Praying About Resolutions

I'm praying about my New Year's resolutions. It may sound odd that I 'm praying about my choices of how to improve in 2014, but I believe this is actually a sacred priority. Scripture declares that every believer is a work in progress under divine direction, so why would I not seek His wisdom in what my role will be next year in this holy reconfiguration? In fact, I see this as what separates futile self-improvement effort from full-scale rehabilitation. I want Christ to restore His original intent for my life. Although too often I choose to self-deconstruct, this is my opportunity to set things aright. Why not join me in seeking the Father's plans for 2014?  I know that I'll be doing this again at the end of next year, but in between I plan to be conformed a little more accurately to the image of Christ.

Black Friday

What if it truly is a "Black Friday " for you? In other words, what do you do when it's impossible to see any hope from the core of present circumstances? The following may help:

George Matheson was born to privilege.  At the University of Glasgow he graduated first in classics, logic, and philosophy.  Then, in his twentieth year of life, he became totally blind.  He followed God's call to ministry anyway.  Matheson pastored some of Scotland's finest and largest churches, wrote books of philosophical theology which are still read and cited today, was theologian to Queen Victoria, received numerous honorary doctorates, filled the most prestigious lectureships in the land, and was a fellow of the Royal Society.

This prayer by George Matheson may help you have Thanksgiving this week: My God, I have never thanked thee for my thorn.  I have thanked thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorn.  Teach me the glory of my cross, teach me the value of my thorn. Show me that I have climbed to thee by the path of my pain.  Show me that my tears have made my rainbows.

Annie Dillard observed, "You do not have to sit outside in the dark.  If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is required."

(Thoughts inspired by the Denison Forum)

The Enormity of God's Grace

A glimpse of God's vastness brings both a discomforting shock of our smallness and a sense of awe in the enormity of God's grace in knowing us.

Remember

It is interesting how our memory works (or doesn't work which is often the case with me). Here's what I mean--I can't remember what I wore or ate or did just yesterday, but I can remember where I was at the age of three when we learned President Kennedy was shot and I remember everything about September 11, 2001--where I was when we heard the news, what I was wearing while we watched twin towers tumble before unblinking shocked eyes, the numbing sensation of that day and the days that followed, and the capacity crowd that showed up for midweek prayer meeting at a small church in Marshall, Texas where I served as bi-vocational pastor. I remember how those terrorist attacks changed everything in America and to be totally honest--I never want to forget.  I refuse to erase those horrific images or the heroic exploits of first responders. God help me to always remember the precarious freedom I enjoy and fill me with resolve to do my part in preventing what I remember from ever happening again.

(Photo from cifwatch.com)

Fresh From God

Recently I've enjoyed seeing photos and hearing news of my former students either starting their families or expanding them. How wonderful to see these new creations so clearly reflect the grace and beauty of the Creator. Filled with joy for each of these families that mean so much to me, I cannot help but think of a line from Dickens: "I love these little people; and it is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us." Charles Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop (1841)

Think For Yourself

Tough times and a global context of questionable decision-making demands Christ-followers to think for themselves. "What a man can believe depends upon his philosophy, not upon the clock or the century" (G. K. Chesterton)

Correcting Misunderstanding

Many years ago--37 to be exact-- I made a commitment to God and myself with mostly good intentions (I'm unwilling to claim that I'm immune from a selfish motivation here and there). I called that decisive moment "surrendering God's call to the ministry" and received profuse affirmation from my faith community and family. Again I'll say that my motives were mostly pure and that I was thinking concepts and using vocabulary with which I was familiar through the teaching of my church. All these years later I understand the fallacy of much of what I expressed that day and exhibited in the years that followed.

First, the idea of "surrendering" carries with it the twin acts of forsaking and relinquishing. In my 16 year-old mind, I was turning my back on everything I enjoyed and was good at in order to lift and drag through life the horrible burden of serving Christ. Somehow my ministerial penance would merit God's favor. Tragically, no one corrected my thinking and helped me understand that God has created each of us for a high purpose and that our living out that purpose includes using every God-granted gift and ability for his glory and kingdom advance, while enjoying the adventure of doing so. Instead of surrender it was more akin to a grand blip on the EKG of discipleship. The Creator intends fulfillment, not rejection.

Second, my scope of understanding "calling" was much too narrow and sterile. Somehow I had reached that tender age believing that a divine call was hoarded by those who served visibly in churches as pastors or in foreign lands as missionaries. Certainly only church leaders of the highest profile were the ones carrying out the "high calling." No one helped me understand the threefold aspect of call as presented clearly in Scripture: every believer is called to salvation, every believer is called to Christlikeness, and every believer is called to ministry--to live out a vocation--doing whatever they do with a strong sense of divine directive.


Finally, all those years ago I succumbed to what I now call the "heresy of the definite article." I was mistaken in accepting and attempting to practice pastoral ministry as "the" ministry in the church. Such a mentality leads to anemic churches and burned out pastors. Such a superman complex may produce adrenaline highs, but the end result is a low ebb of ministry and even lower trough of longterm spiritual impotence. Rather than relying on what one minister can do, God intends every believer to minister according to their various spiritual gifts. Frank Tillapaugh was correct many years ago when he called this interpretation "unleashing the church."

I am older now and, I hope, not only wiser but better understanding of what God was doing in my life 37 years ago and what he continues to do today. Yes, I was-am-and will be "called" by God to live out a divine purpose. And so are you. So is each of us that follow Christ as Lord.

Airport Waiting

Waiting usually grates on my nerves--I must confess that my temperament leans toward the impatient side. But airport waiting is different. Something about the anticipation of ensuing travel rises an intrepid spirit that overshadows my impatient one. Today I meander through the airport waiting maze en route from Waco to Kenya. I have a pretty good idea of what is waiting for me there, so it overcomes the frustration of waiting while still here. Relieved of the awful burden of 'hurry up', I pass the time more productively--praying, reading, writing, observing, etc.

All of this travel philosophy makes me wonder if my life might be better served by gaining a fresh vision of what ultimately awaits. A heavenly focus might just alleviate unwelcome earthly stress. In turn, I would likely pass the time here more productively--praying, witnessing, reading, writing, listening, etc. Sounds promising, doesn't it? I think I'll give it a try.

Packing Lists and Discipleship

In two days I embark on a journey to Africa and back as I lead a church group to western Kenya for ministry to orphaned children and villagers. This is a homecoming of sorts for me, having spent most of the 90's in east Africa. My role on this trip is primarily logistics & translation--ensure a positive and safe experience for team members and help translate to/from Swahili (my second language). While it is hard to be away from wife, family, and church for ten days, the appeal is strong of traveling back to Kenya and being permitted to see former students, sip the elixir of life called chai, and to generally savor the sights, smells, and sounds of African life in the raw.

My preparations for travel include crafting two lists--a 'to do' list and a 'to pack' list. The packing list includes all the expected items--passport, clothing (albeit in small numbers as I prefer to travel light), flashlight, meds, etc. As I examine my lists this morning I cannot help but reflect on the fact that they do not include the most important items. What I failed to scribble down on paper is really what transforms just another trip into a journey of impact. My list should enumerate the weightier items such as:
- my life purpose statement and how this trip connects to it
- my plans for caring for my family in my absence
- my strategy for ensuring the best care of my church members while I am far removed from them
- my approach to helping my grandchildren see these kinds of events as connected to a life surrendered to Christ and his purposes
- my goals for personal and spiritual growth while on this missional safari

Father, help me look beyond the immediate to the eternal in all that I undertake. Transform my 'packing lists' into preparation for and expressions of discipleship.

(photo by Bert Yates)

What Lies at Hand

Life seems at times like a succession of converging and divergent tragedies, at once interconnected and then again, disparate. Unfortunately, our earthbound perspective is linear and we strain to see ahead and behind without the ability to focus properly on either. We do not realize that this "right now" perspective is actually a grace gift. Jesus expresses it eloquently: "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34 ESV). In other words, we have right now, not yesterday or tomorrow. Surrender this moment. Celebrate this day. Create this memory. Love immediately with all your might. Do what lies at hand and you just may find that the dividend is eternal.

Let Freedom Ring

An interesting juxtaposition exists this Independence Day between Egypt and the United States. According to the New York Times this morning, Egypt’s military officers removed the country’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, on Wednesday, suspended the Constitution and installed an interim government presided over by a senior jurist. Tahrir Square, where tens of thousands of opponents of the government had gathered each night since Sunday to demand Mr. Morsi’s removal, erupted in fireworks and jubilation at news of the ouster. At a square near the presidential palace where Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters had gathered, men broke into tears and vowed to stay until he was reinstated or they were forcibly removed. “The dogs have done it and made a coup against us,” they chanted. “Dying for the sake of God is more sublime than anything,” a speaker declared.

In stark relief, the United States celebrates her 237th anniversary of liberty. In light of such a blatant contrast, it is a good time for me to renew my own commitment to the democratic process in this land. Although I may differ significantly from the current president over everything from healthcare reform to gun control, our democratic system deserves my support and personal involvement. This is no time for apathy or atrophy! It is also a good time for me to honor my father and the multitudes of other men and women who have served to protect the four freedoms in this country: freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. These are those freedoms enumerated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his State of the Union address on January 6, 1941, just eleven months before the United States declared war in Japan in defense of those freedoms.

May freedom ring long and loud across this land, and may other peoples around the globe benefit from its enduring peal.

Photo is of The Four Freedoms paintings by Norman Rockwell (http://www.quiz.com/pages/mprou10/rockwell)

A Better Question In This Culture

The US Supreme Court has struck down a law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman only, in a landmark ruling. The court's 5-4 vote said the Defense of Marriage Act, known as Doma, denied equal protection to same-sex couples. The decision means that legally married gay men and women are entitled to claim the same federal benefits available to opposite-sex married couples. Opinion polls show that most Americans support gay marriage. Twelve US states and the District of Columbia recognize gay marriage, while more than 30 states ban it. Last year, President Obama became the first sitting president to publicly endorse same-sex marriage. Accordingly, Kent and Diego Love-Ramirez (who live together in Lansing, Michigan with their two-and-a-half year old son) were invited by Mr. Obama to the White House for a Father's Day event.

How should believers respond to the increasingly aggressive gay agenda? Perhaps we respond best by asking a different question. A better question would be--how may each of us influence those around us toward biblical principles.? According to Jim Denison of the Denison Forum, the biblical answer that comes immediately to mind comes from the conclusion of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount:

"Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash" (Matthew 7:24-27).

Presumably, both houses were constructed from the same materials according to the same plan and similar storms struck both homes. The one that stood "had its foundation on the rock," while the one that fell was built "on sand." The "rock" is the teaching of Christ; the sand is the teaching of culture. If we want our families to withstand the storms of our day, we must teach them to think biblically and live obediently. Our first question in every circumstance should be, What does God say? Our second question should be, How can I obey his Word now in my immediate context?

Our greatest impact in this culture comes not from angry reaction but consitent proaction. We see this in certain high-profile individuals: Mariano Rivera, the New York Yankees' all-star closer, may go into pastoral ministry after he retires. Brazilian soccer star Kaka pulls off his jersey whenever he scores a goal to reveal t-shirts which proclaim his love for Christ. Albert Pujols, the perennial all-star, says, "My life's goal is to bring glory to Jesus. Baseball is simply my platform to elevate . . . my Lord and Savior."

But we also see this as ordinary folk like you and I choose to live out our faith positively and consistently in our own circles of influence. As we walk upon a foundation that is rock solid, we influence others to evaluate the stability of their own lives. What is your life's influence today?

Endorsements

I received electronic notice this morning that a colleague has "endorsed" me on Linked In for certain skills supposedly I possess. While I appreciate the sentiment and gracious intent, I know myself much too well to feel flattered by the gesture. Too well I identify with the Apostle's self-deprecating assessment--"There is nothing good in me."Some may protest such honest evaluation as undue criticism or harmful self-condemnation; however, I deem it simply facing facts, admitting harsh truth at face value. The key to growth, in my opinion, is not in the acknowledging but in the adjusting. As I confess my short-comings, I stand on the edge of potential improvement. God's Word never upholds inward judgment for the sake of judgment; instead, evaluation is always for the purpose of development. Don't get me wrong--endorsements are nice, but in the end what matters most is a productive response to honest self-examination.

Am I Refreshing?

Late yesterday evening I went for a walk along a sultry bayou near Hot Springs, Arkansas. An evening walk is nothing unusual for my wife and I, but this time I was walking with a colleague at the close of a staff retreat. We walked for exercise and relaxation, but the humidity and heat made it anything but refreshing. That is, until we approached a secluded dock near the boat launch. Quite unexpectedly, it was like walking through a curtain of cool, a tangible wall of refreshment. Humidity and heat evaporated in an instant and we were transported to a cool oasis, an island of chill surrounded by a desert of mugginess. We tarried and enjoyed the spot as long as we dared and sighed remorsefully as we walked back through the curtain into sweat.

As I reflect on the experience, I cannot help but wonder about the effect I have on people with whom I come in contact. Do people walk away from our encounters with a sense of being refreshed? Do I encourage or drain? Am I a rejuvenating factor or a stress-producing strain?

Father, remake me into a blessing just waiting to happen. Create in me a clean heart and allow the contentment I find in you to be contagious. Transform me into a curtain of refreshing.

Reflections

An early walk this morning to the edge of Lake Catherine near Hot Springs, Arkansas, reminds me of an important spiritual truth. Standing on one bank while facing the other, and in between is a watery reflection of the picturesque scenery opposite me. Admittedly, the reflection is not as distinct as the actual trees and sky I see across the way, but the resemblance is unmistakeable. In a similar fashion, each of us is designed to be a reflection of the Father. We are not identical (that would be idolatry), but we are purposes to be so closely akin that the family resemblance is unmistakeable and avoidable. Father, live through me today so sharply that my life is a mirror image of Yourself.

Symbol of Hope

The June 1 headline reads "Rebuilding of house a symbol of hope for West." The article by Waco Tribune writer Stephanie Butts describes the importance of an image of restoration being raised before a hurting community.

"Although most of the homes destroyed in the West fertilizer plant explosion are still shells, hope is budding in the hearts of residents as rebuilding gets 
underway.
A home on North Ridge Circle, only blocks away from the April 17 blast site, is framed up and should be completed by the end of summer, homeowners Steven and Stephanie Kucera said. It is one of the first residential sites where construction has begun, West Mayor Tommy Muska said, and he sees it as an encouraging start to the rebuilding process that involves many of the town’s residents. The home’s thin frame now stands as a symbol for them.

'They see things moving and they know it’s coming for them, too,' Stephanie Kucera said. The Kuceras’ neighbor, the Rev. John Crowder, lives a few homes down and is thrilled to see the construction on his street.

'There's a sense of hope and excitement,' said Crowder, pastor of West First Baptist Church. 'We've been looking at devastation and rubble for a month and a half, and now we’re beginning to see the signs of a new beginning, the assurance that there will be a tomorrow for our town.'"

When reading thus encouraging story, I couldn't help but think of the ultimate symbol of restoration and hope--the cross of Christ. Whether adorning elaborate stained glass in the grandest cathedral or hanging in silver from a delicate chain, the cross stands as a constant reminder of ultimate and imminent victory and hope that's ours in Christ Jesus. Death and Hell cannot conquer us and difficulty and pain will not defeat us. "We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord." Thank God for giving the residents of West something that inspires hope, and praise God for giving believers a constant reminder through the cross that we will overcome.

Enemy of the Best

"Whenever right is made the guidance in the life, it will blunt the spiritual insight.  The great enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but the good which is not good enough.  The good is always the enemy of the best... Many of us do not go on spiritually because we prefer to choose what is right instead of relying on God to choose for us.  We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eye on God." (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest)

When left to myself I choose comfort over commitment everytime.  That is precisely the reason I cannot leave choices up to me--I must live the crucified life so that the choice is always up to Him.  Death to self does not mean an unfathomable void ethically or otherwise; instead, crucifixion means fullness and spiritual altitude--life on a higher plane than I would have chosen for myself otherwise.  In order to soar, we must first die.  

Highest Form of Living

There is a lot of bad news today and there has been for quite some time. While not minimizing tragedy, catastrophe, or heartache, perhaps it's appropriate to hear something positive for a change. Ready for some good news? Human beings possess a hint of the divine and that clue becomes clear in charitableness.

According to Corporation for National and Community Service data, senior volunteering hit a 10-year high in 2011, as more than twenty million older Americans donated nearly three billion hours of services valued at $67 billion. The data also indicates that one in three volunteers is age 55 or older; that the percentage of seniors volunteering increased from 25.1% in 2002 to 31.2% in 2011; and that 72.4% of older adults -- higher than the national average -- provided informal favors such as helping out a neighbor. Previous research has found that volunteering can have a positive effect on an older person's mental and physical health, with senior volunteers tending to report increased strength and energy levels, lower rates of depression, and fewer physical limitations.

I love that research shows what we've instinctively known to be true--serving is the highest form of living! And serving is tantamount to changing the world. As Anne Frank once said, "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

Second-Wave Responders

Harry Smith and Brian Williams of NBC news stated clearly to the nation tonight something that many of us have known for many years--when a crisis occurs, churches and Christian people respond compassionately and courageously. Call them 'second-wave responders' but there is nothing second-rate about the way Believers put their faith quickly into action, assisting the dying, the hurting, the confused. Be it a force 5 tornado, a terrorist bombing, or a fertilizer plant explosion, faithful Christ-followers demonstrate unmistakably that knowing Christ changes everything. These are difficult days, but there is bright hope for any situation because the Body of Christ will be there, caring tangibly and embodying the Lord's prayer--"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Photo: darkroom.baltimoresun.com

Something That Matters

"Tim Tebow is America's most famous unemployed athlete." Since his release from the New York Jests, the Heisman Trophy winner has been without a team. Most individuals would be devastated and perhaps even be bracing for ultimate disaster. But not Tebow.

Last week, during a speech at Lake Michigan College, the jilted quarterback said this about his future: "What I want to do with my life is impact lives. When a kid in a hospital is fighting for his life and I'm trying to win a football game, what really matters? This game isn't as important as a lot of us make it out to be. If I can give him a little bit of hope, I can do something that matters. That's what I want my legacy to be about. That's how I want to be remembered."

He may already be getting his wish. A published survey recently named him America's most influential athlete. Forbes explains Tebow's significance: "His clean living and public religious values make him a role model for many, even if they render him polarizing in some quarters."

Tebow commented on the survey: "That's a huge honor. I see it as a great responsibility to be a role model for future generations. That's something I care about more than winning football games. If I can take the game of football and can transcend football—go to hospitals and make kids smile—I'll be doing things that matter."

I applaude the young man's spiritual maturity and higher undertanding of what's important in life. And it makes me ask myself, "What lesser things do I allow to push their way into the spotlight of my life?" "What am I doing to advance the Kingdom of God?" Am I investing the best of me in something that matters for eternity?

Slow-Motion Crisis

According to an article in today's New York Times, a crisis of epic proportion lurks beneath a large portion of the country in the diminishing returns of the High Plains Aquifer, a waterlogged jumble of sand, clay and gravel that begins beneath Wyoming and South Dakota and stretches clear to the Texas Panhandle. The aquifer’s northern reaches still hold enough water in many places to last hundreds of years. But as one heads south, it is increasingly tapped out, drained by ever more intensive farming and, lately, by drought.

Vast stretches of Texas farmland lying over the aquifer no longer support irrigation. In west-central Kansas, up to a fifth of the irrigated farmland along a 100-mile swath of the aquifer has already gone dry. In many other places, there no longer is enough water to supply farmers’ peak needs during Kansas’ scorching summers. And when the groundwater runs out, it is gone for good. Refilling the aquifer would require hundreds, if not thousands, of years of rains.

This is in many ways a slow-motion crisis — decades in the making, imminent for some, years or decades away for others, hitting one farm but leaving an adjacent one untouched. But across the rolling plains and tarmac-flat farmland near the Kansas-Colorado border, the effects of depletion are evident everywhere. Highway bridges span arid stream beds. Most of the creeks and rivers that once veined the land have dried up as 60 years of pumping have pulled groundwater levels down by scores and even hundreds of feet.

The same may be said of spiritual drought--it is a slow-motion crisis. Born of long periods of neglect, we find ourselves bereft of any joy associated with our relationship with God. Prayer seems futile, Scripture falls flat, and worship is hollow. We never get to such a low place suddenly. Instead, what St. John of the Cross called "the dark night of the soul" develops gradually, but the result is deadly.

How should we respond when we become aware of the low level of our spiritual state? Refuse the temptation of turning to resources that tell about God, and accept no substitutes for seeking God himself. The remedy for spiritual drought is nothing less than a person--a personal encounter with Christ. When everything is stripped away and you find yourself clinging desperately to Christ like Jacob did the wrestling angel, then you will experience the torrent of spiritual desire and satisfaction rising. When He is everything and when He is enough, the spirituals clouds will form laden with life-giving droplets that will fall as refreshing rain upon your soul. In short, the remedy for spiritual decline is nothing less than a relentless return to God Himself.

Turning Anger Into Prayer

Prayer is the proper resting place for all human emotion. I confess that I do experience emotionally charged reactions, especially when exposed to such arresting images as we saw from yesterday's terrorist attacks at the Boston Marathon. My emotional reaction is usually followed by deeper observation and intense discussion. When channeled appropriately, I begin to pray for God to show himself mighty in the midst of circumstances that will inevitably cause many to question his goodness or his existence altogether. Next, I prayer for the victims and their families. Correspondingly, I pray for the Church to respond well and be the obvious presence of Christ in the chaos and catastrophe. Finally, I pray for myself. I pray that my heart will remain tender and that damaging emotion may give way to constructive emotion that will make me even more sensitive to pain in the world, hurting people, and the activity of God all around me. Most often, the appropriate prayerful resting place sounds something like this. . .

"Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Regret

Regret incapacitates, robbing physical strength and emotional resolve. Grace invigorates, restoring vitality of every sort and most importantly, hope.

A New Year's Proverb

Here's a tightly packed proverb worthy of daily attention this year:

"Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is."

(Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, p. 2)