One of the Two Sure Things in Life

Today Edith Shain died. Who? Edith Shain, the nurse in the famous V-Day kiss photo. Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped the photo on V-J Day (Aug 14, 1945, the day victory over Japan was declared) for Life magazine.

Photography, indeed film of all kind, has been said to have the psychological effect of projecting immortality. For instance, recently, students were polled on whether or not Marilyn Monroe was alive or dead; many students were certain that she was alive. It goes to show you the power of media in general.

As such, the news that the gorgeous brunette nurse in the photo here was dead produced a slight glitch in my system. People in pictures don't die. Right?

Just another reminder that the grisly Reaper is still mowing, and that eventually, he'll find his way to my pasture. Let us remember this fact, and let us also know that while death is certain, that our eternity is not, unless we enter it with Christ.

Until then.

A Graduation Address

They Say: Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes.

Ever wonder what Jesus would have to say about that? Well it just so happens that we know.

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. 21 And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said* to Him, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left." 22 But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said* to Him, "We are able." 23 He said* to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."

24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 "It is not this way among you, but whoever, wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever, wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Matt 20:20-28 (NASB)

When a politician is misunderstood, they always appeal to context insisting that their comments were taken out of their proper context. As much as I hate to admit it, from time to time they are right. The context of this conversation is important.

After being a sovereign nation under its own king for hundreds of years Israel suffered defeat at the hands of the Persian empire. After a time they in turn were run out by the Greeks, who in time were cast out by the Romans. Although there had been brief periods of freedom (like the times of the Maccabean revolt) the Jews were under the heel of Rome and like any occupied people they wanted to be free.

Furthermore, the Jewish people expected a deliverer, a conqueror to come. Someone like David or Solomon who would run the Romans out of town and set up Israel in her rightful place as the center of the worship of God (cf Is 2, 52, & 61-66). As far as the disciples were concerned, Jesus’ resume’ placed him in the top running to be the one they had been waiting for.

We then have to ask the question, “what mother doesn’t want to secure a future for her children”? So then, believing that Jesus was going to rule in Jerusalem and fulfill their wildest dreams, she was hoping to get her sons the best seats in the house. However, the fact that she asked for preferment itself showed that she didn’t understand a thing about who Jesus was and what He had come to do.

22But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said* to Him, "We are able." 23 He said* to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."

Jesus’ answer falls into two parts:

1. Are you really ready to reign with me?
2. I can’t grant your request.

Firstly, He asks if they are willing to “drink the same cup”. This cup is the cup of wrath that will be poured upon Him at the cross. It is a round about way of his reminding them that He did not come to establish an earthly kingdom, but an eternal one. Furthermore, it was a warning that following Jesus could be costly and indeed it was, and is. “Yes”, is their answer, but then at the Cross, these two are no where to be found. However, they will drink the cup Jesus says (more on that later).

24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 "It is not this way among you, but whoever, wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever, wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

So then, the disciples get a bit self-righteous and begin to grumble among themselves. Noticing their dissention, Jesus turns it into a teachable moment, calling them together, and settles the matter by comparing the kings and kingdoms of the world to His eternal Kingdom to Come.

In the Kingdoms of this age, people rule by force, by wrestling their way to the top. The sad truth is that while it is not impossible, it is very difficult to find our way as the lead dog AND stay on track with Jesus. That is to say that many who are great in this age most often get there are the expense of others. Christians must always be on guard at the lure of success. We have to read the fine print to be certain that climbing the next rung on the ladder will not put us in a place of spiritual compromise.

So then, what does success look like for a follower of Jesus?

Listen to Jesus again:

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 "It is not this way among you, but whoever, wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever, wishes to be first among you shall be your slave…

What we read here runs contrary to almost everything that our culture tells us about success. Remember, the world says that unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes. Yet Christ insists that if we are striving to be at the head of the pack, that we have missed the point. In fact, those who are striving with all that they are to be at the head of the pack will, in the end, find themselves at the bottom of the heap. You see, the big dogs in this life will be the bell boys in the age to come.

Now, I’ll admit this is a tough pill to swallow. Regardless it is the truth.

I mean seriously, how does someone become first without trying to get there? According to Jesus, that is exactly how it happens.

1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped , 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 2:1-11 (NASB)

The apostle James puts it even more simply.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:10 (KJV)

And James is surely echoing Jesus who said:

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Luke 14:11 (NASB)

So, does it work? It worked for Jesus. It has worked for me. It will work for anyone who humbly submits to the will of God. If you offer yourself as a water boy, a hired hand, a busboy in the house of God, you will find yourself blessed in ways that you cannot imagine.

Peter once approached Jesus saying:

28 Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You." 29 Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 "But many who are first will be last, and the last, first."
Mark 10:28-31 (NASB)

We can apply this many ways. We need to be servants: in our homes, our marriages, our churches, our schools, our government, our place of employment, … This command ties directly into the greatest commandment:

'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' 31 "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:29-31 (NASB)

Remember what Jesus said:

28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

The world tells us that he who dies with the most toys wins. The Bible tells us that it doesn’t matter how many toys you have, one day you are going to die and stand before a holy God and give an account for what you did with yourself and He doesn’t care how many toys you have.

A last word:

We hear a great deal in commencement addresses about chasing our dreams, following our heart, going for the gold, and all that. While I admit that dreams are a powerful force, we have to remember that beating within our chest is a faulty compass. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that

“the heart is deceitful above all things, who can trust it’s ways?”

So, if we can’t follow our heart, and we can’t follow the world, what are we to do?

Follow Jesus.

My life verse, which is a fancy way Christians say “my favorite verse in the Bible is…”, Matthew 6:33. It is found at the end of the sermon on the Mount. After Jesus has given the Beatitudes, given commandments on how the disciples are to conduct themselves in the world, and how we are to treat each other, taught about prayer and fasting he the centers in on the needs we all have and do you know what He says? The capstone of his entire sermon seems to be this statement:

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you as well.

What are these things? Whatever you need.

You see, you may have taken my comments out of context and heard me say that if you are going to be a Christian that you cannot be successful in life. In fact, the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 9:10 that "whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" just don't sell your soul in the process. You see: The selling of a soul is often more subtle than sudden. The transaction takes place through a series of small compromises, of saying "My will be done" instead of "Thy will be done", until one day we look into the mirror and we don't recognize who we see.  

This life is full of opportunity, but I warn you (and many of you already know) that it is full of sucker punches and raw deals. Everything changes, but JESUS is the same today, yesterday and forever… you can always count on Him.

Healing for Broken Hearts

Last night a terrible accident took the life of a dear woman in our community and put a friend of mine in the hospital (it is a wonder he survived). These folks are both members of the church I pastor. 

I got home at 4:30 AM last night, I am so tired, but I know that my weariness pales in comparison to the sorrow those who knew Dianne are feeling right now. All last night, and all day today, this song has been repeating in my head, over, and over, and over, and over... It has helped me so much. My hope is that wherever you are, and whatever life has thrown at you, this song will help lift you up. 

Please pray for the familes effected by these tragic events, and for our community and church to wrap our arms around them. As I am so often reminded, the Gospel is more than something we read, it is something that we are, and that we do. 

Amen.

Learning What This Means:

9 But he said to me, ?My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.? Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor 12:9-10 (ESV)

As the Ruin Falls

Some years back, my friend Chris was immersed in C.S. Lewis at OBU and uncovered the little known fact that Lewis was not only a brilliant scholar, theologian, and fiction author, BUT was indeed quite the accomplished poet. One of his more challenging and revealing works is the following work. I know it cuts me to the bone every time I read it.

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As the Ruin Falls

All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you.
I never had a selfless thought since I was born.
I am mercenary and self-seeking through and through:
I want God, you, all friends, merely to serve my turn.

Peace, re-assurance, pleasure, are the goals I seek,
I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin:
I talk of love --a scholar's parrot may talk Greek--
But, self-imprisoned, always end where I begin.

Only that now you have taught me (but how late) my lack.
I see the chasm. And everything you are was making
My heart into a bridge by which I might get back
From exile, and grow man. And now the bridge is breaking.

For this I bless you as the ruin falls. The pains
You give me are more precious than all other gains.

C S Lewis

A Dangerous Prayer: Psalm 26:2

Examine me, O Lord, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.

Psalm 26:2

God, like a skillful surgeon, can always get to the heart of the problem. But he will only operate with consent. There is truth in the wise old Baptist saying that “the Holy Spirit is a gentleman”, how else could one resist the Holy Spirit (Acts 7)?

You may have heard before that the trouble with living sacrifices is that they crawl off the altar. I think this is the wisdom of Kieth Green, passed to Steve Camp and or Rich Mullins, and finally to Derek Webb; but whoever coined it, it is very very true.

Why is this prayer so dangerous? Well, you tell me?

O righteous God,
who searches minds and hearts,
bring to an end the violence of the wicked
and make the righteous secure.

Psalms 7:9 (NIV) (cf. Rev 2)

Examining, searching... what will He find? Will I be numbered among the righteous and vindicated or among the wicked?

See if there is any offensive [KJV, wicked; NASB, hurtful] way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalms 139:24 (NIV)

ANY offensive way? Wow, it shouldn't take long to find something... When I open myself up to God in that way, things could get messy in a hurry. What if He tells me to stop something that I am doing: a relationship, a dream, a career path, a habit, an indulgence? Or worse yet, what if He tells me to start doing something: a ministry, a witness, to become a tither, a children's worker, a follower instead of an admirer of the Gospel? What if God really “gets into my business”?

I love to tell stories on myself. When Vicki and I were first married, I began to realize in a hurry that the marriage of two “only children” might have been a mistake! Our first real disagreement was about whether to put a set of jars we were given on the counter, or in the cabinet. This skirmish carried on for weeks, until finally one, or both of us, surrendered. Ironically, I think those jars were sold in our last garage sale. We had to learn to share space, share a checkbook, and so on. As they say, you have to endure the process to get the product. Some came along easier than others, but the process of becoming one flesh was painful for us, but well worth it.

Granted, the images associated with the work of God in our lives are not always pleasant. But the process is so necessary.

"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers ' soap.

Mal 3:2 (NASB)

But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade, it into another vessel, as it pleased, the potter to make.

Jer 18:4 (NASB)

For Your arrows have sunk deep into me,
And Your hand has pressed down on me.

Psalms 38:2 (NASB)

There is nothing more fearsome than facing yourself... but thank God you are not alone if you do.

What Hath God Wrought?

It seems surreal to me that God has placed me where he has. I am a pastor, a real live pastor. Who ever saw that coming? People depend on me, look to me for comfort, encouragement, guidance, inspiration; me of all people. Tonight, those feelings hit me while I was standing in the sanctuary. Tomorrow morning I will have the privilege of standing before a congregation of people, many of who have been saved longer than I have been alive, and open the Bible and try to open up the will of God for them. Unreal. Even with all the people who told me, "God has a plan for you..." I still say "wow...this isn't really happening. God didn't really call me!" with all my inadequacies, faults and fears, to be his messenger and minster. Yet, here I am. Here I am... all I can say is thank you and Amen.

Anger Pt III

V. Some of What the Bible Says About Anger:

1. Unchecked anger is one of the fruits or deeds of the flesh contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit:
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions…
Gal 5:19-20 (NASB) (cf. 2 Cor 12:20)

In other words, outbursts of anger are on the same list as sorcery and lusciviousness (lust).

2. It is forbidden by God:
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret, it leads only to
evildoing.
Psalm 37:8

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice
Eph 4:31 (NASB)

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
Col 3:8 (NASB)

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
1 Tim 2:8 (NIV)

Paul urges us over and over to not allow anger to hinder the work of the Gospel. The solution? It is hard to strangle the guy next to you when you both have your hands raised in praise.

3. It causes us to act foolishly:
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.
Proverbs 14:17

Quite simply, you do things when you are mad that you would not normally do. This is why when you have a tiff with your spouse on the way to work, you get overly hacked that the water cooler is out of "wax coated sleeves". You don't really want to kill the intern (at least not for this). Its just that you were hovering at a "7" by the time you got there. Keep your cool.

4. It brings you into trouble:
A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty;
if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
Prov 19:19 (NIV)

There are times when you simply cannot help someone. When the Bible talks about "fools", it is useful to note that this designation is packed with more meaning than it is in the West. Someone who is a fool has abandoned all reason and chosen to deliberately walk a path that leaves destruction in its wake and ultimately will destroy them. They can be warned, but they may not be able to be helped.

As for us, we are told to warn folks in this situation (Ez 33, Prv 24:11), but eventually they have to choose to change their mind (repent).

This caution is espescially relavant to the friend or family member who is constantly making excuses for someone who can't keep their cool, "Oh, he's really a nice fellow... you just pushed his buttons... when he's not drunk..." and so on. This may be hard to hear; and I am not implying that this person is beyond redemption. I am simply saying that for some, they need to lay in the bed they have made. In so much as THEY become the one who receivies the brunt of their poor choices, perhaps then they will turn away from them.

5. It’s hard to watch your mouth when you’re angry: (ever said something when you were mad that you wish you could take back?)
There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Prov 12:18 (NASB)

Unfortunately, words have staying power. Long after you have called someone 'stupid' that person is feeling the effects. You can apologize, you can backpeddal, but in the end you said what you said whether you meant it or not. The point is this, think before you speak. Your words can be either the thursts of a sword (destruction) or the incisions of a scalpel (healing).

May your words be soft and sweet, for tomorrow you may have to eat them.
-Navajo proverb.

6. It keeps us from the kind of life God desires:
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
James 1:19-20 (NIV)

As it has been aptly said, "God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reson."

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.
Prov 16:32 (NASB)

If we let the context of this passage sink in, the effect is tremendous. The siege of a city was a lenghty and grueling ordeal. It was the art (if you will) of starving a city into submission or gradually driving its knees, or to the ground; whichever came first. The siege of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 AD would take six months, other sieges could last for years. To say that someone who keeps thier cool is greater than one who sieges a city is to say that they are better than the likes of Nebuchadnezzar, or in contemporary terms, Douglas MacArthur or "Stormin' Norman".

ANGER Pt II

III. It’s Killing Me
Not only can anger affect others around us, it can hurt us.

A tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is rottenness to the bones.
Prov 14:30 (NASB)

In Hebrew, “passion” is qinah and is also translated as anger, envy, jealousy, rivalry, etc. Anyway you slice it, you can get in trouble.

Anatomical research has shown that our body is designed to release certain chemicals (i.e. adrenaline) en masse when we perceive that we are in peril. Anger releases similar chemicals in doses that can be harmful to our body when they are not “burned off” (like, by running away from a lion). A search on www.WebMD.com brought up 700+ articles dealing with anger. Research demonstrates that excessive or prolonged anger can have serious health effects and shorten your life span due to the stress it places on your body, esp. on blood pressure and the heart. Point of fact, I have witnessed someone nearly die from a heart attack during a fit of rage… they were unfortunately arguing with me.

IV. Backstabber or Stab-Backer?
Much anger in our lives stems from our inability to allow things to roll off. You don’t hold a grudge, a grudge holds you. The Bible urges us:

A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
Prov 12:16 (NIV)

Slowness to anger makes for a deep understanding; a quick-tempered person stock-piles stupidity.
Prov 14:29 The Message

A man's wisdom gives him patience;
it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
Prov 19:11 (NIV)

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise person quietly holds it back.”
Proverbs 29:11

But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Matt 5:39 (KJV)

#@%^!

#@%^! #@%^! #@%^! #@%^! #@%^!

Pray for me to control my anger.

And not to say stupid things that I do not mean.

Rev.

Word to the Wise

If your supervisor asks you to do something and you are unclear on the details, just do what you understand you should do until you are able to clarify or until you hear different.

Rev.

Bearing Burdens

I stumbled across this a while back. It really resonated with me then and continues to do so...
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For many years I worked in New York City and counseled at my office any number of people who were wrestling with this yes-or-no decision. Often I would suggest they walk with me from my office down to the RCA Building on Fifth Avenue. In the entrance of that building is a gigantic statue of Atlas, a beautifully proportioned man who, with all his muscles straining, is holding the world upon his shoulders. There he is, the most powerfully built man in the world, and he can barely stand up under this burden. ‘Now that’s one way to live,’ I would point out to my companion, ‘trying to carry the world on your shoulders. But now come across the street with me.’

On the other side of Fifth Avenue is Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and there behind the high altar is a little shrine of the boy Jesus, perhaps eight or nine years old, and with no effort he is holding the world in one hand. My point was illustrated graphically.

We have a choice. We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, ‘I give up, Lord; here’s my life. I give you my world, the whole world.’”

- Richard A. Hasler

Bruce Larson, Believe and Belong