Numbness No More

The recent shooting and killings at the naval ship yard
(http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/16/20522196-gunman-kills-at-least-12-at-washington-navy-yard-gathering-weapons-along-the-way?lite) has re-energized the dialogue on gun violence. We have long talked about the effects of TV violence on children, but what about the effect on adults? (http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9523930/tv-violence-problem) Many people who oppose “Christians” voicing their negative opinions about too much violence will often times point out how violent the Bible is. Therefore, what gives us the right to speak up about such atrocities? One thing we can all say with certainty is that the acts and severity of violence has been ratcheted up beyond belief (http://www.infowars.com/11examples-of-the-escalating-crime-and-violence-that-are-plaguing-communities-across-america). In Gen. 6:11 the Bible states, “Now the earth had become corrupt in God’s sight and it was filled with violence.”  Have we become more numb to violence once again?

Jesus predicted that the end of time would be "as the days of Noah where" (Matt. 24:37-39). Though the earth will be filled with wickedness and violence, mankind will be preoccupied. Maybe this preoccupation is our way of keeping jaded about the frequency and severity of violence? We might not even want to face the definition of violence: Violence is "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence)

I don’t want to regress to being quoted as a dooms day prophet but the world we live in is not getting less violent. I can remember being in a funk for about a month after the Sandy Hook school shootings. My heart was more than sick, thinking about elementary students lying dead in pools of blood where once vibrant conversations, curiousness about the future, and the talk about possibly being the next president of the United States took place. At the same time if I let every single act of violence in the world preoccupy my every thought, I would end up in a mental institution surely contemplating suicide. Why? Because maybe most of us hate this violence so much yet we can do so little to stop what started (sin) in the garden long ago.

But God's people will not be numb to the wickedness: they will "sigh and cry over all the abominations" (Ezk. 9:4). Violence should be a stark reminder of how a lost and dying world needs a Savior. Violence should pierce our hearts and shock our minds into the reality of how diabolical Satan is. Violence should also help us realize that with every act of violence there are victims who need the lifesaving blood of Christ.

May God grant us Christ's tender heart so that the wickedness and violence of the world will never become our “new normal!" 

Never Disarmed

My father lives in CA and has an alarm system in his home.  When I go to visit him I have to disarm the system when I head out to the gym in the morning to get my work out in before he is up. The female computer generated voice actually says “disarmed.” It is a bit comical however, because my Dad tells me he can’t hear the alarm anyway. One of the benefits of maturing, is the world becomes a quieter place. 

The word “protection” just brought into your mind many different images. A policeman, a solider, a shield, McAfee software, seat belts (not so much, shame on you), locks on a door, or an alarm system. We seek protection because we feel there may be a threat to us personally. That threat could be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. We seek and want protection because we don’t want any harm to come to us or those that we love. 

We do not live in an ideal world. Friends are not as friendly as they should be. Neighbors are not as neighborly as they could be. And enemies are not as easily reconciled as we wish they would be. Bad things happen to good people and good people are not as good as we might imagine. When sin entered the world it forever set in motion the need for protection from others and from ourselves. The problem with protection in my mind is that at times it seems very elusive. How many times have we prayed for protection and God seems to be silent. Where is the hit man with his 44 magnum pointed at our enemies? 


In Psalm 27:1,7-9 the Bible says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid? Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior." I am sure we can all relate to David’s plea to our heavenly Father for protection. 

The Bible gives us mental images of God as our strong tower, our shield, our deliverer, our shelter in the time of storm(s), all powerful, our defender, and our protector. He is God, so why does it seem sometimes that He is not protecting us. It might be because we are seeking and can only comprehend a physical presence of God. Some of us have witnessed angels miraculously stepping in and helping us although this is not an everyday occurrence.  It could be we need an audible voice from God telling us He will protect us and that would give us reassurance He is there. I think it is natural in our human thinking to believe God is only protecting us if there is a physical presence we can see or hear, fortunately that is not all of the Biblical truth on this subject.

Many would feel unprotected if that was the case. It does boil down to trusting God. Do we believe that He is God and we can trust Him totally? He says he will never leave us or forsake us. He says He always has what is best for us in mind. He says in His final words before He ascends into Heaven that He will be with us always. He will never be “disarmed” for us. So even though we don’t think He is protecting us because we have languished in this pain past our threshold, or things don’t turn out the way we anticipated, in other words not a positive ending in our minds, He is there!

That does not mean that we don’t keep asking for His protection. Asking God for his protection is not a pleasantry we can take lightly but a necessity we must take seriously. When we signed on the dotted line to fight in this spiritual war 24/7 we  demanded His protection. Without it we will lose the battle, but never the war. Do not hide your face from me, Oh God, protect me from . . . .   

Abundant Grace

We have all been there, driving by or walking by someone who is in need of assistance. (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/homeless-people.html) The first questions and thoughts that often pop into our minds when our eyes meet is, “Do I give them money or not? Do I give them a gift card or not? Maybe they are just taking advantage of me. Or maybe they truly do have a “legitimate” need that I can help with.”

Our church helps serve a meal for the residents at the Churches United for the Homeless (http://www.churches-united.org)  on every 5th Sunday. I have joined them one time in preparing the meal and it was a great experience for me. At the same time I was overwhelmed by the need. It was the only time in my life that I was at a loss for words when someone asked me to pray before the meal was served. The homeless are just one group of people who need assistance in our country and the world. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States) But then I had the thought, “How many people in our own churches have physical, emotional, or spiritual needs as well?” 

The impression made on me that evening motivated my wife and I to send the organization a financial gift shortly afterwards.  However, I don’t believe I was even close to the spirit of the following verses we find in  Acts 4:33-35: "God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold  them, brought the money from the sales  and put it at the apostle's feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need." Who is “anyone in need?” I am sure most of your churches and your personal benevolent guidelines try to explain who “anyone in need” is.

Do we apply those verses in our lives?  How many people do we know who are in need? If someone we have contact with could not pay their rent, would we drain our savings to meet the need? If someone in our small group wrecked their car, would we give them ours? Would we send a check to a ministry that helps the less fortunate in our world? Would we really dare to view our things as our “neighbor’s” things as well? If we did incorporate this view it might lead to more friendships with others and especially those who are less fortunate not only physically but emotionally as well. Nelson Mandela said in his book, The Long Walk to Freedom, “There is little favorable to be said about poverty, but it was often an incubator of true friendship.” I will be the first to admit that my attitude needs an adjustment in this area. In this rich country we live in we probably don’t expose ourselves enough to those who are in need.

Do we pray to God - grant us success at work, in business, and with our money so that we can help those around us? According to Jeff Manion, “the chief inhibitor to generosity isn't greed; it’s fear. A person asks if I support a Compassion International child at $30 a month, will I have enough for me?” Let’s not be afraid to be generous. God does supply all our needs. Let’s step out in faith and overcome acedia in this area of our lives.  The next time you see a person in need step out of your comfort zone and do something you have never done before. 

Pinch an Inch

What is your BMI? No, it is not your Bahamas Mission Inventory. It is your Body Mass Index and you can calculate it here: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmicalc.htm If you haven’t noticed lately the number of people that are overweight in our society and in the church has increased drastically. www.medicinenet.com/obesity_weight_loss/article.htm  At the next potluck at your church try performing a simple experiment. Observe the first 10 people that go through the food line, and determine how many are overweight? Maybe we think that over eating is Biblical. Jesus ate everywhere He went when He did ministry. He also walked (exercise) everywhere He went as well. How is our exercise frequency these days?

The battle with eating too much food and the wrong types of food is real and daily. We have even created TV shows about this hot topic. I know I personally struggle in this area of my life. It takes a lot of self-discipline to first of all curb our appetites and also eat healthy foods. The question is not “Why are we overeating?” It is “Why we are using food to cope” in our lives. Being overweight is just a symptom of the real issue that lies in our hearts. 

We are all familiar with the Bible text from I Cor. 6:19-20 on this topic. http://carm.org/christianity/sermons/1-corinthians-619-20-your-body-his-temple Our bodies are created by God, it is His temple in which the Holy Spirit resides. So taking care of our bodies is a stewardship issue. We have all heard of managing our time, talents, and treasures. I always include a fourth ‘T’ (temple) in my management plan.  Psalm 139:14 says, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." With proper self-discipline and maintenance these biological temples that God gave us may provide 80 plus years of service. So not only will we be able to serve our King longer, we will also be able to spend more years with those we love including our grand kids, which has become another positive motivator for me. 

If we neglect proper exercise and nutrition for our bodies, all that God has planned for us may elude us. This is even more of a challenge in the “go out to eat” culture we live in. Take courage, it is a daily battle of stewardship in which God wants to assist us with victory. Keep in mind no diets actually work. What we need to do to overcome acedia is change our lifestyles. We also need to show care for kids or grandkids that are in our care. One in three young people today are obese www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/nutrition/pdf/facts.pdf.  If we want to leave a healthy legacy we have to set a good example for them to follow.  

Dirt Under Your Nails

Our last frost date to plant outside in my part of the country is May 21^st but most people try and get some root or cool crops planted by Mother’s Day. My wife and I planted about 75% of this season’s veggie garden in our square foot garden boxes just after Mother’s Day last month. I have always loved gardening and getting a little dirt under my nails. However, my 3 year old granddaughter is a bit squeamish about playing in the dirt. She likes to keep her painted nails nice and clean. Why it took us so long to leave row gardening for this marvelous, miraculous method is all about being stuck in tradition. Yuck, this reminds me of the church sometimes.

Jesus told a parable in Mark 4:4-8: "As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

Scattering the Gospel is sometimes very hard and frustrating work. At times it might seem easier for us to get bit by a shark while surfing (if we did surf) rather than another no show by someone we wanted to share the Gospel with. Or this has been the umpteenth time this week someone not only rejected His words but told us to get lost as well. I am afraid we (me too) are tempted to just keep our polished finger nails as far away from the dirt as we possibly can, especially if the quality of the dirt is the “least of these."

However, I have seen that some of the seed will take root. Some will multiply. And that group of hungry souls, will make all the pain, all the rejection, and all the dirt under our finger nails well worth the trouble of sharing the story of Jesus and how He changed our lives. This won’t happen by accident, because after one plants the seed there has to be a lot of watering before the Holy Spirit produces the fruit.

Now watering that is a different story with my granddaughter. She loves watering to garden! We purchased a little watering can for her and she will water anything and everything with exuberant enthusiasm. Could it be that relationship (watering) is the reward for planting the seed. Working that soil of those we have developed relationships with could be a lifelong process. We must use all the creative juices (the different watering and fertilizing methods of sustaining and deepening relationships) that we have and that the Holy Spirit gives us (new relationship sustaining ideas).

They (the ones God created for us to reach) are always worth it no matter how much dirt we get under our nails. May glances at our nails from time to time be a constant reminder of the lack of or abundance of dirt that are under those nails. So go plant some seeds and get those nails really dirty!

10:02

 The alarm went off at 10:02 am the other day on my cell phone and my wife asked me what that was for. 10:02 could be a reminder to me that the Yankee baseball game is 2 hours and 58 minutes away from starting on a day with a 1:00 pm business man special starting time. 10:02 could be my alarm alerting me to get my mid-morning yogurt snack. Or it could be the 10:02 Amtrak passenger train to Yuma.

Luke 10:2 states,  "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." We need to ask the Lord of the Harvest to “send out workers.” So 10:02 is a reminder to me that this verse has become one of my daily prayers. I encourage you to make this one of your daily prayers. Set your watch or phone for 10:02 (am or pm depending on your biological clock) every day to remind you of the Luke 10:02 prayer. So why should we be silencing our minds and turning our attention to God during this time frame? 

The problem is not the harvest; the harvest is ready.  I often tell church planters that they are very privileged to be called to a ministry where we aren’t going to run out of potential customers. What a blessing!  The two biggest delays in most church planting projects (in any church planting organization) are: there aren’t enough qualified individuals to plant churches and not enough financial resources to plant churches. 

So if the harvest is ready what is the problem? It's the workers. It’s us. We need to get to work and put making disciples that make disciples at the fore front of our minds and therefore our habits. I am ashamed at how many churches and how many of us have lost our way and haven’t done this in quite some time. Alan Hirsch warns, that if we fail at this point (discipleship) then we fail in all the others. Dallas Willard calls “non-discipleship” the elephant in the church. 

If we are going to overcome acedia we need to get to work. We need to ask God to get others to work. “We need to become like a kid in a small town parade who throws candy with two-fisted fury. We need to spread the gospel everywhere we go and with everyone we meet.” ~ Kevin Harney, Reckless Faith: Embracing A Life Without Limits. If you like this I know you will start a new 10:02 habit.

Would You Clean A Latrine?

In my quite time this year one of the devotional tools I am using is a book called A World of Wonders by Doug Batchelor. It is a fascinating book chalked full of some of the most interesting stories, facts, and figures that one can imagine. The following is an adaptation from Day 49 in this devotional book. 

On the morning of Sept. 17, 1862 (during the Battle of Antietam which was one of the bloodiest battles and turning point in the Civil War) a Union commander named Colonel Hays ordered his men to the firing line before sunrise with no breakfast. I can’t imagine a morning without breakfast; breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. By afternoon the men were exhausted and famished. 

A 19 year old mess sergeant by the name of Billy heard about this predicament and took pity on the hungry men and loaded up a wagon with buckets of coffee and all the food the wagon could carry. Then he drove the wagon into the front lines under fire. The soldiers sent up a cheer for their new hero Billy. They hurriedly scarfed down the food and headed back to fight the advancing Confederates with renewed strength and vigor. 


When Colonel Hays (Rutherford B. Hayes who became the 19th President of the United States) heard about Billy’s heroic actions he recommended Billy (who was William McKinley who became the 25th President of the United States) be promoted to the rank of second lieutenant.  

Luke 16:10 says, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much."  It is often used to measure the potential of a person becoming a future leader. Though the duties in front of us today may not seem great and often times even mundane  if we perform them faithfully it will soon become apparent to those around us that we can be trusted with greater things. And even if we're never given earthly recognition for our efforts, Paul reminds us that whatever we do, we should "do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men" (Col. 3:23). 

If we do that we can be confident that we’ll hear our Commander say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21)