Daily Java: If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it;
if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.
But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,
with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.
(Psalm 55:12-14)
There is a real pain in the betrayal of a friend.
You have hung around together, ate together, associated as only friends do. And then he turns on you for some reason.
It may be something said that comes between you, it may be that he wasn’t that good a friend in the first place, or he finds a better friendship, or something.
Sometimes it is just because he is not the person you thought he was, and the friendship was really only one-sided and you didn’t know it.
Whatever it is, it hurts.
There have been several times in my life that this has happened. And each time leaves a scar. It also leaves a reluctance to get involved with people, because you just don’t know who will do it again.
In one case, I remember Ella and me confiding in a new friend that sometimes we don’t know who to be friends with because of this, and a month later, he had turned on us for some reason.
Maybe it is me. I don’t know. But it seems that people come out of the woodwork to be friends and then do something horrendous to our family.
It could be that I am an idiot. The idea has crossed my mind.
It also breeds an anger that can go deep if you let it.
I do not know why this is, why friends will betray – but it is true.
And it is surely sad. Makes you want to not have friends.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
some thoughts on Hebrews 6.
Some thoughts on Hebrews 6.
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
3 And God permitting, we will do so.
It is amazing to see long term members who still do not truly understand the way things are done in the Bible, or the real message God has for us in the Bible. This was especially apparent in the church group from which I came. Many of them honestly believed that Jesus came to promote non-instrumental worship and baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
When those things were minimized by others, they became mad. After all, wasn’t that the center of religion, wasn’t it pure religion and undefiled, wasn’t it the form of sound doctrine Paul spoke of in Romans 6? If not, why not?
And it seemed that all of the explaining in the world couldn’t show them why. They had studied for years with blinders on and could not understand the forest for the trees. They had become so involved in fine points that they couldn’t see the broader picture: the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6).
This, of course, is not just true with the Church of Christ. It is true with most churches. Each group considers its small defining characteristic as being from God and the center of theology.
The Baptists can’t see beyond “once saved always saved,” the Pentecostals think that tongue speaking is the greatest thing, legalists can’t see beyond the written word, liberals can’t see beyond their own desires, isolationists can’t see beyond their own group, compromisers can’t see beyond their own fear of confrontation, every church has its point or points and become hung up in them to the exclusion of the greater good and grace of God.
The writer says that what we need to do is move on from basics. All these things mentioned above are real and valid and important. However, to get hung up in any one of them is hurtful to the rest.
It makes us incapable of coming together with any real dialogue of growth and maturity because each person or group feels it must be agenda-driven; in turn, each group is afraid of the others’ agendas.
He says move on. Get beyond the basics and move into the real meat of the gospel. He says to go toward maturity, not talking again and again and again about repentance, and faith. By now we should have repented and had faith in God. Move on from baptism, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, eternal judgment, all those things that are basic. Move into growth, entering the real faith and maturity of the gospel.
The problem is, however, that study is painful. The more you know, the more you are responsible for. And, besides, a lot of study tends to point out the inadequacies we have in our lives, it shows how we have failed.
And that is never fun.
No one likes to venture into areas that might be painful, so what people do is specialize in stuff they already know. Since they know it already, they are on familiar ground and there is no fear of stepping off somewhere that they might feel uncomfortable.
This many times is fault of preachers. They know that people are uncomfortable with new ideas so they stay with the old. People like to be reminded of what they already know. It makes them feel superior and knowledgeable.
It is when a preacher gets into new and uncomfortable theology that people get antsy. That is the hardest part of ministry in many ways: the preaching. You have to talk to a group of people from all levels of understanding and feed them all. There has to be something for those who are new and don’t know much and there has to be something for those who are old in the faith and know a lot. Both need to be fed.
Your job as a pastor is to give each of them something to chew on. If you don’t, you have hurt one group or the other. Too much meat, and the babies starve. Too much baby food and the adults are stunted in their growth.
It is kind of like the chili supper I cooked for our Christmas party. I made a lot of chili for those who like chili. I also made a small bowl for those who like their chili stupidly hot, and another bowl of stew for those who digestive tracts can’t take chili.
Then there was cornbread for those who like chili but like it moderated with cornbread, and there was nothing for those who were too ornery to like what I cooked. Something for everybody all in one meal, all made from the same basic ingredients.
That is your average Sunday sermon: basics for those who are new, and something to chew on for those who are not. And the ones who don’t care can just sleep (although not too many do that). It takes a lot of preparation by the preacher, but it is worth it.
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
3 And God permitting, we will do so.
It is amazing to see long term members who still do not truly understand the way things are done in the Bible, or the real message God has for us in the Bible. This was especially apparent in the church group from which I came. Many of them honestly believed that Jesus came to promote non-instrumental worship and baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
When those things were minimized by others, they became mad. After all, wasn’t that the center of religion, wasn’t it pure religion and undefiled, wasn’t it the form of sound doctrine Paul spoke of in Romans 6? If not, why not?
And it seemed that all of the explaining in the world couldn’t show them why. They had studied for years with blinders on and could not understand the forest for the trees. They had become so involved in fine points that they couldn’t see the broader picture: the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6).
This, of course, is not just true with the Church of Christ. It is true with most churches. Each group considers its small defining characteristic as being from God and the center of theology.
The Baptists can’t see beyond “once saved always saved,” the Pentecostals think that tongue speaking is the greatest thing, legalists can’t see beyond the written word, liberals can’t see beyond their own desires, isolationists can’t see beyond their own group, compromisers can’t see beyond their own fear of confrontation, every church has its point or points and become hung up in them to the exclusion of the greater good and grace of God.
The writer says that what we need to do is move on from basics. All these things mentioned above are real and valid and important. However, to get hung up in any one of them is hurtful to the rest.
It makes us incapable of coming together with any real dialogue of growth and maturity because each person or group feels it must be agenda-driven; in turn, each group is afraid of the others’ agendas.
He says move on. Get beyond the basics and move into the real meat of the gospel. He says to go toward maturity, not talking again and again and again about repentance, and faith. By now we should have repented and had faith in God. Move on from baptism, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, eternal judgment, all those things that are basic. Move into growth, entering the real faith and maturity of the gospel.
The problem is, however, that study is painful. The more you know, the more you are responsible for. And, besides, a lot of study tends to point out the inadequacies we have in our lives, it shows how we have failed.
And that is never fun.
No one likes to venture into areas that might be painful, so what people do is specialize in stuff they already know. Since they know it already, they are on familiar ground and there is no fear of stepping off somewhere that they might feel uncomfortable.
This many times is fault of preachers. They know that people are uncomfortable with new ideas so they stay with the old. People like to be reminded of what they already know. It makes them feel superior and knowledgeable.
It is when a preacher gets into new and uncomfortable theology that people get antsy. That is the hardest part of ministry in many ways: the preaching. You have to talk to a group of people from all levels of understanding and feed them all. There has to be something for those who are new and don’t know much and there has to be something for those who are old in the faith and know a lot. Both need to be fed.
Your job as a pastor is to give each of them something to chew on. If you don’t, you have hurt one group or the other. Too much meat, and the babies starve. Too much baby food and the adults are stunted in their growth.
It is kind of like the chili supper I cooked for our Christmas party. I made a lot of chili for those who like chili. I also made a small bowl for those who like their chili stupidly hot, and another bowl of stew for those who digestive tracts can’t take chili.
Then there was cornbread for those who like chili but like it moderated with cornbread, and there was nothing for those who were too ornery to like what I cooked. Something for everybody all in one meal, all made from the same basic ingredients.
That is your average Sunday sermon: basics for those who are new, and something to chew on for those who are not. And the ones who don’t care can just sleep (although not too many do that). It takes a lot of preparation by the preacher, but it is worth it.
some thoughts on hebrews chapter 2
Looking at Hebrews 2, and some thoughts that come out of it.
I see the church as larger than one group and their wishes. I see it as the body of Christ universal which transcends any one building or group or even theological philosophy. I have always been blessed ( or cursed, depending on how you look at it), with a larger view of the church than those around me.
It has made it hard on my ministry, but I will not trade it for a housekeeping mentality.
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.
6 But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
7 You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor
8 and put everything under his feet."(Psalm 8:4-6) In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him.
That is part of what the writer says here in Hebrews: we are greater than our surroundings and have the world subjected to us. We stand in the presence and bloodline of Jesus Christ, the Holy Son of God, and as such we need to remember that.
We cannot let the petty things of this world weigh us down until we can no longer move.
We are not dependent on lawyers or judges to set us free. We are free by the precious blood of the Lamb. We have something the angels will never know: the saving grace of Jesus Christ and his love for us in spite of our own unworthiness.
They don’t know that and cannot know that because they have always stood in the presence of God and have always participated in his glory. For them to understand that would be like a eunuch from birth trying to understand what it would be like to go to bed with a woman; for a blind man from birth trying to understand what it would be like to paint a beautiful picture; for a man deaf from birth to try to understand what it would be like to listen to a really good jazz group.
The eunuch could read about it, the blind man could feel the textures of the painting, the deaf man could feel the vibrations of the instruments and beat and as such have at least a small participation in the event. But they could never understand the basic point of sex or color or harmony.
The angels can watch and listen and see, but cannot feel the joy in forgiveness, or the pleasure in the acceptance of God. They have always had it and cannot understand what it would be like to be without it.
The men you come in contact with are like that in some ways. They, on the other hand, have felt nothing more than the sorrow of blame, the guilt of shame, the knowledge of the lack of God.
You can bring that knowledge to them when they see you being loving anyway, being cheerful anyway, allowing the love of God to flow anyway.
Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
Of course, not even death is subject to Jesus yet. I Corinthians 15 says that the last enemy to be subjugated will be death, and that will only come when Jesus is finally glorified and is set up as King in his Kingdom.
That is why men can fly planes into buildings and kill thousands of innocent people, why wars go on, why there is sickness and pain and suffering.
As long as people have choices, there are also the consequences of those choices. At the end, when all is subjected to Jesus and he will be “all in all”, back to as he was in the beginning, then there will be no more pain nor sorrow not suffering, and as Revelation says, he shall wipe every tear from our eyes.
That, of course, is why some people are free physically and some are not. Sin has consequences and not always on the ones who sin. However, the child of God knows something that others may never know: the love and forgiveness of God. In that way, that child of God is more free than the others can ever imagine being.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
But here comes Jesus, come to show us how to overcome and to give us help in overcoming. Made like us and living like us. Philippians 2 says he was made in the form of a servant, and became obedient even to death on the cross.
He came to show us that God loved us. He also came to show us that those who died for him, whether literally physically or in giving up those things that kept them from him, would also be crowned with glory. Paul calls it the “crown of righteousness” which he says he will give anyone who waits for him (2 Timothy 4:6).
And the Hebrew writer says that we are both of the same family: the one who gives the holiness and the one who gets it. When we become a Christian, the blood of Jesus flows in our veins and we become God’s children as surely as Jesus himself is. And Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers.
I see the church as larger than one group and their wishes. I see it as the body of Christ universal which transcends any one building or group or even theological philosophy. I have always been blessed ( or cursed, depending on how you look at it), with a larger view of the church than those around me.
It has made it hard on my ministry, but I will not trade it for a housekeeping mentality.
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.
6 But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
7 You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor
8 and put everything under his feet."(Psalm 8:4-6) In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him.
That is part of what the writer says here in Hebrews: we are greater than our surroundings and have the world subjected to us. We stand in the presence and bloodline of Jesus Christ, the Holy Son of God, and as such we need to remember that.
We cannot let the petty things of this world weigh us down until we can no longer move.
We are not dependent on lawyers or judges to set us free. We are free by the precious blood of the Lamb. We have something the angels will never know: the saving grace of Jesus Christ and his love for us in spite of our own unworthiness.
They don’t know that and cannot know that because they have always stood in the presence of God and have always participated in his glory. For them to understand that would be like a eunuch from birth trying to understand what it would be like to go to bed with a woman; for a blind man from birth trying to understand what it would be like to paint a beautiful picture; for a man deaf from birth to try to understand what it would be like to listen to a really good jazz group.
The eunuch could read about it, the blind man could feel the textures of the painting, the deaf man could feel the vibrations of the instruments and beat and as such have at least a small participation in the event. But they could never understand the basic point of sex or color or harmony.
The angels can watch and listen and see, but cannot feel the joy in forgiveness, or the pleasure in the acceptance of God. They have always had it and cannot understand what it would be like to be without it.
The men you come in contact with are like that in some ways. They, on the other hand, have felt nothing more than the sorrow of blame, the guilt of shame, the knowledge of the lack of God.
You can bring that knowledge to them when they see you being loving anyway, being cheerful anyway, allowing the love of God to flow anyway.
Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
Of course, not even death is subject to Jesus yet. I Corinthians 15 says that the last enemy to be subjugated will be death, and that will only come when Jesus is finally glorified and is set up as King in his Kingdom.
That is why men can fly planes into buildings and kill thousands of innocent people, why wars go on, why there is sickness and pain and suffering.
As long as people have choices, there are also the consequences of those choices. At the end, when all is subjected to Jesus and he will be “all in all”, back to as he was in the beginning, then there will be no more pain nor sorrow not suffering, and as Revelation says, he shall wipe every tear from our eyes.
That, of course, is why some people are free physically and some are not. Sin has consequences and not always on the ones who sin. However, the child of God knows something that others may never know: the love and forgiveness of God. In that way, that child of God is more free than the others can ever imagine being.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
But here comes Jesus, come to show us how to overcome and to give us help in overcoming. Made like us and living like us. Philippians 2 says he was made in the form of a servant, and became obedient even to death on the cross.
He came to show us that God loved us. He also came to show us that those who died for him, whether literally physically or in giving up those things that kept them from him, would also be crowned with glory. Paul calls it the “crown of righteousness” which he says he will give anyone who waits for him (2 Timothy 4:6).
And the Hebrew writer says that we are both of the same family: the one who gives the holiness and the one who gets it. When we become a Christian, the blood of Jesus flows in our veins and we become God’s children as surely as Jesus himself is. And Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers.
the transfiguration
We were studying the Transfiguration in Wednesday night class a couple of years ago, the passage in Matthew 17. Jesus takes the three in his inner circle up to the top of a mountain.
An odd thing happened there. Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking to Jesus. Jesus begins to appear like the other two, radiant and transfigured. The apostles were frightened and Peter suggests in his moment of fear and awe that maybe they could build some little portable altars, booths, tabernacles to commemorate the event and worship those present.
At that point Moses and Elijah disappear and a voice from heaven rings out with This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear him. Jesus then does something he does on occasion: he tells them not to tell anyone else what happened.
The study on Wednesday nights was about Peter specifically, and his reactions and growth through these happenings. It was Peter who spoke up about worshipping everybody.
I am convinced that Peter did this simply because he thought it would make Jesus happy to be placed with Moses and Elijah on an equal plane. After all, it was Peter who said that Jesus was the Son of God back in Chapter 16.
What he didn’t understand was what Jesus was going to do as the Son of God? How would he act? What would they as his apostles do? Was the appearance of Moses and Elijah maybe heralding the beginning of his kingdom?
It was both exhilarating and scary for all three of the men as they saw this. But Peter, as he did so often, spoke through his fear; and as so often was the case, he said the wrong thing.
He didn’t do this because he was stupid or petty or short-sighted, necessarily. He was short-sighted, of course, all of them were. They didn’t have the perspective that we have today in being able to look at the entire plan laid out in outline form.
But it was short-sightedness born of ignorance, and not stupidity. He thought he was doing something good and honorable. “We’ll honor all three great prophets of God,” he said.
However, God didn‘t want all three great prophets honored. He wanted Jesus honored. Not that Moses and Elijah were any slackers, but that Jesus was the fulfillment of the plan that Moses and Elijah were merely part of.
What was the point of this narrative? The point was that you cannot place other things, things that are temporary and impermanent next the permanent. You can’t equate stuff with Jesus, no matter how important or earth-shakingly significant the stuff. Jesus is the Son of God and we will hear him, not other stuff.
Jesus is above all else.
There is nothing more important than him and God’s plan through him. Anyone who reduces the phenomenal grace of God and his matchless mercy to a religion that they pursue on Sundays misses the whole point. Jesus is all or nothing.
He says, “You either gather with me or you scatter abroad” (Matthew 12:30). We either worship him as Lord and Master of all or we don’t. He is everything or he is nothing.
In a church sense, we cannot equate Jesus with programs or anything else that helps to build up the body. He is the head and we are body and all we do is to serve him, not ourselves.
When we begin to place our own desires above him, we are with Peter offering to build multiple altars Churches that place their own theology or worship style or buildings or anything above Jesus are wrong.
We worship Jesus, not the way we sing, or our opinions on baptism or the Holy Spirit’s active intervention in our lives. We have those opinions, sure, and they are alright to have; but we have to remember that it is Jesus we serve, not theology, or buildings or programs or ministries.
An odd thing happened there. Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking to Jesus. Jesus begins to appear like the other two, radiant and transfigured. The apostles were frightened and Peter suggests in his moment of fear and awe that maybe they could build some little portable altars, booths, tabernacles to commemorate the event and worship those present.
At that point Moses and Elijah disappear and a voice from heaven rings out with This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear him. Jesus then does something he does on occasion: he tells them not to tell anyone else what happened.
The study on Wednesday nights was about Peter specifically, and his reactions and growth through these happenings. It was Peter who spoke up about worshipping everybody.
I am convinced that Peter did this simply because he thought it would make Jesus happy to be placed with Moses and Elijah on an equal plane. After all, it was Peter who said that Jesus was the Son of God back in Chapter 16.
What he didn’t understand was what Jesus was going to do as the Son of God? How would he act? What would they as his apostles do? Was the appearance of Moses and Elijah maybe heralding the beginning of his kingdom?
It was both exhilarating and scary for all three of the men as they saw this. But Peter, as he did so often, spoke through his fear; and as so often was the case, he said the wrong thing.
He didn’t do this because he was stupid or petty or short-sighted, necessarily. He was short-sighted, of course, all of them were. They didn’t have the perspective that we have today in being able to look at the entire plan laid out in outline form.
But it was short-sightedness born of ignorance, and not stupidity. He thought he was doing something good and honorable. “We’ll honor all three great prophets of God,” he said.
However, God didn‘t want all three great prophets honored. He wanted Jesus honored. Not that Moses and Elijah were any slackers, but that Jesus was the fulfillment of the plan that Moses and Elijah were merely part of.
What was the point of this narrative? The point was that you cannot place other things, things that are temporary and impermanent next the permanent. You can’t equate stuff with Jesus, no matter how important or earth-shakingly significant the stuff. Jesus is the Son of God and we will hear him, not other stuff.
Jesus is above all else.
There is nothing more important than him and God’s plan through him. Anyone who reduces the phenomenal grace of God and his matchless mercy to a religion that they pursue on Sundays misses the whole point. Jesus is all or nothing.
He says, “You either gather with me or you scatter abroad” (Matthew 12:30). We either worship him as Lord and Master of all or we don’t. He is everything or he is nothing.
In a church sense, we cannot equate Jesus with programs or anything else that helps to build up the body. He is the head and we are body and all we do is to serve him, not ourselves.
When we begin to place our own desires above him, we are with Peter offering to build multiple altars Churches that place their own theology or worship style or buildings or anything above Jesus are wrong.
We worship Jesus, not the way we sing, or our opinions on baptism or the Holy Spirit’s active intervention in our lives. We have those opinions, sure, and they are alright to have; but we have to remember that it is Jesus we serve, not theology, or buildings or programs or ministries.
city planners making traffic dividers
For the most part, we have loved living in Lincoln. It is not a big city and promises more than it can deliver. But still it seems to be a good place. It has a couple of malls and a lively downtown, plus other stuff. Not much music presence, but nothing I can do about that.
One thing is has that I hate, though, is the fact that city traffic planners from hell have obviously been given carte blanche to do what they want with the streets.
Every major street has a long divider going sometimes three or four blocks. This means you cannot turn off of most of the streets in town onto a major street without going right then making a U turn.
Fortunately, U turns are legal, but the sad thing is that you see sometimes five or six cars making the U turns.
There has also been a lot of money spent on traffic circles in some of the oddest places.
All of it is a massive waste of money, and of the motorists’ time
Nothing I can do about it, but I hate it.
One thing is has that I hate, though, is the fact that city traffic planners from hell have obviously been given carte blanche to do what they want with the streets.
Every major street has a long divider going sometimes three or four blocks. This means you cannot turn off of most of the streets in town onto a major street without going right then making a U turn.
Fortunately, U turns are legal, but the sad thing is that you see sometimes five or six cars making the U turns.
There has also been a lot of money spent on traffic circles in some of the oddest places.
All of it is a massive waste of money, and of the motorists’ time
Nothing I can do about it, but I hate it.
angels
I was looking in the Dollar Tree the other day and there was a large display of angels. Big ones, small ones, delicate ones, black ones, white ones, goofy ones – just about every kind of angel one could think of.
Of course, the only one they didn’t have were avenging angels like the Bible talks about. Those were no one to mess around with.
It seems that people love the idea of these ephemeral creatures flittering about with sweet sad eyes and blonde hair, creatures who could do no harm.
You remember that one angel killed the entire Assyrian army in the Old Testament, and one angel took all of the first born of the entire nation of Egypt.
These were tough angels, not little fairy creatures in the Precious Moments case. These characters were frightening.
I suppose that the character played by John Travolta in the movie Michael, in some ways, was more like an angel than any other. His angel was strong and in control and didn’t give a flip what others thought about him. Not that his was necessarily a biblical angel.
It was just that his angel seemed more in charge than so many.
In Hebrews 1, the writer says that angels were never intended to be a focal point of God’s creation. They were meant to be messengers, winds, flames of fire, anything else he wanted them to be; not focal points.
They are the wrapper that brought the present, not the present. They are the envelope that brought the message, not the message. It is kind of like falling in love with the postal carrier who brought you the letters from your wife.
Angels are just messengers designed to bring Jesus and his will into being. They are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. They serve us, which is hard to comprehend.
But, we do not worship them. We merely accept them as God’s messengers, his winds and flames of fire.
I guess there is nothing wrong with small representations of angels, any more than small representations of all of God’s people throughout the Old Testament.
It is when we get to worshipping them and placing them co-equal with Jesus that problems arise. Nothing of God’s creation is worth anything without God and outside of his plan. And with the plan of God ruling in our lives, everything will be good.
Of course, the only one they didn’t have were avenging angels like the Bible talks about. Those were no one to mess around with.
It seems that people love the idea of these ephemeral creatures flittering about with sweet sad eyes and blonde hair, creatures who could do no harm.
You remember that one angel killed the entire Assyrian army in the Old Testament, and one angel took all of the first born of the entire nation of Egypt.
These were tough angels, not little fairy creatures in the Precious Moments case. These characters were frightening.
I suppose that the character played by John Travolta in the movie Michael, in some ways, was more like an angel than any other. His angel was strong and in control and didn’t give a flip what others thought about him. Not that his was necessarily a biblical angel.
It was just that his angel seemed more in charge than so many.
In Hebrews 1, the writer says that angels were never intended to be a focal point of God’s creation. They were meant to be messengers, winds, flames of fire, anything else he wanted them to be; not focal points.
They are the wrapper that brought the present, not the present. They are the envelope that brought the message, not the message. It is kind of like falling in love with the postal carrier who brought you the letters from your wife.
Angels are just messengers designed to bring Jesus and his will into being. They are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. They serve us, which is hard to comprehend.
But, we do not worship them. We merely accept them as God’s messengers, his winds and flames of fire.
I guess there is nothing wrong with small representations of angels, any more than small representations of all of God’s people throughout the Old Testament.
It is when we get to worshipping them and placing them co-equal with Jesus that problems arise. Nothing of God’s creation is worth anything without God and outside of his plan. And with the plan of God ruling in our lives, everything will be good.
daily java redux
Daily Java: They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)
The old saying was that an army traveled on its stomach. As long as the food was plentiful, the work is not so bad.
Or at least, that is what I remember from being in the army.
In this verse, there is a lot of emphasis on the teaching and the praying and the commonality of all their possessions. That of course, is good. They are part of the bedrock of the work of the church.
But there was also an emphasis on the fact that the army of God in the book of Acts ate together maybe even every day. There was a lot of eating going on, anyway.
The same is true for the church today. God did not call us to fast or to deny. He called us to celebrate.
As the children of God, as the elect of heaven, we do things together to make us closer as Christians. And eating is a major part of that.
When we get together, we eat. That fact of eating together makes us more companionable, we get to know each other more, it just strengthens our bond.
When people miss potlucks or socials, they miss more than just dinner. They miss the gathering together of the people of God around the table for fellowship.
And, yes, a major part of fellowship is eating something. It is fun, it is enjoyable and it brings us together. Just like a family comes together around the table, so does a church. It is good and it is normal.
As long as they did this, they grew.
But I imagine that when they stopped, they ceased to grow. Just like we do when we stop hanging around together at church.
People are attracted to that and know when a group of people like each other enough to eat together. And it brings them into that fellowship.
The old saying was that an army traveled on its stomach. As long as the food was plentiful, the work is not so bad.
Or at least, that is what I remember from being in the army.
In this verse, there is a lot of emphasis on the teaching and the praying and the commonality of all their possessions. That of course, is good. They are part of the bedrock of the work of the church.
But there was also an emphasis on the fact that the army of God in the book of Acts ate together maybe even every day. There was a lot of eating going on, anyway.
The same is true for the church today. God did not call us to fast or to deny. He called us to celebrate.
As the children of God, as the elect of heaven, we do things together to make us closer as Christians. And eating is a major part of that.
When we get together, we eat. That fact of eating together makes us more companionable, we get to know each other more, it just strengthens our bond.
When people miss potlucks or socials, they miss more than just dinner. They miss the gathering together of the people of God around the table for fellowship.
And, yes, a major part of fellowship is eating something. It is fun, it is enjoyable and it brings us together. Just like a family comes together around the table, so does a church. It is good and it is normal.
As long as they did this, they grew.
But I imagine that when they stopped, they ceased to grow. Just like we do when we stop hanging around together at church.
People are attracted to that and know when a group of people like each other enough to eat together. And it brings them into that fellowship.
daily java
Daly Java: You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:1-4)
It seems that condemning each other is the thing we like to do most.
When many people think of church, they think of an place where everybody is dressed to the teeth and ready to look down their noses at those they consider their spiritual inferiors.
It makes for a lousy place to be.
We were acquainted with a church a few years ago whose ladies made it a point to tell any women who came in that they were to wear skirts, not pants to church.
Now they really thought they were doing good, and that they were doing the will of the Lord. But all they were doing was pushing their will on others.
Overlooking that rather glaring thing, they were a good church and friendly. And to their credit, they were not necessarily overly pushy on the dress thing, they just felt it was the proper response to worshipping God.
The problem is, we do not have the power nor permission to tell people how they have to dress or what they have to do in order to worship God.
Later on in Romans, the apostle Paul also says, Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4).
In other words, shut up and let God take care of what he wants. You don’t have to make up a bunch of stuff to be holy. You are holy if you are in God.
Hard to do it is, as Yoda would say. And it is hard to not try to force your own ideas of propriety or whatever on others.
Now we are not talking about sin, and things God called wrong. We are talking about judgment. Those who do so many times have glaring wrongs in their own lives, yet they place themselves as gatekeepers to the Kingdom of God. Their ideas are God’s ideas, they feel.
And they want you to feel as strongly about them as they do.
But they are wrong to mandate them to other children of God.
In fact, we are wrong to mandate anything of our opinion to other children of God. Fine to do them yourselves, but a sin to try and make others do them, too.
It seems that condemning each other is the thing we like to do most.
When many people think of church, they think of an place where everybody is dressed to the teeth and ready to look down their noses at those they consider their spiritual inferiors.
It makes for a lousy place to be.
We were acquainted with a church a few years ago whose ladies made it a point to tell any women who came in that they were to wear skirts, not pants to church.
Now they really thought they were doing good, and that they were doing the will of the Lord. But all they were doing was pushing their will on others.
Overlooking that rather glaring thing, they were a good church and friendly. And to their credit, they were not necessarily overly pushy on the dress thing, they just felt it was the proper response to worshipping God.
The problem is, we do not have the power nor permission to tell people how they have to dress or what they have to do in order to worship God.
Later on in Romans, the apostle Paul also says, Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4).
In other words, shut up and let God take care of what he wants. You don’t have to make up a bunch of stuff to be holy. You are holy if you are in God.
Hard to do it is, as Yoda would say. And it is hard to not try to force your own ideas of propriety or whatever on others.
Now we are not talking about sin, and things God called wrong. We are talking about judgment. Those who do so many times have glaring wrongs in their own lives, yet they place themselves as gatekeepers to the Kingdom of God. Their ideas are God’s ideas, they feel.
And they want you to feel as strongly about them as they do.
But they are wrong to mandate them to other children of God.
In fact, we are wrong to mandate anything of our opinion to other children of God. Fine to do them yourselves, but a sin to try and make others do them, too.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
daily java
Daily Java: Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases;
or he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.
Though while he lived he counted himself blessed – and men praise you when you prosper – he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life .
A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
(Psalm 49:16-20)
In Fiddler on the Roof, Rev Tevya, the main character, wanted to be a rich man. If he was rich, he felt, then he would not only have the things he wanted, he would also have respect. He would be invited to sit at the places of honor and people would defer to him.
His comment on the whole thing: when you are rich they think you really know.
People are awed by riches. I am not sure why, but the accumulation of a lot of money makes people respect you.
And when they respect you, they give you a lot more honor than you might deserve.
Someone who is rich is obviously successful in something, or they wouldn’t be rich.
But riches don’t mean everything.
Of course, not having them colors my perception, but I have known and seen some really stupid rich people.
Currently there have been two very wealthy young women put in jail for absolute rebellion. Both had problems with substance abuse and several other things, and because they were wealthy, they felt they were owed special privileges.
The problem is, they were given those privileges. And it hurt them badly.
People just feel uncomfortable not being deferential to wealth.
Riches have one problem, though. They can be lost. And besides that, they are absolutely untransferable to the next life.
The Pharaohs of Egypt thought they could do this. They were buried with the wealth and even some servants so they would be prepared in the next life.
Before long, of course, someone broke in and took their stuff. After all, when they died, it was no longer their stuff.
The old adage, you can’t take it with you, is true. When you die, you are no longer rich or poor. You are dead. And you go to God with what you have done for him and your relationship with him.
And a rich man who doesn’t understand that is no better than an animal. You could pile a bunch of stuff on a cat and when he died, he would be as rich as you when you died.
Easy to say and easy to write, but rich people are no different than others when it comes to their relationship to God. That is probably why Jesus wrote more on the vagaries of wealth than anything else.
Life in God is wealth, and the riches of his glory is wealth enough.
or he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.
Though while he lived he counted himself blessed – and men praise you when you prosper – he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life .
A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
(Psalm 49:16-20)
In Fiddler on the Roof, Rev Tevya, the main character, wanted to be a rich man. If he was rich, he felt, then he would not only have the things he wanted, he would also have respect. He would be invited to sit at the places of honor and people would defer to him.
His comment on the whole thing: when you are rich they think you really know.
People are awed by riches. I am not sure why, but the accumulation of a lot of money makes people respect you.
And when they respect you, they give you a lot more honor than you might deserve.
Someone who is rich is obviously successful in something, or they wouldn’t be rich.
But riches don’t mean everything.
Of course, not having them colors my perception, but I have known and seen some really stupid rich people.
Currently there have been two very wealthy young women put in jail for absolute rebellion. Both had problems with substance abuse and several other things, and because they were wealthy, they felt they were owed special privileges.
The problem is, they were given those privileges. And it hurt them badly.
People just feel uncomfortable not being deferential to wealth.
Riches have one problem, though. They can be lost. And besides that, they are absolutely untransferable to the next life.
The Pharaohs of Egypt thought they could do this. They were buried with the wealth and even some servants so they would be prepared in the next life.
Before long, of course, someone broke in and took their stuff. After all, when they died, it was no longer their stuff.
The old adage, you can’t take it with you, is true. When you die, you are no longer rich or poor. You are dead. And you go to God with what you have done for him and your relationship with him.
And a rich man who doesn’t understand that is no better than an animal. You could pile a bunch of stuff on a cat and when he died, he would be as rich as you when you died.
Easy to say and easy to write, but rich people are no different than others when it comes to their relationship to God. That is probably why Jesus wrote more on the vagaries of wealth than anything else.
Life in God is wealth, and the riches of his glory is wealth enough.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
the beatles
I have always been a fan of the Beatles, since their coming to America. I have also recognized them from the beginning as weird guys.
They are a perfect example of really good singers, but not really great guys. It is doubtful that, apart from their music and celebrity, the average person would even be able to stand them.
John was weird, Paul couldn't even read music and tried too hard to be cool, George was a Hare Krishna and Ringo was always kind of strange with his peace and love, peace and love.
Musically they were great, seminal performers who, single-handedly, changed the face of popular music. They picked up every fad that came along and, from all reports, argued constantly. It was no wonder they broke up.
John was considered to be the intellectual one but went on to make up silly songs. Stuff like "Give Peace a Chance", "Cold Turkey"; "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)"; "Mother"; "Power to the People"; "Imagine"; "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"; "Woman Is the Nigger of the World"; "Mind Games"; "Whatever Gets You thru the Night". Imagine had to have been the dumbest song ever written in the history of the world.
Paul went on to form Wings, which I did like, turned out some really good stuff including one symphony and kept his cool even in the midst of a bitter, acrimonious divorce. But his comments the other day at the Obama concert showed him to be a real fool.
George had a great look, but spent so much time singing about Hare Krishna and even got into a lawsuit over stealing the Chiffons’ song, He’s So Fine, and making it My Sweet Lord.
Two are dead, one tragically and one from excess. Paul is making a fool of himself with putting down President Bush, and Ringo is doing so by going around saying Peace and Love, Peace and Love.
I still like to hear them, but they are living proof that singers, though talented people, were just musicians.
Anytime we try to elevate musicians and actors above what they do, we get in trouble. Expertise in one thing
does not guarantee success in another. The Beatles were proof of that.
They are a perfect example of really good singers, but not really great guys. It is doubtful that, apart from their music and celebrity, the average person would even be able to stand them.
John was weird, Paul couldn't even read music and tried too hard to be cool, George was a Hare Krishna and Ringo was always kind of strange with his peace and love, peace and love.
Musically they were great, seminal performers who, single-handedly, changed the face of popular music. They picked up every fad that came along and, from all reports, argued constantly. It was no wonder they broke up.
John was considered to be the intellectual one but went on to make up silly songs. Stuff like "Give Peace a Chance", "Cold Turkey"; "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)"; "Mother"; "Power to the People"; "Imagine"; "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"; "Woman Is the Nigger of the World"; "Mind Games"; "Whatever Gets You thru the Night". Imagine had to have been the dumbest song ever written in the history of the world.
Paul went on to form Wings, which I did like, turned out some really good stuff including one symphony and kept his cool even in the midst of a bitter, acrimonious divorce. But his comments the other day at the Obama concert showed him to be a real fool.
George had a great look, but spent so much time singing about Hare Krishna and even got into a lawsuit over stealing the Chiffons’ song, He’s So Fine, and making it My Sweet Lord.
Two are dead, one tragically and one from excess. Paul is making a fool of himself with putting down President Bush, and Ringo is doing so by going around saying Peace and Love, Peace and Love.
I still like to hear them, but they are living proof that singers, though talented people, were just musicians.
Anytime we try to elevate musicians and actors above what they do, we get in trouble. Expertise in one thing
does not guarantee success in another. The Beatles were proof of that.
these are the leaders of tomorrow
We were at the mall the other day. We like to go to look at the wackos.
Of course, there are not a pile of wackos in Nebraska. Most of them move to more urban areas like Kansas City. Now there is a collection of wackos.
But anyway, I saw a girl leading a guy around by a leash. She and he were dressed in the best new-style punk look, tattoos and piercings by the bucketful.
He had a studded collar around his neck with a chain leash held by the girl.
He didn’t really looked like he minded it.
But I did.
It was degrading on a level that truly bothered me. Degrading to him, of course, being treated as something that needed a leash, an animal. Degrading to her because she, like he, looked like it was just as normal as dirt to be leading a guy around on a leash. And degrading to me because it put me in the position of looking at something like that and being forced to accept it as normal.
Now, Ella and I went to a costume party many years ago in a similar costume. She was dressed as a queen or something and I was a virtually inarticulate barbarian. She had a leash around my neck just to keep me from rampaging or the like.
But that was a costume for a costume party on Halloween. We would never have dreamed of going to the mall and walked around looking at candles in Yankee Candle Company or Dillard’s.
It also made me rethink the costume. It was funny and people saw it as funny because we all know that I am an independent person and Ella does not rule me or tell me what to do. I am boss in our house (I hope she isn’t reading this).
But it was degrading to see them and I wonder how people perceived us, as gospel ministers, doing the same thing. Probably didn't think anything of it except that it was a rather inventive costume.
I feel for our children that such a thing would be considered the norm.
Of course, there was the guy yesterday with the cigarette stuck in his ear piercing hole. But he didn’t have a shirt pocket, so I guess he figured any port in a storm.
These are the leaders of tomorrow. Of course, I suppose that that was what a lot of adults thought of us at the time we were young.
Of course, there are not a pile of wackos in Nebraska. Most of them move to more urban areas like Kansas City. Now there is a collection of wackos.
But anyway, I saw a girl leading a guy around by a leash. She and he were dressed in the best new-style punk look, tattoos and piercings by the bucketful.
He had a studded collar around his neck with a chain leash held by the girl.
He didn’t really looked like he minded it.
But I did.
It was degrading on a level that truly bothered me. Degrading to him, of course, being treated as something that needed a leash, an animal. Degrading to her because she, like he, looked like it was just as normal as dirt to be leading a guy around on a leash. And degrading to me because it put me in the position of looking at something like that and being forced to accept it as normal.
Now, Ella and I went to a costume party many years ago in a similar costume. She was dressed as a queen or something and I was a virtually inarticulate barbarian. She had a leash around my neck just to keep me from rampaging or the like.
But that was a costume for a costume party on Halloween. We would never have dreamed of going to the mall and walked around looking at candles in Yankee Candle Company or Dillard’s.
It also made me rethink the costume. It was funny and people saw it as funny because we all know that I am an independent person and Ella does not rule me or tell me what to do. I am boss in our house (I hope she isn’t reading this).
But it was degrading to see them and I wonder how people perceived us, as gospel ministers, doing the same thing. Probably didn't think anything of it except that it was a rather inventive costume.
I feel for our children that such a thing would be considered the norm.
Of course, there was the guy yesterday with the cigarette stuck in his ear piercing hole. But he didn’t have a shirt pocket, so I guess he figured any port in a storm.
These are the leaders of tomorrow. Of course, I suppose that that was what a lot of adults thought of us at the time we were young.
changing my mind
I have changed my mind theologically dramatically over the past twenty years. What started out as absolutely immutable I soon found out wasn’t.
I still maintain a hard-core conservative view of Christianity (I believe in the virgin birth and in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, along with the infallibility of scripture), but I have moved from one side to the other when it comes to changing my view of how God works and what Christianity does.
In my life, there has been a shift from denominational conservatism to theological conservatism.
These are not the same, no matter what anyone says. Denominational conservatism means that you view your denomination as the standard of conservatism. Theological conservatism means that you are at the right (whether center or hard right) of the theological world in general.
I just read about Reinhold Niebuhr. From the little I have seen, he too made a strong move in his life. he evidently moved from viewing sin as the fault of society to viewing sin as the fault of our own pride. That is a long way to go.
He began as a liberal minister, turning to Neo-Orthodox theology, from liberation theology to a far more conservative view of sin.
He was a supporter of just war and was a phenomenal influence on a lot of politicians on both the left and the right, I suppose depending upon at what point in his writings they read him.
Both Obama and McCain viewed him as their favorite philosopher. So did Carter and Hillary Clinton.
A strange potpourri of politicians to go to the same font for inspiration.
Christian Century Magazine used to have a column on the back page, I believe, that was entitled something like “Why I Changed My Mind”. It was full of articles of people who had moved theologically, usually becoming liberal, since the magazine is liberal.
But it began me thinking (too much, according to some of my old colleagues) and the move was rather fast from then.
I began to move 25 years ago when I went through some difficulties in my life, my ministry and my marriage.
It began to be apparent to my limited knowledge that what I was defending was not necessarily the thing to be defended.
I was in a very conservative, opinion-as-theology-driven denomination and began to change my mind. Within ten years, I had to move out of it.
Then the Lord began to open my eyes further and I shifted even more.
But the thing is, I changed my mind.
It is always good to see others who have changed their minds, and fascinating to see the process.
More later.
I still maintain a hard-core conservative view of Christianity (I believe in the virgin birth and in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, along with the infallibility of scripture), but I have moved from one side to the other when it comes to changing my view of how God works and what Christianity does.
In my life, there has been a shift from denominational conservatism to theological conservatism.
These are not the same, no matter what anyone says. Denominational conservatism means that you view your denomination as the standard of conservatism. Theological conservatism means that you are at the right (whether center or hard right) of the theological world in general.
I just read about Reinhold Niebuhr. From the little I have seen, he too made a strong move in his life. he evidently moved from viewing sin as the fault of society to viewing sin as the fault of our own pride. That is a long way to go.
He began as a liberal minister, turning to Neo-Orthodox theology, from liberation theology to a far more conservative view of sin.
He was a supporter of just war and was a phenomenal influence on a lot of politicians on both the left and the right, I suppose depending upon at what point in his writings they read him.
Both Obama and McCain viewed him as their favorite philosopher. So did Carter and Hillary Clinton.
A strange potpourri of politicians to go to the same font for inspiration.
Christian Century Magazine used to have a column on the back page, I believe, that was entitled something like “Why I Changed My Mind”. It was full of articles of people who had moved theologically, usually becoming liberal, since the magazine is liberal.
But it began me thinking (too much, according to some of my old colleagues) and the move was rather fast from then.
I began to move 25 years ago when I went through some difficulties in my life, my ministry and my marriage.
It began to be apparent to my limited knowledge that what I was defending was not necessarily the thing to be defended.
I was in a very conservative, opinion-as-theology-driven denomination and began to change my mind. Within ten years, I had to move out of it.
Then the Lord began to open my eyes further and I shifted even more.
But the thing is, I changed my mind.
It is always good to see others who have changed their minds, and fascinating to see the process.
More later.
daily java
Daily Java: I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:10-14)
There has to be forward movement in Christianity. Nothing that is touched by the hand of God can ever remain static, except in the knowledge of his love and grace. And even that changes, in that it grows and matures.
It begins with the desire to know him, to know the power of his resurrection and fellowship of sharing in his sufferings. It begins with the desire to become like him in death and attain to the resurrection from the dead.
That is a beginning and an ending, both.
It is a beginning because we start at that knowledge of his love and the acceptance of that resurrection as ours.
It is an ending because we attain to it all our lives, striving to become both immersed in it and worthy of it.
But the only way to do all this is to put aside the things that came before, to forget what is behind and strain to what is ahead. The process is like trying your best to finish a race when you are tired, pressing on to the goal.
The only way to do it is to forget what is behind. A Christian cannot dwell on the past, either his successes or his failures.
The successes are gone and new ones need to be made. Over emphasis on past successes provokes both pride, the source of all evil, or malaise, a lack of desire to do more.
We have to keep on keeping on.
As to past sins and failures, the word says For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:11-13).
He does not remember past sins.1 Corinthians 3:11-15 says For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
God takes care of what we have done, good or bad.
Move on from the past. You certainly are not at the future yet, so keep on keeping on.
There has to be forward movement in Christianity. Nothing that is touched by the hand of God can ever remain static, except in the knowledge of his love and grace. And even that changes, in that it grows and matures.
It begins with the desire to know him, to know the power of his resurrection and fellowship of sharing in his sufferings. It begins with the desire to become like him in death and attain to the resurrection from the dead.
That is a beginning and an ending, both.
It is a beginning because we start at that knowledge of his love and the acceptance of that resurrection as ours.
It is an ending because we attain to it all our lives, striving to become both immersed in it and worthy of it.
But the only way to do all this is to put aside the things that came before, to forget what is behind and strain to what is ahead. The process is like trying your best to finish a race when you are tired, pressing on to the goal.
The only way to do it is to forget what is behind. A Christian cannot dwell on the past, either his successes or his failures.
The successes are gone and new ones need to be made. Over emphasis on past successes provokes both pride, the source of all evil, or malaise, a lack of desire to do more.
We have to keep on keeping on.
As to past sins and failures, the word says For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:11-13).
He does not remember past sins.1 Corinthians 3:11-15 says For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
God takes care of what we have done, good or bad.
Move on from the past. You certainly are not at the future yet, so keep on keeping on.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
dressing your age
At the mall tonight, we saw a woman who was probably at least 75 years old, wearing a tight knit shirt with a short, mid thigh length flouncy skirt. Her hair was died red and she was wearing flip flops.
I wrote a little bit back about people dressing their age.
What is it about our generation that refuses to grow out of what they were or did when they were young?
Looking at her, I was reminded of the song, Delta Dawn, that Helen Reddy sang. It was about an older woman who had been jilted as a young woman and became mentally unhinged as a result. She wore the rose every day that she was supposed to wear to meet the man, but the rose was long ago faded.
As I looked at the woman at the mall, I felt sorry for her and also for all the people of my generation and thereabouts that cannot move on from their past.
It is sad.
I wrote a little bit back about people dressing their age.
What is it about our generation that refuses to grow out of what they were or did when they were young?
Looking at her, I was reminded of the song, Delta Dawn, that Helen Reddy sang. It was about an older woman who had been jilted as a young woman and became mentally unhinged as a result. She wore the rose every day that she was supposed to wear to meet the man, but the rose was long ago faded.
As I looked at the woman at the mall, I felt sorry for her and also for all the people of my generation and thereabouts that cannot move on from their past.
It is sad.
our generation needs to grow up
When we were young, we felt that we had life by the tail. When we got older, we realized that we had something by the tail and we were afraid to let go.
The problem is that we boomers seem to have, as one young man put it, a “cultural death grip.”
Listen to the music in the stores. It is ours. Listen to the music being used to sell stuff on TV and radio. It is also ours. Our groups drives advertising and just about everything else.
It is no wonder that younger people get irritated with us.
I asked my son one day what music did he think he would be listening to when he was my age. His response: probably yours.
I am not sure what we have done to our kids, but there is no real culture at their age.
When we were young, we listened to a shared music, had probably the first nationally shared interests in the history of the world.
A lot of that was because of television. We could see stuff and could want to become a part of it immediately. And it was fun.
The Beatles came on Ed Sullivan and we were enthralled. Overnight, schools had to ban Beatle haircuts. We saw protests and heard music and watched a war that we were winning at one time be trashed by news anchors and bought into it all.
But as we got older, especially since there were so many of us, we began to like to remember. And our remembering, little by little began to take over society,
Before long, everywhere you went, our music had replaced the Muzak general music in stores and in the mall.
Everybody got to listen to our music. Everybody, no matter what their preference, got to participate in the boomer rock culture. Ads on TV had it, young bands began to cover the music.
Everywhere you looked, everywhere you listened, our music ruled.
But was that good? But you ask, what harm can come from it, from listening to music we heard almost half a century ago.
The one thing that happened badly was the inability of the boomer generation, the children of the 60’s to grow up. The music was a constant reminder of when we were young and carefree.
It was almost as if the universe stopped about 1980. We didn’t really want to grow up, just sit and listen to oldies and remember.
It was as if, also, as if our parents played nothing but 20’s music and we grew up listening to nothing but that.
It is understandable that our children get annoyed and the young man called for the day when the cultural death grip of the boomers was released.
Of course, the problem is that there is nothing to replace it. Music in the past 20 years, at least, is a wasteland.
What’s the answer. I do not know. I like to listen to oldies, but I have to admit, it makes a restlessness within me to be back when I was young. And I remember too much.
Sooner or later you have to get older, and put away childish things.
Our generation needs to let go and grow up.
The problem is that we boomers seem to have, as one young man put it, a “cultural death grip.”
Listen to the music in the stores. It is ours. Listen to the music being used to sell stuff on TV and radio. It is also ours. Our groups drives advertising and just about everything else.
It is no wonder that younger people get irritated with us.
I asked my son one day what music did he think he would be listening to when he was my age. His response: probably yours.
I am not sure what we have done to our kids, but there is no real culture at their age.
When we were young, we listened to a shared music, had probably the first nationally shared interests in the history of the world.
A lot of that was because of television. We could see stuff and could want to become a part of it immediately. And it was fun.
The Beatles came on Ed Sullivan and we were enthralled. Overnight, schools had to ban Beatle haircuts. We saw protests and heard music and watched a war that we were winning at one time be trashed by news anchors and bought into it all.
But as we got older, especially since there were so many of us, we began to like to remember. And our remembering, little by little began to take over society,
Before long, everywhere you went, our music had replaced the Muzak general music in stores and in the mall.
Everybody got to listen to our music. Everybody, no matter what their preference, got to participate in the boomer rock culture. Ads on TV had it, young bands began to cover the music.
Everywhere you looked, everywhere you listened, our music ruled.
But was that good? But you ask, what harm can come from it, from listening to music we heard almost half a century ago.
The one thing that happened badly was the inability of the boomer generation, the children of the 60’s to grow up. The music was a constant reminder of when we were young and carefree.
It was almost as if the universe stopped about 1980. We didn’t really want to grow up, just sit and listen to oldies and remember.
It was as if, also, as if our parents played nothing but 20’s music and we grew up listening to nothing but that.
It is understandable that our children get annoyed and the young man called for the day when the cultural death grip of the boomers was released.
Of course, the problem is that there is nothing to replace it. Music in the past 20 years, at least, is a wasteland.
What’s the answer. I do not know. I like to listen to oldies, but I have to admit, it makes a restlessness within me to be back when I was young. And I remember too much.
Sooner or later you have to get older, and put away childish things.
Our generation needs to let go and grow up.
WWJD
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. (John 14:8-10)
WWJD. It got a lot of attention paid to it a few years ago.
A lot of people used it and overused it and it got on a lot of products and made people some money. It even got tiresome seeing after a while.
Only one thing, though. It was absolutely true.
And the way the devil makes something irrelevant to us is to make it commonplace.
We saw WWJD so much it became commonplace and lost its edge. Before long we saw all kinds of variations, WWJB (who would Jesus bomb – talking about the war), WWJD (what would Jesus drive – talking about electric cars) WW other people’s initials D, all kinds of trash, all piggybacking on this little abbreviation.
After a while, it became almost embarrassing, it had been used so much.
But it was still true.
Jesus was the manifestation of God in human form. In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form said Colossians 2:9. When we saw Jesus, we saw God. When Jesus did stuff, it was like God doing that stuff himself.
Jesus came to show us how God would act if he were a real person instead of a Great Spirit in the Sky.
And it stands to reason that if we are Christ followers, we are going to do our level best to be like him. Everything we do should be governed by what he would do.
It is like Peter walking on water in Matthew 14. He asked Jesus to let him come on the water to him, and Jesus said, come on. But when Peter took his off Jesus, he sank.
As long as he did what Jesus did, he was fine.
When we wonder what to do, we do what Jesus did. We act as Jesus acted.
When we would be faced with situations, we would ask: WWJD? What would Jesus do?
As overused and commercial s it became, it was still absolutely, and vitally true.
When it ceases being true in your life, you need to step back and take stock of yourself and your life, because you have lost the main focus. You have taken your eyes of Jesus.
And you sink in life.
DWJD. Do what Jesus did.
WWJD. It got a lot of attention paid to it a few years ago.
A lot of people used it and overused it and it got on a lot of products and made people some money. It even got tiresome seeing after a while.
Only one thing, though. It was absolutely true.
And the way the devil makes something irrelevant to us is to make it commonplace.
We saw WWJD so much it became commonplace and lost its edge. Before long we saw all kinds of variations, WWJB (who would Jesus bomb – talking about the war), WWJD (what would Jesus drive – talking about electric cars) WW other people’s initials D, all kinds of trash, all piggybacking on this little abbreviation.
After a while, it became almost embarrassing, it had been used so much.
But it was still true.
Jesus was the manifestation of God in human form. In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form said Colossians 2:9. When we saw Jesus, we saw God. When Jesus did stuff, it was like God doing that stuff himself.
Jesus came to show us how God would act if he were a real person instead of a Great Spirit in the Sky.
And it stands to reason that if we are Christ followers, we are going to do our level best to be like him. Everything we do should be governed by what he would do.
It is like Peter walking on water in Matthew 14. He asked Jesus to let him come on the water to him, and Jesus said, come on. But when Peter took his off Jesus, he sank.
As long as he did what Jesus did, he was fine.
When we wonder what to do, we do what Jesus did. We act as Jesus acted.
When we would be faced with situations, we would ask: WWJD? What would Jesus do?
As overused and commercial s it became, it was still absolutely, and vitally true.
When it ceases being true in your life, you need to step back and take stock of yourself and your life, because you have lost the main focus. You have taken your eyes of Jesus.
And you sink in life.
DWJD. Do what Jesus did.
from a news source today
From a news source today:
Girl, 17, arrested for putting Lysol in mother's juice. The mom reported a burning sensation in her throat, but she didn't want to be taken to the hospital. (Fosters.com)
Mom charged after cleaning bathroom with son's toothbrush. Images The mother told police that the bathroom hadn't been cleaned in two months, "so she cleaned it for her son using his toothbrush, which she put back in the holder for his use." He claims it had feces on it. (LehighValleyLive.com)
Don't send nude photos to your girlfriend if mom shares the phone. An 18-year-old man was cited for disorderly conduct after he sent a nude picture of himself to his 17-year-old girlfriend. Her mother, who also uses the phone, saw the photo first. (BrookfieldNow.com)
It makes you wonder where our world is headed.
There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good,
not even one."(Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20)
Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit."
The poison of vipers is on their lips."(Psalm 5:9)
Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." (Psalm 10:7)
Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know." (Psalm 10:7)
There is no fear of God before their eyes."
(Romans 3:10-18)
Of course, the same thing was a problem in the New Testament when Paul wrote this. And it was obviously a problem before him, because he quotes so many Old Testament passages in what he says.
I suppose it has always been that way, and always will be.
But in our country, it has only come up recently and it seems that our country is on its last legs. And it hurts.
Girl, 17, arrested for putting Lysol in mother's juice. The mom reported a burning sensation in her throat, but she didn't want to be taken to the hospital. (Fosters.com)
Mom charged after cleaning bathroom with son's toothbrush. Images The mother told police that the bathroom hadn't been cleaned in two months, "so she cleaned it for her son using his toothbrush, which she put back in the holder for his use." He claims it had feces on it. (LehighValleyLive.com)
Don't send nude photos to your girlfriend if mom shares the phone. An 18-year-old man was cited for disorderly conduct after he sent a nude picture of himself to his 17-year-old girlfriend. Her mother, who also uses the phone, saw the photo first. (BrookfieldNow.com)
It makes you wonder where our world is headed.
There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good,
not even one."(Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20)
Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit."
The poison of vipers is on their lips."(Psalm 5:9)
Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." (Psalm 10:7)
Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know." (Psalm 10:7)
There is no fear of God before their eyes."
(Romans 3:10-18)
Of course, the same thing was a problem in the New Testament when Paul wrote this. And it was obviously a problem before him, because he quotes so many Old Testament passages in what he says.
I suppose it has always been that way, and always will be.
But in our country, it has only come up recently and it seems that our country is on its last legs. And it hurts.
cursing
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:35-37)
I have noticed lately that Christians are becoming more profane.
When I was in high school back in the 60’s, someone commented on one boy who tended to curse. They mentioned it around some girls and one of the girls said, well he respects us and doesn’t curse around girls.
Nowadays, the girls are the ones that curse as much as the boys.
Back in the day, as my son says, people were careful of their speech around a preacher. That didn’t bother me much as I hate profanity. I had a problem with it when I was in the army and just do not like it.
Nowadays, people do not care who is listening. Preachers, women, children, the Lord.
After all, he hears everything you say. And there will come a time when you will have to tell him why you said that stuff.
He will save you, he will give you a place in heaven because you are a child of his. That is true. As I have said before, we are not saved or condemned because of what we have done, we are saved or lost because of who we are: children of God or children of darkness.
But – and here is the rub – we are going to have to explain in some way, I don’t know how, why we talked like we did, why we did the stupid things we did, all of that.
Uncomfortable to think about. Kind of like explaining the Playboy collection your mother found under your mattress. Or explaining the porn links on your computer to your wife. Or telling someone whose feelings you hurt when you made that off-handed comment that cost you your friendship.
Not something I want to do.
I have noticed lately that Christians are becoming more profane.
When I was in high school back in the 60’s, someone commented on one boy who tended to curse. They mentioned it around some girls and one of the girls said, well he respects us and doesn’t curse around girls.
Nowadays, the girls are the ones that curse as much as the boys.
Back in the day, as my son says, people were careful of their speech around a preacher. That didn’t bother me much as I hate profanity. I had a problem with it when I was in the army and just do not like it.
Nowadays, people do not care who is listening. Preachers, women, children, the Lord.
After all, he hears everything you say. And there will come a time when you will have to tell him why you said that stuff.
He will save you, he will give you a place in heaven because you are a child of his. That is true. As I have said before, we are not saved or condemned because of what we have done, we are saved or lost because of who we are: children of God or children of darkness.
But – and here is the rub – we are going to have to explain in some way, I don’t know how, why we talked like we did, why we did the stupid things we did, all of that.
Uncomfortable to think about. Kind of like explaining the Playboy collection your mother found under your mattress. Or explaining the porn links on your computer to your wife. Or telling someone whose feelings you hurt when you made that off-handed comment that cost you your friendship.
Not something I want to do.
mistaking cultural conditioning for biblical teaching
I read somewhere recently that Americans frequently mistake cultural conditioning for Biblical teaching.
That is true. Of course, it is hard to imagine cultures other than your own and you live in yours. You not only live in it, you are immersed in it. You think it is normal to do what you do.
For instance, we eat three meals a day in America. That is not the case in a lot of countries. Nor is it the case in much of history. It is only relatively recently that people did that.
However, if we do not get our “three hots and a cot” we get all worried. Things are out of whack and it bothers us.
The same with how we view things.
Alcohol was not viewed as a sin until in the latter part of the 19th century with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Prohibition came out of that and a lot of “biblical teaching” that many times was not true.
In Jesus’ day, alcohol consumption was common. The water was bad and the only way to drink it was to cut it with wine so that the alcohol killed the bacteria. Jesus himself was called a wine-bibber and the apostles were accused of being drunk. Neither denied the consumption of wine, just the charge of excess.
Much of our whole way of looking at things is based on our culture. And there is nothing wrong with that.
After all, this is where we live.
On the other hand, other cultures are not perfect either. Public nudity is common in Europe, but that doesn’t make public nudity right. Many Muslim cultures feel honor killings – the killing of a girl because she will not obey her parents or her husband – is fine, but that is a reprehensible custom. Some of the Indian cultures in North America viewed hospitality as the lending of one’s wife to a visitor for the night. Obviously I would not care for that, in addition to the fact that adultery is always wrong.
The same with a lot of other cultures.
The thing is, because a culture has a certain custom does not make the custom right or wrong. And you cannot preach that custom, no matter how good it may be, as Christian. Biblical teaching is based on the Bible, not on what we want.
That is a mistake that many missionaries have made in the past: trying to get the “natives” to become more American in their viewpoint instead of biblical.
The word of God is a flexible, one size fits all document made to fit any culture, no matter who diverse from any other it may be. There are immutable rights and wrongs, but there is also a lot of gray area.
The Lord is God and his word is great. Remember that when you try to make others fit your idea of God.
More later.
That is true. Of course, it is hard to imagine cultures other than your own and you live in yours. You not only live in it, you are immersed in it. You think it is normal to do what you do.
For instance, we eat three meals a day in America. That is not the case in a lot of countries. Nor is it the case in much of history. It is only relatively recently that people did that.
However, if we do not get our “three hots and a cot” we get all worried. Things are out of whack and it bothers us.
The same with how we view things.
Alcohol was not viewed as a sin until in the latter part of the 19th century with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Prohibition came out of that and a lot of “biblical teaching” that many times was not true.
In Jesus’ day, alcohol consumption was common. The water was bad and the only way to drink it was to cut it with wine so that the alcohol killed the bacteria. Jesus himself was called a wine-bibber and the apostles were accused of being drunk. Neither denied the consumption of wine, just the charge of excess.
Much of our whole way of looking at things is based on our culture. And there is nothing wrong with that.
After all, this is where we live.
On the other hand, other cultures are not perfect either. Public nudity is common in Europe, but that doesn’t make public nudity right. Many Muslim cultures feel honor killings – the killing of a girl because she will not obey her parents or her husband – is fine, but that is a reprehensible custom. Some of the Indian cultures in North America viewed hospitality as the lending of one’s wife to a visitor for the night. Obviously I would not care for that, in addition to the fact that adultery is always wrong.
The same with a lot of other cultures.
The thing is, because a culture has a certain custom does not make the custom right or wrong. And you cannot preach that custom, no matter how good it may be, as Christian. Biblical teaching is based on the Bible, not on what we want.
That is a mistake that many missionaries have made in the past: trying to get the “natives” to become more American in their viewpoint instead of biblical.
The word of God is a flexible, one size fits all document made to fit any culture, no matter who diverse from any other it may be. There are immutable rights and wrongs, but there is also a lot of gray area.
The Lord is God and his word is great. Remember that when you try to make others fit your idea of God.
More later.
Daily Java
Daily Java: You are my King and my God, who decrees victories. (Psalm 44:3)
Life is a fight from beginning to end. And it is hard.
We look to try to win, to try to come out, if not on top, at least somewhere near the middle.
The problem is, however, that we really don’t have that much control over stuff.
We work hard and save and are thrifty, and the stock market dives and all our money is gone. Or there is a severe illness and we break ourselves financially. Or retirement doesn’t go like we thought, and we have to use our savings.
We work out and keep our bodies healthy, and a devastating illness comes along and ruins us physically.
We have children and train them up in the way they should go, spend money on their teeth and education, and love them and a drunk driver hit their car and they die early.
We plan for retirement and how we will travel and see stuff, and your husband dies the day after he retires and you are alone.
Life is a fight from beginning to end. And no one guarantees any kind of good ending. God surely doesn’t. At least not in life.
But even when stuff gets bad, when all our investments are gone, our children are gone, our health is gone, our mates are gone – God is still there.
And here is what is something else, really amazing. He has decreed victory from the beginning.
He said, live in me, love me, accept me as your God and there will be victory.
You may be beaten, battered, alone, sick at the end of your life, but God will still be in charge. And you come out of this life a winner, a victor.
He will give to us that crown of righteousness that the apostle Paul wrote of. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
No matter how it goes in life, it ends in victory.
And God has said so.
Life is a fight from beginning to end. And it is hard.
We look to try to win, to try to come out, if not on top, at least somewhere near the middle.
The problem is, however, that we really don’t have that much control over stuff.
We work hard and save and are thrifty, and the stock market dives and all our money is gone. Or there is a severe illness and we break ourselves financially. Or retirement doesn’t go like we thought, and we have to use our savings.
We work out and keep our bodies healthy, and a devastating illness comes along and ruins us physically.
We have children and train them up in the way they should go, spend money on their teeth and education, and love them and a drunk driver hit their car and they die early.
We plan for retirement and how we will travel and see stuff, and your husband dies the day after he retires and you are alone.
Life is a fight from beginning to end. And no one guarantees any kind of good ending. God surely doesn’t. At least not in life.
But even when stuff gets bad, when all our investments are gone, our children are gone, our health is gone, our mates are gone – God is still there.
And here is what is something else, really amazing. He has decreed victory from the beginning.
He said, live in me, love me, accept me as your God and there will be victory.
You may be beaten, battered, alone, sick at the end of your life, but God will still be in charge. And you come out of this life a winner, a victor.
He will give to us that crown of righteousness that the apostle Paul wrote of. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
No matter how it goes in life, it ends in victory.
And God has said so.
Monday, July 26, 2010
daily java
Daily Java: I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40:1-3)
You go along for a while and nothing is good. Then something happens. It is really not much, just a small thing. But it is a positive thing.
And when it does, your whole perspective is changed. What was bad is now good, what was sad is now happy.
It is kind of weird, really, that something can change so rapidly. But it can.
We wait for the Lord. That is hard. We know that he has his own time table and will do things when he pleases. He is after all, God.
And a god who is on call to our whims is not really a god. He is a sham.
It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. That is Philippians 2:13 and is absolutely true. He does things when he is ready. And you wait for him.
Then, when he does work in you, when he moves to change something, when he lifts you out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, things are great. Suddenly your feet are on a rock, a firm place. You don’t feel like everything is going to hell in a handbasket.
There is joy in your demeanor, happiness in your heart, a new song in your mouth. You suddenly feel like praising. And people see that difference.
What caused it, they ask. You say, oh, nothing in particular. I just feel as though God has moved in my life.
The psalmist is speaking somewhat metaphorically, of course, when he says that they will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Sometimes they just think you are weird.
But you know, and you tell them about it, if they will listen.
And you sing the new song.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40:1-3)
You go along for a while and nothing is good. Then something happens. It is really not much, just a small thing. But it is a positive thing.
And when it does, your whole perspective is changed. What was bad is now good, what was sad is now happy.
It is kind of weird, really, that something can change so rapidly. But it can.
We wait for the Lord. That is hard. We know that he has his own time table and will do things when he pleases. He is after all, God.
And a god who is on call to our whims is not really a god. He is a sham.
It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. That is Philippians 2:13 and is absolutely true. He does things when he is ready. And you wait for him.
Then, when he does work in you, when he moves to change something, when he lifts you out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, things are great. Suddenly your feet are on a rock, a firm place. You don’t feel like everything is going to hell in a handbasket.
There is joy in your demeanor, happiness in your heart, a new song in your mouth. You suddenly feel like praising. And people see that difference.
What caused it, they ask. You say, oh, nothing in particular. I just feel as though God has moved in my life.
The psalmist is speaking somewhat metaphorically, of course, when he says that they will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Sometimes they just think you are weird.
But you know, and you tell them about it, if they will listen.
And you sing the new song.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
daily java
Daily Java: Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
When I was younger I thought this meant that God would give us whatever we wanted if we would serve him.
As I get older, I realize that there is more to this that what I thought earlier.
If we serve God (ie delight in him), if we give our lives to him, love him, he will give us the desires of our heart.
In other words, he will cause in us to happen that which is what we need to be truly happy.
What is it? I do not know. I do know, however, that it is what finishes you in his will, what completes you in his service.
There is something you are uniquely talented towards, something that only you can do. That is the desire of your heart.
Of course, that means that you may be beating your head against a wall for years trying to do something you are not talented for. The problem is that you cannot gain that desire of your heart through any action of yours.
It does mean that when you give your life to him, he gives it back with joy
The desires of your heart. Happiness.
When I was younger I thought this meant that God would give us whatever we wanted if we would serve him.
As I get older, I realize that there is more to this that what I thought earlier.
If we serve God (ie delight in him), if we give our lives to him, love him, he will give us the desires of our heart.
In other words, he will cause in us to happen that which is what we need to be truly happy.
What is it? I do not know. I do know, however, that it is what finishes you in his will, what completes you in his service.
There is something you are uniquely talented towards, something that only you can do. That is the desire of your heart.
Of course, that means that you may be beating your head against a wall for years trying to do something you are not talented for. The problem is that you cannot gain that desire of your heart through any action of yours.
It does mean that when you give your life to him, he gives it back with joy
The desires of your heart. Happiness.
Friday, July 23, 2010
daily java
Daily Java: Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you. (Acts 24:24-25)
That can be a problem. You know you need to do something, but you do not want to do it.
Maybe you are living in a way that you like, or maybe feel you cannot change without a lot of effort. Maybe you are caught in a situation that to change it would be earth-shattering. Maybe you are just too lazy to change, or it would just be too hard.
Felix, the governor here, had a lot of respect for the apostle Paul, but he also had a lot of fear of the Jews. They could cause a lot of trouble and headaches for him and he just didn’t want to mess with them.
Whatever the reason, his problem was that he knew Paul was right. He needed to change and he didn’t want to.
We get in that problem a lot ourselves. We need to change our way of eating, or we need to do more exercise, or we need to get rid of a friend that is hurting us. Maybe the nights out where we drink too much cause a lot of problems with our family. Maybe just a little thing like a car that is causing us so much expense but we like it.
Whatever it is, we need to change, but we just feel it is too much trouble. After all, we like the food we eat, or the friends we have. Sure, they are hurting us, but changing just seems too hard.
Changing is hard. But sometimes we have to. Felix recognized that he needed to quit being the person he was and be something better.
But after all, he was a Roman governor, a position he didn’t get by being a good guy, for sure. And to change, he would have to give up a lot of stuff that he thought was fun.
He thought, there will come a time when I can do all this, and then I will listen.
We don’t know what happened, but chances are, he never found the time.
Then he died and it was too late.
I hope that doesn’t happen to you.
That can be a problem. You know you need to do something, but you do not want to do it.
Maybe you are living in a way that you like, or maybe feel you cannot change without a lot of effort. Maybe you are caught in a situation that to change it would be earth-shattering. Maybe you are just too lazy to change, or it would just be too hard.
Felix, the governor here, had a lot of respect for the apostle Paul, but he also had a lot of fear of the Jews. They could cause a lot of trouble and headaches for him and he just didn’t want to mess with them.
Whatever the reason, his problem was that he knew Paul was right. He needed to change and he didn’t want to.
We get in that problem a lot ourselves. We need to change our way of eating, or we need to do more exercise, or we need to get rid of a friend that is hurting us. Maybe the nights out where we drink too much cause a lot of problems with our family. Maybe just a little thing like a car that is causing us so much expense but we like it.
Whatever it is, we need to change, but we just feel it is too much trouble. After all, we like the food we eat, or the friends we have. Sure, they are hurting us, but changing just seems too hard.
Changing is hard. But sometimes we have to. Felix recognized that he needed to quit being the person he was and be something better.
But after all, he was a Roman governor, a position he didn’t get by being a good guy, for sure. And to change, he would have to give up a lot of stuff that he thought was fun.
He thought, there will come a time when I can do all this, and then I will listen.
We don’t know what happened, but chances are, he never found the time.
Then he died and it was too late.
I hope that doesn’t happen to you.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
daily java
Daily Java: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer. (Romans 6:1-2).
I was a youth pastor several years ago and decided to have a circle on the floor in the old auditorium. I tossed an afro comb (which I used at the time) to one of the boys and said tell us what God has done for you and then toss it to someone else.
He went into this long drawn out thing about how much he had sinned and God had forgiven him and how grateful he was.
He tossed the comb to another boy who went into the same thing. He tossed it to a third who did the same thing.
The third boy tossed it to a girl who sat for a moment looking somewhat embarrassed. She finally said, well, I haven’t really done that much wrong.
I reached over and took the comb back and stopped the confession fest.
The girl was embarrassed because she didn’t have a whole litany of things wrong that God had forgiven her for. She felt she just didn’t have that much grace in her life.
The boys, on the other hand (and I think they were lying for the most part) felt that they had been greater recipients of the grace of God because they had been stupid and made bad choices.
I was talking to a guy several years ago, also, who told me that people could not witness to people they didn’t understand. In other words, it took a crook to witness to another crook, or on in that same vein. After all, if you had not done the time, you could not understand the crime and therefore couldn’t counsel the criminal.
Baloney.
Jesus never did anything wrong, yet he is our leader in all we do. It doesn’t take a murderer to counsel a murderer nor a thief for a thief. Quite frankly, I would rather go to someone who had lived their life well to get answers than to someone who had royally screwed up. The person who had gone through the problems of life without falling down had far more answers than the one who was weak and had to turn around.
That isn’t to say that the second person can’t do good, but why would you go to a person who had so messed up to get answers?
I have known a couple of marriage and family counselors who were good at what they did, but who had been married several times and their kids wouldn’t even talk to them. Sure, they had a great abstract knowledge of what they talked about and they were, indeed, disinterested parties.
But their messing up did not qualify them as experts.
Some have the idea that the more you sin, the greater within the grace of God you are. And that is not true.
To sin relying on his grace is a dangerous path to take.
Yes, he will forgive anything (except the refusal to accept him in your life, of course).
But his forgiveness, even though at times his grace had to pile on you like a bunch of rugs, it doesn’t make you more holy.
Live in him in such a way that you remain pure and holy.
I was a youth pastor several years ago and decided to have a circle on the floor in the old auditorium. I tossed an afro comb (which I used at the time) to one of the boys and said tell us what God has done for you and then toss it to someone else.
He went into this long drawn out thing about how much he had sinned and God had forgiven him and how grateful he was.
He tossed the comb to another boy who went into the same thing. He tossed it to a third who did the same thing.
The third boy tossed it to a girl who sat for a moment looking somewhat embarrassed. She finally said, well, I haven’t really done that much wrong.
I reached over and took the comb back and stopped the confession fest.
The girl was embarrassed because she didn’t have a whole litany of things wrong that God had forgiven her for. She felt she just didn’t have that much grace in her life.
The boys, on the other hand (and I think they were lying for the most part) felt that they had been greater recipients of the grace of God because they had been stupid and made bad choices.
I was talking to a guy several years ago, also, who told me that people could not witness to people they didn’t understand. In other words, it took a crook to witness to another crook, or on in that same vein. After all, if you had not done the time, you could not understand the crime and therefore couldn’t counsel the criminal.
Baloney.
Jesus never did anything wrong, yet he is our leader in all we do. It doesn’t take a murderer to counsel a murderer nor a thief for a thief. Quite frankly, I would rather go to someone who had lived their life well to get answers than to someone who had royally screwed up. The person who had gone through the problems of life without falling down had far more answers than the one who was weak and had to turn around.
That isn’t to say that the second person can’t do good, but why would you go to a person who had so messed up to get answers?
I have known a couple of marriage and family counselors who were good at what they did, but who had been married several times and their kids wouldn’t even talk to them. Sure, they had a great abstract knowledge of what they talked about and they were, indeed, disinterested parties.
But their messing up did not qualify them as experts.
Some have the idea that the more you sin, the greater within the grace of God you are. And that is not true.
To sin relying on his grace is a dangerous path to take.
Yes, he will forgive anything (except the refusal to accept him in your life, of course).
But his forgiveness, even though at times his grace had to pile on you like a bunch of rugs, it doesn’t make you more holy.
Live in him in such a way that you remain pure and holy.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
daily java
Daily Java: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. (James 1:19-20)
The other day, a government official was forced to resign because of comments she had made which indicated a strong racially prejudiced view. The video of her speech was all over the internet and the network news channels.
As I watched it, my thought was that she needed to resign. In fact, my thought was that she needed not only to resign, but to maybe even become homeless and broke. She admitted that she had expressed overt prejudice in preferring black farmers over white ones in giving out loans and expressing strong prejudicial views against white people. She used her office to show her prejudice.
She was forced to resign as several institutions, including the White House and her own NAACP, ordered her to resign. One even told her to pull over to the side of the road and resign on the spot.
She did.
Then it came out that the speech was only a small part of a larger speech in which she told how she overcame those feelings of prejudice in her life. As it turned out, she was talking about things that had happened 25 years ago before she had changed her views.
The little short video was only a part of a larger speech. Out of context, she was horribly guilty of prejudice. In context, she was fine.
In my own life, I have been the victim of out of context statements. I have also known several who were also victims.
A preacher I respected as a young man had this happen to him. He was a “rising star” in the Church of Christ in the late 1960’s when the movie Midnight Cowboy came out.
Since it was an X rated movie, it was widely excoriated by the church community, which in the late 60’s, early 70’s was quite powerful.
The producers offered free tickets to Houston area ministers to see it to see if there were any redeeming qualities in it. Several took them up on it. When it was finished, the ministers roundly condemned the movie. The young preacher – his name was John, too – was asked, were there any redeeming qualities in the movie at all? His answer was that yes, there were, the results of a life lived without God.
The next day the papers read, Area Minister sees X Rated Movie as Good. It ruined him. The churches in the Houston area quickly jumped on him and drove him ultimately out of the ministry. He was a good man making an honest comment to a reporter who had an agenda.
It hurt the woman in this particular situation. The one who released the video was one I respect, but in this case it was wrong of him. I suppose the only thing that came out of this was the fact that all of the audience (a NAACP event) were shouting agreement like they were in a church service. That was particularly noxious. But it was not to her debit. She was relating a past experience to show that one can change.
Any time we see something, we need to weigh it. Unfortunately, churches are all too often the first to condemn and the last to admit fault.
In this situation, everyone jumped to condemn. The president of the NAACP was at the event, yet he also condemned. He had heard the whole talk, but all he saw was the potential damage to his cause. The same with the White House.
But the same thing happens all too often. We are quick to judge. And as much as I hate it, and hate having it done to me, I was quick to judge. I suppose that it fit with my own preconceptions of the NAACP and so I bought it easily.
She was angry, and I do not blame her. She was unfairly and unduly attacked. To be used as a sacrificial lamb by national organizations for no real purpose except fear of exposure is bad.
I hope that the next time, I listen and question a little more.
The other day, a government official was forced to resign because of comments she had made which indicated a strong racially prejudiced view. The video of her speech was all over the internet and the network news channels.
As I watched it, my thought was that she needed to resign. In fact, my thought was that she needed not only to resign, but to maybe even become homeless and broke. She admitted that she had expressed overt prejudice in preferring black farmers over white ones in giving out loans and expressing strong prejudicial views against white people. She used her office to show her prejudice.
She was forced to resign as several institutions, including the White House and her own NAACP, ordered her to resign. One even told her to pull over to the side of the road and resign on the spot.
She did.
Then it came out that the speech was only a small part of a larger speech in which she told how she overcame those feelings of prejudice in her life. As it turned out, she was talking about things that had happened 25 years ago before she had changed her views.
The little short video was only a part of a larger speech. Out of context, she was horribly guilty of prejudice. In context, she was fine.
In my own life, I have been the victim of out of context statements. I have also known several who were also victims.
A preacher I respected as a young man had this happen to him. He was a “rising star” in the Church of Christ in the late 1960’s when the movie Midnight Cowboy came out.
Since it was an X rated movie, it was widely excoriated by the church community, which in the late 60’s, early 70’s was quite powerful.
The producers offered free tickets to Houston area ministers to see it to see if there were any redeeming qualities in it. Several took them up on it. When it was finished, the ministers roundly condemned the movie. The young preacher – his name was John, too – was asked, were there any redeeming qualities in the movie at all? His answer was that yes, there were, the results of a life lived without God.
The next day the papers read, Area Minister sees X Rated Movie as Good. It ruined him. The churches in the Houston area quickly jumped on him and drove him ultimately out of the ministry. He was a good man making an honest comment to a reporter who had an agenda.
It hurt the woman in this particular situation. The one who released the video was one I respect, but in this case it was wrong of him. I suppose the only thing that came out of this was the fact that all of the audience (a NAACP event) were shouting agreement like they were in a church service. That was particularly noxious. But it was not to her debit. She was relating a past experience to show that one can change.
Any time we see something, we need to weigh it. Unfortunately, churches are all too often the first to condemn and the last to admit fault.
In this situation, everyone jumped to condemn. The president of the NAACP was at the event, yet he also condemned. He had heard the whole talk, but all he saw was the potential damage to his cause. The same with the White House.
But the same thing happens all too often. We are quick to judge. And as much as I hate it, and hate having it done to me, I was quick to judge. I suppose that it fit with my own preconceptions of the NAACP and so I bought it easily.
She was angry, and I do not blame her. She was unfairly and unduly attacked. To be used as a sacrificial lamb by national organizations for no real purpose except fear of exposure is bad.
I hope that the next time, I listen and question a little more.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
angels unaware
Hebrews 13:1-3 Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
The other day, I was trying to get Ella to hurry up and get out of the van at WalMart so I could get a parking space that was really near to the door.
After all, I want to walk all over WalMart but I do not want to walk the extra 100 feet to the door.
She doesn’t move fast anymore and she was trying to, but it took her a bit and in the meantime, someone drove into the space.
I had to go ten spaces down and park.
When I got out and walked by the car, an elderly nun got out of the car. You know how you are when confronted with nuns. Not sure how to act, eve though I am not a Catholic. But still, society has ingrained a an odd feeling around nuns into us.
As I was walking up near her, a girl with Down’s Syndrome started jumping up and down in pleasure, laughing and clapping her hands. I don’t know how old she was, since it is a bit hard with Down’s Syndrome people, but she was probably in her 20’s, maybe 30’s.
Her pleasure was so obvious at seeing the nun who stole my parking space.
You could tell the nun was not sure who she was, but her mother/caregiver called her name so the nun could hear it and told her in a conversational tone, like she was talking to the girl, why the girl was so happy to see her.
She had obviously been in the nun’s school class at some time in the past and remembered her with great affection.
They talked as I walked by and I was glad I had lost my parking space to her.
If she had to take the one I got, she would probably not have gotten there in time to talk to the girl.
Sometimes inconveniences are good and help others.
Made the walk better.
The other day, I was trying to get Ella to hurry up and get out of the van at WalMart so I could get a parking space that was really near to the door.
After all, I want to walk all over WalMart but I do not want to walk the extra 100 feet to the door.
She doesn’t move fast anymore and she was trying to, but it took her a bit and in the meantime, someone drove into the space.
I had to go ten spaces down and park.
When I got out and walked by the car, an elderly nun got out of the car. You know how you are when confronted with nuns. Not sure how to act, eve though I am not a Catholic. But still, society has ingrained a an odd feeling around nuns into us.
As I was walking up near her, a girl with Down’s Syndrome started jumping up and down in pleasure, laughing and clapping her hands. I don’t know how old she was, since it is a bit hard with Down’s Syndrome people, but she was probably in her 20’s, maybe 30’s.
Her pleasure was so obvious at seeing the nun who stole my parking space.
You could tell the nun was not sure who she was, but her mother/caregiver called her name so the nun could hear it and told her in a conversational tone, like she was talking to the girl, why the girl was so happy to see her.
She had obviously been in the nun’s school class at some time in the past and remembered her with great affection.
They talked as I walked by and I was glad I had lost my parking space to her.
If she had to take the one I got, she would probably not have gotten there in time to talk to the girl.
Sometimes inconveniences are good and help others.
Made the walk better.
daily java
"The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)
I have read a lot of things lately and there are a couple of things that bother me about our country.
First is the recent Appeals Court ruling that cursing is fine on TV. European TV is fast and loose with everything including nudity. There are those who are almost desperate to have us be like them.
Of course, their society is dying, public nudity is acceptable, the church is virtually non-existent, and they do not have enough chidlren born to support those who are retiring.
I don’t really want our country to be like that.
Second is that the Health and Human Services Department is giving Pennsylvania $160 million to set up a new high-risk insurance pool that will cover any abortion that is legal in the state. That is from CNSNews on the web. It was promised that taxpayers would not pay for abortion and it was not true.
One good note is that the American Civil Liberties Union sent Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson a letter asking her to end her habit of opening some staff meetings with a prayer. Her response: she said it is a voluntary practice that she has no plans to discontinue. According to the article, her devout Christian faith is no secret and she plans to continue.
The world (ie satan, the prince of darkness) wants to destroy our civilization and to try to convince our young people that this country was never intended to be a Christian country anyway. And that Christianity is not all that great.
He is doing everything he can do to tear. And those who help him have been fooled into thinking that God is not real, and if he is real, he is not all that important.
The problem is, a religion you can leave at home or church when you go places is not worth having. And a god who doesn’t care is not a god. He is an idol. The idol here is the desire to do what you want no matter the consequences.
If more people stood up like Mrs Thompson, more good things will happen.
And the fools would be silenced.
I have read a lot of things lately and there are a couple of things that bother me about our country.
First is the recent Appeals Court ruling that cursing is fine on TV. European TV is fast and loose with everything including nudity. There are those who are almost desperate to have us be like them.
Of course, their society is dying, public nudity is acceptable, the church is virtually non-existent, and they do not have enough chidlren born to support those who are retiring.
I don’t really want our country to be like that.
Second is that the Health and Human Services Department is giving Pennsylvania $160 million to set up a new high-risk insurance pool that will cover any abortion that is legal in the state. That is from CNSNews on the web. It was promised that taxpayers would not pay for abortion and it was not true.
One good note is that the American Civil Liberties Union sent Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson a letter asking her to end her habit of opening some staff meetings with a prayer. Her response: she said it is a voluntary practice that she has no plans to discontinue. According to the article, her devout Christian faith is no secret and she plans to continue.
The world (ie satan, the prince of darkness) wants to destroy our civilization and to try to convince our young people that this country was never intended to be a Christian country anyway. And that Christianity is not all that great.
He is doing everything he can do to tear. And those who help him have been fooled into thinking that God is not real, and if he is real, he is not all that important.
The problem is, a religion you can leave at home or church when you go places is not worth having. And a god who doesn’t care is not a god. He is an idol. The idol here is the desire to do what you want no matter the consequences.
If more people stood up like Mrs Thompson, more good things will happen.
And the fools would be silenced.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
daly java
Daily Java: Pray continually. (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Prayer is our lifeline to God. In prayer we reconnect to the God that we serve. It is our pipeline to him and his favor.
It is hard to know someone or to love someone if you don’t know that person. We cannot truly serve God unless we know him. And we cannot know him unless we talk to him and get to know him.
The same is true with God.
When we pray – which is just an old word meaning to talk or to entreat – we connect to God and his being.
And prayer was meant for his people to use liberally and freely. As Hebrews says, we can boldly approach the throne of grace. We don’t have to make an appointment or stand in line or any of those things. We just come in and talk like our kids do with us.
Prayer was never intended to be used to rebuke others or to gripe in public. It was never intended to advance our own agendas.
If we gripe about things, we do it in private. The psalms are full of David especially griping to God about things that had gone wrong or people that had done wrong to him or to God.
Prayer was meant for us to call on him when we had trouble.
But corporate prayer – the prayer of people gathered together in his name - is meant to bring community concerns before the Father. Telling other people things you don’t like about them under the guise of prayer is not what God had in mind. It is foolishness masquerading as holiness.
Prayer is our hearts reaching out to our God. When you talk to him, it is like your children coming in and talking to you. Their hearts are reaching out to your heart and for a few moments, you share a great communion.
We often confuse prayer with a formal application of our desires and the occasional praise. We use stilted language and a formal manner as if we were addressing a government officer or one with whom we have little or nothing in common. Instead, we should speak as if we are coming into the presence of a trusted and loved parent, one with whom we have a good relationship, one we can talk to easily.
That is the lifeline. The more we talk to God, the more we will know him and he will know us. And the more that knowledge, the more the reconnection.
Prayer is our lifeline to God. In prayer we reconnect to the God that we serve. It is our pipeline to him and his favor.
It is hard to know someone or to love someone if you don’t know that person. We cannot truly serve God unless we know him. And we cannot know him unless we talk to him and get to know him.
The same is true with God.
When we pray – which is just an old word meaning to talk or to entreat – we connect to God and his being.
And prayer was meant for his people to use liberally and freely. As Hebrews says, we can boldly approach the throne of grace. We don’t have to make an appointment or stand in line or any of those things. We just come in and talk like our kids do with us.
Prayer was never intended to be used to rebuke others or to gripe in public. It was never intended to advance our own agendas.
If we gripe about things, we do it in private. The psalms are full of David especially griping to God about things that had gone wrong or people that had done wrong to him or to God.
Prayer was meant for us to call on him when we had trouble.
But corporate prayer – the prayer of people gathered together in his name - is meant to bring community concerns before the Father. Telling other people things you don’t like about them under the guise of prayer is not what God had in mind. It is foolishness masquerading as holiness.
Prayer is our hearts reaching out to our God. When you talk to him, it is like your children coming in and talking to you. Their hearts are reaching out to your heart and for a few moments, you share a great communion.
We often confuse prayer with a formal application of our desires and the occasional praise. We use stilted language and a formal manner as if we were addressing a government officer or one with whom we have little or nothing in common. Instead, we should speak as if we are coming into the presence of a trusted and loved parent, one with whom we have a good relationship, one we can talk to easily.
That is the lifeline. The more we talk to God, the more we will know him and he will know us. And the more that knowledge, the more the reconnection.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
dear dad
Dear Dad:
I was thinking about you on your birthday and want to wish you a Happy Birthday.
Since I am your oldest son (at 60 years old), I remember a long time and a lot of things.
One thing came to mind especially. You had a 1956 red and white Chrysler station wagon that you used as a work car back in the early 1960’s. It had a pushbutton transmission and seemed like a decent car. Of course,
I was only about 12 or so, I don’t remember exactly.
But one vacation, you worked for a construction company for the whole two weeks. Gerald, my little brother who is 3 years younger than me, and I rode our bicycles out to where you were working.
It was several miles and we felt almost like pioneers going a long distance. I had a red 24 inch bicycle with balloon tires, and Gerald had a more modern Schwinn-style bike. We got to your work place about quitting time, and you took us home in your station wagon.
It was a small thing, but one that I have remembered all of the rest of my life. I believe we went to the grand opening when it came on line. There were hot dogs and other prizes, and even an appearance of Cadet Don, a children’s program star on Channel 13. I remember that he was much smaller than I thought he would be. I found out later that almost every TV and even movie star are little.
Later, when I was grown, I went out with you on your job in your company car. This was after you had been promoted to the safety department. It was good being with you that day. I even had my first Slurpee that day from 7-11.
I have a lot of good memories about you and I recognize that you don’t remember them. But that is okay. I will remember them for you. One day, as we stand in the glorious presence of the Almighty Lord, our Healer,
I believe he will give you that remembering and will heal your memory. And if he doesn’t, it will not matter. We’ll still be there.
But for now, I will remember. But remember that I love you.
Johnny
I was thinking about you on your birthday and want to wish you a Happy Birthday.
Since I am your oldest son (at 60 years old), I remember a long time and a lot of things.
One thing came to mind especially. You had a 1956 red and white Chrysler station wagon that you used as a work car back in the early 1960’s. It had a pushbutton transmission and seemed like a decent car. Of course,
I was only about 12 or so, I don’t remember exactly.
But one vacation, you worked for a construction company for the whole two weeks. Gerald, my little brother who is 3 years younger than me, and I rode our bicycles out to where you were working.
It was several miles and we felt almost like pioneers going a long distance. I had a red 24 inch bicycle with balloon tires, and Gerald had a more modern Schwinn-style bike. We got to your work place about quitting time, and you took us home in your station wagon.
It was a small thing, but one that I have remembered all of the rest of my life. I believe we went to the grand opening when it came on line. There were hot dogs and other prizes, and even an appearance of Cadet Don, a children’s program star on Channel 13. I remember that he was much smaller than I thought he would be. I found out later that almost every TV and even movie star are little.
Later, when I was grown, I went out with you on your job in your company car. This was after you had been promoted to the safety department. It was good being with you that day. I even had my first Slurpee that day from 7-11.
I have a lot of good memories about you and I recognize that you don’t remember them. But that is okay. I will remember them for you. One day, as we stand in the glorious presence of the Almighty Lord, our Healer,
I believe he will give you that remembering and will heal your memory. And if he doesn’t, it will not matter. We’ll still be there.
But for now, I will remember. But remember that I love you.
Johnny
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
daily java
Daily Java: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35)
It is easy to see all of this around us as being permanent, but it will one day be gone.
The earth seems so permanent, so strong, so eternal. But it isn’t.
It is dying. Not because of global warming, or global cooling, or any of those other foolish inventions of humanity, but because it was never designed to last forever. It was designed to last as long as God wanted and then it would be destroyed.
It is dying. But is that so hard to believe? That the world can die?
Think about yourself. After all, your hair is grayer and there is less of it, you are older and weaker, even though you used to be strong. You are much more out of shape when you were younger, even last year.
Your house is having wear and tear, your favorite chair is wearing out and so is your car. Your favorite shirt is fading. Even your computer is out of date.
Everything Is wearing out. That is because nothing you own was designed to last forever.
The only thing that will last is the word of God. His truth alone is eternal, his ways alone are true, his will alone will prevail.
God can be truly objective. And the best thing about it is that we know he loves us.
It is easy to see all of this around us as being permanent, but it will one day be gone.
The earth seems so permanent, so strong, so eternal. But it isn’t.
It is dying. Not because of global warming, or global cooling, or any of those other foolish inventions of humanity, but because it was never designed to last forever. It was designed to last as long as God wanted and then it would be destroyed.
It is dying. But is that so hard to believe? That the world can die?
Think about yourself. After all, your hair is grayer and there is less of it, you are older and weaker, even though you used to be strong. You are much more out of shape when you were younger, even last year.
Your house is having wear and tear, your favorite chair is wearing out and so is your car. Your favorite shirt is fading. Even your computer is out of date.
Everything Is wearing out. That is because nothing you own was designed to last forever.
The only thing that will last is the word of God. His truth alone is eternal, his ways alone are true, his will alone will prevail.
God can be truly objective. And the best thing about it is that we know he loves us.
Monday, July 5, 2010
daily java
Daily Java: Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. (John 2:23-25)
Jesus knew that people would do anything to advance their own agenda, even to the point of tearing the church up. He knew that and he kept his own counsel about what he was doing. However, we know he was a sociable guy, doing his first miracle at a party, and was obviously someone that people liked to be around.
People will do anything to accomplish what they want. Whether it is a change they want, or that they want no change at all. They will sit at your table, eat your food and drink your coffee, while planning their coup. This is true, although I cannot understand it.
Even at his death, Jesus knew this. He said, Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. They thought they were doing things normally, when they were actually perverting the will of God.
People in the church think that what they are doing is normal and the way people do church. They, many times, do not realize that they are doing the opposite of what the will of God is.
Of course, sometimes they know, but do it anyway. In that way they are kind of like King Saul, who tried to kill David, knowing God’s favor was on David. He figured that if he killed David, God would have to go ahead and use him and Jonathan. He knew it was wrong, but felt compelled by his own feelings and desires to do it anyway.
I mean, I know why. It is a desire to be in charge that is so strong that one will tear up everything to get it. The fact that people are hurt is beside the point that you want to get something done. It is almost suicidal.
No real answers here, but it is a problem that besets every pastor.
I know why, but I do not understand it.
Jesus knew that people would do anything to advance their own agenda, even to the point of tearing the church up. He knew that and he kept his own counsel about what he was doing. However, we know he was a sociable guy, doing his first miracle at a party, and was obviously someone that people liked to be around.
People will do anything to accomplish what they want. Whether it is a change they want, or that they want no change at all. They will sit at your table, eat your food and drink your coffee, while planning their coup. This is true, although I cannot understand it.
Even at his death, Jesus knew this. He said, Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. They thought they were doing things normally, when they were actually perverting the will of God.
People in the church think that what they are doing is normal and the way people do church. They, many times, do not realize that they are doing the opposite of what the will of God is.
Of course, sometimes they know, but do it anyway. In that way they are kind of like King Saul, who tried to kill David, knowing God’s favor was on David. He figured that if he killed David, God would have to go ahead and use him and Jonathan. He knew it was wrong, but felt compelled by his own feelings and desires to do it anyway.
I mean, I know why. It is a desire to be in charge that is so strong that one will tear up everything to get it. The fact that people are hurt is beside the point that you want to get something done. It is almost suicidal.
No real answers here, but it is a problem that besets every pastor.
I know why, but I do not understand it.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
daily java
Daily Java: God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)
Freedom is strange. It means so many things to so many people and they are all different.
I was raised in America, of course, like most Americans. But my family came here from somewhere else, again like most people in America.
They came to America to be free. It was a different freedom for all of them.
It may have been economic freedom, or freedom to pursue their own interests. It may have been freedom from oppression.
For many it was the freedom of religion. They didn’t want to be told how to worship and in what churches that worship was acceptable.
Nobody comes to us to make us do otherwise. That is strange to us in America since we have that freedom and take it for granted.
That isn’t the case in many of the Muslim countries. The news (or at least the news that isn’t biased) tells of conversion squads that go through villages in Africa and some of the Asian countries forcibly converting people, maiming and raping those who refuse, killing pastors and leaders.
Of course, you also read of those in America that would like to curtail all mention of Jesus in society. There is even an organization called Americans for the Separation of Church and State that tries hard to squelch all mention of God anywhere.
The liberal school system tries hard to cut any mention of God. It seems that every week, I read of another lawsuit against a school system on behalf of freedom of speech in mentioning God. That may include t shirts with religious comment, prayers at lunch, having a Bible in open view in front of a teacher who is “offended” by it.
And it is a funny thing. Funny in an ironic sense, that is. These people would never be able be able to say what they want to say in any society that wasn’t Christian. It is only under that Christian framework that people have the ability to worship as they please.
Freedom means different things to different people. But to the Christ-follower, it means that he is no longer under the bonds of sin and death. He is free.
And he knows that God loves him. Love brings tremendous freedom.
Freedom is strange. It means so many things to so many people and they are all different.
I was raised in America, of course, like most Americans. But my family came here from somewhere else, again like most people in America.
They came to America to be free. It was a different freedom for all of them.
It may have been economic freedom, or freedom to pursue their own interests. It may have been freedom from oppression.
For many it was the freedom of religion. They didn’t want to be told how to worship and in what churches that worship was acceptable.
Nobody comes to us to make us do otherwise. That is strange to us in America since we have that freedom and take it for granted.
That isn’t the case in many of the Muslim countries. The news (or at least the news that isn’t biased) tells of conversion squads that go through villages in Africa and some of the Asian countries forcibly converting people, maiming and raping those who refuse, killing pastors and leaders.
Of course, you also read of those in America that would like to curtail all mention of Jesus in society. There is even an organization called Americans for the Separation of Church and State that tries hard to squelch all mention of God anywhere.
The liberal school system tries hard to cut any mention of God. It seems that every week, I read of another lawsuit against a school system on behalf of freedom of speech in mentioning God. That may include t shirts with religious comment, prayers at lunch, having a Bible in open view in front of a teacher who is “offended” by it.
And it is a funny thing. Funny in an ironic sense, that is. These people would never be able be able to say what they want to say in any society that wasn’t Christian. It is only under that Christian framework that people have the ability to worship as they please.
Freedom means different things to different people. But to the Christ-follower, it means that he is no longer under the bonds of sin and death. He is free.
And he knows that God loves him. Love brings tremendous freedom.
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