Priorities

 July 29, 2023

I think it’s time to get back in the game. When I was in Cuba, I had no internet access, so my nightly musings were confined to my daily journal, and by the time I got home, the habit had been if not broken, pretty badly mauled. So here I am, pondering what to say that has the possibility of being worth reading. I’ve settled on the events of this past week, but first need a bit of backstory.

When Linda and I first arrived in Sinclairville in 1981, our first meeting with the church administrative board set the stage for years to come. I knew my priorities, and told the board that if there were on the same evening a church meeting or something my kids were involved in for school, they shouldn’t look for me at the church meeting. I wouldn’t be there. I think there was a collective sigh of relief at that announcement, because as I later learned, Park church had many young families, and their parents were deeply supportive of their kids’ activities.

Fast forward to 2004. Linda and I were sitting in the bishop’s office answering charges that had been brought against me by a disgruntled parishoner. The charges were dismissed, but the bishop said something strange that afternoon. “You are too attached to your family,” she said. I was taken aback, and thought about this for about, hmm, sixty seconds. I had watched parsonage families for years, and had seen the wreckage wrought by churches that demanded and pastors who acquiesced in the misplaced priorities of “church first; family second.” While I never wanted to make my family my god, neither would I yield to the temptation to put the church in that position. It was clear in my mind: God first, family second, church third. While my children were in my home, they were my primary ministry responsibility. 

Last week, Linda and I tasted the fruit of those priorities, and it was sweet, indeed! We treated our children and grandchildren to the production of Moses by the Sight and Sound Theater, including two nights’ lodging. We had two days of unparalleled fun, both at the show, and at dinner and in the evenings when the grandkids crowded into one of the rooms to play the Wii that Ian brought, or joined a cutthroat game of cards in the lobby. I look back nearly twenty years to that meeting with the bishop and know I made the better choice, and am blessed many times over for the priorities we set even before our kids were born.

Temptation

July 24, 2023

From my teenage years, I could quote it by memory: “There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not let you be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation always make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). It’s a good promise that often felt to me like it came up short. I often failed to resist temptation, wondering where that way of escape was, and afterward in shame knowing I could have held out. 

I think the reason we fail in our battle with temptation is not that there is no way out, but that we fail to take advantage of it: The way out is given to us BEFORE we ever enter into temptation.

This promise is given in 1 Corinthians 10, but in chapter 9 we discover the way out that God offers us. There, Paul speaks of continually exercising self-discipline, lest he having preached to others, should himself be a castaway. In 9:27, he says he disciplines his body, bringing it into submission to the will of God. Before temptation ever arises, he is in training preparing himself like a boxer for the moment he steps into the ring. No fighter would dare step into the ring without having trained as hard as possible. Paul doesn’t dare step into the ring of life’s temptations without having trained and disciplined his body and mind for the inevitable confrontation.

That training is the first bookend to 10:13. The second bookend is in 10:14—“Flee idolatry.” We exercise self-discipline so we can resist, but when the temptation actually comes, there is only one response: RUN! Too often, we try to reason with temptation, to argue with the devil, to find compromise with that which seeks to destroy us. It never works. Training on the front end and fleeing on the back end is the only way to overcome temptation.

The result of all this is found in 10:31–“Do everything to the glory of God.” That is God’s plan for us, and the only proper goal when facing temptation of any sort. If it doesn’t glorify God, it’s not for us. If it does glorify God, we can be confident that it is the right course of action.

 

The Master Luthier

 July 23, 2023

A little over a week ago, I wrote of my gratitude at having my bass repaired. The backstory is that back in April, I had taken it to a youth retreat to assist in the music. I almost always believe a little bass in the background has a way of filling in guitars, and apparently, the others felt so, too. My hacking was accepted with approval. On the Saturday night of the weekend however, I was carrying it from the dining hall to the chapel when I stumbled in the dark, landed on the bass and completely broke the scroll off the neck. Had it been my backup instrument, it wouldn’t have bothered me, but this was my pristine 1936 King Moretone, pristine no more.

I texted Mark Monaco the next night, with photos of the broken scroll. He texted right back, saying that he could fix it. I knew if anyone could do it, he could; after all, he does work for the Buffalo Philharmonic, keeping their stringed instruments in good working order. Fix it, he did!

I picked my bass up last week. It shows its scars, but is back in use, making such music as I can do. This morning, I had the opportunity to preach again at the Akeley Community Church just across the Pennsylvania border, and it occurred to me that my bass might be a good object lesson, so I hauled it down there and set it up in the sanctuary. I was preaching from Luke 21, where Jesus warns his disciples about hard times to come, wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, persecution, etc. What often gets missed in this particular Scripture is Jesus’ use of visual words. 

The Bible is not for the most part, a visual book. We read occasionally about the visions of the prophets or of Jesus’ healing the blind, but “seeing” is not the predominant way God reveals himself. Christianity is more audiological than visual. The most common form of command is, “Hear,” or “Listen!” So when visual language is used, we ought to pay special attention, and Luke 21 is full of visual language.

In v. 20, we read, “when you see…” In v. 27, “they will see…” Verse 29: “Look at the fig tree.” Verse 30: “When you see…” And finally, verse 36: “Watch and pray.”

Our problem is that we are walking around in the dark, blinded by our sins, unable to see clearly where we are going. When we walk in the dark, we stumble, and when we stumble, we get injured, and others get injured. We’re like me, carrying my bass in the dark and ending up with broken pieces. 

Fortunately, we have a Master Luthier, One able, if we present them to him, to take the broken pieces of our lives and put them back together so we can make beautiful music in praise to our Savior and Lord. And he opens our eyes to see clearly the world around us, the world within us, and the world beyond us, where Jesus reigns on high. We need not stumble our way through life, hurting and being hurt. We can walk in the light as he is in the light, because the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. 

Fundamentals

 July 22, 2023

“This present distress…” —1 Corinthians 7:26

I grew up in an independent Baptist church that self-identified as Fundamentalist. Far from being the stigma that such a label bears in much of the Christian world, it was a badge of honor. At Westside Baptist Church, the one thing Fundamentalist did not mean was isolationist.  The Bible was the final authority in the life of the church and those in it. If I am honest, there is still a lot of Fundamentalism in me, and I am unashamed.

Someone once said that the problem with Fundamentalists is that they’re sure of too many things. I think that’s true, but Fundamentalists are not the only ones guilty of this offense. Progressives come to mind in this regard. It is for this reason I appreciate the Biblical approach to much of what we tend to see in absolute terms. When in Acts 15 the council of Jerusalem decided that the Gentiles wouldn’t have to become circumcised in order to be Christian, their language was quite mild: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden…” (Acts 15:28). This is in stark contrast to the way some people today talk about the leading of the Holy Spirit.

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul is addressing the lax sexual ethics of the Corinthian Christians who having been converted from paganism, haven’t yet left all their old pagan practices behind. Paul is completely clear and uncompromising when it comes to sexual relationships outside of marriage, of homosexual relationships, infidelity, and pedophelia. Within marriage, he is likewise clear about how husbands and wives live out the sexual dimension of marriage.

But when he deals with those unmarried who are struggling with their sexual urges, he on the one hand encourages people to marry (“It is better to marry than burn.” 7:9), while on the other hand, understands that there are circumstances where singleness is to be preferred: “in this present distress.” In times of persecution, not having to worry about a spouse or child can be an advantage. How many who would have remained steadfast have denied their faith at the threat of harm to a wife, husband, or child? 

Paul is simply acknowledging that there are times when one course of action may be desirable, and times when a different path may be the wiser. All this means that while Christian faith is founded upon truths that we cannot abandon without denying Christ and his salvation, there are many areas of life in which God gives a freedom unavailable anywhere else. He invites us to “Come, let us reason together.” (Isaiah 1:18). 

I am grateful that there are foundational truths that anchor me to God, but also that there is a freedom in Christ that invites me to think, consider, and reason with the Holy Spirit and with other Christians. We are all better for it.

Holy Unity

July 21, 2023

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul abruptly shifts from castigating the Corinthian Christians for taking one another to court over their internal disagreements. The church was deeply divided, various individuals following different factions that kept them in conflict with one another, each self-righteously claiming to be in the right. If that weren’t enough, the church mirrored the depravity of the pagan society in which they lived. 

Paul begins chapter 6 with a rebuke for their lawsuits, but suddenly and without warning, in v. 9 he changes direction to address the immorality rampant in the church. If here he transitioned smoothly as he did later in chapter 7, it would be understandable, but it’s almost in the middle of a sentence that he changes direction. Why is that?

I suspect it comes from his understanding of the Church as the body of Christ. A Christian suing another Christian is a fundamental violation of the Body of Christ, setting one part against another. Later in chapter 12, he explicitly speaks of the Church as the Body of Christ. We interpret such words metaphorically, whereas I suspect Paul saw the Body of CHrist in much more concrete terms. The Church isn’t merely LIKE a body; it IS the Body of Christ! 

After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to his disciples in bodily form, eating with them, inviting them to touch him. But with his ascension, we read no more of a physical body. In giving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Jesus Christ inhabits the Church in the same way as the Holy Spirit inhabited his physical body while here on earth. We aren’t merely LIKE his body; we ARE his body—the only body he has.

Anything that pollutes his Body the Church is a heinous sin to be confessed and forsaken for righteousness’ sake, whether it be division or immorality. Jesus came to redeem us from our brokenness, from the curse of the Law, from the destructiveness of our sinful choices. He came to make us holy, a body fit for a holy Savior and Lord.

 

Strength

 July 19, 2023

The other day as I was breaking up the concrete liner for the pond that lies across the driveway from our house, I think I pulled something in my back. Bending over or turning sideways sends a shock that instantly makes me reconsider that move. But a sore back doesn’t mean work can be left undone, and when that work involves thousands of tiny critters with venomous potential, I’m the only one who can do the job. I can’t even get help from the hardest worker in our household.

God is good; the job needed to be done, and I will lay down tonight with about 100 lbs of honey taken from my colonies and with the satisfaction of knowing that every colony is thriving, even the one I cut out from a house in Ellington; the original source of my errant back. I managed to lift an 80 lb box of honey and bees without further injury. I hadn’t been looking forward to tackling this job with a bad back, but am thankful tonight that God strengthened me to finish the job. I am taking the Scripture somewhat out of context and perhaps am stretching its meaning, but tonight I agree with St. Paul who said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Listen

 July 18, 2023

“You are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.” These words from St. Paul (1 Corinthians 3:23) have been going through my head all day. Most of the time when I read the Bible, I seem to gravitate towards the instructions given in various ways. Whether it be the poetry of the Psalms, the exhortations of the Law and Prophets, or the parables of Jesus and the letters of Paul, the commands and warnings are what jump out at me, encouraging me to change this or improve on that. 

Last night in our men’s Bible study, I encouraged the men to follow the ancient method of reading the Scriptures called Lectio Divina (I didn’t give them the formal name; just laid out the pattern). It is a simple four-step method that encourages us to do more than merely scan the text looking for whatever jumps out at us. The pattern is as follows:

• Read……..Simply read the chosen text. It need not be long. Even a single phrase will do.
• Reflect……Turn it over in your mind, looking at it from different angles; ask questions.
• Respond…Pray the text and your thoughts back to God.
• Rest………Listen, and let God love you.

It was amazing to listen to the men tell what God had been saying to them through this exercise, but I didn’t expect how it would affect me this morning. Anyone who has read St. Paul knows that he is never short of exhortation, correction, or challenge, and the chapter I read this morning was no exception, but it was these final words that caught my attention as I slowed down long enough to do myself what I had encouraged the men to do last night:

I settled on these words, and actually rested on them all day long. Whenever my mind wasn’t actively involved in something that needed my full attention, these words kept running through my mind: “You are Christ, and Christ is God’s.” 

There is a solidity to those words. In these days when our society has cast off so many of the foundations of life that were commonplace when I was growing up, hearing this throughout the day brought a particular peace to my heart and mind. Even now as I write, it settles me. No matter whether I succeed or fail, I am Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. If all goes well, or everything falls apart, I am Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. When I am certain of the path before me, or if I am wondering what my next step should be, I am Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. 

The same can be true for you. Take time to get into God’s Word. Even more, take time to let God’s Word get into you. It is a game-changer.

Spirit Stuff

 June 17, 2023

It’s not uncommon for people to throw words around of which they have at best, a rudimentary understanding. Such unseemly treatment of the English language was at one time thought to be the provenance of the unlettered and ignorant, but increasingly, it is the instrument of choice in political theater, so much so that we use the phrase “word salad” to describe meaningless drivel that is supposed to pass for learned and informed speech.

Alas! Such meaningless talk is not confined to the halls of Washington, Albany, or Sacramento. It has an honored place in our churches and seminaries. I was reading this morning from 1 Corinthians 2:9-16, where Paul is expounding upon the supernatural wisdom of God. In two verses (11-12), he speaks of “spirit” three times, each time referring to something different. 

 “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” —I Corinthians 2:11-12 

In three short sentences, Paul mentions the “spirit” of a man (human), the “Spirit” of God, and the “spirit” of the world. The use of a single word for all three statements indicates some connection or similarity among them, but the way he uses them in his sentences implies a difference between them. I have listened long and intently to many who expound upon such things, and usually come away with more heat than light. The one commonality in Paul’s usage of the term here is the sense that “spirit” has something to do with self-awareness. 

The word itself in both its Hebrew and Greek manifestations can be translated in one of three ways, depending on the context. The word can mean “breath,” “wind,” or “spirit,” all of which denote something real, but elusive. I think that notion of elusiveness is important, and stands in contrast to many who speak effusively and definitively about having the gift of the Holy Spirit. I am not one to try to debunk another’s sincerely held faith, but do tend to agree with the wag who once commented that certain Christians are “too sure of too many things,” and “Where the Bible is silent, there I stand!”

In the Scripture before me this morning, Paul connects “spirit” with words (v.13) that can speak either human or divine wisdom. This is reinforced by him speaking of the “mind of the Lord” in verse 16. We would not know God’s mind had he not chosen to reveal his inner being, his thoughts and character through the eternal Word of his Son, Jesus Christ. He ends his little dissertation by saying simply that “we have the mind of Christ.” How do we obtain the mind of Christ? Through the agency of the written Word which points us to the living Word of God, Jesus Christ. 

It is through this Man that we become both self-aware and God-aware, and learn to reject the awareness of the world. THAT is, I believe, what the gift of the Holy Spirit is all about.

Technological Conversion

 July 16, 2023

Technology can be both bane and blessing. It blesses us when it enables us to stay connected with one another even over great distances. I am grateful to have been able to Facetime with Linda when I was in Cuba. It’s amazing how we were able to not only talk, but see each other in real time. This is what the social media people keep hawking with every new phone feature that comes out.

There is the other side however; the bane of isolation. When I first went to Cuba, no one had cell phones. The government strictly controlled the media; having a satellite dish was a punishable offense, and trying to stay in contact with those back home was almost impossible. I can’t imagine the isolation felt by missionaries of a generation ago who went months between letters. 

Those first few trips to Cuba, I noticed that when people walked down the street together, they talked animatedly, gesturing and making eye contact with each other, in stark contrast to what I saw back home. Smart phones were all the rage. Whole groups of young people could be seen walking together, each one’s nose buried in a phone. If they were sitting around, they weren’t talking with each other; they were scrolling through the apps on their phones. At restaurants, I observed couples sitting opposite each other, not talking. They were on their phones. The contrast between what I was seeing here and what I saw in Cuba was startling.

That contrast has completely disappeared except in the poorest rural communities. In any given city, people are addicted to their phones. That which was advertised as bringing people together was instead erecting walls between them. The blessing became the bane.

This observation highlights a Scripture text for me: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” —I Timothy 2:5 

When our sin separated us from God, burying our noses in our self-indulgence, God didn’t just leave us in our isolation. He sent his Son Jesus to do what the social media people claim, but are unable to accomplish: he brings us together with himself and with each other. He does this through repentance; changing the way we think and believe, moving us from our self-indulgence to a life centered around himself. God actually brings us together through the mediation of his Son. 

I’m beginning to think that genuine conversion these days will require a re-evaluation of our use of technology, forsaking our addiction to that which separates so we can truly be connected with God and each other.

Creek Kids

 July 15, 2023

Before the government recklessly closed down society in the pandemic, there was a gaggle of teenagers who hung out down at the village park. When that became off-limits, they migrated to our yard and the village swimming hole. Linda and I took it as a sign: we didn’t need to travel to the mission field; God brought it to us. We went down, introduced ourselves, and set the boundaries for behavior on our property. It was pretty apparent that one of the kids had leadership potential, so we said, “Dominic, you are in charge. Make sure everyone follows the rules.” He agreed, and took the job seriously. When he was there, we never had any trouble.

On hot days, we would go down with popsicles and talk with them, trying to learn their names. Then last summer, an incident blew the group apart and we didn’t see them for a long time. But a few weeks ago, I ran into one of them at the gas station. We talked, and I told him we missed seeing them, and last week when I was in Cuba, I got a call from Linda. She was so excited! Hearing voices at the end of our yard, she went down to the creek and heard, “Hi, Mrs. Bailey!” It was Alex. 

“Where’s Dominic?” she asked.

“Right down there,” Alex responded, pointing to the creek. Just then, she heard another “Hello, Mrs. Bailey!” It was Dominic. She talked with them for awhile, got a phone number, and later called to invite them to dinner.

This past Wednesday, they came; Dominic, his girlfriend Madi, and brother Alex. We had a wonderful time around the table, talking about life, about hopes and dreams. Before they left, we prayed with them. “That was a great prayer, Mr. Bailey,” Alex chimed after the amen. I’m not sure what he had to compare it with, but it was good to hear. To put things in perspective, these kids were not the favorites of their teachers when in school, but they’ve always been respectful of us. I think the reason may lie in what one of them said at dinner: we weren’t angry that they were on our property, and treated them with respect.

These kids have known more than their share of trouble, but God has answered our prayers and allowed us to share our life with them. It amazes me that they are willing to spend time with two old folks like us, but maybe we are filling an empty place that no one else is willing to fill. We are praying for more opportunities to welcome them into our home and lives, and to share the Gospel with them. The mission field is not only in Cuba; it is right here at our doorstep, and it would be a sin if we neglected it. We are so excited, and ask for your prayers for wisdom, boldness, and just the right timing. We don’t want to pick the fruit before it’s ready, but we also don’t want to let it just fall to the ground. God is so good, and we are so grateful!

Praises

 July 14, 2023

Yesterday was a banner day! Sometimes God’s blessings come disguised as problems; I’ve had a few of those lately. Today’s blessings were like low-lying fruit, ripe and ready to be enjoyed. 

Our men’s prayer group met at 6:00 am as usual, with the introductory Psalm speaking directly to me. More on that on another day. I went straight from prayer to the second day of extracting a colony of bees from the wall of a house. It was a miserable job; part of the colony was behind some framing for the porch, and some was above the soffit in the eaves. In all, there was about fifteen feet of comb filled with brood and honey, and covered with bees—the largest colony I’ve ever seen. By the time I was done, everything ached from climbing up and down the ladder and getting stung on the ankles. But…the job is done, and since I didn’t charge anything, the owner of the house can’t complain about anything not being to his satisfaction.

Following a much-needed shower, I headed to Buffalo to pick up my repaired bass from Monaco’s Violin shop. Mark Monaco is a magician when it comes to repairs! I am grateful to live in a country where such craftsmanship is available, and I’m very happy to have my old bass back. The attached photos are “before” and “after.”

A stop to the Apple Store for a keyboard for my replacement iPad (my old one took a walk, along with my phone, hearing aids, and a few other odds and ends) ended with the tech man being able to sync the keyboard Nate gave me so I didn’t have to buy a new one. His honesty was a gift to me; he could have told me he couldn’t get it synced, and I would have been none the wiser. I am finally writing tonight after a two-week hiatus.

A few other matters were addressed before heading home and receiving the best news of all, which has to await permission to share.