When the Scales Come Off

Most of us have heard the phrase looking at the world through rose colored glasses.  Most of the time, it simply means that we have chosen to view something in a positive light.  And in fact, I think we very often do choose to view the world in which we live with certain preconceived ideas.  I believe all of us look at life through the lens of a certain worldview.  I believe further, that it is impossible not to interpret the events that unfold around us without passing them through some sort of intellectual filter.  It helps us understand things, and allows us to categorize other peoples' opinions and biases.  

At one point in my life - early in my faith walk - I spent quite a bit of time studying the different apologetic and philosophical arguments both for and against the monotheistic God.  It was really fascinating, even more so than a typical world religion class (where they compare different religious belief systems in a more basic manner).  I enjoyed researching the conflicting core worldviews quite a bit more.  

If we are talking here about viewing things through a particular type of lens, then to begin with, I can list off several non-Biblical systems of thought.  For example, the atheist says that there is no God at all, so don't bother looking.  The relativist says that all truth is relative, and depends only on what you personally decide is right or wrong as an individual.  A universalist might stop you in the hall and remind you that basically everything shakes out to similar attributes in the end.  Finally, Scientism tells us that we can only ever know the physical world around us, and nothing else really matters. 

If you notice, all of these worldviews seem to share one thing in common: they don't leave space for any higher, greater truth claims.  They look only so far as their particular belief system allows, and no further.  Any appeal to a higher moral or ethical power is limited by whatever a worldview happens to espouse. In other words, there is a glass ceiling in terms of how much truth you can access.   

I will contrast this to the orthodox Christian Biblical view in a moment, but first I want to point to a piece of Scripture from Acts 9:18.  It says, "Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again.  He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength."  This passage describes the apostle Paul's famous conversion on the road to Damascus.  In a flash of light and loud audible voice, Saul becomes Paul, and he meets the real God for the first time.  

The concept of scales being removed from someone's eyes means that at some point, God steps in and allows a believer to see the world through the lens of Jesus of Nazareth.  It's as if all of a sudden a dark veil that once hindered our understanding of godly things is dropped, and we are able to comprehend the things of the Spirit.  Paul had this type of epiphany on the road to Damascus, and it changed the course of his life forever.  It changes you and I also. 

Author and philosopher C.S. Lewis has been quoted as saying, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."  God is our primary source of goodness in this world.  If we aren't looking at things by His light, then we are missing something.  All we see are shadows.  We need His help to see things clearly, to understand the parables and stories of the Bible, and to help spread the Gospel message.  Without it, we can easily slip back into one of the secular categories I mentioned earlier.  

So what in fact does it look like to view the world with Bible colored glasses?  To answer that question, we must go back to the account of Paul in Acts.  Scripture says that he didn't go directly into ministry after his conversion.  In fact, he took some time off to study and reflect.  I think it is okay for us to do the same.  Once we see things the way God does, then let's face it - a good many of our personal philosophies might need to be revised.  We need to work on ourselves for a bit. 

Once the scales come off, however, we are free.  There is no going backwards.  We are free to love without reservation, to shed guilt associated with sin, and to recognize the need for repentance in order to come closer to a Holy life.  This all takes some work of course, but it is work with an end goal of hope (getting closer to a loving God).  Whereas other worldviews are often limited by a finite end goal, the Christian view allows it's proponents to test other opinions and views by staking them up against what God says in the Bible.  At that point, we can weigh an idea based on whether or not it yields good fruit and produces spiritual growth, or whether it espouses hate speech and conflict.  

My advice is this: use the gift of clear vision to steer your ship in God's direction.  Look at what's happening around us today in the world in light of the Bible's commandments, and not just what a television news anchor might think.  God's Word will take you on a deeper, and more fruitful path, often yielding a far more profound result than you would otherwise find.  

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."  Let His heart guide yours, and we are promised that eventually over time, our paths will finally cross.  What a glorious day that will be for every believer.

As a final note, I wanted to add that some readers may accuse me of being a victim of my own religious bias and Christian worldview, in the same way that I have faulted secular belief systems.  But understand this difference ... in a solid Christian church, a new believer has the freedom to question faith and look around a bit.  Can adherents of the other views I mentioned do that?  For example, if the atheist starts talking about the possibility of the supernatural, I suspect intense criticism would follow.  Likewise, if a naturalist tries to question macro-evolution or the Darwinian view on human origins, they are "out of the club" so to speak.  By contrast, a confident and loving Christian church can provide a safe platform by which a new convert can 'kick the tires' and test ideas a bit.  This is how iron sharpens iron. 

When we embrace our faith journey and seek after the God of Jacob and Abraham, then we are truly free in the sense that by His light, we can now test  all other things.  We have the space we need to grow and heal in a loving and nurturing environment.  The type of nurturing that we can then pass on to the other people in our lives that really matter to us.  

 

 

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God and the Plight of Depression

I believe that depression and suicide are modern day epidemics that often get overlooked.  While things like COVID-19 and politics capture much of the public's attention, those suffering silently from depression and anxiety often fall through the cracks.  Everything might look okay on the outside, so the symptoms are often difficult to see.  We may add to this the fact that it is even more difficult for the average person to address this topic in passing conversation.  For example, twenty-two veterans per day commit suicide in the United States.  PTSD and a wide range of other difficulties contribute to this situation for many who face active combat scenarios.  While these numbers may not compare with heart disease or other medical maladies - they are still staggering.  That equates to over eight-thousand people per year who go to an early grave unnecessarily.  If this doesn't bother you, then let me say without reserve that it really should.  And this doesn't even include the average civilian who might be struggling with suicidal thoughts as well.

Note that in the following Scripture from 1 Kings, there is mention of God's people also struggling with depression.  1 Kings 19:3-4 says, "Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.  When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness.  He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die.  'I have had enough, Lord,' he said.  'Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.'"

Elijah had reason to be scared.  He was on the run from Jezebel, who was set on murdering him.  Notice that this Old Testament character finds himself in the same situation that many people deal with today.  He had a sense of hopelessness and even prayed for his own death.  Three-thousand years may exist between this historical account and our own time, but the specter of depression hasn't changed much.  It is still fueled by what I believe is a fundamental misunderstanding about what our personal worth is.

If left to our own devices, people often repeat two very distinct lies to themselves during times of trial and struggle.  The first goes something like this: "God has rejected and abandoned me."  Now I want to point out here that many fine people throughout history have thought this very thing.  So if it is running through your mind also, know that you are not alone.

Second, people who are struggling often believe the lie: "Your family would be better off without you."  This is also based on a false assumption that the people who care for us might actually 'have it easier' if we aren't around to burden them.  The truth of the matter is, even if we don't get along well with our family, they would most certainly suffer grief if you were suddenly gone.

If you don't remember anything else from this article, then please hear what I say next.  Your personal value isn't determined by your performance in any given situation.  If you are struggling to hold down a job, it doesn't always mean that you aren't worthy of making an income.  If you happen to make a few mistakes regarding something important, it doesn't mean that you cannot learn from it and rise above it the next day.  You are more than what you may or may not accomplish from one week to the next. 

I remember the very first job I had when I was fourteen years old.  It was at a local grocery store, and I was running the cash register.  This was before political correctness had set in, so if you got in trouble with the boss, you received an ear-lashing.  Needless to say, I was trying really hard to perform well!  One day a really nice woman strolled through the checkout line and began complimenting me on my shirt and tie.  Little did I know that she was part of a crime ring that traveled from store to store and stole money out of cash registers.  One person would distract the clerk, while the person behind them in line literally reached into the open drawer and pulled out large bills.  

This little scam worked like a charm on a young and vulnerable kid working his first real job.  I didn't get into serious trouble because the manager knew about the crime ring, but I still felt awful.  I felt like dirt actually.  If I could have crawled into a tiny hole to hide, I would have.  But fortunately I had enough wherewithal to understand that this event wouldn't end up shaping and defining my entire career.  I had a few people who helped me to remember that as time went on and I became more experienced, the tension and anxiety would pass.  This is a simplistic illustration, but I do think it lends itself to the truth that my own self worth wasn't a reflection of that particular day at work.

And now lets discuss what God says about our value as an individual.  Here we talk about three truths, in direct opposition to the two lies previously mentioned.  The first truth is that you are who God says you are.  Forget all the negativity that sometimes surrounds us.  Maybe it comes from a co-worker or a bully at school.  For many, this type of abuse exists between spouses or parents and children.  Whatever the case may be, please consider allowing God's positive voice to drown out all the other white noise.

The second truth is that you are what Christ did for you on the cross.  No matter how low your personal self-esteem may be, nothing can change the fact that two-thousand years ago, Jesus died a painful death on the cross as a blood sacrifice for sin.  It was an act of altruistic love directly from the Creator to us.  He didn't have to sacrifice His son; He didn't owe us anything.  He did it anyway.  Rest assured that God must have had a good reason to vouch for you and I, so let's take Him at His word that we are worthy enough to be loved.

Finally, we may rest in the truth that God has big plans for us.  There are so many places in Scripture that talk about the different ways He plans to prosper us and lead us into safer pastures.  It may not always feel like we are unique or special, but to the being who created the entire Universe - we are invaluable.  

In short, you have been made with a purpose and a plan.  If there is still life left in your body, then you still have work to do for the kingdom of Heaven.  Consider  verse 5 from the first chapter of Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  This is the way the Bible describes God's call to Jeremiah to get up, get going, and start prophesying to the world.  It is a call for you and I today also.

Even back when you were a simple, single-celled organism in your mother's womb, it appears that God had a plan for you in this life.  Don't cut it short, and don't cut yourself off from His future blessing.  We need not live a life of depression, thinking that we aren't worth anything or that we will never amount to anything.  It simply isn't true.  

In some ways, Jeremiah 1:5 has much to say about the modern day plight of abortion also.  If God really knew us before we were born, then stopping a fetus from reaching adulthood becomes philosophically problematic.  In 2018 for example, the CDC reported over half a million abortions occurred in America.  I believe we can take from Scripture that each person has value in God's eyes.  In essence, half a million of God's candles were extinguished on purpose in just one year.  The WHO (World Health Organization) reports close to fifty million abortions annually worldwide.  This is an incredible amount of death by anyone's standards, almost akin to some types of genocide I think.  I believe this ought to give us pause for thought when it comes to what life means in terms of value and worth. 

Ultimately, I suppose my point is this: you are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Capable of great success and purpose.  Erase the lies that you may have been fed throughout your life that you aren't important, or that not all life is equally valuable.  Instead, lean into what God actually said and did.  In this way, hopefully the plight of depression will gradually begin to diminish in our culture over time.  Resist the urge to quantify yourself as anything less than important beyond measure.

 

 

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Graduating Church?

I recently watched two of my kids graduate from an eleven-week confirmation class at church.  I'm not going to lie; I was an extremely proud Dad.  During those three months, a group of ten middle school children learned about what it means to be a Methodist and how to find God in this crazy, modern world.  When it was finally time to be presented with a certificate, the pastor said something interesting.  He reminded the kids that going through confirmation class doesn't mean that you have now "graduated from church", and that it's okay to wander away and stop attending services.  I took a moment to let this sink in, and I think he was right.  In fact, I think it means the opposite.  Once confirmed, it signals that you now have a grasp on the fundamentals of religion such that you can begin to understand what it means to follow God.  It conveys a beginning, not an end.  

The pastor's warning needed to be said, because culturally speaking, many people consider graduation or commencement to mean that it's now okay to move on to the next thing.  Never looking back to the old, but only focusing on the future.  Sometimes this is good advice, but I believe we forget that we can often do both of these things at the same time.  We can move toward the future, and we can also remember and cherish where we have already been.  We must continue to attend church and grow in our faith walk.  God has a funny way of combining our future with our achievements in ways that aren't always immediately evident.  I have this funny feeling that whenever He gives us a promotion, something more is also expected of us.  The degree or certificate is never the final step. 

Faith itself never "ends" ... there is no graduation from loving and pursuing God and His church.  If we look at Hebrews 10:23 for a moment, it says, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."   We must hold fast to the gift of faith we have received from God the Father, and we dare not doubt that this same God is faithful enough to see us through whatever comes next.  What He passes on to us through the Spirit doesn't need to fade away over time.  We don't graduate from church and then disappear into the culture, as some are in the habit of doing.

Erwin McManus is the pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, CA.  It's a megachurch with thousands of parishioners who show up every Sunday to hear what God is saying.  McManus is fond of saying, "We cannot serve God in neutral."  He equates our faith walk with the transmission shifter in a car.  We have several gears to choose from: park, drive, neutral, etc.  McManus is simply saying that if we want to follow the living God, we have to put the car into drive.  There is no sense hanging out in neutral, and just kind of limping along wherever the road happens to take you.  We must be more determined than that; we must take the gear out of park and hit the gas.  It's hard to follow something when we are standing still. 

Matthew 17:20-21 is a familiar verse from the New Testament.  It says, "He [Jesus] replied, 'Because you have so little faith.  Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain move from here to there, and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.'"  Faith does something, it acts upon the external world.  It can move mountains, as long as we make the decision to take our car out of neutral.  

Staying in neutral is easy.  It allows us to kind of limp along on our faith journey, maybe attending church services only on occasion, or when something difficult happens in our lives.  Neutral allows us to exist seamlessly with our surrounding culture, such that people from the outside looking in may in fact find no discernible attribute linking us to the Christian faith whatsoever.  God calls us to much more than this.  

I have practiced martial arts for close to thirty-five years.  I was a student for a long time, and the last ten years or so I have been a teacher.  It is always a joy to pass along what I have learned to my students.  It helps ensure a new generation of followers who recognize the beauty and discipline of the art.  But I have also noticed something else that comes along with it.  A good many people set their sights on the black belt as an end goal.  This in and of itself is perfectly normal, and at some point it comes time to take the big test.  After the belt is awarded, the temptation exists to quit training and move on to the next thing.  "I have graduated from the martial arts," they might think, "and now I can stop."  When this happens, all those years of learning and practice will eventually ebb away.  It is sometimes tragic to witness. 

Consider instead, what happens when a student decides to stay on after their "graduation" and help teach and give back to their class.  They are, in effect, putting the car into drive and embracing the next part of their walk.  Putting all of those principles they learned over the years into action, while continuing to learn and improve themselves.  I suspect it's the same way regarding faith.  We learn for a while, we graduate, and then we can give back.  The faith walk never really ends - it only changes and matures.

So, what is our lesson from all of this?  I believe we must strive to continue our walk with God over the course of our entire life.  We need to keep the fire stoked, so to speak.  Look at the apostles in the book of Acts, for example.  After Jesus ascended into Heaven, they went out into the world and affected real change.  Peter didn't dare keep the car in neutral; neither should we. Whatever you learn from God go pay it forward, and most likely God will do the same for you.

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Patient, not Passive

I heard the following piece of advice while watching one of my daughter's tennis lessons.  The coach told her that being patient on the court is not the same thing as being passive about her gameplay.  In other words, trying to "kill" the ball when returning a hit so that you can grab a point as quickly as possible isn't always the best strategy.  There are other ways to go about winning the game.  He recommended that she continue to employ patience, and wait for the right shot at the right time.  This will win the day in the long run over time.  

This isn't always the easy thing to do mind you.  A player can feel any number of emotions once the match or tournament begins.  In fact, this piece of advice works for just about any sport I can think of.  In baseball for example, we wait for the perfect pitch to cross the plate in the strike zone.  In football, the quarterback waits for an open receiver.  You get the idea.  We take a moment to focus our mind and body, wait for the opportunity, and only then make a  move.

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 says, "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.  Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools."   

We see the opposite strategy being employed all around us - there are many who end up in the lap of fools.  The squeaky wheel gets a cleaning, right?  The idea here is that you must speak up and complain in order to be heard.  Talk loud, move fast, and then get what you want.  But what if we actually stepped back long enough to apply some oil and fix the squeak itself?  

If you pay close attention to a good tennis match, most of the time you can see that the instant a player becomes angry or frustrated (becoming provoked in their spirit), they often start losing.  If a positive end result is ninety percent a mental state of being, then Scripture is correct in cautioning us to keep a cool head.  Look toward the end of the game, don't just focus on hitting the ball as hard as you can.

I will never forget a particular transition of power that took place years ago at one of my churches.  We had a brand new pastor, and the entire congregation was excited.  It isn't difficult to embrace something new and interesting generally speaking, and the same thing happens in churches.  New management always carries with it the potential for new hope.  

As luck would have it though, this particular person began making sweeping changes almost immediately.  He was trying to swing away with the racket and kill the ball the moment the match began.  He advocated switching meeting venues, cancelling certain ministries, and even changing the church name.  Decisive change isn't always a bad thing, but there was one particular ministry he shut down that will always haunt me.  It was a healing ministry designed for women, and it had been running for almost ten years.  In addition, the person leading the ministry was just recently widowed.  That ministry had become a way for her to cling to something familiar in a time of great struggle.  She was able to connect with the familiar. 

How different that would have gone I think, had the new pastor stepped back a bit and surveyed the entire playing field before making a move.  How different things would have been had he waited for the right time, and the right shot.  Easy for me to judge in hindsight I know - ministry is a hard job.  But I will forever hold this event as an example of zeal not according to wisdom.  If I remember correctly, the leader and everyone else in that group left the church shortly thereafter.  

I think that the lesson we can take from Ecclesiastes 7 is that we can wait on God.  Wait for what He might be trying to tell or teach us, both through the Scriptures and in the Spirit.  It isn't passivity to step back a bit and prayerfully wait sometimes.  

1 Chronicles 16:11 further says, "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."  When we are looking for God's hand, it means we want something specifically from Him.  We are asking Him to do something for us.  But when we seek His face, it is a completely different experience.  This means we just want to be known to Him, and for Him to know us.  To have a connection such that we might understand what He wants from us.  It is this second meaning that applies here I think.  1 Chronicles 16 in this regard, is talking about giving God an audience first - before we seek counsel from other people.  This isn't being passive either; it is simply being wise.  

It isn't difficult to recognize the 'squeaky wheel' concept in our culture today.  Simply turn on the television or go on your computer.  You will hear opinions that may feed the need for immediate gratification or political correctness.  And incidentally, much of it runs contrary to the Bible as well (especially when it comes to hot button political issues).  So step back, just wait for the right shot to come into view.  There is no need to run all over the court trying to kill the ball.

I think that we end up with the following process: listen for God first, discern what He is telling you by reading Scripture and seeking Godly counsel, then finally ... obey His commands.  Rushing in full of pride or anger rarely succeeds in the long run.  This behavior does make an impact on those around you, but usually not a good one.  Instead be patient with God, and He will do the same with you.

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God's Kinetic Chain

There is a concept in the sport of tennis called the kinetic chain.   It may very well exist in other sports also, but I learned it while listening to my daughter's tennis coach.  He said that in order to properly engage in a volley or serve the ball, everything must start with an efficient motion.  This first motion must then flow seamlessly into the next one, kicking off a chain of events that ultimately leads to a successful execution of the technique.  Remember that kinetic energy is energy in motion, and in order to perform this chain of events properly, none of the individual steps can occur out of sequence.  When done correctly, it is quite a sight to see.  

If you watch just about any professional athlete, you will see this concept at play.  The way Peyton Manning throws a football for example, or the way Michael Phelps swims across an Olympic sized pool.  Every movement is technically sound.  There is no breakdown anywhere in the kinetic chain.  Near perfect technique leading to the desired end result.  

I believe that the art of meeting and interacting with God has it's own kinetic chain.  Each step of getting to know Him better flows into the next step, until we can look back at our life at some point and connect all the dots.  We can trace back the beginning, middle, and end.  And we can also look to see at what point our technique may have been flawed, or where our kinetic chain broke down from time to time.

I want to carry this idea forward by suggesting that God's kinetic chain consists of four parts - each flowing into the next.  We can begin by stating the fact that God pursues us, then we worship Him, our faith next will mature, and finally we can pass along what we learn to others.  It is this chain of events over the course of a lifetime that can literally change the world.  Let's look at each step in a little more detail below.

If we are being honest, I think that we have to admit that most of us didn't begin by looking for God.  Quite the contrary, He had to come find us.  He had to do something to shake us out of our comfort zone, or remind us that He is still in charge.  Take the Israelites for example.  The Lord spent about 1,500 years driving home the idea that human beings need to repent and follow His commands.  The story of the Old Testament is really one of rebellion, repentance, and then restoration (over and over again).  But God had to make himself known to us through His prophets and His Spirit first.  We would be lost without that first step.  

The second step in this kinetic chain is that we begin to feel a need to worship God.  He has pursued us and made Himself known, and now our logical reaction to this fact should be to fall on our knees and worship Him in praise and gratitude.  Gratitude for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sins, as well as the fact that we are created in the likeness of His image.  Both of these things are gifts that were given to mankind out of an abundance of love and mercy.  God didn't owe us this, but He did it anyway.

The third step is a result of this worship and adoration - namely, that our faith must naturally begin to mature and grow.  As we follow God and study His ways over time, it is no surprise that the student begins to emulate his/her master.  He begins to change our trajectory from selfish and sinful to service oriented and sanctified.  You don't meet the living God and walk away unchanged, it just doesn't work that way.  

Finally, God brings us to a point in our faith walk where we are ready to help other people.  This might mean sharing the Gospel message through evangelism, or it might mean we become teachers or mentors.  Whatever the case may be, He takes us out of our comfort zone and into the spiritual battleground.  We have come off the bench and are now in the game.  And this is also a good place to pause and take stock of our own lives as well.  Are we working for Him, or are we just going through life worrying about ourselves and our own desires?  If we aren't doing anything at all for God or the church, then it's time to step back and recalibrate.  Something is missing.  

You may notice something else at this point.  You may be asking yourself, "what about all of the lukewarm living going on in America today?"  Remember the term lukewarm simply means that your faith isn't producing the fruit of the spirit.  You don't take God seriously, and there is no commitment to be faithful to the Gospel or to repent from sin.  There are thousands of people stuck in this boat.  They may even attend church regularly, but the truth of the Bible never took hold.  From the outside looking in, their lives resemble everyone else's.  There is no way to really tell if God has changed their hearts.

Lukewarm people interrupt the kinetic chain early on.  They never move past generalized corporate worship and on to becoming a mature Christian.  It's like skipping every tennis practice, and then showing up at the meet and expecting to win a match.  Instead, you will be more likely to end up chasing tennis balls around the court after swinging wildly and missing with the racket.  Quite honestly, this watered down version of the faith isn't worth passing along to other people anyway.  The chain breaks down here for good reason, and the technique cannot be executed properly.  

There is good news of course.  God has promised to guide our process of engaging in the kinetic chain.  He has promised to help us when needed, and edify us when called for.  If we repent of sin and come to Him with a genuine heart, I don't think there is any reason to fear the lukewarm predicament.  Isaiah 48:17 says, "This is what the Lord says - your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs your steps in the way you should go.'"

Further in Isaiah, chapter 58 and verse 11 says, "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be a well-watered garden, like a spring whose water never fail."  

God will guide, protect, and help teach us how to mature in our faith.  Much like the sport of tennis, God's chain of events takes practice to do well.  On any given week we can attend church, go to small groups, and read the Bible.  Stay in prayer on a regular basis, and don't give up trying to live out your faith.  You may give up on God from time to time, but He will not give up on you - no matter the cost.  He will make you an experienced tennis player if you let Him.  

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Easter Sunday Sermon

I gave the following sermon message for Easter Sunday yesterday.  It is entitled "The Reality of the Resurrection."  Easter is nothing less than the linchpin to the Christian faith.  Everything else hinges on the truth that He is risen.  Click on the video below to listen.  Hope you enjoy it!

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I KNEW YOU FIRST (poem for a graduate)

I knew you first

Before the rest of the world

From the very beginning

An old soul, with a young heart

I knew you first

Before your teachers and mentors

Before you crossed the street to go to school

Looking to me for guidance, to feel secure

I knew you first

That time you tried some ice cream

The time you skinned your knee

Trusting that your parents would be there

I knew you first

From the time we moved away

Until the time you graduated 

Awkwardly strong, always independent

I knew you first

Before you took your driver's permit test

And later, when you drove too fast around that bend

Everything turned out fine, everything often does

I knew you first

When you started going on dates

And we stayed up waiting late at night

Occasionally, you came home early

I knew you first

Before you walked across a stage

With your graduation cap and gown

Fierce and confident 

Watch out world, for my daughter has arrived

Small but powerful

Like a confidant fish in a vibrant pond

Someone ready to engage this life

I knew you first

So remember us when you have flown

Because we will remember you

You are in our minds, you are part of our soul

The world will bend to you, if you require it

But just remember, I knew you before they did

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In Spirit and Truth

The Bible recounts some interesting conversations between Jesus and other people.  Sometimes these stories leave us scratching our heads in confusion, and other times they leave us in awe of his wisdom.  The story of his discussion with the Samaritan woman at the well is probably a little of both.  

John 4:19-23 says this, "'Sir', the woman said, 'I can see that you are a prophet.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.'  'Woman,' Jesus replied, 'believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks."   

With this statement, Jesus effectively releases the Samaritan woman from the notion that people can only pray to God in certain areas, and at certain times.  This isn't really controversial today, but it was back then.  Preaching and teaching was to be done in the Synagogue, and in conjunction with the Pharisees.  Jesus was considered a rebel because he walked around preaching in the street and from hilltops, and people often marveled at his wisdom (especially because he did not throw in with the religious elect).  

This changes the mindset of the devout Christian.  Because Jesus made atonement for our sin, we can now pray to the Father at any time, and in any place.  You may pray in the car on the way to work, at home before dinner, in a hospital room, or before sporting events.  This revelation no doubt expanded the mind of that woman two-thousand years ago.  The effects of this spiritual freedom are still being enjoyed today, at least in our country.

So what does worshipping in spirit and truth really mean?  Ideally, when someone praises and worships God there is a combination of passion (spirit) along with an accurate view of who the Lord really is (truth).  If both of these stipulations don't exist, then we are falling short when it comes to returning praise to the Father.  We are in a similar position as the Samaritan woman at the well.  Once Jesus realized that she didn't have a true picture of who the Biblical God was, he corrected her.

Let us now take a moment to unpack what this kind of 'lukewarm' worship might look like.  If you have spirit but no truth - in other words there is an emotional high only - then at the end of the day you will walk away empty.  This kind of church experience often leads to hollow worship and a congregation that can fall away from the faith at the first sign of trouble.  By contrast, if you have truth but no spirit, it can lead to legalism and Pharisee-style encounters with people.  There is head knowledge, but no real passionate connection with Jesus himself.  This type of faith would definitely lend itself to a miserable experience over time.  You would never feel quite good enough to earn God's approval.

I once heard a preacher's story about a large congregation.  On any given Sunday they would pack in a few thousand worshippers.  They would sing songs, pray from time to time, and then deliver a sermon.  But when it came time for the singing, God couldn't hear them.  Peoples' mouths were moving, but it was as if nothing was coming out.  Something was missing at these church services.  There was no connection to the real, living God.  Some of the people had spirit but no truth, yet others had a sprinkle of truth but without any emotion attached.  Joyless voices in a tired congregation.  

This is not the experience that God desires for you and I.  God wants us to actually connect with Him.  And the best way to do that, is to both study His Word so we can understand who He is … and to bring our whole being and emotion to the forefront when we praise Him.  

There are churches in China that have to meet "underground."  They literally meet in basements, back alleys, and private homes - far away from the government's curious eyes.  These Christains are often persecuted for their faith, so they hide church away in a safe place.  No air conditioning, no comfortable pews, and no large church building.  You are lucky if there are any folding chairs; much of the time it is standing room only.  The services can go on for hours and hours.  No one checks their watches if the sermon runs long.  There are no disputes about wearing a mask, and no talk about politics.  Just a room full of believers worshipping in spirit and truth, often only a few moments away from being caught at any given time.  Imagine the faith being generated in a climate like this.  

I would like to point you now to a famous piece of Scripture from Deuteronomy 6:4-5: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."  You see, God is looking for fully engaged believers like this.  We know because He told us so.  My fear is that this type of worship is becoming more and more uncommon in America as time goes by.  Granted, we are not the only country suffering from lukewarm living, but I have a feeling that in many churches in a variety of places, people are singing ... but there is no sound coming out.

May you work to fight against this type of soul-less worship in your own life.  Instead, bring your whole being to the cross every Sunday.  Even better if you live like this Monday through Saturday as well.

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A Lighthouse Church

My mother used to love lighthouses.  Growing up, I remember seeing several pictures of lighthouses on our walls at home.  I never questioned it as a little boy, it was just something all of us kids accepted.  Now that I am older, I often wonder what part about them she liked so much.  Was it the serene ocean coastline that appealed to her?  Was it just the fact that there are so many photos and paintings of lighthouses out there in general?  

Most of us know the purpose behind these magnificent buildings.  They exist to help guide ships into safe harbor during inclement weather or the dark of night.  They help pilots navigate to safety; they are literally a beacon for ships in the night.  I do wonder if my mother was a beacon herself, or if she was searching for guidance.  Maybe neither one - or maybe I'm reading too much into it.

At any rate, it spurs in me another fond memory about my family.  I attended my sister's graduation from college years ago.  It just so happened to be during the winter term, and there was a large snowstorm forecast for later that day.  After the ceremony and ensuing celebration dinner finished up, my parents and I started out on the journey home (it was a two hour drive).  Alas, we ended up caught in the blizzard.  You literally couldn't see more than about fifteen feet or so in front of the vehicle, and less than that on either side.  We even debated pulling off into a small town and seeking a hotel room for the night at one point.  

Finally, however, we ended up behind another vehicle at one point in the trip.  The tail lights from this car helped guide us all the way through the snowstorm.  Almost magically, shortly after the heavy snow abated, the car turned off onto an exit and disappeared from sight.  We got what we needed though - it was safe to drive again.  I sometimes wonder if this was a God thing - like some type of spiritual Good Samaritan placed in our path to help us navigate home when we needed it.  Just like a beacon … just like a lighthouse.

Pastor R. Loren Sandford from New Song Church talks about something called a 'lighthouse church.'  In his opinion, these churches represent a healthy connection between God and His people, and they are a rare thing in this day and age.  There are four points that compose these churches.

First, a lighthouse church is presence-based.  In other words, the church convenes each Sunday for the purpose of glorifying and worshipping God - not just to listen to the pastor talk or for mere entertainment value.  If your church has an awesome sound system and large screen TV's, that is great.  But remember, all of this isn't a requirement to give thanks to a Holy God.  The parishioners should be more interested in Him than the presentation.  

Second, a lighthouse church has freedom to move.  This means that if the Holy Spirit shows up during service, it need not necessarily stick to the bulletin.  Real Christianity is sometimes messy, as opposed to polished or refined.  The leaders in one of these churches can get out of their own way, and let God do His thing.  They espouse purpose over preference whenever possible. 

Third, these churches tend to have a culture of honor.  This means that all people are welcome, regardless of background.  This doesn't mean that a church must affirm all viewpoints - Biblical sin must still be recognized as such.  But I think it does mean that a lighthouse church understands all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  As such, they welcome the opportunity to share God's Word with anyone He sends their way.  

Finally, a lighthouse church promotes a healing atmosphere.  On any given Sunday morning, you won't hear a sermon designed to incite hate or divisiveness.  Instead, you will hear about God's saving grace through faith, and Jesus' offer of salvation.  Jesus healed people both physically and psychologically; churches must understand how to create a loving environment like this each week.  

John 8:12 is one of my favorite pieces of Scripture.  It says, "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"   We need modern day lighthouses to shine bright in the darkness.  Strive to create a lighthouse church atmosphere in your own congregation.  Look around each Sunday: does your house of worship have all four of these things in place?  If not, is it at least a work in progress?  

Jesus helps us to navigate our way through this world.  I firmly believe that most problems stem from the fact that people have forgotten how to relate to God.  So much of our lives are spent searching for meaning in complex and difficult ways.  A lighthouse church should remind people that what they are really looking for is God.  And once they acquire this knowledge, to pass it on and share it with others.  

Be the beacon in a snowstorm for other people.  Live a lighthouse type of life whenever possible.

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Gone Fishing with God

Any serious angler has their own secret fishing hole.  A place where they don't  take their friends (or even family) when they go drop a line in the water.  Maybe it's a private farm pond somewhere, or a hidden bend in a river covered by brush and overgrowth.  A place where we just know "the big one" lurks right under the surface of the water - waiting for us to throw a lure or nightcrawler in front of it.  

My place was called Cottonwood Park, just outside of the Des Moines city limits.  It was part of the spillway system for Saylorville Lake, but it was far enough away from the choppy water that the current in the channel actually slowed to a medium crawl.  I don't fish much anymore, but as a younger man, this was my spot.  I would leave in the morning and fish until early evening.  I knew all the best holes.  I knew exactly where to cast my line and I could just about count backwards from ten before I got a bite.  As it happens, I also preferred to go there alone.  It was almost a sublime, spiritual experience; the kind that wildlife poets often write about.  I sometimes felt like Mark Twain when he described his intimate knowledge of the Mississippi River.  

This concept of getting away from other people and seeking out the solace of nature transfers over quite well to the Bible.  In fact, our lesson today is to talk about something Christians refer to as the prayer closet.   It's a place we go to be alone with God.  No distractions, no traffic sounds, and no television.  Just us and the Creator.  

Jesus tells us how to pray in Matthew 6:6: "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen."  Jesus goes on to say that people who pray extravagantly in public often seek the wrong kind of attention, while those who carve out time away for just God will reap the reward.  God wants this kind of alone time with us.  

Jesus spent alone time with God also on more than one occasion.  Mark 1:35 tells us, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."  Furthermore, Luke 6:12 says, "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God."  By modern standards, I picture him sipping coffee next to a fireplace with no one else around.  

I think the lesson here is simple: dedicate time for just you and God.  Be intentional about it every day.  I make time twice a day to send up a prayer (once in the morning and once before bed).  In between, I am reciting small prayers here and there as needed.  Prayers for people who require healing, prayers for those who need peace, etc.  The power of corporate, group prayer during a church service is powerful also of course, but don't neglect the one-on-one relationship building with your Lord and Savior either.  

We may think of this like a friendship.  If both people work hard to keep the relationship going, then the reward is a close and abiding type of companionship that you cannot achieve any other way.  But now consider the reverse … what if only one of you tried to keep in touch?  Every time you called this person, you got voicemail.  Every time you wrote an email or a letter, there was no response.  After six months of this, how would your relationship be with this individual?  Not very good I would say.  It's the same thing with God; we should work to find the time to speak with Him regularly.  

Find a certain area in your house to call your prayer closet and then set up shop.  Or maybe it is your car on the way to work.  Perhaps it is a ten minute devotional each day sitting at the kitchen table - the details don't really matter.  What is important is that you are keeping the personal relationship going.  

Some will take this in the wrong direction I suspect, and use my advice as an excuse to skip formal church.  "I do my own type of church, in my own way.  I don't need to be around other people in a building," they might say.  Quite honestly, I believe we need both of these things to complete our Christian walk.  We need a prayer closet, and we need other believers to help edify and challenge us when needed.  Otherwise, there is a temptation to stay inside the 'bubble' of our own creation.  While it can certainly seem safer this way, the fact is that iron sharpens iron - without other people we often stagnate in our faith walk.  Although the current pandemic makes it difficult for everyone to attend church at the moment, the time will soon come where God calls His children back to corporate worship I think.  The nightmare will be over … and our journey can resume.  

When this time comes (and I think it has already begun in small ways), pray about what God might want from you.  Does He want you to resist fellowship with other Christians, or might He be calling you to come and worship Him together.  People must decide for themselves when this revival should happen.  

I will conclude with a Scripture from Isaiah 65:1, "I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.  To a nation that did not call on my name, I said 'Here am I, here am I.'"  God is seeking us out, whether we listen to His voice or not.  I strongly suggest we answer His call for our lives.  We can do this more easily with a strong, personal relationship formed over many years in our proverbial prayer closet.  It is always easier to get to know someone one-on-one.  

Move closer to Him, and He will draw closer to you.  That offer always stands by the way - rain or shine, happy times or sad times.  We are always only a prayer away from God's immutable and unchanging love.  

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The Current Spiritual Landscape

Our spiritual landscape is changing.  You can feel it in the air, and see it in people’s faces.  What was once familiar and comfortable, is rapidly starting to change and transform into something different.  This new landscape isn’t all negative by the way, God is still doing things today.  People are experiencing an awakening in many respects due to the fact that we are now being forced to examine what we really believe.  The stakes are high.  In fact, I’ve never been more certain that belief can directly impact behavior.  What we once laughed off ten years ago, we may now find deeply offensive, and often this is the result of someone acting out what they deeply believe (it just so happens to be different than what we think and feel).  There has never been more of a need to both stand up for what we believe as Biblical Christians and Methodists, as well as to extend grace to those who don’t espouse the same ideas we do.  The next few years will solidify what role the church will play in our ever changing political and social climate. 

I often find myself repeating the mantra “give God an audience first, before you make up your mind about something.”  Take the time to read what the Bible actually says, prior to forming strong beliefs on certain hot button cultural issues.  Are we taking time to listen to Scripture, or are we collecting our beliefs based mainly on slogans or emotions?  When most people witness change occurring around them at a faster rate than they are comfortable with, the knee-jerk reaction is to resist.  Sometimes this is good, as in the sense that we must cling to Jesus and the Gospel message no matter what.  Sometimes resistance to change can also be detrimental however, such as when we allow conceptual evolution to stop us from growing in our faith. 

Our words also have deep meaning and consequences.  I hear a lot of a priori arguments being made lately.  This term simply means that people hold to a belief that they consider to be true from the beginning, without necessarily backing it up with empirical data or evidence.  For example, we might conclude that a certain person or group of people are automatically ‘Godless’ or foolish, because they don’t hold the same core belief that we do.  

I think this often leads to comments or arguments that begin with the statement ‘can you believe how ignorant so and so is?’  We may be postulating the a priori view that what we hold true, must intrinsically be true for everyone else, and we don’t need to look any further for evidence which may contradict what we already think.  This is a safe place to be philosophically, because it allows us to think that we are always right.  It’s a dangerous place to spend too much time though, because it doesn’t allow for adaptation or growth.  If our spiritual landscape is indeed changing, then we can choose to look at it from the perspective of listening to these groups we don’t agree with first, and then waiting for ways to interject God’s truth into the conversation once an opportunity avails itself.  It is this patient approach that is needed today. 

Christian author and philosopher Greg Koukl is fond of saying that most people aren’t used to having their foundational core beliefs challenged, so when that happens, they react with anger and vitriol.  The conversation typically stops there altogether, or simply turns into more of a debate.  Both of these scenarios do not lend themselves well to changing hearts for Jesus.  

We need not compromise our Christian morals or values, but the current landscape seems to demand a different strategy for evangelism: listen first, speak last, and love regardless.  James 1:19 says, “My dear brothers, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”  In this fashion, I believe we can win the person even if we lose the argument.  We can plant the seed of Christian truth, but then step back and let God do the watering.  

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