Been Writing

In the past month you may wonder where I have been. In addition to an amazing week in Colorado with my family, I've been writing. Just not here. Not here yet anyhow.

I started my Doctor of Ministry degree and the second class, Integrating Christian Faith & Practice, assigned me the task of writing about the role of women in ministry. Not an easy issue.

So began three months of reading, thinking, and writing in the evenings and weekends and freetime. Four complete books on the issue. Dozens of Bible commentaries. Countless websites and blogs. The volume of information and opinion on the issue is astounding. 

Emailed it in today. 72 pages, 56 sources, 214 footnotes. Not that anyone is counting. Not Herculean. Not anything anyone else hasn't done much more for much longer. A worthy, lengthy pursuit none-the-less.

Let me know if you'd like a copy. I'd be interested in your feedback.

Oh, and it's not over. I'll go to class in a week. Learn some more. Come back to edit part one. Then add 20+ more pages for a few more chapters in part two. It'll be a mini-dissertation. 

Thank God for His Word to guide and a great family to support me along the way.

Overcoming Isolation

Isn’t it crazy. With all our devices—smart phones & plain old phones, iPads & computers—and all our means to stay connected—calling, texting, emailing, writing, Skype, FaceTime, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, Pintrest—that we can still be so lonely. So isolated. Isn’t it crazy.

We are lonely people. We live within proximity but without presence. We have relationships without personal contact. We exercise familiarity without true feelings. 

Due to fear. Or busyness. Or pride. Or selfishness. Or pain. Or past. Or depression. Or psychosis. We live alone in a world of people. We live not truly knowing or being known.

We are naturally self-centered and tend to view the world through the filter of our own lives. But we were not designed to be isolated. God created us for relationship. With him and with others. God calls us to live for him and for others.

1 Peter 3:8-12 shows us how to overcome isolation. 

Be selfless—verse 8 says, “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” What characteristics of selflessness are listed here? Exercising them will break isolation as you do good to others. 

Be forgiving—verse 9 states, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” Unforgiveness leads to bitterness, anger, enmity, and hatred. Forgiveness restores unity and breaks isolation. 

Be self-controlled—verse 10 quotes, “For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.’” How do you  control your speech? You might be able to control it sometimes by yourself, but God can change your heart and your speech will follow.

Be peace-making—verse 11 instructs, “They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.” Where does true peace comes from? Peace overcomes isolation; it reconnects you with God and people. 

Be righteous—verse 12 reminds, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Where does my righteousness come from? Righteousness restores unity. It overcomes isolation.

If you are wondering how you become any of the five "be" statements above, then seek God first. Break your isolation from him. Through his love, by the Holy Spirit, he will work this character qualities within you.

Then put down your electronic device. Step away. Go look someone in the eye. And have a real conversation.

On the Lips

The Book of Proverbs is loaded with down-to-earth, common-sense, sage advice for every day living. You want to live better: read a chapter a day; live by what you read. Better life guaranteed.

If you are not a regular Bible reader—it makes all the difference in your perspective & processing of life—then you can start simple. Read one chapter of Proverbs a day. Chapter number corresponding to the day of the month.

Don’t worry if you get behind. Just keep it simple & read that day. 

Don’t worry about the months with less than 31 days. Just read extra or wait until the next month.

Don’t worry that I’m going to let you off the hook. Just read a chapter a day. It’s that easy. 

Let me share a little wisdom on interpersonal communication to whet your appetite.

Listen and keep. Do I listen to my parents? No matter my age. Proverbs 1:8—Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

Hold it. When should I speak less? Rather be though a fool... you know the cliche. Proverbs 10:19—Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues. 

Fruity lips. What fruit am I growing? Better than the striped gum. Proverbs 12:14—From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.

Wrath away. How gentle am I? Pot stirrers need not apply. Proverbs 15:1—A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 

On the lips. Am I always honest? Pucker up. Proverbs 24:26—An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. 

Lying and honesty, speaking or holding back, listening and wisdom. They are all in there. These are just five of hundreds of proverbs on interpersonal communication alone. Then there are all the other topics of wisdom or foolishness and on and on. You gotta read it to find out.

Chapter a day.

Change your life.

Too Smart

Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44). The crowds, attracted by Jesus’ power, are more amazed than ever. The Sanhedrin, scared by Jesus’ authority, are more homicidal than ever. The crowds welcome Jesus as King. The Sanhedrin plot to kill him (John 11:53). They made plans to kill Lazarus as well. Too many people believing in Jesus because of him (John 12:10-11).

Jesus raises a man from the dead. The Sanhedrin want to put them both to death. 

Jesus exercises supernatural authority. The Sanhedrin want to protect their temporal authority. 

Now it’s what we know as Palm Sunday. Jesus has made his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. The crowds may have seen him as the Messiah come to his people. We see him as the Savior come to all peoples.

John 12:19 records the frustrated words of some Pharisees, members of the Sanhedrin,

See, this is getting us nowhere.

Look how the whole world has gone after him!

The whole world has gone after him.

The whole world.

Every culture in the world, anthropology teaches, have some sort of God or gods. People everywhere—no matter their language or location—know somehow that there is life outside of this life, power beyond know power, and some creator/s that formed humanity and all the earth.

As Romans 1:19-20 says, “Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

Not all of of those peoples believe in Jesus. Not all of them have even heard his name. Yet all of them know there is someone or something else.

All except one. One group of people patently deny the existence of God: atheists.

It is a strange phenomenon, however, that there is only place in the whole world of billions of people you find atheists: among the highly educated.

Universities, whose very name come from Latin meaning “one truth” referring directly to biblical revelation, have redefined truth and made it relative. When truth is relative, when the Bible is not authoritative, and when you are adrift in the sea of humanism, you can explain away that which seems contrarian, doesn’t fit your worldview, or makes you uncomfortable.

The whole world may go after him—Jesus—but not you. You can deny him.

Too smart for your own good.

Too smart to know God.

One or the Other

There are two types of people in the world. You are One or the Other.

• Those without a saving relationship with Jesus Christ are One;
• Those with a saving relationship with Jesus Christ are the Other.

Ephesians 2:1-10, written to those already following Christ, contrasts One and the Other. 

1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

Verse 4, with the word “But”, is the hinge between: before & after; without & with; lost & found; drowning & rescued; death & life; natural & supernatural; One & the Other.

On your own you are One

• dead to God (verses 1 & 5)
• drowning in the world (verse 2)
• living my way (verse 3)

With God you are the Other

• no longer dead to God, but alive with Christ (verse 5)
• no longer drowning in the world, but rescued by grace (verse 5)
• no longer living my way, but living God’s way (verses 6-7)

“Christ died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again,” states 2 Corinthians 5:15. You get new life.

God wants to change your life. He offers you true, eternal life. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sins. You just have to commit your life to follow him.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to be called children of God,” encourages John 1:12. You can become God’s child right now.

Consider the amazing transformation God offers:

• righteousness instead of guilt
• honor above shame
• power opposed to fear
• purity rather than defilement
• meaning versus emptiness
• community in place of alienation.

Your life may be defined by One OR it can be transformed into the Other.

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,” assures Romans 10:9. You can be rescued right away.

If you have never committed your life to follow Jesus, then you can pray a simply like this:

God, I know I have broken your law. I humbly ask that you forgive my sins. I commit my life to follow Jesus forever. Amen.

If you did, then let someone know—me or a committed Christ follower you trust—and start your new life of following Jesus without delay. You are no longer the lost One. You have become the found Other.

If you previously have committed your life to Christ but have returned to old ways, then you can turn back to Christ in repentance today. You return like you came, by grace, as Ephesians 2:5&8 teaches. You are created to serve (Ephesians 2:10) as determined by Sovereign God.

One or the Other? Following my way or following Jesus. Serving self or serving God. Which will you be?

Note: This is my Gospel invitation shared at the conclusion of each 2013 performance of This Day of Resurrection.