Open Eyes Prayers

November 30, 2023

”Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.“ —Nehemiah 4:7-9 

Whenever we determine to do God’s work, opposition is certain to follow, and when it comes, prayer is not enough. We must also be on our guard, alert to what is happening around us and to the schemes of the Enemy. It is easy to get so wrapped up in prayer that we become oblivious to the Enemy’s plots to destroy us. 

We do ourselves no favors when we plunge into God’s work without considering how Satan might attempt to sabotage it. Many a pastor has dutifully prayed, diligently studied the Scriptures, but failed to notice the danger signals when counseling, particularly those of the opposite sex. Many others have been so intent on building the ministry that they let down their guard, began believing the press about them, and slowly slid down the greasy path towards financial unaccountability and finally, to greed.

Nehemiah understood that the work of God would inspire opposition, and set a guard against it. His workers ended up dividing their time between working on the wall and acting as an armed militia, protecting those doing the work at the time. It slowed down the work, but failure to account for the opposition would have cratered the entire project. 

Pray. Of course, pray! But do so with your eyes open, lest you defeat your own prayers.

 

Already Done

 November 29, 2023

“I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; 

I will tell of all Your marvelous works. 

I will be glad and rejoice in You; 

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. 

When my enemies turn back, 

They shall fall and perish at Your presence. 

For You have maintained my right and my cause; 

You sat on the throne judging in righteousness. 

You have rebuked the nations, 

You have destroyed the wicked; 

You have blotted out their name forever and ever.”

—Psalm 9:1-5 

This psalm is interesting for the way it begins. David is well aware of matters that need to be dealt with; later in the psalm he declares that God will judge the world, be a refuge for the oppressed, remembers the cry of the humble—all statements of confidence and faith. But he begins not with requests for the present time or for the future. He begins with praise for all God has done, finishing with four mentions of the words “you have…” 

What is interesting to me is that of all the things he says God has done, not one of them seems to actually have happened. Look around—does it look like righteous judgment is occurring anywhere? Are the nations rebuked? Are the wicked destroyed? Is their name blotted out? It could be argued that many of the nations that were powerful back then no longer exist today, but David is speaking as if it had already happened in his lifetime.

When we look around us, injustice, greed, perversity, and violence can be seen everywhere we turn in the here and now. But God isn’t limited to time as we are. We measure time by the spinning of the earth and its journey around the sun. We are born, age, and die. But God declares himself to be “I Am,” eternally present, never changing. The challenge for us is to step out of our perspective and into God’s, where the victory is already won, and because that is so, we can praise God even for things we cannot now see—the healing of the body, the salvation of a wandering child or spouse, the provision that by human standards seems impossible. 

It’s already done! From the very beginning, you were chosen and Christ was ordained to be your Savior (Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 1:20). God has already accomplished what you and I need. We may not yet see it, and may need to pray for it, but we do so with confidence, not with wistful thinking.

Pastor’s Prayers

November 28, 2023

When I was actively pastoring our church, every Sunday I had to be ready to preach a sermon. You might think, “That’s no big deal; put together the equivalent of a short college term paper each week.” That part is true enough, but misses the major part of it all. Preaching a sermon is far different than giving a lecture or teaching a lesson. A sermon must find the sweet spot between the eternal Word of God and the immediate situation of the listener. That’s not an easy task.

When I was preaching weekly, I would literally get sick to my stomach on Sunday mornings, wondering if what I had prepared was what the people needed to hear from God, or whether what I had prepared was actually from God instead of myself. Every week, I reminded myself that someone in the congregation was nursing a broken heart, while someone else was desperately fighting an addiction, and still another needed to be challenged to live their faith more boldly. All that had to be wrapped in the Good News. Too many sermons are little more than good advice—Do this or that to have a better life. People can get good advice almost anywhere. The only place they’re going to hear the Good News is from the proclamation of the Word of God which tells us what God is doing, not what we ought to be doing.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had conversations with pastors who are navigating some pretty major issues in the lives of their church members. They are crying out to God for help, for wisdom, for the power of the Holy Spirit, and they are wondering, “Is this the right word for this people this week?” They are doing all this while feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility of shepherding their congregation, guarding them from society’s and Satan’s wolves who nip at the heels of their people. They are often tired and broken from dealing with their own sins as well as those of their people.

I’ve come away from these conversations grateful to be retired, but also reminded of how much I need to pray for pastors, to cover them with blessing, to listen to their stories, and walk with them through the valleys and rejoice with them when they are on the mountaintop. I am humbled by their integrity and diligence, even knowing they struggle with insecurity, anxiety, and the feeling of impotence in the face of problems that are bigger than they are, though not bigger than the God they proclaim. Please…pray for your pastor!

 

One Thing #2

 November 27, 2023

I’ve been thinking about the One Thing I want from God. A number of possibilities have come to mind, but it’s possible they can be combined together: I want the opportunity to teach others what I’ve learned from 50+ years of ministry. Some of that teaching may include the marriage seminar Linda and I led in Cuba; some will undoubtedly be what God has taught me about gratitude and about Jesus being our default. I can do this in Cuba, but I need also to do it at home. 

Yesterday, I said, “I’ve been wondering about how to mentor young men.” I didn’t know how or where to begin. Today, I met with a younger man for coffee and conversation. In the course of our conversation, he said, “I’ve been looking for a mentor.” Could God say it any clearer?

This evening, I had a conversation with a woman about marital matters. Earlier, someone commented that I needed to put my writings in book form, something I’ve heard more than once. I hate editing, but how many nudges does God need to give me before he decides he has to get a little more emphatic? 

It never set well with me when people would say, “Don’t you know pastors never retire?” It felt as if I were being held to a different standard that often felt imposed and forced upon me. I’ve been retired for nearly ten years now, and one thing I’ve learned is that I have no desire to sit and watch tv all day. I’m grateful to not carry the responsibility I once carried, and to not have to come up with a sermon every week, but although I’m a few bales shy of a barnful, I do believe I’ve learned a few things that may be helpful to others. It all fits well into the rubric of “teacher,” so I’ll keep praying, trusting that God will clarify those parts that are still fuzzy to me. I suspect it will involve more work than I crave at the moment, but also that grace will accompany the calling in the future as it has in the past.

One Thing

 November 26, 2023

The simplest questions are often the toughest. Tonight in our discipleship group, our leader asked the question, “What is the one thing above all else that you would like God to do for you?” One thing only…that’s where it gets hard. My first reaction was to be able to hear so I don’t miss conversations and opportunities that are right in front of me. When I’m in a crowded place, it must seem to others that I’m aloof or stand-offish when I don’t join into conversations. The reality is, I can’t make out what people are saying.

Then I got to thinking a bit deeper. What’s the ONE thing for me? I think one of the reasons we make such slow progress in Christian living is our scattergun approach to it. I suspect most of us have no real target for our prayers. We throw a lot of prayers around, hoping some of them will stick, but if I’m not specific, how will I know if God actually answers them? 

My first response to Nathan’s question was to get the Cuba mission back on track. This last trip felt to me like we are finally getting some traction after about five years of floundering in the dark. 

My next thought was about gratitude. Ten years ago, God put it on my heart (He actually pretty much demanded) that I give thanks in everything and stop growling about all the negativity in the world. It took a year to wean me off my own negativity, but God was faithful, and I’m a much happier person today than I was then.

More recently, I’ve been wondering about how to mentor young men. I’m convinced of the need, but don’t know where or how to begin, or even if this is what God wants me to do.

Lastly, this past June, God started hammering on me about making Jesus my default; where my mind goes when I don’t have to be thinking of something else. Specifically, to stop grabbing for my phone whenever I have a few spare minutes.

I’m still trying to sort all this out. If there were one thing only, which would it be? I’m praying into it, and invite you to do the same—for me…and for yourself. 

A Prepared Heart

November 24, 2023 

“Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.” —Ezra 7:10 

I’ve preached well over 2,000 sermons in the 40 plus years I was pastor. I can’t remember ever stepping into the pulpit unprepared. Of course, some sermons were better than others; some were, to put it mildly, forgettable. Cumulatively, I made it my goal to serve up a healthy meal from the Word of God so the people would be fed and strengthened to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. As I said, I prepared, putting hours into each sermon, researching, studying, writing, and editing. Preaching scared me; I couldn’t eat before preaching because my stomach was always in knots. Handling the Word of Life is not to be taken lightly.

This morning’s reading brought me to Ezra, who led one of the Israeli pilgrimages from captivity back to their homeland, and who supervised the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The above words jumped out at me. I always strived to prepare a sermon, but I wonder if I did as well preparing my heart for the preaching of it. Such preparation is more than academic study; it means allowing God’s Word to do its first work in the preacher. There isn’t much that is more vacuous as a preacher who can deliver words with an eloquence unmatched by humility and holiness. 

The heart is the target in preaching. I cannot reach someone else’s heart if the Word hasn’t reached mine first. Ezra sought the Law of the Lord, meaning, he sought God’s character, God’s revelation of himself. Once there, he sought to do according to the character of God, and finally, to teach others to do the same. Would that all preachers would follow Ezra’s example! The Church would be in much better shape. As for me, these words are a call to repentance for the times when I prepared the sermon, but not my heart.

Absentee Blessings

 November 23, 2023

Everyone speaks and writes about that for which they are thankful on Thanksgiving day; the blessings of family, friends, freedom, etc. I’m thinking tonight of the gifts I haven’t received. I didn’t receive a windfall inheritance. My father lamented in his latter years not having been able to leave much of an inheritance. “You gave us something far greater,” I responded. “You gave us integrity and an example of faith and hard work.”

I never got a competitive spirit. If anything, I always felt inferior to others. I wasn’t athletic, and though I loved music, I was never particularly good at it. I joke that I’m living proof that one doesn’t have to be good at music to enjoy it. Unless you’re a professional, being competitive in music is more of a liability than an asset. You have to be able to work with others to play in the band.

I didn’t receive the gene for thick, wavy hair. I have a friend who is eighty six and has the hair of a twenty-year old. I am envious, but at least when you’re bald, you’re the first to know when it starts to rain. Fortunately, my wife married me because she liked my eyes. (Ask her; it’s true!) I still have both of them, although they are framed in bags these days. At least she wasn’t so enthralled by my hair!

At one time, I am told I had a violent temper. My grandfather thought I would kill my brother some day; I suppose because of the time I chased him through the house with a baseball bat. Poppa Henthorn didn’t live long enough to see us grow up and actually like each other. When I received Christ as my Savior, that temper simply vanished. I must have received a special blessing because I lost my temper that evening when I prayed to receive Jesus (pun intended).

Last summer in Cuba, I lost all my teaching notes on leadership, Bible studies, sermons. They were in the backpack that was stolen one night while I was sleeping. I lost my notes, but learned I could function without them; something I had never done before. Linda used to say that I couldn’t carry on a decent conversation without notes. Now I know that’s not true!

This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for blessings not received; the absence of gifts not given that continue to teach me of God’s sufficient grace to an insufficient man. I am truly blessed.

Thanksgiving

 November 22, 2023

When the person on the other end of the line is in tears, it’s a pretty good hint that something significant is going on. Such was the case with the phone call I received this morning. I listened, then prayed for her. After hanging up, I was once more amazed at the way God works. I can’t divulge details, but God brought this young woman into my life some years before. Then a couple years ago, I lost touch until I happened to see her name in an online local promotion. I called her and was once more able to do business with her. Turns out, God had bigger plans in mind, as she professed her faith in Jesus Christ. I’ve been privileged to watch her grow till she has become a woman of great faith.

Great faith is often accompanied by great trials, and today’s phone call is evidence of that truth. I’ve been blessed to be invited into a circle of confidence that has allowed me a front row seat in the growth of a relatively new believer. It is holy ground.

At six o’clock, the countdown began as the Bailey clan gathered at our daughter and son in law’s for Thanksgiving dinner of cordon bleu, roasted cauliflower and broccoli, and brussel sprouts, followed by an assortment of pies. I didn’t even bother to count, but there were in excess of twenty of us gathered for good food, laughter, and gratitude. The meal being over, the table was cleared and the Thankful Tablecloth was spread out. It dates back twenty years, each year each of us adding something for which we are thankful. 

Over the years, babies have come and grown up, boyfriends and international students have left their mark on this visible reminder of the goodness of God. My only concern is that someday when Linda and I are gone, who will become the Keeper of the Cloth. Tonight, that is not on the agenda, and we are once more grateful for the many blessings we have received. 

Once everyone has signed the tablecloth, it’s time for the official start to the Christmas season. No, it’s not yet Advent, but when everyone gathers in the living room for a short segment of “The Christmas Story,” all is set into motion. Everyone files out into the dining room while son Matthew, son in law Todd, and grandson Ian bring in the crate marked FRAGILE, (must be Italian). All the lines of the movie are dutifully recited as Todd opens the crate, throws excelsior around and lifts the leg lamp while Ian strokes the stocking. We all move en masse to the front lawn where the dialogue continues. That being done, it’s time to go home and count again our many blessings as Thanksgiving hovers, waiting for the dawn.

 November 21, 2023

Saturday when I took Nick to the train show, three different men commented on how nice it was of me to bring and watch over him. It wasn’t hard. Nick is a good friend, is easy to be with and gets so excited about anything trains. It was but a small kindness and easy to do. But those comments reveal how rare in this world is grace and kindness that it should garner such attention. Grace is attractive to most people. Even the smallest demonstration of it stands out like a shining beacon in a world of darkness. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world,” and “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to me.” Grace is a light that attracts people like moths. 

John Wesley was once asked how he drew such crowds to hear him preach. He replied, “I set myself on fire, and people come to watch me burn.” People don’t understand grace, so it intrigues them. They’ll watch, wondering what it is that makes someone behave that way; what makes him burn. 

What I don’t understand is why it is so easy to give to Nick and so hard for me to give the same to others. I also don’t understand why some so easily get under my skin and Nick doesn’t. Why the difference? I wish I could say differently, but some people just plain irritate me. Sometimes, I’m not very Christian in my thoughts. God still has so much work to do in me that I often wonder if he doesn’t shake his head in amazement that I am so slow and thick. My grace towards Nick was a small thing. God’s grace towards me was huge, costing not a mere afternoon, but the very blood of his Son. I have a long way to go.

“Lord, I don’t know how to change my feelings about some of the grace-deprived people in my life. Do your work in me so I can be the same towards them that I am toward Nick and that you are towards me.

Open

November 20, 2023

For some reason, I was really tired this afternoon and if I weren’t leading the men’s Bible study, I’d have stayed home. I’m so glad I went. We were talking about Paul’s word in Romans 9:3.

“For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,” —Romans 9:3 

Paul was so concerned for the salvation of his fellow Jews that he was almost willing to forfeit his own salvation for theirs. Elsewhere, he said he would go to almost any length—to be all things to all people if by some means he could save some—almost any length to see them saved. 

The question begs to be asked: “What about me?” How far am I willing to go to see someone saved? I have no reasons, but so many excuses for why I say so little. “I am an introvert.” “I don’t know what to say.” “I worry about what they will think of me.” “Talking about Jesus means talking about sin. That makes me uncomfortable.” “I don’t want people to think I think I’m better than them.” “I could lose a friendship over religion.” 

The list goes on and on; every objection is an excuse, not a reason. I fear that sometimes I don’t believe the Gospel as thoroughly as I claim. Penn Jillette, himself an atheist, said it best. “If you believe that those who don’t believe in Jesus are going to hell, how much do you have to hate someone to not tell them?” How much, indeed?

This week, many of us will gather with family, many of whom don’t know Jesus. Will we be brave enough to broach the subject? We will meet people at work, on the street, at a restaurant, at Walmart. What will we do? Ron Hutchcraft speaks of what he calls the Three-Open Prayer: “Open my heart, Open the door, and Open my mouth.” Yes, Lord! Open!

 

Anywhere

 November 19, 2023

Ever since Ray Stedman wrote the book, “Body Life” in 1995, even mainline churches have embraced the concept of Christians serving according to their gifts or talents. We love serving out of our abilities and passions rather than mere obligation or necessity. 1 Corinthians 11 and Romans 13 provide the foundation for most teaching on spiritual gifts.

There can however, be a problem with the concept of serving out of our giftedness. I’ve heard people decline to help out when a need is presented, with the explanation that “That’s not my spiritual gift.” Rick Warren answered this kind of objection very simply: “If you aren’t willing to serve anywhere, you’re not ready to serve anywhere.” The old hymn by Adelaide Addison Pollard summarizes the attitude that should characterize everyone who desires in any way to serve Christ.

“Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
while I am waiting, yielded and still.

“Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today.
Whiter than snow Lord, wash me just now,

as in thy presence humbly I bow.

“Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray.
Power, all power, surely is thine.
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

“Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.”

I’ve sung this song since I was a kid, but back then I didn’t understand as I do now the importance of the humility revealed in these words. Too often, good ministry has been undermined by pride and a sense of self-importance that ended up destroying a significant work of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah said it well:

“For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

—Isaiah 57:15 

“If you aren’t willing to serve anywhere, you aren’t ready to serve anywhere.”

Turning Point

 November 18, 2023

Tonight’s musings come compliments of Linda. The Gratitude Calendar for today reads “A gift made, shared, passed on.” I was drawing a blank till Linda said, “You made breakfast for Gemma this morning, shared it with her, and passed on the legacy of your own life.”

When Gemma (age almost 12) arrived last night, she and I sat and talked for probably 45 minutes. I asked how school was going, what she liked best and least, and other various questions just to get her talking. I told her about my grandparents, growing up in the 50’s, what it was like raising her uncles and her mother. We shared not only time, but hearts. 

With every child there comes a moment when as an adult we suddenly see them in a different light, growing up, edging their way into young adulthood, sticking a toe into the waters of relationships and responsibility. I don’t know how it happens, what changes, but it’s real. I’m grateful each time this new awareness has dawned on me. Nine grandchildren; Gemma is the last opportunity I’ll have to witness this subtle but definite transition. It is holy ground, and like Moses, I take off the shoes of my soul to stand on it. 

Toe-tally Awesome!

 November 17, 2023

Back in May, a lump suddenly appeared on the fourth toe of my right foot. By suddenly, I mean one day was normal, the next, a lump. A visit to a podiatrist, and I learned it was a ganglion cyst, benign, but could be troublesome. He lanced it, squeezed a jelly-like substance out, and told me he wouldn’t be surprised if it came back. They usually do. It did.

My best guess is that this is a very delayed consequence of a teenage mishap. A bunch of us guys were playing a pickup soccer game in the parking lot of our church. Pickup means it wasn’t a planned game like today’s youthful soccer games, and being unplanned, I had come wearing moccasins. As in flimsy moccasins. You can see where this is going, can’t you? 

The ball came to me and I loaded up for a mighty kick. Apparently, my foot-eye coordination was a bit lacking that afternoon, as instead of the ball, I landed a solid blow to the steel-toed boot of the defender. I never went to the doctor, but the bent toe told me all I needed to know. It was broken, and it’s that very toe that is my present offender.

So, before our trip to Cuba I did a round of pre-op doctors visits. It would have been much simpler had I whacked it with an axe while splitting wood. A single trip to the ER, and bada-boom, this would have been over months ago. As it is, this morning found Linda and me in the surgical wing of our local hospital, but not before the requisite Bailey injury jokes. Linda told the kids that instead of an ambulance, she was thinking of calling a toe truck to take me in. I told her that since it had appeared in the early summer, it must have been all the toe-matoes I had been eating. We’re funny people that way.

All is well. I have to walk like a penguin for the next week, heel first, but I can do that. All I need is a tuxedo. Showering will be a bit challenging, but I’m sure I can manage. If I can’t, Linda will have me sleeping in the garage. In the meantime, I got to pray for my nurse, and am grateful for the staff, the technology, the surgeon’s skill, and the medicines that make this a relatively minor matter. Having just returned from Cuba, I know that none of these should be taken for granted. I, and we, are blessed beyond measure!

Threat of Life

November 16, 2023

“On account of [Lazarus], many…believed in Jesus.” —John 12:11

Formerly dead people tend to draw attention. I wonder what it means if we aren’t drawing attention. Does anyone see life in me where there once was death? Even more, is anyone so rattled by the life in me that they want to do to me what they did to Jesus? Lazarus being raised from death posed a threat to the status quo of the religious and political elite. I’m afraid most of my Christian life hasn’t drawn much attention, and certainly hasn’t threatened the status quo of anyone. 

If Jesus has traded his life for our death, it ought to make people sit up and take notice, and if that happens, someone’s settled way of life is bound to be threatened. May more people be threatened by the life of Jesus in me!

 

Lazarus

 November 15, 2023

 It was a blistering hot summer day as I drove to Houghton College in my little Nissan pickup, one of those days where the sun beat down so mercilessly that the tar in the asphalt rose in little bubbles on the road. In the back of my truck was a shovel and a black plastic garbage bag. In the back of my mind were thoughts that upon reflection, might better have been turned to more constructive matters.

It was about an hour and a half drive, pleasant enough but for the sweltering heat. Every so often, I spied what I had been looking for, pulled over, and shoveled my treasure into the garbage bag till I had enough for my little demonstration. Once I arrived for the Western NY United Methodist Women’s annual meeting, I tied off the bag and flung it on top of the cab of my truck so the sun would do its work through the week.

Thursday was the appointed day. I took my bag, stuffed it into a cardboard box and with a few other props, headed to the room where I had been teaching the women studies in the Gospel of John. Did I mention that it was hot, and that the room where we met was one of those newer  classrooms with windows that were sealed shut. Air conditioning was all the rage. 

As good fortune would have it, the annual teen Bible camp was being held at the upper campus that very same week, so I had invited all the teens to come to what I was sure would be an unforgettable lesson. They filed into the room that previously had contained only mostly older UM women, and sat down for the lesson.

My prop readied, I jumped up on the table with a flourish. I was sporting a cape and magic wand. Sadly, I had been unable to locate a top hat, which would have made the effect even more exciting. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” I announced. “You are about to witness the greatest miracle since Bible times. I am going to raise Lazarus from the dead!” Eyes widened; I had their attention. Waving my wand over the box, I shouted, “Abracadabra!” Nothing. Again, louder; “Abracadabra!” Still nothing.

“I don’t understand it! This should be working,” I lamented. Stepping down from the table, I gingerly opened the box, untied the black plastic bag and invited the kids to examine the contents. The effect was MARVELOUS! Greater than I had anticipated! One by one, the kids stuck their noses into the bag of week-old, sautéed in the sun road kill. A few gagged, one nearly lost his lunch, the old ladies in the front row were almost in a panic trying to get away from the stench. 

“Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead,” I said calmly amidst the escalating chaos. But Lazarus was still wearing the stinky grave clothes. Jesus told those nearby to unwrap him. We can be raised to new life in Christ, but if we’re still wearing the smelly old death clothes of our habits and sins, no one will want to hear anything we want to say about salvation.”

For years afterward, women would come up to me at Annual Conference and wag their fingers at me for that lesson. At least they didn’t forget it!

Today as I read that scripture in John 11 once more, it occurred to me that Jesus instructed those nearby to unwrap Lazarus. He couldn’t do it by himself. He was still bound. I wonder how often we lead someone to Christ so they have resurrection life, but never get around to unwrapping the smelly clothes of their old life. We expect that with salvation they will know to change their habits, but we forget that they are bound in sins and bondages they haven’t the power to break. It’s our job to unwrap the old life for them. It can be messy, nasty work, which is why so few have the patience or stomach to do it. The fact is however, that no one can unwrap their old life by themselves. We need others to do it, to hold us accountable, to be willing to put up with the stench of the old life as layer after layer is peeled off till the new resurrected person can be seen in all Christ’s resurrection glory.