Fence Posts

"But I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me" (Hosea 13:4). 

When I was preparing to teach a course on Theology of Mission I was struck by how many times this phrase occurs and especially how it was connected to "next steps" for the Jewish people. 

Their future actions or confidence in the their future actions were supposed to be anchored in the miraculous movement of God - the Exodus. 

This is the God who turned the Nile into blood, who brought flies and frogs and boils and darkness and death. 

This is the God who divided the waters, set the captive free, and destroyed the enemy in a watery grave.

How quickly they forgot this God of miracles.  How quickly man's inability eclipses God's ability. 

When I was a kid my dad dairied and later on as an adult I took up the farming profession myself. I am familiar with fences. They keep things in; they keep things out. They always seem to need fixing. 

When you put a fence in you start with an anchor post which is usually the size of a telephone pole and the next post on either side is anchored to that with twisted wire. From that point on the fence is stretched. So you can see how important it is to have a solid anchor. It is the place you point to as your beginning. 

It is also interesting to note that fence posts are generally set about fifteen to twenty feet apart. It's short enough to keep the wire tight but long enough to keep from digging too many holes. 

I have often thought about that process in my own faith, especially when doubt arises about my own abilities in the kingdom of God. Once again the fault lies in my inability to remember that "God brought me out of Egypt." He brought me through the desert of Sinai. He guided me along the Dead Sea and the Jordan River. He protected me and gave me victory over Og and Sihon. He delivered the city of Ai and the pagan kings. 

Each of these, although taken from the narrative of the people of Israel, are my story; the names and places are just different. This is a visual line of God's faithfulness, a line affirming his presence and power. 

When I begin to doubt or lose my way I only need to look back...and hopefully not too far...to see a faithful post that God has erected in my fence. He is building something. He was faithful there...and there...and there...and there...and there...  He gives me enough space to stretch and anchors me when I start to become weak. 

My life is a succession of stretching and posting, stretching and posting. Pull...set.  Pull...set. God is growing me; God is grounding me. God is growing me; God is grounding me. And all the while the greatest tension is on that corner post - God himself. He is anchoring it all. 

"I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt." Unfortunately there I times when I think it was Delta or United. 

Arise, My Darling, My Beautiful One

"My lover said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me...'"  Song of Songs, 2:10. 

This week three people died that were close to those I care for.  I couldn't help but to remember a message that I gave for a dear woman in Alpena, Michigan. 

May it ministry to you as it did to me when I wrote it. 

Barb Thompson was a unique woman. The first time I wanted to make a house call to see her she told me not to come. A phone call every once in a while would be O.K.  Later I found out it was because her hair wasn’t done up and she couldn’t find her teeth. Then she made the mistake of being admitted to the hospital, a public hospital, where pastors don’t have to call but can drop in for a visit. Her hair wasn’t done then and her teeth were in a cup but she found out that I wasn’t there to see her hair or her teeth but her sweet spirit.

Barb had a strong faith in God but it didn’t mean that she never wavered or fell pray to doubt. Often the most stalwart Christians find themselves in a crisis of faith. “Is what I’ve been holding on to all my life going to sustain me through this?” It has brought me through life but will it get me through the process of death? On this side of suffering we proudly say “yes, of course!” But when in the throws of pain and suffering the pride and surety of what we know often leads to a greater humility and we pray, “God give me the faith that I need. A faith that is not in theory but one that will withstand the flames of pain, the darkness of night, the coldness of a solitary journey. This is, indeed, a path that I must walk alone; alone, without family and friends, even though their presence is here; alone but not without the hand of God. “For though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Barb Thompson was a unique woman and she wanted me to preach from a unique passage at her home-going; a passage out of the norm for me, but one that I have grown to love as well.  As I read this passage I want you to imagine Barb lying in her bed, laboring to breath, on the verge of moving from this world to the next.

The Song of Solomon or the Song of Songs, chapter 2, verse 8 begins,

“Listen! My lover! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills. ⁹ My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. ¹⁰ My lover spoke and said to me, "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. ¹¹ See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. ¹² Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. ¹³ The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me."

Barb chose a passage picturing, not a king calling to his servant, not a lord calling out to his vassal, but a lover calling out to his bride. Jesus, the lover of her soul, was calling out to Barb, “Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.” It was Jesus calling her home to heaven.

The Scriptures describe the groom not waiting afar but leaping and bounding over the hills to get to the one he loves. He always takes the initiative to come to those he loves. He is one looking for his bride. He said to Barb, “The time is perfect. The winter is past and the rains are over.” The times of life that seem to be barren and described as dormant or dead are passing. You are passing into eternal life, Barb, my love. The time of transition is over. The winter is turning into spring; to a newness the likes of which you’ve never seen. Look at the fruit of your life. As King Hezekiah said, “My life is like a tapestry cut off from the loom.” It is a finished masterpiece; the beautiful work of the master in my life.  Look at the newness and wonder that surrounds being with your beloved. Flowers have appeared on the earth.  Singing abounds. The birds are cooing in contentment. The trees are bearing fruit and the vines are casting forth their sweet fragrance. No more will you gasp for air, Barb, but you’ll breathe deep the fragrances of heaven. No more will you worry about the cares of life for yours will be perfect contentment. No more will your labors be met with weeds and thistles, with hardships and obstacles, but you’ll produce the perfect fruit of the spirit. “Arise my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.”

In the beginning God walked in the cool of the evening in the midst of his creation and called to his beloved. Sin had entered that world and instead of Adam and Eve longing to hear the voice of God, they hid from it. When the people of Israel were delivered from Egypt and gathered to Mount Sinai God wanted to call to them but they said to Moses, “You talk to him, you go to him.  We’ll wait here.” They were afraid.  A sinner meeting a holy God is a fearful thing.

How is it then that Barb could choose a passage like this for her memorial service? It was because the sin was cared for and the fear was gone. Barb believed in the cleansing redemptive power of the blood of Jesus, her Savior, her Beloved. She believed that perfect love casts out all fear. Why should I be afraid of someone who gave his life for me, to save me from sin and self? Why should I fear the lover of my soul? I long to hear the sweet voice of my beloved calling, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.” 

May I ask you a very personal question this afternoon? What if you were the one lying on that death bed, struggling to breathe, knowing that your last breath would be near? Would you welcome the call to come away or tremble in fear? Why be afraid of the one who took the sting out of death, who robbed the grave? He called Barb to himself last Saturday and his voice is still calling today. It may not be because death is near but it is inescapable, and God, who loves you so incredibly desires to cast out that fear and give you hope, the hope of eternal life. It comes through embracing his son, Jesus Christ, as your savior, your redeemer, the lover of your soul. 

I know that many make professions of faith but never bear the fruit of such a profession. A true confession of knowing Christ always produces fruit. So may I ask you to do a little self-examining today? Are you depending on a prayer said many years ago regarding a Savior that you barely know or are you looking for the long awaited lover of your soul, your groom? So when the time does come, you, like Barb, will listen with anticipation to hear him say, “Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. Come home.”

Be Still and Know that I am God (Part 3)

"Be still and know that I am God..." (Psalm 46:10). 

Today I come to the last part of my journey on this phrase. Like a crescendo in music it starts softly and builds into this loud climax designed to...make one still. 

I will make an astute observation:  I am not God. He is God. The problem is not writing this simple observation, but in living it out. 

I often imagine what it would be like to live as if there were no God (like many in this world do). From a purely societal standpoint I don't think my life would be much different. I don't steal or commit other crimes not because I believe that their is a God but rather the thought of prison deters me from such behavior. I do good things because it makes me feel good inside, because it makes my world a better place for me. So any notion of an altruistic motive is quickly removed. I know my own heart to well. There has to be something more than an ethical impetus - something greater than this. There has to be something that stops life and yells, "You are not God! He is God!" The ethical implications will follow but its knowledge of the person that one should be after. 

I have heard many people quote Psalm 14:1 at this point, "The fool says in his heart 'there is no god..." Unfortunately this is not how the original Hebrew was interpreted nor does it line up with history. The actual reference says, "The fool says in his heart, "God does not care." (JPS translation). You may be thinking this is a lot different in meaning, but its not. You just have to have the right meaning for the first translation. 

Atheism is a modern phenomenon born out of the Enlightenment Period when men became really, really smart and decided there wasn't any such thing as a god or rather that man is god. Prior to that, the pendulum swung the other way - polytheism, or the belief in many gods. This is the context of Psalm 14. So a fool is not one who does not believe in the existence of God; he is one who lives his life as though God does not care - as if He does not exist. This is more aligned with a Deist position - there is a God who created all things - he wound it up like a clock and let it go...determining its own path without His involvement. 

Be still and know that I am God - a God who does care. It's why God says, "Be still."  Don't be agitated. Don't be in a panic. Don't feel rushed. Don't believe the lie that all is out of control or stuck. Be still and know. Know that God does care. Know that He is in control. Know that your sin or past failures will not prevent Him from carrying out His plan for your life in His mission. Know that God is great, that God is good. Know that He loves unconditionally and has your best interest in mind. Be still and know this God. This God is the one who will be exalted above every nation - exalted above all the earth. 

"Be still and know that I am God" "I am in control." "I am sovereign over all things." 

"Be still...

and know...

Me." 

Be Still and Know (Part 2)

Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." 

I have spent the greater part of my life seeking to "know." It has been and still is what internally motivates me. But as my Eastern Orthodox friends rightly tell me, "Knowing God as a subject is different than knowing him as a person." I believe you have to have both but the first is actually much easier than the last. 

The first time that we come in contact with this "knowledge" issue is in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:16-17. "And the LORD God commanded the man [Adam], 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.'" 

Many of you have heard me teach deeply on this passage before but to remind you of its truth...God did not prohibit Adam [and Eve] from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because He is a withholding type of God. As good parents we know that certain information or certain exposure to more mature things will actually damage the child. They are not ready for such things. As good parents we are not withholding because we love to torment and selfishly keep things away from our children; we do it because we love them. We want them to grow up whole. 

I recently was reminded of this truth while watching a "Children of the Holocaust" program from a Jewish perspective. Children, little children, whose greatest concern should be "Who do I play with today?" or which picture to post on the frig....little children forced to watch the shooting of their mother, father, and older siblings. Little children who used to have three home-made loving meals now  fighting and stealing from other children - rotten leftovers found in a garbage can or stale bread in the concentration camps. As adults we see how such tragedy, how such knowledge, especially of evil, has changed them, broken them almost beyond repair. 

We see this with brutality but we also see this with explicit sexual exposure, with drugs and alcohol, abject poverty, cyber bullying, and a host of other "knowledge" issues. In my experience, in my opinion, they deaden you to the true knowledge creation was to offer you. Instead of reflecting the Creator and His divine mission of blessing, it was perverted and used for selfish ends. 

We often view the Fall from a sin perspective [and rightly so] but seldom do we see this as as a fall from what we were to potentially have with God. The loss is linked to Paradise but it was so much more. We lost what we could become. We lost what God was planning to give.

God does not desire to withhold things from us that give us pleasure or fill our social needs. However, He knows the best time to release them into our lives. He brings us to a certain level of maturity and then discloses them to us. 

It was this premature knowledge that put a distance between man and God. Adam had the knowledge but he lacked the maturity to handle the information. In becoming "like God" [Gen. 3:22] his own way, he distanced himself from God and the true intent of the knowledge. 

In Genesis 4:1 we have another "know." In the old King James translation it tells us that Adam "knew" Eve.  What does that mean?  It means that when they were both picking weeds out in their garden, Adam would look up and say to one of the animals, "Oh...there's Eve. I'd recognize her anywhere. She was the one who got us kicked out of the Garden." Well...she was the only woman on the planet at that time and they were still together as a couple so naturally he would say this. 

Actually, "to know" in that context was to be sexually intimate. Even though sin had entered into their relationship, they sought to love each other, to hold on to the divine covenant. God did not abandon them as well. He sought the restorative love that Adam and Eve were pursuing. 

I start here because I believe it is at the heart of Psalm 46. I am called to "Be still and know." At this point I don't want to rush ahead and fill in the rest of the text. I want to savor the word for awhile and figure it out before I move on to the end. 

My ability to "be still" is predicated on a certain "knowledge." So I will get my Systematic Theology books out (of which I have quite a few) and I will write out what I "know." This is not a bad exercize but it will leave me deficient and devoid of my quest. I have no doubt that there are atheists and agnostics who "know" the Bible and its underlying themes and principle better than me. They spend their life trying to shred it of all truth and importance. But they will never be successful. They are only arguing one aspect of "know." 

The Apostle Paul wrote one of the most heartfelt sentences that I have found in the Scriptures. One might call it my life verse - although I have surely failed to keep its truth in my own heart. After suffering great physical affliction and imprisonment he still penned these words, "That I may know him [Jesus] and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so somehow to attain to the resurrection of the dead" (Philip. 3:10-11).  

Paul was a brilliant man.  A Ph.D in theology, of the right religious family, studied under the right influential teachers....he knew. But he did not know until he had a personal experience with the risen Lord himself. It was finding out the truth of who this person, Jesus, truly was, matching O.T. examinations with what now stood in front of him. It's one thing to know that God is love; it is another thing to know the God of love. This is what Paul was after. 

What do I know?  I know that in my quest for something deeper:

1.  God is not purposely withholding with evil intent. 
2.  God is waiting or working in me to develop a certain level of maturity. 
3.  God will release whatever I need and what I desire when He is ready and...when He knows that I am ready. 
4.  God desires me to keep studying but for the sake of building others up and leading them to a deeper relationship with His Son. 
5.  I need to remember that eternal life is not based on a written exam but on a friendship with the Almighty God. 

Can you hear the quiet, parental voice?

"Be still.....

"and know..." 

Be Still

Psalm 46:10a says, "Be still and know that I am God."

A reflection in three parts:  Part 1

Ever since I came back from my last teaching opportunity with Grace Seminary I have been struggling with being still. It has been the reason, or at least I would like it to be the reason for why I have not posted since then. 

March came in like a lion - not the weather but ministry. An all church Seder Supper, Resurrection Sunday, a new English service...I have been busy. But I have been wrestless in my spirit for some reason. Probably worse than I have ever been in my spiritual life. 

I am so grateful that I don't have a schedule that produces ulcers and stress induced heart attacks. Unfortunately that was called "my thirties." I now have time to do all those things that I have dreamed about doing, e.g. reading, writing, praying, planning, etc... All good things. All good things that I am presently doing. But in the midst of these things I find a spirit that yearns for something more. I know that this answer will not be found solely in the external things of life. That would be easy. 

I know that the vast majority of this is within. It is as John of Damascus wrote, "the dark night of the soul." Unfortunately this is not exactly true for I have way too much light at present to be found in such a disparaging place. 

I have found solace in the words of this particular verse - "Be still." In the strict context I know that it has to do with the cessation of war and God's supremacy among the nations, but it is a war that I am dealing with and so I find it appropriate. 

What does it mean to "be still"?  If I told my kids this when they were younger it would mean, "Stop squirming; stop moving around." I get the distinct impression that God is saying the same thing to this kid. In the midst of squirming we become distracted and often miss the important things around us. In the midst of squirming we also irritate those around us. You should pray for my wife. 

Perhaps looking at some other Scriptures would help clarify this command. 

Exodus 14:14, "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." 

It tells me that there is a war going on - a war that brings conflict, pain, injury, sorrow, grief, uncertainty. 

It also tells me that I'm not alone and more than that - I don't need to take up arms for the LORD is fighting on my behalf. 

There is a sense of relief in knowing that there is a sure victory over my enemy. 

It is also a criticism.  I will lose if...when...I believe it is my fight.  It is a passive victory which is perhaps the hardest for prideful men like myself to acquire. 

The battle is the LORD's because He will get the glory not me. The battle is the LORD's because there will only be one hero in this divine narrative. Be still. 

Finding the discarded Law of Moses, Ezra the priest began to read and the people began to grieve understanding how far they had moved away from the things of the Lord. 

Nehemiah 8:11, "The Levites calmed all the people saying, 'Be still, for this is a sacred day.  Do not grieve." 

This verse tells me to be calm. In the midst of revelation, where the divine plan of God is revealed, there is no need for agitation. There is no need of second guessing or "what-ifs." 

I think this leads into part two of this verse, "and know..." so I'll not chase that dragon until I need to slay it. Just a heads up...I think we live in the middle of knowing and not knowing, obeying and seeking, trusting and hoping. Perhaps this is the squirmy part after all. 

Psalm 37:7a, "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him..."

"Being still"is connected to "waiting patiently for something...for him." 

Perhaps this is the greatest lesson about "being still." I am waiting for something. And I will continue to wait for something until I figure out that it isn't a something after all but a someone. When that someone shows up the something will be cared for and probably beyond my expectations. 

For this old farm kid who is accustomed to hard work and a clear goal it is one of the most difficult things that I have had to do. I need to know what is next. Idleness is the death of me just as busyness without direction will kill me. 

I am so blessed. I am blessed with a great wife and family. I am blessed with good health. I am blessed with a fairly intelligent mind. I love what I do for a living and am so privilege to do it with people who appreciate it. 

An outsider would surely tell me to "Shut up" and "be thankful." If they only knew that I have shut up and I am thankful. But that doesn't fix the spiritual agitation that calls for something deeper, something sweeter, that will, in the end, make all those above blessings even richer. 

So for now I will seek and pray that I might understand what it means to let the LORD do the fighting, to be calm, to wait patiently for...Him, and to resist the temptation to wait for it. I will "be....." I won't lie...its just not there yet.

"There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God, 
A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God. 
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God, 
Hold me, I wait before Thee, near to the heart of God. 

There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God. 
A place where all is joy and sweet, near to the heart of God. 
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God. 
Hold me, I wait before Thee, near to the heart of God."


  

Weapons of Mass Distraction

I wish I could take credit for the title of this posting but alas, it belongs to an anonymous scholar. 

I was watching a lecture series entitled, "What Matters," by Oxford scholar, Os Guinness, and he mentioned the quote. 

At one point an Oxford student was interviewed and asked, "What lies at the end of life?  How will you know if you've accomplished your purpose?  Her answer was, "I don't know. I guess if I have a lot of good stories."

Most of the students said that they really didn't have time to think about life's purpose in the long term.  Everything was focused on getting through school and moving on to a future career (whatever that may be). 

Living "in the moment" is an understandable answer, especially when one is consumed with studies and deadlines. But one must be prepared for the long view if one wants to be successful at fulfilling a life of purpose.

Honestly, there will always be an "in the moment." Your new job will consume you, email, Facebook, or Twitter. Something will distract from the larger purpose of life.  

A life of purpose is not some random or personally planned out path. It is the desire of God for your life. It matters not what subject matter one desires to study. The greater question is, "Can I glorify God in this, contribute to the betterment of humanity, and propel forward the ultimate mission of God, i.e. the reconciliation of all things toward God?

It is life with a greater purpose; a life with divine motive. 

The greatest hindrances to those objectives are the "weapons of mass distraction." The chief culprit being, "busyness."  

Someone said that "busyness" is either the result of pride or an unreasonable, unorganized employer. There is probably a bit of truth in both. Either way busyness will keep us from stopping and asking the "why, "what," or the "who" questions. "Why am I here?" "What am I supposed to be doing with my life?" "Who am I ultimately accountable to?" 

"Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile" is not the way to go through life. I don't want to "hope" by chance I fulfill my purpose; I want to know that I am fulfilling my purpose. 

And yet, here I am, 52 years of age, still asking those questions. Perhaps that's the divine intent. Every year I should find the time in my busy schedule to be asking those questions of purpose for divine alignment. 

After all, I don't want to end my life with nothing more than a bunch of good stories. 

I want GREAT stories... 

Near Death Real LIfe

I had the privilege of teaching in Thailand last week. Unfortunately with my schedule I didn't have a lot of time to site see. But a dear brother picked me up after class on Friday and took me out to see a few things. 

When I arrived the first thing I thought about was how chaotic things were. Cars everywhere. Motorcycles and scooters everywhere. Very few traffic lights. I watched the cyclists weaving in and out of traffic from the safety of my shuttle van each morning and evening. Insane. 

So imagine my surprise when my dear brother picked me up...yes...on a scooter. Below is a sample of the controlled choas. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js4G2lunSEI  [Warning:  If you get motion sickness easy, please do not watch this without a bucket]

All I could think of initially was that Deb will kill me if I get killed. But the life insurance was paid up and I'm saved, so...let's go. 

There is a difference between being in the midst of something and being in something. When I was in the safety of a van I was sheltered from the reality of the chaos. But on a scooter the reality becomes apparent very quickly. I was hoping to survive the ride without breaking my kneecaps on someone's bumper or losing my shoulders to any of a hundred rear-view mirrors that we blazed by. 

Perhaps it was the adrenaline but it was the first time I felt really connected to something in a long time. I wasn't looking at the culture from inside the safety of a glass window or studying it in some book. I was doing real life with real people in their culture. I was part of something and not just an observer. 

I'm sure that there is a spiritual lesson in this somewhere but I've yet to flesh it out. Perhaps its just this: live real life.