THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS...CHRISTIAN REFLECTIONS

No Strings Attached

2012-02-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

A Pentecostal Church Built by My Great-Grandparents

Ulysses and Elva Boyd, SW Missouri, c. 1920

I grew up in an affluent, formal, very “intellectual” church. Our services could best be described as well ordered, quiet, and reverential. The soft-spoken minister would deliver a sermon which was usually well over my head, except that he always began his message with a fairly simple, humorous anecdote. The congregation never laughed out loud after he had related it, they just murmured approval or chuckled in their throats. I would always listen to his story but, for the remainder of his talk, I drew pictures on the church bulletin or slept.

When I stayed with my great-grandmother during the summer, I attended a very different kind of “meeting.” In Grandma's church they sang about the blood, a word never uttered in my parents' church, and they preached about the Holy Ghost, a Being I did not know and, from His frightful title, did not want to meet. That old building did not boast a majestic pipe organ, only an old, upright piano and two or three electric guitars. The services could not be characterized as “hushed” or peaceful; people shouted, danced around, and cried openly. I cannot say if they were speaking in tongues or not; as a child I was accustomed to understanding only a small part of what adults were saying. The minister in my home church could have been preaching in Greek or Latin for all I knew.

I noticed that the services were different in Grandma's church, but, in my innocence, I never judged or analyzed them. When the pastor restlessly paced up and down the center aisle, running his fingers through his hair, his tie loose, his long-sleeved white shirt drenched with sweat, I occasionally tried to imagine our minister doing the same or looking unkempt in his robe, but I just could not see it.

Grandma's preacher did not tell jokes. He would yell until he was out of breath, gasp for air and continue shouting. Many in the congregation were yelling right back at him. Most seemed content just to sit and listen. Grandma was a listener. She did not say much out loud, but she did frequently whisper, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”

I never saw a church bulletin on which I might draw pictures, but all the ladies, including Grandma, had stiff paper fans stuck to what looked like large popsickle sticks. One side displayed an ad for a funeral parlor or an insurance company and the other, Da Vinci's “The Lord's Supper” or Jesus holding a lamb among a flock of sheep. Even though there was always plenty of space around the ads, I never doodled on them. I often thought that the preacher should use one as he spoke, so that perhaps he would not sweat so much.
After church, everyone filed out of the building in an orderly fashion, much to my surprise. The pastor, his tie now straight, his hair neatly combed, stood at the back door, extending a big smile and vigorous handshake to all, especially to the visitors. Everyone came out of the building in the regular church way. For some reason, I expected that they would all run out to their cars, still jumping and shouting as they had during the service. But, no, except for the fact that the minister was not wearing a robe, this scene could have taken place in my home church.

The most modern thing in Grandma's house was a small, black-and-white portable television my father had given her. Grandma's favorite TV program was the Saturday night wrestling matches. She received more enjoyment and suffered more guilt from watching those “athletic contests” than from anything else she did. It was her “secret sin,” a worldly indulgence for which she repented every Sunday morning.

When I stayed with Grandma, I slept on the living room couch, close to the TV. Grandma and I would often watch wrestling together. More than once I fell asleep to the music of Grandma's laughter as she watched enormous fat men pretending to body-slam each other.

Late one particular night, I woke up to an almost totally dark room. Grandma had dozed off in her rocker. The TV set was making a loud buzzing sound and the screen was snowy white. I raised up and looked just for a moment at the glowing, peaceful face of a very old-fashioned woman. This old soul was more than a little eccentric in my young eyes, but I knew, without understanding why, that she loved me, no strings attached.

Ever feel like who you are is not acceptable?

2012-02-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

Exhibit #1: a school picture of me when I was seven years old. In it, I am wearing an awful shirt that my mother picked out; it’s covered with flowers, I think. My hair is not combed. In fact, I look like I just got out of bed. Most notable is the wide grin I have on my face, this in spite of having a loose front tooth. The big smile was proof positive of a happy childhood and my own contentment with who I was, no apologies. I was not embarrassed by the unmanly shirt or my disheveled hair or the gap in my front teeth. I was just glad to be me.

Exhibit #2: a later school picture from the 10th grade. For that sitting, I was again wearing something selected by my mom, this time a white dinner jacket that old fogies loved and all my friends laughed at. Much to my dismay, Mom hadn’t thought about a tie to go with it, so I was forced to wear a wide, black military tie I had been issued for ROTC. My classmates immediately recognized it as haute couture à la U.S. Army.

In this shot, my hair is still not combed in accordance with any recognizable style (this was pre-Beatles). Worst of all is my facial expression. I was trying to smile, as the photographer had suggested, but the smile never seemed to materialize, and my mouth looks a little crooked. Conflict is plainly visible on my face. I did not think my physical appearance was not acceptable to my peers. At that age, their judgment meant to me that who I was on the inside was not acceptable either.

Exhibit #3: Moving on to 1965, I look at my senior picture, and behold, I am sporting the properly stylish slender tie, dark jacket, and white shirt with a snap-tab under my tie drawing the collar halves neatly together. My hair is shaped in a “Beatle,” and my glasses are right from Buddy Holly. On my face is not a smile (Did James Dean ever smile?) but a rigid, frozen expression. I was an incredibly detailed clone, a carefully studied imitation of who I thought my classmates expected me to be, the very image of a “cool guy.”

High school had completely repressed and distorted who I was. I was afraid to be me, so I tried to be someone else. Why did I do this? Why does anyone? Our fear of rejection is constantly made worse by society’s subliminal message, “Who you are is not acceptable."

After high school, I continued to experience rejection and developed a hard shell to protect myself from further hurt. As for religion, well, I just saw church as another place where they would say to me: “Who you are is not acceptable.” I perceived that to be God’s message as well. This is not the gospel, of course, but some churches I visited seemed to communicate to me that I somehow just didn’t measure up.

There are many reasons why other people may reject you: the way you look, the way you dress, the color of your skin, your educational or economic background, and so forth. Groups that differentiate in these ways are numerous in the world, but such groups could never be called Christian, since Jesus founded His church squarely on “whosoever” (John 3:16).

Who is the real you? Is that authentic person bound up by the expectations of others? The hardness of sin? The chains of anger or bitterness? The requirements of a religious group? Jesus came to redeem not just your soul but also the whole person, the genuine self, to set you free to become the man or woman He created you to be.

"Hurt Little Girls" [WARNING: Contents of this note may be upsetting]

2012-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Recently, I observed a man at a local store angrily reprimanding his 4-year-old daughter as he pushed her along in a cart. With a face of fury, he reproached her: "You've ruined everything! How could you do that? You're so stupid! You can't do anything right!" And he repeated these harsh rebukes over and over again. I had to wonder what heinous crime a 4-year-old could have committed to merit such treatment, and if he really understood the long-term impact of his words.

Unfortunately, this father is not an isolated case, and even more sadly, there are many other categories of dads who severely wound their daughters. For example, Margot's dad had been indicted on a 10th DWI charge and was possibly facing lengthy imprisonment. She said to the judge, with tears: "Your honor, please don't send my daddy to prison. I love him so much. I know that he has a problem. When he's drunk, he gets all mean and says bad things to us. But he's such a neat dad.if you only knew him. When he's sober, I'm always proud to have my friends over. He's so cool and tells funny jokes. Please, give him another chance. I believe in him. I promise we'll help him."

Her dad, knowing he did not deserve such devotion, buried his face in his hands and wept before the court. But God knew what the judge did not: when drunk, this "neat dad" often beat Margot and her mom...

In another store, months later, I heard a loud crash and turned to see a large display fallen over. Hundreds of small bottles of a dozen different colors were rolling everywhere. In the middle of the mess was another 4-year-old girl standing stiff with a stricken look, her pretty, dark eyes as big as saucers. The look on her face communicated a certainty that the wrath of God would fall on her at any moment.

But instead, several store employees came and began the clean up, smiling and reassuring her that it was not her fault. Most importantly, her dad came along, swept her off her feet, hugged her, and kissed her. The most important man in her life had just gently squeezed an important installment of Amazing Grace into her heart.The "hurt little girls" grow up, with wounds still bleeding. But in Jesus, there is help, there is hope for the "walking wounded."

“Do You Not Drink Because You Are Religious?”

2012-02-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

Budweiser: The King of Beer Cans

The fin de cours party was animated, but I stood alone, quietly nursing a glass of eau de Paris (Paris tapwater). Everyone else was drinking wine; after all, we were in Paris, where wine flows like the river Seine.
.
Finally, Michi, a Japanese classmate at the Sorbonne, approached me.
.
“Michael, you do not drink wine!” he noted, in heavily accented English. (Michi had also studied for a year in Indiana.)
.
“You are ‘tee-totaler’!” he exclaimed, to which I pled guilty.
.
“I think you are ‘born-again Christian’!” he proclaimed emphatically. I was guilty on both counts, but my decision not to drink came long before my commitment to follow Christ. That first choice has deep family roots.
.
The phone would usually ring in the middle of the night. A teenager would answer and hear the voice of a local bartender:
.
“Come and get your mother.”
.
This bizarre ritual is probably the biggest reason that I grew up in the home of a “tee-totaler.” I never saw my dad drunk or even tipsy. I never saw him hung over. He never beat me or cursed me in a drunken stupor. He never endangered our family or anyone else by driving while intoxicated.
.
In the 1950s, as a young boy, I did not understand why my father would have little to do with his mother. At Christmas, my family-minded mom would take us to Grandma’s house for a small gift exchange. My dad, when he did show up, would come in, sit for a few minutes, stare at the floor, say nothing, and leave.
.
At some point, a doctor had told Grandma, “Quit drinking or die.” I did not look at her judgmentally; I just listened to her with a child’s curiosity about the mysteries of the adult world. “No one cares about me. I wish I had done things differently. I wish I had never taken that first drink.” Hearing these statements repeated over the years gave me a firm resolve, at least as a kid, never to drink alcohol of any kind.
.
But, as a teenager, I was eager to rebel against my father’s old-fashioned standards and to prove myself a “real man” before other adolescents. I hated the taste of beer, yet I would often comment to my friends, “This is good beer!” The fact that we were drinking it illegally enhanced its flavor significantly. Early on, I learned the truth of what the Bible says about the drunk: “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? They who linger over wine… In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper” (Proverbs 23:29‑32, NIV).
.
At last, when I turned eighteen, I was of legal age. I raced to a bar and ordered a bottle. I knew that, if the state police were to raid the joint, I could defiantly show them my ID. Suddenly, my beer lacked fizz. I sat there, looking at myself in one of those large mirrors that bars put behind rows of glasses and bottles, and thought about my grandmother, and about the rest of my life. I left, determined never to drink again.
.
People often ask me if I do not drink because I am a Christian. In my case, these two decisions have little to do with one another. I do not feel superior to anyone who drinks liquor. I do not feel superior to anyone for any reason. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. All must kneel there to find mercy from a holy but gracious God who sent us His Son to die for our sins.
.
Yet I do seek to be filled, not with wine, but with His Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). At twenty-nine, long after I had given up drinking alcohol, I was dying of spiritual thirst, so I called on the Lord and tasted New Wine from heaven. I received amazing grace, a blanket pardon, a new life. Jesus quenched my thirst for divine love, and I now seek to tell other thirsty people how to experience the same.
.
During my stay in Paris, I stood at the bottom of the vast hillside beneath Le Sacré- Cœur, the tall, white, multi-domed cathedral visible from many parts of the city. Its front lawn is a steep incline with stone stairs and a motorized tram. It was midnight on July 14, Bastille Day, an occasion for national celebration like our Independence Day. The hill was covered with thousands of people who were “screaming drunk.” An inebriated man carrying two brightly lit torches was running down the slope. He was falling now and then, accidentally burning people, but the crowd laughed and applauded each time he stood and began running again. Above the scene, in the darkness, stood a colossal statue of Jesus. Occasionally, a brilliant burst of fireworks illuminated the night sky, and I could see His sad face, His pierced heart, and His arms outstretched.
.

My Dad, My Hero

2012-02-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

My dad, ARMC William E. (Bill) Thomas

Once, when I was about nine or ten, I was sifting through a box of family memorabilia and I found some of my dad’s World War II medals. Among them was the Distinguished Flying Cross, our nation's highest award for valor in aerial combat, second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor. My dad was my country’s hero and he was mine, too.

After the war, Dad went to work for the Navy Department in Washington, D.C. He was, at that time, one of only a handful of men in the U.S. called “electronics engineers.” While with the Department of Defense, he developed prototypes for modern electronic control panels, message scrambling and decoding machines, and even built the first remote-controlled driverless car, for which he caught the attention of John Cameron Swayze and national television.

In 1962, when I began working for him, Dad talked to me about ideas he had for some “games.” “It would be simple,” he said, “to create electronic games that you could hook up to your television and play on the screen by remote control.” I would listen and smile, thinking “He’s a little nutty, but he’s my dad.” Dad later presented his video game ideas to a long series of investors, who also listened, smiled, and said, “You’re a little nutty.” Finally, he gave up on the idea, and I missed the chance to be the “video game heir.”

When I was a pre-teen, I was enormously proud of my dad, a war hero and electronics genius, but that started to change in my teen years. Around that time there began a progressive alienation between Dad and me that culminated in ugly scenes when I was about sixteen. The anger I felt toward my father at that time in my life was fiery and violent.

Happily, I eventually “closed the loop” with my dad. We both later became Christians and friends, and because of this, I am able to lead today. Dad and I never had much in common. We were complete opposites in personality and interests, and we understood that. Yet as adults, we both had the Lord. Jesus enabled two extremely different men to bond and be proud of each other.

Dad was and is my role model for ministry. He preached. I preach. He ministered in nursing homes. So do I. He loved children. I do, too. He reached out to the sick, the forgotten, the powerless, and the hopeless. These summarize my goals in ministry. Following Jesus’ command, he gave himself to those who could never pay him back in this life (Luke 14:13-14).

On every day of the year, including Father’s Day, I think about “my dad, my hero.”

Top left, the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Right of DFC, four Air Medals

Praising God for His Holiness

2012-02-06T06:53:00.000-08:00

Worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness.

The holiness of God. In Isaiah 6, the angels in cry, "Holy, holy, holy [or Holier than the holiest holiness.]"Holy" suggests that He is pure, just, unique, majestic, beautiful, glorious, worthy of all our praise.

In the scriptures, those who the Lord God in His glory and holiness fell at His feet or cried out: "Woe is me." "We will surely die." But only He is holy and is the One who makes us holy, set apart, consecrated, purified for service by the blood of the Son.

His holiness is a good thing. Imagine an unholy being with absolute power.

I PRAISE GOD BECAUSE HE IS…Holy

Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy. Leviticus19:2

There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. I Samuel 2:2

And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the

heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. I Chronicles 16:35

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. Psalm 30:4

God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. Psalm 47:8

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Psalm 48:1

I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. Psalm 71:22

Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. Isaiah 48:17

For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king. Psalm 89:18

O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. Psalm 98:1

Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy. Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy. Psalm 99:3, 5

Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy. Psalm 99:9

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Psalm 103:1

Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise. Psalm 106:47

He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. Psalm 111:9

The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. Psalm 145:17

But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness. Isaiah 5:16

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is his glory. Isaiah 6:3

Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. Isaiah 12:6

I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Isaiah 43:15

Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, hast ordained them for judgment; and, Almighty God, thou hast established them for correction. Habakkuk 1:12

God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. Habakkuk 3:3

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. Luke 1:49

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. Revelation 4:8

Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. Revelation 15:4

Quid est veritas? "What is Truth?"

2012-02-04T10:49:00.000-08:00

Faced with the Truth, Pilate asked, "What is truth?" Duh!

Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662), French physicist, mathematician, philosopher, genius, born again Christian, said: "Truth is so obscure in these times and falsehood so established that unless one loves the truth, he cannot know it." Between following current events and watching films about resistance to the Nazis, I have been thinking a lot about the unnatural relationship between tiranny and the truth.

Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Propaganda Minister, stated: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” Big Brother agreed.
.
I recently watched the movie, "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days," a true story. Sophie and her brother were members of the White Rose movement at the University of Munich. They and others published anti-Nazi leaflets that told the truth about German losses on the Eastern Front and about the brutality of German soldiers who massacred civilians. It was the truth, but the Gestappo confiscated all the papers. Sophie and her brother were arrested and were later executed. The truth had been suppressed and the Gestappo briefly breathed a sigh of relief. But the truth came out. Some of Sophie's leaflets made their way to England, and the Allies later air-dropped hundreds of thousands of them all over Germany.
.

Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst.
All were executed.

According to Christian thinker Parker Palmer, you can find in most every university catalog the words "in pursuit of the truth." "It is as if," Parked mused," the truth were a little white rabbit fleeing from us and we're going to hunt it down, and when we find it, by God we're going to kill it!!" Of course, university professors publish many "truth claims" about how the world is, how it came to be, where it's going...really. And advancing technologies have been a big part of substantiating those claims. But I have a conviction that science cannot explain everything about life and humanity, not even with computers or other high-tech gadgets. "The Truth," says Palmer, "is a Person."
.
Which makes me think about the relationships between technology, tyrants, and the truth.
.
Some observers give credit to fax machines for the fall of the Soviet Bloc. Once again, the government had controlled the flow of information and had a network of spies to thwart rebellion or dissent. But along came the fax machine. No more leaflets, but telephone wires burning up with faxes that expressed an alternate voice, "the truth?"
.
I have heard the Internet, even Facebook, linked to the "Arab Spring," or the fall of longstanding Middle-Eastern dictatorships. Revolutions, civil wars, birthday parties, prayer meetings, all can be organized on facebook. A reminder that the 21st century will be full of tech surprises and shifts in possible or even probable political scenarios. Tyrant + technology = ?
.
One that concerns me as an educator is the current perception of the Internet as a source of truth. I might call it a "Child's Garden of Misinformation." The truth may be in there somewhere, but it is hard to find it. My students sometimes quote webpages as authoritative sources for term papers and see them as on a par with a book published by a distinguished academic press or an encyclopedia. This of course brings up Wikipedia, which is a "social encyclopedia." And we could cite facebook itself not as a source not of truth but of gossip, electronic gossip.
.
Facebook presents to my friends the "e-me." I post the photos I've carefully selected, and I edit my own comments before posting them (believe it or not). Maybe in real life I'm not as glamorous as I appear on facebook.
.
Having observed these various tech distortions of the truth, as always I wonder how all this might play out in times to come. As in the fall of communism, technology can be used to communicate truth in a way and at a speed never imagined in previous centuries. But in the hands of an evil tyrant, what are the possibilities for disseminating another "Big Lie?" For coordinating rallies about the Big Lie? For transmitting, not the truth, but "photoshopped" images which give the appearance of truth but are in fact evil in a new, high-tech guise? Would we not have a hard time distinguishing between the real and the holographed? Between truth and fiction? Between illusion and reality?
.
Welcome to the world of "Don Quijote de la Mancha."

The "glamorous me"

Have You Ever Seen a Grown Man Cry?

2012-02-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

What kind of pain?

Over 900 men filled the sanctuary of the church for a men’s conference. On the second day a family counselor was our first speaker after lunch. When he unveiled an abstract-looking chart, I thought he was preparing to give us a lecture with technical terms, and I wondered if I would be able to stay awake.

But then the speaker began talking openly about his turbulent teenage years and his troubled relationship with his dad during that time. As he described angry conflicts with his father, shouting, and even physical violence, he was moved and fought back tears (as did we all). Some of us, like him, felt sincere regret for our youthful rebelliousness, but also joy because we had later become good friends with our dads. Many others were suffering from intensely painful memories still radiating from a deep inner wound that only one man on this earth can heal.

As I watched this, the Lord seemed to be speaking to me about this second group: “The unresolved pain is why so many men in America do not lead in their families or in their churches.” Some, in the speaker’s words, have not “closed the loop” with fathers who never affirmed to them: “I’m proud of the man you’ve become.” This lacking drives them in many wrong directions as they try to compensate: machismo, professional “overachievement,” or various forms of perfectionism in order to build self-esteem. Others suffer depression or display more destructive behaviors: alcoholism, drugs, violence, or crime.

As he described his own adolescent battles with his father, I was remembering similar scenes from my past. When I was a pre-teen, I was enormously proud of my dad, a war hero and electronics genius, but that started to change in my teen years. For instance, when I was about thirteen, a friend from church, invited us to go fishing with him on his family’s property. In order to reach the creek, we had to crawl through a barbed-wire fence, which Dad and my friend did easily. As I tried, I got hung up in it. To my surprise, Dad made fun of me, something he had never done before. I was devastated. I thought that he would probably rather have my friend as his son.

Around that time there began a progressive alienation between Dad and me that culminated in an ugly scene when I was about sixteen. My family had gone out, and I was left alone with instructions to clean the house, which I did. As I was putting away the vacuum cleaner, I accidentally broke my mother’s treasured crystal candy dish.

When my parents returned, Mom saw the broken dish and burst into tears, even though I protested that it had been an accident. My father entered the room, saw my mother crying, concluded I was the cause, and pulled out his belt. He had done this before, but something was different this time. I was big enough to take the belt away from him, and I did. I was big enough to run away from home, and I did. The anger I felt toward my father at that time in my life was fiery and violent.

Happily, I eventually “closed the loop” with my dad. We both later became Christians and friends, and because of this, I am able to lead today. He was and is my role model for ministry. He preached. I preach. He ministered in nursing homes. So do I. He loved children. I do, too. He reached out to the sick, the forgotten, the powerless, and the hopeless. These summarize my goals in ministry.

Dad and I never had much in common. We were complete opposites in personality and interests, and we understood that. Yet as adults, we both had the Lord. Jesus enabled two extremely different men to bond and be proud of each other.

A man’s relationship with his father occupies a vulnerable place in his heart. My good memories of my dad bring me tears of joy even as I write this. But I do understand the gnawing wound that some men carry inside. Their formerly abusive, emotionally distant, or absentee fathers are either unwilling to reconcile with them, or they are no longer living, making such reconciliation impossible. These desperate men try to escape the pain, deny it, bury it, or sometimes drown it in liquor, but to no avail.

Men, God is seeking a close, personal relationship with you. “Though my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will take me up” (Psalm 27:10). If you accept Jesus as personal Savior and Lord, you will experience His unconditional love. The Lord will quickly become both your role model and your strength for living. He alone can heal your wounds and enable you to be the man He intended you to be.

MAJESTIC MOMENTS IN THE BIBLE: The Transfiguration

2012-01-31T07:24:00.000-08:00

"The Transfiguration," Raphael, 1516

Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain. Once there, He is transfigured (Greek, "metamorphs") before them. In His incarnation, He has "no beauty or majesty that would draw us to Him" (Isaiah 53). But in this moment, His glory is revealed to the disciples. How to describe what they saw? Their various attempts only highlight the limitations of human language. The several paintings displayed here also try. We know how blinding the light of the sun is, but this is not the sun or lightning. This is the radiance of the King in His Majesty.

Matt. 17; Mk 9; Luke 9. "Like the sun." "Dazzling white."
"Whiter than any clothes could be bleached."
"Bright as a flash of lightning."

Moses and Elijah show up, also "in glorious splendor" and discuss the King's imminent mission: the cross, a very unglorious trial, torture, and execution that would precede His departure. This has been weighing heavily on Jesus' heart for some time, and every time He mentions it (Matt. 16), the disciples become upset. Peter even rebukes Him for talking about it.

And on the mountain, Peter still doesn't get it. “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Peter loves the glorious mountaintop experience, and can we blame him? I love them, too.

While Peter is still speaking, a bright cloud envelops them. This is not a rain cloud, but a cloud of the glory of God. A voice from the cloud says, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” The Father sets them straight. The Son is about to fulfill His appointed mission. Listen to Him, and stop thinking about yourselves.

Jesus immediately leads them down the mountain, to the valley of human need. That's where He always leads us after a mountaintop of refreshing and renewal. Jesus looks "normal" again, but we quickly see that He is still the majestic King.

A desperate father approaches Him: “Teacher, heal my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid.

So they bring the boy to Him. When the spirit sees Jesus, it immediately throws the boy into a convulsion. He falls to the ground and rolls around, foaming at the mouth.

The father begs, "if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaims, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” This is a prayer I have prayed often. I don't have a lot of faith, but I do have a measure of faith that God has given me. Jesus says that it can be small, like a mustard seed, but if my faith is to grow, I have to plant it (for examples, in prayer). Nothing will happen if I hide it in the seed package.

Jesus rebukes the evil spirit with the authority of the King of the Universe. “You deaf and mute spirit,” He says, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

The majesty of the King commanding
the powers of darkness. They obey.

The spirit shrieks, convulses him violently and comes out. The boy looks so much like a corpse that many say, “He’s dead.” But Jesus takes him by the hand and lifts him to his feet, and he stands up.

And they are all amazed at the greatness of God.

What a scene. The majesty of the King of Light overcoming darkness with His Word. No created thing can resist the spoken Command of God.

He isn't just "King;" He's the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is none like Him. There is none higher than Him. Listen to Him.

The King of Kings
for sinners slain.
Upon that cross
He took my pain.
And paid the price
I could not pay.
For this I praise Him
every day.

“How do you melt an ice-cold heart?”

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Grandma Miller

My grandmother Miller was only twelve when her father died. Later, she endured the hardships of the Great Depression and two bad marriages. Finally, she married Joe, a “nice guy,” an honest, hardworking, church-going man. He rolled into her life in 1937 and swept her off her feet. He wasn’t a millionaire, although having $300,000 in the bank during the Depression was the next best thing. She thought she had found happiness, but Joe died of cancer at a relatively young age. Grandma’s resentment and frustration with God over hard times turned her to bitterness and anger. She did not go back to church after Joe’s death.

Later, she married another wealthy man, whom I knew as my grandfather. Grandmother Miller was now extremely rich and had also become extremely opinionated. All family gatherings were centered on her opinions about everything. I would sit quietly on her Louis-the-Whatever couch but rarely listened to her. Grandmother’s house was like a minefield; I was usually frozen in mortal fear that I might break some antique worth more than my parents’ combined annual income.

As time went on, many in her family became Christians. Grandma chided my sister, telling her that all her talk about Jesus had turned her into an embarrassing religious fanatic. “Listen,” Grandmother stated firmly, “when I was a kid, I did my baptism thing and read the Bible…. I got over it! You need to do the same.” But, as God would have it, a small, modest church was built directly across the street from her house. Oddly, it was a humble church in an upscale neighborhood. It had to be supported by beams because it was sitting just off the road on the edge of a valley, not a good place to build anything. Grandma railed against the church; she called the office frequently, threatening to have any car blocking her drive towed off. Visits from the pastor were met with the “refrigerator” treatment. “He’s just after my money!” she raged.

One winter day, a thick, white blanket of snow covered Grandma’s rather large driveway. Shoveling snow is hard work, but, without asking Grandmother’s permission or passing the collection plate, the pastor shoveled the snow from the drive. Amazingly, this one act of kindness melted the icicles on Grandma’s heart and washed away many decades of bitterness. The next night, she and my grandfather attended a revival service at the church and were gloriously saved.

The book of Ruth tells a similar story of a bitter woman who blamed God for her woes. Famine drives Naomi and her family from Israel, their homeland. Where is the God who promised to provide? Later, in a foreign land, her husband dies, and then, her sons die as well. She becomes angry; she blames God for “causing her to suffer.”

After deciding to return home to Israel, Naomi says good-bye to her daughters-in-law. She is not full of faith. She sarcastically tells them that she cannot have more sons for them to marry. Naomi is a terrible witness for the one, true God, telling Ruth: “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.” But Ruth replies, “Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. I will die where you die and will be buried there. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”

Despite Naomi’s bitter remarks about the Lord, Ruth wants to convert to her God. Her extraordinary vow of love and devotion is so powerful that it is used to this day in wedding ceremonies. The commitment is all the more remarkable because she is an in-law (I have blood relatives who have never demonstrated such loyalty to me).

When the two return to Bethlehem, the whole town eagerly greets Naomi, but she barks: “Don't call me Naomi (Pleasant). Instead, call me Mara (Bitter), for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.”

Boaz, Naomi’s relative, and in fact the whole town, notice Ruth’s virtues almost from the beginning. She is unswervingly loyal to Naomi. Moreover, she is hardworking, humble, devoted, and honorable, in brief, a blessing. Boaz marries Ruth and they have a child, a child who will be the direct ancestor of David and of the Messiah..

Naomi’s neighbors put things into perspective for her: “May this child restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you so much and who has been better to you than seven sons!” In previous hard times, God had blessed Naomi and had plans to continue, but bitterness had prevented her from seeing His goodness and fully appreciating Ruth.

Life is hard. The world is unkind. A bitter response to these inevitable realities is like a cancer, like acid, blinding us to God’s grace, keeping us distant from Him. The book of Ruth, however, teaches us that God wants to bless us, to heal, to wash away the bitterness and all the destructive sins of our past.

After my grandmother’s conversion, her heart was completely changed. She became a restored Naomi, happy and very aware of God’s love. She became like Ruth, devoted, loving, and God-fearing.

On September 27, 1904, my grandmother Miller was born to Charles and Laura Stinnett. They named her Naomi Ruth.

How I learned the value of a dollar

2012-01-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Miller,

shortly after his conversion in 1977

When I was growing up, I missed out completely on the warm, fuzzy grandpa type. My only living grandfather was a demanding, exacting, critical perfectionist with nearly impossible standards for himself and all those around him. “Any job worth doing is worth doing right,” he would often assert.

Grandpa Miller was quite well off, with a half million dollars in the bank, but he was also as tight as a drum with his money. He was a man of few words, always calm and dignified, always impeccably dressed. When we would visit, he would sit in his armchair, puffing on his pipe, scrutinizing me as if I needed major repairs.

And let’s face it, I did. I was hyperactive, loud, unkempt, flaky, and undisciplined; I cared not about a job well done or about the value of a dollar. I’m sure I seemed the ultimate challenge for his reforming zeal.

In my childhood and youth, Grandpa and I never really talked much to each other, except when he decided to teach me a “life lesson.” For instance, when I was about ten, he took me to a piece of property he owned. I was desperately trying to be cooperative; I knew that somehow I had to please him, or I would “get it” when I got home.

The purpose of our expedition was to teach me the value of a dollar. Grandpa gave me my assignment: cut 5 ft. tall weeds with a scythe (both weeds and scythe were taller than I was) and then mow the stubble that was left with a push mower. For a job well done, he agreed to pay me the extraordinary sum of $1.00.

The work took hours in the heat; though I was young and strong, the task left me sore, sweating and exhausted. When I finally finished, Grandpa placed a dollar in my hand and held it there as he looked at me with satisfaction. “Michael,” he said meaningfully, “you now understand the value of a dollar.” I was so happy to be done with that job that I went immediately to a nearby corner store and blew the whole thing on candy.

One winter day in 1977, when Grandpa Miller was 70 years old, this exacting, demanding, dignified perfectionist, shoes shined, tie straight, and every hair in place, found himself answering an altar call at a small Bible-believing church. He fell on his knees repenting before the Lord, crying his eyes out.

Grandpa came to know Christ shortly before I did. I initially found it hard to believe that he was really a Christian, but when I quizzed him about it, he told me in great detail about “that experience with Jesus that shakes you from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.”

After we had become Christians, Grandpa and I could talk for hours, as two good friends might. Much to my surprise, I found him warm, gentle, and truly interested in me and in my family. He was no longer trying to teach me any “life lessons,” but he was the first person who ever told me that I should consider becoming a pastor.

I guess Grandpa and I had both finally learned the value of a dollar. A half-million of them had never been able to buy the wonderful Christian relationship he and I now enjoyed. And all the dollars in the world could never purchase an ounce of transparent gold, the pavement of the Holy City (Rev. 21:21).

My grandfather and I had learned the value of the blood shed by God’s Son on a distant hill called Mt. Calvary.

AMAZING MOMENTS IN THE BIBLE: Jesus and Peter walk on water!

2012-01-25T06:45:00.000-08:00

Jesus to the rescue!

Jesus has just fed the 5,000, and tells the disciples to go on ahead in the boat while He dismisses the crowd. They launch out, and He goes to the mountainside to pray alone. It gets dark and here comes every fisherman's nightmare. The Sea of Galilee suddenly becomes a violent, scary place. They are about 3 and 1/2 miles out, according to John 6. No chance of making land, but they are rowing hard and getting no where, wind and waves buffeting their small, wooden boat.

For a time, Jesus watches them from the mountainside, but He eventually walks down. When He comes to the lake, He just keeps on walking. Were they rowing and yelling "Where's Jesus?" He's on His way (although it might have taken Him over an hour to walk the 3 and 1/2 miles).

Did they see something like this through the rain?

But when they see Him walking on the lake, they think He is a ghost. They cry out. They go from fear of the natural to fear of the supernatural, from scared to terrified. (Mark Twain: "I don't believe in ghosts, but I am afraid of them.")

Ever been in a storm at sea? I have. I was safe in a U.S. Navy Destroyer, all metal, watertight hatches, but weird things do happen out there, waterspouts, things on land we would call "dust devils," spools of water swirling around like they are alive. I mean, the disciples weren't expecting to see Jesus or anyone out there taking a stroll. And this was not a water spout.

Jesus immediately says to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Then Peter makes a request that maybe all of us should make: "Lord, call me out of my comfort zone so I can walk with You in the storm." "Casting Crowns" have a song called "The Voice of Truth." Here is an excerpt: Oh, to have "the kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in/Onto the crashing waves/To step out of my comfort zone/To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is/And He's holding out his hand."

Peter says: "“Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come to You on the water.”

Jesus says, “Come." And Peter walks on the water with the Master. He has a measure of faith for a moment. For a short time, his eyes focus on Jesus, he forgets his fear of the storm, and he does the impossible.

We don't know how many steps he took, but at some point, logic and reason kicked in. Has this ever happened to you? "This walking by faith is crazy! What am I doing? This is dangerous? The others are safe on the boat! That's where you ought to be! Come to your senses!"

Weight displacement not a problem!
Jesus pulls Peter right out of the water!

Peter sees the wind, his faith sinks, and so does he, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reaches out His hand and pulls him up. He rebukes him, gently and with Grace: “You of little faith,” He says, “why did you doubt?”

As Jesus and Peter climb into the boat, the angry sea immediately takes on a mirror finish. The disciples are amazed. Then they bow before Him and worship: “Truly, You are the Son of God.”

God is sovereign over stormy seas. This year will be full of them. Here comes 2011 – will we walk with God or with fear?

ASTONISHING MOMENTS IN THE BIBLE: Peter's release from prison (Acts 12)

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

"St. Peter released from Herod's prison by an angel."
(Sebastiano Ricci, 1710)

King Herod imprisons the apostle Peter, probably planning to execute him the following day. Herod has just had James put to death by the sword. Things look bad, really bad. Remember the prison in "Ben-Hur?" Prisoners then generally did not plan escapes or dream of them. Jailers were motivated. Their lives depended on keeping their prisoners in one place, behind bars.

Herod's authority comes from Rome and to back it up, he has soldiers with spears and swords, a prison, in sum, men and metal. Peter is a high profile prisoner. Herod has to be sure, guard him with concentric rings of guards (4X4) and walls/bars/metal doors. Herod has a good night's sleep. No worries.

So Peter is locked up tight in prison, BUT the church is earnestly praying to God for him. (I've always said, that in Acts 12, there are four big BUTs. Can you identify them?) Luke is clearly making a point. No matter how grim the circumstances, when the people of God gather to pray, and they do so...earnestly... Watch out, world! Beware, Beelzebub! Here comes the Holy Ghost!

According to Psalm 2, God laughs at the powers of the world who plot to overthrow Him and His Christ. Reminds me of when I terrorize fire ants. I kick down their mounds. They swarm angrily, plotting my destruction, but I laugh at them and destroy them easily. In this story, God easily overturns Herod's power and mocks him. Men can be put to sleep or blinded. Metal obeys God.

Meanwhile, back in the cell, a very relaxed Peter, who is on "death row," is asleep, bound by chains and flanked by two guards. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appears and light shines into the cell. He strikes Peter on the side and wakes him up.

“Quick, get up!” he says, and the chains fall off Peter’s wrists. Obedient metal. I love it. In Ricci's painting we see that the angel has Peter by the wrist, possibliy ready to drag him out if necessary. Have you ever been awakened suddenly from a sound sleep? When that happens, how do you look? I look far worse than Peter as portrayed here.

Peter follows the angel, but he thinks he is seeing a vision. They pass the first and second guards and come to the iron gate leading to the city. It opens for them by itself, and they go through it. More obedient metal. I love it.

When the angel leaves him about a block from the prison, Peter is finally awake. “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches." He immediately heads for the church prayer meeting and knocks on the door. (Was anyone there thinking, "Go away! We're praying in here!" or "Is Jacob late for prayer meeting again?")

Finally a servant girl named Rhoda comes to answer the door and recognizes Peter’s voice. She is so overjoyed and excited that without opening she runs back to the group and exclaims, “Peter is at the door!”

They exclaim back: “You’re out of your mind!” But Peter keeps on knocking, and when they open the door and see him, they are "astonished." We often have a focus problem like that. We knock on the door of heaven in prayer, but when the answer shows up, it's time to praise God and pray for something else. Problem is, it takes us a while sometimes to recognize the answer that's staring us in the face. We pray in faith but are surprised when God answers.

In the morning, there is big commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. Herod is not happy, and when Herod isn't happy, people die. He orders that the guards be executed.

Oh, well, it's off to Caesarea for a seaside vacation and a "worship-Herod" service. People from Tyre and Sidon hate him, but they need the food he supplies. On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sits on his throne and delivers a public address to the people. They shout (in complete sincerity): “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.”

Because Herod does not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord strikes him down, and he is eaten by worms and dies. The king who executed James and planned to execute Peter is himself executed by an angel. What became of his "royal robes?" He dies an unglorious death.

Luke notes, again pointedly: "BUT the word of God continued to increase and spread." Herod is cut down for his pride. God’s Word outlives a petty tyrant; Herod wasn't the first to go down; he won't be the last. And the church of God moves ahead "into all the world."

Isaiah 40:8: "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

STUNNING MOMENTS IN THE BIBLE: The Parting of the Red Sea

2012-01-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

Behold His Mighty Hand! (Exodus 14-15).

Adonai Elohim Tzva'ot (Lord God of Hosts.)

(Note how various people react. Some are stunned. Some worshiped. This was a new scale of miracle in their eyes, but an easy feat for God to accomplish.)

When the king of Egypt is told that the people of Israel have fled, he and his officials change their minds about them and say, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" That would be approximately 600,000 free male workers. Yikes! Who's going to build the pyramids?

So off he goes with his army, his 600 best chariots (+ thousands of others?) A world-class superpower is about to attack the unarmed Israelites. There is real reason to fear. Pharaoh and his chariots are bearing down on them like an army of demons. Some Israelites angrily accuse Moses of misleading them.

Pharaoh (Yul Brynner) notes "The God of Moses is a poor general. He leaves them no retreat."

But God's man answers the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Now that's a bold statement, "you will never see them again," easy to say. Faith always contradicts the "reality" of the situation, bu it's not always easy to be still and know that He is God.

Then Moses stretches out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drives the sea back with a strong east wind & turns it into dry land. The waters are divided, & the Israelites go through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and another wall on their left.

De Mille’s version shows a quicker, more dramatic parting, but the Biblical account is still stunning, the sea dividing and the waters piling up like walls on both sides.

God had revealed Himself to Moses as Yahweh [I am..., I am that I am]. Here, He reveals Himself as "I am the Lord of Hosts," the General of the Armies of Heaven. He becomes a warrior who fights for His people.

As usual, God does not fight the world on their terms. He could have destroyed them in any number of ways. Instead, He easily wounds them at their point of greatest confidence and power: He makes the wheels of their chariots come off so that they have difficulty driving. Result: Awesome warriors become the Keystone Cops.

The Egyptian army is in a trap. They can't catch the children of Israel, and they can't go back to the other shore. Their Pharaoh-general has left them no retreat. The water flows back and covers the chariots and horsemen--the entire army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survives. Israel will see their faces no more.

Moses sings, using the first application of God's revealed Name, "Yahweh:" "The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name."Yahweh is my Savior, my Deliverer, my Warrior.

Two thoughts occur to me:

1. If God be for us, who can be against us?
2. God can make a way where there seems to be no way.

STUNNING MOMENTS IN THE BIBLE: The Raising of Lazarus

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

"The Resurrection of Lazarus" (Early Baroque, 1706).
Jean-Baptiste Jouvenet. Most, not all, were stunned.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were close friends of Jesus. He stayed at their house. They ministered to Him. He loved them.

Lazarus fell ill, but Jesus was at least a day's journey away. With great faith, they might have comforted Lazarus: "Don't worry, dear Brother. We've sent word to the 'healer,' the 'miracle worker,' the Lord who loves us."

The message was a little crytic and telegraphic: "Lord, the one you love is sick," but Jesus would understand it. All faith. No real concern. John tells us "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." No question.

But when Jesus received the word, He stayed where He was for two more days. Wait! Did Jesus not love Lazarus? He did. Did He not understand the gravity of the situation? He did. Did He have a plan? He did.

Back in Bethany, the sisters might have said, "Lazarus, we sent word to the Lord. When He arrives, you'll be okay."

They watched their brother die. Did they feel betrayed? Angry?

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. When Martha heard she went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home.

Martha seems to reproach Him: "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Mary later came and fell at His feet, speaking the same words, crying. There were mourners weeping, and some in the crowd were asking "He opened the eyes of a blind man, why couldn't He keep His friend Lazarus from dying?"

Jesus was moved by Mary's grief. Jesus wept as He walked to the tomb. It was an atmosphere of death, mourning, and unbelief.

The "grave" was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. The stone would have been sculpted to fit as tightly as possible...because of the stench of rotting flesh. The Egyptians preserved dead bodies very well, but the Jews did not mummify their dead. After four days, all bodies had decayed beyond recognition.

In front of what may have been a rather large crowd, Jesus commands, "Take away the stone." Martha reminds Him that the smell will be bad.

Then, Jesus says three simple words: "Lazarus, come out." Easy words to say...

I see the crowd first staring at Jesus and then all shifting their focus to the grave entrance.

John reports, "The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped and a cloth around his face."

Probably Lazarus' legs were not bound together, and he had been wrapped in linen. He could walk, slowly, and see the bright light of the entrance. He wasn't dead any more.

A stunning moment, wonderfully portrayed by Jouvenet's painting. Many are in awe. Some are praising God. A sick man on a stretcher is applauding--things look good for him. The sisters are looking at the Lord, not at their brother. Not everyone is happy.

Jesus' simple words and their powerful result are encouragement for all Christians. One day, our mortality will be swallowed up in immortality. We shall all be changed, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, those of us who remain will rise to meet Him in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Stunning Moments in the Bible: Pentecost. 4 Visible Acts of God Before 9:30 am

2012-01-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

Josef Ignaz Mildorfer (1750s) "Pentecost."

It is the Jewish harvest festival, Shavuoth. Jerusalem is again packed with pilgrims (as it had been during Passover). Many of these have come from distant lands to celebrate the festival in Zion; the journeys may have taken many weeks over rugged terrain, on a mount or on foot.

The disciples have been praying in the Upper Room for a number of weeks, possibly for the amount of time some of the pilgrims had been traveling. God was bringing them all together. Early on the morning of Shavuoth, "suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where the disciples were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

Shavuoth was a meaningful religious festival, but no one was expecting God actually to do anything visible and spectacular. But God does show up...visibly...fire descending, the Holy Spirit filling and transformiing, sending the church out into the street. Do we need any of this today?

My guess is that there were no clouds in the sky or wind, so that everyone in the area rushed to find the source of the unexplainable roaring sound. As the crowd gathers, the disciples pour out of the house speaking in about 15 languages (or at least speakers of those languages can understand them).

Galileans were well known for their heavy accent (Maybe they were Texans?) and not for being multi-lingual. For this reason the crowd is utterly amazed, so they ask: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that...we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” "Amazed and perplexed, they ask one another, 'What does this mean?' Some, however, make fun of them and say, “They have had too much wine.” Always a scoffer on hand to "de-supernaturalize" any work of God. (By the way, have you ever heard a drunk person trying to talk? It sounds more like the "Tower of Babel.")

El Greco (1596-1600) "The Pentecost."

God is not done yet. He has just fulfilled an 800-year-old prophecy right before their eyes: "Then Peter stands up with the Eleven, raises his voice and addresses the crowd: 'Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel'" (2:28).

Peter proclaims Jesus as Savior and Lord in approximately 6 minutes (read it aloud and time yourself). The Lord changes 3,000 hearts in a single day. I calculate that all this happened before 9:30, just before most churches start Sunday School.

While it is true that we often have to be still and wait on God, we should always be expectant and praying for the "outpouring" promised through the Prophet Joel. Did you notice all 4 visible acts of God?

Reflections on the Power of the Cross

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Sin is powerful in today’s world: it commits murder, hates, envies, gossips, manipulates, and sells drugs. It oppresses the poor, steals, lies, sheds the blood of the innocent, and commits adultery. It curses God and slanders the name of Christ. Sin enslaves billions, corrupts governments, and ruins whole families and churches, all on a global scale. The worldwide activity of sin has been relentless for thousands of years, and we should never underestimate its power.

At the same time we should never underestimate the power of the cross of Jesus Christ. While “powerful” sin was relishing its apparent victory over the Lamb of God, He in “weakness” was actually stripping sin of its power (I Corinthians 1:25). Whereas the rulers of this world crucified Jesus in a public spectacle, the scripture clarifies that He in fact made “a public spectacle out of the powers of this world, triumphing over them on the cross” (Colossians 2:15).

For the Romans, the cross was an effective means of capital punishment; they publicly inflicted prolonged pain on criminals, as a deliberate warning to other would-be lawbreakers. For the Jews, the cross was a distressing reminder that they were a conquered people; it was an unmistakable sign of the lethal power of their Roman oppressors. For Jesus, it was a place of hellish thirst, of unspeakable pain, of brutal mockery, and of separation from the Father. But ultimately it was the place where He proved His immeasurable love for us. Because of His selfless sacrifice, the cruel cross has paradoxically become the decisive symbol of hope and victory.

The cross speaks of our disobedience and His perfect obedience, of our seemingly unpayable debt and His all-sufficient payment. My miserable life was spared while Jesus’ precious life was forfeited. At Calvary, Christ struck a deathblow to death, uprooted the root of sin, canceled the curse, buried the grave, and destroyed destruction. After His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven, leaving behind an empty cross to proclaim forever His definitive defeat of death. The power of the cross extends throughout time and space; it is adequate to save billions of people from trillions of sins across countless centuries; it is eternally powerful to save eternally.

The “old rugged cross” stands tall over all human successes: it towers over the Tower of Babel and the American moon landing, over skyscrapers, skyrockets and all the achievements of humanity. Two beams of wood, made potent by Christ’s death and God’s anointing, the cross outshines the Enlightenment and all human brilliance; it is more powerful than the A-bomb, the H-bomb, and smart bombs. It is the victor over world wars, Star Wars, and all wars. It outlasted antiquity, has survived the modern age, and will outdistance the pessimism of the “postmodern” era.

We brag about the cross because the cross is something worth bragging about; moreover, it is all we have to brag about (Galatians 6:14). The most wondrous feat produced by the power of the cross is the miracle of the New Birth. The cross is able to reform, conform, and transform the human heart. The cross forever alters the will, the mind, and the life of the person who looks to it in faith. The power of the cross, like the Savior who died on it, is the same “yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Stunning Moments in the Bible: "Their Eyes Were Opened" (Luke 24)

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Michelangelo Da Caravaggio. "Supper at Emmaus" (1601-1602).

It was Passover Week. Jerusalem was packed with pilgrims. The Romans were understandably nervous about crowd control and possible Zealot assassins taking advantage.

Early on, Jesus of Nazareth had entered the city and had caused several uproars. Later that week, the Sanhedrin arrested Him and brought Him before Pilate, asking for His death. Pilate faced another roaring crowd that repeatedly cried out "Crucify Him!"

Jesus carried the cross down the Via Dolorosa guarded by Roman soldiers. The route was packed with people who were cursing or crying. Jerusalem was traumatized. But once He was dead, things would calm down, or so thought His enemies.

Movies about Jesus' life do a good job portraying the turmoil, the heightened emotions, both anger and sorrow. But movies only last a few hours and cannot communicate the full impact of the passion of the Christ.

Imagine if you had been there all week or all day Good Friday. Imagine being the disciples of the once popular Hero, the One they proclaimed the Son of God, the Savior of the World. He was now about to be executed, apparently unable even to save Himself. And the disciples were hunted men.

Their hopes were dashed. They were depressed and probably had serious PTSD.

A few days thereafter two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were still talking with each other about everything that had happened.

Along comes Jesus Himself, incognito. I know He had to be enjoying this.He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”Their faces were downcast (not looking at the risen Lord).

One replied, "Did You just get off the boat? You must be the only person in this whole region who doesn't know the things that have happened in Jerusalem!""What things?" asked Jesus seeming to be "out of the loop.

"We had hoped...

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. he chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel."

...but now our hopes are dashed."

It's hard for us to experience the exact emotions of their trauma, but we have all felt hopeless at one time or another, maybe even like God has failed us in His promises.

At Emmaus, when he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

Christians also know that whenever God shows up, it is stunning.Da Caravaggio's painting helps us appreciate the shocking nature of the moment. They obviously would not have just sat there and said, "Oh, hello, Lord. Welcome back from the dead."

I urge you to spend a little time just meditating on the figures in the painting.

When we think our hopes are dashed, God reveals Himself to us and hope begins.

By the way, He was there the whole time.

"Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus."

Stunning Moments in the Bible: "Joseph is alive!"

2012-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

"Joseph's Bloody Coat Brought to Jacob."
Diego Velázquez, c. 1630.

Joseph was dead. Jacob believed the "evidence" presented him. Jacob mourned for 20+ years, and Joseph's brothers experienced 20+ years of guilt for their betrayal of their brother. The Bible is full of tragic and dark stories like this. Where was the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob?

In Egypt, Joseph was a slave. Though he spurned Potiphar's wife, her false accusation sent him to prison. Joseph was no longer a "spoiled brat." But when he was in trouble and faced temptation, he remembered the God of his fathers and became a man of incredible integrity. Joseph was trained for his calling in slavery and in a dungeon.

As a 17-year-old, he had dreams that were "all about him." In prison, he interprets dreams and gives glory to God. When called before Pharaoh, he clearly states that he can interpret nothing. Only God can do that. In a stunning and quite unexpected promotion, Joseph is made ruler of Egypt, the most powerful nation in the known world at that time.

When his brothers came to buy grain, he accused them of being spies. Immediately, they believed that God was punishing them for what they had done to their brother more than 20 years before. Their guilt was still right on the surface. Now that is bondage.

They return to report the news to Jacob. Imagine, if you can, the emotional impact of this scene:

Genesis 45:25-26. So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.

When God's plans come to fruition, it is always stunning. The brothers, according to Joseph's later explanation, meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. This story tells us a lot about who God is and how He turns defeat to victory, death to life, and darkness to light.

Thousands of years later, in the darkest hour of human history, God's Son died a horrible death on a cross. After He rose, he commanded Mary and other women to tell His brothers, "I am alive!"

But they received that awesome news much like Jacob: Luke 24:9-11. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

God "stuns" us with hope in the midst of despair, with deliverance when we think all is lost, with joy when we couldn't be more depressed, with life when we thought we were as good as dead.

My first encounter with Jesus was stunning. It was contrary to everything I had been told by the world about the way life is and is not. I spent 29 years without a clue, but I met the Lord of Glory in the twinkling of an eye.

For this reason, I believe that heaven must be a stunning beautiful place where I will be reunited with my loved ones who have gone before and with my Jesus, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

The most stunning moment in human history!

Who has believed God's version of events?

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

By His stripes, we are healed

Who has believed God’s version of what happened to Jesus? How can we even begin to understand a series of mysterious, seemingly contradictory events?

Before He came, His glory and beauty were beyond description, yet in His incarnation He chose no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him. He was the King of kings, but He traveled incognito. Everyone miscalculated His importance. Many of His own people had a low opinion of Him, and some even plotted His death.

In Heaven, He had been worshipped and adored, but on earth, He was despised and rejected. The Creator of joy became a Man of sorrows, intimately acquainted with grief and human suffering. He had come to take our sicknesses upon Himself and to carry our sorrows.

But we didn’t know any of this. We thought Him repulsive, a condemned criminal. We hid our faces from Him. In fact, when He was beaten and nailed to the cross, we assumed that God was punishing Him for His own sins.

How could we be so prideful and blind? He was pierced, nailed through His hands and feet, for us. He carried our sins and yet we, like Job’s friends, thought God was punishing Him. Yes, God was smiting Him, not for His own iniquities, but for ours. The bill was made out to us, but He stamped it “paid in full.” We were like sheep, wandering off in any direction that pleased us. The Lord struck the Shepherd.

He was disfigured beyond that of any man, and His form marred beyond human likeness. He looked worse than a leper. He was mocked. His beard was pulled out. They spat on Him and beat Him.

But the agony of His punishment brought us peace. We, the wounded, are healed because He, the Healer, was wounded. Through the undeserved wounds He received, we receive undeserved healing. The Giver of Life was cut off from the land of the living; for our transgressions he was stricken. The Holy One was numbered with criminals. But the Creator of Life conquered death.

Just as many were startled at His tortured, emaciated state, many will one day see and understand. When He comes again, He will shut the mouths of kings.

Finally, how can we explain the greatest mystery of God’s entire plan and version of events: “Jesus loves me. This I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

[Meditation based on Philippians 2, Isaiah 50-53, & other scripture.]

In the Garden, alone

2012-01-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

In the garden, there are no crowds surrounding Him, awestruck by His miracles. Thousands have walked away from Him, offended. He is left with the 11, and they, too, will soon flee. Even His Father will abandon Him.

This is a whole new concept of loneliness, one beyond our understanding. This is the “moment of truth.” Jesus knows what is at stake. He is God, so it should be easy. But He is also “God made flesh” identifying Himself with us. As such, He is inextricably bound to His body, which is mortal.

Luke 22:42, Jesus surrenders to the Father's will. Vs. 43 says that an angel appears in the Garden to strengthen Him. Even so, verse 44 says, "being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”Jesus, the Creator of the body and the nervous system, knew about physical pain. It was His gift to us, to tell us that something is wrong with the machine we inhabit.

But has Jesus ever experienced pain in the previous thirty years? Possibly, though there is no record. Had He ever experienced the type of pain He will soon endure? I think not.

Paradoxes and mysteries of this moment:

The OMNIPOTENT GOD, about to suffer as a lamb without defending Himself.

The ETERNAL GOD trapped (voluntarily) in a time and a place.

The IMMORTAL GOD, made flesh, is about to suffer the torments of death, hell, separation from God, for the first time in eternity.

The OMNISCIENT GOD. We are anxious because we don’t know what is going to happen next. But Jesus knows everything that is about to happen. Maybe it’s better not to know everything about the future.

The HOLY GOD, submitting Himself to the hands of evil men. “They will do whatever they will with me.” The Bible describes some of the savage things they did to Him, but I wonder if they did more than that. Even so, words could never describe the horrors of that night.

I like Mel Gibson’s version of Gethsemane, in which Satan is shown literally trying to tempt the Second Adam, but Jesus prevails and crushes the head of the serpent!

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

Love for us drove Him to the cross and kept Him there. Seeing us in heaven was "the joy that was set before Him."

"The Sacrifice/Non-Sacrifice of Isaac"

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio's intense portrayal (c. 1600) of the biblical scene. Note that the angel restrains Abraham's right arm. Abraham's hand is tightly clenched on the knife, which is dark, contrasting with the light on Isaac's arm. Abraham's other hand has Isaac firmly subjected. Also, observe the terrified look on Isaac's face and the ram to his right.

I have taught and preached this unsettling, problematic story many times. Most listeners (me included) are not always comfortable with it. In the scripture, God repeatedly goes on record: Sacrifice of infants, children, or any human being is an abomination, something God “hates.” Why then would He ask Abraham to do this?

Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard also sought to understand this scene. Check out his work, Frygt og Bæven (Fear and Trembling), 1843. Kierkegaard, writing under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio (John the Silent), concludes that he admires the faith of Abraham, but that he cannot possibly understand it. I would agree and add: I couldn’t possibly do what Abraham did.

Let’s review the story: “Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’” (Genesis 22:2). Recognize any parallels to John 3:16 or God’s words at Jesus’ baptism?

Abraham’s walk with God had always been a series of faith tests that he had mostly failed. He was in two instances full of fear and tried to lie his way out. In addition, the man named Abram (“Big Daddy”) had not fathered anyone for some 75 years. Sort of like being a “boy named Sue.” God promised him a son through Sarah. Abraham and Sarah become impatient, and Abraham fathers a child with Hagar.

God—who has a different timetable than we do— waits until Abram is 99; He then changes his name to Abraham “Father of Nations.” According to Paul, Abraham saw his body “as good as dead” and Sarah’s womb closed for ever. That’s God. Start a whole nation through the old and weak well past child-bearing years. That’s God, do the impossible, the inconceivable, “call things that are not as though they were.”

Abraham says to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” 22:5). He had every expectation that they would BOTH return, father and son, alive, because, Paul tells us, he believed unswervingly that God could and would raise the Child of the Promise back to life.

When Isaac asks “Where is the lamb?” Abraham confidently tells his beloved son that “God will provide the lamb.” In Jesus, God send that Lamb, His Son.Abraham bound Isaac. Jesus was bound. Abraham laid him on wood. Jesus was laid on wood. Some say the original event happened on the current Temple Mount. Others believe it was Mount Calvary.

Abraham did not waver in his task as I would have. He had walked for years with the God of the possible, the God of Life, the God who had provided and would provide, the God who had given a very old man and woman a son, the God who through them and Isaac would begin a great nation, with descendants who once again are living in the Land of Promise.

God did not waver. His Son surrendered Himself to the Father’s will. At the moment in which the Father turned His back on the Son, Jesus cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, Lama sabachthani? (My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken me?). The Logos had left heaven to become the Son. Now, at this moment, the Logos/Son is severed from the Father. Behold the fragmented God! Behold the separation from God that I deserve.

God the Son became sin, the thing He hated the most, in order to save us, those He loved the most. This story should cause us to reflect on our faith and the love of God. Paul tells us in Romans 8, “If God did not withhold from us His own Son but gave Him up for us all, shall He not also freely give us all things?”

Some Odd Unbelievers I Have Known

2012-01-02T15:02:00.000-08:00

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

Odd Unbeliever

About twenty-five years ago, I served on a “Dean Search Committee” at a large state university. I am fairly sure that I was the only Christian in the group of fifteen, judging from comments made during our deliberations. In fact, I would say that most of the others were actively hostile to Christianity.

At our first meeting, each member expounded on the qualities he/she would like to see in our new leader. The first person listed many desirable strengths. The second added to that list, and so did the third. By the time we got to the sixth person, a silence fell over the group. We had apparently all sensed the same thing, that the accumulating list of traits was beginning to sound absurdly unrealistic.

Finally, one professor blurted out, “Wow! It sounds like we’re looking for Jesus Christ!” which he said as a joke. But I thought, “Jesus IS awesome! Too bad you aren’t really looking for Him.”

About twelve years ago, I was a part of a seminar at a university back east. A dozen faculty members from various universities had gathered to discuss books and ideas for seven weeks (a professor’s idea of a really good time!). On the first day our seminar leader gave a welcome speech and also informed us that he was an avowed unbeliever. At the end of the session, while giving us some practical tips for navigating around the surrounding town, he warned us about the many crime-ridden areas.

“Be careful,” he said with a sheepish smile; “we live in a fallen world.”

I thought to myself, “If you don’t believe in God, what exactly do you think we are fallen from?”

In that same seminar I met Jane, a truly brilliant woman, but a rabid atheist. She would rage against Christianity even when it wasn’t the topic under discussion. She pretty much did that all summer, until her mother died unexpectedly. Jane had to leave for a time to attend the funeral.

When she came back, we were all sensitive to her loss and asked how she was doing. It turns out that Jane’s mother was a devout Christian. After a few minutes of very controlled comments, Jane exclaimed to a somewhat bewildered audience, “My mom is with Jesus!” Then she broke down and cried like a little girl.

I have known other odd atheists who asked me to pray for them “just in case there’s something to all that.” And there are the people who take the name of the Lord in vain. I find it odd that blasphemers do not swear with the names of the founders of other religions. They only seem to want to express their anger against the God of the Bible. Only the abuse of His Name feeds the perverse cravings of the sin nature.

Influential German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) leveled some of history’s most scathing attacks on Christianity. In his writings, he shows open contempt for Christians and the church. Yet even Nietzsche makes this curious statement in his essay “The antichrist”: “…there has been only one Christian, and he died on the cross” (section 39). Like Pilate (John 19:4), Nietzsche could find no fault in Jesus, even though he had obviously scrutinized Him very carefully.

“What will I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Christ?” Pilate asked (Matthew 27:22, NIV). It seems that people just can’t leave Jesus alone. They have to deal with Him one way or another. From New Testament times until now, He commands a radical response.

These unbelievers I have mentioned are odd because, even as they deny Him, they unwittingly affirm Him and even prove His claims. God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We were created in His image (Genesis 1:27). We cannot flee from His Spirit (Psalm 139:9). Try though we might, we cannot deny His stamp on us and on all creation.

I spent twelve years of my adult life as an unbeliever, and I was as odd as all the rest. Now, I am happy to report, I am just “peculiar” (I Peter 2:9) because I seek to build everything on Jesus Christ.

Worship before the Throne

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

The 24 elders fall down before Him

and lay their crowns before His Throne.

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian [precious stones]. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.

Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings.

Day and night they never stop saying:

"Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come."

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."

The picture is imperfect and incomplete, not even the "tip of the iceberg." The biblical record is also imperfect and incomplete, being limited to mere words that suggest images of the indescribable glory that John actually saw.

The Bible does say that we are allowed, by the shed blood of Jesus, to approach this Throne of Mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Though He reigns on high, He regards the lowly. And when we enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts and His courts with praise, we join in the Harmony of Heaven, the music of the spheres.

He is the One who is faithful and true. The eternal, uncreated One. The infinite God of infinite worth. The meek yet all-powerful One. The holy and righteous One. The Merciful God Who has prepared for us a Mercy Seat where we can meet with Him. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and loved us, and gave His life for us. The Answer to all our prayers, hopes, and dreams. The Beginning and the End. We know that what He says, He will do.

For now, His appearance is hidden. But one day, the heavens will open, and King Jesus will return. I think about His pleasure as He re-enters Jerusalem, this time not as a humble servant riding on the foal of a donkey, but as King of Kings, re-taking His City and His Throne there.

"The Day of the Master's coming can't be posted on our calendars. He won't call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. About the time everybody's walking around complacently, congratulating each other--"We've sure got it made! Now, we can take it easy!--suddenly everything will fall apart. It's going to come as suddenly as birth pangs to a pregnant woman." I Thessalonians 5:2-3 (The Message)

Why do the Innocent Suffer?

2012-01-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

Up-front answer? I don't know, and I don't like it. But I do know that we live in a fallen world, a mysterious place where good and evil co-exist, where there are beautiful flowers and majestic animals that die, where human beings, who are almost "god-like," "die as men" (Psalm 82:6-7).

The troubling follow-up questions are: "Does God care?" And if He does, "Why doesn't He do something about it?" Without a doubt, God's seeming lack of intervention is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for un-believers. Before my conversion, one of my favorite pasttimes was making Christians squirm. I often threw such questions in their faces.

But now that I am a Christian...well... I still don't have all the answers, so don't hold your breath. I do have some thoughts and observations.

Gustave Doré's dark portrayal of the first fratricide.

Let's start with the first innocent victim. Abel followed his brother into the field, and Cain killed him. Apparently Abel did not know or even suspect the jealousy and anger that was in Cain’s heart. But God did. God had spoken to Cain earlier and had given him the choice to do what was right. He warned him that "sin was crouching at his door like a wild animal and wanted to eat him alive." God would hold Cain accountable for his actions. But Cain nonetheless committed the first pre-meditated murder. Afterwards, God confronted him, he denied it, and then he whined about his punishment. I think God should have killed Cain, but He didn't.

The sin nature. It's still alive and well, everywhere you find human beings, and how well we understand it. Laws, civilization, religion, and some sense of general morality have to some degree kept it in check. But it has a way of springing back to life and bringing death.

Still I ask: as we demand God's intevention to right the wrongs of the world, do we really want Him to intervene? OK, God, take care of the problems, just stay out of my business, don't ask me to do anything, don't tell me what not to do (even if it's for my own good), and don't even talk about changing my heart. That was me for 14 years after I left church. Good-bye and good riddance to those hypocrites. All my energies were later devoted to...me, me and my education, me and my career, me and my time, me and what I wanted, etc. As for saving the world, I was all "talk" and no "do."

I also used to criticize that "angry God" of the Old Testament. I could just self-righteously write off that psycho. That couldn't be God. Give me a God of love who never gets angry. But is that what we really want? Isn't that what unbelievers are criticizing? Because God isn't doing enough, fast enough to rid the world of evil? Judge the sins of others, God, but not mine.

The Prophet Jeremiah spoke to a people given over to the worship of idols, "gods" that required the sacrifice of live infants. Those people's hearts were so depraved that they burned "their children in the fire as offerings to Baal--something I did not command or mention, nor did enter My mind" (Jeremiah 9:5). That's the point, when children are killed, there is no relatively morality. We expect, even demand justice.

In the next verse, God says this place where children were sacrificed will be called the Valley of Slaughter. Centuries later, Jesus gave a fearsome warning to anyone who would harm the innocent, especially children. He also warned about a place called "Gehenna," where "the fire is not quenched." Using an uncomfortably vivid visual illustration, Jesus pointed to that same Valley of Slaughter referred to in Jeremiah. In His day, it was a valley/garbage dump on the outskirts of Jerusalem where waste and the bodies of criminals were burned. It was the Valley of Ben Hinnom, a place of death where the fire never went out. The Romans used it a lot.

Jesus also spoke of a Day of Final Judgment. Both Christians and Muslims believe in that day. Even the Odyssey culminates in the hour of retribution by the gods. Odysseus is their instrument to carry out the punishment and put to death treacherous suitors and unfaithful servants.

Let me pose the most perplexing question of all: Jesus had never done wrong or harmed anyone. On the contrary, He healed and preached a message of hope. He did ruffle more than a few feathers. In fact everywhere He went, He commanded a response, and He always got it. After He raised Lazarus from the dead, His enemies tried to figure out a way to kill Him and Lazarus (which begs the question, how do you kill someone who has power over death? Answer: you don't, unless He allows it).

Jesus was completely innocent. Even Pilate could see that, but Pilate knew about "politics." So why did God allow the Son He claimed to love so much to suffer and die a criminal's death on a cross? (Read Isaiah 53 for a more detailed description of this mystery.) It just wasn't fair. Jesus didn't deserve it, and God should have prevented it.

Gustave Doré's dark portrayal of the crucifixion.

It wasn't fair.

Thank God He didn't. He is a God of justice, and the Final Day will come, and all humanity will give account to Him. I know people who think they are going to call God to account for His sins of omission. Uh...I don't think so.

But for now, we live in the "Year of the Lord's Favor." Later will come the "Day of Vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 61:2). God has shown His love and mercy, offering eternal life to those who repent and believe in His Son, our sin-bearer. Because God loved us so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life in His Presence.

"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24-25)

Return of the King

2011-12-30T09:14:00.000-08:00

This is the way a "King" returns?

At the Roman garrison, the centurion rounds up his men. He's heard a report of a lot of commotion at Jerusalem's eastern gate, talk of some kind of Messiah or King arriving to set the Jews free. The detachment rushes to the scene. The Centurion is the first to arrive. He looks around and what does he see? A big crowd cheering a man riding in on a donkey's colt. He bursts out laughing and dismisses his troops. This is no king, and no threat.

But the commotion continues. The crowd spreads their cloaks and tree branches on the road. They are shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Actually they are saying "Hu (Us) shua (save) na (now)."

"Hosanna! Save us now!" Maybe they are expecting a military deliverer like Gideon. "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" The King of Kings enters in humility on a donkey's colt...this time. And we remember that before the week is out, another crowd will be shouting "Crucify Him!" I always wondered if some in the first crowd were also in the second crowd. You know how fickle peple can be.

Jesus is wildly popular, for the moment. But popularity is not on His mind. He enters the Temple area and with a whip drives out all who are buying and selling there. Some see this scene as Jesus losing His temper and becoming violent (I used to see it that way before I became a Christian). But I would suggest to you that here we see "Divine restraint." Let's face it. He could have literally blown them all away by a simple verbal command.

An example of Divine restraint.

Was He angry at honest businessmen for no reason? We have to understand that the management of the Temple had become a family business, Caiaphas and Anas alternating as high priests. They weren't cozy with the Romans, but the Romans tried to allow locals to govern themselves on a limited basis in order the keep the peace. They knew that the Sanhedrin had some sway with the people.

So they have a really good deal going. Passover is approaching and the devout are coming from all over the world desiring to pray, worship God, and make an offering. But we can't have pagan money in the Temple! No problem! They set up money-changing tables, and make sure everyone's finger is the pie and gets a cut. Sincere, godly people being cheated right there in God's house.

And don't forget the sacrifice. In case you didn't bring a live animal with you on your three-week trip, "STEP RIGHT UP! GET YOUR SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS RIGHT HERE! SPECIAL PASSOVER PRICE!" Temple-Mart?

Jesus was insensed and outraged, as we would expect Him to be. I think it made Him sick to His stomach, so to speak. He overturns the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. I've always thought of this as one of the noisiest scenes in the Bible. Stacks of coins falling on pavement, the moneychangers shouting and scrambling to recover their money, other people scrambling to pick up free money roling everywhere. Talk about chaos and confusion. But apparently Jesus drives them all out.

"It is written," He says to them, "‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.'" Jesus is completely disgusted, but He knows that all this will soon change. As He told the Samaritan woman, a new day is coming when we will not have to go to Jerusalem to worship God. It will be a new day when believers will become the Temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We will worship the Father around the world "in Spirit and in Truth."

The Spirit finds a new dwelling place.

I was reading The Message last night, and noticed the insertion of a single word here that changed my whole view what just happened.

"Now." Now that the Temple has been cleansed. Now that the obstacles and clutter have been removed. Now that the way to God is opened and free.

Now, the blind and the lame come to him at the Temple, and now he heals them. Food for thought. What obstacles in our churches block the way for the needy who come seeking God? How are we quenching the Spirit? Is our priority really to minister to human need? Notice that Jesus is not angry any more. He heals with His usual compassion. Excited children are shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David." Well, now, we can't have children shouting in church, can we? Be seen and not heard; that's how I was raised.

The Chief Priests, who have just lost their cash cow, are indignant. These children were proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of David."

"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they ask Him.

"Yes," Jesus replies, "have you never read, "‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?"

Years ago, a student told me "Oh, if Jesus came back, they would just crucify Him again."

I don't think so.

He will again enter the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem (which has been sealed up since the Ottoman Empire). This time, He will be a definite threat to the world system and the armies of evil. He will arrive in majesty and power and enter the city. That's why the Psalmist exclaimed:

Psalm 24:7-10
Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.

The Return of the King. The "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord." An old hymn says, "Slowly the names in the Book are read. But I know the King, so there's nothing to dread." I have long thought that when King Jesus returns (the Day of Vengeance of our God), you will want to be behind Him, in the army, and not in front of Him, among His enemies. For now, it's not too late to enlist!

God can turn it around! (The story of Hannah)

2011-12-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

"Look upon Your servant's misery."

At prayer meetings, someone often quotes James in the King James, "The effectual, fervent prayer of of righteous man availeth much." Last Wednesday, my pastor corrected King James and said "a righteous person." I agree, but how about the prayers of a "righteous woman?" We all know that without praying women most if not all churches would collapse. And where would we be without our mothers' prayers?

Famous Abraham Lincoln quote: "I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." I rest my case.

I Samuel 1 recounts Hannah's story. Elkanah has two wives, a man who is asking for trouble. He loves both but loves Hannah more and spoils her. She can't give him children, and her "rival" taunts her to tears. Mr. Insensitivity comforts her with something like "But Darling, you have me! I love you more than ten sons!" I'm sure that made her feel much better.

The rival's taunting and Hannah's emptiness go on year after year, until God gives Hannah the blessing of desperation. Or we should say, we are all already more desperate for God than we know, and it's a blessing when God knocks us off our self-sufficient throne and shows us how much we need Him.

Hannah's anguish drives her to continuous tears and to refusing food. She is in a hopeless situation not likely to change. And in "bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD." She decides to initiate a covenant with the Lord (He loves making covenants, by the way). "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

And she keeps on praying, but Eli another model of male insensitivity thinks she is drunk. Have you ever prayed so intensely that others might think you were drunk? Think about the picture (Also at Pentecost, they said they were drunk). Not exactly a "dignified" prayer.

No, Hannah is "a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." Think on that one, "pouring out your sould to the Lord." Ever done that? I think God our merciful Father likes that, too, and the scripture says that "He delights in showing mercy."

She has laid her request at His feet and finally receives Eli's blessing.

It is important to note that she did not go away pregnant (everything in its time) but that " her face was no longer downcast."

Hannah makes good on her promise.

"In the course of time," Hannah becomes pregant and when she has weaned Samuel (means "asked of God"), she presents him to the Lord, fulfilling her part of the covenant.

Hannah worships the God who "can turn it around!"

Hannah prays and says: "My heart rejoices in the LORD." Let's not forget to give thanks and praise when God comes through!

Samuel serves and ministers before the Lord.

In the course of time, she has three more sons and two daughters. That's God for you. He knows about our heartache. And He knows how to bless us.

Later, God calls the boy Samuel at night.

Samuel answers, "Here I am," implying he is God's servant and is prepared to do His will. Do we say "Here I am" or do we hide? Or maybe we complain "Where's God?"

The rest is history. Samuel becomes the Judge of Israel and ministers many years in troubled times. He is a tower of strength, God's prophet, who later anoints David King of Israel. The Messiah comes from the House of David. Question: Could Hannah in her desperation ever have imagined this amazing plan of God? No, because He is able to to "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or imagine."

Lord, show us our desperation, and bring us to Your feet.

Samuel, the last of the Judges,
anoints David, the future King of Israel.
Think about the greatness of God's plan for Hannah!

Are You at Your Wit’s End?

2011-12-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

Psalm 107 – How God expresses His love to desperate people
(Abbreviated & reorganized as a hymn)

The rain is coming...

FIRST STANZA (God’s guidance in the wilderness):
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.

BRIDGE:
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.

CHORUS:
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.

SECOND STANZA (God’s deliverance for our sin):
Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
for they had rebelled against the words of God
and despised the counsel of the Most High.
So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

My chains are gone. I've been set free.

BRIDGE:

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom
and broke away their chains.

CHORUS:
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,
for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.

THIRD STANZA: (God’s salvation for the rebellious):

Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
They loathed all food
and drew near the gates of death.

BRIDGE:
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
He sent forth his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.

CHORUS:
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.

"Storm on the Sea of Galilee," Rembrandt, 1633.

FOURTH STANZA (God’s peace in the storm):
Others went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
They saw the works of the LORD,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunken men;
they were at their wits’ end.

BRIDGE:
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.

CHORUS:

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.

CONCLUDING CHORUS:

Whoever is wise, let him heed these things
and consider the great love of the LORD.

Many years ago, God showed me that this psalm was in fact a hymn with a clear structure and identifiable parts. It pictures 4 desperate situations. There is repetition and a definite pattern. We get into trouble, and it’s our fault. After we are deep into consequences, we remember God and cry out to Him. We wander in deserts. We are prisoners of sin. We reap the whirlwind of our own wrongdoing.

Because God is love and God is good, He responds in our favor. We should consider these things and see God’s great mercy in them.

Only the fourth group seems a little puzzling. Out on the sea, they behold God’s wonders. They are merchants; they don’t appear to have committed a specific sin; perhaps they pridefully consider themselves powerful. But God sends a storm that pushes them past their limits to endure. Money can’t buy them peace.

Have you even been in a storm at sea? I have. This is a pretty good description: “On the huge waves, their ships mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end.”

So is God being loving or cruel when He allows us to come to the “end of our rope.” I have been at what might be better described as at the “end of myself.” It’s not a great place to be, but I think that God doesn’t necessarily see it as a bad thing. At the end of myself, I find the beginning of Him and learn all over again that my strength and my sufficiency are in Him.

"All Things Made New:" The Coming Metamorphosis

2011-12-26T07:27:00.000-08:00

God's message in what He made.

"Metamorphosis." Not a word we use every day, but most of us probably remember it from biology class. There was the change from the caterpillar to the butterfly and from the less glorious polywog to a frog. And of course we go through quite a metamorphosis from embryos to zygotes to babies. Very little similarity between the intermediate stages and the final products.

After tribulation, there's a new world coming; this post is about that new reality. I'm not suggesting I know when this world will end and the new one will come. It's just that Jesus spoke of the latter days as being only "the beginning of the birth pangs." Eventually, we will see a complete transformation and re-ordering of all that we know.

The Bible is not a compilation of fairy tales. Fairy tales are fictions, and yet they represent the deepest yearnings of the human heart, the longing for true love that transforms us, that lifts a curse, that causes a restoration, a metamorphosis:

Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, the Little Mermaid (movie version), the Ugly Duckling, Cinderella, and to an extent Pinocchio, a "non-romantic" version. At the end of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," we see a complete restoration of the Beast, his servants, and his castle, his kingdom. Very nicely done.

More modern popular tales that express the need for restoration and redemption would include "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings." I think even "Avatar" and "Terminator: Salvation" would fall into this category.

A preview?

There is a great teaching in Jesus' transfiguration on the Mount (Matt. 17:1-2). The original Greek says, "He metamorphed" right in front of his disciples. He went from an ordinary, perhaps homely Jewish Rabbi to the Prince of Heaven revealed in blazing glory. John suggests that in the Celestial City or perhaps in the rapture. "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

Paul calls the rapture "a mystery," (something hidden or not revealed). We will all be changed, "in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, [Greek: in an "atomos." How fast might the second hand of a watch sweep an atom?]. That which is "hidden" within me, the glory and power of the Holy Spirit, will suddenly envelop and consume me. Mortality will be clothed with immortality, and death will be swallowed up in victory.

We don't have to be scientists to understand that all things die; all are subject to the universal law of decay and corruption (the Curse). No living thing is immortal because DNA is not; it replicates (but the original eventually dies, like all cells also do). Bottom line: we are unable to renew our molecular structure. But what happens when that Curse is lifted? We put on the power of an indestructible life. Jesus came in a mortal body, just like ours, and His body died, just like ours will. But He was raised to Life, incorruptible. And because He lives, we will live also.

In Revelation, John heard the Lord say, "Behold, I make all things new," and he saw a "New heaven and a New earth."

We will trade a universe that is becoming irreversibly more powerless for one that is powerful beyond measurement or human conception. There will be no "food chain" or death cycles, only life without end because the One who is infinitely powerful will sustain it eternally. I think we will never run out of energy. It appears that hell is a place of the eternal decay of both body and spirit, if we can even imagine that. But God says, "Choose life."

There will be no more death, weeping, pain, suffering or sickness. Please note, doctors, lawyers, police officers, etc. will have to seek a new line of work.

Interesting that John says Heaven is a timeless place. There is no sun, moon, seasons, aging or death; all our traditional time markers will disappear. And without aging and death, who cares about the passing of time? We will also see an complete collapse of the Space-Time Continuum. There will be a reunion of all Christians from all ages and lands, from every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and culture. History and geography will be meaningless.

I am speaking about the Christian hope, which is no naive fairy tale. Millions of believers through the ages have staked their lives, their fortunes, their safety, their families, their reputations, their very souls on the truth of the Gospel. We know about life in a cursed world. By reading God's word, we can do more than imagine. We can celebrate and share the invitation to Life Eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Curse lifted.

Merry Christmas! Here comes God!

2011-12-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. "Nativity [with St Francis and St Lawrence]," 1609. I like this rendition, mostly because Mary looks exhausted, like a woman who has just traveled over rugged terrain and given birth. In some ways, it is brutally realistic, accentuating that it wasn't all halos and clean hay, colorful clothes, and an easy birth. In other ways, it is unrealistic, the not-so-bright angel with the banner and the anachronistic presence of later saints.

The meaning of Christmas has changed for me over time. Fifty years ago, during the month of December, I was completely obsessed with the presents under the tree: how many contained clothes vs. how many had toys in them? But Christmas also meant a rigid code of conduct. I had to be on my best behavior, at least for a few weeks.

Initially, I felt accountable to Santa Claus, that mysterious elf who itemized my naughty deeds all the way from the North Pole. I eventually learned that there is no Santa, but I was still under my parents’ jurisdiction. They used threats of “no presents” and “a bundle of switches” right up to December 24th because for them Christmas did not mean putting up with a loud, hyperactive eight-year-old on the point of a nervous breakdown.

Christmas Eve at Grandma’s was pure misery for me. I hated the way my mom made me dress. I had to take a bath and comb my hair, wear a bright plaid vest and a bow tie, and endure her repeated comments about how handsome I looked. The adults were in no hurry to unwrap anything. Dinner was leisurely and came in courses. Afterwards, the grown-ups would retire to the living room, drink coffee, and talk at length about the “olden days.” For what seemed hours, I would sit by the tree, stare at the presents, and try not to fidget, which got on Grandma’s nerves.

Well, I grew up and became one of those leisurely adults. Nowadays, I don’t want any toys (unless they’re electronic), and I actually prefer clothes. I look forward to family fellowship more than to opening presents. Because I became a Christian in 1977, I mostly think about the ultimate gift: the birth of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, God made flesh.

Christmas means many happy things to many people, but we should always pause to reflect on that first Christmas, which was not altogether joyful. Joseph and Mary were dealing with unreasonable taxation, oppressive Roman rule, prolonged separation from family, rejection by a seemingly heartless world, and extremely humble circumstances. Like us, they were God’s people, swept up in His mission to save humanity, no necessary guarantee of an easy life.

As we travel this season, we should reflect on their hardships, on the arduous 80-mile, 4-5 day trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem, made over rugged terrain, on foot or perhaps on the back of a donkey. Mary was nine-months pregnant. Think about that. And what was their source of income? The Bible does not say. We know that they had no medical insurance or hospital waiting for them and that they found no five-star hotel in Bethlehem. (In point of fact, it was only a one-star stable.)

Joseph and Mary were displaced people, living on the edge, but God was with them. We, too, may have financial problems or troubles with the government; we may be separated from loved ones, on the move, suffering physically, or undergoing diverse hardships. But we always have hope, because even though God may call us out of our comfort zone, He will surely comfort us in time.

On that very dark night, God encouraged Joseph and Mary. The humble stable was quickly flooded with excited shepherds. They relayed a heavenly message that confirmed all that the Lord had previously revealed about this Child. That’s the way He often works. Just when we’ve reached the end of our strength, here comes God, bringing hope and good news. When and where you least expect Him, here comes God, once again proving Himself faithful.

We sing, “Joy to the World, the Lord has come!” The Bethlehem story reminds us He has come and that in His time He will always come to bring help in hardship, hope in our darkest hour.

Merry Christmas! Here comes God!

MIND-BOGGLING MOMENTS IN THE BIBLE: The Birth of Jesus

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

She gave birth to her first-born Son.

The Nativity may be the most imagined and reproduced image in the history of the world. Only image of the crucified and resurrected Christ could rival it. Of course, this simple scene is an offense to the world and to the ACLU. But the real danger is not the disappearance of Christ in the public square (they have never liked Him anyway). No, the greatest tragedy would be if Christians allowed themselves to be numbed to the mystery and wonder of this humble scene, that it would become only a collection of plaster statuettes beneath a tree.

God sends the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary (Hebrew: "Myriam"). He says to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

A mind-boggling revelation for a young, unknown Jewish girl who lives in an obscure part of the world. Mary gets stuck on the first part of the revelation: “How will this be,” Mary asks the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The "how" part of the revelation is equally mind-boggling: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. For nothing is impossible with God [Greek: "No word of God is without power].” Let this statement wash around in your spirit for a while.

Mary humbly obeys God without fully understanding: “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answers. “May it be to me as you have said.” We can all learn a lot here (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child

They travel to Bethlehem. The Bible does not detail the hardships of the journey, especially for a woman in late term, plus the obvious discomfort of giving birth in a stable. While they are there, the time comes for the baby to be born, and she gives birth to her firstborn, a son. She wraps him in cloths and places him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Meanwhile, out in nearby fields, the Armies of Heaven appear suddenly to terrified shepherds. From darkness to "the glory of the Lord," which shines all around them. But the first angel says to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” The angel is joined by "a Heavenly Knighthood" (John Wycliffe, 1330?-1384), warrior angels (probably not the ones with long flowing hair and robes made famous by Christmas cards) praise God and announce peace and Good News.

Diego Velázquez. The Adoration of the Magi. 1619.

Several years later, Joseph and Mary are living in a house in Bethlehem, apparently unable to return to their families in Nazareth. Magi/Wise Men/Kings arrive from the east, following a star. On coming to the house, they see the child with his mother Mary, and they bow down and worship Him. Then they open their treasures and present Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

Kings fall down before a Toddler and worship Him. Mind-boggling. But that's not all: "When God brings His firstborn into the world, He says, 'Let all God's angels worship Him'" (Hebrews 1:6).

Meditating on the mystery and awe of it, keeping it fresh in our spirits, will allow us to celebrate this amazing event that would change the course of history and alter the eternal destinies of millions (billions?). Oh come, let us adore Him.

JONAH: The 180-degree prophet (not temperature, direction)

2011-12-21T07:35:00.000-08:00

Albert Pinkham Ryder, "Jonah" c. 1885

The word came, "Go east," and Jonah immediately boarded a ship going west. I guess he figured he could avoid the Lord (who theoretically lived in Jerusalem). Instead of saying "Here am I, Lord!" he said, "I am out of here, Lord." Tarshish was probably Spain, as far west as anyone knew how to get (It was thought to be the end of the world).

Then the LORD sends a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arises that the ship threatens to break up. Jonah is asleep in the belly of the ship soon to be in the belly of a great fish. The sailors are experienced; they know this is no "normal storm." It is the wrath of a god. They wake him up and tell him to pray to his God.

David says, "Where can I flee from Your Presence?" If you run from God, you will run into Him everywhere you go.

They cast lots to determine the culprit; it falls to Jonah. He confesses: "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." This terrifies them, and they ask, "What have you done?"

At his request, they throw him into the raging sea. As they do this, they apparently end up committing themselves to the Lord, the God of Heaven. So God used Jonah in spite of himself?

"Congratulations, Jonah, you have won a one-way, all expense paid trip back to Israel (with all the fish you can eat)."

The monster swallowed him, and he was inside it for three days and three nights. Did he sleep? Actually it was a "dag" or a "ketos," a sea monster (not the word for “whale"). This is not Pinocchio. I read that men have survived this experience but that they were bleached yellow/white. Whatever it was, it sounds like a slimy, gross, nasty, disgusting experience.

So Jonah was returned east...the hard way. But it is better to be in a monster’s belly and in God’s will than to be in a king's palace outside God’s will.

While in the monster, Jonah prays. Good idea, Jonah. He proclaims,"Salvation is of the Lord."

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARF!

(Click on picture for more detail)2:10 And the LORD speaks to the fish, and it vomits Jonah onto dry land. (Perhaps our prayers need to be a little more specific?)

As the saying goes, “You just can’t keep a good man down.”

Back to square one. “Get out of jail free.’ ‘Return to ‘Go.' God is a God of a second chance. Then the word of the LORD comes to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."

Ninevah had a 100 ft. high wall 60 miles around, 1,200 towers and 120,000 people. Civilized? Not quite. They had a Nazi-like reputation for torture, burying people alive, tearing out tongues of prisoners. A really sweet bunch, easy to love, certainly hot prospects for conversion.

It takes Jonah three days to walk across it. He proclaims: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." An 8-word sermon, and everybody repents in sackcloth, even the King (Is there a lesson here?). An altar call of 120,000? Show me the preacher who wouldn't give his right arm for such a response. And Jonah is really excited.

Not.

Pouting under the gourd tree.

Jonah is ticked. He wanted God to destroy the Ninevites. He said to God, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God." The Lord has shown Jonah grace, but he will not give it. The fish was not enough to change his bad attitude. Now, he is angry with God Himself, just for being merciful.

Jonah goes out east of the city and makes himself a shelter, sits in its shade and waits to see what will happen to the city. "Come on, God, rain down fire!"

But the LORD God graciously provides a vine and makes it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah is very happy about the vine. But at dawn the next day God sends a worm. and the tree withers.

Jonah is angry, angry enough to die. Things are not going to suit him. Pity the plant, punish the people.

But the LORD says, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

The book of Jonah is a message about God’s grace and His imperfect messengers. Us. Our bitterness, prejudice, and ignorance and about our lack of perspective, priority, and focus. This is hardly the the "wrathful" God of the Old Testament.

People are more important to God than things, but we sometimes get it backwards. We also "get on the throne" sometimes and decide who is worthy and who is not. Perhaps we rebel at the call of God and run? Maybe we have a continuous bad attitude?

This "big fish" story is about us and about the U.S. God bless America. May His mercy shine on us. May we be instruments of His peace.

“Who’s in charge of the roller-coaster?”

2011-12-16T14:31:00.000-08:00

Stop! I want off!

Many years ago, I took my then eight-year-old daughter to a carnival. We were very excited and were looking forward to having fun together there for several hours. Elizabeth wanted to ride first on a sort of Ferris wheel, which had cages that spun around as the larger wheel turned. In theory, one could stop the spinning at any time by pressing a handle. When we walked up to the ride, the attendant was squatted on the ground and puffing on a cigarette. He never looked at us directly but just got up, took our tickets and opened the cage door.

After he had secured us and thrown the switch, the machine started rotating, its metal parts shrieking as if they were being tortured. The wheel began turning much faster than I had anticipated, and even worse, I discovered that my control handle didn’t work. I couldn’t stop the cage from spinning. In short order, my daughter was frightened and began to cry. I was a little scared, too. When I intermittently caught a glimpse of the ground, I yelled, “STOP! WE WANT OFF!” After what seemed like an hour, the attendant finally brought the machine to a screeching stop and let us out.

He didn’t say anything, so as I passed him, I quipped, “Heh, heh. The little girl got scared…you know.”

He slammed the cage door shut and grunted, “Yup.”

Life is like a carnival ride at times. We think we are in control when without warning everything seems to go wild, out of control, and we really want just to get off. Of course, there is not always an easy way to do that. I have also heard it said that life can be like a roller-coaster. As the cars make a slow climb, you hear monotonous clicks of metal gears. You can’t see exactly where you are, but without warning, the bottom drops out. You plummet down, fighting the sudden increase in g-force, and everyone screams. Your body is then thrown to the right and then abruptly to the left. You’re scared, but it’s fun. We go to carnivals because we like to flirt with danger, under controlled circumstances, of course. But when life becomes like a roller-coaster, we are not amused, and we cry out, “Can anybody stop this thing?”

This contemporary image recalls another wild ride recounted in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus was asleep in a small fishing boat with His disciples when a violent storm suddenly came upon them (8:23-27). His friends were terrified (they had no seatbelts or safety handles). The winds and waves were tossing them about; they were possibly bailing hard and shouting at each other. In today’s language, we would say they were “freaking out.” Finally, they awoke Jesus, accusing Him of not even caring that they were about to drown (Mark 4:38).

It's over when Jesus says it's over.

Jesus got up, rebuked the storm, and in the twinkling of an eye turned the raging waters into a tranquil, mirror-like surface. He then rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. The storm had come up quickly, but He had also calmed it quickly. Jesus can turn things around fast.

Some storms last a lot longer. For example, Paul was a prisoner on a ship that endured hurricane-force winds for several weeks (Acts 27). In that instance, Jesus did not still the tempest immediately, but He did appear to Paul, assuring the apostle that he would survive the ordeal. And because God is with us in all our trials, we will survive them, too (Isaiah 43:2).

When our lives seem out of control, faith recognizes that Jesus is in the boat with us, in control of the storm, and in charge of “the roller-coaster of life.” Yogi Berra said about baseball games: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” In the context of the Christian faith I would add: “It ain’t over ‘til Jesus says it’s over, but when Jesus says it’s over, it’s over for good.”

Who is this Holy Spirit?

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove. Matthew 3:16

The Holy Spirit is one of the many mysteries of the Christian faith. How can God on His throne "send forth His Spirit?" We can't do that. At the cross, Jesus "dismissed His Spirit." We can't do that either.

The question, "Who is He? is worth asking." And it is worth meditating on what the scriptures say about Him.

He is the one "called along side" us to comfort and counsel us, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus. This is only a partial list, but a place to start.

Who is this Holy Spirit, this Wind of God, this River of Fire, Who

--moved upon the face of the waters at creation. Genesis 1:2

--gives life. Job 33:4

--is poured out from on high. Isaiah 32:15

--causes sons and daughters to prophesy and old men to dream dreams and young men to see visions. Joel 2:28

--led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Matthew 4:1

--speaks through us before governors and kings. Matthew 10:20

--casts out devils. Matthew 12:28

--anointed Jesus to preach the gospel to the poor and sent Him
to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised. Luke 4:18

--gives new birth from above. John 3:5

--indwells the Christian. John 14:17

--teaches us all things, and brings all things to our remembrance. John 14:26

--guides us into all truth. John 16:13

--glorifies not Himself, but Christ. John 16:14

The precious gift from heaven.

--fills believers and empowers them to do things supernaturally that they could never do naturally. Acts 2:4

--sets us free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2

--leads us. Romans 8:14

--bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Romans 8:16

--helps our infirmities and makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26

--empowers believers to perform mighty signs and wonders. Romans 15:19

--sancitifies us. 1 Corinthians 6:11

--imparts spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:8

--baptizes us all into the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13

--writes the epistle of Christ on our hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3

--gives liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17

--produces in believers: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. Galatians 5:22

--is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption. Ephesians 1:14

--gives us access to the Father. Ephesians 2:18

--seals us unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30

--uses the Word of God as His sword. Ephesians 6:17

--quickened Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 3:18

--talks to churches. Revelation 2:7

--extends the invitation to all to "come and drink of the water of life, freely." Revelation 22:17

Come, descend on our churches.

Who is this Holy Ghost, this Breath of the Almighty, Who is called

--the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and
of the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:2

--the Comforter that abides with us forever. John 14:16

--the Spirit of Truth, proceeds from the Father and testifies of Jesus. John 15:26

--the Spirit of holiness. Romans 1:4

--the Spirit of life. Romans 8:2

--the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Romans 8:15

--the Spirit of the Son. Galatians 4:6

--the Eternal Spirit. Hebrews 9:14

--the Spirit of Grace. Hebrews 10:29

--the Spirit of Christ. 1 Peter 1:11

--the Spirit of glory. 1 Peter 4:14

Do we know all we need to know about Him?

He welcome in our hearts and in our church?

FROM BITTERNESS TO BLESSING: The Restoration of Naomi

2011-12-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

"Naomi entreating Ruth." William Blake, 1795

Though the book is called "Ruth," it focuses on Naomi, an extraordinary woman who inspires extraordinary love and devotion. Naomi never stops believing in God but does question His purposes and motives. She is like a female Job.

And as in the story of Job, things go from Bad to Worse to the Unthinkable. Why, God? First, Naomi and her family flee to Moab because of a famine in Bethlehem (ironically, means "the House of Bread.") Where is "God the Provider?" Later, Naomi's husband dies, but she has two sons. They marry but die 10 years later, leaving Naomi with "nothing." Like Job, she is stripped of everything precious to her, and we don't want to minimize her pain. Can you imagine losing everyone in your family like Job and Naomi?

Then word arrives that God is again blessing Israel, and Naomi wants to go home. She heads out with her two daughters-in-law. On the road, she tells them: "Go back to your mothers' homes instead of coming with me. And may the LORD reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me." You see? She still believes in the Lord but has serious doubts the goodness of His plan for her.

"No," they cry. "We want to go with you to your people."

But Naomi replies sarcastically, "Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands?"

She continues, "Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD himself has caused me to suffer."

It's an emotional scene. They have lost their husbands, but she has lost her husband and her sons. Naomi is bitter, not full of faith in a good God. She never denies His existence. But her assumption that He wants her to suffer leads to even more anger toward Him.

Ever feel like God has left you empty?

Here you have the platform, the edge of the cliff, the jumping-off place to bitterness. It's a strange combination of faith without personal hope. Naomi loses perspective on God and on His kind purposes.

But God’s plan to bless Naomi in her suffering has only begun. Determined to go with her, Ruth makes a famous vow: "Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. I will die where you die and will be buried there. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!"

A wow vow! One so powerful that it is used to this day in wedding ceremonies. Whither thou goest I will go…and may only death separate us. Naomi is blessed to have a daughter-in-law like Ruth, who is an indispensable part of His desire to restore her. But Naomi is not thinking clearly.

When they come to Bethlehem, the entire town is stirred by their arrival. "Is it really Naomi?" the women ask.

But her bitterness is showing. "Don't call me Naomi ["Pleasant"]," she tells them. "Instead, call me Mara ["Bitter"], for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me home empty. Why should you call me Naomi when the LORD has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy?"

Enter Boaz, the kinsman redeemer,
far more than Ruth or Naomi bargained for.

Everyone observes Ruth’s devotion and her many virtues, especially Boaz, who later takes Ruth as his wife. (Ruth was a very hard worker. I'm sure that was the first thing that caught his attention.)

They give birth to a son. The neighbor women say, "Now at last Naomi has a son again!" And they name him Obed. He becomes the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.

Restoration from the God Who will restore "what the locusts have eaten" (Joel 2:25)! All the while, God was blessing Naomi and had plans to continue, but she just couldn't see it.

You may have experienced loss, suffering and confusion in your past. God is not the author of evil. But we know that everything is subject to His orchestration by His amazing grace. His invisible hand causes all things to work together for good (Romans 8:28).

God subtly and patiently weaves life patterns for His purposes for us. My hind-sight is 20-20. I praise Him for all He has done. I just don't understand what is going on right now.

The song says, "When you don't see His hand, trust His heart."

GUTSY WOMEN IN THE BIBLE: Queen Esther, "for such a time as this"

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Esther, a powerless Jew in captivity,

becomes Queen of the most powerful empire on earth,

"for such a time as this."

God can put you anywhere, even in charge of a pagan empire (Daniel, Joseph). For such a time as this, you have been placed where you are. The story of Esther is a great one. It is a picture of a merciful God coming through in a hopeless situation, no, better said, a picture of God anticipating the fiery trial and planning redemption before the situation ever occurred.

Ahasuerus is rich, filthy rich. He is in a really good mood and decides to throw a king-size party with gobs of food and wine overflowing. Everyone can legally get as schnockered as they please. (They are warned not to drink and later drive a chariot.) It is the ultimate in "Hedonism" or living for no purpose but pleasure.

So King A. decides he wants his babe, Vashti, at his side. She refuses. I don't know why. The opportunity to cuddle and kiss a fat, drunk, slobbering guy with gout and major bad breath seems almost irresistible.

So the King orders a search for beautiful virgins. The wiinner would be his wife. I think the Miss America Pageant is a vast improvement over this; at least she stays a "Miss." Esther makes the list of the seven finalists. And they all have to attend beauty school for a year: "six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours." The mind boggles.

The King found it hard to send her away.

But Esther is chosen as Mrs. Persia without having to answer any stupid questions: "And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen."

Meanwhile, Esther's uncle Mordecai offends a egotistical and ambitious court official named Haman because Mordecai won't bow to him. "And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath." Haman uses his influence with the King to order a slaughter of the Jews.

Mordecai challenges Esther save her people by interceding with the King, an action that according to law would mean her immediate death. No one appeared before the King without being invited. Mordecai adds those famous words: "Who knows but you have come to the throne for such a time as this?"

Gutsy, beautiful Esther sends a message to her uncle Mordecai asking him and others to fast and pray for three days. She and her maidens will do he same. She is totally committed to entering the King's presence with her request: "...and if I perish, I perish."

Esther "decks herself out" to the max and walks boldly into the throneroom. The King takes one look at her and shouts, "Whooooa, HEE-lloo!" or the Persian equivalent. He extends his golden sceptre, a sign of his favor. When he offers her half of his kingdom, it gives the impresssion that Esther was a knock-out beyond description.

But isn't this the story of the Bride of Christ? No one can see God and live. Except His beautiful bride that He has prepared through the blood of His Son. When we enter the King's presence, He extends the golden sceptre of Grace, and we are safe and loved in His Presence.

"Busted!" Jan Victors, 1640's (My caption, not Victors').

Esther asks not for half of the kingdom but only a small banquet to include Haman, whose ego is so huge that he expects to be honored again and again by the Queen. Haman is building a gallows for Mordecai, but Haman ends up having to parade Mordecai through the streets, proclaiming that "this is how the King honors a man." Later, Esther denounces Haman before the King as the person out to destroy her people. That didn't set well with a drunk King in love with his queen. Haman ends up hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai. God’s man is honored. The wicked man dies in humilliation.

Esther was beautiful physically and spiritually. We don't know what she looked like, but she left a legacy of obedience to God, of courage and of self-sacrifice. She was like Mary when the angel had revealed God's plan to her: "Behold, the handmaiden of the Lord. Let it be unto me according to your word." Like the beautiful, virtuous woman of Proverbs 31.

"Who can find a virtuous woman? Her price is far above rubies."

A sketch, but I doubt any artist could capture her beauty.

WHEN GOD SHOWS UP: He calls. We have a crisis.

2011-12-05T08:00:00.001-08:00

Charlton Heston will always be Moses in my mind.

Moses was not looking for God, but God was waiting for Him.

Do you remember 40 years ago? 1970. What was the world like then? What was your world like then? It was a very different world, and I was a different person. I have a lot of fading memories. All the more so if I am trying really hard to forget them.

Moses had been on the back side of the desert tending sheep for 40 years. Doesn't sound very exciting. He had had all the excitement he wanted when he left Egypt and Pharaoh's household having killed an Egyptian. Talk about a 180 degree shift the opposite direction.

I doubt Moses is thinking about God or Egypt much these days. He has a comfortable routine of not thinking about anything but sheep. Everything looks the same in the desert, and let's face it, sheep all look the same--dull. Not much new to report. But Moses has been noticing something unusual out of the corner of his eye for several days. Lots of bushes ignite in the desert heat, but one bush just keeps burning and burning and burning.

So, spiritual man that he is, he says, "I'll go check this out--a burning bush that does not burn up!"

Then, GOD SHOWS UP. He calls to Moses (Remember the movie and God's really deep, ultra-slow voice?)

“Do not come any closer,” God says. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hides his face, because he is afraid to look at God. Not exactly who he was expecting to run into that day.

Holy ground.

God tells Moses about what's going on in Egypt, the place he left 40 years ago and doesn't want to hear about. God's people are suffering in slavery, and He has heard their prayers. He is about to move.

Moses, face in the dirt, mutters, "Great! Thanks for sharing that! Now can we change the subject?"

Then, God drops the bomb: "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Moses has a crisis and starts babbling excuses, and God patiently answers every one:

Excuse #1 – I’m nobody!
Answer #1 – I will be with you.

Excuse #2 – I don’t know enough!
Answer #2 – I will give you revelation.

Like Jacob, Moses is not exactly a spiritual giant, at least not when God first finds him. Our excuses haven’t changed much. And God's answer is always the same: I am sending you, and I will be with you. I will reveal all you need to know.

Then, God goes to the bottom line: “Go," outlining the plan of deliverance for Israel. But Moses hadn't seen "The Ten Commandments" all the way to the end, so he blurts out more excuses. I mean, let's give Moses credit: He knew personally how impossible the task was. He knew Pharaoh's court, his power, and his ego. Pharaoh was a god in his own mind.

"Hey, Pharaoh! Remember me? Your buddy, Moses? I'm here representing the real God that you don't know and don't care about, who wants you to release all your free labor. You know, the slaves you are using to build monuments to your monumental ego?" [I heard this insight in a sermon years ago.]

Why shoot! That sounds like a piece of cake! A walk in the park. A suicide mission. Moses protests, with more than a little knowledge of the Egyptian situation:

Excuse #3 – I will fail!
Answer #3 – You can’t fail.

Excuse #4 – I’m not qualified!
Answer #4 – I have qualified you.

Excuse #5 – Send someone else!
Answer #5 – I just might.

Excuse #6 – I'm not a good speaker. I stutter!
Answer #6 – Your brother, Aaron, will speak for you.

And, yep, God wins this debate. Moses gets over his crisis and goes. And through the "Books of Moses," we watch God transform him, use him, and bless him for another 40 years. Moses becomes the bearer of the Law, a miracle worker, an intercessor for a stiff-necked people, a mediator willing to go to hell for them.

Wow, God. I guess You know best.

A bush that was burning but did not burn to a crisp.

WHEN GOD SHOWS UP: He Calls Us from Defeat to Victory - Gideon

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Angel of the Lord: "The Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior!"

Gideon: "You talkin' to me?"

Israel cries out to God because of the oppression of the Midianites. It got that bad. Reminds me of a church meeting in which someone said, "Maybe we should pray." A lady asked, "Has it come to that?"

Because the Midian occupation is so bad, the Israelites are hiding out in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds (of fear?). The Midianites are like consuming locusts, too numerous to count.

The people of God are living in defeat. The enemy is having his way and running wild in the Land of Promise. It's a good picture of the Devil stealing every blessing you have. At this point, a solution of any kind seems impossible. So they cry out to God...you know...whatever works in a pinch.

God chooses Gideon to solve the problem (and he’s a poor choice). He is angry, depressed, hiding out in fear, threshing wheat is a large winepress so the enemy won't spot him. He is a picture of defeat.

Until GOD SHOWS UP.

The angel of the LORD appears to Gideon, and says, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” Talk about calling things that are not as though they were.

Gideon still has an attitude. "Oh really?" he replies. "Well, if that is true and the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about? But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”

Gideon does not understand why this has happened and is mad at God. God doesn’t explain anything to him. He just calls him.

Like Moses, Gideon feels inadequate: “But Lord,” Gideon asks, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Good point, but God will do the work and be with him, as He was with Moses, as He is with us.

In spite of everything, Gideon continues to feel insecure and asks for signs and confirmation, a fleece miracle, a fire miracle.

Gideon asks for a sign.

The Angel of the Lord touches

the sacrifice on the altar,

and it is consumed in fire.

Finally he rallies the troups, and God whittles them down to 300 against an uncountable army.

Pre-battle speech:

Gideon: "We're going to attack the Midianites!!!"
Army: "Yeah! Huah, huah, huah!" They raise their swords in the air.
Gideon: "Uh, you won't be needing those."
Army: "Okay! Yeah! Huah, huah, huah!" They raise their spears into the air.
Gideon: "Mmmm. You won't be needing those either. OK, everybody go ask your wife for a pitcher..."
Army: "We're going to break pitchers on their heads?"
Gideon: "No, but you will put a torch in each pitcher and break it on my command. Also, bring a shofar horn (שופר) and be ready to blow hard and shout"

No, it didn't seem to make good military sense. But the plan is beyond brilliant.

It is pitch dark. The Midianites are asleep, possibly drunk. They are confident in their numbers and don't expect a surprise attack from people who have been hiding in caves.

Gideon and the three hundred men with him reach the edge of the camp. They blow their trumpets and break the jars that are in their hands. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets, they shout, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” And they blow and blow and blow

Another of God's successful but "unorthodox" battle plans.

Now, can you imagine, you're asleep (or drunk) in the middle of the night, and you're suddenly roused from sleep by flames everywhere, horns blowing, and men shouting? You are disoriented and frightened. All the Midianites turn tail and flee. And the people of God, though they have sinned, return to God, victorious.

God calls. We obey, not leaning on our own understanding. He often does call us down roads that do not make any sense, at least not at the time.

Would God say to us now, "Come out of the cave where you are hiding. Walk with Me into the unknown. I am with you, mighty warrior!"

("Are you talkiin' to me?")

WHEN GOD SHOWS UP: He is a Spring of Hope in a Desert of Despair - Hagar

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

Adriaen van der Werff, "Sarah presenting Hagar to Abraham."
Did she feel like she was being used?

Abram and Sarai have waited on God for 10 years. Still, no baby. "Come on, God! We're not getting any younger here!"

OK, time to give God some help since He obviously needs it. Sarah thinks, "God is still keeping me from having children." Then she has a bright idea. "I know! I'll have Abe sleep with my maidservant, Hagar. She's young and healthy, and I can build a family through her."

3,650 days. Faith is faltering. We're tiired of waiting on God. "Sleep with her," Sarai commands Abram. Being the obedient husband and man of faith that he is, Abram agrees. Later, Hagar conceives.

When Hagar learns that she is pregnant, she begins to despise her mistress. Maybe she feels like she has been used? She was a powerless female slave. No one asked her permission. And now, she is going to have the baby of a man she may not have even loved.

Then, Sarai corners Abram, "I'm suffering and it's your fault. You got her pregnant and now she despises me. "OK," says decisive and compassionate Abram, "do whatever you want with her."

You know, we could just wish that God would have cleaned up His book a little, made His saints look a little more saintly?

So Sarai starts hasseling and mistreating Hagar and finally, Hagar runs away. And now, the helpless slave woman is on her own, a "single mom," so to speak. She runs into the desert, probably in desperation. She has been rejected, abused, and mistreated by two of God's covenant people. She has no potential worth or value except to be a slave to someone else. She has been thrown out like trash.

Hagar runs and runs, probably carrying her infant son. She is soon exhausted and thirsty. (If this isn't "hitting bottom," I don't know what is.) But then she finds a spring in the desert. She finds the Lord.

"I have seen the Living One who sees me!"

God pulls back the one-way curtain (He always sees us, but we don't always see Him). He reveals Himself to her near a spring that is beside the road to Shur.

Though He already knows the answer, He asks her, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"

"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answers.

Then the angel of the Lord gives Hagar a startling command and an amazing promise: "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." He adds, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."

On the basis of this revelation, Hagar "names" God: "You are the God who sees me." She goes on, "At this well, I have seen the One who sees me." That is why the well was called "Beer Lahai Roi [The well of the Living One who sees me."]

Jesus was a friend to sinners, to social rejects, to many who had even been despised by the religious establishment. But God sees people differently than we do. Hagar felt worthless, but God had His hand on her and was WATCHING HER in all her ways. He pulls back the curtain to show her--and us--that we cannot always see Him but that He is the Living One who sees us.

We may be worthless to the world, but we are important to God. We may be ignored by the world, but we are seen by God.

Whatever you are going through, remember this: He knows. He sees. He cares. He has a plan.

WHEN GOD SHOWS UP: What Happens When the Lord of Glory Pulls Back the "Curtain" - Job

2011-12-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

God speaks out of a whirlwind.
William Blake, Engravings,
the Book of Job (1803-1805).

In the first chapters of Job, the "curtain" is pulled back, and God shows us a few moments in heaven; this should answer a lot of questions, but the brief scenes only raise more questions. In the middle of the book, Job and his friends ask a lot of ignorant questions. In the final chapters, God shows up on earth. Speaking through a whirlwind, He answers no questions from men but rather asks a long series of unanswerable questions. He sets the record straight. That's one important thing that happens when God shows up. Maybe we just enjoy being self-deluded and self-righteous.

Initially, God brags to the devil about His righteous servant, Job. Then He and Satan enter into a strange war of nerves, a sort of chess game in which Job seems to be a pawn. Job loses everything and suffers. But in spite of all, Job does not ascribe evil to God. He does, however, cry out with a number of very reasonable questions like "Why?" and "Where's God in this?"

Job's friends diagnose the reasons for his suffering and presume to speak for God. Conclusion: Job has sinned greatly to merit so great a punishment. Later, God tells Job's friends they did not speak for Him. But He apparently thinks that Job had a few good things to say, like maybe "I know that my Redeemer lives" or "Even if He kills me, I will trust Him."

About chapter 38, "Gawwd shows uuuup:" "Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?"

Now, the sovereign King is asking impossible, humbling questions with a somewhat sarcastic tone. He
describes God-like activity and then asks how we can be so presumptuous as to imagine ourselves smarter and more powerful than He. By the way, there is no scientific answer for anything God asks. Read the list yourself.

God also mentions his "minor" creations, Behemoth and Leviathan, monstruous giants to men. He created them and invites Job to tangle with them. Leviathan, by the way, is not a crocodile, but a fire-breathing dragon (read the description carefully). God says facetiously, "You fight with him, and your will remember the experience, and you won't ever fight him again."

God describes Behemoth. William Blake.

Then Job answered the LORD: “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.
I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more.”

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm: "Adorn yourself with glory & splendor, & clothe yourself in honor and majesty. Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at every proud man and bring him low,look at every proud man and humble him, crush the wicked where they stand...Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you." Like, "Who do you think you are...God?"

The God who loves Job and brags on him in the early chapters is here the God who loves him and humbles him, and finally the God who loves him and restores and blesses him.

When God shows up, He reveals the truth about Himself and about us: our presumptuousness, our pride. Maybe that's why we don't want God to show up. When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

The truth can be disturbing. Being in denial is fun. Judging others is even more fun. Just ask Job's friends.

WHEN GOD SHOWS UP: He Makes Mind-Blowing Promises

2011-12-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

Pregnant, at 90? Her hubby was 100? She laughed!

God shows up near the great trees of Mamre. Abraham bows low to the ground. He offers the three visitors hospitality.

They ask, “Where is your wife Sarah?” they ask him.

“There, in the tent,” he says.

Then the LORD says, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

You see? When God shows up, He is armed with blessings, promises, and gifts for believers. But this particular promise is not completely new to Abraham; it is based on a previous mind-blowing promise, that a great nation from Abraham beginning with a son; he was 75. The promise was good but Abraham had to wait for the "fullness of His time." And so do we.

But God hears the “laughter” of unbelief: Sarah is listening at the entrance to the tent. Sarah is past the age of childbearing (menopause). So she laughs to herself as she thinking, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.” God doesn't miss a thing.

Sarah is afraid and lies to God. "I didn't laugh out loud!"

But God says, "Yes, you did.” Is there a lesson here?

But God only gives her a mild rebuke: her unbelief is not scoffing but the result of a long period of disappointment and hopelessness. And God reveals a great truth: "Nothing is too hard for the Lord!" Not for Him who calls things that are not as though they were, He who called the universe into existence. He calls us to believe the unbelievable, the unlikely, the impossible.

Sarah, not a grandmother, but a mother.

Genesis 21:1-3: "Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him."

In Romans 4:18-21, Paul puts this into perspective for Christian believers: "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised."

WHEN GOD SHOWS UP: What happens when the Lord of Glory pulls back the "curtain."

2011-11-29T05:28:00.000-08:00

He shows up as only God can...

As I recall, Lt. Dan exclaimed something in anger like "Where's God anyway!" And Forrest Gump commented, “About that time, Gawwwwd showed uuuup.” A fierce storm hit their ship and threatened to destroy it, but ironically, the storm resulted in their sudden prosperity.

God is always here. He is "Adonai Shammah," "The Lord who is present." But HE most often works “behind the scenes” in an invisible realm. He does so in the Bible and in our world, so much so that believers often see His handiwork and rejoice, but unbelievers see nothing; most do not know or believe in anything supernatural.

Nonetheless, He "shows up" in many dramatic, special, supernatural, spectacular ways. In the Old Testament, God reveals Himself in many forms. He speaks once through a burning bush, later out of a whirlwind, and to Elijah in a gentle whisper. When God showed up, something significant happened or was about to happen, something we need to pay attention to.

In the New Testament, God showed up in the form of a servant. Jesus did not show up as a storm, but He did show up in the storm, and He stilled the storm by His command. He showed up after His death, alive again, having conquered the grave. He appeared in a dramatic way to Saul of Tarsus. At Pentecost, he Holy Spirit, previously likened to a dove, shows up, manifesting flames of fire and the sound of a rushing mighty wind.

Saul found Him hard to ignore.

On such occasions in the Bible, God shows up in power, majesty, or in some dramatically visible way; he pulls back the "curtain" that separates the invisible world from the natural one. He gives those on earth a glimpse of heaven and Himself on the throne. There is a temporary, but definite open door, as in Revelation. When God shows up in the Bible, "something big is fixing to happen," as Texans would put it. There will be miracles, revelation, callings, wisdom, changed lives, revival, judgment, and much more.

My intent is to study these instances in the scripture and meditate on the specific "theophony," the apparent reason for it, and its results. Maybe in our hearts we will want Him to appear and be ready when He does.

If God “showed up” in your church, what would that look like? Would everyone be comfortable with it? Would there be changes? If God “showed up” in your life, what would happen? Would you "love His appearing" or would you find it disturbing? Would it upset your plans?

God can manifest Himself in any way He chooses, but no matter how spectacular the revelation, there will be some who will miss Him completely and see nothing or explain it away. That's what many unbelievers have done with Jesus' miracles ever since He did them. Remember that on Pentecost, the disciples were thought to be drunk.

So should we not desire that God show up? Should we not pray for the Holy Spirit to be poured out? What will happen if we do? Will God send a snake, a stone, or a scorpion? Or as Jesus said, "Shall He not give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?"

Are we satisfied with business as usual? Or are we afraid that if God showed up, life would never be the same? Warning: the Logos showed up taking on the form of a man, a slave, and the world hasn't been the same since.

WHEN GOD SHOWS UP: Breaking and Blessing - Jacob

2011-11-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

"Jacob Wrestling With the Angel," Gustave Doré, 1855

While trying to teach my 8-year-old grandson how to play tennis, I gave him easy lobs, of which he returned about 10%. When he hit one back, I pretended that I couldn't get to it. Thought it would boost his self-esteem. Later, I heard him bragging to a friend: "Oh, I can beat my grandpa in tennis!" I pursed my lips, looked at him, and thought, "OK, Thomas, let's take another trip to the court. I love you, but you need a lesson in humility."

Maybe in some small way this reflects how God deals with us.

Jacob fled his native land, having cheated his brother, Esau, out of his father's blessing. He ran to family in Haran and there met more than his match, a far more experienced and craftier deceiver, Uncle Laban.

Jacob now returns home older and wiser, but still filled with guilt after so many years and worried about Esau's probable angry revenge. But God was true to His promise; Jacob is coming back to the land. He had been with him everywhere he went. Now, Jacob is wealthy, and he has a big family. And now, he is ready for a face-to-face meeting with Yahweh, the God of New Beginnings.

In his fear, Jacob sends gifts to Esau, trying to pacify him. He sends messages ahead, proclaiming himself Esau's servant. He sends everyone else in his entourage across the river and stays the night on the other side. He is understandably afraid that he will get what he deserves. Jacob desperately needs an encounter with the God of Abraham. And GOD SHOWS UP, but the experience is not warm and fuzzy.

A mysterious man wrestles with Jacob until daybreak. When the man sees that he cannot not overpower him, he touches the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip is wrenched as he wrestles with the man. P.S., a "man" who can supernaturally reach inside another man's hip and touch it cannot be beaten in anything by a mere mortal. Such a "man" would have to be God.

Then the man says, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replies, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Rembrandt (1659). The angel doesn't appear
to be working all that hard.

Jacob did not beat God; he prevailed with God. Note his determination, his tenacity: "I will not let go of God until I get a blessing!" Think about the Syro-Phoenician woman, Jairus, the woman with the issue of blood, the woman pleading with the unjust judge, the friend persistently knocking on the door. They didn’t care about "bugging God." They sought a blessing and would not relent. These are people Jesus identified as having "great faith."

In all these stories, witness the persistence of the believer, wrestling with God in prayer, believing that God is "a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Jacob stole his brother’s blessing by deceit, but now he has a blessing from God that he has fought for.

Jacob comes out of the struggle blessed but a little broken, having experienced pain. He will liimp to testify of his dependence on God. Maybe we all need a limp?

The man asks him, “What is your name?” [God already knows it. He is about to change it]

“Jacob [heel-catcher, deceiver]”

Then the man says, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel [God fights], because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”

Jacob says, “Please tell me your name.”

But He replies, “Why do you ask My name?” (What? Isn’t it obvious?) Then he blessed him there.

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

"Struggling with God" is possible only because He allows it. We don't call the shots. He does. To struggle with God Almighty seems a little strange, but it is the complete opposite of apathy toward God.

In Colossians 4:12, Paul speaks about "Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you."

Faith can never be apathetic. Faith presses on and wrestles with God. The scripture seems to indicate that God likes this and will bless it every time. Sound good? Be warned, if you follow hard after Him, you might end up a little broken and a lot more dependent on God.

"The sun rises above Jacob as he passes Peniel, and he is limping because of his hip."

What I Learned About Christian Courage from "Lord of the Rings"

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Though I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death...

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet.

"Lord of the Rings" is about whether Frodo Baggins can deliver the “Ring of power” to the Cracks of Doom. In view of the rapidly increasing presence of evil beings throughout Middle Earth, complete victory becomes indispensable. It is the only way to defeat Sauron.

To succeed, both Frodo and Aragorn must demonstrate at least three levels of courage: a. the courage to make the initial choice to go into harm’s way and confront evil; b. the courage to persevere under brutal pressure and stay true to one’s calling, resisting the power of the Ring; and c. the courage to face deadly peril, ultimate evil, even “the devil himself,” without faltering. Tolkien also portrays courage as being expressed through obedience and faithfulness to one’s particular calling. Providence defines Aragorn’s role as a “Sword-bearer” called to show courage in combat, but Providence casts Frodo as the “Ring-bearer” charged with the responsibility of delivery of the Ring to the hellish "cracks" which are close to Sauron and under his vigilance.

Early on, the novel focuses on the inner struggles of the Ring-bearer, Frodo, and the Sword-bearer, Aragorn. Each is “en route” to destiny, but both have serious misgivings about their relationship to the objects of power entrusted to them and how they will perform if called to further confrontation with evil. It is clear that they must resolve inner conflicts before moving to external or open conflict with armies of Orcs.

The courage to stand in the evil day.

Through the Palantír (a sort of "crystal ball"), Aragorn confronts Sauron. Though Aragorn was shaken by the experience, he reports that he reminded Sauron of Isildur and showed him the “blade that had been reforged.” The encounter filled Sauron with doubt and fear. Aragorn "looks the devil in the eye" and makes him blink. As he "steps up," Aragorn becomes a picture of the decisiveness and fearlessness befitting a king.

Although Frodo makes courageous decisions and endures hardship along the way, he succumbs at the critical moment. Ironically, Gollum completes the mission. Thus, Tolkien presents “The Pilgrims’ Progress” as very different people (and elves, hobbits, and dwarves) join forces to defeat the enemy. As a veteran of war, Tolkien understood all three stages of courage: choice, endurance, and confrontation. The Ring does not confer courage. One can only emerge courageous from the fires of testing, the furnace of affliction.

It is interesting that both the sword and the Ring are metal objects that have been forged with intense heat. Aragorn’s courage shines forth in the heat of battle. Frodo’s results are not quite so spectacular, although they are measurable. He mostly chose wisely to accept his calling and mostly showed courageous endurance under fire. However the reader may evaluate his performance, he is at novel’s end called to a higher level in his pilgrimage.

The ultimate battle and the ultimate Victor.

In fact, Jesus passed through all the phases of courage I am highlighting: He made the decision to come to the "battlefield" (Philippians 2). He endured to the end (Hebrews 12). He resisted the tempting power of the devil himself (Matthew 4; Luke 4). He suffered the cross and defeated death, hell, and the devil. Jesus wore “the red badge of courage.” I learn a lot about courage from Him.

Do you believe in coincidences or in ‘God-incidences’?

2011-11-26T07:59:00.000-08:00

María Stella Walsh, born-again Christian

In 1968, Ignacio and I were students in the same advanced literature course at Southwest Missouri State. Even though he was very bright, Ignacio often slept in class, which really irritated our professor. When I visited my friend in his dorm room, I could see that Ignacio’s family was well-off. He had no visible means of support, yet he bought dozens of very expensive books weekly. He had them stacked everywhere, leaving almost no floor space. After college, I lost track of Ignacio.

Fifteen years later, I was a professor at the University of Houston and a new Christian. I regularly shared my faith with my classes, a practice that some there found offensive. One lady seemed particularly affected by my testimony. After the semester’s end she cornered me in a hall near my office. Stella fired tough questions at me, like: How can Jesus be the only way to God? Why do the innocent suffer? Isn’t being “born again” just an emotional experience?

She didn’t seem convinced by my responses. But after exhausting her list of questions she just stood there quietly, staring at the floor. By the depressed look on her face, one might have thought that I had defeated her in the debate. I’m not sure why, but I decided to ask, “Stella, would you like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now?”

Much to my surprise, she looked up and said, “That is exactly what I want to do!”

I led her in a prayer, and in a brief moment of time, the same Jesus she had been questioning made Himself very real to her. Her face now radiated something startlingly new. She had been transformed by the power of God.

Stella later invited me to come to her church to witness her baptism. Before the service, we were chatting, and I asked her about her background. She mentioned she had a brother who lived in California but had attended college in Missouri. Without initially seeing any possible connection, I asked, “Oh? And what’s his name?”

“Ignacio.”

I’m sure my eyes got really big. I didn’t even need to ask her maiden name. I looked at her, as if for the first time, and saw the clear family resemblance. Stella was Ignacio’s sister! Coincidence? Or God-incidence? But wait, that’s not all!

In the late ‘80s, I was on a long, boring international flight. I was flipping through the airline’s official magazine for the fifth time when I looked up and saw a man slowly making his way aft. I did a double- take and almost without thinking blurted out, “Ignacio!” He was as amazed as I was. He sat down, and we caught up on twenty years of news. I mentioned Stella and her conversion, but Ignacio didn’t want to discuss that. He was still very interested in books…in any book but the Bible.

After I returned to the U.S., I wrote Ignacio a letter in which I asked an obvious question: “Ignacio, do you believe in coincidences?” I gave him my answer: “I don’t. I believe that God orchestrated this whole series of events to show you that He loves you and is calling you to His eternal kingdom.” Ignacio never wrote back.

I just heard from Stella the other day. She and her husband have traveled the world on mission trips, sharing the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness. I thought about Jesus’ parable of the four soils (Matthew 13:10-23). There, the Lord explains how different people’s hearts receive the identical seed, the Word of God. Both Stella and Ignacio were raised in the same home. They had traveled similar paths in life, even after leaving their family. I am heartened by Stella’s testimony and the fruit the Lord has produced through her. But I am also sad for my friend, Ignacio. For whatever reason, his heart remains hardened toward God.

If you believe that everything in life happens by random chance, then you will dismiss all this as completely accidental. For you, life has no hope, heaven has no God, and the universe is an empty, lonely place. But I believe that the “immortal, invisible” God (I Timothy 1:17, NIV) is always actively working behind the scenes and that He is personally involved in seeking and saving lost humanity. My own conversion and Stella’s salvation were all “God-incidences,” carefully planned by the One who “loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Follow me on Twitter: @MikeThomas65

2011-11-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

Spiritual encouragement and wannabe comedy,

on Twitter, "Out of my mind."

Learning Spanish in the Land of the Gringos

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

I answered the call.

People who learn about my passion for Spanish frequently assume that I got it from growing up in a Spanish-speaking country or area. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many Texans, who are surrounded by Spanish, never seem to show much interest in speaking it. In fact, those who have a foreign language “forced” on them in any way often resist learning it.

I grew up in a town in the Ozarks where in the 50’s there were no Spanish-speaking people, except for the high school Spanish teacher and his family, who were from Puerto Rico. When they would speak to each other in Spanish at the grocery store, local folks in that less-than-cosmopolitan area became a little nervous and flustered.

Spanish came into my life at a time when I was not interested in much except baseball and science fiction movies. My 9th grade Spanish instructor was Miss McFann, a Latin teacher who was about five years past retirement. I’m not sure that she had ever studied Spanish, as evidenced by the fact that she regularly mixed up Spanish and Latin verb conjugations.

When Miss McFann handed back the first test, she announced that there had been only one perfect score. “Who is Thomas?” she asked. My classmates all gasped simultaneously and turned around and stared at me. I was well known as an academic dud and unknown for anything else. At the end of each school year, I always proudly turned in my textbooks in near-new condition, convinced I had somehow saved the school money.

But not so with my first-year Spanish book. I devoured it within six weeks. I memorized the verb forms, the vocabulary, even the pictures. There was no one to converse with, so I talked to myself. I did, however, occasionally say insulting things in Spanish to my sisters, who sensed the insult but couldn’t prove a thing. Though I wasn’t sure why, I loved Spanish. I just couldn’t get enough of it.

As the semester progressed, Miss McFann started asking me to straighten her out on conjugations and to clarify grammar points. In early December, I translated the well-known Christmas carol, “The Little Drummer Boy.” That woman made me stand up in front of the whole class and sing my Spanish translation. It was life’s most embarrassing moment, but it also stands out as a defining moment, one that foreshadowed God’s plan for me.

Spanish has been a big part of my life ever since. Over a period of ten years in college, I earned over 140 undergraduate and graduate hours in it. I have taught the language on the university level for more almost 40 years. Now, even after decades since that first middle-school class, I have not even begun to grow weary of it.

In 1975, God brought me to Texas with a great love for Spanish-speaking peoples. In 1977, while a professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Houston, I became a Christian. At last I understood the true purpose and meaning for my life’s passion. I later preached the Gospel and taught the Word of God in Spanish-speaking churches in Texas, California, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Argentina.

Now, in addition to pastoring New Hope Community Church on a part-time basis, I direct the Spanish program at Baylor University. Looking back, I can see how God has brought me to where I am, but, frankly, the Lord has led me down an improbable path that I do not fully understand. Except for God’s grace, I would still be back in Missouri, speaking only bad Ozark English and wondering who I am.

Many people seem to think the call of God is something mystic, mysterious, or painful. They see it as difficult to discover and even harder to follow. These fairly popular ideas are actually falsehoods that hinder some from even beginning to seek their adventure with God.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus called two fishermen, Peter and Andrew: “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed Him” (Matthew 4:19-20, NIV). In a sense, the Lord used their background and training; He just shifted the focus for them, as He did for me. They continued catching fish after this, but they also learned to cast out spiritual nets and haul thousands of souls aboard the great Gospel Ship.

Is there really a God who answers prayer?

2011-11-23T06:54:00.000-08:00

You can see a million of them

Deep in the Ozarks, I unrolled my sleeping bag on the pebble beach of the Little Sugar River. I always checked it thoroughly with a flashlight for snakes or scorpions. Next, I got into the bag, zipped it up, and tightened it snugly around my neck to insure that no “critters” would crawl in during the night. In the tent behind me, I could hear my two sisters giggling, my parents telling them to go to sleep, and, not far from the tent, the crackling embers of our campfire. In the darkness before me was the sound of rushing water.

Once settled, I began doing something I loved, studying the stars, admiring the black canvas painted by the Divine Hand with brilliant splashes and sparkles. On a clear night far from the city, you can see millions of them: the Milky Way, constellations, bright stars, dim stars, countless points of light stretching into infinity. Now and then, I would reach my hand up toward them and slowly fan it back and forth from one horizon to the other.

We camped in the Ozarks for most of my childhood. During that time, God was an unquestioned part of my world. I had no doubt that He had created me, the river, the mountains, and every star in the sky.

Many years later, in a hotel room in Barcelona, Spain, I lay awake suffering from jet lag, and once again I was thinking about God. I had just left my pregnant wife in Kansas and was to serve a short time as an interpreter for the U.S. Navy in special Sixth Fleet operations. As an adult, I had felt no real need to seek God or even think about Him. I had long since abandoned church and my childhood faith in favor of intellectual pursuits.

But the prospect of bringing a child into a troubled world had shaken me a bit. Now I was wondering, is there really a God who answers prayer?I decided to put Him to a test: “God, I have never seriously read the Bible, but I have watched a few movie versions of the life of Jesus.

So where are the miracles today? I really want to see one. Give me some kind of sign…maybe an angel. Today is Monday. Show me something definite by 10:30 this Friday night; that should give You plenty of time.”I said this prayer in my mind very seriously, but afterward I thought the request absurd. Even if God had heard my prayer, He probably thought it was ridiculous, too. So I forgot it.

Barcelona, Las Ramblas boulevard

Friday night at 10:15 found me sitting at an outdoor café on the Ramblas Boulevard in Barcelona, close to the port. I was chatting with another sailor I had met on a ship, and we were enjoying cool Mediterranean breezes and Barcelona’s historic atmosphere. When I looked at my watch, I remembered my prayer. “So,” I thought, “if there is a God, He’s too busy,” and I continued talking to the other sailor.

Minutes later, just before 10:30, a young American couple approached our table. The woman looked at us with a radiant smile and said, in English, “Brothers, we are here to share with you the Good News of the Kingdom of God!”I was both astounded and confused. God had indeed heard and answered my prayer as specified, right on time, but these two did not have wings or halos.

Much to my chagrin, they simply produced Bibles and began discussing faith in Christ with us. After a lengthy debate, I conceded, “All right, Jesus is God’s Son, but He’s perfect! I’m working hard in college to improve myself. Maybe someday I’ll be good enough to go to Him. Right now I have too many personal struggles to be thinking about religion.”

The woman replied, “Oh, no! You can go to Jesus just as you are, and He will help you with all those problems you’re trying to solve by yourself.” This spectacular answer to my prayer sent me to the Bible for answers and should have resulted in my immediate surrender to Christ, but I still believed strongly that achievement in my profession would bring me the happiness that had so long eluded me.

After four more years of searching, I concluded that a doctorate had not made me a happier, wiser, or better person. Although I was a successful professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Houston, I found myself still seeking inner fulfillment and meaning in life.At last, I reached out to Jesus. I prayed in my office at home with desperate sincerity, and in an instant, I met the living God who spoke the stars into existence and “calls them all by name” (Psalm 147:4, NIV). At that moment, the God who heard my thoughts in Barcelona became my personal Lord, Savior, and Friend.

Jesus is more real to me now than that day in 1977 when I first asked Him to be my eternal Companion and Guide. Yes, there really is a God who answers prayer. The Creator of a billion galaxies is seeking you, and you can know Him personally.

Report of the Pastor Search Committee

2011-11-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

"Too legalistic!"

Noah: has 120 years of preaching experience, but no converts!

Moses: stutters; former congregation says he loses his temper over trivialities

Abraham: took off to Egypt during hard times. We heard he got into trouble with the authorities.

David: unacceptable moral character; might have been considered for minister of music had he not “fallen.”

Solomon: reputation for wisdom but doesn’t practice what he preaches.

Elijah: inconsistent, known to fold under pressure.

Hosea: home in shambles; married a prostitute.

Jeremiah: too emotional, alarmist; a “real pain in the neck,” say some.

Amos: no theological training; should stick to picking figs, which is what he seems to be good at.

John: okay, he’s a Baptist but lacks tact and dresses like a hippie; would not feel comfortable at a church potluck supper.

Peter: bad temper; was overheard denying Christ; how’s a guy like that going to lead us in church visitation?

Paul: appearance is contemptible; preaches too long.

Timothy: has potential but is too young for the job.

Jesus: often offends religious community with his preaching; too controversial; even offended the search committee with pointed questions.

Judas: practical, cooperative, good with money; cares for the poor. We think he’s our man!

[Note that I wrote this in 1991 while serving on an absolutely wonderful pastor search committee and read it to my church. It was later published as: "Report of the Pastor Search Committee," Ministries Today 9 (May, June, 1991): 17. In the late '90s, I received it as an e-mail forward; someone had copied it. It had been surfing the net for 8-9 years and had undergone some editing along the way. Thus, if it seems familiar, it could be because you may have received it as a forward.]

How I Crossed into the Land of Promise

2011-11-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

Here I am in 1960, a baptized church member and emerging rebel.

Front row. My mom combed and parted my hair

and insisted I wear that stupid plaid vest and bowtie.

When I was a kid, church was primarily a place where I developed my artistic skills on the bulletin. I particularly enjoyed filling in the blank spaces in certain letters with a pencil, like in the “o,” the “p,” the “d,” and the “b.” I found the “e” especially challenging. It usually took about the entire service to get the job done right.

As a teenager I intensified my efforts to avoid hearing sermons. I convinced my parents that I had to sit with other youth in the balcony. We would of course go to the basement, and there revel in our temporary freedom from religion. My friends and I usually went back upstairs about 5 minutes before the end of the message so we could hear the summation and be conversant with the theme. After all, we might have to pass a parental pop-quiz on the way home. To forestall this, I would often make a seemingly informed comment from the back seat like, “I thought the minister’s point about honesty was very well taken.”

For me Christianity was just a collection of boring rituals and endless “Thou shalt nots.” When I turned 16, I told my parents that I was not going back to church, and I stayed away for twelve years. Every Sunday morning of every one of those twelve years I actively enjoyed not having to go. Skipping church also gave me time to pursue my real religion: education.

In 1975 I was a new Ph.D. and professor at the University of Houston. I had finally achieved my goal, a status and a lifestyle for which I had worked long and hard. My profession and my life, however, did not turn out to be all that I had hoped for. In fact, I realized that I had spent so much time with my head buried in books that I had lost sight of reality. I knew nothing of how to survive in a world of clashing super-egos and high-intensity political wrangling.

In 1976, after a grueling first year on the job, I was so desperate and miserable that I began attending a Bible study at a local church. I was also keeping a personal journal to help me in my search for meaning.

Here are a few excerpts from 1977:

“Feb. 3: Rough times. I am confused and depressed again. Sometime soon I have to sit down and sort out my priorities.”

“Mar. 31: I find it hard to escape the tension of my job.”

“May 7: I have to learn how not to get so upset over things.”

"June 22: What I really need is a vacation.”

My dreams and indeed my whole world had come crashing down around me, and I hadn’t taken a single course in ten years of college that taught me how to navigate in these troubled waters. It seemed that God was saying to me, “You’re supposed to be smart now. Fix it!” But I could not. My career, my only real idol, fell to pieces right before my eyes. That was good, though, because it allowed me to see that Someone had been waiting patiently for me all the time.

Here’s my entry for July 4, 1977, a day of true personal independence. “Father, I am hesitant to say that I turn my life over to Jesus, for fear of disappointing You and myself. But I do that now. Save me. I confess that I am inadequate and fall short. I call on Jesus’ love and forgiveness. Help me to love. Help me to forgive. Show me the way.”

The changes in me began shortly thereafter, as you can see in subsequent entries:“July 12: Thank You for Your help.”

“July 23: My problems are getting resolved somehow. Prayer works! I feel much calmer this summer. I feel stronger.”

“Aug. 5: I now know that even if I become depressed in the future, and even if I suffer some terrible tragedy and die, You are with me always. I have found what I needed. I have found Jesus.”

About a month later, my wife and I went forward at a local church to make a public commitment of our lives to Christ. Grace was no longer just a word in a hymn or term in a theological textbook. It was a real, vital experience with the love of God, with the God of love. From one day to the next my heart was transformed. On Saturday I had doubts about the Bible; on Sunday I was reading it like a starving man. Before, I had hated certain people, but now I prayed fervently that they would also be saved.

My soul was on fire with the glory of God. I said to Him, “Lord, if this is heaven, You can take me now!” but He replied: “You belong to Me forever, but your time is not yet. I have a purpose for your staying around.”

That was the beginning of a 34-year adventure with Jesus that has taken me to many states of the U.S. and eight foreign countries where the Lord has allowed me to share my story. After wandering in the wilderness of sin, I had crossed over into the Land of Promise (Joshua 3:16-17), where Bible words jump off the page and become living realities. I left behind my empty, meaningless life, and now I walk daily with Jesus, my Savior, my Master, and my Best Friend.

Sonnet: To Christ Crucified

2011-11-18T07:21:00.000-08:00

This well known and much loved poem has been attributed to several authors, including Miguel de Guevara, a Spanish priest who evangelized several Indian tribes in Mexico; however, no conclusive evidence has even been presented as to its authorship. The speaker may have written the piece while contemplating a crucifix or a painting of Christ on the cross. My translation from 16th Century Spanish.

Sonnet, "To Christ Crucified"

I am not moved, my God, to love You

by the heaven You have promised me.

Nor am I moved by the dread of hell

to cease, out of fear, from offending You.

You move me, my God; it moves me to see You

nailed to that cross and mocked.

It moves me to see Your tortured body.

It moves me to see the anguish of Your death.

In sum, Your love moves me in such a way

that even if there were no heaven, I would love You,

and though there were no hell, I would fear You.

You do not have to give me a reason to love You,

because even if I were not hoping for all I hope for,

I would love You the same as I love You now.

SPANISH VERSION

Soneto, "A Cristo crucificado"

No me mueve, mi Dios, para quererte

el cielo que me tienes prometido,

ni me mueve el infierno tan temido

para dejar por eso de ofenderte.

Tú me mueves, mi Dios; muéveme el verte

clavado en esa cruz y escarnecido;

muéveme ver tu cuerpo tan herido;

muévenme las angustias de tu muerte.

Muéveme, en fin, tu amor de tal manera que,

aunque no hubiera cielo, yo te amara,

y aunque no hubiera infierno, te temiera.

No me tienes que dar por qué te quiera;

porque, aunque cuanto espero no esperara

lo mismo que te quiero te quisiera.

Theresa of Avila: "Nada te turbe [Let nothing trouble you]."

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

SANTA TERESA DE JESÚS (1515-1582),

Known in English as Theresa of Avila.

This poem may be based on Jesus' exhortation to His disciples in John 14: "Let not your hearts be troubled neither let them be afraid." My translation.

"Nada te turbe"

Nada te turbe,

nada te espante,

todo se pasa,

Dios no se muda.

La paciencia todo lo alcanza

quien a Dios tiene

nada le falta:

sólo Dios basta.

"Let Nothing Trouble You"

Let nothing trouble you;

let nothing frighten you;

everything changes *,

but God does not.

[Through] patience

you will obtain everything;

whoever has Godis lacking nothing:

[having] only God is enough.

* or “passes away”

"The Escstasy of St. Theresa," by Bernini

Do you have a treasure to share?

2011-11-15T07:10:00.000-08:00

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:2-3

Morioka, Japan. Christmas, 1941. Just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, area police have rounded up 30 Catholic and Protestant missionaries from the U.S., Canada, and Belgium. “All are potential Western spies,” say the authorities. The foreign Christians are interned together, uncertain about their fate and cut off from news of developments outside the country.

The winter cold is bitter, and they have no fire to keep them warm. Yet on Christmas day, they piece together a small crèche and sing Christmas carols, celebrating the hope they share. Their songs affirm that God is with them even in the most hopeless of circumstances, just as He had been with Joseph and Mary in similar hardships on the first Christmas.

Now that’s a scene you won’t read about in the history books.

A part of the group was Miss Thomasine Allen, a Baptist missionary who in 1938 had transferred to Kuji, a farming village in the north of Japan. She hoped to start a new work in a place “where nothing was known about Christ” (Romans 15:20). With the help of two Japanese believers, she established a Christian kindergarten, which had become well known and highly respected. Miss “Tommy” answered God’s call and saw Him work miraculously.

She had also suffered hardship, heartaches, and opposition from the local government. This difficult Christmas was just another step in a long and arduous journey.

Her two Japanese co-ministers, Takeshi and Kuni Yahaba, married during the war and continued the work in her absence. They labored and trusted God, even though their baby daughter was gravely ill, and for some time they had no milk or medicine. Takeshi was later drafted into the army and was ordered to serve as a “human torpedo” should the Allies attack the eastern coast of the country.

In 1943, Tommy was allowed to leave Japan in a massive prisoner exchange of 1400 captives. But after the war she returned to Kuji with an abundance of donated food and other supplies and a renewed sense of mission. In 1948, she and her co-workers saw the first adult conversions of Japanese nationals. In 1952, they established a Christian elementary and middle school, and in 1970, Allen Junior College.

During the ‘90s, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Belton, TX, hosted large numbers of Japanese students from Allen College. Throughout those years, as many as one hundred attended the school annually to study English. While in Japan in 1990 as a university representative, I visited the college in Kuji and also the kindergarten. With a great sense of awe and wonder I stood at the door of a large room and watched 30 Japanese children do morning exercises. They were singing “Jesus loves me” in Japanese and English. Tommy had died in 1976, but her ministry and vision were still alive many years later. I felt privileged to see the beautiful fruit.

One woman with a missionary heart like the apostle Paul’s chose to sow gospel seeds in an untilled Japanese field. Though her work was and still is unknown in the world at large, it has grown from a small plant in an obscure village into a mighty tree with roots that span the Pacific Ocean and the last 5 decades of the Twentieth Century.

As we labor in the Lord’s vineyard in this life, we don’t always understand the many struggles and setbacks that we experience, but the scripture says that our work for Jesus is not in vain (I Corinthians 15:58). We will surely understand it all better when we meet Christ in heaven.

Do you have seeds to plant? A treasure to share?

(Miss Allen’s biography is out of print but may be available in used bookstores on-line: Elizabeth Anne Hemphill, “A Treasure to Share.” Valley Forge: The Judson Press, 1964.)

It’s a Fact: We’re All Sinners

2011-11-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

Which one looks like an innocent victim?

When my older sister and I were small, we discovered some cherry pie in the refrigerator and helped ourselves to the “forbidden fruit.” My sister was always smarter than I was, so immediately afterwards she washed her hands and face. When Mom asked who had eaten the pie, we both denied it, but like a little dummy I stood there smiling with pie crumbs and filling on my face. We had both sinned, but only I got spanked.

Then there was my little sister. When our parents were around, she was a picture of charm and innocence, but I knew better. Once, she intentionally fell on the floor making a loud “thunk,” yelling to Mom that I had pushed her. As God would have it, Mom was standing in the doorway and had observed the whole charade. For that the little sinner received the spanking she so richly deserved.

American children are not the only sinners, however. It’s universal. In August of 1993, I was about to leave Costa Rica, having lived with a family for a month. On the evening before my departure, they gave me a going-away party. I poured some punch for their two beautiful granddaughters, who were four and six years old. The older one grabbed both cups and put them side-by-side. “A ver [Let’s see],” she said as she carefully studied the liquid levels in each cup. She looked back and forth several times and chose the cup she thought had more punch. The idea of being generous to her sister was not on her mind. We sinners always look out for #1.

While in Mexico, I was working with kids, teaching them how to play basketball. I granted each only one shot and required that they take turns. They tolerated my rules for a short while, but soon many were grabbing the ball out of turn and taking extra shots not authorized, making the others quite angry. It was pure chaos, every kid for himself.

Closer to home, I was in a store recently and observed a mother scolding her son, who had been hassling his brother. As she reprimanded him, he stood there with furrowed brow trying to look repentant, with little success. She asked: “Why do you give your brother such a hard time?” “I don’t know,” he answered, “I just like to!” A big grin kept breaking out on his face.

Does any of this sound familiar? These stories only give brief, sometimes laughable glimpses of the sin nature we all share. We begin life in innocence, but somewhere along the line we choose to do what we know is wrong. We grow older, and the power of sin grows in us; it corrupts us and takes an increasingly destructive toll. Cain may have once been an innocent child, but he eventually murdered his brother.

In children we can see both the Kingdom and the curse. Jesus commands that we become like children in our approach to God (Matthew 18:1-4), that is, innocent, trusting, and completely dependent. But children can also be incredibly selfish and rebellious. They are capable of lying, anger, and even violence.

It’s a fact: we are all sinners from birth (Psalm 51:5). All of us, from the youngest to the oldest, can be self-willed, prone to rage and vengeance if we don’t get our way. It’s a fact, but what have you done about it?

Let me tell you what I did. When I finally realized that my anger and hatred toward certain people were out of control, that my sin was changing me into someone I didn’t even know, I turned to Jesus. He removed my heart of stone and replaced it with a tender heart of flesh. And what about all those people I had despised? Much to their surprise, I shared the Good News of God’s love with them.

I learned that Jesus is the only answer for what ails the whole world. Is your soul terminally ill with sin? Here’s the cure: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (II Corinthians 5:21, NIV).

The Love Journey

2011-11-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Easter Sunday morning.
The cross was empty, and so was the tomb.

The old line goes, “For you, my Love, I would climb the highest mountain and swim the deepest ocean.” Unqualified willingness to go great distances and face dangerous challenges is apparently an earthly measure of great love. By these or any standards, Jesus' love measures up.

“One day when heaven was filled with His praises, one day when sin was as black as could be,” Jesus left heaven and traveled to earth. How much actual distance was involved in this journey is unknowable, but the spiritual distance He covered is incomprehensible and astounding. The Holy One became sin for us; the Creator took on the flesh of a creature; the Exalted One willingly debased Himself; the Highest of the high became the lowest of the low; the Almighty came in weakness; the loving One, the lovely One, came to die an ugly, horrible death for the unlovable, the unlovely.

From the time the baby Jesus began to walk, His steps were numbered; they were directed to the cross, the overriding goal of His earthly journey. The Prince of Heaven was to suffer the torments of hell.

For three years of His love journey, He walked everywhere proclaiming the Good News. He walked until the body He had chosen was physically exhausted. Day after day, He walked in the dirt and the sand to minister to human needs. In the garden, He walked out to meet those who had come to arrest Him. He walked knowingly into painful torture. He walked, carrying His cross, until He could walk no more. The feet that had been shod for the proclamation of the gospel of peace were violently nailed to a cross. The hands that had reached out in love and compassion were heartlessly punctured.

After His ascension, Jesus walked into the heavenly temple, now possessing not a broken, bleeding body but the power of an indestructible life. In this resurrection body, He was able to enter heaven carrying His own shed blood, which He has offered as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin, an offering completely acceptable to God. As a result, the Father has granted pardon in Jesus' name. He has commanded that every knee bow and that every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Jesus' love journey is not yet complete; He must make a return trip to the earth in order to gather the fruit He planted here. He will then joyfully return to heaven with us. Together we will walk the streets of transparent gold and live forever with the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. In the meantime, He is preparing a place for us and interceding for us as our great High Priest.

Heaven will be heaven because of Divine Love. If the Master has touched you, you have received a foretaste. I can only imagine.

How Can People Be So Heartless?

2011-11-09T07:07:00.000-08:00

This is not Frank, but you get the idea.

Everyone really liked Frank, the janitor. His shift at the chemical plant began about the time ours ended. At 4:30pm we would file out of the “snake pit,” a forbidding-looking place where we did electroplating with oxides and acids, and there stood Frank to greet us, always leaning on his mop, always with a big smile. It was so pleasant that it reminded me of coming out of the front door of a church on Sunday morning and shaking the pastor’s hand. Our work was messy and tiring, and Frank’s greeting gave me a little lift at the end of a hard day.

Within a few months, however, two other workers and I were transferred to janitorial service under Frank’s supervision. Management wanted some floors stripped and several other dirty jobs done. The move was quite a surprise to Frank, who had never in his life had anyone working under him.

After the transfer, Frank continued to flash a big smile at departing workers, but something was different. Frank had permanently attached his fingers to a coffee cup. Work as he had known it had come to an end. Like Dr. Jekyll, gentle Frank of the day became the dark Mr. Hyde of the night. Perhaps for the first time ever, he had power over other human beings, and the result was not a pretty picture.

On one occasion, we were vacuuming exhaust hoods and vents far above the assembly line. As we risked our lives teetering on rickety ladders, Frank sat watching, sipping his coffee. The other two fellows were moving along at a fast clip, but I was slow. Frank yelled at me, threatened to have me fired, and became downright ugly.

Finally, the other guys told me that while I was conscientiously trying to vacuum everything, they were only cleaning areas visible from the floor. “He won’t risk his neck by getting up on a ladder to inspect,” they assured me. I took their advice.

Everything was okay until one evening when we were sweeping out a machine shop. Frank was on my case, giving me the tongue-lashing he thought I deserved. It so happened that my grandfather was a top executive in the company. Frank did not know this, but one of my fellow workers had somehow caught wind of it.

“Frank!” my buddy shouted abruptly with a wry smile, “I don’t think you should treat Mike like that.”

“Why not?” Frank retorted. “I’ll treat him however I want. I’m the boss here.”

“Frank, do you realize…(he spoke emphatically, slowly, and with great satisfaction)…that Mike is Stewart Miller’s grandson?”

Frank choked on his coffee. He sputtered. He stuttered. He stammered. My grandfather was about a dozen echelons in the chain of command above the janitorial level. To Frank, Grandpa was like…well, God. From that moment, Frank was miraculously and permanently transformed into his former affable self, and, as for me, I could do no wrong.

As I recount this little parable, it is easy for me to cast Frank as the devil. After all, Satan can blow smoke into the life of a Christian but must quickly bow out when a higher power is invoked. But my tale, though a relatively tame example, also illustrates a universal truth: we all have a sinful nature, and, when it is empowered, our evil self is dangerous, treacherous, and potentially lethal.

How is it possible that a human being can harm another human being, even a child, or a baby? A song in the ’70s asked: “How can people be so heartless?” The Bible has a simple answer to that question: “Just as sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men” (Romans 5:12, NIV). The nature we inherited from Grandpa Adam is so perverse that it is theoretically capable of any evil, especially when given the opportunity and the power. You’ve probably known an apparently nice person like Frank who changed for the worse after receiving a promotion.

On a much larger scale, history recounts many examples of seemingly civilized people who were swept into mass movements and committed unspeakable horrors, the Nazis, for example. And today, just think, on several continents, unrepentant sinners are equipped with what the Germans lacked: nuclear weapons.

It’s hard to deny that we all have a dark side. Among the religions of the world, only Christianity addresses this problem and presents the final solution. “He who knew no sin was made sin so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21). We who have humbled ourselves at the cross and trusted the Savior have been given a new heart, a righteous nature like His (Galatians 5:22-23). Christ’s great sacrificial love sends us into all the world, “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes” (Romans 1:16).

P.S., this quote from Abe Lincoln seems to fit; "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

I got my "seminary" training "with Jesus in the School of Compassion."

2011-11-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

And Jesus had compassion on him,
touched his eyes, and he could see.

I earned a Ph.D. degree at age 27. I had achieved my goal and was proud. In my view, I was a “self-made man.” This was a good thing, I was told. The message I had heard all my life was: “Work hard. Get a good education. Pull yourself up by your own boot straps.”
After this achievement, I got to thinking I was so smart that I could do just about anything and solve any problem. In this process of swelling up like a toad, my heart hardened. I looked with disdain on those who could not overcome tough circumstances but were instead overcome by them. They had problems they could not fix. Poor devils, they just didn’t get it.

When I became a Christian, I knew that I was supposed to help others in their trials, but I was at times unsympathetic. In order to “assist” them, I accumulated a checklist of clichéd spiritual maxims, pithy sayings, and even scriptural references. However, in spite of my amazingly high-quality counsel, they still could not climb out of their hole. Of course, I was not willing to go the distance with anyone. Rather, I was enjoying a kind of “verbal quick-fix ministry.” I was a certified Pharisee. I was one of Job’s friends.

All the while, God had a plan. He is experienced at deflating swollen toads and molding them into compassionate ministers. In the early 80’s, I began having problems that I could not surmount, control, or get over. For some reason, God was not solving them either. He was not moving, and none of my nifty clichés worked. I got stressed out and burnt out. I could not work hard enough and was not smart enough to resolve any of the mounting troubles my family and I were facing.

Finally, I went to see a doctor, who prescribed a medication that was supposed to help me sleep. Unfortunately, I am one of a very small percentage of people who have a violent reaction to that particular drug. It was bad, really bad. I wasn’t getting better; in fact, I was getting worse. The drug altered my mental and emotional state. I was filled with anxiety and fear. I wondered if I might die. I wondered where God was.

Where was He? Well, without my permission or knowledge, He had enrolled me in His seminary. I was taking “Compassion 101” (a course in which I am still a student). The Lord did not need to change. I did.

God was preparing me to become a pastor.

Not all that long after my crisis, God called me to pastor a church. Christians began coming to me for prayer. They were stressed out and burnt out. They were filled with anxiety and fear. They wondered if they might die. They wondered where God was. I interceded for them at the Throne of Grace without judging them, berating them, or trying to fix them. At last, I was able to “mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15, NIV).

But I could also assure them with unshakable confidence that 1 Peter 5:10-11 is absolutely true: “The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (NIV).

A cynic might question why God allowed me to go through all that. But then, why did He permit His own Son to suffer so much more? The writer of Hebrews explains one reason: “Christ suffered so . . . that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God . . .. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:17-18, NIV).

You may wonder why am I writing about the worst period of my Christian life. Paul said, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV). I’m with Paul.

The Bible describes my Heavenly Father as both “merciful and mighty” (Jeremiah 3:12; Zephaniah 3:17). I want to be like my Dad.

SNAPSHOTS OF HEAVEN #8: In the Presence of the King

2011-11-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

I raise my hands to touch the hem of His garment.

I'll be honest up front. Before I actually experienced Jesus in my soul, I was bored out of my mind by music at church. When I was a kid I was told that it was "just like heaven." Imagine the look on my face.

But then, at age 29, I had that life-changing encounter with the Lord that shook me from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, that put me on my face before a God I could not see, that ushered me into the presence of my Creator, that showed me the true meaning of love, that filled my heart with Living Water. My first lesson in Worship began there, no music, no choir, no instruments, no church. I was overwhelmed by the reality of the King.

In Isaiah's vision, he actually caught a gliimpse of His glory. He saw Him

* high and lifted up on His throne
* His robe filled the Temple
* He was being worshipped by Seraphim.

Overwhelmed, Isaiah thought, "I'm sunk! I have seen the Lord!" I understand the feeling.

Heaven is about forever being with the Lord. There will be a lot to do there, but it sounds like we will be spending a significant amount of time in worship. I am reasonably sure that we will not hold hymnbooks or look like we are about to fall asleep.

Have you ever wondered what God will look like? And what about His Throne? And what about worship before His Throne?

Reaching for the glory of God.

What will He look like?

There are no physical descriptions of Jesus during His ministry on earth. But think about when faith will be made sight. In Revelation, John saw Him in His glory:

* dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet
* with a golden sash around his chest.
* His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow.
* His eyes were like blazing fire.
* His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace.
* His voice was like the sound of rushing waters.
* His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead."

And what about His throne?

Think about what Ezekiel saw:

* the likeness of a throne,
* as the appearance of a sapphire stone
* upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
* And I saw as the colour of amber
* as the appearance of fire round about within it

Daniel saw the Throne and a glimpse of the face of God: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down

* the Ancient of days did sit
* whose garment was white as snow
* the hair of his head like the pure wool
* His throne was like the fiery flame
* His wheels as burning fire.
* A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him

John later sees God's Throne:

* behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
* And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone;
* there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
* And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices
* there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
* before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal...

Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, doing wonders?

And what about worship before His Throne?

* The four and twenty elders fall down before Him,
* and worship him that lives for ever and ever,
* and cast their crowns before the throne
* 100,000,000 angels cry out
* A multitude of saints standing before the throne
* with palms in their hands
* they stand before the throne, and before the Lamb
* clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.
* And cry with a loud voice: "Salvation to our God
who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!"

Get the picture?

SNAPSHOTS OF HEAVEN #7: The Kingdom Replaces the "Kosmos."

2011-11-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature
of a servant, being made in human likeness.

According to Matthew, Jesus begins His public ministry proclaiming, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near" (4:17). Matthew then reports: "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the Kingdom" (4:23). The "gospel" is about the redemption of the soul. The "gospel of the Kingdom" is about a whole new order of things that God is bringing about. The King begins his "invasion" of the world system (Greek, the "kosmos.") by healing, driving out demons, and teaching about the new order that "has arrived." Satan, there's a new Sheriff in town!

Crowds gathered, but seeing them, the Rabbi named Y'shua takes his disciples to a mountainside and teaches them a startling message: The "blessed" of the Kingdom are humble, needy, hungry, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, not exactly the credentials of Caesar or Herod or any ruthless dictator we can think of, but definitely an accurate description of those with a heart ready to receive God's message. Losers in the world, winners in the Kingdom. The "Kosmos" is enemy territory. The Kingdom is where God rules, the King's domain. The battlefield is the human heart.

The "Kosmos" or world system is a breeding ground for ruthless ambition, lust, pride, the desire for power, celebrity, and wealth. Its subjects are willing to achieve these things at any cost, even if the price includes sacrificing a friend. And once you have money, lots of it, you will gain recognition and authority in the world. That’s why “the love for money is the root of all kinds of evil" (I Timothy 6:10).

So citizens of the Kosmos desire supremacy over others, and they form social hierarchies based on race, income, bloodline, and the like. It's the “in-group/out-group” mentality. "If you are like us" (or are willing act/think as we do), "we will accept you. But if you are different, weak, perhaps physically flawed, sick, elderly, emotionally damaged, etc., you are unacceptable and inferior."

We see this exclusivist attitude played out everywhere in life on different levels: at work, at school,...at church?

Later in His ministry, Jesus calls His disciples together and explains the crucial difference between the Kingdom and the kosmos, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).

This is why Jesus and John warn against "loving" the world (system). Christians are meant to go with their Lord AGAINST the cultural flow of the world. The Christian faith is a religion based on servanthood, humility, reaching out to the hungry and thirsty, bringing peace, loving the unlovable, not excluding but embracing "whosoever will." Jesus spent significant time with outcasts rejected by the world and its “religion.”

A repentant sinner, privileged to anoint
the Anointed One, to minister to the King.

And so the early apostles also preached the "good news of the kingdom" (Acts 8:12); Paul stayed in Rome, the Capital of the World System of his day, "boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God" (Acts 28:31). The early apostles, says Acts 17:6, “turned the world upside down.” That is, they began the process of turning the world right-side up--the Kingdom of God.

Jesus had a lot to say about those to strive for "the places of honor" at the banquet (Luke 14:7). And He had counsel about giving a banquet: Luke14:13 "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:12). He tells us to "seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness" ( Matthew 6:33).

Think about Jesus’ intentional condescension. In the Incarnation, He was not rich, had no official titles or degrees, he shunned worldly power, even being made a king by the people. He came to humble Himself and die for those He loved. That's the kind of King we want to rule over us.

Be ready for some big surprises in heaven. Consider that many famous people who seem important now, won't be important in the Resurrection. Think about your life as it is and subtract the world system, and you will get a glimpse of heaven, a place eternally driven by love and servanthood.

The Kingdom and the Kosmos now co-exist in our experience. On the Great and Awesome Day of the Lord, they will be wrenched apart, never to blend again.

SNAPSHOTS OF HEAVEN # 6: God Lifts the Curse on Creation

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Out of Eden, into bondage, pain, and death,
taking all creation with them.

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time" (Romans 8:19-22).

Though "fearfully and wonderfully made," everything decays and dies. Anything "ordered" will, with time, fall into disorder. The universe is winding down, heading toward burn-out. Except, say some, for a few eons of eternity, when molecules formed and replicated themselves with no intelligent help. Life created itself in a strange, accidental miracle, but oddly it cannot somehow sustain itself. Everything that "evolution" has supposedly produced will fail and decompose. The "mother" can give birth, but she will die.

Sorry to start a devotional on such a negative note. But the curse is real. A cursed world is the only world we have ever known. Light co-existing with darkness, life with death, good with evil, happiness with heartbreak, design with decay. It's troubling and hard to explain.

A grim vision by Gustave Doré (1832-1883).

Only the beginning of suffering...But Genesis is the place to start the search for answers... There I read the account of Creation: God speaks into existence seed-bearing plants and animals which are to be fruitful and multiply perpetually, each according to its kind. Still true today, but something has gone desperately wrong. A fatal flaw, a curse.

In Genesis, I read about fallen Adam and Eve, typical human beings, lying and refusing to accept personal responsibility for their actions. Cain kills his brother; the strife, murder, war, greed, envy all begin. In short order, Tubal-Cain learns metallurgy and forges bronze and iron (Genesis 4:22). The sin nature will soon be empowered by swords and spears that will make killing more efficient, and metal weapons (and metal bullets) will eventually cover the world with blood.

The ground is still cursed just as God said. It naturally produces thorns. We have had to sweat and break our backs to bring forth fruit, eat, and survive. Eve, the mother of all living, will experience pain in childbirth, as would her female descendants. All creation is now a non-renewable environment, death is an inescapable plague. The "survival of the fittest" becomes a daily reality of life. (On this score, I agree with Darwin.) The curse, sin, and death were not isolated but insidious, pervasive, invading all the creation over which Adam and Eve were meant to rule. Adam went from being the Prince of creation to becoming its prey. He could now be killed by everything from big animals to small poisonous creatures, to invisible microorganisms. Adam would have only his smarts and his ruthlessness to survive in a dog-eat-dog, eat-or-be-eaten world.

Juan Ponce de León looking for the Fountain of Youth.
I wonder how much spring water he drank
before he realized it wasn't going to happen.
He died in 1521.

Has anything changed? Science and technology have "softened the blow" in agriculture, health, childbirth, etc., but no scientist has discovered power over death or the "fountain of life." We are so used to living under the curse. How can we imagine life without it? Eternal life instead of funerals. Eternal health instead of cancer. Eternal peace instead of treachery, conflict, and war. A life without fear. A life of love. A life in which uniqueness and harmony blend. A life in which God is visible, not invisible, in which we see Him face to face, walk by sight, know as we are known. A world of peace, not predators. Isaiah 11:6: The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

The stain removed, the beauty revealed. The Curse will be lifted "in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory'" (I Corinthians 15:52-54).

After the curse is lifted, all survive, not just the fittest.
Heaven is not a jungle, but an eternally safe sanctuary.

At Christmas, we look back at the mystery of the Incarnation.

At Easter, we look forward to the miracle of universal metamorphosis. Happy Easter!

SNAPSHOTS OF HEAVEN #5: In the Company of Angels

2011-11-03T06:13:00.000-07:00

He will return on the clouds with blazing fire,
surrounded by His powerful angels.

"We have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2).

When I lived in Houston, I was headed for my car in the Greenspoint Mall parking lot. A man approached me, saying he needed a ride to Dallas. He had a brown paper bag in his hand. Wanting to be a Good Samaritan, I offered to go back into the Mall and call someone for him. No sooner had I said this than two other men suddenly appeared, then two more, then two more; I was suddenly surrounded. They all had brown paper bags and wanted to know which car was mine.

It did take me a while to realize I might be in some danger. About the time this dawned on me, a large pick-up truck pulled up in the next aisle. "Are you okay?" the driver shouted. "I'm not sure," I replied. The guy stepped out of his truck. He was so tall that he did not step down, not even an inch. He was an off-duty deputy sheriff with a really big gun at his side.

Not surprisingly, my "fans" swiftly vanished in the sea of surrounding cars. He said, "I was watching you from over there (5-6 rows) when the first individual showed up. I drove along slowly and when the others appeared, I came to investigate." I thanked him. I thanked God. So was he an angel from heaven? Don't know. I just know God sent him.

From Genesis to Revelation, angels phase in and out of the biblical record. Our understanding of them is based on random snapshots. They are messengers, sometimes of God's judgment, sometimes of good news. To believers, they bring only Good News and always tell us not to be afraid. They are dazzlingly beautiful, although they apparently can appear among us without our knowing it.

I suspect they are terrifying in appearance, covered with the glory and holiness of God. There are two biblical classes of angels, the Seraphim ("flames of fire") and the Kerubim (or Cherubim, guardians). I don't see any mention of baby cherub angels. No biblical mention of the two-winged types with long, flowing hair (who all look like girls). Some in Isaiah and Revelation actually have three sets of wings. I doubt they all look exactly alike; no two created things do. They are all warriors serving the "God of Hosts," the General of the armies of heaven.

We'd best go the direction he's pointing.

Angels arrive on earth armed with whatever authority and power God has given them to "do His bidding." They do not know fear or pain or defeat. Two were enough to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Read the account. These were cool dudes. They acted confidently and deliberately. Lot was a nervous wreck, but they weren't. They had a mission, but "could do nothing" until Lot and family were safely out of the city. Consider the power of Abraham's prayer. Consider the power of the God who answers prayer. The angels obey Him without question.

But mighty as they are, they cannot separate us from the love of God, nor would they want to (Romans 8:38). The redeemed have nothing to fear from them. In the scripture, they even say "Do not fear" consistently when they appear before believers. These "flames of fire" are assigned to "minister to those who are to inherit salvation" (Hebrews 1:14). They watch over children: "For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven" (Matt. 18:10). They are attentive to the progress of God's elect: Jesus says, there is "rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10)

Angels are fellow servants and worshipers of God. They shouted for joy at Creation (Job 38:7). They worshiped the Son when He came into the world (Hebrews 1:6). We will spend eternity "in the company of angels." Hebrews 12:22 tells us that we have joined "thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly." Try to wrap your mind and spirit around that one. In Revelation 5:11, John saw "ten thousand times ten thousand [angels]. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders." Do the math: that's 100,000,000. And how do they worship? Like everyone else in heaven: "All the angels-fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped" (Rev. 7:11).

"The Archangel Michael Defeating Satan" 1626.

Guido Reni (1575-1642). Italian Baroque.

After the Lord's return, the Archangel Michael will bind the serpent with chains and and hurl him into the bottomless pit. I wonder if it will be okay to applaud?

SNAPSHOTS OF HEAVEN #4: God lifts the Curse of the Hidden Heart

2011-11-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

Cain said to Abel: “Hey, brother!
Come out into my field.
I want to show you something
I’m very proud of!”

It’s a big part of the Curse. We cannot see into the hearts of others, not even into the heart of our own brother. We can be easily fooled, betrayed, or hurt. And we frequently make quick judgments based on appearances.

We may trust others, but we run the risk of being deceived. If we have been burned enough, we become careful, even wary of smiling strangers, and with good reason. Hamlet said "one may smile, and smile, and be a villain."

We read spy stories about how enemy spies are able to blend in and look just like us. After recent mass shootings, I've noticed that that the assassins' friends and neighbors often characterize him/her as "so nice/friendly/caring." They are completely "shocked." We have a complex justice system that seeks to answer the question, guilty or not guilty? All because we cannot see into the heart of the accused.

In the "Inferno," Dante puts traitors, like Brutus and Judas, in the lowest pit of hell where they are eternally devoured by the original traitor, Satan. The devil is always consuming them and is always consumed, eternally unsatisfied.

Abel followed his brother, and Cain killed him.
He apparently did not know or even suspect
the jealousy and anger that was in Cain’s heart.
But God could.

In this world, we can never be safe physically, emotionally, or spiritually. There are counterfeits in every area. In a sense, we are condemned never to see the heart of another. In important relationships, we must trust. Trust is powerful. It binds us to each other in love. Trust is also fragile. Once shaken or violated...broken trust can destroy you.

The flip side of this Curse is that we can feel isolated, hidden within ourselves. We are lonely and disconnected If others could see the wounds in our hearts, our loneliness… Others judge and criticize us, question our motives or misinterpret what we say, all unfairly. If they could only see our hearts...

But do we really want them to? Will we take off the mask even in church? Do we not put on our best face and pretend that all is well? One thing that 12 years of pastoring taught me is that people in the pews look okay, say they're okay, but carry crushing burdens--a wayward child, anxiety, fear, a lost job, troubled marriage, and the list goes on. Perhaps we should not judge them too quickly or harshly?

Heaven is the Place where we will know others completely and will be known by them. There will be no treachery, no betrayal, no loneliness, only love and acceptance. In a sense our hearts will be visible, transparent. We will be eternally accepted, never rejected.

Can you imagine your first day in heaven? You’re walking down the streets of transparent gold and you see a group talking. You approach with a friendly greeting. They all give you a cold stare and turn their backs. “No!” you say, “That’s the world. That’s middle school! That’s…church?”

The Bible says that the Word of God is a "discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). When someone enters a church where God's Word is preached and the Holy Spirit is moving powerfully, such an environment “lays bare the secrets of the heart” (I Corinthians 14:24). Paul says that person will be convicted of sin and proclaim "God is really among you!"

Lord, shine Your Light on me...

No wonder so many people don't want to go to church or read the Bible. Denial is a safe, comfortable place.

It’s hard to imagine what Heaven would be like since we have lived so long in the “world of the hidden heart.” We "can only imagine" a Place where acceptance and love are forever a "given," where the Truth about God and the all inhabitants of Heaven is plainly visible, where the deepest longings of our hearts are fulfilled, where we know and are known...

Here is my paraphrase of I Corinthians 13:9-12: "The incomplete knowledge we have on this earth is somewhat like the incomplete knowledge we had as children. When I was a child, I talked, thought, and reasoned like one, but when I grew up, I left 'limited' childish thinking behind and saw the world with a much broader adult understanding. Or to put it another way: Having incomplete knowledge here in this life is like looking at a fuzzy reflection in a smudged mirror, but in heaven we will see the Lord face to face. So, for now, my knowledge is incomplete, but in heaven I will know completely, and others will know me completely, as God does now."

Revelation 22:3-4: "No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads."

SNAPSHOTS OF HEAVEN #3: A City Designed and Built by God

2011-10-31T06:55:00.000-07:00

A City whose Architect and Builder is God (Hebrews 11:10)

In the beginning, God by a series of verbal commands created a perfect world; every result was good and pure and beautiful. Even after the fall and the curse, creation has retained a beauty that reflects the majestic artistry and mind-boggling engineering skills of its Creator (look at my profile picture). Problem is, because of sin and death, it is all in decay, it all fades, it all dies, it all returns to dust. But the Holy City described in Revelation 21-22 will be different from Genesis 1. This is not 6 days of creation "from nothing," when God spoke into a void, and the universe, planets, and living creatures all came into existence.

No, here the Lord has built a distinctly physical structure. God designed this City Himself. God built it Himself. Before Jesus departed He promised that He was returning to Heaven to prepare "mansions" for each of us. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Corinthians 2:9)

In the description of the City, we recognize gold, pearls, precious stones, a tree, a river, etc. But these familiar references are elevated to an unimaginable scale: "The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. The foundations of the walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone."

Jasper

The City's physical dimensions are about 1,400 miles "cube." At its base it would cover almost half of the United States, plus it is 1,400 miles high. How many "stories" would that be? It sounds like there is plenty of room for A LOT of mansions and a LOT of people. The City and its streets are made of transparent gold. Its walls of jasper are covered with precious stones. And at its base, layers of huge single jewels: Can you imagine a diamond inlay several hundred ft. high and 1,400 miles long? And so this City reveals the heart, the "genius," and the power of God, the love of Jesus for His church.

No picture can really do it justice.

The City will some day float down out of heaven, "prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." This simile suggests the celebration to follow--eternal commitments, unending love, untold millions of Saints, wearing jeweled crowns and robes, will enter to meet the Bridegroom. The Lord "has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" (Isaiah 61:10).

The descent of God's completed City will signal the end of the old order of things and the beginning of forever fellowship and life everlasting. The City will be the eternal Center of a New Heaven and a New Earth, sin-free, curse-free, death-free. No more sickness, tears, pain, or suffering.

The whole earth is full of His glory!

Inside the structure, there will also be familiar natural elements, but they will be imbued with supernatural power, reminiscient of Eden. "the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."

And as if all this weren't enough: "They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads." (The subject of a future post.)

"There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever."

SNAPSHOTS OF HEAVEN #2: The Father's Feast of Feasts

2011-10-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

"Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate" (Luke 15:23-24)

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords who inspired the Song of Songs invites you to the Feast of Feasts. "He has taken me to the banquet hall, and His banner over me is love" (Song of Songs 2:4).

The Psalmist wrote: "When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy" (Psalm 126:1-2). Let's dream a little.

It's going to be one big table, seating for millions upon millions (but there's plenty of room in the Holy City). It will be the ultimate celebration, the most extravagant party ever "thrown." Remember how the Father of the parable lavished a robe, a ring, and an expensive feast on his wandering son come home?

Imagine Jesus standing at the Head, raising a cup of heavenly wine, reminding us "I have not drunk of this fruit of the vine since I drank it with my disciples in the upper room." And we will remember so many times on earth when we came to the Lord's Table, ingesting the simple elements of the supper, and remembering His sacrifice, proclaiming His death until His return (I Cor. 11:26). And so the Lord's Supper is no longer a shadow of things to come. He has returned for His Bride.

The Reunion of Reunions: You, your family, and every believer who has gone before will be there. Those of us who tasted and saw that the Lord is good, who in life had a "foretaste" of this glory, will come to partake in the Great Supper of God. We will come from the East and from the West to take our places with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matt 8:11). We will more fully understand what it means to be blessed by God.

I don't know what food will be served or that there will be a "fatted calf" prepared there. It will go way beyond "dinner on the grounds," "covered dish," and "pot-luck." I also know that we will eat all we want and not get fat. (Somebody needs to write a song about that.)

II Chronicles 5:12-13 and Revelation might give us a hint about the music program: the singing of the countless saints, the 100,000,000 angels and the 24 elders, all dressed in white linen, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, harps and lyres.
The Bible pictures celebratory songs of praise that "Jesus is Lord," "The Lamb has overcome," "Holy, holy, holy," "Great is Thy faithfulness, and "Thou art worthy," just to name a few. As the Psalmists says, there will be "laughter and songs of joy." All music, voices, and instruments in celestial harmony. What will that sound like? Will the Lord, the Bridegroom, at that time also "rejoice over us with singing" (Zeph. 3:17)?

Traditionally, ancient feasts and like parties lasted for days, weeks, even months. Who knows how long this one will last? On earth, when the party is over, you have to go home. At this party, we will be home...forever.

Blessed are those who are invited
to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

No earthly feast or party or supper can compare to this one because the Lord of the Banquet "makes all things new;" He will deliver one surprise after another, forever. The Lamb will light up the banquet, and we will see the face of the One who loved us and gave Himself for us, the One who redeemed us by His blood, with the result:

Paradise regained.

SNAPSHOTS OF HEAVEN #1: "Lost Horizon"

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Frank Capra's 1937 Film

I saw "Lost Horizon" many years ago (feature #3 at a drive-in movie). Robert Conway inadvertently winds up in Shangri-La, a "lost," idyllic valley in the Himalayas where by some magic there is perpetual spring-like weather, and inhabitants enjoy love, beauty, peace and harmony, a place where time seems to stand still. But he is eventually persuaded by his brother to leave. He returns to "civilization, but temporarily forgets the way back. How to find again this mini-paradise in a seemingly endless succession of mountain ranges all of which look the same?

The phrase "lost horizon" has been rattling around in my head for several months. So I decided to start writing a series of notes about "Paradise lost, Paradise regained," about "snapshots of heaven" that I think are strongly suggested in the Bible and by human experience. "Lost Horizon" was far from "Christian," and yet like so many other movies, novels, stories, myths, and legends, it expressed something essential, universal, archetypal: We have lost Eden. We have wandered in the cold wilderness of sin and death. We long for home.

As I think about this, many stories, myths, and movies come to mind: "Avatar," being the most recent I have written about, stands out as a depiction of the "restoration of Eden" on Pandora. Such a theme always draws crowds. It is even more ironic to consider the mythological "Pandora" (versions of this story vary). She was the very first woman who was formed out of clay by the gods. She was given beauty, curiosity, and cunning. Zeus gave her a "pithos" (storage jar, not a box) with instructions not to open it. But her curiosity got the best of her and she did, releasing the evil spirits trapped within. Note: she also released "hope." An explanation of the origin of evil, consistent with the Christian story of fall and promised redemption.

There are many paths that seem right...

I also think of "Return of the King," another wildly popular movie in which Aragorn plus Hobbits defeat evil and usher in heaven on "Middle Earth." Utopian visions abound in history. I am right now teaching Plato's "Republic," a very well-intentioned but unrealistic view of an ideal society. Plato counts on the power of reason and education to eliminate selfishness and promote balance and cooperation. Then there is Sir Thomas Moore's "Utopia." Karl Marx articulated a sort of utopian vision that presumed the workers of the world would pull together for the common good. Indeed there are many such theoretical constructs that work very well...on paper. Almost all assume our natural goodness or suggest practical ways to deal with our self-serving egos.

This life is "heaven-like" in some ways. We see beauty in creation. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. But something is desperately wrong. We and all other creatures die. We mourn. We dream of eternal life, long for it. Like Ponce de Leon, we seek the "fountain of youth;" other Spanish explorers sought "El Dorado" a city of pure gold. It's the Kingdom we've lost just over the rainbow, beyond an unreachable horizon.

"You can't go home again," so said Thomas Wolfe. In many ways this is true: Home was the place where I felt secure, loved. For my 10th birthday I got a sled. That was fortuitous because my birthday falls in January, and the same day there was a blizzard. Once the snow stopped flying I was flying down the street, along with dozens of other kids who had sleds, cardboard, plywood, or whatever worked.

The deepest longing of the human heart.

Though I had a great time I was often a little “iced over” after about an hour. I went back inside my house and pealed off my frosted coat and especially my wet shoes and socks. The warmth from our floor furnace felt so good. More than that, I distinctly remember the feeling warmth I had whenever I went home. I had been elsewhere, but now I was home. Home where I belonged. Home where I was loved. Home was where my heart was.

Who can imagine Heaven? I can’t. I know that many of my loved ones will be there, as will the One who loved me the most.

I know that I will never cry again or feel pain or die.

I know that I will never be rejected again. On the contrary, I will be welcomed everywhere I go.

There is no “in-group/out-group” mentality in heaven. There is only an “in-group,” and it’s really big.

How exciting to hear of all God has done since creation. How exciting to contemplate and witness the new things He will be doing in eternity, to live by sight and not by faith.

There is no “in-group/out-group” mentality in heaven. There is only an “in-group,” and it’s really big.

How exciting to hear of all God has done since creation. How exciting to contemplate and witness the new things He will be doing in eternity, to live by sight and not by faith.

The way home.

My series of meditations on heaven, must start with directions on how to get there. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." I don't know the way, which horizon, path, which star. I only know Him who is the Way. When I was born again, "heaven came down and glory filled my soul." But that was only a foretaste...

Whether we feel like it or not.

2011-10-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Back row with glasses. I think you can identify the Chief.

Freshly graduated from high school, I was now headed for Navy boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois. My mom, dad, and two sisters came to see me off at the airport. A model of adolescent insensitivity, I asked them to leave almost as soon as they arrived. “Anything has to be better than living under the thumb of parents and teachers,” I thought. “Good-bye and good riddance.”

Little did I know that I was soon to learn about living under the heel of someone’s boot.After arriving at the training center, I wondered if I had actually traveled to a foreign country or perhaps to another planet. Tall fences and barbed wire surrounded the camp. Petty officers called me names and used words I had never heard before, though the ferocity behind them made them easy to understand. At any moment, I could be made to do 100 push-ups for breaking rules I didn’t even know existed… or if I broke a really big rule, I might even end up in the brig, being guarded by Marines. I thought that maybe I had died and gone “below.”

In no time at all, the government assigned us numbers, shaved us bald, and issued us uniforms. They stripped us of our individuality, or to put it more accurately, our cockiness. The Navy’s noble purpose was to transform us into a team, to train us, and to teach us discipline, among other things. How specific chief petty officers accomplished those ends was apparently left largely to their own discretion.

In charge of our recruit company was a Navy chief petty officer, a real “old salt.” He never smiled, but we often saw his teeth. He had a steely-eyed look that would strike fear in the heart of Attila the Hun. He never spoke without yelling, and yet he never seemed to have a sore throat, even though he screamed at us from pre-dawn to post-dusk. He made me miss my momma.

At 3:30am the chief would roust us out so that we could “swab the decks,” the same floors we had just cleaned five times the previous day. None of us dared point out to him that this was a considerable waste of our limited time and energies. The chief’s expectations were completely unreasonable: by 4:30am, the deck was to be “so clean that we could eat off of it,” our uniforms were supposed to be pristine white and wrinkle free, our shoes had to shine with a mirror finish, and our faces were to be shaven and sober, ready for inspection.

I was not a particularly bright adolescent, but I had sense enough, even at those wee hours of the morning, not to turn over and say, “Hey, Chief, I really don’t feel like working this morning. I’ll just sleep in, if that’s okay with you.” I knew that he would have grabbed me by my feet, turned me on my bald head, and mopped the floor with me.

So, from the chief, I learned the true meaning of discipline. Serving the Lord is not exactly like being in the Navy, thank God. But a sense of military discipline translates well into the Christian life. In the Middle East, our troops have been effective because they are a dedicated, well-trained, disciplined fighting force.

But what happens when an army is not completely dedicated, well-trained, and disciplined? It loses battles and perhaps eventually loses the war. For example, we American Christians, as soldiers in the Lord’s army, are losing the “culture wars” in our country. If you doubt this assertion, you can read a newspaper or watch a little TV and a few movies.

If we have not changed the world by obeying the Great Commission, is it because we lack dedication, training, and discipline? Have we neglected evangelism, the Word, prayer, even church attendance because “we don’t feel like it”? The world says, “If it feels good, do it.” Have we obeyed the world? Or have we heard and answered God’s call to arms as described in Ephesians 6:10-18?