Man Plans, and God Laughs

Today is June 24.  Sixty six years ago at a small hospital in West Point, Mississippi Jack and Dot Drees welcomed their first child into the world.  They named him William Harold.  Most folks knew him as Billy when he was younger.  Mother started calling me Bill when I went to college.  She thought I looked younger than the other college kids and dropping the y made me seem less like a kid.  I grew up in Columbus, MS but the year I was born we lived in West Point because dad was the assistant manager of the Piggly Wiggly and I tell people I was born in West Point because I wanted to be near my mother at that time.  I know it’s a tired old joke but I like it and I don’t get many opportunities to use it.  Sorry!

As I reflect on the significance of this date I realize that 66 is not much of a milestone.  We often seem to think of the birthdays that have some significance, like 15 (I got my driver’s license) or 18 (I was eligible to be drafted into the military…not a great day in the late 60’s.  I also could vote.  By the way my first presidential vote was for Nixon.  Ending the draft was probably a big factor.  Then he quit…so much for my first presidential vote). At 65 I qualified for Medicare and at 66 I qualify for my full Social Security benefit.  Also birthdays ending in a zero are often distinct because we are entering into a new decade.  With that in mind entering the last half of my 70^th decade is not that thrilling.  Psalm 90:10 reminds me of the brevity of 70 years as “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”  After this there is no great consequence for another birthday number except marking the day one dies when people will say, “Wow, I didn’t realize he was that old” or “Man, I thought he was older than that.”  Seriously, I have learned to appreciate every day of life, especially since I should have died in 2001.  If interested, you can go back to the blog archive for February 2010 and read ‘Life is Good’…or you could take me to lunch and I will share more info.  After all, it is my birthday, and a late birthday lunch…with cake for dessert would be OK.

As I grow older I seem to lean to nostalgia more often than when I was younger and busier with ‘important things’ that seemed to matter.  Some of those things did matter quite a bit but it is interesting how ‘things that matter’ seem to change as life moves along.  We have plans and ambition but life has a way of changing our plans and teaching us how unpredictable the road of life can be.  “Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht” is an old Yiddish adage meaning, “Man Plans, and God Laughs.” 

Mother told me when I was too young to remember that people would ask me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  I would smile and say, “Nothing!”  That was cute when I was 4 but as I got older I realized I needed to develop something more concrete.  I never remember living a day without an awareness of God in my life.  I also seemed to have always have a sense that God had a plan for me.  However, my theology was not developed well enough to know how to discern His plan so I just enjoyed the ride until I got out of college and mother was probably worried that I was trying to achieve my childhood goal of being ‘nothing’.  My primary ambition was to enjoy life.  I had fun, good clean fun, but there comes a time when one realizes that such a vocation does not usually have great compensation. 

Although I was a believer, as I stated earlier, I was not mature enough in my faith to discern God’s will for my life.  As I look back I realize how strongly His hand was guiding me even when I was unaware, especially when I was unaware.  My home church was without a pastor and I visited another church in town with a couple of friends.  I did not know the pastor but somehow felt a connection that caused me to show up at his office to ask for his guidance as I “felt that God was calling me to preach.”  I was initially disappointed as I expected him to say, “Can you be ready Sunday?”  However, his advice was exactly what I needed.  I was able to reconnect years later, as a fellow pastor, and thank him for his wise words.  I have shared his words to many other young men seeking to follow God’s call over the years.

Among the things he shared was guidance to get more involved in God’s word.  “If God is going to speak to you that is where you will hear his voice most clearly.”  God spoke clearly to me as I read in Proverbs 16:3 for the first time; “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.”  God seemed to be speaking personally and directly to me telling me that He had an established plan for my life and I needed commit all my actions to Him and he would take care of the rest.  Well it is not quite that simple, I am reminded of the preacher who said, “I asked God to give me a message but I had to study for this one as well.”  We have to do the required work as we follow His lead but if we commit ourselves to Him, no matter what the vocation or direction may be, He will guide us along His plan. 

Most of the folks who knew me as Billy growing up would have never predicted me to be a preacher.  Oh, they knew me to be a good kid but extremely shy.  In fact, when I told mom and dad that I believed God was calling me to be a preacher; I never knew until many years later that when I left the room mom looked at dad and said, “I don’t think the boy will make it.”  She loved me but also knew how timid I was. 

Committing my works to the Lord led me to the wonderful wife God had already established for me and two daughters who have grown to be women whom I am proud of beyond words.  His established plan also allowed the shy timid boy to grow to be a man who has been blessed to preach on five of the seven continents on this planet.  It has been quite a journey, far greater than anything I could have planned.  I have certainly learned over the years that life is fleeting and fragile, so I don’t know how long the journey may last but I live each day confidently that His plan, and my days, are established in His hand. 

Forgive the personal reflection, but I hope the message will come across to you that no matter what age or stage in life you may find yourself, Proverbs 16:3 still works.  It is never too late to give it a try. 

Can You Be Certain?

I was doing my usual channel surfing recently.  It is a known fact that men are not as concerned with ‘what’s on TV’ as much as we are interested in, ‘what else is on TV’.  I think it comes from our heritage of being adventure seeking discoverers as ‘hunter/gatherers’.  Women are usually less prone to channel surf as their heritage leans more to ‘nesting’.  But I digress.  Back to the point, I was channel surfing and ran across a program on the recent suicide of celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain.  They were playing a montage of clips and quotes from his programs about his life and travels.  He spoke of a tattoo he had on his arm that said, “I am certain of nothing”.  This tattoo described his continuing search for meaning and purpose.  He spoke of having respect for religion but he leaned toward atheism. 

The quote “I am certain of nothing” is a partial quote from Romanticist poet, John Keats.  In a letter to his friend, Benjamin Bailey, Keats wrote “I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections and the truth of the imagination”. The letter was written speculating on religion and imagination.  It is believed that since his friend Benjamin was studying theology, they may have had discussions regarding theological philosophies during Keats stay at Oxford that influenced this letter. In this quotation, Keats is telling his friend that he is confident in the sacredness of things that the heart finds pleasure in and the reality that can be invoked by creativity.

All through history people have sought to find meaning, purpose and joy in life.  Keats found meaning in imagination and creativity.  Anthony Bourdain seemed to have a great gig going; in fact I recently told my wife that although I am enjoying retirement I would not mind his job; traveling to exotic destinations, meeting interesting people and eating all kinds of food…and getting paid for it!  However, there was emptiness in his quest that was revealed not only in his tattoo but in his final act.  He had riches, fame and was doing what he seemed to love.  He was filming another episode of his show on travel and gourmet food in the city best known for such but he decided to end his own life by hanging himself with his bathrobe belt in a motel room in Paris. 

In my days of being employed as a minister part of my work was research.  I once ran across an article, by an anonymousAre  non-believer asking ‘What is the Point of Life?’  The writer argued, “that the only reality we have is the present, the more life seems somewhat pointless – particularly if there is nothing after this existence and can't be sure that there is something more. And let's be honest, we can't be certain. No matter how strong our faith in a particular religion or philosophy, we can only ‘believe' if we don't have the evidence to truly ‘know'.  Saying, “I believe”, is never an adequate substitute for being able to say, “I know”, and faith is largely centered around belief because it relies on second, third, fourth (and so on) accounts of things that may or may not be true.”

His conclusion with his supposition that we can’t be certain of anything but the present was this; “The point is to live with what you know to be real. But the fact is, we don't know what's around the corner, what happens when we die or even the true extent of the control we have over our lives. What we do know is that we have an awareness of being here now. Stop for a moment and look around. That's an awareness looking through those eyes; a soul, a physical being, a personality, a beautiful individual. Don't spend your life believing, because the happiness is in the knowing. There's nothing to hope for in the future but everything to embrace right this second. This is the point. You are the point, along with every other living organism that surrounds your existence in this moment. The tiniest, seemingly insignificant insect you see on the floor is a fundamental part of the point, because you know it exists in the here and now.  When we start living with what is real, the point of life falls into place. It has context, substance and meaning. Live in the present moment, stick with what you know to be real and the meaning of life will become your individual experience of joy. Any thoughts of what might be will become just that, thoughts, rather than self-prophesying “beliefs” that amount to non-reality living."

While I obviously don’t agree with everything that writer said, I do agree that living a life enjoying the reality of the moment is not such a bad way to live.  In fact, Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow.  Contrary to the writer, who says that ‘we don’t know what is around the corner’, Jesus is tells us that we can trust Him for ‘what is around the corner’ and that is why we can enjoy the reality of the day and not worry about tomorrow.  I also agree that things we, as believers, hold dear in our faith cannot be proven as reality in a laboratory however, the things that can be proven in a laboratory or the reality of the ‘here and now’ are not the embodiment of ultimate truth.  While Anthony Bourdain tattooed, “I am certain of nothing” on his arm Jesus spoke often of the importance and power of belief and faith.  Hebrews 11:1 says this about faith, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Believers have assurance and certainty that non-believers can never know. 

So, before I get too long-winded in making my point (which my wife will say that I already have done), I guess what I am trying to convey is that the pursuit of joy and meaning in life comes down to three choices.  I loved multiple choice test questions because there was always a chance that I might get the right answer with a wild guess even when I was clueless.  This question of finding meaning and purpose in the way we live is far too important to make a wild guess.  Nevertheless, we can choose, as the practicing non-believer would choose, to live a life of total uncertainty and unbelief in anything which usually leads to despair (notice I am not using the word atheist as some non-believers are actually agnostics (which means they are not sure whether God is real or not and are just uncertain…as the tattoo on Anthony Bourdain’s arm suggests).

The second choice is stated in the article I shared where the non-believer chose to live a life of believing only in the reality of the moment.  This also can lead to a negative outcome as one has no real regard of the future since the only reality they can know is now.  This belief usually leads to Epicureanism which Paul referred to in Corinthians 15:32, saying what is the point if there is no resurrection we might as well follow the philosophy; “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will be dead.”  

Thank goodness there is a third choice.  One does not have to live a life of hopeless despair and unbelief or a life of Epicureanism pleasure seeking.  The third choice is to live a life of faith in Christ.  Jesus speaks of living in the moment because we are trusting tomorrow to Him.  Jesus speaks of living a full and abundant life as we make the most of today loving our fellowman as we love ourselves and loving God with all our heart soul and mind.  Jesus speaks of eternal hope and rewards when we live a life of faith. 

So, while some may struggle with living a life of meaningless uncertainty or a life of empty pleasure seeking...I may be a product of the Mississippi public school system but I think the smart choice is number three; choosing to live each day as a life of faith in Christ. 

Thank A Teacher

Then Jesus took his disciples up on the mountain and gathered them around Him. And He taught them saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

And Simon Peter said, "Do we have to write this stuff down?"  And Phillip said, "Will this be on the test?"  And John said, "I'm sorry. Would you mind repeating that?"  And Andrew said, "John the Baptist's disciples don't have to learn this stuff!"  And Matthew said, "Huh?"  And Judas said, "What does this have to do with real life?"  Then one of the Pharisees, an expert in the law, said; "I don't see any of this in your syllabus. Do you have a lesson plan? Is there a summary?  Where is the student guide?  Will there be any follow-up assignments? How will this affect the bell curve?"  And Thomas, who had missed the sermon, came to Jesus privately and said, “Did we do anything important yesterday?"  And Jesus wept.

               

Only teachers can truly appreciate the truth in this humorous illustration.  I know this because my wife is completing 28 years as a public school teacher.  Her days to retirement are now down to a number that I can count on my hands and have fingers left over.  Although her retirement is going to completely mess up my daily routine (I have been retired for a couple of years and have become totally adjusted to seeing her off to work before 7 am and then having the day to myself.), I welcome and celebrate her retirement as a reward for a job well done!  She has truly put in her time and I am aware that it is harder each year for teachers to deal with an increasing number of students who are not given proper parental guidance and support, parents who want to blame the teacher rather than themselves for their child’s poor behavior and low grades, increasing administrative red tape and new hoops for teachers to jump through that often has little to do with classroom performance but more to do with governmental bureaucracy, and not to mention always being on the low end of most professional pay scales. 

               

In spite of all this there are many dedicated teachers who are truly servants who daily make personal sacrifices and work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of their students.  While there are times when they may feel like ‘weeping as Jesus did’ in the opening illustration, they continue to do what is necessary as they do indeed make a difference in the world.  Over these years I can share countless occasions when Cathy and I have been shopping, eating out or just walking down the street when someone will come up and share appreciation for being a student of ‘Mrs. Drees’. 

               

The difference is not always just shown in academic lessons learned but also in life lessons that are ‘caught’ from observing the daily behavior of the teacher.  While religion is not to be taught in public schools, students pick ‘character lessons’ from observing the teacher in her daily life.  Once a former student came back and told my wife that their family did not go to church at all until her influence caused the child to ask the parents to start going to church.  Another faith lesson was learned in a real life situation when the school was on ‘lock-down’ as a gun wielding person was seen near the campus.  In those situations the teachers are drilled to lock the doors and gather the children to a ‘safe area’.  This is an area in the classroom where the teacher and students can hide from view as the police handle the situation to make certain the school is safe.  The children knew this was not a drill and it was a frightening time for all as they were scrunched together waiting for the ‘all clear’ signal.  One student who knew Mrs. Drees was a Christian expressed the feelings of others saying, “I’m scared, shouldn’t we pray?”  Whoever said prayer was no longer in schools has never been in a difficult situation.  Since the student asked, Cathy said yes we can pray and she prayed for the anxious children.  When the event was over another student told my wife, “I never knew we could talk to God like that!  I’m glad I came to school today!”  Perhaps this was not in the curriculum but this child truly learned an important lesson. 

Teachers may never really know the impact they have on the lives they touch and communities in which they serve so it is up to us to let them know how much they mean and have meant to us.  As a person who spent well over 20 years receiving formal education (no I did not fail and have to repeat), I owe a debt I can never repay to the many teachers who taught me academic and life lessons that helped shape me to be the person I am today.  From elementary, middle & high school teachers to college, masters and doctoral professors I will always appreciate the labor of love (they certainly don’t do it to get rich) of teachers.  So if you are able to read this, THANK A TEACHER!

My Prayer

As we wake each morning we never really know what the day has in store for us.  We may have plans or activities we have scheduled but each day is uncertain as we may run into some unexpected events.  Most believers begin the day with some type of devotional or prayer activity seeking God’s guidance, grace and strength for the day ahead.  Several years ago God seemed to point me to three scriptures that formed a guide for a prayer asking for His Spirit and guidance as I would go through the day. 

The first is found in 1 Kings 3:9.  Solomon has become King of Israel and is overwhelmed with the responsibility of the weighty decisions he must make.  Verse 5 tells us that God said to him in a dream, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”  Solomon asked God, “Therefore, give thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil.” This struck me as a powerful and effective prayer request for all of us as we begin each day.  While we may not have the responsibility of the King but each of us will be called on to make judgements about the people we encounter each day.  Is this a person I should befriend or avoid? Is this a person who needs help?  Is this a person I should let others help? Often we encounter people that others are better equipped to help.  Sometimes the best help we can give is to leave others to their own resources or give them just enough help so they can do it themselves.  Is this a person I want to hire or work for?  Is this a person I want to date or marry?  One certainly needs understanding and discernment with these questions.  An understanding heart has a balance of discernment, compassion and wisdom.  So I would begin each day (and repeat this prayer often during the day) asking God for an understanding heart to make wise decisions and judgments with everyone I would encounter during the day.

The second part to the prayer is based on Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.”  Our words and thoughts are so important and powerful.  Our thoughts are the foundation and origin of our words.  Before the words come from our mouth the thoughts have been formed, often from beliefs we have held for some time.  It is vital to keep our thoughts founded on a pure heart.  Words can spill out quickly and once they are out of our mouth, we can’t take them back.  In the lengthy but wonderful poem, The First Settler's Story, about the power of words by Will Carleton we are told; “Boys flying kites haul in their white-winged birds: You can't do that way when you're flying words.’ Careful with fire,’ is good advice we know: ‘Careful with words, ‘is ten times doubly so. Thoughts unexpressed may sometimes fall back dead, But God himself can't kill them when they're said!  Any thought that is not pleasing or acceptable to God should be confessed as sin and wiped from the mind immediately before they have time to take root.  Any word that will not be pleasing to God should never be uttered.  Words and thoughts that are acceptable and pleasing to God will be primarily encouraging and uplifting.  They will never be harmful, even if they are a rebuke.  A rebuke, based on a pure heart and words pleasing and acceptable to God will be one that is necessary and expressed as an act of love.  Therefore it is vital to begin each day with a prayer to keep one’s thoughts and words as those which will be acceptable and pleasing to God.    

The third and final portion of the prayer is based on the words of Jesus from Luke 22:42. Just hours before Jesus went to the cross to willingly suffer the agonizing death that would pay our penalty for sin he prayed.  Boy did he pray!  The scripture tells us that he was so tormented that his perspiration was as drops of blood.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  He was willingly submitting to do whatever it took to pay the price for our sin.  However, we must remember that while Jesus was God incarnate.  He WAS flesh and blood.  No human in their right mind would wish to suffer the horrors of the cross.  Jesus grew up when Romans were the best in history at executing people in a public and horrible manner.  All his life Jesus had seen people die a slow and horrifying death on the cross.  He knew that was waiting for him in a few hours.  He revealed his human nature as he prayed for any way to avoid such torture.  His prayer shows us that there is nothing wrong with praying for God to keep us from harm and evil that abounds in this sin-scarred world.  We all would like to avoid suffering and pain.  However, there are some difficulties that cannot be avoided but are best endured if we realize that this difficulty is the only path to greater blessing.  Jesus asked the Father if there was another way to provide a path for salvation.  However, the only price that was worthy of the atonement for our sin was the cross.  Jesus began by asking for an alternative route but completed the sentence putting Himself aside and asking that God’s will be done;  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  Our spirit, personal wishes and desire must be put aside as we trust the will of our Heavenly Father knowing His wisdom and plan is better.  He sees a tomorrow that we cannot know until we put ourselves aside seeking and following His will…even when it is difficult to understand.  So who knows what the day has before us but I have found this prayer to be helpful. 

I pray for the understanding and wisdom of Solomon:

I Kings 3:9,

“Therefore, give thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil.”

I pray for words and thoughts of David:

Psalm 19:14,

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.”

I pray for the submissive spirit of Jesus:

Luke 22:42

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

My Father Used To Say...

Today is my Father’s birthday.  He would have been 92.  He has been gone nearly 8 years.  It doesn’t seem that long ago that Cathy and I took him out to eat as we celebrated his 84^th birthday.  Little did we know that would be his last birthday dinner in this life.  A month later I was seated at his bedside as he took his last breath. 

One cannot choose the family into which one is born.  I was lucky.  I was born into a home of loving parents who let me know that I was loved.  I grew up in a home with no alcohol, profanity or fighting.   I actually do not remember my parents having an argument.  I know that my mom and dad must have had some difficult times of disagreement.  We moved Dad into our home toward the end of his days and I remember telling my wife, “I loved my mother but I appreciate her more than ever after moving dad into our home.”  I loved him but he could be difficult at times as he could have his own strong viewpoint on certain matters.  Dad had his faults.  His childhood was scarred by a broken home primary due to alcohol.  However, he did not dwell on difficulty but moved forward and made certain that his children did not grow up in the same environment.  The ‘addiction gene’ seemed to run strong in his side of the family.  But, I always appreciated how he didn’t allow it to be given root in our home. 

Dad certainly was not perfect but much of the man that I am today was learned from him.  Some time ago, as preachers are always looking for ways to illustrate points in a sermon, I ran across; ‘Three stages in a young man’s life’.  It was three simple sentences that illustrated how a young man related to his father as he grew up.  The first sentence was from an adolescent who valued having the toughest dad on the block, “My dad can beat up your dad!”  The next was from a teenager who thought he knew more than his previous generation, “My old man don’t know nothing!”  The third sentence is from a more mature young man who realizes that as he grew older his father seemed to grow wiser, “My father used to say…”  He is now quoting and passing along his father’s advice to his children. 

My dad left me with a few memorable quotes.  He had a habit of saying things that would make you say, “Huh?”  For instance, he would often say, “I feel better all over than I do anywhere else!”  or “Are you going somewhere or just traveling?”   I often found myself having to translate his sayings to my wife.  On one occasion, as he was living with us late in his life, he was having several medical tests.  Dad survived several serious surgeries, radiation, two types of cancer, a heart attack and a stroke before finally succumbing to a major stroke.  As we were looking at yet another medical test result Cathy asked, “Pop, what are you going to do if they doctor recommends more radiation or surgery?”  He looked at her, smiled and said; “Well, I think I am going to let the low end drag.”  She looked at me wondering what in the world that meant.  I told her that he grew up in an era where it was not uncommon to see poor folks going through town in a dilapidated mule driven wagon with wobbly wheels.  If a back wheel fell off they would often not worry about stopping to fix it at that time they would just let the mule pull the wagon on home while letting the ‘low end drag’,  in other words, “I am not having any more surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.  I am going to ‘drag’ on toward the final destination as I am.”   

There were some other things my father said that I kept to heart and guided me to be the man I am today.  He taught me to work hard and humbly at whatever you do as you provide for your family with this quote; “Never be ashamed to take any job that will allow you to provide for your family.”  He and my mother were not wealthy but they taught me to live within my means as they sacrificed and saved to send my sister and me father in school than they had opportunity to attend wanting us to give us the  opportunity a greater education provides for a better life(without going into debt to do so).  Dad advised me to, “Never let your major monthly payment (usually your house payment) be more than one week’s pay.”  He lived by basic simple rules and a theology that believed, “If you do what is right and trust God, He will take care of you.”

Again Dad was not perfect ( I think I have already made that point).  He grew up in Mississippi when segregation was preached (although incorrectly) from the pulpits.  As a young boy growing up in the racially turbulent 60’s in Mississippi, God gave me the wisdom and spiritual insight to see the evils of racism.  Dad and I had several serious discussions as we clearly had differences on the matter of race.  I wanted to remain respectful of my father but I also wanted to show him the evils of racism.   On one occasion I pushed my Bible across the table and said, “Show me one place anywhere in scripture where God desires segregation or wants you to hate your fellowman because of his race!”  After a brief moment of silence, he pushed Bible back and said, “I guess you know more about that than me.”

He also had his worst days after mother died suddenly and unexpectedly with a massive cerebral hemorrhage at age 68.  Mother was the love of his life and after she was gone we realized how much his life was out of balance without her.  He told me, “When she died my life ended also…but I wake up each morning.”  We were all blessed with her but that is another story for another day. 

My point in sharing these thoughts and memories are simple while I remember Dad on his birthday.  We all leave a legacy.  We cannot choose the family or life we are born into.  My dad did not choose to have a father who drank, and became mean when he drank.  However, he chose to make the best of his opportunities without becoming bitter.  He chose to trust a simple belief in God that led him to a good woman who helped him build the happy and stable home that allowed my sister and me to grow up in a harmonious and loving home.  I learned that although none of us are perfect and we cannot always choose the situation around us, we can choose to make the best of every situation and in doing so we have a chance to make a positive influence on those around us. 

I leave you with this.  Dad didn’t say this but he had a plaque on his desk that said, “For every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness.” That plaque and the way Dad taught me to move past the anger and sadness as quickly as possible while moving toward happiness at every opportunity will always be with me.  I hope it will help you as well. 

March 23

Today is March 23, 2018.  It is Friday.  38 years ago March 23 was on Sunday.  I have two important reasons to remember that fact.  First, I baptized Sam Hatcher that Sunday morning.  Sam was the first person I baptized.  I was serving as an intern minister at a church in Euless, TX.  That meant I didn’t earn a salary.  I was offered the job in my last year as a seminary student by a friend who was the pastor.  He told me that as an intern I would not receive a salary but the experience would be invaluable.  Don’t you love the way that they make working for free sound good?  Anyway, I had never performed a baptism and he let me baptize Sam during the morning service.   

Since this was a special event I asked my girlfriend to attend.  I had to be there early so she came later in her own car.  Afterward I took her to the most expensive Italian restaurant that I could afford, Pizza Hut.  Don’t forget, I was an ‘intern minister’ with no salary.  Even Pizza Hut stretched my budget.   She and I had been dating a few months.  I knew I liked her and thought she liked me, at least she kept agreeing to go out with me so that was a rare and good sign.  The day was special as I had made it through my first baptism but something seemed to be different for me as we had lunch.  She was at the salad bar and I remember looking at her, smiling as I was overcome by a sensation that seemed to come out of nowhere realizing, “this girl could be a great wife and mother for my children”…I did not have any children at the time but this was God’s way of telling me she was the one for me.  Cathy must have seen the crazy smile on my face as she returned to the table, saying: “What is it?”  I brushed it off saying, “Oh, nothing” but I kept thinking, “If this feeling does not go away, I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

As a word of explanation, this wasn’t like me.  I’m not a spontaneous person by nature.  In fact, I’m quite the opposite.  Rarely do I say or do anything that has not been well thought out.  In fact, I usually think things to death.  That is what OCD people do.  We obsess with our thoughts seeking to make certain we make the right decision.  Then we obsess wondering, “Was that the right decision?”   OCD becomes a crippling disorder when the person gets so obsessed with making the ‘right’ decision that they cannot make a decision at all.  And here I was about to make the most important decision in my life, other than my decision to follow Jesus, without obsessing or thinking about the ‘right’ decision at all.  Maybe it just seemed so right that there was no need to obsess.  This was also early in my theological studies but I’ve now become very much aware that God rarely does things that fit perfectly into our logic and reasoning. 

I knew I liked Cathy; I liked her a lot…more than anyone I had ever met.  But, I had not yet thought of marriage.  I was too practical for that.  Remember I was only an ‘intern minister’ with no salary.  I was one semester from graduating from seminary with no real idea where or what kind of ministerial position I would have after graduation…or even if I would be hired by any church.  How could I think of marriage when I could barely take care of myself?  However, the feeling did not leave as we finished our lunch and I drove her back to the church parking where she had left her car.  I parked next to her car, turned off the ignition, turned to face her and said, “I want to ask you something before you get out of the car.  Will you marry me?”  She punched me in the arm and said, “Stop fooling around!” She could tell by the serious look on my face that I was not fooling around and then she got the same serious look on her face and said yes.   She still has to occasionally punch me in the arm and tell me to stop fooling around but on August 23 we will celebrate 38 years (in a row) of marriage to one another. 

I still shake my head on occasion and think how I made that most important and life changing decision in a manner that is so out of character for me.  It took me weeks to make a decision about buying our first sofa.  Even in my cautious, OCD careful ways of making decisions God seemed to get through and give me to comfort to trust Him as this was His plan for us.  Sometimes we need to step out of our normal routine or character or we will never experience the wonderful adventure that God has right in front of us.  We can get too locked down in our safe pattern of thinking and comfortable routine.  We do not need to explain or have complete understanding for every decision or action.  Faith often defies explanation or understanding.  I once had a poster in my office with two pictures and two captions.  The first picture is a person cautiously looking over a cliff with the caption, “What if I fall?”  The next picture on the poster is one of one of those ‘base jumper wingsuit flyers’ who leap off the cliff to soar along the mountainside like a bird.  That caption reads, “Oh, but what if I fly?”  

There are times when we need to follow our heart and trust God in faith as we leap. Now, we are not to jump foolishly off the cliff but we are also not to hang back in fear when we feel God calling us to trust His hand by faith.   Jesus said, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”  Those who raise their sail to catch and follow the ‘wind of the Holy Spirit’ find joy, peace and life beyond expectation.  Those who lower the sail waiting in the harbor of life for everything to be safe and perfectly fitting into their logic before making a decision may miss the God’s plan and the adventure of a lifetime.

Our logic and reasoning can and should be be helpful but they should never take the place of or get in the way of following God by faith.  Again, I have noticed in nearly a half century of careful Bible study that God rarely does things that fit perfectly into human logic and reasoning.   Isaiah 40:31 says, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles.”  We may not have complete understanding of every issue and it may not fit our comfort zone or plans but if we live in a trusting relationship with God we can depend on His hand to guide to soaring heights us as we follow where the Holy Spirit leads.  I am reminded of that truth each day, and especially on March 23. 

What is Truth?

What is truth?  As a person who made my living by studying and seeking to understand and reveal the correct meaning and relevance of words, I have long realized the importance of the way properly we use and understand words.  Words are significant because words have meaning.  Changing the meaning of words can have a significant result. 

We have seen recent changes in the meaning of certain words and the elimination of some words.  There are indeed words that are vulgar offensive and should not be used.   I always said that using profane, vulgar and offensive language was a sure sign of ignorance and a poor vocabulary.  However, changing the meaning of words can cause major changes in our culture.  ‘The Gay Divorcee’, a 1934 American musical film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers would probably be quite a different movie with that title today.  Hallmark's ornaments for the holiday season caused some controversy when the replacement of the word "gay" while quoting "Deck the Halls” on their red "Holiday Sweater" ornament was decorated with the lyric, "Don we now our fun apparel."  Well that is the original meaning of the word, ‘gay’.  I raise eyebrows when I tell people that I have always been in favor of gay marriage.  I think every marriage should be fun. 

Back to a more serious discussion on the matter I believe we live in a precarious time where words are intentionally and cleverly used incorrectly to advance an agenda, be a weapon or provide a diversion from truth.  Several years ago I noticed a phrase that began to creep into our language.  It seemed innocent and even positive as people spoke of and were encouraged to follow ‘their truth’.  It was a way of giving permission to do whatever anyone wanted, as long as it seemed ‘true’ for them.   Now we are seeing people appear on TV and are “appreciative of this opportunity to speak “my truth”.  By the way, when my children were very young I told them to remember that “everything you see on TV is there for one primary purpose, to create a large audience and make money for their sponsors.”  In this day of ‘fake news’ and playing fast and loose with the language, I think we should remember that we need to listen and watch everything with a very careful filter.  The problem with such declarations as “following or speaking my truth” is the misguided belief that ‘truth’ is a malleable concept to be individually defined (and changed) according to how one feels at the moment. 

2000 years ago a Roman governor stood before a man on trial for his life and asked him the simple yet profound question, “What is truth?”  Little did Pontius Pilate know that he was looking at the truth as he asked the question.  Before Jesus could respond Pilate turned away.  Too often that mirrors our encounter with truth today.  We turn and walk away before seeing the real “way, truth and life.”  Our cultural march toward relativism and the desire for tolerance for those following ‘their truth’ has not created more agreement for other opinions or lifestyles but just the opposite.  We seem to find ourselves more easily offended than ever.  Offended people often become very angry people.  Unless that anger is properly handled it can be destructive.  Mature people understand that while they are entitled to their own opinions, they are not entitled to their own facts.  Facts (truth) should never be changed to validate one’s desired conclusion.  If I could have changed truth/facts to authenticate my desired outcome, I probably would have remained an accounting major in college.  I always had trouble getting my outcome to match the teacher’s math. 

Let me offer a few suggestions to keep from being a growing population of people who are so easily offended, then I will close with a way to find and follow real unchanging truth.  First, of all the real difficulties in life, things don’t get much smaller than an offense.  An offense taken only produces a feeling, a moment of emotional confusion.  Through the course of your life there will be many more serious matters to deal with than a brief hurt feeling.  Also, you can do more about being offended than most anything else you will encounter.  You do not need to see a specialist, take medicine, or have a medical procedure.  You can simply choose how you will respond, act or feel.  You can choose to be offended, upset or angry or you can choose not to allow the negative actions of someone else dictate negative results in your life.  If you are looking to be easily offended, upset or angry; you will not have to look far.  Likewise, if you are looking to overlook, love and forgive; you will usually find ample opportunities all around.  Which outlook and lifestyle would you rather choose?  It’s your choice!

That brings me to the way to find and follow real unchanging truth.  Let’s go back to the question of Pilate in John 18:38.  He did not know he was looking truth square in the face when he asked Jesus that question.  He was not in the room earlier (John 14:6) when Jesus told his disciples (and now us), “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  So if you are wondering about how to know what is right and wrong, how to keep from being confused, led astray or how to live the best life in confusing times.  Look at unchangeable truth; Jesus!  He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).  He is the truth you need to live a stable and fulfilled life, free from petty feelings and life on an emotional roller-coaster.  Don’t let the words or actions of others hurt your feelings so easily.  However, if your feelings do get hurt before you respond in a negative fashion take a look at the truth.  Take a close look at the scarred hands of the Truth.  He had far worse done to him than will ever be done to you.  None of us will ever be beaten and nailed to a cross yet he loved them and asked for their forgiveness as hung there dying.

Real, unchanging and eternal truth is a life loving God with all your passion, heart, and intelligence and loving others as well as you love yourself while you treat them the way you want to be treated.  That’s the Bill Drees translation of the Greatest Commandment and Golden Rule but it is still true!