Now that we have been in country since the 13th of Oct. our routines for each day are beginning to take shape. Certain realities are becoming more apparent as we navigate the new terrain of culture, language, and availability. When I say, availability, it is the reasonable amount of effort involved in getting simple things for each day. If it takes too much time and effort, its not an option or it doesn't fall under the heading as available for that day. Whatever we need must be carefully planed and allotted for, so as to allow time for walking back and forth, while keeping in mind that the items must not fill more than what can be carried in a back pack. Each visit to purchase something may take from 30min-2hrs. walking, but sometimes for long distances we take the bus, but that is tricky in knowing which one to take for each destination and then how to get home again. Frequently in the afternoon we find ourselves walking home in the rain and because it rains so hard here, your umbrellas leak like sieves and the rain splashes up to your hips. Needless to say you're totally soaked by the time you arrive home.
Getting food is more complicated here because of having to go to more than one place, and because things spoil so quickly, its best to buy only what you need for each day. We have found the carniceria (butcher shop) a good place to buy meat, but it tends to be very tough because these grass fed animals are very lean. It was explained that, being grass fed, the animals can't eat enough to get fat due to the moisture content of their food. To understand this consider how much watermelon you might be able to eat compared with something dry. The fact that the grass is water saturated makes sense because of how often it rains during the rainy season.
Spanish class is living up to its name as being intensive. Class instruction takes up half the day while homework takes the other half. The instructor teaches the course in Spanish, so one must strain to maintain a consistent focus on every word that is being said, which I find exhausting. However, learning this language is something which really inspires me. What that means now is that, in the near future, I will not be isolated from the people I've been called to serve.
Making friends with people is an everyday occurrence, but an interesting one because you are not only making friends with locals, but people who are here in transition from one part of the globe to another. Many are familiar with living and adapting to different cultures because they have had to do that much of their lives. By contrast however, there are others, like myself, who are learning to adapt for the first time and so we have been able to find some mutual encouragement through our shared experiences. I spend a lot of time listening and learning with the intent of accepting the differences of a reality I have no ability to change. Instead I must be willing to make new discoveries and change appropriately to the new world in which I live. Romans 12 speaks of being transformed by the renewing of your mind and from what I understand that change is not one which is outward only, but of an inward quality which only God is able to bring about. Not only being willing, but actually cooperating with the potter, so to speak, through being soft, tender and malleable is the only way to productively participate with our Creator God.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
Sameness
"The steadfast love of the lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end." Lam. 3:22
During a time of major change in my life where nothing is the same, it has been comforting to know that I serve a God who is unchanging. He is the Great "I Am" Who within His name has the meaning of no beginning and no end. The fact that God attributes a name to Himself is so we can understand that He may be known; that we can know His character and that we can have not only relationship, but one of total communion whereby we may abide in Him as He also will abide in us. (Jn.15:5) He who, even now, is at work in those of us who believe; having been transformed from our hopeless state, separated from the life that is in Him, are now, by His great mercy and grace, daily recipients of His love and energizing power so as to be sons and daughters who are led by His Spirit.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." ( Heb. 13:8 ) In the New Testament we see the same character of God in Christ revealed to us. This wonderful consistency gives us confidence that in relationship with Christ, our faith, our trust and our hope is always steadfast. He will always be faithful, He will never leave us or forsake us and His word unto us is always true. He says "come unto me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." That was true yesterday, its true today and it will be true tomorrow.
Even though I serve an unchanging God, my own life must be changing everyday for it is the purpose of God to make us new creatures in Christ. Sometimes that requires us to let go of things which were good, to embrace those things which are better. One picture of this in the New Testament is that you can't put new wine in old wineskins. The new wine will burst the old and inflexible skin. Sometimes we would rather hold on to the way we have always done things because we find security in that, even when there is no generated life observed. Moving into a new culture can be a shock on our familiar system of doing things. I once heard, while visiting in Southeast Asia, "Its not that different is bad, its just different." Something C.S. Lewis wrote addresses this dilemma. He explained how we love to treat life like a movie in which we can rewind and relive the best moments in the film. Honestly, I don't like change any more than the next person, but I also realize that traditions and routines may hold me back and fog my vision for the future if I am constantly trying to relive and hold onto meaningful or valued life experiences. Our lives must be open to change if we are to develop into mature, functional followers of Jesus Christ.
Chapter 5 in the book of Hebrews, says, "by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you" In this chapter, having to be taught is pictured as an infant needing milk. An infant is one who needs to grow, but those who are mature are grown already and they need meat in order to work. They have become mature and have taken on the responsibility of not only themselves, but the weak who have need of discipleship. In the great commission, Christ did not leave us with instruction to evangelize, but to make disciples of all nations. That requires investment of our lives into others with our own authentic relationship to Jesus. Our lives are then the sermon that backs our words. In the U.S. gold used to back our currency, now we have nothing, but empty promises and cheap words of little consolation.
Babies are cute, but not when they are older. Babies who refuse to grow up, thinking only of themselves all the time, become a hindrance to the work of God and a stumbling block to those in and outside the body of believers. Lewis said it best when he said " its not that we should think less or more of ourselves, but that we should think of ourselves less." If we choose to live out our lives dominated with a consumerist mentality; satisfied with being spiritually spoon fed and never attending to our own relationship with Jesus Christ, then we will not only become dull of hearing the truth, but ultimately, we will become deaf and dumb to its impact. There is no better way to learn the word of God than by doing it and so prove to be His disciples. Reaching maturity, then becomes one of intentional growth and application rather than only hearing and reading all the best spiritual teachings.
During a time of major change in my life where nothing is the same, it has been comforting to know that I serve a God who is unchanging. He is the Great "I Am" Who within His name has the meaning of no beginning and no end. The fact that God attributes a name to Himself is so we can understand that He may be known; that we can know His character and that we can have not only relationship, but one of total communion whereby we may abide in Him as He also will abide in us. (Jn.15:5) He who, even now, is at work in those of us who believe; having been transformed from our hopeless state, separated from the life that is in Him, are now, by His great mercy and grace, daily recipients of His love and energizing power so as to be sons and daughters who are led by His Spirit.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." ( Heb. 13:8 ) In the New Testament we see the same character of God in Christ revealed to us. This wonderful consistency gives us confidence that in relationship with Christ, our faith, our trust and our hope is always steadfast. He will always be faithful, He will never leave us or forsake us and His word unto us is always true. He says "come unto me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." That was true yesterday, its true today and it will be true tomorrow.
Even though I serve an unchanging God, my own life must be changing everyday for it is the purpose of God to make us new creatures in Christ. Sometimes that requires us to let go of things which were good, to embrace those things which are better. One picture of this in the New Testament is that you can't put new wine in old wineskins. The new wine will burst the old and inflexible skin. Sometimes we would rather hold on to the way we have always done things because we find security in that, even when there is no generated life observed. Moving into a new culture can be a shock on our familiar system of doing things. I once heard, while visiting in Southeast Asia, "Its not that different is bad, its just different." Something C.S. Lewis wrote addresses this dilemma. He explained how we love to treat life like a movie in which we can rewind and relive the best moments in the film. Honestly, I don't like change any more than the next person, but I also realize that traditions and routines may hold me back and fog my vision for the future if I am constantly trying to relive and hold onto meaningful or valued life experiences. Our lives must be open to change if we are to develop into mature, functional followers of Jesus Christ.
Chapter 5 in the book of Hebrews, says, "by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you" In this chapter, having to be taught is pictured as an infant needing milk. An infant is one who needs to grow, but those who are mature are grown already and they need meat in order to work. They have become mature and have taken on the responsibility of not only themselves, but the weak who have need of discipleship. In the great commission, Christ did not leave us with instruction to evangelize, but to make disciples of all nations. That requires investment of our lives into others with our own authentic relationship to Jesus. Our lives are then the sermon that backs our words. In the U.S. gold used to back our currency, now we have nothing, but empty promises and cheap words of little consolation.
Babies are cute, but not when they are older. Babies who refuse to grow up, thinking only of themselves all the time, become a hindrance to the work of God and a stumbling block to those in and outside the body of believers. Lewis said it best when he said " its not that we should think less or more of ourselves, but that we should think of ourselves less." If we choose to live out our lives dominated with a consumerist mentality; satisfied with being spiritually spoon fed and never attending to our own relationship with Jesus Christ, then we will not only become dull of hearing the truth, but ultimately, we will become deaf and dumb to its impact. There is no better way to learn the word of God than by doing it and so prove to be His disciples. Reaching maturity, then becomes one of intentional growth and application rather than only hearing and reading all the best spiritual teachings.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Pushing the envelope
The phrase "pushing the envelope" became popular in the 80's when Tom Wolfe used it in his book, The Right Stuff, in which he described how the test pilots would test the upper and lower limits of speed and maneuverability in new types of experimental aircraft. Chuck Yeager was one of those pilots who was the first to officially fly faster than the speed of sound. In 1947 they dubbed him the fastest man on earth. Chuck Yeager, a man who came from a back woods farm in West Virginia, would literally push aviation into a new era because of his willingness to go beyond the pale of what was safe and secure.
In 1946 Michael Howe, a cognitive psychologist, who did extensive research in the area of environmental influences on the human psyche, explained that for a person to feel secure, they must not have any aspirations or desires for anything in which they might be disappointed. To live within the pale, so to speak, is not only about being safe from disappointment, but it is a result of ones own effort to be protected from fearful circumstances which might alter the course of ones life in a negative way. Living that way becomes a prison of the soul.
In the movie, Legend of 1900, a story is told about a talented musician who spent his life on a cruise ship. When once, for the sake of love, he was challenged to leave the ship for the first time in his life, he came face to face with his most dreaded fear. He would be stepping off the ship and embracing an ominous and unpredictable world which he had never known. In the moment that he descends the platform, your hoping he will make it to the end, step off onto solid ground and be free of his metal cell forever. Unfortunately he never makes it. Midway he turns around only to return to what he has always known, even if it meant sacrificing an opportunity for true love and fulfillment. Fear was the invisible shackle which would hold him fast; a prisoner to the Virginia, which was soon to be permanently harbored as relic of the past. Consequently he finds himself alone in the empty hull of the ship hiding and unwilling to come out even though it was soon to be demolished. While still on board, the movie ends, as does his life, with the ship blowing up and sinking.
Safety and security promise us peace, but it is an illusive and unattainable goal outside of ourselves because the lack of it is rooted within our inability to face fear and live with circumstances beyond the small confines of our own control.
Joni Eareckson Tada, as a young teenage girl, dove into the shallow waters of the Chesapeake Bay and suffered a spinal fracture which left her a quadriplegic; paralyzed from the shoulders down. She went through a period of major adjustment in her life, which threatened to destroy her with depression and suicide as the only means of escape from this new dark and horrific world of confinement and loss of self-control. Over the next several years, she found her faith in God and her relationship to Jesus Christ, to be her continual source of strength. She was then in a position to make a choice either to stay within that prison or stretch forth the wings of faith and fly beyond her severely limited physical boundaries. She discovered in that the liberating power that faith could bring, and so presently brings a message of hope and a ministry of help, not only to the crippled of body, but to those of the mind and soul all across our globe.
The message to the church today is not to focus on numbers or the embellishment of a personal lifestyle of comfortable entertainment, but one of challenging one another in living out the true message of Jesus Christ. His Spirit working within us will not leave us content to live for ourselves, but for those whom Christ died. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ have the resources for living a life that resembles His character. Instead of "living safely" within the confines of our own small world we can become explorers going beyond boundaries with the faith that has been entrusted to us. By engaging it or should I say pushing the envelope we can go beyond our fears and self-imposed limitations. Active faith reveals God's faithfulness, which builds trust and reinforces our hope, but it also encourages others when we live courageously in our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is in this we soon discover the liberating power of God who longs to take us high above the limitations of human talent or effort so that we might see Him, touch the hem of His garment; know Him and make Him known by the way we live outside the pale of popular contentment.
In 1946 Michael Howe, a cognitive psychologist, who did extensive research in the area of environmental influences on the human psyche, explained that for a person to feel secure, they must not have any aspirations or desires for anything in which they might be disappointed. To live within the pale, so to speak, is not only about being safe from disappointment, but it is a result of ones own effort to be protected from fearful circumstances which might alter the course of ones life in a negative way. Living that way becomes a prison of the soul.
In the movie, Legend of 1900, a story is told about a talented musician who spent his life on a cruise ship. When once, for the sake of love, he was challenged to leave the ship for the first time in his life, he came face to face with his most dreaded fear. He would be stepping off the ship and embracing an ominous and unpredictable world which he had never known. In the moment that he descends the platform, your hoping he will make it to the end, step off onto solid ground and be free of his metal cell forever. Unfortunately he never makes it. Midway he turns around only to return to what he has always known, even if it meant sacrificing an opportunity for true love and fulfillment. Fear was the invisible shackle which would hold him fast; a prisoner to the Virginia, which was soon to be permanently harbored as relic of the past. Consequently he finds himself alone in the empty hull of the ship hiding and unwilling to come out even though it was soon to be demolished. While still on board, the movie ends, as does his life, with the ship blowing up and sinking.
Safety and security promise us peace, but it is an illusive and unattainable goal outside of ourselves because the lack of it is rooted within our inability to face fear and live with circumstances beyond the small confines of our own control.
Joni Eareckson Tada, as a young teenage girl, dove into the shallow waters of the Chesapeake Bay and suffered a spinal fracture which left her a quadriplegic; paralyzed from the shoulders down. She went through a period of major adjustment in her life, which threatened to destroy her with depression and suicide as the only means of escape from this new dark and horrific world of confinement and loss of self-control. Over the next several years, she found her faith in God and her relationship to Jesus Christ, to be her continual source of strength. She was then in a position to make a choice either to stay within that prison or stretch forth the wings of faith and fly beyond her severely limited physical boundaries. She discovered in that the liberating power that faith could bring, and so presently brings a message of hope and a ministry of help, not only to the crippled of body, but to those of the mind and soul all across our globe.
The message to the church today is not to focus on numbers or the embellishment of a personal lifestyle of comfortable entertainment, but one of challenging one another in living out the true message of Jesus Christ. His Spirit working within us will not leave us content to live for ourselves, but for those whom Christ died. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ have the resources for living a life that resembles His character. Instead of "living safely" within the confines of our own small world we can become explorers going beyond boundaries with the faith that has been entrusted to us. By engaging it or should I say pushing the envelope we can go beyond our fears and self-imposed limitations. Active faith reveals God's faithfulness, which builds trust and reinforces our hope, but it also encourages others when we live courageously in our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is in this we soon discover the liberating power of God who longs to take us high above the limitations of human talent or effort so that we might see Him, touch the hem of His garment; know Him and make Him known by the way we live outside the pale of popular contentment.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Duplicity
“I continue to dream and pray
about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and
creates authentic community in which each person can be unleashed
through the empowerment of the Spirit to fulfill God’s creational
intentions.” [3]
Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/john-wesley-quotes-23-great-sayings/#ixzz2g5RpC300
An authentic community of believers begins with each individual person within that community so intentionally and unreservedly dedicated to Jesus Christ because they love Him with all their heart, soul and body that they model His character without pretense or self-awareness. If we "abide in Him and He abides in us" how we live and move within our community will be a demonstration of that reality without special regard or prejudice of any kind.
"Self-awareness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of our life in God, and self-awareness continually produces a sense of struggling and turmoil in our lives. Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be produced by nervous emotions or by suddenly being dropped into a totally new set of circumstances. Yet it is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him. Anything that disturbs our rest in Him must be rectified at once, and it is not rectified by being ignored but only by coming to Jesus Christ. If we will come to Him, asking Him to produce Christ-awareness in us, He will always do it, until we fully learn to abide in Him." (Oswald Chambers/ My Utmost for His Highest)
The title of this post is duplicity because the struggle which exist within our hearts to procure our own sense of embellished identity is a constant opposing and undermining force which must be subjugated so that Christ may indeed be formed in us. The apostle Paul made clear in the book of Galatians how we were to resolve our dilemma when he wrote " I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Gal. 2:20)
We understand the word duplicity to mean divided loyalties, but that is a misnomer. We can really only have one true loyalty, the other is always an imposter of sincerity and trustworthiness. It is deceitful because it is always keeping personal gain as its master plan.
"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship This means we can't live our lives with duplicity. It is not about us anymore, but it is all about Christ, and it will always mean that following Him with integrity will lead us to the cross and the consequence of this will be life to others.
"always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you." (2 Cor. 10-12)
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Multiplicity
"When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolations delight my soul (Ps. 94:19 NAS)
The new normal of our lives these days has been one of multiplicity, refracted with the complexities of transitioning from the familiar routines of life as we know it and now letting go of all that to take hold of a new, different, unknown way and culture.
The Hebrew word for a multitude of thoughts is Sarappim which, according to one scholar, can be used to describe the numerous branches of a tree. Rather than the whole of the tree the picture is more about all the individual parts. In the English construction we might describe someone as going to pieces as opposed to being whole or complete.
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul, in the book of Philippians, wrote, "Be careful (full of care or worry) for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Here the Greek word merimna is used for careful, which has the meaning of going in too many directions at once. Jesus chided Martha when he said, "Martha, Martha you are worried and bothered by so many things, but only one thing is necessary ..."
How many times like Martha do we loose sight of the one thing; the most important thing.
Our culture is being dramatically impacted by the amount of information we are being inundated with every day. Infobesity is a new term coined to describe a rampant condition in our society and psychological studies have found it to be a source of increased depression. When we have too much information and too many choices our thoughts become fragmented and the concern or worry for making the wrong choice increases exponentially. Learning how to deal with this condition is like sorting through too much spam. We need to establish boundaries for our minds as well as our computers.
The new normal of our lives these days has been one of multiplicity, refracted with the complexities of transitioning from the familiar routines of life as we know it and now letting go of all that to take hold of a new, different, unknown way and culture.
The Hebrew word for a multitude of thoughts is Sarappim which, according to one scholar, can be used to describe the numerous branches of a tree. Rather than the whole of the tree the picture is more about all the individual parts. In the English construction we might describe someone as going to pieces as opposed to being whole or complete.
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul, in the book of Philippians, wrote, "Be careful (full of care or worry) for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Here the Greek word merimna is used for careful, which has the meaning of going in too many directions at once. Jesus chided Martha when he said, "Martha, Martha you are worried and bothered by so many things, but only one thing is necessary ..."
How many times like Martha do we loose sight of the one thing; the most important thing.
Our culture is being dramatically impacted by the amount of information we are being inundated with every day. Infobesity is a new term coined to describe a rampant condition in our society and psychological studies have found it to be a source of increased depression. When we have too much information and too many choices our thoughts become fragmented and the concern or worry for making the wrong choice increases exponentially. Learning how to deal with this condition is like sorting through too much spam. We need to establish boundaries for our minds as well as our computers.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Coram Deo
Coram Deo This phrase literally refers to something that takes place in the presence of, or before the face of, God. To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God. To live all of life coram Deo is to live a life of integrity. Integrity is found where men and women live their lives in a pattern of consistency. It is a life of wholeness that finds its unity and coherency in the majesty of God. (http://www.ligonier.org/blog/R.C. Sproul)
Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1Cor. 10:31) Here the idea is not to categorize our lives in such a way as to live in two separate worlds, but to demonstrate a consistency of character in every circumstance regardless of what is happening around us or what everyone else is doing.
Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1Cor. 10:31) Here the idea is not to categorize our lives in such a way as to live in two separate worlds, but to demonstrate a consistency of character in every circumstance regardless of what is happening around us or what everyone else is doing.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Bonnhoeffer speaks on obedience
From his prison cell in Nazi dominated Germany Dietrich Bonnhoeffer, martyr as a result of his uncompromising faith in Christ, speaks on denying self and the cost of taking up the cross of Christ in obedience that faith demands. "To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only Him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us. The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. Action springs not from thought, but a readiness for responsibility. One act of obedience is better than a hundred sermons. To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ. Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin and more about courageously and actively doing God's will."
Seek Him, love Him, obey Him
How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the initial act of "accepting" Christ (a term, incidentally, which is not found in the Bible) and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls. We have been snared in the coils of a spurious logic which insists that if we have found Him we need no more seek Him.
Tozer, A. W. (Aiden Wilson) (2011-03-24). The Pursuit of God (p. 17). . Kindle Edition.
In all of our "spiritual" group activities it is very possible to hear the gospel preached and explained without really embracing its truths. 2Timothy describes it as "always learning, but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth." A Hebraism which Jesus used was " you have ears to hear, but do not hear." meaning if you are not responding to the spoken truth with real application, you might as well be considered deaf. Hearing, pondering, and meditating on the truths of God's word is not the same as actually doing it, no matter how much your heart is touched by its message. God is interested in transforming our lives, not simply filling our minds with new ideas, however altruistic, but giving us a new way of walking and living. We are not changed unless we walk in the truth of what we have received through the word of God. Jesus said to the ten lepers, Go! show yourselves to the priest." And as they went they were cleansed. Hearing and walking must always go together otherwise we deceive ourselves and fall into a state of deluded unresponsiveness, which will ultimately end in a spiritual dead end of disillusionment with the gospel. On the other hand, an attitude of intentional obedience will lead us away from the gloom of our empty despair and into a place of boundless opportunities for newer and deeper truths by which to live and move ,as it were, from glory to glory.
Something my mother always told me as a child was "the drive is the gift". And as it applies here, the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit is the real driving force that compels us to seek, know and develop a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is substantiated through the reality of our actions. Like Jesus said " if you love me you will obey my commandments."
Tozer, A. W. (Aiden Wilson) (2011-03-24). The Pursuit of God (p. 17). . Kindle Edition.
In all of our "spiritual" group activities it is very possible to hear the gospel preached and explained without really embracing its truths. 2Timothy describes it as "always learning, but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth." A Hebraism which Jesus used was " you have ears to hear, but do not hear." meaning if you are not responding to the spoken truth with real application, you might as well be considered deaf. Hearing, pondering, and meditating on the truths of God's word is not the same as actually doing it, no matter how much your heart is touched by its message. God is interested in transforming our lives, not simply filling our minds with new ideas, however altruistic, but giving us a new way of walking and living. We are not changed unless we walk in the truth of what we have received through the word of God. Jesus said to the ten lepers, Go! show yourselves to the priest." And as they went they were cleansed. Hearing and walking must always go together otherwise we deceive ourselves and fall into a state of deluded unresponsiveness, which will ultimately end in a spiritual dead end of disillusionment with the gospel. On the other hand, an attitude of intentional obedience will lead us away from the gloom of our empty despair and into a place of boundless opportunities for newer and deeper truths by which to live and move ,as it were, from glory to glory.
Something my mother always told me as a child was "the drive is the gift". And as it applies here, the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit is the real driving force that compels us to seek, know and develop a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is substantiated through the reality of our actions. Like Jesus said " if you love me you will obey my commandments."
Monday, June 17, 2013
Light shining out of darkness
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." (2 Cor. 4:6-7)
C.S. Lewis wrote, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." Proverbs tells us, "the path of the righteous is like the dawn that shines brighter and brighter until the full day, but the way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble." Stumbling over something, especially in the dark, is dangerously unpredictable, because as you grab for something which might provide stability you find your flailing hands grasp nothing but air as gravity takes control.
All scripture is "God breathed"and divinely empowered. It is described in metaphor as the light in which the psalmist replies, "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path". When God shines into your heart, your whole perspective on everything around you changes. Things about God you never understood before begin to make sense so that His grace and truth can be received and applied. However, not everything with God makes sense to us, and that is the rub where faith must trust and be patient, knowing we serve a loving and faithful heavenly Father who cares for us enough to sacrifice all to secure our eternal future.
When we find ourselves in the dark, without understanding, the book of James encourages us to simply ask for wisdom and then trust and believe for the answer. Nehemiah was one of those who discovered this reality, as he prayerfully sought wisdom in his efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He was able to say, "God put it in my heart" what to do and how to proceed. The secret to his success was that he stopped and listened to heavenly wisdom, rather than push ahead in his own dogged, prideful intellect and self-determination. Consequently, God was able to rightly lead him. How much sorrow we could save ourselves by following his example.
Waiting for answers to our prayers may not be something we do very well, but the practice of it requires endurance, which always has the benefit of developing lasting character. Character has the ability to stand unmoved against external corrupting and undermining forces. We have no light of our own, but humble dependency upon our Father for His light to shine in our hearts and guide our way will lead us out of darkness into His marvelous light of what He calls true success.
C.S. Lewis wrote, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." Proverbs tells us, "the path of the righteous is like the dawn that shines brighter and brighter until the full day, but the way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble." Stumbling over something, especially in the dark, is dangerously unpredictable, because as you grab for something which might provide stability you find your flailing hands grasp nothing but air as gravity takes control.
All scripture is "God breathed"and divinely empowered. It is described in metaphor as the light in which the psalmist replies, "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path". When God shines into your heart, your whole perspective on everything around you changes. Things about God you never understood before begin to make sense so that His grace and truth can be received and applied. However, not everything with God makes sense to us, and that is the rub where faith must trust and be patient, knowing we serve a loving and faithful heavenly Father who cares for us enough to sacrifice all to secure our eternal future.
When we find ourselves in the dark, without understanding, the book of James encourages us to simply ask for wisdom and then trust and believe for the answer. Nehemiah was one of those who discovered this reality, as he prayerfully sought wisdom in his efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He was able to say, "God put it in my heart" what to do and how to proceed. The secret to his success was that he stopped and listened to heavenly wisdom, rather than push ahead in his own dogged, prideful intellect and self-determination. Consequently, God was able to rightly lead him. How much sorrow we could save ourselves by following his example.
Waiting for answers to our prayers may not be something we do very well, but the practice of it requires endurance, which always has the benefit of developing lasting character. Character has the ability to stand unmoved against external corrupting and undermining forces. We have no light of our own, but humble dependency upon our Father for His light to shine in our hearts and guide our way will lead us out of darkness into His marvelous light of what He calls true success.
Friday, May 17, 2013
To tame a lion
Portions from a poem, by John Newton:
The lion though by nature wild ,
the art of man can tame.
He stands before his keeper mild,
and gentle as a lamb.
But man himself, who thus subdues,
the fiercest beast of prey,
a nature more unfeeling shows,
And far more fierce than they.
Though by the Lord preserv'd and fed,
He proves rebellious still;
And while he eats his Maker's bread,
Resists his holy will.
Later in the poem it ends by saying, "may we be delivered from our lions or may they be kept in chains!" Dealing with the lions in our lives requires real courage and unwavering discipline, but a person doesn't do that unless they consider it worth the effort.
I suppose there is not one person who runs in the Boston marathon who doesn't consider it worth the effort and training required to tame their own personal lions. Even after the recent bombing, I heard one runner in an interview say that they would not hesitate to run again regardless of any potential, personal danger. It seems that there is something about the challenge of running 26.2 miles that brings enough value to risk life and limb. The Boston marathon, during its centennial, attracted 36,748 starters with almost 35,868 finishers. That is less than a 3% failure rate, which is astounding, and only serves to reinforce the idea that something as tangible as this race has a profound and positive impact on the way people qualify their lives. Part of how a person might qualify their life may be more about how they see themselves congruently with how they believe others to see them. The psychology of our identity is intrinsically connected with our personal sense of self-worth, which impacts how we navigate through the interpersonal maze. Many may begin a race, some don't even try and some just fail to see it as worthwhile, but the ones who do and especially those who press on to the finish, have their own personal victory over the aggravating perturbations stirred by the conflict of will and sinew. However, with each victory there will always be a greater sense of confidence crucial for future test of endurance.
In particular, the social aspect of life, is far more complex than a marathon, but the mentality and the trained discipline which sustains the runner is innately a part of what we need if we are to run a good race with one another and before God. Many may find a sense of value in this earthly achievement, which has, at best, only a fading glory, but there is another kind of race, described in chapter 12 of the book of Hebrews in which the writer speaks of a race which has greater worth of eternal reward. The witnesses of this race are those that have gone before us and now are represented as great cloud of witnesses, not of this temporal reality, but of the life to come. These witnesses are those courageous souls, described in the previous chapter, who ran and finished the good race of faith without faltering in their relentless pursuit of a heavenly prize. Their legacy still lives on not only for our encouragement, but will live on as an eternal proclamation to the glory of God, demonstrated by men and women who loved their Savior more than life itself. The worthy example of those who have gone before us in this race of faith and finished well, leaves us with this challenge, what then will be our legacy?
The lion though by nature wild ,
the art of man can tame.
He stands before his keeper mild,
and gentle as a lamb.
But man himself, who thus subdues,
the fiercest beast of prey,
a nature more unfeeling shows,
And far more fierce than they.
Though by the Lord preserv'd and fed,
He proves rebellious still;
And while he eats his Maker's bread,
Resists his holy will.
Later in the poem it ends by saying, "may we be delivered from our lions or may they be kept in chains!" Dealing with the lions in our lives requires real courage and unwavering discipline, but a person doesn't do that unless they consider it worth the effort.
I suppose there is not one person who runs in the Boston marathon who doesn't consider it worth the effort and training required to tame their own personal lions. Even after the recent bombing, I heard one runner in an interview say that they would not hesitate to run again regardless of any potential, personal danger. It seems that there is something about the challenge of running 26.2 miles that brings enough value to risk life and limb. The Boston marathon, during its centennial, attracted 36,748 starters with almost 35,868 finishers. That is less than a 3% failure rate, which is astounding, and only serves to reinforce the idea that something as tangible as this race has a profound and positive impact on the way people qualify their lives. Part of how a person might qualify their life may be more about how they see themselves congruently with how they believe others to see them. The psychology of our identity is intrinsically connected with our personal sense of self-worth, which impacts how we navigate through the interpersonal maze. Many may begin a race, some don't even try and some just fail to see it as worthwhile, but the ones who do and especially those who press on to the finish, have their own personal victory over the aggravating perturbations stirred by the conflict of will and sinew. However, with each victory there will always be a greater sense of confidence crucial for future test of endurance.
In particular, the social aspect of life, is far more complex than a marathon, but the mentality and the trained discipline which sustains the runner is innately a part of what we need if we are to run a good race with one another and before God. Many may find a sense of value in this earthly achievement, which has, at best, only a fading glory, but there is another kind of race, described in chapter 12 of the book of Hebrews in which the writer speaks of a race which has greater worth of eternal reward. The witnesses of this race are those that have gone before us and now are represented as great cloud of witnesses, not of this temporal reality, but of the life to come. These witnesses are those courageous souls, described in the previous chapter, who ran and finished the good race of faith without faltering in their relentless pursuit of a heavenly prize. Their legacy still lives on not only for our encouragement, but will live on as an eternal proclamation to the glory of God, demonstrated by men and women who loved their Savior more than life itself. The worthy example of those who have gone before us in this race of faith and finished well, leaves us with this challenge, what then will be our legacy?
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
adjustments
For many weeks now I have been going through a period of introspection and vulnerability which has left me unwilling to put my thoughts down for others to read. I realize that last month was a huge emotional adjustment and this month has been rife with the busy schedule of working to get moved out of the mission house and back into our own home. We are trying to get our house ready for rent and so everything that we have accumulated over the past 30 years has had to go to Goodwill or into storage. Making decisions about these sorts of things is often very taxing. Debbie has sanded and painted, scrubbed and cleaned every square inch of painted surface, while I refinished all the hardwood floors and now the house has taken on a strange and lonely echo in it's empty rooms. Everything has changed, but the good memories and happy times of raising our family here, but we will take all that with us, whatever we do and wherever God leads us in the future, nothing can erase that or paint over it.
Last week we celebrated Pesach (Passover) with our very good friends of 40 years. It was such a wonderful evening as we shared the 4 cups of blessing together, but going beyond that we shared and celebrated our own blessing of the deep, abiding friendship and love we've shared throughout the years.
This was the first Easter, as a family, that we all gathered for our traditional Sunday dinner without my mom, but it was good to be together and enjoy each others company. But now we have to let go of the past and press on into the future and that is something we must do by faith. We know that God is pleased for us to be in such a place as this, of trusting Him for each step we take to fall upon solid ground. I have often thought of this as taking a ride on a zip-line. Once you let go, there is no going back, but initially, it's comforting to know the ground is not that far below your feet, that is, until you pass over the gorge which has seemingly no bottom. The handle to which we hold represents faith, and as long as we hold to it, there is safety and a certainty of reaching the other side, so it is in endurance that we will inherit the rewards of faith and come to know the faithfulness of God.
Last week we celebrated Pesach (Passover) with our very good friends of 40 years. It was such a wonderful evening as we shared the 4 cups of blessing together, but going beyond that we shared and celebrated our own blessing of the deep, abiding friendship and love we've shared throughout the years.
This was the first Easter, as a family, that we all gathered for our traditional Sunday dinner without my mom, but it was good to be together and enjoy each others company. But now we have to let go of the past and press on into the future and that is something we must do by faith. We know that God is pleased for us to be in such a place as this, of trusting Him for each step we take to fall upon solid ground. I have often thought of this as taking a ride on a zip-line. Once you let go, there is no going back, but initially, it's comforting to know the ground is not that far below your feet, that is, until you pass over the gorge which has seemingly no bottom. The handle to which we hold represents faith, and as long as we hold to it, there is safety and a certainty of reaching the other side, so it is in endurance that we will inherit the rewards of faith and come to know the faithfulness of God.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
A friend
"A man with many friends may come to ruin, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother" Prov. 18:4
I am profoundly comforted by the reality that during an extremely emotional eleven day vigil with my family gathered around my mother as she lay dying in a hospital bed, I had one friend who was as close to me as my own brothers there in the room. He made it a point to come and sit with me every day, just to listen and to comfort me in my grief. At a time when nothing seemed real, I knew his friendship and caring concern for me was real because there where tears running down his cheeks. At a time like this it's difficult to tell people what you need when they ask you in a text "is there anything we can do" when you can't bring yourself to spell it out, and that's when a good friend steps in and just does what is needed most and that is just to be there with you. However, words of condolence in a text or email are especially meaningful and comforting, but when distance is not a factor, words may not always be as necessary as just being there without even having to say anything.
I am profoundly comforted by the reality that during an extremely emotional eleven day vigil with my family gathered around my mother as she lay dying in a hospital bed, I had one friend who was as close to me as my own brothers there in the room. He made it a point to come and sit with me every day, just to listen and to comfort me in my grief. At a time when nothing seemed real, I knew his friendship and caring concern for me was real because there where tears running down his cheeks. At a time like this it's difficult to tell people what you need when they ask you in a text "is there anything we can do" when you can't bring yourself to spell it out, and that's when a good friend steps in and just does what is needed most and that is just to be there with you. However, words of condolence in a text or email are especially meaningful and comforting, but when distance is not a factor, words may not always be as necessary as just being there without even having to say anything.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Mother's passing
Today is a special day which shall always be with me because of my dear mother's passing. I don't have the emotional stamina to write much now, but so many things have happened on the spiritual and emotional level through this past eleven day vigil, I expect it will take a long time to process it all. However, as part of how healing must already begin to take place, it is important for me to make this post to mark the dawning of this new day. In my last post I alluded to circumstances which we can not see coming or even be anticipated. If I look back, even this last month, I was aware of my mother's physical condition deteriorating and becoming more and more of a concern, but my response was in denial. The massive stroke which immediately landed her in the hospital, daily and slowly drew out of her all of the strength and vigor and fortitude I've always known my mother to have. This is just one of her many admirable traits I shall treasure and honor all the rest of my natural life.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
In a large place
From my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a large place. The Lord is for me, I will not fear, what can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me. (Ps. 118:5-6)
Distress is a word which comes from the Latin word distringere which means to stretch apart. I love the word picture from Lord of the Rings in which Bilbo Baggins says, " I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped across too much toast." The expectations of ourselves and others are at the root of our quandary, but here, rather than this be the focus, our attention is immediately drawn to the Lord, who is there, who answers and sets us in a large place.
In this chapter and throughout king David's life for that matter, he was aware of enemies who sought his demise and by God's sovereign grace he was able to allude them time and time again. Being in a large place from a military standpoint would have been a place of safety because of his enemies being seen from afar off where he could plan and implement his strategies of defense. Sudden attack is what every great, military strategist plans against defensively.
Apart from this perspective, one of the most profound experiences of my life happened in a large place which, like no other, left me with a new perspective on large places. When I was 14, I spent the summer with my uncle exploring the Canadian Rockies (Banff, Yoho, Jasper) . I will never forget how large and expansive was the lay of the land with its enormous, jagged, snow capped mountains looming over head and all around. I remember thinking on a smaller scale, one that I was familiar with and wondering why it seemed to take so long getting to the nearest mountain which seemed so close and yet so far away. We put in to Lake Louise with my uncle's homemade canoe and silently glided to the center of the lake on turquoise, glacial waters that seemed more like paint than water. It was at the center of this large place I sensed the fear of being so small and vulnerable. The canoe we were in was made with a skin of fabric stretched over a wooden rib cage. In my young, uninformed mind, my thought was that, in the midst of these opaque waters, it only stands to reason that something very large might want to have us for lunch and there was no way to see it coming. All I could say at that point was on my epitaph it might read, "he didn't see it coming".
Distress is a word which comes from the Latin word distringere which means to stretch apart. I love the word picture from Lord of the Rings in which Bilbo Baggins says, " I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped across too much toast." The expectations of ourselves and others are at the root of our quandary, but here, rather than this be the focus, our attention is immediately drawn to the Lord, who is there, who answers and sets us in a large place.
In this chapter and throughout king David's life for that matter, he was aware of enemies who sought his demise and by God's sovereign grace he was able to allude them time and time again. Being in a large place from a military standpoint would have been a place of safety because of his enemies being seen from afar off where he could plan and implement his strategies of defense. Sudden attack is what every great, military strategist plans against defensively.
Apart from this perspective, one of the most profound experiences of my life happened in a large place which, like no other, left me with a new perspective on large places. When I was 14, I spent the summer with my uncle exploring the Canadian Rockies (Banff, Yoho, Jasper) . I will never forget how large and expansive was the lay of the land with its enormous, jagged, snow capped mountains looming over head and all around. I remember thinking on a smaller scale, one that I was familiar with and wondering why it seemed to take so long getting to the nearest mountain which seemed so close and yet so far away. We put in to Lake Louise with my uncle's homemade canoe and silently glided to the center of the lake on turquoise, glacial waters that seemed more like paint than water. It was at the center of this large place I sensed the fear of being so small and vulnerable. The canoe we were in was made with a skin of fabric stretched over a wooden rib cage. In my young, uninformed mind, my thought was that, in the midst of these opaque waters, it only stands to reason that something very large might want to have us for lunch and there was no way to see it coming. All I could say at that point was on my epitaph it might read, "he didn't see it coming".
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Another year is about to come to a close while the next stretches out before us. How we feel about this past year may bring a sense of accomplishment, but I tend to think more often than not we are conditioned by our media to see things in a much more negative way. We are a nation plagued 24/7 with a constant barrage of catch phrases, cleverly and masterfully crafted to induce emotional trauma to our already overly traumatized and troubled psyche.
A great consolation to the heart, are the words from the old testament book of Isaiah, which says, "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trust in You." In the Hebrew, the principal meaning of the word stayed is not a description of ones own effort to stay peaceful by the keeping of our own minds focused on God, although that is also to be a vital discipline within our thinking, but here, it means, God is the one who keeps us. The word stayed is better described as supported. As we, by His prevailing grace, entrust ourselves to Him, we shall find that we are sustained and kept in His perfect peace.
Rather than letting fear pervade our thinking, consider how the planets are all kept in their precise orbits, they do not keep themselves, but God keeps them. "Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow, reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them, are you not much more valuable than they. " And so, He who neither sleeps nor slumbers keeps us too!
A great consolation to the heart, are the words from the old testament book of Isaiah, which says, "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trust in You." In the Hebrew, the principal meaning of the word stayed is not a description of ones own effort to stay peaceful by the keeping of our own minds focused on God, although that is also to be a vital discipline within our thinking, but here, it means, God is the one who keeps us. The word stayed is better described as supported. As we, by His prevailing grace, entrust ourselves to Him, we shall find that we are sustained and kept in His perfect peace.
Rather than letting fear pervade our thinking, consider how the planets are all kept in their precise orbits, they do not keep themselves, but God keeps them. "Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow, reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them, are you not much more valuable than they. " And so, He who neither sleeps nor slumbers keeps us too!
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