"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." (Eccl. 3:1 NIV)
Thanks for your kind words and responses. They have kept me writing when I often wanted to quit.
Until we meet in the air...or God calls me back to the blog.
Blessings
Rev. Dr. Daniel D. Lute the 1st
"Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out."
(Prov. 24:19-20 NIV)
It reminded me of the first time our youngest daughter went through a car wash. Strapped into her child protection seat, also known as "the chair," with no escape, she watched as I put my dollars in the machine, put the car in neutral, and waited for the unknown. I could see her through the rearview mirror. No expression until the roller caught the front wheel and we entered into hell itself.
What started out being fun turned into panic as I saw her eyes widen, the lip started to quiver, tears began to well up, and her little arms grasped "the chair."
I quickly turned and said, "It's okay. It's just washing the dirt off of the car." Sometimes we need to see things through a child's eyes.
Often, I'll go through a car wash and turn to Deb and say, "I bet this is pretty scary for a kid." Within seconds, not being able to see because of the spray. Then giant octopus like arms slapping at the windows and every other part of the car. Moving but not knowing where we are going. Something begins to spray from the front. You can hear it coming over the top of you but because you are incarcerated, you can't see if it is coming behind you. And... it does...over the top again. Then the giant sound begins. You're not sure what it is but it begins blowing so hard that the windshield wipers lift off of the glass and....it's coming backward toward you! You...restrained in "the chair" with no way of escape. (Wow! I think I pee'd myself a little just recounting it). And then, as quickly as it started, it was over. The beast puked us out. The trauma will last a lifetime.
I often feel like this little child. Fretting because of the unknown. Nervous about what I see around me. Being pulled into something where I had no choice or input. But the Lord reminded me this week that I shouldn't fret because of the wickedness of the world around me. The evildoer has no hope. But I do.
This stress is not new to me or humanity. It is the purification process, the cleansing process. A reminder that God needs to remove the worldly filth in my life in order to be a useable vessel in his hands. It is about trusting the Father and hearing the words, "It's okay. It's just washing the dirt off."
I never thought of myself this way, but I think I'm working at the car wash.
"I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil." (Ps. 119:162 NIV)
They are promises of God to his people. Anchors for a storm. Stable foundations when it quakes. Deeply rooted trees for hurricane winds. Certain. True. Trustworthy. Hope filled. Positive and negative. Blessings and curses. Seldom memorized. Seldom referred to. A great treasure that remains buried because very few are willing to work hard to uncover it and claim it for their own.
I have been struggling with a promise lately and hungering for another: The promise of Jesus' coming and the promise of a new heaven and earth. Peter wrote about both in 2 Peter 3:4 and 13.
The first is the struggle of waiting, of anticipation, of not falling prey to the scoffers who say, "Where is his coming? It's been two thousand years." It reminds me of the man with a demon possessed son who said to Jesus, "I believe; help my unbelief." My spirit of late. The second is the hope, the longing of what is to come. Escapism. Of course, and proud of it.
The first is a patient endurance as things become worse and worse. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some are but is patient, not wanting anyone to perish but to come to repentance." The second is the motivation for hanging in there and staying at the work.
I often think of all the prior post-cross generations that longed for Jesus's coming. They longed for it but didn't see it. They died in anticipation - holding on to a promise.
And we, the generation that has seen the establishment of Israel, who are now seeing all the evil actors forming an alliance (Russia, Turkey, Iran) that will end up being the Ezekiel 38/39 war, Jerusalem being once again recognized as the capital of Israel, high inflation, government collapses, shortages of food, etc..., we, have more reason to believe in the fulfilled promise of Jesus' coming than any generation. And yet are still struggling with the fulfillment.
Perhaps it is just war weariness. I am reminded of Proverbs 13:12, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
A present sickness with a certain cure.
The promises of God.
"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains."
(Matt. 24:6-8 NIV)
It feels like things are off kilter. My nation is hell bent on killing babies and supporting debauched lifestyles. We are changing definitions of words, like "woman", "man", "recession" to fit certain political agendas but it's all evil. It all goes against the truth of the Scriptures.
It feels like the end-time baby is coming. Russia and Ukraine. China and Taiwan. Iran and Israel. North Korea and...everyone. Nation against nation. Kingdom against kingdom.
That darn Chinese virus keeps coming around and around. The Monkey Pox or LGBTQ Pox is being unleashed as HIV was in the 1970's. And look for more juvenile heart and overall health complications from parents jamming these untested vaccines into their kids before school starts.
It has been oppressively hot...everywhere. I about stroked out power-washing one side of my house Saturday. Hurricane season, which begins soon, is slated to be unusually active this year. Note the political connection of this with any president trying to divide Jerusalem (Republican or Democrat). Floods in Kentucky and Missouri. Forest fires out West. I told my bride, "Wait for the earthquake. It's coming. And it won't be a little one that rumbles a bit. It will collapse cities."
As my brother-in-law so eloquently stated it, "I'm not trying to be negative. Actually, the total opposite. 'When you see these things coming, look up, and lift up your heads, for your salvation is very near.' Jesus is coming for his church and that ought to excite every believer."
The baby (Jesus) is coming but we have some pain to go through first.
Make sure you have good batteries for your flashlight, and some extra spaghetti noodles in the pantry.
And enjoy the flowers...no matter if they are out of season. It is always a sign of hope.
"Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness." (Ps. 29:2 NIV)
First of all, my apologies for being inconsistent in my writing; it's summer. I should just stop at the end of May and start after Labor Day like many of my church members 😎.
A few weeks ago, Deb and I had the privilege of attending Billy Graham's Evangelistic Training Center in Ashville, North Carolina. A beautiful facility in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Twelve hundred acres of holiness and serenity. I needed it.
It has been...whew...I honestly can't remember when I have had an opportunity for a ministry break to be ministered to. A common hazard for those of us in full-time ministry and the cause of many a burnout. I was desperately in need of something/someone.
I had always wanted to go to the Cove. With Covid, Deb and I have agreed, with the exception of seeing our parents in Florida, that we would keep our travels to driving and to an eight-to-nine-hour journey. The Cove fit the parameters.
I am also not a person that goes to "pastor's conferences." I find them boring and usually a one-up exercise. "So how big is your church?" "How many staff members do you have?" "Is your wife blond and does she play the piano, lead VBS, head up the Women's Missionary Society, and always participate in bake sales and funeral dinners?" "Now tell me again, what school you graduated from?" "Hmmmm...never heard of it?"
I sometimes tell them that I am from the Celestial Universalist Unitarian Non-Conformist, Non-Religious Church of the None's. They only hear the last part and think I'm Roman Catholic. They move on. Leper! Leper! Unclean! Unclean! Humorous.
As I was looking at the Cove schedule, I noticed that Dr. R. T. Kendall was speaking. Dr. Kendall was the pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, England, the successor to the great Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones. Amazing...since I thought he was dead. He turned 87 the week we were there.
I heard him speak in the 1990's when he was going through a very pivotal change in his ministry and in his walk with the Holy Spirit. It captivated me. Like listening to Leonard Ravenhill or Duncan Campbell. Riveting. Convicting. Motivating.
I did my early registration and looked forward to the time away with my bride sitting at the feet of a Christian great.
Double blessing. Speaking of Elisha...but for me it was having Marty Goetz lead us in worship before every session. Three times a day he brought us into the presence of the Lord.
I didn't realize how lacking this aspect of my life was. I knew it mentally. Most of the churches I had been in since my days at Word of Life have been... no offense intended...ones that have just sung songs. It has been a long, long time since I have truly worshipped. Oh...how I missed it. How I was reminded that this is what I was created for. Most of the time I couldn't sing for my spirit welled up inside of me and the tears flowed. Tears of joy. Tears of sorrow. Tears of future hope.
I wonder how many churches suffer from the same malady - a good song service.
Marty Goetz does a home worship service with his wife and sometimes his daughter Misha on Tuesday and Friday nights at 8 eastern (MartyGoetz.com). He invites us into his home but more importantly, he invites us into the presence of God through our worship.
Sometimes our heroes, we find, are just men like us. It might sound a bit prideful, but I didn't learn much, and the Q and A I could have handled easily. There were nuggets I gathered, but I think my time away was to remind me that for all of the "brain" time I put in, my heart needs just as much attention. Probably, more so...
A heart of worship.
May I encourage you to do the same.
" Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain." (Ps. 127:1 NIV)
We met in the vacation destination of Ohio; Akron to be exact. Why? Because it was about halfway for each and there was something of interest there: The Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens.
"Stan Hywet" is an Old English name for "stone quarry" of which the site was located. It was the home of the Seiberling family since 1915. A small 64,500 square foot cottage with a lagoon, 70-acre lawnscape, vegetable and flower gardens. It has 21,455 panes of glass and 23 fireplaces.
I've been to the Biltmore in North Carolina. This is small in comparison. But I left the mansion thinking, "It felt like a home."
It's been a few weeks since I've been home but in conversation with others about my experience, I think I know why I felt that way. It was because the house was full of photographs. Christmas parties. Easter egg hunts. Community events. Weddings. New Year's Eve parties. Rooms where Will Rogers stayed. Bedrooms where Helen Keller and Shirley Temple slept. Guest rooms for royalty as well as musicians and poets and playwrights. Plaques telling stories about cigars and Brandy and Billiards (which I learned was quite different than Pool). Messy working desks and kitchen menus for the day. It felt lived in and I can't think of a better way to use an Old English Tudor cottage.
It's not about the building, but the people you shared it with. Like "Sam" and "Jill" or was it, "Dick" and "Jane"?
May our mansions be the same.
"Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself. 18 Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. 19 Restore us, LORD God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved." (Ps. 80:17-19 NIV)
It was called a "revival" but technically it is a "renewal" service. To "revive" something is to bring it back to life. As far as I know we're not dead...yet.
It's been nice to hear brothers and one sister share the words of the Holy Spirit on this topic. I have been amazed at the direction each of us has taken and the styles in which we present.
It has been exhilarating. It has been exhausting. It has reminded me that we are not in this fight alone. It has reminded me that there is only so much that we can do together. Unity is a nice theological desire but the practical outworking of it is incredibly difficult. Honestly, I'm not sure what the end desire was to be. It's not like we were fighting with each other.
I have a feeling many in our congregations think that unity is not just the absence of conflict but the desire to serve one another, encourage one another, support one another. They would be correct. But dividing issues can still be present in separation over "pen and pencil" issues as one speaker put it.
Blood binds us but pen and pencil issues separate us or should I say, creates limiting barriers. Even then I'm not sure that I am in agreement that this is a bad thing. Unity is not uniformity. Unity is oneness in diversity. I think we have shown that this week. We are not going to come to an agreement to close down all our churches and meet in the high school gym and share speaking responsibilities. It's not feasible nor is it desirable.
I have an old Puritan preacher in my library, John Owens, who said that when a church gets close to a hundred people start another one. One man can only care for around a hundred people.
I think this is what was missing in the conversation. It's really not about the preaching. It's about the care.
Was I revived? No. Was I renewed? No. Did I gain from meeting new pastors and new brothers and sisters in Christ? Absolutely. Perhaps this was the divine purpose all along. Perhaps there will be a greater purpose as things get more difficult for the Body of Christ. This is my prophetic internal rumbling.
The week was a good reminder of the old hymn:
"We praise thee O God, for the Son of thy love,
For Jesus who died and is now gone above.
Hallelujah, Thine the glory! Hallelujah, amen!
Hallelujah, Thine the glory! Revive us again."
"Will you not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You." Psalm 85:6.
It has, indeed, been a week of joy but also a hint of prophetic anticipation.
