Traveling in Spain and North Africa with my friend Tony reminded me again that he has the advantage of holding citizenship in three countries. As he travels he can pick and choose which passport is most convenient, cheaper or safer for a particular trip. I have many other friends who hold dual citizenship. I was beginning to feel a little sorry for myself until I realized that I, too, have triple citizenship.

I am first a citizen of the United States of America. This is where I was born and raised. I have never held citizenship in another country and have never been ashamed of being a US citizen.

If you followed my journey with my friends Ricardo and Tony, you know that we were recently in North Africa. One evening, riding the train to a North African city, Tony, Ricardo and I were chatting away in Spanish. Across the compartment from us was a strikingly sophisticated and handsome North African couple. We knew enough to speak carefully even in Spanish. You never know who is listening. I could tell this couple was paying attention.

Suddenly, both jumped into our conversation in beautiful Spanish! She was a native of the country where we were traveling, and he was from another North African nation. It wasn’t long before the inevitable question – “Where are you from?”

Being identified as a US citizen was not something I desired at that moment – not for security reasons, but just to avoid the obligatory questions about politics, etc. I kept quiet for the moment, waiting for one of my colleagues to take the lead. Tony flashed a big smile and said, “I’m a citizen of the world.” The couple returned the smile and said smugly, “Great! We are, too!” Good answer, Tony! You diffused all the issues for the moment.This couple, by responding in kind that they were citizens of the world, was saying that they understood that we have far more in common that unites us than that which divides us. Our understanding of the world goes far beyond the limited sphere of the country of our birth or residence.

My two friends covered for me as they said we represented El Salvador and Mexico. Their curiosity was satisfied, and there was no way they would know the real color of the passport in my pocket as long as we continued to converse in Spanish. Yes! I liked the answer. We are citizens of the world. That’s an honest answer, too. I have lived in four countries and traveled in more than 50 others, though I hold only one physical passport.This world is the wonder of God’s creation, and I am one of God’s many creatures on this earth – a fellow citizen of the world.

Citizen of the US, citizen of the world – but I also hold another citizenship. I am a citizen of heaven. Paul said as much to the Philippians in Philippians 3:20 when he said that our πολίτευμα (citizenship) is in heaven. Just yesterday I was reading from Hebrews 12.

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. Hebrews 12:22-23

How wonderful to know that all of us who follow Jesus hold the same heavenly passport! I was thinking of that during our prayer meeting tonight as one of our students introduced me to her mother. As we prepared to pray she apologized that her English was not very good and would it be alright if she prayed in Chinese. Of course! Others near me were praying in Spanish in addition to English. Maybe there were some other languages working in the room tonight. I don’t know. It just felt wonderful to know that God speaks our language – whatever that is.

When people travel to another country for the first time, I encourage them to write down their thoughts and impressions because they will never see things in such a fresh and unique light. I was reminded of that today as I spent time with the Vögelin family. What a blast to see the heart of America through their eyes. Everywhere they looked, everything they touched was a source of wonder.

One of their suitcases did not arrive, so we settle down on some stools at Starbucks to wait for the next flight to arrive in hopes the errant bag would arrive (didn’t happen).  Starbucks has not yet conquered Argentina, so to drink a cup of Starbucks coffee is for them something like sipping from a fine bottle of champagne. This is the first time in the United States for Thomas and Manuela. Mechthild made a brief trip over the 4th of July when she was about Manuela’s age. Thomas is Swiss and Mechthild is German even though they have lived in South America for 20 years.

“And I’m Argentine!” smiles Mani (Manuela) proudly.

The young man who took our order has asked what language we are speaking and I am giving him the program of nationalities represented, explaining that we are speaking Spanish with occasional German sprinkled in for accent. He is from Ghana as it turns out.

“Oh yes!” he says, “My mother lives in Germany.

“There’s certainly better coffee,”  I remark as they try to figure out the rainbow of sugar options to stir into their coffee.

“But here we are at Starbuck’s,” they say smiling from their stools backed up to the airport window.

Mani looks at me and the world in general and proclaims, “I’m living my dream.”

Thomas examines the slurpy lid on top of the Starbucks cup. “We need this in our next event in Argentina,” he says. “Just look at this. It’s very practical and it really works well. Look at how it fits.” I am understanding why his ancestors have always made such great watches.

We have a bit more time to kill while waiting for the next flight to come in so I take them a couple of exits down the Interstate just to drive through a “typical” American suburban subdivision.

“OOOOOH! Look at that house. …  Look how much wood they use in construction. … This reminds me of something I saw in a movie. … I saw a house an American built in Chile once that looked like this. Now I know why. … Do you see how much land each house sets on? …  There are no bars on the windows!”

Dropping off their luggage at the mission house, my assistant Emily and I think to take them for a quick lunch because they have not eaten since an airplane breakfast at 4:30am. There is plenty of food in the mission house, but they surely don’t feel like cooking after such a long flight.

“Let’s go somewhere typically American.”

Emily and I weigh our options. By this time most every place will be crowded, and we want to get in and out so they can come back, clean up and take a nap. We reluctantly decide on a nearby Applebee’s. They are thrilled when we tell them it is typically American.

Walking through the door of Applebee’s, their eyes survey every detail just like a Superbowl quarterback reading a defense. They notice the TV screens visible from every possible angle.

“Just wait, Mani, until you feel the thick carpet beneath your feet in one of the houses,” Mechthild says as she reflects on one of the strongest impressions from her trip long ago.

The server has arrived to take our orders. Thomas looks up with his trademark smile, musters up his best English and says, “Tell me. What is the most typical American food on this menu?”

Seeing the server’s facial expression, I jump in to help interpret. We later learn that this is her second day on the job and is in training. We learn this after she has spilled Pepsi on the table that chases Thomas and I from the booth, fails to know how to clean it up, mixes up our orders and brings the plates 10 minutes apart. But this is their first meal in America and nothing, no one, not even a server in training and an exasperated and frustrated trainer can rob them of the wonder of it all.

Father and daughter order cheeseburgers and fries. Mom opts for a salad.

The drinks arrive.

“They’re so big!” they giggle to each other.

Emily smiles and adds that they refill them – for free.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” they squeal in unison.

“Look at how thick and big these straws are!”

Today you won’t convince them that Applbee’s is any different from Ruth’s Chris Steak House. They are fascinated with each detail.

Wouldn’t it be great to go through life with such an attitude of wonder? Surely this has to be much more favorable for one’s health than constantly complaining. Maybe the Fourth of July is a good time to learn a new attitude. We have so much for which to be thankful. Let’s see if we can find wonder in even the smallest details of life. Why not share the joy of something others take for granted? Try it and see what happens.

I had an interesting experience this morning. I mentioned in passing that we were going to have a Chinese breakfast today, what you might know as dim sum. A great young Chinese couple in the church had invited us. As we pulled up in front of the restaurant, a Panamanian landmark, I had sense of deja vu. The main part of the restaurant is on the second floor, and as we walked in I immediately recognized that this is the same place where Cheryl and I enjoyed a wonderful meal with friends in 1975!

Sitting there I reflected back on many years of ministry between my first time in this restaurant and today. We often make mention of our mission of making disciples. This is the commission we have received. Making disciples is all about multiplication. The passion of my life has been to multiply myself in others. In 1975 I knew no one in Panama. We had come to Panama City to renew our visas for Costa Rica. To think that today I am heard on radio here every day and that the pastor of one of the larger churches in nation looks to me as a type of mentor is at once humbling and gratifying. Lives are being touched by God’s truth all over this country through the natural and biblical process of multiplication by biblical disciple making. This is what life is about.

With all the many demands on our time, this is a good reminder for me and maybe for you. Are you reproducing yourself in others? Who are the people in your sphere of influence? Can you name them? Can you see their faces? How are you influencing them? For good or for bad? Do you see them carrying on that same reproductive process? No matter who you are, what gifts you have or the type of things you do, you should be multiplying yourself in others. Are you?

“I just don’t think things are as neat and tidy as you make them appear,” someone says to us.

“Well” we respond, stretching to add an extra half inch or so to our frame as we stand erect in pious propriety, “you need to understand that God is a God of order, and when you know how to rightly divide the word of truth, even a child can see the logic, order and structure of God’s truth just as I am explaining to you.”

I find it interesting that we play this “God is a God of order” card so quickly as though everyone knows this and agrees, when there is not a single verse in the Bible that directly says that God is a God of order. Those of us who cling to the purity, inspiration and preservation of every word of Scripture quickly become masters of paraphrase, dynamic equivalence and implication when discussing the sacred doctrine of the God of order. And, to top things off, we do so by pulling and twisting scripture out of proper context. I know this because I’ve done it myself!

Now, those of you who may still be stuck in the pious propriety mode, calm down! I am certainly not suggesting that God is not a God of order and all that. Many who have ventured into the sphere of natural theology have established the intentionality of design in the universe, though we are far from understanding the totality of the design. I’m just trying to make us think before we toss around clichés, and hold us accountable to honesty and integrity as we deal with the sacred scriptures entrusted to us.

The basic foundational truths we all hold dear are clear enough for a child to understand. These truths are evident and applicable in any culture and language on the planet. Yet God is so much bigger than we are that there is still much that we cannot mentally grasp much less control. There are divine concepts far beyond our comprehension.

So what does the Bible really say?

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:33

Clearly, God is not the author of confusion. But, it does not say he is the God of order, rather of peace. And, the context is not cosmology but the the confusion of the Corinthian church where the immature understanding of spiritual gifts had made their worship times together a chaos. Considering the context and what the scripture does not say, we should perhaps be a bit more circumspect as we borrow this verse from it proper context to make a point.

Now, check out this photo from the Hubble telescope. This is what got me thinking along these lines.

This is a picture of two galaxies colliding. You can see a higher definition picture here, and you can also learn more about this spectacular cosmic collision. So, there you have it. Pure order and structure. Right where we can get up on our little soap boxes and expound all about it. I’m thinking this looks somewhat like what’s left of one of my very orderly, logical and structured sermon outlines after the Holy Spirit gets hold of it!

Make no mistake. God obviously has an ordered and structured purpose in this collision that appears anything but neat and orderly to us. This is my point. God has it all under control, yet we are kidding ourselves if we think we understand it all. I wonder if this is a good illustration of cultures in collision — messy, painful, confusing to us — yet God always is at work accomplishing his purposes.

Think of possible galaxy collisions of culture in our world — Islam and Christianity, mixed marriages from totally different cultures, missionaries struggling to navigate what is to them a strange and resistant culture, clash of old sin nature and new nature in Christ, or the generational collision of what type of music we are going to sing when the church comes together in one place. These are all real and serious issues that often leave us confounded. Hopefully, seeing the bigger macro view of the universe will encourage us to trust in God even when life at times seems like a train wreck or galaxies in collision. God is always God.

Other questions, though, can be difficult. I’m thinking of those questions that often begin with “Yeah, but …, ” “OK, so answer this,” or “Then, how do you explain … . ” The very set up of the question implies an atmosphere that is charged with a bit of emotion, defensiveness or squirming to avoid accepting the consequences of biblical truth. Some of that defensiveness may in response to a Christian who steps over the boundary of wisdom and good taste and becomes pushy or just plain obnoxious. If that is you, back off!

Having explored some different types of difficult questions, how about those tough ones that remain? Perhaps you’re sharing your faith in a normal and natural manner when someone nails you to the wall with one of those questions that makes you stutter and sweat. It seems that no matter what you say, you lose.

In the Gospels Jesus was in difficult situations like that several times. The difference is that he always handled himself masterfully. I was looking at one such instance this morning.

Jesus has just entered Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt in fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy, and he has torn things up in the Temple once again, overturning moneychangers’ tables and those who sold sacrificial animals at exorbitant prices. Entering the Temple the following morning he is met by a delegation of chief priests, scribes and elders who demand to know by what authority he has done these things.

Their question is legitimate. Jesus has no theological pedigree such as being discipled by a prominent rabbi or having graduated from some rabbinical school. Jesus knows that to answer them on a human plane is to expose himself to the charge of blasphemy. He has repeatedly tied his authority to Jehovah God, and the works he did bore witness in fulfillment of scripture. The Jewish leaders had not accepted this evidence earlier and he knows they are in no mood to accept it now. Most of us would consider this one of those no-win questions. The way Jesus handles this is instructive.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. Mark 11:29-33

Trying to organize my thoughts as I ponder this passage anew, I offer these points to consider whenever we have our backs up against the wall with no-win questions.

• Some questions, even good ones, do not merit an answer. What makes them particularly difficult is the motive behind them. This is the case in this example from Jesus’ life. When good, penetrating and legitimate questions are posed with dishonest or ulterior motives, we never have to feel obligated to answer. The reason for this is because the person asking the question does not want an answer — the question is asked only to entrap or to confirm one’s already established conclusions and presuppositions.
• Leading questions are often best dealt with by deflection, not by answering. In this case Jesus answers their questions with a no-win question of his own. Jesus was brilliant at this. I usually don’t think this fast, but it’s a great tactic when you can. There are other forms of deflection such as quietly pointing out that a question is good and legitimate, but that this is not the right moment, setting or emotional framework to answer it. Alternately, there is no shame in admitting that you don’t have a ready answer for a good question and asking for another occasion to answer after you have had time to prayerfully consider it. You can do this with confidence and control.

Why is it so hard for us to handle these tough questions? Most of us are not as quick as Jesus to come back with an equally impossible question. So why do we feel defeated or embarrassed when we are up against those questions that have no answer? Speaking for myself, I think we are too concerned with how we look, how others perceive us. We love to give the impression that we have all the answers. We don’t. Even when we have God’s word in our hands and understand it well, we don’t have all the answers. If you think I’m wrong about this, read the book of Job. Why do we struggle so much when the answers don’t flow smoothly out of our mouths? In a word — pride.

I was reading another passage of scripture this morning that confirms this and shows the proper response. Joseph has spent a great deal of time in an Egyptian prison when Pharaoh suddenly calls on him to interpret a troubling dream.

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. Genesis 41:15-16

Joseph deals with the issue upfront, making it clear that the source of any potential answers is God, not him. You might remember that Daniel is in a similar situation in the Babylonian court. When Nebuchadnezzar inquires about a dream, Daniel does exactly what I suggest above. He asks for time for prayerful consultation before answering the king.

Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Daniel 2:16-18

God, of course, reveals to Daniel just the right response. I believe that God can do the same for us if we are careful to pray. If not, maybe the question does not merit a response.

If you have any tips on facing the tough questions, or additional insight from this example of Jesus, please share.

I was reading Mark 6 and following the flow of the story. Jesus had just feed the 5,000 with five biscuits and a couple of fish. The crowd went wild. Jesus sent his disciples on ahead in the boat toward the other side of Lake Galilee while he sent the crowd away.

The disciples later found themselves caught in a terrific headwind and had been rowing with all their might for eight hours without getting anywhere. Suddenly, they see what they perceive to be a ghost-like figure coming toward them over the waters as if to pass them by. It’s Jesus! He tells them to not be afraid and joins them in the boat. They are absolutely blown away! Here’s how Mark records it.

And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. Mark 6:51-52

Why are they so amazed? What’s surprising about this?

Here’s the problem. If Jesus could supernaturally feed 5,000 men with those meager biscuits and fish and still have twelve baskets of food left over, it only stands to reason that he could walk on water, calm the fierce winds, heal hang nails, move that moron out of your office or anything else he wanted to do.

The disciples, like so many of us, took Jesus for a super hero. By that I mean that we think Jesus can do certain things, but not everything. Beginning with Superman back in 1938, super heroes have become part of youthful imagination. While Superman is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and can leap tall buildings in a single bound, he has this problem with kryptonite. Super heroes have super human powers, but only in narrowly defined areas. Some, like Batman, have no special powers at all. Batman is just very smart and intuitive, though he dresses a bit strange. The disciples thought Jesus was an amazing supernatural food provider; they had no idea he could walk on water. What would he do next!

Listen. If Jesus is who he claims to be, he can do it all. He is the sovereign God. There is no limit to his power. Theologians call this omnipotence, one of God’s attributes.

We love to share testimonies about answered prayer and the power of God. But, when it comes time to really pray, I sometimes find myself saying under my breath, “THAT’S not going to happen!”

How dare I limit God! But, the truth is, I do. And I seem to do it often. The problem is not with God’s power but with my perspective. If Jesus can do anything, he can do everything. When will I get my head heart around this?

In his account of the story Mark gives us the problem. He says the disciples couldn’t connect the dots between the feeding of the 5,000 and walking on water because their hearts were hardened. This doesn’t mean they were evil people, rebellious or heretics. It simply means that their hearts were not pliable and exercised enough for their faith to function properly.

The is true in the physical realm. Bad diet and no exercise can result in hardened arteries and all sorts of heart problems, even though one may be a delightful person and faithful church member.

Just as I try to be faithful to exercise and eat right, I want to assure my spiritual heart and senses get proper exercise (Hebrews 5:11-14) so I don’t allow my heart to get hardened (Hebrews 3:7-15 and 4:6-13) and begin to compartmentalize God’s power.

Do you think of Jesus as a super hero?

As I read the very familiar story of the Transfiguration in Matthew 17 the other day, I thought of the title to Zacharias’ book. Jesus had taken his inner circle of Peter, James and John up the mountain when he was suddenly transfigured before them, appearing in his blinding, heavenly glory. We can only imagine the awe that filled his disciples as they squinted to take in the grandeur of the scene. Even more amazing to them was the sight of two other figures talking with Jesus. Soon it became apparent to them that these two personages speaking with the Master were Moses and Elijah.

Peter got it exactly wrong, as most of us would. His first reaction was to build three shelters (tabernacles), one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. No one was more loyal to Jesus or a fierce defender than Peter. Sure, he was boisterous and often said the wrong thing, but he truly adored Jesus. Peter was the one to speak up and say he would die to protect Jesus. When completely outnumbered in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter was still willing to draw his sword and take on all comers.

To Peter’s Jewish perspective on the Mount of Transfiguration, this spectacular scene confirmed that Jesus had been elevated to the same exalted status as Moses and Elijah, two of Judaism’s great figures. Peter would have been so proud of Jesus! Why not commemorate the event? Just think! Moses and Elijah are talking with my Rabbi Jesus! Wow!

To show that Jesus had achieved the revered status of Moses and Elijah was not the point at all. God was using Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets, bore witness to the truth that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the fulfillment of Law and Prophets and stands alone among the gods. This is why the moment those errant words began slipping out of Peter’s well-greased mouth, a brighter cloud than even the light that already blinded their sight rendered them paralyzed as the booming voice of God Almighty sliced the stratosphere and slapped them across their collective consciousness.

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. Matthew 17:5-8

This is the point God wanted made — to see no one other than Jesus. Moses and Elijah simply bore witness in representation of a cloud of witnesses dating back to the fall of mankind and the first promise of a redeemer to come.

Some parts of Peter’s personality correspond to my own struggles, while other parts do not. I, too, can see many times in my life when I have missed the obvious with the very best of intentions. I want to continue to grow and mature, and I think I will do well if I can just focus on seeing no man, save Jesus only.

Carol Jenkins is President of the Women’s Media Center and an African American. I stumbled across a thought-provoking article she wrote yesterday after being on CNN to debate which is worse – -being black or being a woman? Her answer was: Both. Host Rick Sanchez refused to allow her to sit on the fence and insisted that she come down on one side or the other of the question. Here is her answer.

Having spent a lifetime waging battles on both fronts, I believe that sexism is now the more pernicious because it often still resides in our deepest, most subconscious self. It is one that devalues or dismisses or endangers women — even within ourselves. Gender bias cuts through race and class and age and geography with intent to undermine. And, if you’re a woman of color — even more so.

You may or may not agree. You can see the entire interesting article here. The stimulus for this debate was an essay by noted feminist Gloria Steinem. This essay “considered an African American woman with the same credentials as Barack Obama, and concluded that she would not find herself as close to the presidency as he is; that the barrier of gender — no matter how “charismatic” she was — would have hobbled her.”

I have not read the original article by Steinem, but I thought of Condoleezza Rice. She’s probably at least as qualified by experience as Obama to be President, but she is not in the running (she has not made herself available). Some have commented that Condi is not “black enough,” whatever that means. But, isn’t that the same comment that has been thrown at Obama? Could it be that Gloria has a point?

Carol Jenkins adds,

But as often happens, as the public debate over the commentary raged, the black girl was soon forgotten.

In almost every conversation I’ve had about the topic, what is clear is that when people were saying “women” they were thinking white women; when they were saying “black” they seemed to be thinking about men. Few were thinking about women of color.

This interests me because we have a good number of African American women in our church. As pastor, I want to be able to understand their struggles and help them find hope and comfort through relevant application of the Bible. Alas! I am neither black nor female.

Here’s the good news. I don’t have to be. All God asks me to do is allow him to use me. He takes care of everything else.

This point was hammered home the other day as I was working my way through Genesis with the inspiration of D. A. Carson’s For the Love of God. He commented in passing that according to his most diligent research there is only one woman addressed directly by deity in all of ancient Middle eastern sacred literature. Do you have any idea who that one woman might be?

Her name is Hagar.

And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. Genesis 16:7-8

Hagar was not Jewish. She was not Caucasian. She was not a person of social influence. She was not even a television celebrity or winner of American Idol. She was a woman of color (an Egyptian) and a lowly domestic servant. Not only that, she was a single mother!!! She is the only known case of a woman directly addressed by deity in all of ancient Middle Eastern literature. Right smack in the middle of establishing the Hebrew race and the blood line of the Messiah, God still cared enough about a single mother of color that he reached out to her directly and called her by name. And, he does so long before any of us ever considered this a trendy issue. The Bible never records God addressing Sarah directly by name.

Here’s what I take away from this. God is concerned for every single person in society. He reaches out to every one of us and understands our challenges and needs more than anyone else possibly could. I also think that I should be even more intentional to reach out to those who are different than me. What do you think?

O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. Habakkuk 1:2-4

I’ve been in a Habakkuk kind of mood the past twenty-four hours or so. The situation in Kenya concerns me as tribal violence has suddenly erupted in a country that has been a model of hope for Africa. Over 50 believers took refuge in an Assembly of God church in Eldoret. They burned the church down, people and all. I have received personal correspondence from people I know who have been affected by the violence, looting and killing. I’ve been in Eldoret. I see images in my mind. We have Kenyans in our church. I hurt for Kenya.

Sunday afternoon a young man from a fine family in our church took his own life. There’s never a good explanation for this type of thing and no way to ease the pain. Another young man that I did not know, a high school student who often frequented one of my favorite coffee shops, disappeared Christmas Eve. He was another good kid, member of the debate team, honor student, no known drug usage. They found his body Saturday under a bridge not far from the coffee shop.

This morning at our staff meeting we had a long list of people to pray for — people suffering from serious illness and other monumental problems. We had some great blessings and answers to prayer that we shared, too, but I’m just in an Habakkuk kind of mood. Have you ever been in an Habakkuk kind of mood?

How did Habakkuk pull out of this spiritual funk? God immediately responded with hope. You might expect that God would do that. Let me paraphrase what God said. “Son, you need to turn your focus outward and look on the multitudes of people outside your little world. Look and consider. I am going to do a work in your lifetime that is so incredible you wouldn’t believe it if I told you” (Habakkuk 1:5)

Then, as though to pour salt in Habakkuk’s emotional wounds, God announces that he is going to raise up the Babylonians to wipe clean the earth’s surface including Jerusalem (Habakkuk 1:6-11). Habakkuk continues the dialog by reminding God of his unchanging nature and trusting that this time of judgment would be not be the end of Israel, but rather a time of correction (Habakkuk 1:12). Finally, overcome by the magnitude of thoughts and emotions, Habakkuk simply retreated to his roof to sit down and wait for God to clarify. Did he ever!

And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:2-4

God explained to Habakkuk that wicked, evil people like the Babylonians never win in the end. He merely uses them to accomplish his will until he impartially judges them for their own sin. Then, this energy-burst of promise:

For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14

Habakkuk’s problem was that his world was too small. He couldn’t see the bigger purpose. Habakkuk’s tiny world of the moment was swallowed up by the wonder of God’s future eternal world.

Then, a statement of God’s sovereignty stops short all human worry, fear and complaints.

But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk 2:20

Habakkuk immediately went through a mood swing, a reassessment of reality and a realignment of priorities. He didn’t have all the answers or details he once thought necessary; he just looked in the holy temple and saw who was on the throne.

The book ends with one of the most beautiful psalms in the Bible (not all of them are in the Book of Psalms). Listen to his final words.

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. Habakkuk 3:17-19

I’ll be fine. I’ll get out of my Habakkuk funk. I just need to sit down on my roof for a bit, wait and listen. I need to peek into the temple and see who is on the throne. I’ll never have all the answers to some of the situations I listed above, but as long as I know who is on the throne I have hope. Maybe my little world is just too small and short term.

In 1971 I had just become youth pastor here at KCBT. We lived right down from the church in a little house on 55th street with just a very few pieces of furniture. That made it very convenient for college age Bible studies every Friday night when about 40 to 50 students would sit on the floor. This is when Fred first entered our lives. I can see him as though it were yesterday. He arrived late and the room was already filled. Clumsily and blindly (literally), he stepped over and on who knows how many people as he made his way to the very front of the room where he could hear.

Right at the climatic moment of the study, as I was zeroing in on the application, Fred had to go to the bathroom. He traced the same path over the same bodies as when he had entered. Just about the time I had recovered and had everyone’s full attention, Fred came back. This exact pattern was repeated for an interminable number of Friday nights.

We’ve all known Freds, haven’t we? No life, no church is complete without a Fred.

I wondered how I could reach college students with Fred having to go to the bathroom at just the same moment every Friday night. Little did I know that God was answering my prayers by sending Fred. Fred, you see, was one of those angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2) that God sends our way to illustrate his truth and to keep us all honest.

With this image in your mind, let me tell you the other Fred that lay beneath the surface. Fred had a sharp mind on the other side of his thick glasses. He memorized more scripture than most people read. He not only memorized it, he understood it and could discuss it. Sometimes if you were sitting near him in church or a Bible study you could hear him mutter to no one in particular the answer to just about any question the teacher might pose.

Can we talk about faithfulness? If something was happening at church, Fred was there. Always. The weather made no difference. Fred could not drive, of course. He took the bus as far as he could, and he walked from there. My first time to take Fred home was many, many years ago on night when Cheryl and I found him walking in the hallway wondering who would take him home. It was well below zero on a night that was one of the coldest ever.

We loaded Fred in the car and headed toward Midtown. I asked Fred how far the bus took him before he had to walk the rest of the way. He explained that on Sundays the buses don’t run a full schedule and he had to get off a good distance away. He showed me the spot — almost three miles away in below zero weather that he had walked in a frayed, light jacket, no hat and no gloves to get to church. He never complained. It was just something he did — always. I’ve known Fred since 1971. He was always at church.

Then, there was Fred’s ministry. Fred cared about people in his own unique way. Over the years he worked in several enterprises for the blind or handicapped. Sometimes, he would make himself more unpopular than he naturally was due to his consistent desire to share the good news of Jesus with others. Did I mention that he lacked some social graces? He didn’t lack boldness or faithfulness.

As the years went by, it seemed that Fred became more susceptible to those who would take advantage of him or even abuse him. I lost count of the times Fred was robbed, mugged, assaulted or beat up and pushed around. Someone would help him buy a new pair of glasses or replace some of what was stolen.

There was a time not many years ago when our staff worked to try to move Fred into one of the retirement communities next to our church. He wouldn’t hear of it! He still had work to do in his neighborhood. He was witnessing and ministering to people there. Who would do that if he left?

I learned so much from Fred. I don’t suppose I will ever meet anyone who has more of a pure faithfulness. Few people do as much with the deck they have been dealt than Fred did. He was amazing in many ways. The more I got to know Fred, the more I came to respect him and the more humble I felt in his presence.

The day after Christmas Fred’s neighbor noticed he had not picked up his mail and found him dead in his apartment. I got the news in an e-mail the next day and it felt like a kick in the gut. What was worse was the feeling of helplessness. Fred was not close to his birth family, but a brother and sister were found who claimed the body. He was 64 years old.

Fred would not care whether or not his body was present for a funeral. Anyway, funerals are for those of us left behind. So, at 6:30 next Tuesday evening at the Midtown campus, just before our combined prayer meeting that Fred always attended, we will have a brief time of remembrance for anyone who would like to join us. I have been moved by the messages and comments I have already received from those of you who knew Fred. I miss him already.