Restlessness

 June 30, 2021

“There was silence, and i heard a still voice.” —Job 4:16

A.B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance wrote about hearing from God. Given that distractions are far more prevalent in today’s world than in his, his words bear repeating in their entirety.

“A score of years ago, a friend placed in my hand a book called True Peace. It was an old mediaeval message, and it had but one thought—that God was waiting in the depths of my being to talk to me if I would only get still enough to hear his voice.

“I thought this would be a very easy matter, and so began to get still. But I had no sooner commenced than a perfect pandemonium of voices reached my ears, a thousand clamoring notes from without and within, until I could hear nothing but their noise and din.

“Some were my own voices, my own questions,some my very prayers. Others were suggestions of the tempter and the voices from the world’s turmoil.

“In every direction I was pulled and pushed and greeted with noisy acclamations and unspeakable unrest. I t seemed necessary fo r me to listen to some of them and to answer some of them; but God said, “Be still and know that I am God.” Then came the conflict of thoughts for tomorrow, and it’s duties and cares; but God said, “Be still.”

“And as I listened, and slowly learned to obey, and shut my ears to every sound, I found after a while that when the other voices ceased, or I ceased to hear them, there was a still small voice in the depths of my being that began to speak with an inexpressible tenderness, power and comfort.

“As I listened, it became to me the voice of prayer, the voice of wisdom, the voice of duty, and I did not need to think so hard, or pray so hard, or trust so hard; but that “still small voice” of the Holy Spirit in my heart was God’s prayer in my secret soul, was God’s answer to all my questions, was God’s life and strength for soul and body, and became the substance of all knowledge, and all prayer, and all blessing: for it was the living GOD Himself as my life, my all.

“It is thus that our spirit drinks in the life of our risen Lord, and we go forth to life’s conflicts and duties like a flower that has drunk in, through the shades of night, the cool and crystal drops of dew. But as dew never falls on a stormy night, so the dews of His grace never come to the restless soul.”

Images

 June 29, 2021

Interesting what a photo can do. Earlier today, I posted a photo of my Ural so I could connect with a gentleman who followed me to the inspection station this morning just to inquire about it. A host of comments followed the posting of this image.

Images have power. I don’t know how it works, but there is something about an image that reaches deep inside us, which is one of the reasons why they were forbidden to the ancient Israelites. Especially forbidden were any images intended to represent God himself. Human beings are the only image of God we are permitted. The earliest text—Genesis—says that God made us in his own image. There is something about us that reflects the very nature of God; imperfectly, to be sure, but however flawed and distorted that image becomes through sin, it still remains. 

St. Paul tells us that image is perfected in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). Jesus himself said it when he told Philip, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father (John 14:9). Just as the photo of my bike garnered attention, so we are to draw attention to Jesus, who points us to his Father. 

Lord, may it be so.

Storms

June 28, 2021

Yesterday as pastor Joe preached, he pointed out something in the text (Mark 4:35-41) I hadn’t before noticed. It’s the first account we have of Jesus stilling a storm on the sea, the second coming from the 6th chapter of Mark’s gospel. In v. 35 of this first account, Jesus says to his disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side.” When the storm arose, they said to him, “Don’t you care we’re about to drown?” Somehow, it didn’t occur to them that Jesus had called them to the other side, not to the middle of the lake. Joe’s point was, “Whatever Jesus says will happen, will happen—every time. He doesn’t make promises he can’t or won’t keep.” 

And yet, as we read so many times in the Gospels, they are afraid…in this case, because they were looking at the storm instead of the Savior. They figured that because he was asleep, he had no authority and they were therefore left to their own devices. It often seems that way to us—Jesus must be asleep; after all, the storm continues to blow and it looks like we’re going down. But Jesus asleep in our boat is better than our best efforts in his absence. In the 6th chapter, they are once again in a storm, but this time Jesus is still on dry land, or so they think. It says there that they were straining at the oars, giving it their best effort to no avail. And when Jesus showed up, it scared them, just as it did here when he calmed the sea. They were afraid of the storm, but also afraid of the calm. 

We’ve all felt that one way or another. The storm blows and we’re afraid we aren’t going to make it. Everything we counted on evaporated—job, marriage, kids, friends, health. The storm blows hard. But when comes the calm, we’re just as fearful, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Jesus’ words apparently didn’t calm their fears, it just changed the focus of them. 1 John 4:18 tells us how to get rid of fear: perfect love. We are tempted to answer, “but my love isn’t perfect; that’s why I am still afraid.” No, our love is always imperfect, but God’s love for us is not. If we want to be rid of fear, it will come when we are able to grasp hold of God’s perfect love for us.

There is another facet to facing our fears. 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us of the spiritual nature of fear when it says, “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.” Fear is not merely an emotion; it is a literal spirit that oppresses, destroys, and defeats too many people, Christians included. Until we recognize it for what it is, it continues to hide in the shadows, ambushing us as we walk by. Recognizing it, confronting it in the power of the Holy Spirit and by the love of God is how this spirit is cast out in the Name of Jesus. And how to tell if this spirit is nipping at your heels? The divine counterpart to fear is power, love, and a sound mind. When we recognize that we have power, ie control over our inner lives, when we understand how great is the love of the Father towards us, when we refuse to let fear fog our thinking, and when we take our eyes off the storm and fix them on Jesus, fear has to leave.

There is a bonus to all this. In v.36 of Mark’s story, he inserts a little phrase: “there were other little boats with him.” When he calmed the sea for his disciples, he also calmed it for those other little boats. We don’t face life’s storms in isolation, and when we allow Jesus to calm the storm in our hearts, it has a ripple effect, calming the storm for others, too. I know that when i am agitated, Linda feels the effect of the storm, and when Jesus calms it in me, he calms it for her, too. Whether at home, at school, at work, in the community, in church, stormy people carry their tempest with them, and it riles the waters of all who come near them. Conversely, when we hear Jesus calm our storm, the sailing is pleasant for others, too.

 

Trespassers

 June 27, 2021

It amazes me how a Scripture so familiar I know it by heart can catch me by surprise with conviction. This morning in worship, we again prayed the Lord’s Prayer together. For some, it may be something spoken by rote, but today when we came to where the prayer says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” I was snapped to attention by the words.

Two days ago, I wrote about the kids at the swimming hole who were acting disrespectfully and defiantly, even refusing to leave when told. They were in a word, trespassing, and I was not happy with them. As it turns out, so was I, and though unhappy with me, God forgave me. Now he is giving me the opportunity to put into practice the prayer we pray every week, with the clear caveat: if I refuse to forgive their trespass, I have no reason to expect I’ll be treated any differently than I treat these rebellious, disrespectful, difficult, but also lost and hurting kids. 

Though the day was hot and muggy, and our side yard is almost overflowing with community people enjoying the water, this particular bunch of boys have kept a pretty low profile, so I suspect I’ll have to keep an eye peeled for them. But search for them, I will, because that’s what Jesus did for me, and I cannot in good conscience pray his prayer if I haven’t forgiven, ie, let go of, that trespass, and made an effort to eliminate it. The only way to ensure they do not trespass again is to welcome them as if our property were theirs. The boundaries will still be in place—not merely the geographical boundaries, but the ethical and spiritual boundaries as well. 

Next Sunday, i hope to again pray that prayer in a more personal way, with a joyful heart and a clear conscience: “Forgive me my trespasses, as I forgive those who trespass against me.”

By My Side

 June 26, 2021

It’s been a busy day. After cleaning up the branches we trimmed from our trees yesterday, our Cuban friend Willie and his driver Matt spent the day with us. We talked of the ministry in Cuba, of the dire straits in which Cubans find themselves due to the pandemic, of what part we have to play in all of it. After dinner with our friends Beth and Harry, it was time for Willie and Matt to leave, and just like that, the day was over. 

When I retired, I fully expected to be spending more time in Cuba. Plans were in the works to make two or three extended trips per year, but one roadblock after another cropped up. First, Willie had to come to the states for an extended period of time—two full years between trips. Then my friend and Cuban mentor Joel, who organized our trips and encouraged me to step out on my own down there, died, followed by COVID hitting both here and there. We were inconvenienced by it; Cuba was devastated, and the borders remain pretty much closed. 

So here I am, seven years into retirement and no closer to my retirement goals than the day I stepped down from the pulpit that last time. It’s unsettling to feel adrift, but that’s where I am.In years gone by, I would have thrown in the towel, thinking I had misread God’s plans. Tonight, I’m thinking instead that I’m being tested to see how much I want it. Abraham waited fifteen years between first hearing God’s promise and hearing baby Isaac cry. Joseph languished in an Egyptian prison for perhaps seventeen years before becoming vice-regent to pharaoh. Moses wandered the deserts of Midian for forty years before the bush burned, and even the great apostle Paul spent years in the desert learning to hear God’s voice before he exploded on the ancient world with heart afire with the Gospel. So I’m in good company, and can wait. 

When reading the Bible, we are seeing the highlights of people’s lives. Answered prayers are recorded, but we must dig if we are to discern the waiting that brought the answers. So tonight after everyone had left, I sat on the swing in the dusk, drinking in the coolness of the evening and watching the light fade. Linda came and sat by my side, offering the gift of silent presence. I talked; she listened, and we sat silently. I still don’t have the answers I’m looking for; sometimes I’m not even sure I know the questions, but I have by my side someone who is willing to wait with me for a message not meant for her. This is a precious gift straight from the Father’s heart, and for it, I am deeply thankful tonight.

 June 25, 2021

It’s never a bad idea to review and evaluate how you handled a confrontation. Our side yard is a gathering area for village kids and area families as it’s the only way to get to the swimming hole in the creek. This afternoon, a family with young children were swimming when about half a dozen of the village kids arrived. Normally, it wouldn’t have been a problem except one of them decided it would be a good idea to jump off the bridge into the water. Even that wouldn’t have been much of a problem except for the little kids swimming in the water below him. When I told him not to do this, he started giving some attitude, prompting me to order him off the bridge. He threw one leg over the guard rail and sat there, whereupon I told him he was no longer allowed on the property. 

We talked it out, I relented and went back into the house. A few minutes later, the father of the family rang our doorbell. “They were flipping you off and dropping the F-bomb, so I decided to take my kids out of there. I thought you ought to know.” 

“You aren’t the ones who are going to leave,” I responded, and headed down to the creek. When I told the kids they had to go home, one of the others started getting cocky, telling me he wasn’t going anywhere and I couldn’t make him.

“You can’t touch me,” he sneered. “No one can tell me I can’t cuss and swear wherever I want!” I reminded him this was private property. He began to posture. “I’m not afraid of you,” as he puffed out his chest in a demonstration designed to impress the girls present. He and two of his buddies finally stormed off to the road where they stayed in an attempt to flaunt their immunity. They finally left.

We had a graduation to attend, so the incident ended and we drove off, leaving me to ponder how I might better have handled the situation. I’ve considered our swimming hole an opportunity for witness to the Gospel, but it’s a bit difficult to witness to kids you’ve banned from the property. And these are the ones who need Christ the most. So I’m praying for wisdom, to know how to reopen a door I had to close for the sake of the family with young children. These kids are known around town and by the sheriff’s department, and need more than adult disapproval. So I’m praying, and invite you to do the same.

Getting Up

 June 24, 2021

For many reasons, Psalm 37 is one of my favorites, but its division of mankind into wicked and righteous bothers me. I don’t like to think of myself as wicked, but I hardly can claim to be righteous. The psalm doesn’t answer my dilemma; I have to look elsewhere, and fortunately, I find the answer in Jesus Christ. Having no righteousness of my own, my only hope is the righteousness of Christ credited to me when I placed my faith in his sacrificial death on the cross. St. Paul’s letter to the Romans is the foundation for my hope; the fourth chapter spells it out: our faith is credited to us as righteousness. When according to Ephesians 6 I put on the armor of God, every piece is a description of Christ, including the breastplate of righteousness.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.”  —Psalms 37:23-24 

Being a righteous person is not the same as being perfect. This psalm makes this perfectly clear. The righteous or good person can (and probably will) fall, but will not be utterly cast down. In other words, through the grace of God, he gets back up. It’s like when Peter was walking on water and began to sink—Jesus reached out his hand, and Peter took hold of it. Tonight I am thankful that whenever I have fallen, God doesn’t let me stay there. He upholds me with his hand, enabling me to get back on my feet.

Three Tables

 June 23, 2021

My gratitude calendar for today suggests “three gifts found around a table.” These gifts began this morning at breakfast with my two pastor friends Jeff and Rich. We eat, talk, and pray together every Wednesday, a good way to start the day encouraging each other, and holding each other accountable. Their friendship is one of those gifts that comes unexpectedly and reaches deep into my heart.

For lunch, Linda and I sat at a table with our granddaughter Alex, eating and talking life. How can I explain the joy that settles deep within as we listened and laughed together. If watching your children grow and take their place in the world is a great blessing, watching your grandchildren do the same is like the cherry on the sundae.

This evening, our children and spouses treated us to a belated anniversary dinner followed by a visit to Big Tree for ice cream. Eight of us around a table in a crowded restaurant can make it difficult for me to hear the conversation, but the conversation wasn’t as important as just being together. 

Three gifts around a table, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a confluence of blessings for which I am deeply grateful tonight.

Elitism

 June 22, 2021

“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.” That old saying came to mind as I was reading Nehemiah this morning. Whenever God’s people move from talk to walk, opposition will arise. It wasn’t until the Jews actually started building the wall that the trouble started, and it didn’t all come from the other side. Sometimes the greatest enemy comes from within.

Nehemiah 3:5-–“The nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.” Everyone was busy except these elitists who like most privileged people, were more used to telling others what to do than doing it themselves. While the work of building the wall was going on, they sat on the sidelines watching. So what were these nobles doing all that time? The text doesn’t tell us, but it seems that when trouble came in, they went into hiding. In chapter 4 verse 4, when trouble arose, they were the first Nehemiah had to admonish, “Don’t be afraid…Remember the Lord, awesome and great, and fight for your brothers, sons, daughters, wives, and houses.” They had heard the threats, but not having any skin in the game of the rebuilding of the wall, the anticipated trouble became magnified in their eyes. Too much time to think has been the downfall of many a good work. Inactivity breeds fear. Those rowing the boat don’t have time to rock it. Sitting around doing nothing gives people too much time that doesn’t often get invested in holy moments. The Scriptures don’t say as much, but I wouldn’t be surprised if those nobles were adept at telling the workers how to build what they themselves were unwilling to build. 

The answer to fear is, “Remember the Lord, great and awesome. And fight.” In chapter four, verse 14, these very same people who wouldn’t lift a finger to help were oppressing their own countrymen. Fear not only keeps us from doing what we should, it pushes us in the opposite direction, willing to hurt others in our instinct for self-preservation. We hunker down and look out for “Number One” even if it destroys someone else. Only when we remember that God is great and awesome and in control will we be bold and brave enough to stand up to opposition instead of cowering and bullying those weaker or more vulnerable than ourselves.

Bridging the Gap

 June 21, 2021

Nehemiah recounts how he ended up overseeing the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem some years after they were razed by the Babylonians. Years had passed, and now the Persians are the world power. Artaxerxes is king; Nehemiah is his cupbearer, the important but dangerous job of tasting the king’s wine to make sure it isn’t poisoned. Somehow in the course of his duties, some Jewish acquaintances who had recently arrived from Judah told him of the state of affairs in Jerusalem. When Nehemiah heard how the walls were still a pile of rubble, something inside him broke.

He couldn’t even stand. He sat down, wept and mourned for many days, fasting and praying.  The focus of his prayers were confessing his sins and those of his people, and begging God to bring his people back home. For four months he prayed, taking no action until the king noticed something bothering him and asked what it was. Kings in those days had absolute power which was often wielded capriciously. Appearing before the monarch with a solemn countenance could be fatal. He was afraid to tell the king what was on his heart, but spoke up anyway, paving the way for what proved to be his real calling in life.

What news has grabbed my heart? What events have driven me to repentance and prayer? There can be no cause, no calling apart from this inner stirring; life just continues without change or challenge until I am ready to listen to even a chance message from God and allow it to break my heart. Today, it’s not literal walls unless you consider the southern border wall that has been such a topic off contention over the past four years. Instead, the walls that are broken down are the barriers that protect people from the assaults of the evil one. Our culture has broken down the walls of morality and reason, allowing all sorts of evils that once were held at bay to surge in like a tsunami, inundating people and sweeping before it all that was good and holy. 

In answer to all this, God is speaking to his present-day Nehemiahs, those who faithfully carry out their duties, difficult and dangerous though they may be. He is calling us to rebuild broken down walls, offering our very selves as those who will stand in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30), sealing the breach, protecting his people.

“Lord Jesus, through St. Paul you told us that there would be a day when restraints would be torn apart, ushering in a season of unprecedented evil (2 Thessalonians 26-10). We don’t know if this is that day, but if not, it is a precursor to it. Open our hearts to seek your face, our minds to know your will, our eyes to see what you see, and our mouths to speak forth your word of truth, judgment, and grace, guarding those you love from the assaults of the evil one.”

Two Anniversaries

 June 20, 2021

The anniversary of a loved one’s death often comes with sadness. Memories forgotten in the busyness of day to day life resurface on anniversaries, bearing emotions that grow and swell when they reach the air. 

It’s doubled for me. My father died on June 17, 2012. It was Father’s Day, which means most years, it all surfaces twice. I’ve told and retold the story of how blessed we were to have him come back to life the previous March when the Veteran’s Administration funded new digital hearing aids that enabled him to once more participate in meaningful conversations that had been denied him by his deafness, but the anniversary of his passing is more than a story about that particular day. After all, had there not been all those years before when he gave of himself for our sake, there would have been nothing to mourn on that, or any subsequent Father’s Day. 

I could recount story after story to reveal the quality of his character, but one will suffice for today. 

Mom had a rough time with the change of life, which meant dad did, too…but he never wavered even when it would have been easy for him to do so. There was a very attractive younger woman in his office; I can say that because I met her once. She was very attractive. She also was an immigrant with no close family, and it was quite plain that she became quite fond of my father. He listened to her when she spoke of her loneliness, and she took that as interest which she pursued. Dad would have none of it. He remained kind, but let her know in no uncertain terms that he was devoted to mom. I’ve known many men who when faced with the kind of offer dad got, would take the bait like a hungry fish. I don’t know if dad knew he was teaching me a lesson back then; I suspect he was just being himself—a man of integrity, a man of his word. When years before he said, “till death us do part,” he meant it, and I saw it in action. This kind of integrity doesn’t get taught by reading a book. It is learned by reading a life. I studied that chapter years ago, and my children and grandchildren are the beneficiaries of that lesson learned so many years ago.

Sweeter than Honey

 June 19, 2021

In spite of a few occasional stings, it’s good to have bees again! They are such amazing displays of God’s imaginative creativity that continually fascinate me, drawing me into their world and in so doing, revealing more of God’s to me. The summertime worker bees literally work themselves to death in the course of a month or two, gathering nectar and pollen for the winter survival of the colony. Each trip to a flower only garners an almost microscopic amount off nectar, so hundreds of flights and tens of thousands of bees are necessary to stock up on their winter stores from which we rob a portion for ourselves.

Honey is so sweet, such concentrated sugars, that bacteria cannot grow in it. It’s actually anti-infectious. It won’t spoil. I have honeycomb I harvested some 25 years ago that is still good. Maybe this is why Psalm 19:10 says that God’s Word is sweeter than honeycomb. This is hart to imagine—nothing on earth is sweeter than honey, so among other things, this is a claim to the divine origin of God’s Word. It means that not only is God’s Word pleasant; it is also medicinal—good for what ails the soul, which is why the devil works so hard to keep us from it. It not only has the power to stop him in his tracks, but can heal the damage he’s already done. Satan will use any tactic and tool at his disposal to keep us from this heavenly food. So why are we so slow to read it? Why do we allow so many things to interrupt and interfere with our times of devotional reading and in depth study? Such a casual attention to the Scriptures is surely a sin to be repented of. Allow Scriptural sweetness to sit on your tongue. Enjoy the delicacy, the nuances of each blossom.  O taste and see that the LORD is good!

Jerusalem

 June 18, 2021

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, Is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.” —Psalm 48:1-2 

I was able to write this from memory because years agoIt was a praise chorus we sang regularly. All the psalms are songs; I wonder how much more we would remember if we sang them. Even replaying the melody in my head brings a special joy that the words alone don’t fully convey. It makes me wonder why this was chosen as a praise chorus. What is so special about this particular city that it it is the basis for so many songs? Why is it a magnet for people who have only read about it? “Next year in Jerusalem” has long been the prayer and desire of devout Jews, even those who in their lifetime never wandered more than fifty miles from their homes.

It’s an ancient city, built, destroyed, and rebuilt countless times since David captured it from the Jebusites some 3,000 years ago. Since then, it has held the hearts and minds of Jews, Christians, and Muslims—the only city in the world that is the epicenter of the three great Monotheistic religions.

I think it holds its place in our hearts because it is as the psalm says, “the city of our God, Yahweh.” The city is great because our God is great, and for reasons unknown to me, he chose this place for his dwelling. Faithful ones who have never set eyes upon it nevertheless long to see it. ANd never having seen the heavenly city, we long for it because it is the dwelling place of our God. 

Even so, come. Lord Jesus! Receive us to yourself and to the eternal home for which we long and pray.

Slow Down

 June 17, 2021

Ezekiel was in all likelihood a young man when he and about 10,000 of his countrymen were taken into captivity by the Babylonians around 597 BC. About five years later, he began having visions, the first being that of what he called “four living creatures,” and “a wheel within a wheel.” Some have likened his description to a flying saucer, but it can be difficult recreating something from a written description of something Ezekiel himself had never before seen. His description of what he saw was akin to what a Stone Age primitive might say upon seeing a Boeing 747. Whatever it was he saw, his physical description of these creatures and their wheels was majestic and awe-inspiring, but what is often overlooked in his narrative is his account of what these creatures did and how they behaved.

“And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.” —Ezekiel 1:24-25 KJV

Unless he happened to be witness to the eruption of a volcano, the loudest thing Ezekiel would have heard back in 597 BC would have been the roar of a waterfall, so he describes these creatures and wheels as making a lot of noise, perhaps akin to a jet engine. But notice that he hears a voice, the voice of God, only when the noise ceases. And the noise ceases only when these beings are still, their wings no longer beating. 

People often claim the desire to hear from God, but they never stand still long enough, never stop the beating of their wings so his voice can be heard through the clamor. And make no mistake: the noise was spiritual noise. It was these heavenly beings that were flapping their wings so vigorously that God’s voice couldn’t be heard above the din. This fallen world certainly makes a lot of noise that can drown out God’s voice, but this was the noise of beings dedicated to the service of the Almighty God. We can get so busy doing good that we can’t stay still long enough to listen. When we hurriedly catch a few minutes in Scripture reading followed by a hasty prayer as we rush to get to our day, is it any wonder we have trouble hearing from God? It would be bad enough if we were only distracted by the noise of this world—recreation, politics, media, and such. But the work of God can also drown out the voice of God. Bill Hybels used to say, “Don’t let the work of Christ destroy the work of Christ in you. Sadly, he didn’t listen to his own advice, but that doesn’t lessen the truth of his words.

“Lord, slow me down; let me stand still and stop flapping the wings of my heart and mind so I can hear what you want to say to me today. Like the hummingbirds that visit my window, I can be beating my wings so fast they can be heard, while I merely hover, not really getting anywhere. Cause me to stop and rest and listen from the heart so when you call me to action, it will be creative and life-giving instead of merely busy. Jesus told his disciples to “come aside and rest awhile.” We are desperately in need of your rest, so quiet our spirits as you commanded, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Answered Prayer

 June 16, 2021

My nightly musings began eight years ago as a way of focusing my mind and heart on those things for which I give thanks. Over time, it evolved into Scriptural and theological reflections, but tonight I’m back at the thanksgiving. Linda came through her surgery without complication; she even came out of the anesthetic without her usual issues. She is tired, but out of pain, and I am thankful tonight for this answered prayer.

Real Beauty

 June 15, 2021

Over time, many of us have become less and less enamored with Facebook. Aside from the obvious political bias, in many ways it’s become a cesspool of toxicity where people pick fights with folks they’ve never met. What could be a tool to bring us together and help us stay connected is instead often a means of conflict and division. There are however, some groups that have formed around bringing goodness and beauty into our days. 

One of the groups I personally like is about castles of the world. Early on, castles were defensive strongholds reflecting dangerous and violent times, but they evolved into opulent dwellings of the rich and powerful. The extravagance of their beauty however, was often surpassed by the decadence of their inhabitants.

Today’s psalms included fifteen and forty-five. The fifteenth speaks of integrity and righteousness required of those who would aspire to the dwelling place of God. Psalm forty-five tells of the beauty of that place and of those who live there. All is filled with beauty, most of which is centered in the beauty of the royals daughter, of the king and queen. Revelation 21 tells of the future heavenly city, verse twenty-seven saying, “There shall by no means inter anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

The splendor of heaven will not be so much the streets of gold, but the holiness of its inhabitants. In this world, beautiful places are often built upon the suffering of the poor, and are haunts of the depraved. The heavenly city is built on the suffering of our Savior, and will be the home of the holy. What a contrast! What a future to behold! How much more I need to prepare to live there! If I reject holiness in this life, how can I expect to enjoy it in the next? The Scripture tells us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness because holiness is the essence of true beauty.

In an Attic

 June 14, 2021

I must be a special kind of crazy. On a beautiful day like today, I spent four hours in an attic removing a colony of bees. I missed the best part of the day, and got stung in the process. FYI, a bee veil doesn’t always work when you’re looking overhead. The mesh moves closer to your neck when you’re looking up, and those little ladies take every advantage. My neck looks like a turkey’s wattle and my ankles look like I could have congestive heart failure. I should have taped my jeans so the little buggers couldn’t climb up inside. I can’t blame them. I too, would get somewhat miffed if someone violently tore my home apart like I did theirs.

In spite of it all, these critters fascinate me. One of this morning’s psalms was 104, praising God for the wonders and mysteries of Creation. The author speaks of the ocean’s boundaries, the flowing springs, green meadows, forests, and vineyards. Here’s an excerpt:

“He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.”

—Psalm 104:19, 24-25, 33-34 NIV

As I drove to the house where the bees were, I marveled at the beauty all around me. The skies were bright blue with billowy clouds, corn was peeking up in the fields, hay was being put by for winter. What a beautiful part of the world I’ve been privileged to live in! This evening, Linda and I watched a favorite show of ours in which three British retired policemen were hired to work with a young woman officer solving old unsolved crimes. Tonight’s episode was about a tramp, a homeless man who was murdered while riding one of the trains in the Tube, London’s famous underground rail system. The coppers interviewed three homeless men and a young woman on the streets. As the show ended, I commented to Linda that I couldn’t imagine living like that, even though I know there are plenty of people who do. Even if not homeless, living in a city wouldn’t do for me. Like the psalmist, I prefer, and am grateful to be able to give thanks for the wonder of Creation that I get to see every day. Except for when I’m in an attic with 10,000 bees.

Before I Forget

 June 13, 2021

I am keenly aware of some of the benefits of living as long as I have. My strength isn’t what it used to be, not that it was all that great to begin with; My eyes sometimes betray me, and my ears—suffice it to say that even with hearing aids, I can sound pretty foolish in a conversation, asking a question that’s just been answered, or offering a comment that has no connection with what has been said around the table. 

I got to thinking about this the other day; I’ve talked with too many people whose loved ones slowly slipped into the oblivion of Alzheimer’s or some other dementia. I’m not expecting this; I fully hope to be like Caleb, who at 85 was as vigorous as he was at 45, and ready to conquer the mountain God promised him. I am also aware of the possibilities, and not wanting to leave things unsaid that need to be said, I offer this in honor of Linda.

Before I Forget

We were talking together about nothing particular 

when across my mind a stray thought alighted.

“Before I forget,” I said, and told you what had passed my way; 

Something I thought you should know.

How often I’ve held thoughts close, sure that I’d remember, 

Only to have them slip away unspoken, lost forever.

Cementing in time a fleeting ephemeral thought, 

“Before I forget” makes a gift of interruption.

Words once lazily leaned against the walls of our conversations, 

Waiting their turn to speak.

Never in a hurry, they loitered.

Now, impatiently they jostle together until one by one,

They slowly drift away

Unless I murmur, “Before I forget.”

I say it more often now; 

Thoughts dance and spin across the stage of my mind,

Words and feelings, slippery and evasive,

“Before I forget” holds them on my lips, unlocking my heart.

The love in your eyes,

Sunlight on your hair,

Softness of your touch,

The sound of your voice;

Let me look upon you once more with these aging eyes

Before I forget.

Someday, mind clouded by a shroud of confusion,

The words may not come.

So let me say once more, “I love you,”

Before I forget.

Jake and Abi

June 12, 2021

It’s been one week, and I’m thinking tonight of all the things I wish I had remembered to say. I didn’t, so here goes:

Abi, we have loved you since before you were born. You are the most wonderful Christmas gift we’ve ever been given, and Meema’s prayer that you be as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside has already been answered. 

Jake, we’ve prayed for you since before you were born, that you would be a man of God, a man of integrity, faithfulness, and love. We didn’t know your name al those years, but God knew you, and was busy answering our prayers. 

I am old, and too often see life through jaded eyes, but yours are fresh with anticipation and love, which fills me with hope. The future is God’s, and he places it before you, entrusting you with the treasure of each other’s hearts. So love! In sunshine and storm, joy and sorrow—love, boldly, with abandon, with the love God poured out upon us in Christ. And know that you both will always be loved and treasured in our hearts, and as long as we draw breath, you will be in our prayers.

 

Training

June 11, 2021

One of the benefits of taking seriously the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Scripture reading, fasting, worship, and receiving communion is that they are the tools God uses to sustain us in time of need. In fifty years of ministry, I’ve officiated at enough funerals to be able to easily distinguish between those who faithfully engaged the disciplines and those who did not. Both would profess the same faith, but only those who were faithful in the disciplines were able to walk through the fire without getting burned.

In the face of death, everyone is a believer, or at least wants to be. I’m sure there are die-hard atheists who endure their loss stoically; perhaps their unbelief shields them from some of the pain of their loss, but too often I’ve watched people desperately wanting the comfort of a faith to which they only gave lip service. They speak of their loved one in glowing terms as having joined mother or father, or spouse in heaven, but the assurance of eternal life is missing. On the other hand, I’ve watched family members rejoicing over the legacy of godly parents, or a faithful spouse with complete confidence that the one they love is basking in the glories of the Presence of Christ. The difference? The latter knows the strength of spiritual discipline.

Spiritual disciplines are like physical training. It’s the training, not the trying, that wins the contest. Even if I tried my hardest, I couldn’t bench press 300 pounds. To be honest, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t press 200, and possibly even 150. But I know people who can…because they trained to do it. If I tried to grapple with my son or grandson, or even my granddaughter, I would lose, not because they’re stronger than me, but because they have trained in jiu-jitsu. On the other hand, I can beat them all at playing the bass! 

Training equips us. Spiritual disciplines are the training that equips us for life. So when yesterday and today went sideways, it didn’t throw me to the ground and stomp on my head. When Linda woke at 5:00 am sobbing with pain, I wasn’t able to take the time I normally have to read my Bible and pray. Most of the day was spent at the doctor’s office and getting prescriptions; the rest was an unexpected call from granddaughter Jo needing a ride to softball practice, and a call from friends who need some bees removed from their attic. Reading my Bible and praying aren’t an obligation, a talisman that must be followed for good luck. They are my training for such days as this, and I am grateful tonight for the faith and confidence the other days of training have given me for today.

 

Images & Imagination

 June 10, 2021

The men in our Thursday morning prayer group prayed for a man suffering from PTSD this morning. When Harry mentioned that the man couldn’t get the images out of his mind, God brought Scripture to mind, specifically, the second Commandment: “You shall not make any carved image...you shall not bow down to them.” An image in one’s mind is not carved in a physical sense, but a traumatic experience can be carved into our psyche, and however much we may want to remove it, we must first stop bowing down to it. How often we have images of various issues or problems in our minds that may or may not be accurate, but which determine our feelings and actions like little gods. We dwell on that image, allowing it to dominate our thinking, going over and over it till we give in and allow it to tell us who we are.

I’ve often wondered how people could go from bowing before the One True God to worshipping images until I realized that we do this on a regular basis. We imagine how a wedding or graduation or some other celebration will be, but if things don’t entirely fit that image, we are upset. We imagine how the person we pledge our love and life to will be when tired and aching, and get angry when our expectations aren’t met. We have an image of what Sunday mornings should be like, but are disgruntled when the hymns are too slow, or the worship songs unfamiliar, or if the pastor’s sermon isn’t worthy of publication. We bow to our imagination instead of Christ.

Scripture tells us that “the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). God has given us very specific weapons with which to defeat the idol of imagination. Paul speaks here of pretension, another way of talking about imagination, the way we think things should be done. We aren’t left to figure it all out on our own; we have the spiritual armor of Ephesians 6, specifically, the Word of God and the shield of faith. The only way to eliminate a false image is to replace it with the true image, which is Jesus Christ, the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). I need to stop giving time to my false and faulty imagination and begin bowing before the Word which points me to Christ, the true image of the Father. The Second Commandment remains: “Do not bow down before any image,” even those we construct in our minds and hearts.

Getting Even

 June 9, 2021

“I don’t get mad; I get even!” How often I’ve heard that sentiment even on the lips of Christians (in jest, of course!) A college psychology prof from years ago once noted in a lecture that we only joke about what we’re serious about. Getting even is at the heart of our polarized politics, and most of the conflicts we see worldwide, so it really is no joking matter. Getting even is rooted in quite a proper sense of justice, in the desire to have wrongs righted, injustices corrected. The problem is, our own sense of right and wrong is usually somewhat biased, so in our attempts to even the score, we make things worse.

In Psalm 9, David prays for justice to be done. He sees situations needing vindication, but he approaches the problem of injustice differently than we usually do. He begins with praise for all God has done in the past (vv.1-6). He deals with his present circumstances in light of what God has done in the past. The present isn’t a series of isolated incidents; it has a history, and for David, that history is centered in God’s deliverance of his people from slavery.

Where we might be tempted to approach the situation chronologically, in vv. 7-10, David transitions from the history he knows to the future he anticipates, with the expectation that God will act consistently the way he has in the past and the way he will in the future. What this means for the present is that it is not yet the time for judgment, which means we have no direct part to play in judgment; all we do is pray for God to do what is right in his time. We can pray confidently for our present situation based on what we have seen God do in the past, and what our faith tells us about our future hope. In all this, the plea is for God to deal with the enemy. It is not our place to do so, which means getting even is never God’s plan for us. We don’t get to administer justice; it’s not yet time for it, and when the time comes, God himself will take care of it. 

This doesn’t mean we are destined to live in anarchy, but that personally, we are expected to live peaceable lives as much as possible. These texts deal with our personal attitudes, not with public and political matters. My own attitude when wronged needs to move from “I don’t get mad; I get even,” to “Pray for those who despitefully use you. Do good to them who speak evil against you.” If we left more judgment in God’s hands, we wouldn’t have such messes on our own.

By Whatever Means

 June 8, 2021

Last night I received word from a friend who informed me that her husband had contracted COVID, was hospitalized in ICU, and that he had to be revived after his heart stopped. His blood pressure is all over the charts. She asked me to pray for him. I shall not mention either of their names, as they live in a restricted country where if word of their work leaked out, it could cause problems for them and their ministry. 

Here’s the backstory: When I met them years ago while on a mission trip, we immediately connected even though we could only communicate through an interpreter. By his own admission, he had been a thug until visited in prison by Christians who shared the Gospel with him. He repented, came to Christ, and later married the woman who visited him and led him to faith in Christ. We worked with them for nearly two weeks, and have stayed in contact ever since, watching him grow in his faith till he launched out on his own as a missionary to his people. He has sent me videos of his preaching to crowds of people, but asked that I not share them on social media due to the problems it would bring.

Just over a month ago, our Christian brothers and sisters in Cuba laid to rest Jose Santiago, another very effective evangelist. I’ve watched over the years as the work he started grew, impacting hundreds in a very difficult spiritual climate. It seems to me the Enemy is using this disease in an attempt to destroy God’s most prolific evangelists—first Jose, and now my unnamed friend. Jose is no longer with us, but my friend is.

Today’s Scripture reading happened to be from Luke 8 which consists of four consecutive accounts of Jesus healing people. What strikes me is that there is no single formula, no particular pattern to these healings. Jesus spoke and touched the leper; he declared almost off-handedly to the centurion that on the basis of his faith the man’s servant was healed; touched Peter’s mother without saying a word, and finally, cast out demons with a word, and healed without a specific method being mentioned.

So Lord, by whatever means you choose, through the work of your Holy Spirit and by the merits of Christ’s sacrifice for us, please heal my friend. There are still many who need to hear about you through him.

Boastfulness

 June 7, 2021

Be careful what you pray for. You just might get it. Because I have a constant battle against my tendency to be somewhat judgmental, God occasionally steps in to nudge me towards grace. The other day I was reading Psalm 5 when the fifth verse jumped out at me: “The boastful shall not stand in your sight.” I’ve seen my share of braggarts, and am never impressed with them, so I’ve always seen this verse as a vindication of my attitude; “God is going to cut this person down to size,” I would think. But this time, when I read this verse, I saw it through a different lens. Instead of this verse offering vindication for my judgmental spirit, I saw it as cause for sorrow. Why do I not weep for the boastful, knowing their end? God takes no joy in the death of the wicked, Ezekiel tells us. Psalm 5:5 is merely a statement of fact, not a justification for judgmentalism.

Boastful people are usually insecure, lacking the confidence that comes from knowing who you are in Christ, knowing that you have a Savior and Defender who accepts you no matter what. If I am boasting about my accomplishments, I am not as Paul hopes, boasting in the Cross, and if I am not boasting in the Cross, I am cutting myself off from the one Source of joy, confidence, and salvation. Inwardly rejoicing that the boastful cannot stand is a denial of the Gospel and a betrayal of my faith.

“Lord, teach me to see the boastful not as pride-filled, but as needing the confidence of knowing you. May I see such people as you see them, and treat them as you treat them, with patience and kindness, so they may come to Christ and discover that which is truly worth boasting about.”

Ordinary

 June 6, 2021

Our fifty-first anniversary hasn’t been a whirlwind of romance; instead, it’s been a celebration of a different kind of love that gives till it comes back to you, wave upon wave. Jesus himself told us to cast our bread upon the waters and it would come back to us, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Such has certainly been the case for us as we spent the day cleaning up after our granddaughter’s wedding reception in our backyard. Hundreds of china plates, stemware, silverware and all the pots and pans required to feed two hundred people took most of the day to wash, pack, and put away. We have been blessed to be surrounded by wonderful giving people who made it all possible.

Last night our backyard looked like a fairyland, and now it’s back to normal, much like life itself. High and holy moments such as we witnessed at Abi and Jake’s wedding, as wonderful as they are, are few and far between. Most of life is lived in ordinary circumstances, and as much as we love and remember these special occasions, if we rely on them alone for our strength and inspiration, we shall live disappointing lives. 

Luke’s gospel tells of Jesus’ encounter with two people walking along a road to Emmaus, a small settlement near the ancient Jerusalem. They talked about the Scriptures as they related to current events, but it wasn’t till Jesus broke bread with them, ie. shared a meal, that they recognized Who it was at the table with them. It is in such ordinary matters as sharing a meal together that Christ reveals himself to us. Ordinary days are often God’s choice vessels for extraordinary encounters. Abi and Jake’s day yesterday was extraordinary, but so was Linda’s  and mine as we experienced the presence of Christ worshipping together this morning, and working together this afternoon.

Last Call

 June 4, 2021

The tables are set, the dance floor built, the rehearsal is over, and lastly, the girls are tucked in for the night, although they aren’t too happy about it. Tomorrow, they’ll be even more buzzy when they discover they’ve been confined to the premises for the day. It’s been a long and busy day getting the backyard ready for tomorrow’s wedding reception, but these events don’t happen every day. As we’ve told all the grandkids—“One and done!”

I was too busy working today to take any photos, but if I had, those pictures would show some thirty people setting tables, arranging flowers, building a dance floor, stringing lights, and doing whatever was needed to transform our backyard from a lawn to a beautiful wedding venue. A task which could have produced tension and conflict was drama free, testimony to the quality and character of the people Jake and Abi have surrounding them. One of my prayers for them is that they would always have such a cloud of witnesses to encourage, instruct, and even correct them. Pity the couple who have no one to lean on other than each other. 

Jake and Abi have each other, they have Jesus Christ, but they also have family and friends who believe in Christ, believe in marriage, and believe in them. The foundations have been laid; tomorrow they start building. May they build well.

 

Soul Food

 June 3, 2021

Psalm 34 is one of my favorites, filled with nuggets of encouragement and wisdom. Take verse 8, for example: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” When I was a little kid, the dinner rule at our house was we had to try everything mom cooked. We didn’t need to take much, but if it was on the table, we were expected to have some on our plate. And whatever was on our plate had to be eaten in its entirety; no taking a big helping and dumping half of it in the trash. To this day, it bothers me to see people doing that.

It’s that trying whatever was set before us that grabs my attention. Too many of us don’t like the looks of something, so we pass it by, never discovering the depth and breadth of culinary delight, especially in the spiritual world. We stick to the things we know we like, and so miss out on the menu God has prepared for us. We suffer from a spiritual anorexia, all the while a feast has been prepared for us. That meal may have some servings we would just as soon avoid, but God knows what we need for a balanced and nutritious diet, found in his Word, revealing Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. 

An Amazing Gift

 June 2, 2021

She’s sleeping now, after a long and busy day getting ready for the wedding. The gardens are planted and mulched, the lawn mowed and trimmed, cookies are baked, the garage is full of supplies, and our dining room looks like a restaurant supply warehouse. It has been her labor of love for our dear Abi, but the greatest gift is where Linda is snoozing tonight. 

Every couple weeks as we climb into bed, she slowly looks around the room and exclaims, “Have I told you how much I love this room?” It’s the ground level bedroom we added on three summers ago. It’s spacious, with a pastel teal paint scheme, antique sconce lighting, hardwood floor and the carved queen bed I bought her for Christmas about six years ago. She absolutely loves that room! Tonight however, she is sleeping upstairs in our old bedroom so our houseguest for the next ten days doesn’t have to climb stairs at 87 years of age.

For nearly 51 years I have been married to the most amazing and most giving woman I have ever met. I have watched her sacrifice time after time in order to bless someone who usually hasn’t the faintest idea of the magnitude of her generosity and what it cost her to give as she does. If besides my salvation God only gave me her, I would consider myself the most fortunate man on earth, and tonight, she sleeps unaware of the depth of my gratitude for the most amazing gift of her love for me.

Secrets

 June 1, 2021

“No secrets, no subversions, no surprises” was bishop Yeakel’s operating principle. It’s good for organizational operations, but God doesn’t seem to be bothered by secrets. IN fact, he loves them. The Gospel of Matthew records a few in chapter six; v.4–good deeds done secretly, v.6–prayer in secret, v.18–fasting secretly. In 11:25, Jesus speaks of things hidden from the wise, and chapter 13 is filled with parables designed to hide truth from those unready to hear it (vv.13-15). Matthew repeatedly echoes Deuteronomy 29:29 where we are told that the “secret things belong to the LORD, or Psalm 25:14—“The secret of the LORD is with those who fear him,” or Psalm 91:1—“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High...” Then there is Isaiah 45:3 where God’s treasures are hidden in secret places, or Daniel 222—“He reveals deep and secret things.” Amos 3:7 tells us that “God does nothing unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.”

God has his secrets that he has revealed in Jesus Christ, but only to those who will hide away in secret places with him. I have often been too busy to enter into that secret place, to my own detriment. I suspect God operates this way in order to reveal to us the secrets of our own hearts. Our daily busy-ness often serves as a foil protecting us from the searching gaze of the Holy Spirit. We imagine we are doing great things for God, but haven’t taken the time to discover the little things that make for greatness as we gloss over Scripture, rush our way through our prayers, and hurry past the lessons only learned in patient waiting. Our emptiness is disguised in our busy-ness while we substitute entertainment for study, prayer, and service. 

Lord Jesus, you asked your sleepy disciples why they couldn’t wait with you for one hour. What must you think of us who struggle to spend ten minutes in your Presence? Forgive our busy ways, and slow us down so you can reveal your secrets to us.