*Dear Readers,
I must ask your indulgence for a few weeks. Hearing other people's surgery stories can get monotonous. As many of you know my life changed in the fall of 2016- unexplained illness, prayers,cancer diagnosis, surgeries, prayers, loss of 2\3 of liver, prayers, no cancer but auto immune disease. I was in and out of the hospital all fall with the surgery, fluid weight gain to 295 lbs, loss back now to 238 lbs and then a hematoma. My body is tired.
But God is here and He has something to say in all this. If He is doing something I want to share it. Finding the right words is difficult. Miracle is one of them as the mass, the tumor that killed my bile duct and caused ruination of my right side liver was gone when the pathologist went to work it. The doctor had no explanation. God, working through the prayers of His people is my working theory. Yet complications followed and how is God also in the hard part as well as the good? In all I want Him to receive His glory. The out pouring of love, support, prayers, resources, encouragement, and care for Pam and I has been overwhelming and I have no words to express the depth of our gratitude and how humbled and blessed we are to serve the congregation of White Bluff Chapel.
I will write a series of blogs on these themes and hopefully add a Christmas twist to them--tis the season you know. I will try to explore in various little stories some of what happened as I seek for myself the words to express the inexpressible love of God as I saw it these past few months. This I know: to God be the Glory, Great Things He Has Done!
A Visit From St. Nick
And He has made them a to be a kingdom and priests to our God. Rev. 5:10
But your are a chosen people, a Holy nation, a royal priesthood, God's special possession that you may declare the praises of God...... I Peter 2:9
I am lying in a hospital bed. People are looking down on my body poking, picking, and prodding. I do not like this side of the bed, I usually look down and smile, visit, read a verse, and pray. So this is what it looks like from here. I feel strange, an alien.
Not more than a 2-3 miles from the hospital lives Pam's sister Sue and husband Nick. Nick, my funny, story-telling, loud, generous,Italian- Catholic brother-in-law is one of a kind. He has also had many, many illnesses in his life. We couldn't be any different. He is city, I am country. I am comfortable around cows. He prefers Dallas Cowboys. I'm a old Texas Baptist. His Catholic roots go back to Sicily, Italy. Somehow being in this brother-in-law business works for us.
Whenever we lived close enough when he was ill and having his gut surgeries, I'd try to go see him and pray with him at the hospital. These last 10 years have had us close enough we have probably been to 5 or 6 of his ongoing surgeries. But now it my turn.
Right on cue in walks Nick. His smile is large but his eyes show something else, as do mine. This is awkward. We talked a bit. He offered encouragement on getting through this stuff. And then he did it. I was not prepared in any way for what happened next. This man did what he had seen and had done with him. He said, "Let's pray!." He reached out that hand and touched my head and began to pray. That hand that had rather run a computer mouse, adeptly find a auto part number in a four inch catalog that he already knew and now in retirement would rather click a remote was on my forehead.
He prayed and we said the "Our Father..." and then he prayed the Rosary and in a few minutes he was gone.
In that moment, Nick was a priest. No official church would recognize his priesthood. I understand. But I also know that from Exodus to Matthew to Ephesians, to Peter to Revelation that this priesthood of all believers is the calling and we are to be a kingdom of priests to each other. We offer the comfort, love, encouragement, even sometimes rebuke to one another from a loving God. At other times we take the burdens, cares, pain, and grief to the living God on behalf of other believers. We are indeed a kingdom of priests.
So a few weeks before Christmas, I was visited by St .Nick. As Jesus is the Good News of salvation through the incarnation, St. Nick visited me in the hospital and God was incarnate. No, no official church will recognized his priesthood but I believe Jesus did in that moment of flowing grace.
And so did I,
Cos
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Hitchcock Halted; Spiritual Warfare Continues
It was a nice quiet summer's morning at the Chapel. The meditative trance was soon broken by a rap, rap, rapping on our kitchen door. Actually, Mr. Poe, it was more of a hammering, so much so that Glenna and I assumed that John, our saint fixer was hammering something back together.
It wasn't. We were being invaded by crows. Having seen their reflection in the kitchen door they began attacking their image with gusto. They were relentless, mean, determined to extinguish their rivals, who in this case just happened to be them. Running at them and screaming like a banshee had the affect of chasing them off for a period of 7.4 seconds. Before I could walk the length of the hall back to my office they were on their maniacal mission again.
This can't continue. No one can work. No one can study. No one can pray. No one can think. No one can write sermons. No one thinks about anything but the crows. How long before they give up? How many pecks per minute on the door can three crows execute? Will they break their beaks? Will they break their necks? We can only hope....
Action is demanded, action I take. I proceed to place a large trash receptacle in front of the door. They still see their reflection on the side and continue their onslaught even getting behind the trash cart to continue their war on themselves. Round 1 goes to the crows.
Not to deterred I find a trash sack and cut it to the appropriate size and tape over the door\mirror. The crows apparently now determine that the other crows they are trying to dispatch are now behind the black curtain of the trash sack. They begin to tear it to pieces. Round 2 goes to the crows.
I rescue the trash bag and tape it on the inside of the door. The reflection returns enough for them to see and escalate their battle. Noise, noise, cawing, cawing....oh did I mention their steady, relentless battle is only matched by an equal amount of bowel movements right by the chapel's kitchen door. Round 3--to the crows.
I have now battled the crows for an hour. For the past hour creatures with a brain the size of my thumb joint have bettered me. Glenna doesn't seem surprised. I am insulted on several counts. The rap, rap, rapping on kitchen door continues. Let them kill themselves, no wait, another thought occurs---if they want in church so badly, take church to them.
I search the cupboards and find a boom box. I set it up outside the door and have 2 cds of our worship services ready. I pop one in and the crows leave in a hurry. They stay away as long as the worship recording plays. Round 4--Cos!
A dispute arises within the staff, the chasm may well split the church. I say the crows didn't like the traditional choir music; Tom defensively believes it was the announcements that Betty made that drove off the crows. Betty says it is the sermon that keeps them away. Larry says it is having an effect on them as they are lining up in rows like pews to listen. Mike P. wonders if they are sleeping as they listen. God please save Betty and Mike.
The recordings work but we can't play the worship service 24-7. I bring in the boom box at lunch and when I return after lunch the crows are at it again. Ron W said to try a stuffed cat or lion positioned looking out the door. I look, we don't have a cat or a lion or a tiger or bear at the chapel. We've got a
and a
That's right, the chapel now has an attack sheep and attack camel. Laugh if you want, but they are cheap and effective and they don't poop by the door. Round five--sheep and camel. I've named them Walker (as in Walker, Texas Camel) and General Schwarzkoph for his shock that awes the crows.
God often uses the small and seemingly insignificant to accomplish His work so don't ever count yourself out or doubt He can use you. There are spiritual battles taking place right and left of which we have little knowledge but can play a great role. In fact, if Walker and Schwarz lose their touch, you may be called on very soon.
Cos
It wasn't. We were being invaded by crows. Having seen their reflection in the kitchen door they began attacking their image with gusto. They were relentless, mean, determined to extinguish their rivals, who in this case just happened to be them. Running at them and screaming like a banshee had the affect of chasing them off for a period of 7.4 seconds. Before I could walk the length of the hall back to my office they were on their maniacal mission again.
This can't continue. No one can work. No one can study. No one can pray. No one can think. No one can write sermons. No one thinks about anything but the crows. How long before they give up? How many pecks per minute on the door can three crows execute? Will they break their beaks? Will they break their necks? We can only hope....
Action is demanded, action I take. I proceed to place a large trash receptacle in front of the door. They still see their reflection on the side and continue their onslaught even getting behind the trash cart to continue their war on themselves. Round 1 goes to the crows.
Not to deterred I find a trash sack and cut it to the appropriate size and tape over the door\mirror. The crows apparently now determine that the other crows they are trying to dispatch are now behind the black curtain of the trash sack. They begin to tear it to pieces. Round 2 goes to the crows.
I rescue the trash bag and tape it on the inside of the door. The reflection returns enough for them to see and escalate their battle. Noise, noise, cawing, cawing....oh did I mention their steady, relentless battle is only matched by an equal amount of bowel movements right by the chapel's kitchen door. Round 3--to the crows.
I have now battled the crows for an hour. For the past hour creatures with a brain the size of my thumb joint have bettered me. Glenna doesn't seem surprised. I am insulted on several counts. The rap, rap, rapping on kitchen door continues. Let them kill themselves, no wait, another thought occurs---if they want in church so badly, take church to them.
I search the cupboards and find a boom box. I set it up outside the door and have 2 cds of our worship services ready. I pop one in and the crows leave in a hurry. They stay away as long as the worship recording plays. Round 4--Cos!
A dispute arises within the staff, the chasm may well split the church. I say the crows didn't like the traditional choir music; Tom defensively believes it was the announcements that Betty made that drove off the crows. Betty says it is the sermon that keeps them away. Larry says it is having an effect on them as they are lining up in rows like pews to listen. Mike P. wonders if they are sleeping as they listen. God please save Betty and Mike.
The recordings work but we can't play the worship service 24-7. I bring in the boom box at lunch and when I return after lunch the crows are at it again. Ron W said to try a stuffed cat or lion positioned looking out the door. I look, we don't have a cat or a lion or a tiger or bear at the chapel. We've got a
God often uses the small and seemingly insignificant to accomplish His work so don't ever count yourself out or doubt He can use you. There are spiritual battles taking place right and left of which we have little knowledge but can play a great role. In fact, if Walker and Schwarz lose their touch, you may be called on very soon.
Cos
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Going for the Mold
So I'm eating breakfast this AM and reading the box that my "Breakfast of Champions" has been housed. On the box is an homage to past champions of the Olympics and this box has a picture of Janet Evans, the swimming great from the 80's and early 90's. It lists her records and times and how many world championships and gold medals she won. The bio sheet never actually used the word "Olympics." I learned the International Olympic Committee has copyrighted many terms associated with the Olympics and many media uses are prohibited without paying a fee to the IOC. No wonder that my enthusiasm for the games is not as robust as in past years.
That being said I am watching them but without the enthrallment I once did. I also noticed how quite a number of the past Olympic champs from London ('12) and Bejing ('08) are placing 3rd or 4th or not even making their event's finals. There are exceptions like Ryan Lochte, age 32, and Michael Phelps, age 31, who despite their advanced ages are doing well. No doubt the old man, Usain Bolt, barring injury, at 29 will win most if not all of the sprints in track. Gabby Douglas, the all-round Olympic gymnastics champ in 2012, is just a nicely spoken of cog in the USA machine and a relic at age 20- a relic for female gymnasts anyway.
It seems that in most, though not all cases, you hit your prime in late teens to late twenties and its downhill after that, which is only okay if you are a skier. Iran has a 56 year old ping pong Olympian ( I know it's table tennis). Uzbekistan has a 41 year old female gymnast and the US has Mary Hanna, a 61 year old Olympic athlete. Truthfully, however, her horse does most of the work on the equestrian course. Time is the enemy and after a certain passing of it, you may still compete and keep the Olympic spirit but in terms of medals you are going for the mold. Like this guy: Oldest Olympian.
He was found in Italy in the late 1950's and not examined till the 80's. They found four "medals" from the Panatheniac Games from 480 BC buried with him. He also had a jar of ointment athletes were known have used then (by his left thigh). It was labeled Benus Gayas. His bones showed density from working out and wear and tear in the right shoulder bones and sockets. Scientists believe he was a thrower and\or a Pentathlete.
There are so many good and wonderful experiences and lessons that come, no doubt, from the disciplines, the training, the competition, the losses and the wins that despite their relatively short span, I would encourage anyone with skills, abilities, and desires to pursue those noble sports and see where they take you. Most of us won't have those opportunities, most of us simply lack some key elements to take us to Olympic podiums.
In terms of the Christian walk of faith, time is not the enemy but our friend. The experiences of life on this planet are the training sessions in trust, obedience, maturing, and love that our Savior uses to equip us for eternity. Some training sessions are hard, maybe even harsh it seems. There is always so much more to enjoy, more to see, more to understand about our King and His Kingdom that we will spend a glorious eternity exploring all the wonders of it all.
Robert Browing put it this way in his epic poem Rabbi Ben Ezra:
Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand Who saith "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!"
Ay, note that Potter's wheel, That metaphor! and feel
Why times spins fast, why passive lies our clay,--
Thou, to whom fools propound, When the wine makes its round,
"Since life fleets, all is change; the Past gone, seize to-day!"
Fool! all that is, at all, lasts ever, past recall;
Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand sure:
What entered into thee, That was, is, and shall be:
Time's wheel runs back or stops: Potter and clay endure.
Potter and clay (that's us) endure. The Olympic motto shouldn't apply just to teens and twenty years olds. Citius, Altius, Fortius is apropos for the believer in Christ. May as time speeds on we find ourselves moving faster to trust and obey; soaring higher in our aspirations to Christ-like character and hopes for mankind; Living braver (stronger) in our application of the truths of scripture in our culture as we share the gospel with the lost and bring justice to the poor and hurting.
So turn for a few days to watch the Olympics and marvel at the athlete's skill. But all days turn in faith to Christ and marvel at His grace that always takes us Faster, Higher, and Stronger in love and service. Don't just go for the gold in life, remember, in heaven, gold is merely pavement.
Destined for the podium,
Cos
That being said I am watching them but without the enthrallment I once did. I also noticed how quite a number of the past Olympic champs from London ('12) and Bejing ('08) are placing 3rd or 4th or not even making their event's finals. There are exceptions like Ryan Lochte, age 32, and Michael Phelps, age 31, who despite their advanced ages are doing well. No doubt the old man, Usain Bolt, barring injury, at 29 will win most if not all of the sprints in track. Gabby Douglas, the all-round Olympic gymnastics champ in 2012, is just a nicely spoken of cog in the USA machine and a relic at age 20- a relic for female gymnasts anyway.
It seems that in most, though not all cases, you hit your prime in late teens to late twenties and its downhill after that, which is only okay if you are a skier. Iran has a 56 year old ping pong Olympian ( I know it's table tennis). Uzbekistan has a 41 year old female gymnast and the US has Mary Hanna, a 61 year old Olympic athlete. Truthfully, however, her horse does most of the work on the equestrian course. Time is the enemy and after a certain passing of it, you may still compete and keep the Olympic spirit but in terms of medals you are going for the mold. Like this guy: Oldest Olympian.
He was found in Italy in the late 1950's and not examined till the 80's. They found four "medals" from the Panatheniac Games from 480 BC buried with him. He also had a jar of ointment athletes were known have used then (by his left thigh). It was labeled Benus Gayas. His bones showed density from working out and wear and tear in the right shoulder bones and sockets. Scientists believe he was a thrower and\or a Pentathlete.
There are so many good and wonderful experiences and lessons that come, no doubt, from the disciplines, the training, the competition, the losses and the wins that despite their relatively short span, I would encourage anyone with skills, abilities, and desires to pursue those noble sports and see where they take you. Most of us won't have those opportunities, most of us simply lack some key elements to take us to Olympic podiums.
In terms of the Christian walk of faith, time is not the enemy but our friend. The experiences of life on this planet are the training sessions in trust, obedience, maturing, and love that our Savior uses to equip us for eternity. Some training sessions are hard, maybe even harsh it seems. There is always so much more to enjoy, more to see, more to understand about our King and His Kingdom that we will spend a glorious eternity exploring all the wonders of it all.
Robert Browing put it this way in his epic poem Rabbi Ben Ezra:
Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand Who saith "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!"
Ay, note that Potter's wheel, That metaphor! and feel
Why times spins fast, why passive lies our clay,--
Thou, to whom fools propound, When the wine makes its round,
"Since life fleets, all is change; the Past gone, seize to-day!"
Fool! all that is, at all, lasts ever, past recall;
Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand sure:
What entered into thee, That was, is, and shall be:
Time's wheel runs back or stops: Potter and clay endure.
Potter and clay (that's us) endure. The Olympic motto shouldn't apply just to teens and twenty years olds. Citius, Altius, Fortius is apropos for the believer in Christ. May as time speeds on we find ourselves moving faster to trust and obey; soaring higher in our aspirations to Christ-like character and hopes for mankind; Living braver (stronger) in our application of the truths of scripture in our culture as we share the gospel with the lost and bring justice to the poor and hurting.
So turn for a few days to watch the Olympics and marvel at the athlete's skill. But all days turn in faith to Christ and marvel at His grace that always takes us Faster, Higher, and Stronger in love and service. Don't just go for the gold in life, remember, in heaven, gold is merely pavement.
Destined for the podium,
Cos
Going for the Mold
So I'm eating breakfast this AM and reading the box that my "Breakfast of Champions" has been housed. On the box is an homage to past champions of the Olympics and this box has a picture of Janet Evans, the swimming great from the 80's and early 90's. It lists her records and times and how many world championships and gold medals she won. The bio sheet never actually used the word "Olympics." I learned the International Olympic Committee has copyrighted many terms associated with the Olympics and many media uses are prohibited without paying a fee to the IOC. No wonder that my enthusiasm for the games is not as robust as in past years.
That being said I am watching them but without the enthrallment I once did. I also noticed how quite a number of the past Olympic champs from London ('12) and Bejing ('08) are placing 3rd or 4th or not even making their event's finals. There are exceptions like Ryan Lochte, age 32, and Michael Phelps, age 31, who despite their advanced ages are doing well. No doubt the old man, Usain Bolt, barring injury, at 29 will win most if not all of the sprints in track. Gabby Douglas, the all-round Olympic gymnastics champ in 2012, is just a nicely spoken of cog in the USA machine and a relic at age 20- a relic for female gymnasts anyway.
It seems that in most, though not all cases, you hit your prime in late teens to late twenties and its downhill after that, which is only okay if you are a skier. Iran has a 56 year old ping pong Olympian ( I know it's table tennis). Uzbekistan has a 41 year old female gymnast and the US has Mary Hanna, a 61 year old Olympic athlete. Truthfully, however, her horse does most of the work on the equestrian course. Time is the enemy and after a certain passing of it, you may still compete and keep the Olympic spirit but in terms of medals you are going for the mold. Like this guy: Oldest Olympian.
He was found in Italy in the late 1950's and not examined till the 80's. They found four "medals" from the Panatheniac Games from 480 BC buried with him. He also had a jar of ointment athletes were known have used then (by his left thigh). It was labeled Benus Gayas. His bones showed density from working out and wear and tear in the right shoulder bones and sockets. Scientists believe he was a thrower and\or a Pentathlete.
There are so many good and wonderful experiences and lessons that come, no doubt, from the disciplines, the training, the competition, the losses and the wins that despite their relatively short span, I would encourage anyone with skills, abilities, and desires to pursue those noble sports and see where they take you. Most of us won't have those opportunities, most of us simply lack some key elements to take us to Olympic podiums.
In terms of the Christian walk of faith, time is not the enemy but our friend. The experiences of life on this planet are the training sessions in trust, obedience, maturing, and love that our Savior uses to equip us for eternity. Some training sessions are hard, maybe even harsh it seems. There is always so much more to enjoy, more to see, more to understand about our King and His Kingdom that we will spend a glorious eternity exploring all the wonders of it all.
Robert Browing put it this way in his epic poem Rabbi Ben Ezra:
Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand Who saith "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!"
Ay, note that Potter's wheel, That metaphor! and feel
Why times spins fast, why passive lies our clay,--
Thou, to whom fools propound, When the wine makes its round,
"Since life fleets, all is change; the Past gone, seize to-day!"
Fool! all that is, at all, lasts ever, past recall;
Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand sure:
What entered into thee, That was, is, and shall be:
Time's wheel runs back or stops: Potter and clay endure.
Potter and clay (that's us) endure. The Olympic motto shouldn't apply just to teens and twenty years olds. Citius, Altius, Fortius is apropos for the believer in Christ. May as time speeds on we find ourselves moving faster to trust and obey; soaring higher in our aspirations to Christ-like character and hopes for mankind; Living braver (stronger) in our application of the truths of scripture in our culture as we share the gospel with the lost and bring justice to the poor and hurting.
So turn for a few days to watch the Olympics and marvel at the athlete's skill. But all days turn in faith to Christ and marvel at His grace that always takes us Faster, Higher, and Stronger in love and service. Don't just go for the gold in life, remember, in heaven, gold is merely pavement.
Destined for the podium,
Cos
That being said I am watching them but without the enthrallment I once did. I also noticed how quite a number of the past Olympic champs from London ('12) and Bejing ('08) are placing 3rd or 4th or not even making their event's finals. There are exceptions like Ryan Lochte, age 32, and Michael Phelps, age 31, who despite their advanced ages are doing well. No doubt the old man, Usain Bolt, barring injury, at 29 will win most if not all of the sprints in track. Gabby Douglas, the all-round Olympic gymnastics champ in 2012, is just a nicely spoken of cog in the USA machine and a relic at age 20- a relic for female gymnasts anyway.
It seems that in most, though not all cases, you hit your prime in late teens to late twenties and its downhill after that, which is only okay if you are a skier. Iran has a 56 year old ping pong Olympian ( I know it's table tennis). Uzbekistan has a 41 year old female gymnast and the US has Mary Hanna, a 61 year old Olympic athlete. Truthfully, however, her horse does most of the work on the equestrian course. Time is the enemy and after a certain passing of it, you may still compete and keep the Olympic spirit but in terms of medals you are going for the mold. Like this guy: Oldest Olympian.
He was found in Italy in the late 1950's and not examined till the 80's. They found four "medals" from the Panatheniac Games from 480 BC buried with him. He also had a jar of ointment athletes were known have used then (by his left thigh). It was labeled Benus Gayas. His bones showed density from working out and wear and tear in the right shoulder bones and sockets. Scientists believe he was a thrower and\or a Pentathlete.
There are so many good and wonderful experiences and lessons that come, no doubt, from the disciplines, the training, the competition, the losses and the wins that despite their relatively short span, I would encourage anyone with skills, abilities, and desires to pursue those noble sports and see where they take you. Most of us won't have those opportunities, most of us simply lack some key elements to take us to Olympic podiums.
In terms of the Christian walk of faith, time is not the enemy but our friend. The experiences of life on this planet are the training sessions in trust, obedience, maturing, and love that our Savior uses to equip us for eternity. Some training sessions are hard, maybe even harsh it seems. There is always so much more to enjoy, more to see, more to understand about our King and His Kingdom that we will spend a glorious eternity exploring all the wonders of it all.
Robert Browing put it this way in his epic poem Rabbi Ben Ezra:
Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand Who saith "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!"
Ay, note that Potter's wheel, That metaphor! and feel
Why times spins fast, why passive lies our clay,--
Thou, to whom fools propound, When the wine makes its round,
"Since life fleets, all is change; the Past gone, seize to-day!"
Fool! all that is, at all, lasts ever, past recall;
Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand sure:
What entered into thee, That was, is, and shall be:
Time's wheel runs back or stops: Potter and clay endure.
Potter and clay (that's us) endure. The Olympic motto shouldn't apply just to teens and twenty years olds. Citius, Altius, Fortius is apropos for the believer in Christ. May as time speeds on we find ourselves moving faster to trust and obey; soaring higher in our aspirations to Christ-like character and hopes for mankind; Living braver (stronger) in our application of the truths of scripture in our culture as we share the gospel with the lost and bring justice to the poor and hurting.
So turn for a few days to watch the Olympics and marvel at the athlete's skill. But all days turn in faith to Christ and marvel at His grace that always takes us Faster, Higher, and Stronger in love and service. Don't just go for the gold in life, remember, in heaven, gold is merely pavement.
Destined for the podium,
Cos
Going for the Mold
So I'm eating breakfast this AM and reading the box that my "Breakfast of Champions" has been housed. On the box is an homage to past champions of the Olympics and this box has a picture of Janet Evans, the swimming great from the 80's and early 90's. It lists her records and times and how many world championships and gold medals she won. The bio sheet never actually used the word "Olympics." I learned the International Olympic Committee has copyrighted many terms associated with the Olympics and many media uses are prohibited without paying a fee to the IOC. No wonder that my enthusiasm for the games is not as robust as in past years.
That being said I am watching them but without the enthrallment I once did. I also noticed how quite a number of the past Olympic champs from London ('12) and Bejing ('08) are placing 3rd or 4th or not even making their event's finals. There are exceptions like Ryan Lochte, age 32, and Michael Phelps, age 31, who despite their advanced ages are doing well. No doubt the old man, Usain Bolt, barring injury, at 29 will win most if not all of the sprints in track. Gabby Douglas, the all-round Olympic gymnastics champ in 2012, is just a nicely spoken of cog in the USA machine and a relic at age 20- a relic for female gymnasts anyway.
It seems that in most, though not all cases, you hit your prime in late teens to late twenties and its downhill after that, which is only okay if you are a skier. Iran has a 56 year old ping pong Olympian ( I know it's table tennis). Uzbekistan has a 41 year old female gymnast and the US has Mary Hanna, a 61 year old Olympic athlete. Truthfully, however, her horse does most of the work on the equestrian course. Time is the enemy and after a certain passing of it, you may still compete and keep the Olympic spirit but in terms of medals you are going for the mold. Like this guy: Oldest Olympian.
He was found in Italy in the late 1950's and not examined till the 80's. They found four "medals" from the Panatheniac Games from 480 BC buried with him. He also had a jar of ointment athletes were known have used then (by his left thigh). It was labeled Benus Gayas. His bones showed density from working out and wear and tear in the right shoulder bones and sockets. Scientists believe he was a thrower and\or a Pentathlete.
There are so many good and wonderful experiences and lessons that come, no doubt, from the disciplines, the training, the competition, the losses and the wins that despite their relatively short span, I would encourage anyone with skills, abilities, and desires to pursue those noble sports and see where they take you. Most of us won't have those opportunities, most of us simply lack some key elements to take us to Olympic podiums.
In terms of the Christian walk of faith, time is not the enemy but our friend. The experiences of life on this planet are the training sessions in trust, obedience, maturing, and love that our Savior uses to equip us for eternity. Some training sessions are hard, maybe even harsh it seems. There is always so much more to enjoy, more to see, more to understand about our King and His Kingdom that we will spend a glorious eternity exploring all the wonders of it all.
Robert Browing put it this way in his epic poem Rabbi Ben Ezra:
Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand Who saith "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!"
Ay, note that Potter's wheel, That metaphor! and feel
Why times spins fast, why passive lies our clay,--
Thou, to whom fools propound, When the wine makes its round,
"Since life fleets, all is change; the Past gone, seize to-day!"
Fool! all that is, at all, lasts ever, past recall;
Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand sure:
What entered into thee, That was, is, and shall be:
Time's wheel runs back or stops: Potter and clay endure.
Potter and clay (that's us) endure. The Olympic motto shouldn't apply just to teens and twenty years olds. Citius, Altius, Fortius is apropos for the believer in Christ. May as time speeds on we find ourselves moving faster to trust and obey; soaring higher in our aspirations to Christ-like character and hopes for mankind; Living braver (stronger) in our application of the truths of scripture in our culture as we share the gospel with the lost and bring justice to the poor and hurting.
So turn for a few days to watch the Olympics and marvel at the athlete's skill. But all days turn in faith to Christ and marvel at His grace that always takes us Faster, Higher, and Stronger in love and service. Don't just go for the gold in life, remember, in heaven, gold is merely pavement.
Destined for the podium,
Cos
That being said I am watching them but without the enthrallment I once did. I also noticed how quite a number of the past Olympic champs from London ('12) and Bejing ('08) are placing 3rd or 4th or not even making their event's finals. There are exceptions like Ryan Lochte, age 32, and Michael Phelps, age 31, who despite their advanced ages are doing well. No doubt the old man, Usain Bolt, barring injury, at 29 will win most if not all of the sprints in track. Gabby Douglas, the all-round Olympic gymnastics champ in 2012, is just a nicely spoken of cog in the USA machine and a relic at age 20- a relic for female gymnasts anyway.
It seems that in most, though not all cases, you hit your prime in late teens to late twenties and its downhill after that, which is only okay if you are a skier. Iran has a 56 year old ping pong Olympian ( I know it's table tennis). Uzbekistan has a 41 year old female gymnast and the US has Mary Hanna, a 61 year old Olympic athlete. Truthfully, however, her horse does most of the work on the equestrian course. Time is the enemy and after a certain passing of it, you may still compete and keep the Olympic spirit but in terms of medals you are going for the mold. Like this guy: Oldest Olympian.
He was found in Italy in the late 1950's and not examined till the 80's. They found four "medals" from the Panatheniac Games from 480 BC buried with him. He also had a jar of ointment athletes were known have used then (by his left thigh). It was labeled Benus Gayas. His bones showed density from working out and wear and tear in the right shoulder bones and sockets. Scientists believe he was a thrower and\or a Pentathlete.
There are so many good and wonderful experiences and lessons that come, no doubt, from the disciplines, the training, the competition, the losses and the wins that despite their relatively short span, I would encourage anyone with skills, abilities, and desires to pursue those noble sports and see where they take you. Most of us won't have those opportunities, most of us simply lack some key elements to take us to Olympic podiums.
In terms of the Christian walk of faith, time is not the enemy but our friend. The experiences of life on this planet are the training sessions in trust, obedience, maturing, and love that our Savior uses to equip us for eternity. Some training sessions are hard, maybe even harsh it seems. There is always so much more to enjoy, more to see, more to understand about our King and His Kingdom that we will spend a glorious eternity exploring all the wonders of it all.
Robert Browing put it this way in his epic poem Rabbi Ben Ezra:
Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand Who saith "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!"
Ay, note that Potter's wheel, That metaphor! and feel
Why times spins fast, why passive lies our clay,--
Thou, to whom fools propound, When the wine makes its round,
"Since life fleets, all is change; the Past gone, seize to-day!"
Fool! all that is, at all, lasts ever, past recall;
Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand sure:
What entered into thee, That was, is, and shall be:
Time's wheel runs back or stops: Potter and clay endure.
Potter and clay (that's us) endure. The Olympic motto shouldn't apply just to teens and twenty years olds. Citius, Altius, Fortius is apropos for the believer in Christ. May as time speeds on we find ourselves moving faster to trust and obey; soaring higher in our aspirations to Christ-like character and hopes for mankind; Living braver (stronger) in our application of the truths of scripture in our culture as we share the gospel with the lost and bring justice to the poor and hurting.
So turn for a few days to watch the Olympics and marvel at the athlete's skill. But all days turn in faith to Christ and marvel at His grace that always takes us Faster, Higher, and Stronger in love and service. Don't just go for the gold in life, remember, in heaven, gold is merely pavement.
Destined for the podium,
Cos
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
A Tree Grows in Cleburne*
So I'm coming out of my fav burger joint in Cleburne and look across the street and see this tree. It's a mesquite tree growing out of a rain gutter two stories up. I couldn't tell if the tree's roots went all the way down the gutter and through the sidewalk or if its roots are just in the top of the gutter. Either way I thought that was quite an accomplishment. Ideas of tenacity and "bloom where you're planted" themes rushed through my head, except it wasn't planted there. It was probably just dumb luck, a hard wind, an inconsiderate bird, and poor cleaning of gutters that made it possible for a mesquite tree to grow up there. Still, I kinda admire the little tree. It's a "Little Tree That Could" story I guess.
Life will not be stopped and people can overcome some incredibly harsh conditions. In looking at that tree I was reminded of a line from the original Jurassic Park movie when the geneticists who made the dinosaurs assured a visiting scientist that the creatures where engineered sterile and could not reproduce and overtake paradise. The scientist was skeptical; "Life finds a way." Yep.
Our world, this nation, our cities and your life have gone through some horrible days, some are recent, some are in the distant past. There will be more of them in days to come-just being honest. But life, when given the chance, finds a way--a way through, a way over, under, or around. The Bible says that Jesus is life, so let Life find your way. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the resurrection and the life. Paul said in Colossians 3:4, "When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory." Life finds a way-- follow and embrace it.
Some days the Christian may appear as out of place in this world as a mesquite tree growing on a roof, but you are alive, a living marvel of faith, and your best days in Christ are still to come.
Keep living; hang in there; keep growing in Christ, who is our life!
Cos
*apologies to Betty Smith 1896-1972
Sunday, July 10, 2016
A Prayer
Help us O Lord!
We are a hurting, torn and grieving people--
-Our hearts are torn by racial, economic, and religious strife...
-We grieve over the loss of the five Dallas policemen and the men in our nation's cities killed after minor offences.
- We hurt for the officer's families, colleagues, and friends. We should hurt for all those families and communities where fear, anger, and needless violence leaves widows, orphans, anger and mistrust in their evil wake.
We cry out because in our hurt, torn and grieving heats we are not sure what to do. And yet, maybe the reason we continue to hurt, be torn apart, and grieve is because we know what to do and haven't done it.
We change policy but not our hearts.
We seek to control the methods of violence but not our own madness.
We desire retribution instead of reconciliation.
We execute vengeance instead of justice, and then we execute each other, and then
We bury the very ones we should have blessed.
Help us O Lord!
Help us repent and turn from fear, violence and anger to You.
Help each of us take these events personally and determine to be a part of the solution instead of an extension of the problem.
Let us fight for justice for all viewing every life as a life that matters and as Holy and Precious in Your sight. Make us to see the value of every human as made in Your image.
Help us love one another and extend that love across every line of division Satan would draw in our hearts and in our nation.
May we find our unity as a people through faith in your Son, Jesus our Lord. He alone has the power to forgive us, heal us, and form in us His will as He conforms us to His character. Help us love Him supremely and each other faithfully.
In Him we find our hope, our peace, and our joy.
Help us O Lord.
In Jesus name.
Amen
Prayer written in response to Dallas, Minnesota, Baton Rogue and every city where anger, prejudice, and hate have devastated too, too many. Delivered White Bluff Chapel 7-10-16
Cos
We are a hurting, torn and grieving people--
-Our hearts are torn by racial, economic, and religious strife...
-We grieve over the loss of the five Dallas policemen and the men in our nation's cities killed after minor offences.
- We hurt for the officer's families, colleagues, and friends. We should hurt for all those families and communities where fear, anger, and needless violence leaves widows, orphans, anger and mistrust in their evil wake.
We cry out because in our hurt, torn and grieving heats we are not sure what to do. And yet, maybe the reason we continue to hurt, be torn apart, and grieve is because we know what to do and haven't done it.
We change policy but not our hearts.
We seek to control the methods of violence but not our own madness.
We desire retribution instead of reconciliation.
We execute vengeance instead of justice, and then we execute each other, and then
We bury the very ones we should have blessed.
Help us O Lord!
Help us repent and turn from fear, violence and anger to You.
Help each of us take these events personally and determine to be a part of the solution instead of an extension of the problem.
Let us fight for justice for all viewing every life as a life that matters and as Holy and Precious in Your sight. Make us to see the value of every human as made in Your image.
Help us love one another and extend that love across every line of division Satan would draw in our hearts and in our nation.
May we find our unity as a people through faith in your Son, Jesus our Lord. He alone has the power to forgive us, heal us, and form in us His will as He conforms us to His character. Help us love Him supremely and each other faithfully.
In Him we find our hope, our peace, and our joy.
Help us O Lord.
In Jesus name.
Amen
Prayer written in response to Dallas, Minnesota, Baton Rogue and every city where anger, prejudice, and hate have devastated too, too many. Delivered White Bluff Chapel 7-10-16
Cos
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
The List Grows
Sadly, we add another city to the list. It is a sickening, demonic, maniacal, hate that increases the list of cities and places where terror strikes and kills. I am so sorry Orlando. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. I feel so helpless in many ways. But my helplessness turns to probing that turns to prayer which turns to anger as I hear so many opinions as to what can be done.
I hear gun control is the issue.
I hear mental health is the issue.
I hear radical Islam is the issue.
I hear religion in general, fundamental religion specifically, is the issue.
I hear law enforcement, anti-terrorism agencies are the issues.
I hear political problems such as immigration and bombing ISIS is the issue.
More guns, less guns.
More mental health care, more facilities for the mentally ill.
More walls. No walls.
More prayer. Even more prayer.
Less surveillance. More surveillance.
Less religion. More religion. No religion.
Less of YOUR religion. More of MY religion. None of either.
None of these opinions and solutions surprise me. It is what I haven't heard from anyone that bothers me.
No one postulates that what is needed is a better race of human beings. I suppose it would be politically incorrect to suggest that human problems come from flawed humanity. How about a race that doesn't hate but loves instead? How about a sturdy race of humans that doesn't equate agreement with security and doesn't see disagreement as discrimination? How about a race so concerned with justice and fairness for all that no amount of money or power could turn humans against one another? How about having a wise race that desires liberty for every human but knows that liberty is not the same as license? How about a race that is not motivated by anything less than holiness and righteousness that at the same time identifies and spurns unholiness and unrighteousness? How about a race of humans that can feel so deeply the hurt and pain that life and loss can bring that it would never do anything to inflict such pain or loss on another human? How about a human race that is so respectful of life that it holds life and the living as a sacred trust?
Gun laws cannot create this kind of life.
Politics cannot usher in this way of life.
Mental health facilities cannot create this quality of life.
Walls cannot create this life, nor contain it for that matter.
Technology to surveil, spy, and monitor cannot sustain this type of life.
Even religion cannot bring this abundant and eternal life into existence.
Only Jesus Christ can create, cleanse, sustain, equip, develop, mature and impart such a life. And He does this with people in relationship with Himself and one another. For all who trust in Him, submit in faith and loving obedience to Him, and follow Him, He begins to work into those lives His very life.
Utopian gibberish you say? Nice, sentimental drivel you say? Impractical platitudes that are unreachable and unlivable you say? I say it is possible. I say this is the very race God in Christ is creating. This, and so much more, is the kind of life and living that the Godhead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit enjoy among each other. This and so much more is what God intends for His children to enjoy with Him and one another in a life He calls abundant and eternal. The question then essentially becomes not one of whether He can do it but whether we really want Him to.
I hear gun control is the issue.
I hear mental health is the issue.
I hear radical Islam is the issue.
I hear religion in general, fundamental religion specifically, is the issue.
I hear law enforcement, anti-terrorism agencies are the issues.
I hear political problems such as immigration and bombing ISIS is the issue.
More guns, less guns.
More mental health care, more facilities for the mentally ill.
More walls. No walls.
More prayer. Even more prayer.
Less surveillance. More surveillance.
Less religion. More religion. No religion.
Less of YOUR religion. More of MY religion. None of either.
None of these opinions and solutions surprise me. It is what I haven't heard from anyone that bothers me.
No one postulates that what is needed is a better race of human beings. I suppose it would be politically incorrect to suggest that human problems come from flawed humanity. How about a race that doesn't hate but loves instead? How about a sturdy race of humans that doesn't equate agreement with security and doesn't see disagreement as discrimination? How about a race so concerned with justice and fairness for all that no amount of money or power could turn humans against one another? How about having a wise race that desires liberty for every human but knows that liberty is not the same as license? How about a race that is not motivated by anything less than holiness and righteousness that at the same time identifies and spurns unholiness and unrighteousness? How about a race of humans that can feel so deeply the hurt and pain that life and loss can bring that it would never do anything to inflict such pain or loss on another human? How about a human race that is so respectful of life that it holds life and the living as a sacred trust?
Gun laws cannot create this kind of life.
Politics cannot usher in this way of life.
Mental health facilities cannot create this quality of life.
Walls cannot create this life, nor contain it for that matter.
Technology to surveil, spy, and monitor cannot sustain this type of life.
Even religion cannot bring this abundant and eternal life into existence.
Only Jesus Christ can create, cleanse, sustain, equip, develop, mature and impart such a life. And He does this with people in relationship with Himself and one another. For all who trust in Him, submit in faith and loving obedience to Him, and follow Him, He begins to work into those lives His very life.
Utopian gibberish you say? Nice, sentimental drivel you say? Impractical platitudes that are unreachable and unlivable you say? I say it is possible. I say this is the very race God in Christ is creating. This, and so much more, is the kind of life and living that the Godhead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit enjoy among each other. This and so much more is what God intends for His children to enjoy with Him and one another in a life He calls abundant and eternal. The question then essentially becomes not one of whether He can do it but whether we really want Him to.
Tell me now world, how is your way working?
Cos
I John 4:13-21
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
A Tale of Two Men
They weren't the best of men, they weren't the worst of men. In many ways humans measure, they were considered a cut above. They rose to the pinnacles of their profession and knew great success.
And yet....
We read about these two men who would be kings in II Chronicles 25 and 26. Their endings are sad, made much more so by the fact that it didn't have to end the way it did. Together they ruled Judah for 81 years, 29 for Amaziah and 52 years for Uzziah. How did they rise so high and fall so far? The Bible gives much insight into these things but leaves a few questions also, possibly because each heart needs to answer those questions for itself.
The particulars are that Amaziah became king of Judah when he was twenty-five years old. His father, Joash, was a good king that slipped and slid away from God at the end of his days. He abandoned the temple and its worship. He worshiped false gods, killed rivals, killed the prophet Zechariah, sent to warn him, and eventually lost a war with Syria and was assassinated in his bed. Maybe Amaziah learned better from seeing those bad examples, maybe he had a good teacher\mentor, for whatever reason Amaziah determined to rule rightly. II Chron. 25: 2 says, "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord," but there was a problem built into this insight. The next part of the verse records a very disturbing truth, "but not wholeheartedly." He got folks worshipping aright, he executed justice but not vengeance, he acted according to the word of God, he strengthened the armed forces, he even listened to a preacher God sent to warn him about a certain battle. But a half-hearted devotion eventually led to a full departure and Amaziah began to worship false gods from the people he conquered. A prophet came to him and asked him, "why do you consult these people's gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?" Amaziah didn't listen this time and he fought a battle against Israel and though warned, lost decisively, spending the rest of his reign as a tribute-paying king. From the time he turned away from following the Lord, he was conspired against. He tried to escape and was hunted down and killed.
The next king was Uzziah, Amaziah's son. He reigned fifty-two years. The same words are used of Uzziah in II Chron. 26:4, "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,,," Verse 5 at the end says, "As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success." There is a warning in that sentence, one that wasn't heeded..
Uzziah sought God, used technology and wisdom to make life better. He rebuilt towns, towers, walls, and modernized the army. He subdued enemies and his fame spread "far and wide" (vs15). The "oh-oh" comes in verse 16, "but after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall."
Amaziah decided that he now should perform the duties of the priests and went into the temple to burn incense. 80 priests confronted him but he railed against the priests in anger. He was immediately struck by leprosy. He quickly got out of the temple. He was never healed and spent the rest of his days in isolation and excluded from the temple of the Lord.
Two sad stories of two men who, if they didn't have it all, had a lot of it. But they blew it, lost it, messed up, and in their older years, when they should have known better, it all came apart. What happened? How did it happen? Why did it happen? We are told just a little or at least can readily see: arrogance, anger, privilege, and maybe even forgetting. What we don't know should really serve as a warning for us today. How did the arrogance manifest itself? When did the anger trump reason? On what day did these kings, these two men among men, awake and decide they were men above men? After which victory did they believe they couldn't be touched by truth that wasn't convenient for them? It probably wasn't one day, but an accumulation of days where they listened more to the praises of men, believed the headlines, and enjoyed the fruits of victories rather than hearing their own voices praise God, thank God, seek God, honor God, and pledge to obey God. Maybe they got so busy being the king, they forgot to be God's king.
This tale of two men is really a tale for all men. We have the same spiritual dna. We all have a God-shaped heart meant to invite Him in but in our sin we have gotten bent out of shape and forget to make room for God. But God in Christ has always made room for us. He loves; He redeems; He forgives. The false gods of sin, self, slack, substitution, success, and celebrity exact an exorbitant tribute, which no one can afford.
We should read these stories with humility. Except for the crown, the army, and maybe the riches, these kings are us. In our own realms in which we rule we tend to do the same things unless we fight against those arrogant, prideful, loose, self-serving, forgetful tendencies that leave God and His will out of our lives. One of the best places to start, whether leading the business, the school, the home or just our own hearts, is to remember that there is but One King and He alone is worthy to be worshiped. May our lives in Christ be summarized by II Timothy 4:7-8. May we all then be
Fidelis ad finem.
Cos
And yet....
We read about these two men who would be kings in II Chronicles 25 and 26. Their endings are sad, made much more so by the fact that it didn't have to end the way it did. Together they ruled Judah for 81 years, 29 for Amaziah and 52 years for Uzziah. How did they rise so high and fall so far? The Bible gives much insight into these things but leaves a few questions also, possibly because each heart needs to answer those questions for itself.
The particulars are that Amaziah became king of Judah when he was twenty-five years old. His father, Joash, was a good king that slipped and slid away from God at the end of his days. He abandoned the temple and its worship. He worshiped false gods, killed rivals, killed the prophet Zechariah, sent to warn him, and eventually lost a war with Syria and was assassinated in his bed. Maybe Amaziah learned better from seeing those bad examples, maybe he had a good teacher\mentor, for whatever reason Amaziah determined to rule rightly. II Chron. 25: 2 says, "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord," but there was a problem built into this insight. The next part of the verse records a very disturbing truth, "but not wholeheartedly." He got folks worshipping aright, he executed justice but not vengeance, he acted according to the word of God, he strengthened the armed forces, he even listened to a preacher God sent to warn him about a certain battle. But a half-hearted devotion eventually led to a full departure and Amaziah began to worship false gods from the people he conquered. A prophet came to him and asked him, "why do you consult these people's gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?" Amaziah didn't listen this time and he fought a battle against Israel and though warned, lost decisively, spending the rest of his reign as a tribute-paying king. From the time he turned away from following the Lord, he was conspired against. He tried to escape and was hunted down and killed.
The next king was Uzziah, Amaziah's son. He reigned fifty-two years. The same words are used of Uzziah in II Chron. 26:4, "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,,," Verse 5 at the end says, "As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success." There is a warning in that sentence, one that wasn't heeded..
Uzziah sought God, used technology and wisdom to make life better. He rebuilt towns, towers, walls, and modernized the army. He subdued enemies and his fame spread "far and wide" (vs15). The "oh-oh" comes in verse 16, "but after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall."
Amaziah decided that he now should perform the duties of the priests and went into the temple to burn incense. 80 priests confronted him but he railed against the priests in anger. He was immediately struck by leprosy. He quickly got out of the temple. He was never healed and spent the rest of his days in isolation and excluded from the temple of the Lord.
Two sad stories of two men who, if they didn't have it all, had a lot of it. But they blew it, lost it, messed up, and in their older years, when they should have known better, it all came apart. What happened? How did it happen? Why did it happen? We are told just a little or at least can readily see: arrogance, anger, privilege, and maybe even forgetting. What we don't know should really serve as a warning for us today. How did the arrogance manifest itself? When did the anger trump reason? On what day did these kings, these two men among men, awake and decide they were men above men? After which victory did they believe they couldn't be touched by truth that wasn't convenient for them? It probably wasn't one day, but an accumulation of days where they listened more to the praises of men, believed the headlines, and enjoyed the fruits of victories rather than hearing their own voices praise God, thank God, seek God, honor God, and pledge to obey God. Maybe they got so busy being the king, they forgot to be God's king.
This tale of two men is really a tale for all men. We have the same spiritual dna. We all have a God-shaped heart meant to invite Him in but in our sin we have gotten bent out of shape and forget to make room for God. But God in Christ has always made room for us. He loves; He redeems; He forgives. The false gods of sin, self, slack, substitution, success, and celebrity exact an exorbitant tribute, which no one can afford.
We should read these stories with humility. Except for the crown, the army, and maybe the riches, these kings are us. In our own realms in which we rule we tend to do the same things unless we fight against those arrogant, prideful, loose, self-serving, forgetful tendencies that leave God and His will out of our lives. One of the best places to start, whether leading the business, the school, the home or just our own hearts, is to remember that there is but One King and He alone is worthy to be worshiped. May our lives in Christ be summarized by II Timothy 4:7-8. May we all then be
Fidelis ad finem.
Cos
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
The Questions Not Being Asked
From former church members to current ones; from the Panhandle of Texas, from south, west, and east Texas, from men's Bible study attendees and even from the ladies Bible study, folks have been asking me at least a few dozen times: "Who should I vote for in the presidential race?" "How can I vote for either candidate?" "Which is the lesser of two evils?''
This little essay will try to answer those questions for you.
Why are these questions important? Questions about who to vote for are obviously important as the winner of the election will lead our nation and arguably become the most powerful person on the planet (I personally would argue against that but that's another story). Americans have for some time now voted by their pocketbooks and their general sense of well-being. The Christian recognizes a higher calling in the power of politics and elections as the opportunity to execute justice. I would hope that the Christian voter would bring this sense of seeking justice for all to the voting booth. I seem to recall a line in the Pledge of Allegiance to that effect. There are hurting, oppressed, poor, marginalized, disenfranchised, forgotten, and neglected Americans. There is much waste in our governmental spending. Although many find themselves in their precarious positions by poor choices and judgments, justice seeks help for those truly in need and would even seek to help the foolish make better decisions. The new president should seek to establish justice and also call for proper stewardship of the resources available to insure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare and provide for the common defense thus securing the blessing of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.
A president who lacks moral character, (as I believe is demonstrated by the Bible's truth) and thus will also be lacking the sense of justice, fairness, firmness, discipline, stewardship and compassion those virtues employ, will not bring justice to our land. The candidate who is guided by a passion only to win the election, and the next, to control, to rule, to impose, to scapegoat (by the way Christians, you will be the scapegoat for the coming days just as in the days of Nero), to intimidate, and govern not by moral truth and justice will be a disaster for our nation.
So who should you vote for? For whom will I vote? Let me share this recently oft shared quote from Charles Spurgeon, London pastor from the mid to late 1800's during troubling political times in England.
Of two evils, choose neither. Christians must turn from the endless cycle of voting for the lesser of two evils and expecting an unrighteous act to produce a righteous act. From a communist to a cultist, choosing the lesser of evils is still evil, and never should we do evil, that good may come.
I will exercise my constitutional rights and privileges to vote for the candidate of my choosing and write in Jim Griffin or Walter Bradley or Daymon White or Rick Davis. They will lose but my conscience will be clear before God if not before the chairman of the Democratic or Republican party. I will also do a little more homework on the candidates on down the ballot to try and discover wisdom, altruism, and a passion for justice and humanity.
Now let me ask you a question. Why are you asking me, a pastor, who to vote for, rather than asking me how we can better spread the gospel of salvation through Jesus, send more missionaries, feed more hungry, clothe more poor, house more homeless, and encourage more hurting, lonely, depressed people? Here is my curmudeony, cold, cynical answer: You actually believe that the president has more power than Jesus. You actually think that the the Republic of the United States of America holds more answers for living a good life than the Kingdom of God. You believe that the gospel of politics has the power to change lives more than the power of the gospel. If that is not true then why am I not being bombarded by Christians wanting to give time, money, and passion to spreading the gospel but instead I'm being asked who to vote for?
Look folks, I have mentioned in a sermon or two and as the poor men who are a part of my morning Bible study have endured several times, I believe our nation is under the judgement of God. In Romans 1:24-32 you see God's judgement given as He gives folks over to their own desires. You want God out of your lives, your bedrooms, your boardrooms, your choices and decisions? So it shall be, He says. So in this election you have choices between the party whose nominee reeks of materialism, anger and greed opposing the party promoting sexual freedom without moral consequences which have led to millions and millions of abortions and welfare without responsibility. We are a nation confused about the difference between license and Liberty and that freedom carries moral responsibility. Whichever way you vote, America loses.
You're probably either mad or scared by now, or at least you should be. But here's a little Biblical perspective, read Daniel 2:20-22; Isaiah 46:5-12; II Timothy 3:1-5; II Peter 3:11-13; Revelation 21. I'm not going to type it out. You read it!(moral responsibility) But I will say this, hard times are coming but God is still the Lord of the universe and He will be with and guide His people. There are 365 "fear not'' scriptures, one for everyday or 365 everyday if you want to read a lot. But these scriptures I will type out for you:
But I trust in You Lord, I say, You are my God. My times are in your hands, deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Psalm 31:14-15.
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I Am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with the right hand of righteousness. Is. 41:10
Yes, in my opinion, whichever way you vote in November, America loses. But whenever you follow Jesus everyone wins. Pray for America. Pray for your next president. Pray the life changing gospel will sweep across our land, especially our leader's hearts. Trust the Lord.
Some trust in republicans, some trust in democrats, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7 (CSV)*
Cos
*Cos Standard Version
This little essay will try to answer those questions for you.
Why are these questions important? Questions about who to vote for are obviously important as the winner of the election will lead our nation and arguably become the most powerful person on the planet (I personally would argue against that but that's another story). Americans have for some time now voted by their pocketbooks and their general sense of well-being. The Christian recognizes a higher calling in the power of politics and elections as the opportunity to execute justice. I would hope that the Christian voter would bring this sense of seeking justice for all to the voting booth. I seem to recall a line in the Pledge of Allegiance to that effect. There are hurting, oppressed, poor, marginalized, disenfranchised, forgotten, and neglected Americans. There is much waste in our governmental spending. Although many find themselves in their precarious positions by poor choices and judgments, justice seeks help for those truly in need and would even seek to help the foolish make better decisions. The new president should seek to establish justice and also call for proper stewardship of the resources available to insure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare and provide for the common defense thus securing the blessing of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.
A president who lacks moral character, (as I believe is demonstrated by the Bible's truth) and thus will also be lacking the sense of justice, fairness, firmness, discipline, stewardship and compassion those virtues employ, will not bring justice to our land. The candidate who is guided by a passion only to win the election, and the next, to control, to rule, to impose, to scapegoat (by the way Christians, you will be the scapegoat for the coming days just as in the days of Nero), to intimidate, and govern not by moral truth and justice will be a disaster for our nation.
So who should you vote for? For whom will I vote? Let me share this recently oft shared quote from Charles Spurgeon, London pastor from the mid to late 1800's during troubling political times in England.
Of two evils, choose neither. Christians must turn from the endless cycle of voting for the lesser of two evils and expecting an unrighteous act to produce a righteous act. From a communist to a cultist, choosing the lesser of evils is still evil, and never should we do evil, that good may come.
I will exercise my constitutional rights and privileges to vote for the candidate of my choosing and write in Jim Griffin or Walter Bradley or Daymon White or Rick Davis. They will lose but my conscience will be clear before God if not before the chairman of the Democratic or Republican party. I will also do a little more homework on the candidates on down the ballot to try and discover wisdom, altruism, and a passion for justice and humanity.
Now let me ask you a question. Why are you asking me, a pastor, who to vote for, rather than asking me how we can better spread the gospel of salvation through Jesus, send more missionaries, feed more hungry, clothe more poor, house more homeless, and encourage more hurting, lonely, depressed people? Here is my curmudeony, cold, cynical answer: You actually believe that the president has more power than Jesus. You actually think that the the Republic of the United States of America holds more answers for living a good life than the Kingdom of God. You believe that the gospel of politics has the power to change lives more than the power of the gospel. If that is not true then why am I not being bombarded by Christians wanting to give time, money, and passion to spreading the gospel but instead I'm being asked who to vote for?
Look folks, I have mentioned in a sermon or two and as the poor men who are a part of my morning Bible study have endured several times, I believe our nation is under the judgement of God. In Romans 1:24-32 you see God's judgement given as He gives folks over to their own desires. You want God out of your lives, your bedrooms, your boardrooms, your choices and decisions? So it shall be, He says. So in this election you have choices between the party whose nominee reeks of materialism, anger and greed opposing the party promoting sexual freedom without moral consequences which have led to millions and millions of abortions and welfare without responsibility. We are a nation confused about the difference between license and Liberty and that freedom carries moral responsibility. Whichever way you vote, America loses.
You're probably either mad or scared by now, or at least you should be. But here's a little Biblical perspective, read Daniel 2:20-22; Isaiah 46:5-12; II Timothy 3:1-5; II Peter 3:11-13; Revelation 21. I'm not going to type it out. You read it!(moral responsibility) But I will say this, hard times are coming but God is still the Lord of the universe and He will be with and guide His people. There are 365 "fear not'' scriptures, one for everyday or 365 everyday if you want to read a lot. But these scriptures I will type out for you:
But I trust in You Lord, I say, You are my God. My times are in your hands, deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Psalm 31:14-15.
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I Am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with the right hand of righteousness. Is. 41:10
Yes, in my opinion, whichever way you vote in November, America loses. But whenever you follow Jesus everyone wins. Pray for America. Pray for your next president. Pray the life changing gospel will sweep across our land, especially our leader's hearts. Trust the Lord.
Some trust in republicans, some trust in democrats, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7 (CSV)*
Cos
*Cos Standard Version
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
So the Question Is?
So I come in from my walk, it is late in the day and I hear my beloved on the phone in the bedroom but I can see she has already begun to make dinner. It looks like I am having meat loaf or something resembling meatloaf. I am somewhat confused. I love her meatloaf, especially when she makes it with green chilies. I assume she is handling green chilies because I can see a blue rubber glove in a plate. Or is she handling something else? The possibilities run through my mind.
Possibly she is trying a new "filler" in the meatloaf other than crackers. I know people have to cut back and watch their budget these days but I didn't think we were doing that badly...
Maybe she got confused in watching the Food Network and the Animal Planet....
Maybe she is making this meatloaf for the dogs...
Maybe she is getting even with me for...oh well, the reasons are too numerous to count....
It is possible the Milk-Bones were on sale for a really good price...
It could be I'm barking up the wrong tree in trying to figure it out.
So the question is: do I eat the meatloaf?
Maybe I should just ask her?
Ohhhh, she was walking the box of dog biscuits to the back door to give the dogs a treat when the phone rang. She SAID she just set the box down on the counter when she was on the phone.
Perfectly reasonable explanation. Do I trust her?
Of course I do. The meatloaf was delicious.
You simply can't always take things at their face value. There is often a "back-story" that even if it doesn't justify a thought or an action at least gives a reason or an insight in to why people do the things they do. Even the Bible teaches us, "....do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." I John 4
John goes on in the chapter to explain that what you believe about Jesus is the way to "test the spirits." Of all the many voices calling for your attention, money, and influence; your body, soul, and mind; your vote, your time, and your loyalty, who do you trust? See what the people, organizations, and institutions do with Jesus. Do they trust Him as Lord and Savior? Do they see Him as the Incarnate Son of God, fully God and fully human? Do they show obedience and growth in Christ-like character? Or is He seen as simple a good teacher, a moral leader, a kind religionist? Trust the ones who trust him, Be careful what you chew on, some things have bones in them.
Now excuse me, I'm due at the vet's to pick up some heartworm meds.
Cos
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
The Sweet Spot
Yes, it is that time again when a young man's fancy turns to spring training. What did you expect me to say? It is time for America's past time. No, not political campaigns, baseball. Pitchers are honing their skills with grip pressures, arm angles, core exercises and repetition. Hitters are doing the same kinds of things with their bats to try and hit the ball on the sweet spot of the bat for maximum distance and control. The sound of a 90 mph ball hitting the sweet spot on a bat swung at 85 mph with an exit speed of 105 mph is unmistakable. The sound itself causes the heart to leap for the batter, the manager and the whole dugout. It sings potential, hope, and succe$$. The same sound causes the gut to tighten, the mouth to form words of lament, the head to fall, the feet to kick dirt to the battery of pitcher and catcher. Ah, the sweet spot, one team greatly desiring it, one team trying to avoid it, at least for three outs.
Where exactly is the "sweet spot" on a baseball ball? It is actually, scientifically possible to point it out on each bat. Bat manufacturers and other "sports scientists" work with Newton's laws of motion, density levels of different woods, vibration algorithms, swing speeds and other factors to pinpoint the sweet spot on bats. The hard variable to factor is the human batter. Each swing is a little different in speed, angle, and force. The formulas sports scientists can use (E=0. 5x mv2 or F=M x A) regarding mass, force, acceleration change in real-life situations. Of course, this is one of the appeals of baseball, you never know when the .186 batter, hitting eighth will hit the sweet spot and send the ball over the wall. By the way, roughly speaking--the sweet spot is about 6 to 8 inches down from the end of the bat, off grain, mid-diameter.
Have you ever wondered if there is a sweet spot spiritually? Where is the perfect spot for growth in Christlikeness that balances the inner meditations with outward vital service? Where does the relationship deepen in Christ to the point of an intimacy without losing touch with the hurts, needs, and fellowship with other humans? Is there a spiritual sweet spot that balances time with believers and time with unbelievers? Is there a way or a formula for balancing the reading of the Word of God with the living out its truths in the everyday world? Where is that sweet spot between being and doing, faith and works, contentment in the relationship with Jesus and being driven to share Him with the lost? Where is the sweet spot of doing justice in a hate-filled, cruel, broken world and longing for our heavenly home?
These are all questions I cannot answer for you but they are all question every Christian should ask with a dozen more of which we could and should consider. This I know, you will never find the sweet spot by not grappling with these kinds of questions. You will never come close to it by not studying the word, by not pushing yourself beyond comfort zones to serve, by not being open to the Holy Spirit's leading, prodding, and stretching you in your relationship to Him and service in His name. The church has identified inner, outer, and corporate disciplines that help us find our sweet spot spiritually. (see Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline). Not any us will become perfect in any of these but we can mature, grow, become more, and when needed, less as we walk with Christ.
I don't really know if there is a "sweet spot" spiritually. There are too many moving parts and variables from person to person, and day to day for each person. Jesus is really the sweet spot. Know him, love him, obey him. He made it simple when he said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself. He said to seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness and he would add everything else you need. Get in the game. You will know that sweet spot when you hit it. Enjoy it.
Mickey Mantle is argued among baseball fanatics as possibly the man who hit more 500 foot home runs than anyone else. One website gives him ten over 500 ft, two over 600 ft. He hit the sweet spot on his bat a lot. He struck out 1710 times. The real sin is not missing the sweet spot, but in never trying to find it.
Batter up!
Cos
Where exactly is the "sweet spot" on a baseball ball? It is actually, scientifically possible to point it out on each bat. Bat manufacturers and other "sports scientists" work with Newton's laws of motion, density levels of different woods, vibration algorithms, swing speeds and other factors to pinpoint the sweet spot on bats. The hard variable to factor is the human batter. Each swing is a little different in speed, angle, and force. The formulas sports scientists can use (E=0. 5x mv2 or F=M x A) regarding mass, force, acceleration change in real-life situations. Of course, this is one of the appeals of baseball, you never know when the .186 batter, hitting eighth will hit the sweet spot and send the ball over the wall. By the way, roughly speaking--the sweet spot is about 6 to 8 inches down from the end of the bat, off grain, mid-diameter.
Have you ever wondered if there is a sweet spot spiritually? Where is the perfect spot for growth in Christlikeness that balances the inner meditations with outward vital service? Where does the relationship deepen in Christ to the point of an intimacy without losing touch with the hurts, needs, and fellowship with other humans? Is there a spiritual sweet spot that balances time with believers and time with unbelievers? Is there a way or a formula for balancing the reading of the Word of God with the living out its truths in the everyday world? Where is that sweet spot between being and doing, faith and works, contentment in the relationship with Jesus and being driven to share Him with the lost? Where is the sweet spot of doing justice in a hate-filled, cruel, broken world and longing for our heavenly home?
These are all questions I cannot answer for you but they are all question every Christian should ask with a dozen more of which we could and should consider. This I know, you will never find the sweet spot by not grappling with these kinds of questions. You will never come close to it by not studying the word, by not pushing yourself beyond comfort zones to serve, by not being open to the Holy Spirit's leading, prodding, and stretching you in your relationship to Him and service in His name. The church has identified inner, outer, and corporate disciplines that help us find our sweet spot spiritually. (see Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline). Not any us will become perfect in any of these but we can mature, grow, become more, and when needed, less as we walk with Christ.
I don't really know if there is a "sweet spot" spiritually. There are too many moving parts and variables from person to person, and day to day for each person. Jesus is really the sweet spot. Know him, love him, obey him. He made it simple when he said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself. He said to seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness and he would add everything else you need. Get in the game. You will know that sweet spot when you hit it. Enjoy it.
Mickey Mantle is argued among baseball fanatics as possibly the man who hit more 500 foot home runs than anyone else. One website gives him ten over 500 ft, two over 600 ft. He hit the sweet spot on his bat a lot. He struck out 1710 times. The real sin is not missing the sweet spot, but in never trying to find it.
Batter up!
Cos
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Klaira Dust
The grandkids came to visit a couple of weeks ago. O yeah, their parents came too. But the real stars of the weekend were the grandkids. We hadn't been able to give them their Christmas presents because of many reasons (sickness, work schedules, school etc) so we got to have a Christmas on Valentine's Day.
Klaira, 4, who also calls herself Klaira Bell, received a purple Disney Princess dress. She put it on immediately. Disney has done a remarkable job in marketing the heroines from their movies including these elegant, but inexpensive little dresses to their littlest fans.
This one came complete with glitter, lots of glitter; lots and lots of glitter adorning the frilly fringes of the dress. Klaira wore that dress for hours. With every step, every twirl, every jump, dance, and sprint, she deposited glitter, lots and lots of glitter in every room of the house. We now call it Klaira dust and we are not the least bit worried that after two weeks, three vacuumings, and three moppings we are still seeing Klaira dust around the house. We love it. It's not a mess, it's a reminder. It's not a sign of uncleanness, it's a sign of life, life that inhabits our lives and life that continues to bless even though separated for a while. The glitter does not bring sadness or rebuke or cries of "how will I ever get this stuff cleaned up?'' It brings smiles, laughter, and joy at the prospect of a return glittering.
I believe if we learn how to look, it is not too difficult to discover God glittering out lives with His Presence. In every room, at every turn of life, through the people and events He brings or allows, His Presence is there to convict, comfort, teach, lead, deepen, and enjoy. The Holy Spirit, however, doesn't leave to go back home until the next, too short visit. He remains depositing truth and reminding of One who will return. Yes, at times He may wash over us with overwhelming waves of grace to teach, cleanse, refresh, wash, and renew. At other times, more fitting like a still, small voice, He makes His presence known in a quiet, reflective but just as effective and beautiful way.
It is true, all that glitters is not gold. Sometimes its even better.
Cos
Klaira, 4, who also calls herself Klaira Bell, received a purple Disney Princess dress. She put it on immediately. Disney has done a remarkable job in marketing the heroines from their movies including these elegant, but inexpensive little dresses to their littlest fans.
I believe if we learn how to look, it is not too difficult to discover God glittering out lives with His Presence. In every room, at every turn of life, through the people and events He brings or allows, His Presence is there to convict, comfort, teach, lead, deepen, and enjoy. The Holy Spirit, however, doesn't leave to go back home until the next, too short visit. He remains depositing truth and reminding of One who will return. Yes, at times He may wash over us with overwhelming waves of grace to teach, cleanse, refresh, wash, and renew. At other times, more fitting like a still, small voice, He makes His presence known in a quiet, reflective but just as effective and beautiful way.
It is true, all that glitters is not gold. Sometimes its even better.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
We Live By Faith
We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor. 5:7
Have you ever taken a bible verse apart backwards? You can't do it with all of them but it's helpful in a world that is sometimes backwards to try it some of the time.
Sight-- to see; to have it; to hold it; to grasp it; tangible; gravitas; hug it; embrace it; spend it; save it; hide and then pull it out and see it again. You see beauty, familiar faces, smiles, grimaces, scowls, winks, distances, obstacles, curves, hills, valleys, images. Sight is good!
Not sight--unseen; unsure; doubt; questions: who am I? where am I? where am I going? what to do? how to do it?confusion. Intangibles, immeasurables, mystery; memories. Matters of the heart not the hand; expressions of the mental not the material; places in the soul, not the seen. Not sight? Bad and good..........
Faith--confidence, evidence, hope, longing, trust, belief, assurance, inescapably necessary. Faith must be placed, posited, left elsewhere but faith is only as strong as the strength of the object or person trusted. It is a gift to the giver and receiver--how much depends on me? on others? on God alone? Do I trust God or do I subtly trust faith? Is faith the answer to my questions or the beginning of more of them? Can't I always just have faith, believing? Yes! except when its maybe....
Live--life, breath, movement, thought, being, smell, taste, see, touch, imagine, forget, regret, fight, surrender, laugh, cry, anticipate, dare, build, hurt, pain, discover, remember, seasons, give, take, people, people, people, a caress, a hug, a kiss, birth, death, seeking love, sharing love, learning love, sunrise, sunset, repeat thousands of times 'till you almost get it right--- LIVE! YES!
We--first person plural. Not me, my or I. All. Family. Kingdom. Church. What "i" can't, we can. Where "i" is weak, alone, vulnerable, scared, darkened, ''we" are strong, together, experienced, enlightened. When "i" has a weak faith, "we" have a stronger one. Where "i" is confused and searching, some of the "we" have been there, done that, made it through. When "i" is afraid, "we" stands with us. "We'' gets through this; "we" knows what "i" doesn't. "I" faces the dark, "we" face the future with hope, joy, and love. "I" need "we."
We Live By Faith Not By Sight.
WE LIVE!
Me Too,
Cos
Have you ever taken a bible verse apart backwards? You can't do it with all of them but it's helpful in a world that is sometimes backwards to try it some of the time.
Sight-- to see; to have it; to hold it; to grasp it; tangible; gravitas; hug it; embrace it; spend it; save it; hide and then pull it out and see it again. You see beauty, familiar faces, smiles, grimaces, scowls, winks, distances, obstacles, curves, hills, valleys, images. Sight is good!
Not sight--unseen; unsure; doubt; questions: who am I? where am I? where am I going? what to do? how to do it?confusion. Intangibles, immeasurables, mystery; memories. Matters of the heart not the hand; expressions of the mental not the material; places in the soul, not the seen. Not sight? Bad and good..........
Faith--confidence, evidence, hope, longing, trust, belief, assurance, inescapably necessary. Faith must be placed, posited, left elsewhere but faith is only as strong as the strength of the object or person trusted. It is a gift to the giver and receiver--how much depends on me? on others? on God alone? Do I trust God or do I subtly trust faith? Is faith the answer to my questions or the beginning of more of them? Can't I always just have faith, believing? Yes! except when its maybe....
Live--life, breath, movement, thought, being, smell, taste, see, touch, imagine, forget, regret, fight, surrender, laugh, cry, anticipate, dare, build, hurt, pain, discover, remember, seasons, give, take, people, people, people, a caress, a hug, a kiss, birth, death, seeking love, sharing love, learning love, sunrise, sunset, repeat thousands of times 'till you almost get it right--- LIVE! YES!
We--first person plural. Not me, my or I. All. Family. Kingdom. Church. What "i" can't, we can. Where "i" is weak, alone, vulnerable, scared, darkened, ''we" are strong, together, experienced, enlightened. When "i" has a weak faith, "we" have a stronger one. Where "i" is confused and searching, some of the "we" have been there, done that, made it through. When "i" is afraid, "we" stands with us. "We'' gets through this; "we" knows what "i" doesn't. "I" faces the dark, "we" face the future with hope, joy, and love. "I" need "we."
We Live By Faith Not By Sight.
WE LIVE!
Me Too,
Cos
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Finding Jesus
Finding Jesus
And the three people I
admire the most, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
They caught the last
train for the coast, the day the music died……… Don McLean
We live in a post-Christian world, or at least a post-church
world. It is not that Christian and church do not exist, but they no longer
have “preferred” status in many places where once they did. In fact, with some people and in some
circles, they are viewed with suspicion if not disdain.
And yet, both church and Christian have reason for hope, our
God is not dead, He does not sleep neither does He slumber (Ps. 121:3-4). If only we could get folks to take notice of
Jesus like the officials from Acts 4:13 “took note that they (disciples) had
been with Jesus.” If only we could help
both the world at large and the western Christian who may want either to panic
or hide, to notice Jesus. He is the Risen Savior. He is working in His church
and in the world with thousands coming to faith daily. How do we see this, how
do we get in on this in a world with so many viewpoints and so many choices?
The church must learn to look, know how to see, and point in
Jesus’ direction. He is here. He is sovereign.
He is calling. How can we notice Jesus? Look into the people’s faces, in the
shopworn, in the kind eyes or in dancing, darting eyes; in the tensed drawn
expressions or relaxed, peaceful looks you will either find Him or the need for
Him. Look for Him also in ordinary places like the convenience store, the
grocery store, the pharmacy, and the gym—where people are living life or trying
to.
He is pretty easy to find
in the pain of life, the pain pierces and we cry out to nearly anyone who will
listen. With a little help, thought, guidance, we find He is there and has been
all along. Ah, but He is found in the pleasures of life just as well. In the
marvel of the world and its turnings in exquisite detail, in voice-silencing
beauty, muscle-pulling laughter, and the joys of human love from childhood to
sainthood, He is alive and well. He has not abandoned us for the coast. His
music has not died.
Let’s take to looking for and finding Jesus in the people,
places, pain, and the pleasures of life.
Once you notice Him, He will draw you to Him; and He draws us in to love
us. Once we get the hang of finding Jesus like this, even in a “post-Christian,
post-church” world, we will have a
better opportunity of helping folks in this world find Jesus themselves. Then
an interesting truth will emerge: when we think we’ve gotten pretty good at
finding Jesus we discover that it was Him finding us all along.
They also will answer, 'Lord , when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matt. 25:39-40
But now I’m found,
Cos
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