for why assignments were not ready. I won’t mention the assignments were given fifteen weeks before. I even had a set of roommates who turned in the same assignment each with their own name on the top. I know I must be getting old and don’t need the hassle. Honestly sometimes it is just easier to say, “Okay, get it under my office door by tomorrow night.” It doesn’t do much for their characters but it sure makes it easier for me. It was then that I realized I had become our old principal. I understood that he most likely never believed our cockamamie stories. It was just easier. He was not as naïve as we thought.
I am so thankful we don’t have to make up stories when we talk to God about our behavior. Since He saw it, it would be quite stupid to try. He knows the truth and He knows our reasons and motives better than we do. So the best way is to own it, confess it and take the natural consequences. He will forgive the eternal consequences but we will still have to reap the earthly fruit.
Now back to me. Last week was finals week at our college with lots of papers due. You should have heard all the lame excuses I received for why assignments were not ready. I won’t mention the assignments were given fifteen weeks before. I even had a set of roommates who turned in the same assignment each with their own name on the top. I know I must be getting old and don’t need the hassle. Honestly sometimes it is just easier to say, “Okay, get it under my office door by tomorrow night.” It doesn’t do much for their characters but it sure makes it easier for me. It was then that I realized I had become our old principal. I understood that he most likely never believed our cockamamie stories. It was just easier. He was not as naïve as we thought.
I am so thankful we don’t have to make up stories when we talk to God about our behavior. Since He saw it, it would be quite stupid to try. He knows the truth and He knows our reasons and motives better than we do. So the best way is to own it, confess it and take the natural consequences. He will forgive the eternal consequences but we will still have to reap the earthly fruit.
Nothing Comes From Nothing
Thursday, May 19 2011
“Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing.”*
If you said it or if I said it, we would be laughed at as being uneducated, ignorant and out of touch with reality. But when someone with Stephen Hawking’s stature says it some say, “Oh, yes, isn’t that marvelous?” If one browses the science section at a bookstore it doesn’t take long to ascertain there is a small cadre of atheists and evolutionists who dominate the pop science market. Some of them refer to those of us who are creationists as being “intellectually inferior.” We are, according to them, believers in fairy stories.
But really now, even people who would not consider themselves scientifically literate accurately write such lyrics in The Sound of Music, “nothing comes from nothing.”
I will try to be nice about this and just ask how long would we have to wait before something spontaneously created itself out of nothing? Yes, I know the answer I would receive would be trillions of years. And they say we are people of faith and they are people of science.
We must never be ashamed to defend our reasonable, logical, scientific stance when we said, “In the beginning God created the heaven and earth.” Intelligence comes from intelligence and life comes from life. Design comes from mind and order comes from plan. “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” Psalm 33
*Stephen Hawking: 'There is no heaven; it's a fairy story' In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the cosmologist shares his thoughts on death, M-theory, human purpose and our chance existence” Ian Sample, science correspondent - guardian.co.uk, Sunday 15 May 2011
__________________
If you said it or if I said it, we would be laughed at as being uneducated, ignorant and out of touch with reality. But when someone with Stephen Hawking’s stature says it some say, “Oh, yes, isn’t that marvelous?” If one browses the science section at a bookstore it doesn’t take long to ascertain there is a small cadre of atheists and evolutionists who dominate the pop science market. Some of them refer to those of us who are creationists as being “intellectually inferior.” We are, according to them, believers in fairy stories.
But really now, even people who would not consider themselves scientifically literate accurately write such lyrics in The Sound of Music, “nothing comes from nothing.”
I will try to be nice about this and just ask how long would we have to wait before something spontaneously created itself out of nothing? Yes, I know the answer I would receive would be trillions of years. And they say we are people of faith and they are people of science.
We must never be ashamed to defend our reasonable, logical, scientific stance when we said, “In the beginning God created the heaven and earth.” Intelligence comes from intelligence and life comes from life. Design comes from mind and order comes from plan. “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” Psalm 33
*Stephen Hawking: 'There is no heaven; it's a fairy story' In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the cosmologist shares his thoughts on death, M-theory, human purpose and our chance existence” Ian Sample, science correspondent - guardian.co.uk, Sunday 15 May 2011
__________________
I Am A Mean Man
Wednesday, May 18 2011
I am a mean man. What I mean is I am quite average. There is nothing special about me. I once knew a mean man. He was downright nasty. He was my next door neighbor when I was a child. I mean he wasn’t nice at all. I have a friend with limited means. It is difficult for him to pay his bills. What I mean is I am mean and my neighbor was mean but we are very different. He wasn’t mean because he was more than one standard deviation below the mean because of his meanness. My friend without enough means is actually quite nice.
English was not the mother tongue for almost a third of my students this past semester. It is no wonder they often did not understand my instructions. English is not the easiest language in the world. We laughed a lot as we tried to be patient with each other for often I did not understand them.
Right this moment God is listening to a million prayers in thousands of languages and He understands perfectly what each of us needs. Unlike the world’s air traffic controllers who all need to speak English so a Russian pilot can land in France, heaven doesn’t need us to learn a special language. God is so delighted to hear us any language will do. One really grand thing about God is He listens to our hearts. We don’t actually have to put our needs into the words of any language. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Romans 8:26
English was not the mother tongue for almost a third of my students this past semester. It is no wonder they often did not understand my instructions. English is not the easiest language in the world. We laughed a lot as we tried to be patient with each other for often I did not understand them.
Right this moment God is listening to a million prayers in thousands of languages and He understands perfectly what each of us needs. Unlike the world’s air traffic controllers who all need to speak English so a Russian pilot can land in France, heaven doesn’t need us to learn a special language. God is so delighted to hear us any language will do. One really grand thing about God is He listens to our hearts. We don’t actually have to put our needs into the words of any language. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Romans 8:26
The Absence of Empathy
Tuesday, May 17 2011
We think some people are not nice. Others we think of as being bad. Then there are those we think are evil. I’m not sure I have ever met someone I would classify as evil. However, I realized I had never really defined evil. Just what is it that makes someone evil? Being rude is being not nice. Telling lies about others is bad. Somehow I think of evil as actually inflicting physical harm on another. But that isn’t what the dictionary says. My dictionary defines evil as being immoral. That certainly broadens the scope. I finally came up with my own definition. I think evil is the absence of empathy. One becomes so self-absorbed there is no time to consider how another feels. We just don’t care about anyone but the person we see in the mirror. When we say “How are you?” we really don’t care. It is a prelude to give us an opportunity to tell others how we are. Hurry and say “Fine” so I can tell you about me.
It is very difficult to think of ourselves as evil. We define ourselves with softer adjectives. When we are children we are imps or rascals. It seems harsh to describe a five-year-old as evil. Yet the seeds of self, if left to grow, will produce self-absorbed adolescents and it will continue to worsen without intervention. Thankfully evil does not place us beyond God’s desire to change our hearts and help us care about others. “He is able to keep us from falling and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.” Jude 24 It fills Him and us with “exceeding joy” to do so.
It is very difficult to think of ourselves as evil. We define ourselves with softer adjectives. When we are children we are imps or rascals. It seems harsh to describe a five-year-old as evil. Yet the seeds of self, if left to grow, will produce self-absorbed adolescents and it will continue to worsen without intervention. Thankfully evil does not place us beyond God’s desire to change our hearts and help us care about others. “He is able to keep us from falling and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.” Jude 24 It fills Him and us with “exceeding joy” to do so.
My Birch Tree
Monday, May 16 2011
We have a wonderful birch tree in full leaf right beside our bedroom window. Biologists tell me it will, from now until October, provide all the oxygen my wife and I will need this year. I like that tree. During summer storms its leaves brush against the glass as if asking to come in out of the rain. Sometimes it creaks and groans like an old man with arthritis. Ice on a January night bend it over and it will rattle against the sash reminding me how blessed I am to be inside. Through the years it has become my friend and I worry about it and I hope it can endure all the weather that comes its way.
I also have human friends who nourish me. Their care provides for my inner weather. When I am sunny they smile with me. When I am troubled by some storm they listen and rarely argue. They just allow me to talk. Good friends are like that. They know that often the best cheering up is to say nothing. They just listen until my storm subsides.
Life would be unbearable without friends. To sit home alone and think only of one’s self creates a horrible downward spiral. Psychologists say solitary confinement in a windowless prison cell is one of the worst punishments. We are above all things social creatures, not made to be alone. We need contact. Of course the One who created us knows that. That is why He promises to be available 24/7. Just call. He’s a great listener. He is the best of friends and like my birch tree; He provides constant company and lots of oxygen.
I also have human friends who nourish me. Their care provides for my inner weather. When I am sunny they smile with me. When I am troubled by some storm they listen and rarely argue. They just allow me to talk. Good friends are like that. They know that often the best cheering up is to say nothing. They just listen until my storm subsides.
Life would be unbearable without friends. To sit home alone and think only of one’s self creates a horrible downward spiral. Psychologists say solitary confinement in a windowless prison cell is one of the worst punishments. We are above all things social creatures, not made to be alone. We need contact. Of course the One who created us knows that. That is why He promises to be available 24/7. Just call. He’s a great listener. He is the best of friends and like my birch tree; He provides constant company and lots of oxygen.
Who Would Know?
Friday, May 13 2011
So my colleague with the barren lilac bush is pondering getting plastic lilac blossoms and decorating her blossomless shrub. I suggested that she visit a five and dime (do they still exist?) and get a bottle of cheap lilac-scented cologne. Each morning she could go out and spray the plastic flowers. Who would know? Only those extremely few who would ever get close enough could tell the difference; that is unless she leaves them on into July. Then anyone would know.
So I think you can guess what I was thinking about this afternoon. Could I, could you, could anyone fake being a Christian? Could we decorate our lives with phony deeds of charity and love? Well, the deeds would be real but the motive would be the fake part. We could make sure, like the Pharisee in Matthew 6, that we have lots of cameras around when we make our donations. We could get our picture in the paper handing a giant check to our school or church or community center. We could make sure our picture is taken when nailing up a stud during a Habitat for Humanity Project; or get our picture taken while being surrounded by lots of little African children while we play the big rich American passing out used clothes.
Who would know? Let me tell you who would know. We would. God would and Jesus could say to us, “I never knew you.” How horrible it would be to hear those words. It has been my privilege for several years now to have people send Spring of Life funds to give to needy students with the donor requesting total anonymity. I tell the students I am only a conduit. The real giver just wants to share. How grand.
So I think you can guess what I was thinking about this afternoon. Could I, could you, could anyone fake being a Christian? Could we decorate our lives with phony deeds of charity and love? Well, the deeds would be real but the motive would be the fake part. We could make sure, like the Pharisee in Matthew 6, that we have lots of cameras around when we make our donations. We could get our picture in the paper handing a giant check to our school or church or community center. We could make sure our picture is taken when nailing up a stud during a Habitat for Humanity Project; or get our picture taken while being surrounded by lots of little African children while we play the big rich American passing out used clothes.
Who would know? Let me tell you who would know. We would. God would and Jesus could say to us, “I never knew you.” How horrible it would be to hear those words. It has been my privilege for several years now to have people send Spring of Life funds to give to needy students with the donor requesting total anonymity. I tell the students I am only a conduit. The real giver just wants to share. How grand.
The Barren Lilac Bush
Thursday, May 12 2011
When I went into school this morning one of my colleagues said, “I have a lilac bush that hasn’t blossomed for two years.” I didn’t know how to respond since yesterday we talked about an amazingly lush lilac bush. Immediately I thought about Jesus and the fig tree. It was Monday of Passion Week when Jesus and His disciples came upon a fig tree in full-leaf. It should have had fruit amidst those leaves but had none. The whole story seems so out of character for Jesus except for the fact it was a great teaching opportunity. He cursed it. Too curse something is not that He did something bad to the tree other than to remove His own life-sustaining power. Nothing on earth lives of itself. Moment by moment, breath by breath, heartbeat by heartbeat we do so because of His life flow to us. Cut off that connection and we, animals, trees, flowers, everything dies.
The lesson of the day, the lesson for history was that each of us is here for a reason. In Ephesians 2 Paul tells us we have a work to do, a special work prepared just for us. We might never know what it is. God knows what it is. If we allow He will guide our lives and place us in the right place at the right moment that we might do what will advance His kingdom. How grand it is going to be, to someday be told by God Himself, “Well done.” We will be amazed because not only might we not remember the moment but if we do we might have thought it was nothing much. There will be the surprise. The smallest act can have huge implications in history. We are here to blossom, to bear our fruit.
The lesson of the day, the lesson for history was that each of us is here for a reason. In Ephesians 2 Paul tells us we have a work to do, a special work prepared just for us. We might never know what it is. God knows what it is. If we allow He will guide our lives and place us in the right place at the right moment that we might do what will advance His kingdom. How grand it is going to be, to someday be told by God Himself, “Well done.” We will be amazed because not only might we not remember the moment but if we do we might have thought it was nothing much. There will be the surprise. The smallest act can have huge implications in history. We are here to blossom, to bear our fruit.
Lilacs in Lancaster
Wednesday, May 11 2011
There is a lilac bush in Lancaster, Massachusetts that doesn’t appear to belong to anyone. There is a bank on one side and a donut shop on the other with an uncared for strip of land in between. In the midst of the seemingly neglected land is a lush spot of beauty and fragrance. I wonder how many of the thousands of people who pass by notice its contribution.
I know some beautiful people who are very much like that lilac bush. They bloom. They add fragrance to their space. Yet I think most people just pass them by without noticing their contribution. They rarely, if ever, get any accolades. They live quiet lives watching others get the awards and the praise. They must wonder what they would have to do to be noticed or maybe they enjoy the quiet life and would be embarrassed if the spotlight suddenly shone on them.
If you are one of those quiet beautiful persons allow me to say, “Thank you for making the world a better place.” There is an interesting line in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical that goes like this. “When everyone is somebody, then no-one's anybody.” So I guess the somebody’s need the no-one’s so the somebody’s can be somebody. But let’s never forget those people getting the awards couldn’t get them without the beautiful support people that actually make life work.
The writer of Psalm 84 talks about being a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. It leaves one with the concept of someone being so happy to be in God’s house they don’t care if they are hidden on the back row. I don’t think that can happen. I think God notices, loves and smells every lilac bush no matter where it is.
__________________
I know some beautiful people who are very much like that lilac bush. They bloom. They add fragrance to their space. Yet I think most people just pass them by without noticing their contribution. They rarely, if ever, get any accolades. They live quiet lives watching others get the awards and the praise. They must wonder what they would have to do to be noticed or maybe they enjoy the quiet life and would be embarrassed if the spotlight suddenly shone on them.
If you are one of those quiet beautiful persons allow me to say, “Thank you for making the world a better place.” There is an interesting line in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical that goes like this. “When everyone is somebody, then no-one's anybody.” So I guess the somebody’s need the no-one’s so the somebody’s can be somebody. But let’s never forget those people getting the awards couldn’t get them without the beautiful support people that actually make life work.
The writer of Psalm 84 talks about being a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. It leaves one with the concept of someone being so happy to be in God’s house they don’t care if they are hidden on the back row. I don’t think that can happen. I think God notices, loves and smells every lilac bush no matter where it is.
__________________
Balancing My Checkbook
Tuesday, May 10 2011
I am the worst at balancing and reconciling my checkbook with the bank statement. My addition mistakes, subtraction mistakes, transpositions of numbers and just forgetting to make entries have created an accounting nightmare. My wife who is very meticulous gives me that sly smile and without her saying a word I know what she is thinking. I am getting what I deserve.
Isn’t there a Bible text somewhere about blotting out? If this were 1850 I could just spill my bottle of ink on my check registry and say, “Oops.” Yes, there is such a text. It is Psalms 51. David has committed a horrible crime resulting in the death of one of his very own men. After being confronted by Nathan, David prayed, “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
I love that prayer. How many times have I prayed it with the assurance found in I John 1 that God says, “Absolutely, yes?” The great part is God is delighted to do so. There is no reluctance on His part. There is no, “I will give him one more chance.” Because of what Jesus did for us at Calvary God was able to enter the blotting business. It’s a great business. I would not be surprised to find out there is a sign above God’s throne that says, “Official Blotter – Just Ask.”
Recently someone said to me, “You do realize, don’t you, that basically you write the same thing each night.” Yeah, I do. The reason being I don’t know of anything better to write about. Jesus loves, forgives us and saves us. What else is there?
Isn’t there a Bible text somewhere about blotting out? If this were 1850 I could just spill my bottle of ink on my check registry and say, “Oops.” Yes, there is such a text. It is Psalms 51. David has committed a horrible crime resulting in the death of one of his very own men. After being confronted by Nathan, David prayed, “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
I love that prayer. How many times have I prayed it with the assurance found in I John 1 that God says, “Absolutely, yes?” The great part is God is delighted to do so. There is no reluctance on His part. There is no, “I will give him one more chance.” Because of what Jesus did for us at Calvary God was able to enter the blotting business. It’s a great business. I would not be surprised to find out there is a sign above God’s throne that says, “Official Blotter – Just Ask.”
Recently someone said to me, “You do realize, don’t you, that basically you write the same thing each night.” Yeah, I do. The reason being I don’t know of anything better to write about. Jesus loves, forgives us and saves us. What else is there?
Free Throws
Monday, May 09 2011
I just watched a professional basketball player, who makes millions of dollars a year for his skills, consecutively miss two free throws. I don’t understand that. But then again I don’t understand the pressure he was under to make those relatively simple tosses. Psychological pressure can make the best of us do stupid and foolish things.
Free throws are well named. That is exactly what they are. The player can shoot the ball without having a combatant stand in front of him doing his best to block the shot by waving ten foot long arms in his face. All this caused me to reflect on the game of life and I wondered if we ever get any free throws toward victory over sin and temptation or do we always have a combatant in our face doing his best to make us miss?
When Jesus was in the wilderness following his baptism we have record of the master tempter doing all he could to keep Jesus from pursuing His ministry. I seriously doubt if any of us are important enough to have Lucifer himself go after us, but scripture does tell us a third of the angels are fallen, so I think there are plenty to go around. However, by the same token, while we might not get any free throws we might, like in a basketball game have others to guard us or screen so we have a best chance for a victory.
The point is we do not have to do it alone. In John 14 Jesus promises to send us divine help. At the close of Matthew we are promised that He is always with us. Being who we want to be is a team experience. We never need to be on our own.
Free throws are well named. That is exactly what they are. The player can shoot the ball without having a combatant stand in front of him doing his best to block the shot by waving ten foot long arms in his face. All this caused me to reflect on the game of life and I wondered if we ever get any free throws toward victory over sin and temptation or do we always have a combatant in our face doing his best to make us miss?
When Jesus was in the wilderness following his baptism we have record of the master tempter doing all he could to keep Jesus from pursuing His ministry. I seriously doubt if any of us are important enough to have Lucifer himself go after us, but scripture does tell us a third of the angels are fallen, so I think there are plenty to go around. However, by the same token, while we might not get any free throws we might, like in a basketball game have others to guard us or screen so we have a best chance for a victory.
The point is we do not have to do it alone. In John 14 Jesus promises to send us divine help. At the close of Matthew we are promised that He is always with us. Being who we want to be is a team experience. We never need to be on our own.
Normal People
Friday, May 06 2011
Today someone within my hearing jokingly asked, “What’s normal?” I interjected, “One standard deviation on either side of the mean and two if we want to be generous.” If one can still remember the bell curve and the means of central tendency one can have quite an interesting discussion realizing “normal” is anything that comfortably fits within 68% or 95% of the population.
When in our teens we want more than anything to be “normal” in a population of teens. While we say we want to be an individual at the same time we do all we can to be like our peers. If we don’t then we aren’t “normal.” Then we are what is called an “outlier.” Do you remember the old Marine recruiting posters that said, “We are looking for a few good men”? God is looking for a few good outliers. He wants a few courageous people who will not conform without first giving thought. Giving thought is the key. We can conform if the conforming does not require the loss of integrity and personal ethics. Thoughtful conforming will not sacrifice character just to be part of the norm.
In 1 Peter 2:9 we are called to be a peculiar people. That doesn’t mean God wants us to look weird by our clothing or hair styles. The peculiarity is a call to be loving, honest and selfless. Wouldn’t it be grand if that were the norm? What an interesting world it would be if just 68% of the world would be completely trustworthy. Out national debt would be gone by next April if that happened.
Fortunately for all of us “normal” people, grace does abound and should we allow Jesus to forgive us heaven will be filled with normal people.
When in our teens we want more than anything to be “normal” in a population of teens. While we say we want to be an individual at the same time we do all we can to be like our peers. If we don’t then we aren’t “normal.” Then we are what is called an “outlier.” Do you remember the old Marine recruiting posters that said, “We are looking for a few good men”? God is looking for a few good outliers. He wants a few courageous people who will not conform without first giving thought. Giving thought is the key. We can conform if the conforming does not require the loss of integrity and personal ethics. Thoughtful conforming will not sacrifice character just to be part of the norm.
In 1 Peter 2:9 we are called to be a peculiar people. That doesn’t mean God wants us to look weird by our clothing or hair styles. The peculiarity is a call to be loving, honest and selfless. Wouldn’t it be grand if that were the norm? What an interesting world it would be if just 68% of the world would be completely trustworthy. Out national debt would be gone by next April if that happened.
Fortunately for all of us “normal” people, grace does abound and should we allow Jesus to forgive us heaven will be filled with normal people.
Who's the Ignorant One?
Thursday, May 05 2011
One of my students brought me a dandelion expressing how beautiful it was. She was right. It was glorious with its bright yellow petals splaying out in a perfect circle. What surprised me was she did not know what it was. She did not know its name and she did not know that it was the same thing as those round balls of white seeds one can puff into the wind. She was an inner city girl.
At first I was incredulous that she would not know but I took a deep breath and thought of all the things I do not know. Surely God must shake His head at my ignorance of things I should know having lived so long. At this point I could start listing my sins and point out that I should know better. But not wanting to embarrass myself or my family I will just say the list isn’t short. God must think, “How can he not know after all this time.
Many of my students who I so arrogantly think don’t know much are multilingual. I am not. I have students who speak fluent English, French and Spanish. Yet I have the unmitigated gall to think I know more than they just because I happen to be lecturing in my field of study. It isn’t that I know more; I just happen to have a skill set in a narrow area that is required of them for graduation. In real life they know so much of which I am totally ignorant. Just Monday afternoon I mentioned a country music song to one of my Mexican students who immediately looked at me and told me the name of the artist and what year it was recorded. So much for thinking I knew something!
At first I was incredulous that she would not know but I took a deep breath and thought of all the things I do not know. Surely God must shake His head at my ignorance of things I should know having lived so long. At this point I could start listing my sins and point out that I should know better. But not wanting to embarrass myself or my family I will just say the list isn’t short. God must think, “How can he not know after all this time.
Many of my students who I so arrogantly think don’t know much are multilingual. I am not. I have students who speak fluent English, French and Spanish. Yet I have the unmitigated gall to think I know more than they just because I happen to be lecturing in my field of study. It isn’t that I know more; I just happen to have a skill set in a narrow area that is required of them for graduation. In real life they know so much of which I am totally ignorant. Just Monday afternoon I mentioned a country music song to one of my Mexican students who immediately looked at me and told me the name of the artist and what year it was recorded. So much for thinking I knew something!
He Will Do It
Wednesday, May 04 2011
I began one of my classes this morning by reading the close of I Thessalonians 5. Verse 24 is wonderful. It says, “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” The mind is a strange thing. Memories that have been tucked away for decades are suddenly released as if someone turned a key and opened a door. As I finished voicing the text my mind immediately remembered something that happened to me sixty years ago. On Sundays my Dad and I would take our dog and head for the mountains in central Pennsylvania. He knew where there were saw mills and they were great fun because of the giant piles of sawdust generated from the saws. We loved to climb to the top and then roll end over end to the bottom.
One would think I would never forget about one particular day but I had until I read the above verse. We tumbled down an especially huge pile of sawdust and arrived at the bottom surrounded by rattlesnakes that were not overly pleased by our sudden appearance. We had disturbed their sunbaths. Instantly my father said to me, “Freeze. Don’t move at all. I’ll take care of them.” Was I afraid? Most likely I should have been. But my Dad said, “I’ll take care of them.” And so I sat frozen in place as one by one he took care of them just as he said he would.
And so this morning a door opened in my mind as I remembered Jesus saying, “If we as humans know how to give good gifts unto our children, how much more will our Father in heaven.” Thank you Paul for I Thess. 5:24. “The one who calls is faithful. He will do it.”
One would think I would never forget about one particular day but I had until I read the above verse. We tumbled down an especially huge pile of sawdust and arrived at the bottom surrounded by rattlesnakes that were not overly pleased by our sudden appearance. We had disturbed their sunbaths. Instantly my father said to me, “Freeze. Don’t move at all. I’ll take care of them.” Was I afraid? Most likely I should have been. But my Dad said, “I’ll take care of them.” And so I sat frozen in place as one by one he took care of them just as he said he would.
And so this morning a door opened in my mind as I remembered Jesus saying, “If we as humans know how to give good gifts unto our children, how much more will our Father in heaven.” Thank you Paul for I Thess. 5:24. “The one who calls is faithful. He will do it.”
My Teeming Yard
Tuesday, May 03 2011
Within a few feet of each other we have a nest of baby cardinals, a nest of baby robins and a nest full of phoebes. It is a wonderful time. The goldfinches are wearing their summer plumage and showing off to our yard wren, catbird and hummingbirds. Teeming is a word that comes to the front of my mind. Our yard is teeming. Just a few weeks ago there was thirty inches of snow where there are now eight inch high hostas. People-high azaleas and forsythia overwhelm with their presence.
I am so thankful to be able to see. I have two friends who cannot and I cannot find words to describe my sorrow that they cannot revel with me. I want to tell them the cardinals are red, but if one has never seen red how can it be described? So foolishly many years ago I tried to describe heaven in the midst of a sermon. It was a miserable failure because I was trying to tell about something I myself had never seen. Someday I should get smart.
It is that way with so much. One cannot truly speak of love until one has deeply loved. One cannot describe evil until one has witnessed a holocaust or a genocide or the cross of Calvary. Or in some cases the opposite is true. Emily Dickinson wrote, “Success is counted sweetest by those who ne’er succeed. To comprehend a nectar requires sorest need.” Jesus understood. In the Sermon on the Mount He said, “Blessed are those who are hungry for righteousness. They shall be filled.” In the midst of teeming there is yet so much more to be tasted, by me and my unsighted friends.
I am so thankful to be able to see. I have two friends who cannot and I cannot find words to describe my sorrow that they cannot revel with me. I want to tell them the cardinals are red, but if one has never seen red how can it be described? So foolishly many years ago I tried to describe heaven in the midst of a sermon. It was a miserable failure because I was trying to tell about something I myself had never seen. Someday I should get smart.
It is that way with so much. One cannot truly speak of love until one has deeply loved. One cannot describe evil until one has witnessed a holocaust or a genocide or the cross of Calvary. Or in some cases the opposite is true. Emily Dickinson wrote, “Success is counted sweetest by those who ne’er succeed. To comprehend a nectar requires sorest need.” Jesus understood. In the Sermon on the Mount He said, “Blessed are those who are hungry for righteousness. They shall be filled.” In the midst of teeming there is yet so much more to be tasted, by me and my unsighted friends.
Accusations
Monday, May 02 2011
Is it just me or do you also develop a slight fear when exiting a store that you will set off the alarm and people will rush upon you to see what you have taken, even when you know you haven’t taken anything? Just the mere idea that I could be mistakenly accused by a malfunctioning machine makes my blood pressure go up as I slip between the magnetic devices. It even happens to me at our college library, a place where I should feel secure.
For thousands of years preachers have used the fear of judgment to keep their flocks in line. There are some harsh pictures of judgment in Scripture waiting for the guilty. The power of such judgment is there will be no need for any false accusations. God knows all. All that needs to be done is for the truth about us to be revealed. There is ample evidence to justify our banishment and death. Paul says it so well, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
However, (I do love that word “however”) love drives out fear. We are loved by the one who knows all things and He gives us an amazing option. John 5:24 says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” Please do not miss the words “will not be judged.” This is so much better than a “get out of jail free” card. Not only do we not have to show up for judgment we have crossed over from death to eternal life. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. The Gospel is the sweetest message ever spoken.
For thousands of years preachers have used the fear of judgment to keep their flocks in line. There are some harsh pictures of judgment in Scripture waiting for the guilty. The power of such judgment is there will be no need for any false accusations. God knows all. All that needs to be done is for the truth about us to be revealed. There is ample evidence to justify our banishment and death. Paul says it so well, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
However, (I do love that word “however”) love drives out fear. We are loved by the one who knows all things and He gives us an amazing option. John 5:24 says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” Please do not miss the words “will not be judged.” This is so much better than a “get out of jail free” card. Not only do we not have to show up for judgment we have crossed over from death to eternal life. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. The Gospel is the sweetest message ever spoken.