An angelic choir ushered Jesus into this world by singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” God still has goodwill for us and peace is still his eternal promise in Christ but quite frankly we don’t really see much peace on earth and goodwill among men is a pleasant surprise more than the norm in everyday life. In fact, the world seems to be growing more violent and I see less civility than I ever remember in my lifetime.
I know I now qualify for the senior omelet at the International House of Pancakes (I am not crazy about the omelet but it took me this long to earn it so by golly I am going to order it) but I miss the days when one could go to a store or order a sandwich and receive a courteous response at a regular practice. Gone also are the days when one could simply click a turn signal and the person in the car behind would slow, smile and wave you into the lane you needed. You might get a wave but it will be a less than friendly gesture. Well, when we get tired of rude treatment and the conflict of the world we can always go to church and find peace on earth and goodwill toward men…
Would that statement were always true, but we also seem to find reasons to differ in the body of Christ. At times the attitudes of conflict in the church rival those outside the church. We often can find more things to divide us than most groups I know. I am aware of actual church arguments over colors of carpet, storage closets and brands of toilet paper. While we may acknowledge and agree (when we are not arguing about those items) that arguing over those items are silly we often carry matters too far when we divide over scripture. Hear me carefully; proper interpretation of scripture is vital! Eternal destiny hangs in the balance. However, we must never let some of these matters divide us as we often do. There are obvious matters of scripture that are beyond debate such as the deity of Christ and salvation through his atoning grace, etc.
However, there are scriptures that God seemed to leave intentionally open to dialogue. Perhaps, he did this to allow us to draw together in our discussion and discernment and grow our faith as well as our love for one another as we work out these few verses in unity and harmony not letting them divide us. Sometimes our opinions change as we grow and learn. I even find disagreement with some of my own earlier writings as I have grown in my walk with my Lord, but I am still on speaking terms with the author.
In most card games there is a trump card that beats all others. Jesus gave a ‘trump’ for all interpretations, situations and other commandments when he was asked, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22: 36-40) When we let love become the determining factor in all our actions we may see the promise of peace and goodwill among men fulfilled after all!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Always a Missionary
My elderly father fell. There was a possible broken hip and wrist. I was in Texas attending a conference when I got the call. As his primary caretaker, I got an emergency flight to admit him to the hospital. Once in the hospital delirium, the state of mental confusion that is often experienced by older patients, complicated matters. He became so agitated I finally had to have the nurses sedate him to keep him from further harming himself with his struggles from the confusion and agitation.
The situation continued to worsen as his wife died three days after he was admitted. My mother died in 1997. He remarried after her death and his second wife had been rapidly declining in a nursing home from a massive stroke. Now I had to break this news of her death to him, hope he would comprehend what I had shared in his state of mental confusion and then hope we would be physically (and mentally) able to leave the hospital for her funeral.
Just when it seemed things couldn’t get worse the nurse came into the room saying, “We need to move everyone into the hall a tornado is approaching.” So here I was in the hall with my bedridden father with whom I was waiting for him to gain enough clarity of mind to tell him his 2nd wife had just died and now a tornado approaching. Just then Daddy reached toward me and told me he needed to use the bedpan!
I share all this for a reason. First, never think, "Well it can't get any worse!" It can always get worse. In the midst of these escalating events my first thought was this, “Lord, give me a break! What are you doing to me?” Just being honest with you here! Then quickly I snapped back as the Holy Spirit reminded me that this was not about me. My purpose as his son was to take care of my father’s needs in his time of physical and emotional need. My purpose as God’s child is to reflect Christ in all I do, no matter what the conditions may be. It is not about me at all. Luke 9:23 tells me, as a follower of Christ, I am to deny self daily. Matthew 5:14-16 tells me I am to reflect Christ in my deeds.
I kept my cool and tried to reflect Christ in the middle of that moment. After all there were others who needed to be kept calm also. Our witness often can be the calm in the midst of life’s numerous storms for those around us. The tornado passed a few miles to the north. It destroyed a school, a church and several homes. No one was hurt. All can and will be rebuilt. The nurses cared for the immediate needs (thank goodness for nurses). I ministered to my dad in his growing time of loss.
The next day when his two physical therapists, who shared the frantic hallway with me and the other patients watching our behavior, came to the room they said, “You are a preacher, why does God allow disasters like the tornado?” I then had an opportunity to share about this sin-scarred world where bad things happen to good and bad people and how God’s love and grace is there in the midst of all (for more on this give me a call). As they were leaving the room one therapist looked at the other and said, “That makes sense. I never thought of things that way before!”
Here is the point. In all of life’s events, as a child of God, remember it is never about you! It is always about you being his missionary wherever you are and reflecting Jesus in all you do. So next time you are in the midst of a situation that seems to be escalating from one extreme to the next, don’t fret, God is with you and has you exactly where you need to be as his missionary to reflect his calm and mercy in the image of Jesus. Press on as his missionary.
The situation continued to worsen as his wife died three days after he was admitted. My mother died in 1997. He remarried after her death and his second wife had been rapidly declining in a nursing home from a massive stroke. Now I had to break this news of her death to him, hope he would comprehend what I had shared in his state of mental confusion and then hope we would be physically (and mentally) able to leave the hospital for her funeral.
Just when it seemed things couldn’t get worse the nurse came into the room saying, “We need to move everyone into the hall a tornado is approaching.” So here I was in the hall with my bedridden father with whom I was waiting for him to gain enough clarity of mind to tell him his 2nd wife had just died and now a tornado approaching. Just then Daddy reached toward me and told me he needed to use the bedpan!
I share all this for a reason. First, never think, "Well it can't get any worse!" It can always get worse. In the midst of these escalating events my first thought was this, “Lord, give me a break! What are you doing to me?” Just being honest with you here! Then quickly I snapped back as the Holy Spirit reminded me that this was not about me. My purpose as his son was to take care of my father’s needs in his time of physical and emotional need. My purpose as God’s child is to reflect Christ in all I do, no matter what the conditions may be. It is not about me at all. Luke 9:23 tells me, as a follower of Christ, I am to deny self daily. Matthew 5:14-16 tells me I am to reflect Christ in my deeds.
I kept my cool and tried to reflect Christ in the middle of that moment. After all there were others who needed to be kept calm also. Our witness often can be the calm in the midst of life’s numerous storms for those around us. The tornado passed a few miles to the north. It destroyed a school, a church and several homes. No one was hurt. All can and will be rebuilt. The nurses cared for the immediate needs (thank goodness for nurses). I ministered to my dad in his growing time of loss.
The next day when his two physical therapists, who shared the frantic hallway with me and the other patients watching our behavior, came to the room they said, “You are a preacher, why does God allow disasters like the tornado?” I then had an opportunity to share about this sin-scarred world where bad things happen to good and bad people and how God’s love and grace is there in the midst of all (for more on this give me a call). As they were leaving the room one therapist looked at the other and said, “That makes sense. I never thought of things that way before!”
Here is the point. In all of life’s events, as a child of God, remember it is never about you! It is always about you being his missionary wherever you are and reflecting Jesus in all you do. So next time you are in the midst of a situation that seems to be escalating from one extreme to the next, don’t fret, God is with you and has you exactly where you need to be as his missionary to reflect his calm and mercy in the image of Jesus. Press on as his missionary.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Tired of church?
Do you have times when you just get tired of church? Are there days when you seem to be going and not getting much out of the time you are giving? Perhaps you are too much into church and not enough into the founder. We Baptist are among the world’s worst at keeping busy ‘doing church’ rather than connecting with Jesus and then having fun ‘being’ the church. I often share my favorite poem to make the point;
Mary had a little lamb.
It would have been a sheep.
But it joined a Baptist Church and died from lack of sleep.
We can get so busy being religious that we miss Jesus. In fact, Jesus only mentioned church twice and he established the New Testament church. The Apostle Paul, whose inspired writings serve as much of the doctrine and guidance for the New Testament church never talked about joining the church or going to church. Rather he talked about being “in Christ” or “knowing Christ”.
Stephen Covey shared some interesting thoughts about people who become too centered on church in his popular book '7 Habits of Highly Effective People'. “Having participated throughout my life in organized church and community service group, I have found that attending church does not necessarily mean living the principles taught in those meetings. You can be active in a church but inactive in its gospel. In the church-centered life, image or appearance can become a person’s dominant consideration, leading to hypocrisy that undermines personal security and intrinsic worth. Because the church is a formal organization made up of policies, programs, practices, and people, it cannot by itself give a person any deep, permanent security or sense of intrinsic worth. Living the principles taught by the church can do this, but the organization alone cannot.Nor can the church give a person a constant sense of guidance. Church-centered people often tend to live in compartments, acting and thinking and feeling in certain ways on the Sabbath and in totally different ways on weekdays. Such a lack of wholeness or unity or integrity is a further threat to security, creating the increased labeling and self-justifying. Seeing the church as an end rather than as a means to an end undermines a person’s wisdom and sense of balance. Although the church claims to teach people about the source of power, it does not claim to be that power itself. It claims to be one vehicle through which divine power can be channeled into man’s nature.”
What I think Covey is saying in a wordy fashion (it is hard to sell books and get big bucks as a high powered lecturer if you sound simple) is basically this; a church centered life can lead to hypocrisy (putting on an act), insecurity, and low self esteem. That is one reason we see such behavior so often in long time church members who may even be leaders. The church, in itself, cannot lead to the life-changing behavior we need and actually seek. While church, as the corporate body of Christ, is and should be a major factor in our relationship and growth in our walk and pilgrimage with Him, it is not the end of itself. So if you are tired of church you may not need to 'drop out' you simply may need to 'hang out' with the founder.
As usual He, the founder of the church, says it best and I really like the way Jesus said it in Matthew 11:28-30 as shared in The Message; "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
My Child is Lost!
Mark Twain said you could learn a lot of new things about a cat by dragging one home by the tail. Many of life’s lessons come the hard way and in difficult places. Often a teaching moment comes in unexpected ways and places. God taught me several things one day at the international airport in Zurich, Switzerland.
Here is the first, the cat dragging lesson. I was the leader of a large mission team. I learned that leading 51 people from 23 different churches, 5 different associations, leaving from 4 different airports can be a logistical nightmare. Especially when best laid plans are ruined with delays, cancelled and rescheduled flights that had my team scattered in across the Atlantic. Instead of all meeting in Atlanta and flying overseas together as planned, I arrived in Zurich with mission volunteers, safely in God’s hands but scattered over the Atlantic. I needed to locate much of my team.
The airline attendant was kind enough as she was doing her best to help but we were both frustrated with the difficulties of my messed up flight schedules that were compounded by our language barriers so we were struggling with both when a man pushed his way in front of me and said, in broken English; “I need help!” I gave him the look that crossed language barriers to let him know I did not care for his behavior as he cut in front of me as I was in the middle of my important business. The airline attendant did better. She scolded him saying; “You will have to wait. I am helping this man!” He cried out; “I’ve lost my child!”
Immediately everything changed. I no longer worried about his previous ‘rude behavior’ that was now quite understandable. My business could wait. The airline attendant no longer worried about scolding the man who ‘interrupted’ her work with me. This was a priority! The airport was a moving sea of people. The panic of a small child lost in that mass of humanity needed no translation for all of us. Immediately we all went into action. Nothing was more important than the lost child. Even as you read this account you can sense the urgency in your own emotions. All available resources were immediately called upon until we found the child. When we found him we all shared a celebration of joy. When we went back to our previously frustrating task of getting schedules coordinated there was a difference. We were all smiling! We were relaxed our problems with language and flight logistics seemed insignificant. We had recovered a lost child!
Here is the life lesson for churches and believers. Nothing is more important than finding lost people. We get so caught up in things that we think are priorities at the moment. While they may have their importance they are not usually eternal and not worth the trouble and frustration we give them. Arguments, anger, personal agendas and frustration all fade away when we are looking for lost people. All things are placed in their proper perspective when we regain the urgency and understanding that eternal issues take priority and other issues are very much secondary especially not worth worrying or fighting over. Finding lost people is much more rewarding and fun than arguing over stuff!
Here is the first, the cat dragging lesson. I was the leader of a large mission team. I learned that leading 51 people from 23 different churches, 5 different associations, leaving from 4 different airports can be a logistical nightmare. Especially when best laid plans are ruined with delays, cancelled and rescheduled flights that had my team scattered in across the Atlantic. Instead of all meeting in Atlanta and flying overseas together as planned, I arrived in Zurich with mission volunteers, safely in God’s hands but scattered over the Atlantic. I needed to locate much of my team.
The airline attendant was kind enough as she was doing her best to help but we were both frustrated with the difficulties of my messed up flight schedules that were compounded by our language barriers so we were struggling with both when a man pushed his way in front of me and said, in broken English; “I need help!” I gave him the look that crossed language barriers to let him know I did not care for his behavior as he cut in front of me as I was in the middle of my important business. The airline attendant did better. She scolded him saying; “You will have to wait. I am helping this man!” He cried out; “I’ve lost my child!”
Immediately everything changed. I no longer worried about his previous ‘rude behavior’ that was now quite understandable. My business could wait. The airline attendant no longer worried about scolding the man who ‘interrupted’ her work with me. This was a priority! The airport was a moving sea of people. The panic of a small child lost in that mass of humanity needed no translation for all of us. Immediately we all went into action. Nothing was more important than the lost child. Even as you read this account you can sense the urgency in your own emotions. All available resources were immediately called upon until we found the child. When we found him we all shared a celebration of joy. When we went back to our previously frustrating task of getting schedules coordinated there was a difference. We were all smiling! We were relaxed our problems with language and flight logistics seemed insignificant. We had recovered a lost child!
Here is the life lesson for churches and believers. Nothing is more important than finding lost people. We get so caught up in things that we think are priorities at the moment. While they may have their importance they are not usually eternal and not worth the trouble and frustration we give them. Arguments, anger, personal agendas and frustration all fade away when we are looking for lost people. All things are placed in their proper perspective when we regain the urgency and understanding that eternal issues take priority and other issues are very much secondary especially not worth worrying or fighting over. Finding lost people is much more rewarding and fun than arguing over stuff!
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