The Crooked Road

Growing up in Missouri, I often heard people talk about the distance from one place to another in two different ways: 1) As the crow flies and 2) as the road goes.  The crow tend to fly straight from point A to point B, the roads in Missouri, like Arkansas, tend to wind about a bit and add considerably to the distance.

While preaching both in the Western Plains of Kansas and in the Panhandle of Texas, I found that there wasn't any difference.  While in Arkansas and Missouri, the roads had to follow the contour  of the land, in Texas and Kansas, there was no contour.  From one town to another, there was a straight line drawn between them and asphalt laid over it.

In our minds, we tend to lay out our future as if we were living in Texas or Kansas, drawing a straight line from where we are to where we want to be at some point in the future, but God, not us determines our paths, and God apparently isn't from Texas or Kansas: "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps" (Prov 16:9).

In our mind's eye, we can see where it is that we want to go - it's straight up the way, as the crow flies.  But we lack the ability to see the spiritual topography around which a path must be laid to actually get there, and not being able to fly like the crow, our journey takes us up and around, including switchbacks and detours.  Life's journey takes us down a crooked road, not allowing us to see what is around the next curve or over the next hill.  "you do not even know what will happen tomorrow" (Js 4:14).

So, how do we plan for this journey, not knowing what is around the bend or over the next hill?  May I suggest that we prayerfully make our plans, laying before the Lord, seeking his guidance and direction?  "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans" (Pr 16:3).

Committing what we do to the Lord means that we invite Him to take charge of our lives and set us on the right path.  It says that we desire to live according to His will, not our own.  He in turn will establish us in righteousness and bring about our greatest good, but not as the crows flies, instead as the Lord determines, according to his will and our benefit: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom 8:28).  Jus' Say'n.

Cliff Walking

"The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights" (Hab 3:19).  After reading this passage, I turned to Google and typed in "deer climbing mountain."  I thumbed through dozens of pictures of deer climbing, not just on top the peaks but on the side of sheer cliffs.  It was incredible to see these creatures with no ropes, no pylons, no opposable thumb, climging to the face of massive cliffs.

When the minor prophet, Habbakuk, wrote about the Lord making our feet like the feet of deer, he was talking about enabling us to continue in the face of seemingly impossible passages.  He wasn't talking about making us fleet of foot or even steady in stance but unshaken and unstoppable against overwhelming circumstances.

Come with me as I go back to the words of the prophet and listen as he paints a picture of the rocky crags and sheer cliffs that the Lord will enable us to climb up and over: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior" (Hab 3:17-18).

Impossible condiions.  For an agarian culture, no crops and no livestock means no life.  But then there is God.  While such conditionns may be impossible for man, "...with God all things are possible" (Mt 19:26).  When the going gets tough, the tough get going.  When the going becomes impossible, the disciple gets on his knees before God.

I have been in impossible circumstances, facing cliffs too verticle, to sheer and too high for me to climb.  But the Lord set my feet firmly in the rock and enabled my weak and weary frame to walk where walking was impossible.  He emabled me, like the deer he enabled to walk up the side of a cliff, to continue my journey when I saw no possible way.

Paul wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Phil 4:4-6).

In every situation, do not be anxious becasue the Lord is near.  Instead of wringing your hand, fold them in prayer.  Instead of pacing the floor, get on your knees.  Instead of fearing what you are facing, turn your face toward God.  Instead of giving up on your struggle, give it up to the Lord above.  You may not have the strength or ability for cliff walking, but then there is God.  Jus' Say'n.

The Lord's Anointed

Few would argue the point that America, even the world, is in quite a state.  The Islamist terrorists are taking their unholy war to nearly every spot on the globe.  The war on poverty has proven to be bankrupt after 50 years of pumping in hundreds of billions of dollars only to have more people dependent on the government than ever.  The war on drugs is being won, however the winners are the drug cartels and our biggest impact on the criminal element has been in the recent movement to decriminalize the use of marijuana.

In the past, America has been the leader in pushing back the bad guys and lifting up the helpless.  In recent years, our red line was crossed by a despot of  third-world country with no push back from us. The helpless citizens of Ukraine have been pounded by Russia and we wag our tongues and point our fingers but don't even provide weapons for our ally against its aggressor.  And, the rogue terrorist state of Iran negotiates every concession it wanted from us while we get nothing except a "deal" that allows a path to nuclear weaponry in the end.

Oh, did I mention that we have incurred more national debt in the last 7 years than in all the rest of our history?  We are at $19 trillion in the red currently and more than $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities.  Have you ever heard the phrase, "we owe our soul to the company store?"  It referred to the poor who lived and worked on company land, buying necessities on company credit, leaving them forever in debt with no possibility of ever being free from its control.  It seems that America is the new poor and China is the new company.

And to fix all of this mess, which Obama still blames solely on Bush, we are about to select a new leader of the free (really?) world.  While Miss Reset Button on Russia, Lost an Ambassador in Benghazi and Scrubbed Her Email Server, Hilary is still not out of thee race; it is beginning to look like we might be choosing from either Donald Trump or Joe Biden.

Which one of these two do you think has the moral compass, the intestinal fortitude, the critical thinking skills, the personal vision and the diplomatic ability to turn back the tide of the World-wide geo-political Tsunami about to sweep away every remnant of freedom and prosperity off the map?  Yeah, me neither.  While I have more faith in one than in the other, I don't have any real hope that either of these two are the Lincoln or the Churchill of our day.

Nonetheless, whoever is elected will be the Lord's Anointed.  What?  Are you serious?  Yes!  "There is no authority except that which is established by God.  The authorities that exist have been established by God" (Rom 13:1).  Even if Hillary makes it?  Yep, even so.  Even Cyrus, king of Persia.  Who?

After the Israelites were carried off into Babylonian captivity, it was not a great Hebrew leader that arose to bring them back to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, it was the world-dominating Cyrus of Persia. “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: 'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them' ” (2 Chron 36:23).

So, who could God use to bring peace and prosperity in our time?  Anyone, He chooses - even Biden or Trump.  And yes, dare I say, Hillary.  The future of America and the world, for that matter, is in God's hands.  That future might be long and prosperous or a rather short and bumpy ride.  In either case, God raises up countries and leaders or brings them down.  Whatever his decision, He is God and the leaders are the Lord's Anointed.  I choose to trust in God and in his will, regardless of who is in office, because it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is in power.  Jus' Say'n.

Two Cemeteries

Yesterday, I drove to the little town of Roe, Arkansas.  It has a population of just over 100, a post office, a community center and two cemeteries.  The two cemeteries is an important fact because I went to this little hamlet to perform a grave side service at "the" cemetery in Roe.  "You can't miss it, just look for the sign."

Well, I could miss it and I did.  The first person I saw in a pickup truck I asked for directions to the cemetery and he didn't know as he was there working on the railroad tracks, not from there.  I saw the little white post office and stopped in, thinking that whoever was running that office would surely know - she did.  In fact, she knew too much.  "Which cemetery?", she asked.  Two?  Two cemeteries in what was barely a one-horse town?  Yes, two!

"It's probably the one down the way," she went on to say.  She gave me direction that included turning just past a church, taking the second left and then right just before the woods.  Of course, it was not the right one and it was almost time to begin the service as I headed back to the post office.  I

I received a call from my office from the daughter of the deceased, wondering if I was going to make it since it was just about time to begin.  The receptionist gave me her number and I called, getting refined directions, that still included, "Just look for the sign."

I drove in and out of Roe for the second time, not seeing the sign.  I called her again, asking for clarification.  She asked, "Do you drive a little white car?"  I had driven right past the sign, the cemetery and the daughter standing by the sign.

I turned around for run number three, drove slow enough to replicate the speed of a shadow moving on a sun-dial and still did not see the sign, which was forty feet off the road, obscured by a tree and pointed in a direction, which required you be driving perpendicular to the road to read the 2 x 3 foot rectangle.  I did, however, see some flagging me down.

The daughter got in my car and we drove as far down the road as we could, parked and walked the other half of the way to the second cemetery, which was hidden by the trees.  The directions were accurate, as far as they went.  They did not include helpful information such as there were two cemeteries, that neither could actually be seen from the road and that the sign was obscured by a tree.

As important as it was to get good directions to the cemetery yesterday, there are much more important spiritual directions that we need to share, which too often we pass on without clear, accurate and sufficient information.  Our need, as we begin sharing the Gospel is to "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15).  Jus' Say'n.

The Drop

Yesterday, in the first five minutes of the opening of the Stock Market yesterday, the DOW dropped over 1000 points, which is the single greatest drop in its history, leading some to predict a 40% slide in a new Bear Market following on the heels of "Black Monday."

So, what should we do?  Should we set out hair on fire and jump off a building or sell off what ever is left of our stocks, cash in our 401ks and stock up on can goods and bottled water?  I'm thinking not since stocks have gained 200% since 2009 and this drop of 6.7% pales in comparison to the October 1987 drop of 22.6%, since which we not only survived but thrived.

But, what if I'm wrong?  What if the Black Monday crowd is right and China's weakening economy and shaky stock market drives us into a huge, prevailing Bear Market and stock values drop through the floor?  Well, I plan to start each day the same with Bible study and prayer, ending each day praying to the same God above.  While I'm not worried about the Market or the economy, I realize that it all could go south.  I just don't intend to go with it.

I've been very poor.  I've experienced the loss of every material thing I own and a mountain of debt so high that I couldn't climb it.  I was in a whirlwind of loss that was totally out of my control and yet, here I am, sitting in my recliner, writing today's blog.  Do I not think I could suffer another great loss?  Do I not realize the power of Market forces?

I do realize both.  I am fully cognizant of the fact that I am not in control.  But I also know that God is in control.  Be it Bull Market or Bear, hospital debt or holiday dining, I am never in control but God is never lacking control.  He has the whole world in his hands - just like the children's song proclaims.  He has you and me brother, you and me sister, the whole wide world in his hands.

I am reminded of what Moses said to the children of Israel has they prepared to enter the Promised Land: "Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory" (Deut 20:3-4).  The point?  The battle is not our but the Lord's.  God will go ahead of us.  We can rest easy in his care - regardless.

The apostle Paul puts it this way: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength" (Phil 4:12-13).  As a child of God, we can face any circumstance because God's got this.  Jus' Say'n.

Killing The Messenger

I was reading from the Book of Jeremiah this morning, where he came with a warning to King Zedekiah: "“This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live" (38:2).  The response of the officials was classic: "This man must die!" (v. 4).

Jeremiah had earlier prophesied that Babylon would come against Judah but his words were not heeded in preference to the court appointed prophets who said it would not happen.  When it did happen, as Jeremiah had prophesied from the Lord, he came again with a word from the Lord but they still did not like it and chose to kill the messenger rather than deal with the message.

They put Jeremiah down into a cistern, where he would have most certainly died except that when it was reported to the king what the officials had done, he ordered that Jeremiah be brought to the courtyard of the guard to be held instead as thee king wanted to hear more of what Jeremiah had to say.

When the king had Jeremiah brought into him, he told Jeremiah, "Do not hide anything from me" (v. 14).  Jeremiah revealed all that the Lord had said would happen and then the king said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you may die" (v. 25).  Again, the messenger's life is threatened rather than heed the message.

Just like the king and the officials of Jeremiah's day, we  see the same attitude in politics today.  Instead of weighing out what is said by someone who disagrees with a particular position or part line, a personal attack is typically the response.  It is so much easier to rail against the messenger than weigh out and deal with the message, which might require a change in policy or position.

Sadly, this tactic is not reserved for kings and politicians.  Too often this is the response in churches, families and among friends, when someone points out a wrong or a falsehood.  The apostle Paul was obviously on the receiving end of this strategy when he lamented: "Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?" (Gal 4:16).

This must be one of Satan's most cherished snares.  Relationships are fractured, churches are split and countries are polarized by the kill the messenger rather than seriously contemplate the message.  Jesus' brother, James addresses this in saying, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?" (Js 4:1).  He identifies the problem as the inward struggle with sin and the answer to this divide is found in verse 7, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Killing the messenger instead of listening to and contemplating the message is the devil's work, and he does it well.  Don't fall for his trap.  Instead, share and listen, come to decisions without attacking the one who does not agree with you.  Seek to lay down bridges instead of erecting walls, "For where two or three come together (agree) in my name, there am I with them" (Matt 18:20).  Jus' Say'n.

If You Build It...

In the 1989 film, "Field of Dreams," an Iowa farmer, Ray (Kevin Costner), builds a baseball diamond on his farm and ghosts of great ball players of the past, led by Shoeless Joe Jackson, started coming out of the cornfield to play ball.  It was a very spirited film (sorry, I lost control for a moment).

The building, however, was not truly the transformation of the field that was the deeper point of the movie.  The transformation was found in the heart of Ray, whose heart was opened to invite the presence and receive the love of his own Father.  In the process, enough player from the past came to field two teams and people came from all over to bear witness to this remarkable game.

Although they came, the players and the fans, it was not "they" but "he" that was promised to come if it was built.  The building was not really field and the coming was not really the crowds.  Think about the theological implication and the religious application of this tag line: If Ray's heart was conditioned properly, his Father would come and when his Father came, so did all the rest.

Many a Christian congregation have built a new facility or launched a new program with the hopes that people will be drawn to it or by it but have been disappointed with the outcome.  The problem has been that we so often focus on drawing a crowd to a building or event instead of inviting our Father by the transformation or building of our hearts.

The crowds are not drawn or sustained by our building something and the crowds ought not be the object of our focus.  We ought to be focused on our Father and seeking to invite him into our hearts and lives.  When that happens, then others will come as they "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps 34:8).

It is not when we elevate ourselves, build up our buildings or highlight our programs that others are drawn but rather when Jesus is lifted up, he will "draw all men to [himself]" (Jn 12:32).  If we will make room for the Father in our hearts, the Spirit of God will move in.  The love and holiness of God will attract others and sustain those who come.  Jus' Say'n.

The Answer

Yesterday I called a new patient's home to set up arrange foe an initial chaplain visit for a new hospice patient. His wife was reluctant, saying they had their own church and plenty of spiritual support but agreed to one visit to allow me to make an assessment.

As I began to talk, mainly with her as he is a dementia patient, I could see the pain in her eyes and hear the hurt in her voice. I began to ask questions about their journey and the difficulties they must be facing. Although guarded at first, the wife soon began to tell of her personal struggle with the weight of being a care giver. And then, she began to share her personal faith struggle.

She is a Christian, she is a long-time, faithful member of a church, she has four ministers in her family, she didn't want or need a preacher to fix her or correct her theology, but she needed spiritual support and she was quick to ask me to continue coming by for that support.

She didn't need converting but did need consoling.  She didn't need clarification but did need understanding. She didn't need someone to give her answers, she someone to be the answer - to be Christ for her in the flesh. She needed to experience the Spirit of Christ through one of His disciples.

At one point I looked at her and said, "Whatever the question is, the answer is Jesus."  She nodded and her eyes teared up as she began to release some of the personal burden she had held inside in her attempt to be strong for her husband.

I asked if I could sing a song for them and she nodded yes. As I began singing, "In the Garden," I could see her tearing up again as she mouthed the words along with me. When I finished, she said, "That was my mother's favorite song."  I am not that insightful, I'm not clairvoyant, it was the Holy Spirit directing the song choice needed to bring some solace to her weary soul.

Although she didn't think she needed any support at first, she did. She was needing an answer to the pain in her soul, she needed The Answer, she needed to feel the presence of Christ, not a Christian sermon or theological training. She didn't need me to display my professional acumen. She needed to be drawn near to her Lord, which happens this way: "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (Jn 12:32).

She needed to feel the presence of Christ as he was lifted up in my presence as I shared His love for them, reminded her of His promises to her, assured her of His steadfastness to His children. I wasn't telling her what the answer was or pointing her in the direction of the answer, I was being the Answer by allowing Christ's Spirit to be seen in me, which happened as I got out of the way so the Spirit within could shine through.  Jus' Say'n.

Shaping Clay

Somewhere in my secondary education I was working with clay in an art class.  I don't remember what I finally produced but I do remember starting over more than once.  What I began to make didn't look anything like what I had in mind.  So, I squished it between my fingers and began remolding.  I continued to repeat this process until I was satisfied with the outcome.

I have to say that my decision as to what to make of the clay and how I went about molding it into that shape was made without consulting the clay.  I did not attempt to make of the clay what the clay might have wanted but instead made of it what I wanted.  I, not the clay, determined it's shape and the use, which would be made of it.  Imagine, I, not the clay, determined all that.  Was I being unfair or heartless?  No, I was being a creator, who could do with the clay what he wished.

This is precisely how God, who is our Creator, works with us.  He determines how we are made and for what purpose we are made.  He determines our form and our function without consulting us because he is the Creator, for whom we are made to serve, not the other way around.  God is not our servant, he is not a cosmic bellhop in the sky, he is Creator.  It is his universe, his world and we are his creations made for and by his will.

This is not just an analogy that I'm using to illustrate a point, this is precisely what the Bible says about who we are and who God is: "But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this ?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?" (Rom 9:20-2).

Whether a lump of clay is molded into a bowl for foot-washing or a vase to hold beautiful flowers is totally up to the potter.  The clay's job is to yield to the potter's hands and be used according to the potter's will.  Instead of asking why God didn't make me smarter, taller, prettier, more affluent, what everer; we ought to be asking, "How can I serve God in the place he has put me with the skills and resources he has given me?"

The apostle Paul said, "I have learned to be content in any and every circumstance" (Phil 4:11) and Solomon wrote, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" (Eccl 9:10).  Both of these God-inspired authors were speaking directly to the point of this blog: Be what God made you to be and serve how God designed you to serve rather than lament what others are or have.  Be content with the shape God has given you and serve well in the position he has given you.  Jus' Say'n.

Crossing Fingers

I listened to  Hilary Clinton assure a crowd of supporters that the whole email debacle was a rightwing conspiracy, drummed up for purely political reasons.  She went on to assure them that she committed no crime, that there were no emails on her private server that were "classified."

Although I am not certain, I lean toward believing her - that there were none legally or technically classified.  But, the FBI is finding quite a few that are deemed classified.  So, while they were not labeled classified, they should have been.  And, if she had ran them through the proper channels, instead of her private server, they would have been.  Regardless, the information is such that it was and is of national interest that it be safeguarded.

It seems to me that Hilary is playing a little loose with the truth and with national security information.  That is is playing a game not to unlike what kids in my day who would say something, knowing that it was not factual, but crossing their fingers behind their backs so that technically it was not a lie.  Some might say she is lying but that would depend on "what the definition of 'is' is."

In the days when Jesus walked the earth, it was common to take oaths, swearing on certain things.  What you swore on, not the validity of the oath, determined whether it was technically a breech of the truth: “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath'" (Matt 23:16).

So, were there classified emails on her private server?  I can't say, the jury is not in just yet.  Were there emails that should have been classified?  Apparently so.  What is without question is that Hilary is losing believability.  Her poor choice as Secretary of State to conduct business through a private server in her home instead of one monitored by our intelligence has caused her to blur the lines between honesty and deception.

So what?  What is that to us?  Well, apart from her potentially having oversight of all national secrets, there is the fact that Hilary is not alone in crossing her fingers.  All of us are tempted to say something that is not technically a lie but it is a misdirection or blurring of the lines.  We need to say no to the temptation to allow the appearance of truth to be more important than the truth.  Why?  Well, for many reasons, but let me offer just one: "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, …" (Pr 6:16-17)  Jus' Say'n.

Running With Horses

You've heard of the Running of The Bulls in Pamplona, which is actually only one of many such runnings but certainly the most noted.  The practice apparently began as a way to encourage the bulls to get from the ranches to the market faster and later became somewhat of a contest in bravado.  What little I have seen of it on the news is more of a jumping in among them, run like crazy and jump out before becoming a hood ornament for a bovine.

In the Book of Jeremiah, there is a somewhat similar occurrence spoken of in prophecy, not as a literal running but rather metaphor, and not as a game to highlight ability but as a gauge to spotlight inability: “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?" (12:5).  If you think life is difficult now, just hold on because it will bet worse.  And, if you are struggling to make it now, what will you do when the going really gets tough?

I remember Dr Jerry Jones at Harding University talking about a student who came into his office to tell him that he was leaving.  He told Dr Jones that he was tired of being told what to do, when to get up, when to go to bed, what to wear, etc.  When Dr Jones asked him what his plans were, he replied, "I'm enlisting in the Marines."  Really?  If Harding was too restrictive, just how was he going to be able to deal with Marine boot camp?  Good luck with that!

I thought it was tough when my then baby son was very sick and in the hospital for several days.  It was hard to watch him suffer and the bill took all the cash money I had to my name.  But it was nothing compared to when his mother and my wife was diagnosed with stage-four bladder cancer, which took her life and everything we ever owned, leaving me a widower in a mountain of debt.

I stumbled when I ran with the foot soldiers of my son's illness but I was trampled on by the horses of my wife's cancer.  I was tested and found wanting.  But thanks be to God that he had already revealed to me what I needed and I wanted the help of my Savior, who delivered me in both instances - not because I was so brave or able but because he is so loving and merciful.  I could not make it on my own, I knew that.  And, even though, my faith took a beating, God was faithful, taking me and my pitiful mustard seed faith in his arms.  What did I do when the horses came?  I ran or more accurately limped to the Savior.

What will you do?  Will you try to tough it out alone?  Will you rage at God?  Will you turn away from the body of Christ?  Will you allow your faith to be trampled?  Or will you turn to God and let him carry you through what you cannot keep up with the foot soldiers, or catch up with the horses or get out of the bulls' way?

May I suggest taking Jesus up on his offer? “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt 1128-30).  Jus' Say'n.

Body Parts

Planned Parenthood is again  in the news with their practice of selling body parts of aborted babies.  I know that they don't regard or refer to them as such but prefer to label them fetal tissue.  And they don't admit they actually sell them, even though they have been caught on hidden camera arranging to do precisely that.

Despite their denials and their word-crafting, I cannot get past the fact that what winds up in the hands of certain labs for various tests looks an awful lot like arms, legs, hands and feet of tiny infants.  Apart from a legal debate, if you were to come across these parts on the side of the street, you wouldn't just toss the "fetal tissue" into a trash can, you would call 911 to investigate the baby parts you just happened upon.

Something else that I can't get past is the fact that we (human kind) are not the creator of life but rather the procreator.  We go through the act of procreation (sexual intercourse) and God creates the spirit, which makes the flesh more than just pathological  tissue.  Of course, the question is precisely when does that happen.  We can and do debate that fact but until and when we know the mind of God, we can only debate it, not settle it.

So, not knowing just when God transforms the fetal tissue into a developing baby, we would have to take the place of God in making that determination.  Do you see my problem with abortion?  I recognize there can be extreme cases, such as the life of the mother, which is almost never the case due to advances in medical science.  And I recognize that there are cases of rape and incest, although those are a very small minority.  The vast majority of abortions are matters of convenience.  Let's get real and admit that we abort because we want to, with few exceptions.

I said earlier that we cannot know when fetal tissue becomes a living soul as it is God, not man, that creates the spirit.  Unless, of course, we knew the mind of God.  However, I did not say we couldn't know His mind on this subject.  In fact, He has spoken to it: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations" (Jer 1:5).

So, what do you think?  Apart from our desire to dispose of babies which we find to be inconvenient, how would one interpret Jeremiah's revelation from God?  God knew him and appointed him before he exited the birth canal.  There are more passages but one word from God is enough for me.  The fetus that is ripped apart in the womb is the baby that comes out of the womb.

Planned Parenthood is not selling fetal tissue but rather body parts - parts of the baby they first killed in the womb or partially delivered and whose head they crushed outside the womb.  Partial delivery?  Sounds a bit like partial pregnancy, doesn't it.  Regardless of what it is called, it is God, not man, who decides when life begins.  Unless, of course, you can take the place of God.  Jus' Say'n.

Heart and Soul

Jesus said that we are to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind .’" This is the first and greatest commandment" (Mt 22:37-38).  So, what does this mean?  Do we fulfill this commandment by going to church once a week, making a contribution to the Sunday offering, and reading our Bibles every now and then?

What if we used this kind of thinking when we are trying to court someone?  Would we have won the heart of our spouse if we had expended the same amount of time and energy on him/her as we do with the Lord?  When you were falling in love, did you find it impossible  to carve out time for her/him?

When we are falling head over heels  in  love with someone, finding time is not a problem. coming up with the energy to stay up past your bedtime is not that difficult, coming up with extra money to spend on her/him is not all that tough either.  When someone becomes the object of your affection, time and money and effort are no problem.

But when it comes to God, we have difficulty finding time to commune with him.  Making a sigficant weekly offering seems a lot to ask.  Daily devotion and prayer just seems like too much, we simply don't have the time.

So how did you find all that time, money and energy when you were  dating?  You were falling in lover, heart and soul.  What else could you do?  She was the object of your affection and was first in your heart, on your mind and in your soul.  What else could you do?

The Lord is to be our first and foremost love, what ought we to be doing?  If God is our first and greatest love, if we have committed our heart and soul, what will be the level of our dedication and the depth of our affection?  What would our days look like?  What would be the subject of our conversations?  How would our lives change?  Jus' Ask'n?

King of The Mountain

Children can be very competitive as they seek to find  their place in society.  It is amazing how incentivizing a simple gold star on a homework paper can be.  Getting an "A" on a test provides a feeling of worth and affords bragging rights.  Little League trophies, getting the lead in a play, being chosen first when when teams are being formed.  All these are ways in which children gain a sense of their position in society.

In my youthful world of boys striving to assert themselves into an advanced position in our micro-society, there was one defining opportunity: Playing King of The Mountain.  If you could pesevere, holding your place on top of a mound of earth from which everyone was trying to dethrone everyone else by pushing them off the top, you were proclaimed king of the mountain.  The bragging rights were awesome, the self-esteem building was emmence and your position was inconvertable.

However, there was nothing real about it.  It was just a matter of being able to dislodge more kids from a mound than others.  Strength, center of gravity, weight and tenacity were all factors in the test; but one's leadership ability, vision, character, moral strength - all the things that truly measure one's kingly or regal aptitude were not measured.  It was a childish farce, but it was a bunch of little boys trying hard to feel big.  What would one expect?

Surely when it comes to full-grown, mature adults the method of determining one's worth or position in society or a given group of individuals would be based in reality and measurable truth about a particular person.  One would think.

The truth of the matter, however, is that adults tend to be overgrown children in this respect.  Determining one's societal worth generally depends on things like looks, shape, height, ability to make money, celebrity status (regardless of how it is obtained), street address, car driven, ability to spin facts and truth in their favor, etc.  Essentially, adults play an adult but not grown-up version of King of The Mountain.  We don't generally get it.

The truth of being valuable or obtaining a position of importance in society is really very opposite of what we then to chase in our attempt to gain value or determine value.  The truth of value of the self is to become self-less, it is to seek the best for others instead of claiming the best for self.  Jesus put it this way: “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all" (Mk 9:35).

The greatest among us are not the ones who seek to be lifted up but those who seek to lift others up.  Consider first of all, Jesus "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt 20:28).  Consider also Ghandi, Mother Teresa and Jaden Hayes.  Jaden Hayes?

Jaden is a 6 year-old boy whose father died when he was four and his mother died last month.  Jaden, instead of allowing self-pity to rule his life, asked his aunt Barbara to get him a bunch of little toys, which he takes to downtown Savannah and gives to people who aren't smiling.  Jaden is still sad about his mother but feels better each time he helps someone to smile.  Jaden is getting national attention for trying to help others who he feels is sad like him.

Just now, I'm thinking that, apart from Jesus himself, Jaden is The King of The Mountain.  Jus' Say'n.

Coming and Going

The grandkids came up from Texas last Thursday night.  We could hardly wait for them to arrive.  Few things are as welcomed as the sight of their headlights coming up the street.  A very close second, however, would be seeing the taillights going down the street.  If you are a grandparent, you already know what I'm talking about.  If not, read on and I'll "splain it to you Lucy."

The grandkids live six hours away.  As there are five of them and the fact that our son-in-law is a preacher, there are only a couple of weekends a year, which are allowed for the trip to Grammy's and Pops'.  We always look forward to their visits.  And, the kids are always excited to see us, which sets up the "dance" we have with them that leads to the "drain" we experience as our middle-aged bodies begin to feel the wear of non-stop action.

Lest you think it is a case of the young and exuberant invading and overpowering the old and exhausted, I hasten to add the fact that we spend the first half of the visit winding them up with kisses, hugs, tickles and such.  But unlike Grammy and Pops, who wind down just as fast as we wind up, they have a perpetual winding mechanism that never does quite unwind.

We actually love all the hiking, boating. swimming, wrestling, hugging, coloring, playing and all the rest of the non-stop activity.  The problem is, however, we don't have an unending source of energy or an endless appetite for activity.  Our batteries don't recharged to 100% after each nap or night's sleep and they aren't good for an entire day at any rate.  Our batteries have to slow charge and, as old batteries are wont to do, ours run out well before the day is over.

But, stubborn as gray-haired people so often tend to be, we aren't willing to go to bed early or stay in bed late.  We stay up way past when we put the grandkids down so we can visit with the adult kids and get up early so we can have a cup of  coffee and visit before the games begin again.

So why, why do we do it?  Grandparents never ask this question and those who are won't need to hear my answer, you already know.  For the rest of you, let me first direct you to the Word of God: "Children’s children are a crown to the aged" (Prov 17:6).   Grandchildren are God's reward for having allowed your teenage children to reach marrying age.

Do you remember how proud you were as a new parent?  Grandchildren are children squared.  Being blessed to have children is amazing but to be doubly blessed to enjoy your children's children - that is amazing plus.  To enjoy your adult children, spoil your grandchildren and then to send them all home so you can rest up for the next visit - that's really living!  We like it so much that we make trips to there home in-between their visits to ours.

To see the headlights coming is thrilling.  To see the tailights going is peaceful.  Both the coming and the going are part of the God-ordained blessing of grand-parenting.  Their coming provides an excitement that helps keep us young and able to better enjoy these middle yea5rs.  Their going provides the rest that allows us to reach our Golden Years.  Yes, we need our grandchildren both coming and going.  Jus' Say'n.

The Walk

Yesterday was, as we say in the South, "dog hot!"  So hot that a dog won't leave the shade to retrieve a bone.  It was the day we decided was perfect to make a trip to Cedar Falls.  Cool water cascading over a towering cliff into a deep pool of equally cool water.  It was very refreshing, very refreshing indeed.

It was a good thing it was refreshing because the falls entailed a two-mile, strenuous hike - a two-mile strenuous hike in weather so hot that a dog wouldn't walk two feet to retrieve his favorite bone.  Yes, it was the perfect day for a dip in the water under the falls.  I was also a perfect day for heat stroke.

Nobody actually succumbed to heat stroke, but out of the nine of us who went, aging fro under one year to over 60, several were ready to be carried out before we actually made it back to the van with A/C, which turned out to be second only to the falls themselves as an attracttion.

Two of the crew, myself and my son-in-law, were not to experience the benefits of the mini-van's refreshing ventilation.  As it turned out, due to the fact the van only held seven people, we were riding motorcycles, following the crisp fall-like weathered induced mini-van.

We both love riding bikes, but our ride back home was akin to riding in an oven.  The wind we felt blowing across our bodies as the bikes roared beneath our seats was very close to the breeze produced by a a heater vent.  The refreshing dip in the fall fed pool was all but forgotten.

Was it worth the walk?  Yes!  It was hot, dog hot, but it was a memory that will long rest in our hearts and the vision of the falls enjoyed with grandchildren will not soon be forgotten.  The walk was the price of the memory.  What are lifelong memories worth?  More, much more.

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you: (Lk 6:38).  What we gave in a hot, tiring walk to the falls and back, will be returned over and over again in fond memories, memories that will last for a lifetime, and even beyond my lifetime.  Jus' Say'n.

The High Places

When you read about the ancient kings of the Jews, many were evil and followed the pagan practices of other nations.  From time to time, a good king like Asa would come into power who "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done" (1 Kings 15:11).  They would turn the people back to God, expelling the shrine prostitutes, taking down the Asherah poles and fully their lives and lead their nation to the Lord.

And yet, over and over again is would be said of those good kings that they "did not remove the high places" (vs. 14). The high places were elevated worship sites, either on a mountain or raised place in a valley where sacrifices were offered on altars other than the altar God ordained in the Temple.  Often the sacrifices were made to pagan gods and idols.  In any case, the worship reflected a self-determination rather than a God-dependence.

The high places left undisturbed in ancient Israel are akin to those things of tthe world and our own self-determination we leave in tact when we commit ourselves to the Lord.  We come to Christ, repenting of our sins, turn and follow his ways - but not in everything.  We may very well leave some high place in tact.

You've committed everything to God except the high place of materialism.  You go to church and worship God but you hold back giving the way you know you could and should because their are nice things you really want or you trust more in your bank balance than in God's blessings.

You daily feed on God's Word, digesting its truth and filling yourself with the mind of Christ.  Except that you have not torn down the high place of gluttony.  You eat when you are sad, when you are glad, when you suffer a loss, when you experience a gain.  Whether celebrating or sulking, you turn to the high place of consuming food.

You've given your heart to the God of heaven and you seek to serve him daily.  You desire to love as Jesus loves and lift up others in acts of ministry but the high place of your sexual appetite is still in tact.  Pornography, prostitution, lustful thinking, questionable sexual behavior of whatever stripe.  you are committed to the Lord but the altar of adultery or fornication has not been torn down.

You put in your high place, whatever it is that you simply cannot give up for God or that things that you keep in place to turn to from time to time instead of God's mercy and grace.  Whatever it is, it is something you know is ungodly and/or competes with God's will for your life.  The high places are real and they are difficult to give up.  However, they are just the places where Satan works to pull you away from the Lord.  Ancient Judah and Israel constantly were turning away from God and back to idolatry largely because they did not tear down the high places.

What are your high places?  How can you go about tearing them down?  What help do you require?  What decision do you need to make?  Who do you need to consult with?  How does you devotional life need to be altered?  How can you tear down your high place?  Jus' Ask'n.

One Mind

Yesterday, after meeting with the Arkansas Director of the VA, a white-haired conservative Caucasian male and a young African-American liberal female stood across from the Capitol Building talking first about the plight of returning veterans and then the course-correction needed in our nation for race relations.  Neither one accused the other, no one raised their voice, smiles could be seen on their faces and laughter was interspersed in their dialogue.

How is that possible?  How is it possible that two people from opposite ends of the cultural/gender/political spectrum could enjoy a conversation regarding a subject that should have drawn a line of division and contention between them?  How?  They were of one mind.  Say again.  They were of one mind.

Their backgrounds were different.  Their experiences were different.  They could not have looked any different if they had come from separate planets.  Nonetheless, they were of one mind - the mind of Jesus Christ.

This is the real call of biblical  unity.  It is not the lockstep of denominational doctrines and dogmas.  It is not in a common agreement on what is allowed, what is required and what is denied.  It is not found in doing the same things in the same way or believing everything to precise detail.  Unity is found in coming together in the same Name, the name of Jesus Christ.

Listen to the words of our Lord: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matt 18:20).  Do you see it?  Unity is found in the gathering Point, not in the points of the gathered.  The unity God calls us to have is not one of robotic singularity but of holistic empathy.  "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had" (Rom 15:5).

When together we follow the direction of the same Conductor, we can play our dissimilar instruments in concert.  When we follow the same song leader, we can together harmonize our unique voices.  I can sing tenor, you can sing soprano, another can sing bass and someone else can bring the alto.  The unity is found in the harmony of the Key not in the sameness of the note.

Be of one mind, yes!  That is biblical (see 2 Cor 13:11).  But this one mind is not found in thinking the same thoughts but rather in having the same mindset, a mindset that brings us together even when we have dissimilar thoughts: "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus" (Phil 2:5).  Let us have one mind - The Mind of Christ!  Jus' Say'n.

Self-Inflicted

While you don't hear it much these days, in my younger years people used to say, "He shot himself in the foot."  One didn't really need a gun to do that, just an opportunity to make a bad decision and reap the consequences that follow.  I had a chance to watch up close a fairly literal illustration when my oldest brother, Frank (now deceased), shoot a hole in our kitchen floor with a shotgun after saying, "This gun isn't loaded, see..."  Then he pulled the trigger and boy did we ever see and hear has that 12 gauge discharged inside the house.

The reason the gun discharged in the house, creating some additional ventilation, was twofold: 1) Frank made a bad choice and 2) Because it could.  The second reason is what is known as Murphy's Law, which came to be so called when Captain Edward Murphy, who was working on a deceleration project for the Air Force in 1949, cursed a technician for wiring a transducer wrong saying, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he will find it."

We have changed the original to, "If it can go wrong, it will."  However, that is a corruption of the original as it takes out the personal responsibility in things going wrong.  Murphy's Law wasn't about things going wrong but rather our making poor choices that cause them to go wrong because they can and will when we are careless.  In the South, "Bubba's Last Words," are a close parallel: "Hold my beer and watch this!"

While we tend to blame bad luck or Divine Providence, the truth is that most calamities are the result of someone's poor use of the freedom of choice.  We make ill-informed, rash, stupid choices.  Recently, a terminal patient recently asked me, "Why did God allow this to happen to me?"  I responded, "Do you think your smoking for 40 years had anything to do with it?"

While there are some natural causes like tornados and earthquakes.  And sometimes cancer is purely genetic.  Even a well thought out plan can sometimes fail due to unforeseeable circumstances.  But on the whole, we shoot ourselves in the foot.  As Moses said, "You can be sure your sins will find you out" (Num 32:23).  And the apostle Paul affirmed this truth in Galatians 6:7, "A man reaps what he sows."

There is a remedy for the self-inflicted wound: Pray, Plan, Proceed.  As Solomon put it, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans" (Pr 16:3).  Jus' Say'n.

Messiah Over Mission

In religious circles, it has been said that "We determine our buildings and then our buildings determine us."  The idea is that we determine what we want in a church building or facilities and once we build it, what we do is determined by what is left after paying the mortgage, utilities, maintenance and repairs.

In order to much more than to keep up the building and hire a preacher, we have to focus on filling the building with committed contributors.  Our focus become much less Kingdom advancement and more congregational enrichment.  Out thoughts shift from Kingdom building to church growth.

A mission is begun to help the poor or reach out to the broken.  It begins modestly, just doing the mission work itself until it is determined that there is a need for facilities and infrastructure.  From then on, a lion's share of energy and effort is spent on raising funds and raising buildings.

A television ministry is launched to reach the masses but at some point the  masses are being reached just to support the television ministry and the televangelist's new lifestyle.  The message of the Gospel becomes a message of giving to the ministry and the new theology becomes giving to support the ministry.

My point is that too  often our mission becomes that of buildings and budgets.   Our relationship with the lender becomes more intricable than our relation with the Lord.  Infrastructure becomes more vital than Indwelling.  Our mission efforts of building attendance in order to attend to our buildings takes over the Messiah's missions to build relationships.

Jesus did not come so that we could build missions or ministries or meeting halls, he came to build bridges between mankind (us) and the Messiah (himself).  He came "to seek and to save the lost" (Lk 19:10).  The mission we imagine of building things here on earth is not the mission of the Messiah who came to build a path between heaven and earth.  The point was never to be what we could do but rather our need and the need of others for him.  It was always Messiah over mission.

So, what do we do with this truth?  We focus on building our relationship with the Messiah not on erecting building or building up missions or ministries.  Whatever facilities or efforts that may come out of that pursuit are fine but they must never be our main focus.  Personal relationship with the Lord must be job one.  Being personally prepared to share that relationship with others is next in line.  Other stuff comes after and further down the ladder.

Listen to this simple outline for faithfulness offered by the apostle Peter: "in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Pet 3:15).  1. Have Christ in your heart and 2. Share what's in your heart.  The rest comes further down the line but always the Messiah comes first.  Jus' Say'n.

Equipping

According to Google, USA education ranks ranks 14th on the world stage.  We rank only 24th in literacy.  However, we do rank 2nd out of the top 14 in ignorance.  We're only #2 now but were working hard to gain the #1 spot.

While we are only #2 in ignorance, according to CBS News, we are 1st in spending per student.  So, what we lack in educational productivity, we make us for in educational waste.  Hats off to our Department of Education and the Teacher's Union for being able to increase the cost of dumbing down our children.

That is the problem, by the way.  It is certainly not that we don't spend enough money but rather that we don't expect enough out of our students or teachers.  America used to be #1 back when we spent far less money but invested far more energy into teaching.  We had high standards or you were kept back in school until you reached them.

Today, the standards are much lower and a child is pushed through the system whether or not actual learning ever took place.  According to the Huffington Post, 19% of high school graduates can't read. They can recognize letters and words but can't functionally read.

The problem?  We've stopped trying to equip our students to the tasks of life and began lowering the standards to what they are equipped to do.  When tests scores are not high enough, rather than increase the intensity of education, we lower the standard of the test - test scores go up but education goes down.  Looks good on paper but isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

How about trying a biblical approach?  "All Scripture is God- breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God a may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17).  Did you notice the "teaching, rebuking, correcting and training" part?  As is often preached, "God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called."

When you read the narratives of the great kings, judges, prophets and apostles, you find that they weren't chosen from the top of the heap but like cream rising to the top, they rose in stature as they faced challenges and were equipped by God to handle them.

That's why James say to "court it all joy when you face trials because the testing of your faith results in maturity" (see Js 1:2-4).  If our life experiences are only what we can already handle, then there will be no growth in our character or abilities.  If we are not challenged, we can never rise to meet it.  We need high standards to reach and challenges to overcome so that we can be overcomers.

Rather than having life dumbed down to the level we are equipped to handle, we need to raise the bar of equipping in order to embrace life as it is.  We need to stop giving awards for showing up and start challenging kids to win them.  We need to stop paying people for coming to work and start rewarding them for a job well done.  Instead of just giving a hand out, how about we give the poor a hand up with a challenge to step up.

The deal is that life is hard and it's harder if one is stupid, lazy or ill-equipped.  Let us accept God's call to a higher standard of living and call on Him to equip us for life rather than asking Him to make life easier.  Jus' Say'n.

God Only Knows

One of my mother's favorite sayings was, "God only knows."  Anytime something was questionable or undetermined, she reminded us that it wasn't in our ability to see into the future or the hearts of others - only God knew. And her answer to nearly every why question was the same. I can hear her very clearly saying, "God only knows what made them [him, her, you] do that."

When I was a young minister, I wrestled with the why questions. With the theological background of graduate school and seminary, I had the answers to virtually every question. I may not have been right very often but I was never in doubt.  Why questions were not beyond my youthful reach. In fact, my faith seemed to require that I have an answer to the whys.

But now-a-days, my response to why is a familiar refrain from my childhood, "God only knows."  What age has afforded me is a comfortableness with unanswered questions. I have come to truly accept the truth of Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."

God does not choose to reveal everything to us. Somethings will remain a mystery and I am finally comfortable with knowing that "Only God knows" many things. I am finally OK with mystery and delayed understanding. I have come to fully accept the truth that God is good and faithful.  I can embrace Jesus' words of comfort: "Let not your hearts be troubled, trust in God, trust also in me..." (In 14:1).

When only God knows, I can trust that everything is in his control and I can rest easy in him. Jus' Say'n.

When No One Is Looking

Do you remember the old adage, "When the cat's away, the mice will play"?  When we think no one is looking, we make different choices. When there no one around to whom we must give an answer, are inhibitions are lowered. When we think no one will tell, there is no telling what we will do.

Except that there is never a time when no one is looking. In this day of security cameras and  smart phones, chances are good that someone will see your bad. And, it would not be unusuL for your indescretion to be shared on social media. Big brother and the whole family tree is watching.

More importantly, our Father before whom we must one day stand, is watching: "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Heb 4:13).

Here's the thing, it's what we do when we think no one is watching that reflects our true heart. And it is our heart that, which, God,  judges, not our external action. As someone once said, character is what one does when no one is watching. Jus' Say'n.