Category: Jeff’s Favorites
Breaking Through the Clouds
Here I sit waiting for another snow event. We have yet to have a major snow storm, but several nice little December snows made things white to remind us that winter is here. This is the time of year when we can go for days on end without seeing the sun.
I was thinking about winter dreariness this morning as I read this passage from Psalms.
The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. Psalm 97:1-6
Here, and several times in scripture, we see the figure of God’s glory hidden by clouds. This motif is prominent in the Exodus account as Moses ascends cloud-draped Mount Sinai to meet with God. I think especially of Job’s words.
He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it. Job 26:9
I find such biblical language intriguing. Even in ancient times astronomers observed the cloud-like groupings of stars against the black backdrop of the greater cosmos. For example, to this day scientists speak of the two Magellanic Clouds to refer to a couple of irregular dwarf galaxies near our own Milky Way.
No one can measure the greatness of God. No one has ever seen the fullness of God’s glory. Whatever that glory may be, it lies beyond our comprehension on the other side of those clouds, both cosmic and conceptual.
Earlier this month, just as the first significant snow of the year began, I was at the airport sitting in a plane on the tarmac waiting to take off. It was shortly before noon, but the low ceiling of clouds and the blowing snow cast an appreciable darkness. I heard a distinctive roar I had not heard since last winter. Looking out the porthole window I could see the deicing fluid streaming down the side of the plane’s fuselage. Rumbling down the runway, the big silver nose finally lifted upward. With such steady snow, the plane’s wheels had barely left the ground when the earth simply dissolved into the grayish-white, soupy sky.
Suddenly, we entered another world, a different existence. Leaving the dreariness behind, we had pierced the cloudy barrier and entered that place where the sun is always shinning.
I want to remember this experience the next time life clouds up. Sometimes, I feel suspended in the midst of perpetual dreariness, or simply lost and can’t see the ground beneath me. What I want to remember is that no matter how dark the day, God in all his glory is just on the other side of the ominous clouds where the Sun always shines.
Time to Change Clothes
The approaching New Year calls for mental, emotional and spiritual housecleaning. Some things need to be tossed and replaced — habits, attitudes, fears, worries and a host of soulish goblins.
The Apostle Paul calls us to such internal inventory by using the metaphor of changing clothes as he instructs us to put off our old sinful nature and put on the new Christ-like nature (Ephesians 4:22-24). He gives a similar command in Colossians 3:8-10.
Last week I thought of those familiar passages while wading through a not so familiar passage in the prophet Zechariah. In one of his remarkable visions, Zechariah saw the high priest Joshua standing before the Lord, and Satan was there to resist him. The Lord rebuked Satan and commanded that Joshua be adorned in a complete change of garments to symbolize holiness and purity of forgiven sin (Zechariah 3:1-5). Joshua must have felt really good in his new clothes.
I resist tossing out old clothes. I wear them until the fibers turn brittle and begin to disintegrate. Then, I use them for rags. Cheryl knew I was wearing some rags for tee shirts and gave me a three-pack for Christmas. Inspired, I decided to clean out the tee shirt underwear drawer and replace the lot of the them. I made a decision and it felt good. There was a two-for-one sale today, but I would have to brave the onslaught of crazed masses returning and exchanging gifts and taking advantage of the sales.
Strangely, as I approached the store with the two-for-one undies sale, there were no crowds. It was as though the Lord had rebuked Satan on my behalf and held back the flood of demon-possessed shoppers (a bit of an exaggeration, but they can sure seem that way at times). The experience was as smooth as last weeks’ eggnog. I was beginning to feel good about replacing those old tees. In fact, all day long it was as though the Lord had parted the Red Sea of humanity everywhere we went. The crowds always seemed to be at the other store.
Keeping with Zechariah’s vision, I wondered if my post-Christmas shopping experience would be a similar to how it ought to feel to toss out those old habits, thoughts and attitudes. There is a price to pay, but God makes the way and the result is fresh and invigorating.
I was really beginning to get into the spirit of Paul’s illustration of changing clothes. What’s good enough for tee shirts is good enough for other items. I remembered another two-for-one sale at my favorite clothing store — the type of place I can only afford to shop during sales every year or two. But, I have been an infrequent customer for enough years that the husband and wife who own the store know me. There on the rack were two nice sports coasts that fit me perfectly. Cool.
Yes, sir! This tossing out the old and putting on the new is agreeing with me! I have to really be in the mood to go shopping for myself, but today it hit.
Isn’t it true that in terms of biblical analogies we often get more caught up in the physical illustration than the truth it represents? Leave it to me to read Ephesians, Colossians and Zechariah as an excuse to buy some new clothes! What about all this New Year reflection stuff, internal inventory stuff? How could I live the truth, not the trimmings?
I should be no less concerned to toss out some old attitudes or habits and replace them than I am about clothing. How about you? Do you think that this week you could toss an old clothing item you have held on to for too long and replace it? Then, do you think you could also find a thought, attitude or habit to toss and replace with something positive and biblical? Can you live the whole analogy?
I was engaged in small talk with the store owner’s wife when it hit me. The store had been filled since she arrived at 8:00am, she said. Traffic had been steady, and she had not even had a chance to get her morning coffee. It was 3:00pm and she was still craving that coffee.
Casual conversation, nothing more. But why does it just have to be casual conversation? This was my opportunity to toss out my normal superficial conversation mode and begin trying on for size the habit of seeking every opportunity to reflect God’s love.
I understand coffee! I would be talking about missing my morning coffee, too, if I were in her place. So, after signing the credit card slip (Sorry, Dave Ramsey, but I do pay them off each and every month), I asked her, “So, how do you like your coffee?”
She looked at me in unbelief.
“No, really.”
“Mild coffee, one third milk and a packet of the blue sweetener.”
I knew there was a good coffee shop a block down the street. My own selfish self had already been tugging at me to stop there on the walk back to the car. Cheryl waited for my latte while I quickly doctored the coffee and ran it back to the store.
The look on her face was priceless. She was thrilled. I was a bright spot in her day. What she didn’t know is that she was a brighter spot in mine — a divinely-ordained opportunity to focus selfish thoughts outward in benefit of others.
The snow was falling more heavily now as I walked back to the coffee shop. I looked down at my navy blue pea coat that was wet and covered with white flakes. I thought of Isaiah’s comments about sins becoming white as snow. I thought of Joshua’s new clothes.
Holding on to Thanksgiving
OK. I’m fed up with Halloween stuff on sale right after the 4th of July and Christmas music and decorations the day after Halloween. Thanksgiving is getting the squeeze. Sounds like a real parable of our greedy, self-centered society.
So, forgive me if I go back to Thanksgiving for just a bit. Thanksgiving is important to God and should therefore be important to us. Both Philippians 4:6 and Colossians 4:2 instruct us to pray with thanksgiving. Psalm 101:4 tells us that we enter into God’s gates with thanksgiving. We could add more scripture to the list, but suffice it to say that thanksgiving weighs more in the Bible than the turkey weighed on your Thanksgiving table.
Cruising through the Bible yesterday, I stumbled across Psalm 116. The psalmist opens by gushing praise to God for answered prayer and deliverance. Then, this statement caught my eye.
What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? Psalm 116:12
In other words, how could I ever repay God or thank him enough for all he has done for me? Good question! Or, what does thanksgiving look like in my life? Very simply, the psalmist suggests three ways to show our thanksgiving.
- I will take the cup of salvation (Psalm 116:13a). This is to say I will show my thankfulness by my open dependence on him. I will gladly receive his deliverance from my messes and mistakes. I hate to impose on people. I don’t want to be a bother. Sometimes I catch myself taking that same prideful, independent attitude to God. Genuine thanksgiving doesn’t look like that.
- I will call upon the name of the LORD (Psalm 116:13b). This has to do with prayer. Thanksgiving in my heart brings forth proactive prayer from my mouth. Having gotten over my reluctance to impose upon God, I will go to him regularly and in every situation. Real thanksgiving doesn’t just say “thanks;” it show thanks by actively calling on God.
- I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people (Psalm 116:14). In other words, I will show thanksgiving by following through on what I have promised to God. And, I will do so openly before others in the congregation of God. This is my accountability to God by showing my obedience and faithfulness before all, not just saying the words.
Cheryl and I were on our way to prayer ministry in Midtown tonight. She waited in the car talking on the phone to her sister while I ran in to a convenient coffee shop to wash down my dinner with a latte to go. As I approached the door, a man appeared to my right asking to speak to me. I immediately suspected a beggar or a scam, trusting type that I am.
This guy seemed real. He had a gasoline can in his hand, an empty tank and fear in his eyes. He wore his VA badge around his neck and told of running out of gas while leaving work at the VA building not far down the street and leaving his billfold
at home. Struggling to spit the words out, he asked for a few bucks to get some gasoline. I’ve been scammed by the best, so I wasn’t afraid to lose my urban virginity. Latte in hand, I told him to get in my car and we’d fill up his gas can. We both knew there was a station a block away. I ran my card through the slot on the pump and told him to fill his can. He put in a couple of bucks and stopped.
“Fill it up,” I said.
He put in a bit more, constantly watching the price roll higher. “No. Fill it up,” I instructed. After coaching him a couple of more times, he filled it all the way up. (He didn’t want to impose or be a bother. But, he had no idea how to get home if I wasn’t there.)
“Thank you, sir,” the man said with a tone that suggested he really didn’t know what else to say even though he thought maybe he should. “I’ll just walk to my car. It’s not far.”
“Get back in the car,” I said. He didn’t want to spill gas in my car. I was driving a Lexus SUV; his 20 year old pickup was out of gas. He was intimidated.
“I’m carrying the gas can in my lap,” He timidly said, wanting to assure me that he was not going to spoil my leather seats.
“Don’t worry,” I replied. “Just get in. I’m taking you to your car. It’s cold out here.”
I dropped him off at his car a few blocks away and headed to the Midtown church. I was running late now.
Two blocks away I turned around and headed back to where I left him. He was there putting the gasoline in his truck. I was worried the can of gas wouldn’t get him home. He was from Leavenworth, a good drive, so I gave him some money just in case. He looked at me in a strange combination of unbelief, gratitude and relief.
“Thank you, sir,” he said again. It was an awkward moment. I knew he didn’t know what to say or do. I didn’t need him to say or do anything. “I can’t even shake your hand. I have gasoline all over mine.” He wanted to know how to express his thanksgiving. He already had — he let me help him and trusted me to do it, even though it was hard to ask. That’s the psalmist’s point above.
I didn’t do this to be a nice guy. I never told him who I was. I didn’t do this so I could “convert” him. Had God opened the door to share more, I would have. That door never opened. I told him God sent me to help him and I told him where I was going. The Holy Spirit takes it from there.
Why did I do it? I had the opportunity, resources and desire to help. It was the right thing to do, and I did it in Jesus’ name.
A Theology of Commitment and Suffering
I’ve been musing lately about some of the superficiality of contemporary society and especially as it touches the church. In a day of consumer-driven churches aiming to please everyone and make them comfortable, I wonder where commitment or consecration fits in. I’m all about making our message accessible, understandable and relevant, but where is commitment?
I’ve been reading little by little a collection of academic papers prepared for the Iguassu Missiological Consultation that was held in Brazil in October of 1999. The compilation is called Global Missiology for the 21st Century and is edited by William D. Taylor, an old acquaintance of mine from when we both served in Central America back in the 1970′s and 80′s. This is a thick, uneven volume that would probably not interest most of my readers. But there are certain parts that are quite good and thought provoking.
Let me share a few paragraphs with you that were written by Sri Lankan theologian Aijith Fernando. Among other things, Fernando has led Sri Lanka Youth for Christ since 1976 and is author of several books. His responsibility in Iguassu was to explore the relationship between biblical trinitarianism and mission. I found his comments on bringing the full Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to bear upon our understanding of mission to be fascinating and engaging. One passage in particular stopped me cold. Here it is:
In society in general in affluent nations, there has been a strong quest for comfort and convenience, and people have tried to eliminate stress and strain. Those suffering from stress and strain because of their work are asked to consider a change. They are told that perhaps they are in the wrong place or are doing something wrong. The result is that we have a generation of emotionally weak people who break their commitments like hired hands. When stress comes, they run away. They leave their spouses far too soon when serious problems arise. They leave difficult churches. They hop from organisation to organisation. They don’t have a theology of commitment and suffering which helps them face this challenge. They are too weak to practice the Christian ethic of commitment to people and tasks!
Society in general has redefined commitment into something that does not need to withstand stress and strain and cost. But the church is supposed to be different from the world, especially because we follow the Lord who showed such unswerving and costly commitment to us. But the same trends relating to the lack of commitment seem to be plaguing us too. Actually there isn’t much difference between the divorce statistics in the church and outside the church in some places.
Young people in the West often ask me what advice I have for them about how to prepare for missionary service. My answer to them is to stick to the group to which they belong, however difficult that may be! I tell them that when they go to the mission field, the are going to face great frustration, and if they cannot face frustration at home properly, it is unlikely that they will face frustration in the field properly. They would likely move to some easier work which will take them away from their original call. I have a great fear that the West may be disqualifying itself from being a missionary sending region, because they have gotten too soft. They have lost the art of sticking to their commitments.
Do you have any ideas about a theology of commitment and suffering? I would sincerely like to hear any thoughts, ideas or responses. I am sensing the need to develop some teaching on commitment from a true biblical perspective. Let me hear from you.
Senseless Shootings
I watched the Omaha mall shootings go by and resisted the urge to comment. Since then, recent shooting scares include
Allentown, PA, Columbus, OH and Phoenix, AZ. Today, in light of the terrible happenings yesterday in Colorado, I feel the need to say something.
This morning, I saw Pastor Brady Boyd of New Life Church in Colorado Springs as he was being interviewed. I could feel his anguish. I don’t say that lightly.
Personal Experience
Many of you know that we lived in the midst of civil war in El Salvador in the 1970′s and 80′s. In the early 80′s, I was getting ready for our third Sunday morning service. Our youngest daughter, who was about 6-years-old at the time, had just brought me a tape recorder I needed for the next service. Her mother and sister waited along the curb in our vehicle. I watched her walk out the back of the auditorium and through the press of people as she headed toward the car. Literally seconds later a burst of automatic weapon fire put everyone face down on the floor. It was obvious the shooting was in front of the church — right where my daughter had been headed.
The shooting lasted only a few seconds. Before most people could respond, I was springing over bodies toward the door. Our vehicle was gone. I prayed it had not been commandeered by the shooters. There were still too many bodies down to sort out what happened. I ran back toward the front and to the office and the phone. Our house was very close and I reached Cheryl as soon as she walked in the house (before cell phones). They were safely home.
Next, I turned my attention to the situation at hand. Assistants had reached me by this time and informed me that there was only one known casualty. People were up and wandering aimlessly in shock as I returned to the front of the church. There on the curb lay the perforated body of a young man who had just been baptized and had asked me to marry him and his girlfriend. I knew that he was the son of a famous general. That, and the fact that he was the only casualty made it evident that he had been specifically targeted. Honestly, I still think it was only the grace of God that kept more people from being hit by bullets.
I learned that the assailants had been waiting beside our vehicle as the young man and his girlfriend pulled up on the other side. As Cheryl pulled off, the shooters (at least two) pulled out Uzi machine guns from under their jackets and opened fire from point blank range. The confusion and intrigue of war always makes it difficult to know who or what to believe, but we found out much later that this strike took place as an attempt to put political pressure on his father.
After a time of prayer and consultation we made the decision to continue with the next service. Quick thinking by a medical doctor who was also part of our pastoral team resulted in bodyguards loading the young man’s body into an SUV and racing toward a nearby hospital “just in case,” though the doctor (and everyone else) knew he was obviously dead. Otherwise, he might have laid there for a day or two until overworked coroners could make it to the scene.
This is one of a number of wartime experiences that will always be a part of my consciousness and forever fresh in my mind. I can identify with Pastor Brady (who immediately located his wife after hearing the shooting), the families and parishioners of New Life Church, as well as the staff of the Arvada Youth with a Mission training center.
There is, however, a tremendous difference between a killing that is part of a war and one that is merely the work of a twisted pervert. Both are horrible and leave families hurting and scarred for life. The one at least takes place in the arena of human conflict and, though inexcusable, offers some resolution by understanding the motive and source. The later offers no hope of understanding except to say that it springs from the unfathomable depth of evil lurking in the dark recesses of a human heart.
Perspective
Are we all going crazy? Is there no place to be safe anymore? What’s going on?
Random, senseless violence has been a part of human society since the Fall of man. Today’s digital communications makes us painfully and instantly aware of every single incident in our entire nation and many others. That said, there does seem to be a spike in such seemingly spontaneous eruptions of human evil. Perhaps the ease and speed of communication only exacerbates things with “copycat” events as already sick mind are fueled by the actions of other tormented souls.
What we are seeing and experiencing in American society today is a reflection of our values or lack of them. We are so careful not to offend anyone for any reason, that we have given free course to a handful of crazies who relish the opportunity to gain their moment of perverted fame. Now, we are paying the price.
We have a security team in our church, too. That is an unfortunate bit of reality in today’s America. Even the best security team can no more guarantee the safety of everyone, any more than bars on your windows and an alarm system guarantee that no one can break into your house.
Principles
For whatever it’s worth, here are some thoughts that come to me as I reflect on scripture.
Proposals
So, how should we then live? A person can’t even be safe in church anymore! Should we find a cave in Wyoming, dig in and make-believe that we are going to be just fine? Here’s a few recommendations based on the above thoughts.
I hope this makes a bit of sense. I would honestly love to hear any input or suggestions.
PS – The back still hurts a lot, but I am thinking it will get better this week. Did you notice that there is now a link on each post that you can use to e-mail it to a friend you think might be interested? I’ll check back tomorrow if this ice storm doesn’t cut off our power!