Friday, July 28, 2023
Honest to God
A sandy-haired, ten-year-old, who was lovingly referred to as “Do-little” by his friends, sat spell-bound on the cold cement bench in an award-winning “city jungle” - better known as the County Zoo. Oblivious to the constant flow of gawking, chattering patrons, he studied the magnificent beast that sat on the hill not more than 100 feet away. Giant man-made rocks and fifty-foot shade trees had been creatively arranged to provide a haven much like his native environment. A deep mote and rock wall separated the animal from its admirers. But Do-little felt as though there was nothing between him and the king of the jungle, who he was carefully sketching in his journal.
Then, it was as if the young boy fell into a trance. The lions’ beautiful mane framed his intelligent face and his eyes demanded Do-little’s full attention. Suddenly the mighty cat seemed kind, and as gentle as his own Ragdoll. Its beautiful coat begged to be stroked. Do-little reasoned, “Something so beautiful can’t be harmful.” He wondered why everyone insisted on keeping walls and distance between them and such a wonderful specimen. So, he slowly rose from his pew and tiptoed toward the four-hundred-pound beast.
Suddenly he caught movement from the back wall of the lion’s pen. A large metal door opened and a slab of meat, the size of a small boy, sailed through the opening onto a metal, blood-stained feeding trough. In an instant the huge animal bounded to the raw meat. Grabbing the meat with his powerful paws he began ripping the meat with his three-inch incisors until it had been reduced to bite-sized chunks. Within minutes the lion consumed his feast and resumed his perch on top of the hill.
It was jarring; as if common sense and reason were saying, “Wake up Do-little. You can’t just imagine the world to be a different place than it really is. You have to be honest about it. Observe and learn. Don’t pretend and expect the world to comply.”
It seems that people, individually and corporately, have often found themselves in a similar position. They have caught a glimpse of God, or of His handiwork. Then, rather than being honest about who God is, they imagined the god they wish they could have, or a god terrible enough to beat up other gods. It never ends well. Reality is the best policy. Thankfully God has gone out of His way to explain Himself and to demonstrate both His power and His love. The Bible is an incredible original source for that kind of information. And Scripture explains that only those who are “honest to God” will ever really begin to understand Him.
Friday, July 21, 2023
Opportunities to Serve
My life has been blessed. At times as I have found myself leading conferences, overseeing projects, speaking to audiences, writing books, or making video projects like this one. I feel unworthy and surprised at my good fortune. Because my work has often been if front of others, people have often asked me how I got where I am. I often detect that some are in search of a formula or a short cut to success. Others are trying to figure out how to let God maximize their potential. They often imagine that my journey was full of big breaks or divine moments.
While I can look back on key moments or divine appointments, I can honestly say that most of my opportunities came as ordinary invitations to serve. The roles and jobs I have filled seemed to all present themselves as needs: the need for a primary teacher… the need for a bus captain… the need for someone to scrape and paint the church. It was as I did my best to meet a need, that people began to trust me with responsibilities and positions. My willingness to do unattractive tasks created some of my greatest opportunities.
So, people are surprised when I tell them that the path to God’s best life is marked by many positive responses to opportunities to serve. This is counter-intuitive, but it tracks with Jesus’ advice to his disciples in Matthew 10:42-44 NLT:
So, Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.
Could it be that some of your biggest breaks or most meaningful roles are waiting for you in the form service to others. If our goal is to serve others, we will never lack for things to do. If we serve as Jesus did, expecting nothing in return, we can experience the kind of ministry He experienced. Jesus went about doing good, no matter how bad the world around Him seemed to be. Jesus demonstrated that it is possible to draw our strength from God, and take every opportunity to give to others, and to live in joy no matter how people respond, or what position people are willing to bestow. He was working at a kingdom level and did not keep score as to how He benefitted. He invites us to do the same.
Friday, July 14, 2023
Heaven Whispers
They blended their hearts and voices together on a hot June day. Weary travelers near the end of a thousand-mile journey from the pyramids of Egypt, through the wilderness of Sin, into the promised land, and then in the steps that Jesus had walked over two thousand years before. They had navigated at least four tense border crossings (including the Jordan River) so they could sit within a few feet of the places Jesus was likely crucified and buried. Forty-five people who were five thousand five hundred miles from their homeland communed together for the first time. Teenagers, singles, marrieds, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, led by someone they barely knew, sat in the shade of a beautiful garden as they reflected, prayed and sang together.
Although some were male and some female, some young and others not so young, these fellow travelers from multiple ethnicities were able to let God have a few minutes to speak. It was almost as if heaven were whispering, "It is possible for love to prevail. People from various backgrounds and faiths can share a taste of heaven together." As they sipped from the tiny communion cups and nibbled on the slivers of bread, they focused on Jesus, and love, joy and peace rippled through their hearts. The supper they were sharing was just a sample, as was the little taste of heaven they were experiencing.
Catholics, protestants, conservatives, liberals... people who had only spent a few days together on a long journey, unified for a few minutes and forgave, like their Lord - blanket, unconditional forgiveness - to every offender. They expressed their faith in the blood of the spotless lamb that was shed nearby, and they heard heaven whisper healing and peace. In those few moments hearts were healed and relationships were restored.
What could be the result if the whole world would focus less on their differences and more on the sacrificial life and death of Jesus? What if millions or billions of diverse people would accept Jesus' message of forgiveness and love? Perhaps heaven would be shouting!
The Fungus of Life
It was probably built less than fifty years ago, but the roof was caved in and the walls threatened to collapse at any time. Vines choked the front porch and the once-white siding was dark green and fuzzy. The foundation was crumbling from a combination of rot, termites, and ants. It was beyond repair, and the original culprit was fungus. Miniscule fungi spores, left unchecked, had taken down a giant.
A recent article by Jeanee Huber, published in the Washington Post, and titled Yes, Fungus Can Eat Your House Here’s What to Know explained that one particular fungus is especially dangerous.
If it is the fungus long known as Poria incrassata but now officially called Meruliporia incrassata, you’re smart to be concerned. Often called the house-eating fungus, it’s considered one of the most devastating of all the fungi that destroy wood. Given that fungi cause more damage to structures than termites and other insects, that ranking is pretty scary.
You may have witnessed a similar, more sinister phenomenon amongst people. Good human beings who should be happy and healthy find their life collapsing and crumbling. It seemed to sneak up on them. The culprit: selfishness. We are all susceptible. It starts small and appears inconsequential, but, if left unchecked, it can completely destroy lives.
Selfishness has choked out marriages, destroyed parent-child relationships and tainted the character and integrity of many good people. It has led to murder, suicide, and addictions. It is the driving force behind crime, wars, and greed. Our world culture not only ignores the problem, it seems to promote this social decay. Advertisers prey on it and politicians manipulate it to their advantage. Popular catch phrases like “get it while you can”, “do what makes you happy”, and “look out for number 1”, betray the fact that there is a dangerous fungus at work among us.
Forgive an obvious observation: the cure is selflessness. While it seems weaker and less desirable than selfishness, it eventually benefits even those who are selfless to the point of sacrifice. Selflessness is a message Jesus preached. He was cancelled as a result. People didn’t want to hear about the dangers of that “fungi.” But Jesus went on to prove His point. Hardly anyone remembers the names of those who charged Him in a kangaroo court. Few remember the major political leaders who were involved in His death. But a majority of people know at least something about the God-man who selflessly gave His life for everyone – even those who had Him “lynched.”
There are so many people around us who are still doing their best to rise above selfishness and live selfless lives. Today might be a good time to express appreciation to one of those people. Their kindness…. their giving… their sacrifices are protecting people from the fungus of selfishness that has the power to destroy families, nations, and eternal souls.
If you are living selflessly, but feeling like you are running on empty, find some other selfless people to partner with. That was the idea behind communities of faith like Jesus started. That is what churches and prayer groups were designed to do. They are groups of everyday, ordinary, imperfect people who are drawing on God’s grace and trying to change the world for the better - by living selflessly.
Wednesday, July 05, 2023
Freely Give
I do not share this story to claim generosity, but to testify that God blesses generosity. Jesus put it simply like this: “You have been treated generously, so live generously.” (Matt 10:8 MSG) The idea is that if everyone were generous, the whole world would benefit. It has been the personal experience of millions that when they have given generously, they have seen God provide the resources, so that they could continue to give generously.
My family of origin, and my current family, have always been in the mid to lower income brackets. But we have still been careful to give regularly – primarily through our local church. In other words, we didn’t give because we had a lot; we gave because generosity is a Biblical principle. Seven years ago, our church was raising funds to give to missions. I did not have savings from which I could give any substantial contribution, but I wanted to be a part of the project. My wife and I prayed about how we could be involved and decided to forfeit our ministerial salary for several months as a way of contributing to the project. This required a significant tightening of our belt, but it was something we felt strongly about.
There may have been people who were aware of our giving, but, as life-long givers, we have learned that giving for the approval of others is not only wrong, but people don’t validate that kind of giving as much as one might think. So, we were not giving for recognition. In this case, we truly felt like we were investing in a project that was bigger than us, and we also felt like God was challenging us to do so. Many others gave sacrificially, and our assembly was able to give a record offering to the cause of telling the “Good News” to the whole world, as well as to several local causes.
Later that year my wife and I were finally able to sell the home we had spent many years remodeling. It had been on the market for four years and no one had even made an offer. With the sale of our home, we were then able to purchase our “forever home.” As we searched for our new home, we found one that had been on the market for a good while and needed some work. It was owned by a bank and was on sale for much less than it was worth. Although it was a good deal, we made an offer for quite a bit less than their asking price and they accepted. As a result, we were able to purchase the house for many thousands less than we should have paid had we paid market value.
It took me a few months, but I later connected the dots: A few months after I gave my greatest contribution, I closed on the best deal of my life. The amount of money saved exceeded the amount of money I had given. Thereby proving the old adage: “You can’t outgive the Lord.” I am convinced that although we should not give to get, we can bank on the fact that generosity will come back to bless us.
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