Graduation

My sons graduated from high school this past weekend. At times, I feared this moment would never come; at others, I feared even more that it would. Now it has arrived, and as they prepare to go on to new adventures, I must learn to disengage when they are determined to go it alone, but be prepared to dive back in if they begin to drown in seas of uncertainty and inexperience. Like many others before me, I feel unequal to this task. I can only pray that we (my sons and I) will act wisely and work together so they may forge futures that will please God and help to make this world a better place.

Faith, hope, and love

Hope keeps us alive. Without hope, faith founders. Without hope, love languishes. Hope sustains and promises a future better than today. Faith, hope, and love form a survival triad for Christians. These three, which appear together in passages like Hebrews 10, Colossians 1, and most famously, 1 Corinthians 13, keep the church and individuals alive - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Hope is the root that springs forth when the seed of God's word is planted in the fertile soil of a receptive mind. Faith grows from hope as the new believer acquires more and more evidence for his hope. Finally, love blossoms from the practice of faith and the sustainment of hope in life, in relationship, in the church, in Christ.

Evidence of the Grace of God

News of the rapidly growing church in the northeast reached the mother church in the south. Some reports disturbed seasoned leaders - suggestions that disciples there had introduced innovations, and that the congregation had achieved a first for the church - a majority of members were from a different ethnic group which had a vastly different cultural background than most Christians.
The older church sent a trusted evangelist to investigate. This preacher would hear preaching. He would observe interaction between the various ethnic groups within the fellowship. He would notice differences - clothing, greetings, diet - that existed among the members of the burgeoning young church.
The Bible records that Barnabas "saw the evidence of the grace of God" at Antioch (Acts 11). He approved, and he stayed to help these young disciples mature in faith. The church in Jerusalem would send other messengers; some would not like what they saw. Ultimately, however, spirit-led leaders like James, Peter, and Paul would join Barnabas in seeing the evidence of the grace of God in Antioch. That church in turn would sponsor the first extensive missionary forays into the Gentile world.
It's easy to criticize when one visits a new congregation. Subtle, and sometimes obvious, differences from home rattle and irritate us. It's harder, but much more exhilarating, to step back, take a deep breath, and probe for evidence of the grace of God.
Jesus and the apostles encouraged deliberate unity. Unity begins with looking for evidence of the grace of God.

Returning soldiers

During the past week, I have talked to several who recently have returned from serving our country overseas. Some have talked and shown pictures about Iraqi families they helped to regain some sense of normalcy. Others have shared information about their visits to archaeological sites associated with biblical characters. I have witnessed great joy as families reunited. I have seen anger, frustration, and confusion bottled up in men and women still trying to cope with what they have seen, touched, tasted, smelled, and heard. One would go back tomorrow if he could. Another cannot even talk about the horror he desperately wants to forget.
All these people are beginning an adventure. Yes, they are starting a journey down a path where random noises and smells will trigger memories and reactions. They will relive moments of achievement. They also will stagger as waves of depression or fear overwhelm them.
They need love - our love and God's love - as they and their families struggle to learn what they have become. Pray for our returning soldiers - National Guard, Active, and Reserve from every branch - and thank God for their courage and for their survival. Pray that they will know peace. Act to make their return a success. Ask how you may help, and when told, do something that will make a positive difference.

What God Thinks About Us

What does God think about you? As I read Isaiah 66 the other day, that question stared me in the face. The ancient words of the prophet stung fiercely.
"This is what the Lord says:
Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being," declares the Lord.
"This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
The next verses describe the failure of worshippers' sacrifices to please God and contain his assurance that he "will bring upon them what they dread." Why?
"For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me (Isaiah 66:1-2,4, NIV)."
No one answered. No one listened. These people, however were praising God. They sacrificed to him. They worshipped. They somehow missed what he wanted: a humble and contrite spirit couple with fear of his word.
As we strive for culturally relevant worship assemblies and organize aggressive parachurch ministries, as we make bold lifestyle decisions, let's remember to take time to ask, "What does God want? Am I still listening to him?"
The Bible contains numerous instances of people who thought they were doing God's will, but were not. Ananias and Sapphira, Saul of Tarsus, the Sanhedrin, and Diotrephes are only a few who missed the mark. Of course, Saul eventually "saw the light." They all (with the possible exception of Ananias and Sapphira) thought that they excelled in doing God's will. What a warning their example is to us.
As I contemplate my life in the mirror of the word of God, I see my failures in bold print. Yet, I also read words of assurance. If I will listen, really listen, and obey, God will give peace and comfort me as a mother comforts her child (Isaiah 66:12,13).

Pray for the Winklers

I, like many, was shocked to hear that minister Matt Winkler had been murdered. His father and grandfather have preached with great influence among churches of Christ for many decades. The entire Winkler family, to include the widow and alleged murderer, needs our prayers at this time of crisis and pain. Rumors and speculation are rampant. I can only imagine the agony that family members feel as they mourn while having to endure public speculation. A Baptist preacher, appearing on talk show "Nancy Grace," used the appearance as an opportunity to bash churches of Christ as an exclusivist cult. However, he rankled Nancy with his approval of a "traditional" role for women. Why did Nancy Grace choose him as an "expert" on the Church of Christ? Surely a professor from Pepperdine University or one of the more than twenty other colleges associated with the church could have done as well. National media have also labeled Winkler's (and my) alma mater, Freed-Hardeman University, as a Bible College. FHU does have a large Biblical Studies department, but also offers degrees in education, business, physical education, music, science, and many other fields. It actually began as a school for teachers, public school teachers. Freed-Hardeman (www.fhu.edu) is a regionally accredited liberal arts university which offers masters' degrees in education and religion, and which has recently added a nursing program.
May the Lord bless and protect the Winkler family and the local church where Matt preached.

Angry at God?

Anger eats away at our souls. That's how I see it, at least. When I have that kind of gnawing, won't-go-away anger that prevents me from doing anything well, I feel as if a cancer were devouring my spirit. Have you ever been so angry that your emotion paralyzed you? Have you cried out in anger to God, "Where are you? How could you let this happen?" I've felt that way. So did the writer(s) of several Psalms. Take a moment and read Psalms 6, 13, and 22. There is anger in those Psalms, as well as desperation. If the first verse of Psalm 22 sounds familiar, perhaps it's because Jesus said the very same words as he hung in excruciating pain on the cross. "My God, why have you forsaken me?" he asked. Isolation resonates from the cross.
What can we do? Pray, someone might say, and be correct. However, sometimes people are so angry at God that they don't want to talk to him. It's hard enough at those times just to listen to what he says (See the Bible.). Sometimes I do as the psalmist did, and express my thoughts in writing. I run or shoot a basketball (Note: The basketball idea doesn't work as well unless the ball occasionally drops in the basket). I confide in a trusted friend. Once or twice, I've done my best imitation of the character in Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream." Some people call that a primal scream, and claim that it cleanses the soul. Maybe. What works best for me, however, is singing.
Some hymns express so well what I'm feeling in those moments of darkness. "While on the sea, hear the terrible roaring. See how the boat of my life rolls me. In fear of death, and deepest of anguish, Lord, watch my soul as I drift on the sea," begins a hymn from the Ukraine. Those words have been just the right words for me. Martin Luther's hymn, "Out of the Depths," based on Psalm 42, also has provided comfort and strength. I actually met the man who wrote the music for one of my favorites. "Be with Me, Lord, I cannot live without thee," it begins, and the music composed by L.O. Sanderson, a church of Christ preacher, fits T.O. Chisholm's words like a hand in a glove. Those hymns revive hope.
The company of God's people also has kept me going. Some people stop going to church when things go wrong. That's a bad move, somewhat analogous to running away from the hospital while you're having a heart attack. Perhaps you hurt so badly you cannot pray, or fear so intensely that you cannot sing. Let the prayers and songs of believers massage your soul and revive your spirit. "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective," wrote the brother of Jesus in the book of James, chapter five.
How do you deal with soul-killing anger, with frustration, with darkness of the soul? Share your ideas, for God's people are a family, and your idea might just rescue another. Do you have a favorite song, a ritual, a reading, a habit that renews your soul in times of darkness?

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On a completely different track, if you've read my profile, you know why I wore orange instead of being lost in a sea of green today. The University of Tennessee men's basketball team survived to play again in the NCAA tournament. Go Vols!

My personal scary movie experience

I had the most uncanny experience the other night. While on a business trip, during a commercial in the basketball game, I channel-hopped and found a strange movie in which a television set repeatedly turns itself back on after being turned off. Then a zombie crawls out of the set. After about five minutes of that, I turned back to my game. Shortly thereafter, I turned off the television and went to bed. Fifteen minutes later, the noise of the television awakened me. I turned it off and went back to bed. Fifteen minutes later, it awakened me again. By this time, I began to worry about zombies (just kidding). The plug and socket were behind the heaviest furniture I've seen in a motel. Eventually, I solved the problem by setting the television on sleep mode for fifteen minutes and leaving it on. This time, it turned itself off and stayed off. I had begun to fear that my whole night's sleep would be disrupted and that I would be a zombie equivalent in my meetings the next day. Surprises constantly pop up in life. When you think you cannot lose, you do. When you think all hope is lost, suddenly a rainbow spans the sky. Sometimes things happen that we cannot understand or explain - a child's death, reports of UFO's, my television experience. Usually, as in the case of Job, all works together for good. Didn't the apostle Paul say that in Romans 5? Hope, illusory and derided, sustains us. Without it, we shrivel and die. So, don't fear the zombies. They're probably a figment of your imagination (You might want to worry about that). Keep hoping, and believing. Our God is an awesome God.

The Wisdom of Admitting Ignorance

When I was a college student, one professor often frustrated us. When we would ask him a question, he always would answer, "I just don't know. But if you can wait until our next class, I will try to have an answer for you." And he always did. At first, we wondered about this professor's intelligence. Eventually, we recognized his wisdom. Rather than quickly give an answer which might be wrong, he took the time to search for correct information for his students. Sometimes the best answer is, "I don't know." An old saying suggested that it was better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.
Some questions may not require an answer. A college classmate, when asked whether a rumor about his holding a controversial position is true, sometimes answers, "How about that?!" Religious discussion focuses at times on intricate issues. To be frank, we may not need to know all the answers on all the issues. If something is going to happen after my death whether I believe it or not, then I should just trust God to do his job well and not argue if he does it differently than I thought he would. After all, it's his universe. Other issues are more immediate; I need answers yesterday! How to be just, how to show mercy, how to know the difference between right and wrong in today's streets - these demand answers, for they determine the direction of people's lives. Harmful decisions may alter history.
It's alright to admit ignorance; it usually is wise. So, if you don't know, ask. Search for truth. Apologize when you're wrong. And keep searching.

Staying Connected to Christ

I read a comment recently that applauded a movement towards the Spirit and away from the "head union." I'm fairly sure that this was not the author's intent when he talked about movement away from the "head union," but if Christ is head of the body (1 Corinthians 12), do we really want to move away from union with the head? Decapitation is always fatal. Seriously, correction of an extreme always runs the risk of moving to an equally dangerous opposite extreme. As I understand 1 Corinthians, the Holy Spirit does not contradict the Head (Christ). Jesus confronts us with paradox; at times he seems quite noncomformist, at other times quite conservative. As the Father (God) told James, John, and Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration concerning Jesus, "This is my Son, listen to him." Just because a worship experience (or any activity, for that matter) creates a pleasant emotion in us does not mean that it pleases God. On the other hand, just because something is coldly logical does not mean that it pleases God. As we strive for reconciliation with God, we must remember that it is the doing of his will, not ours, that is our prayer.

Seeking Peace

In Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, he describes one character as consumed by greed. This religious official, the pardoner, sells forgiveness for a price, and has a side business in selling relics. His favorite song is the offertory, the hymn sung before the money is collected at church. As the pardoner tells his tale to fellow travelers on the pilgrimage to Canterbury, he warns them that "greed is the root of all evil." Chaucer and his fictional characters lived in an age when one-third of the population had been killed in a pandemic. Survivors lived in a state of grief and fear. The pardoner describes the anger of three young men sitting in a bar. They mourn their dead friends and curse a personified Death. In fact, they resolve to kill Death and set out to find him. The young men encounter an old man who also seeks death, not to kill, but to embrace it. The young men badger him until he tells them where they may find death - under a nearby oak tree. When the men arrive at the tree, they discover eight bags of gold. Their plan to kill death flees their minds; claiming this gold consumes their attention. They decide to split it three ways. One of the men goes into town to buy wine and bread, while the other two remain behind to guard the gold. After he leaves, the two agree that they will kill him when he returns and thus increase their respective shares of the gold. Meanwhile, after buying the wine, the other man goes to a druggist and buys poison, which he pours into a bottle of wine. He plans to take all the gold for himself. When he rejoins his comrades, they stab him to death. Then they celebrate by drinking the poisoned wine.
Sometimes people crave wealth, a person's love, land, power, or something else so badly they can think of nothing else. Greed consumes them, and destroys them as surely as it did the young men. Keeping our values balanced is a challenge that most find daunting.
Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these will be given to you as well." Serve rather than crave. Seek rather than hoard. Pray rather than slay. When we hurt, we lash out in anger; we seek to destroy.
The Pardoner knew Greed's dangers well; they already had consumed him. We too seek God, we thirst for peace, we crave forgiveness. And we hear the words of Jesus (from John 7:36), "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Who ever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." An early follower of the Jesus wrote (Romans 14:17f.), "For the kingdom of God is not matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing God and approved to men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."

Who is worthy to speak for God?

Moses knew the feeling. When God told him to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt, Moses knew one truth: God was picking the wrong man. Isaiah painfully realized that he was not worthy to be anywhere near God. How could he dare to speak for him? Jonah ran and sailed as hard as he could to get away from God's mission for him. Preachers today sometimes dream that they're standing naked before their congregation or that they're speaking a foreign language (which they don't understand well) while they're preaching. Each dream, like the experiences of the biblical heroes mentioned above, shouts, "How dare I speak for God?" Who is worthy to such a task? Only one, and he now sits at God's right hand: Jesus. But God still reaches out to hardened, hurting people and sometimes he uses other hardened, hurting people to say, "I love you." The Bible talks about the "foolishness of preaching" and God's using "broken vessels." Sometimes I wonder how I can talk to others about God. And then I think, "If I don't, who will?" To be sure, there are thousands out there, perhaps millions, who will, but perhaps my voice, shaped by unique experiences and blessed by exposure to gifted teachers of God's word, will be the only one heard by that man or woman who most needs God at this moment. And if he or she can't, or won't hear me, then who? Could it be...you?

Heroes of Faith

I spent the weekend with a fascinating woman: my mother! Friday was her birthday. An amazing feat for a woman who was a very sickly baby, whose own mother died a few weeks after my mother's birth. The granddaughter, daughter, and mother of preachers, she has spoken herself at college Bible lectureships and women's seminars (In fact, she will speak on one in April). She loves the Lord and his church deeply, still taking Bible courses at a school of biblical studies as well as teaching the Bible.
I also was able to worship with and lead singing at a great congregation: the Ridgedale church of Christ, a very conservative, racially integrated congregation where my father preached for seventeen years. One of the highlights was speaking again with a retired African-American preacher who worships there. William McCleskey preached for over fifty years. In the past, he and I have rotated preaching and leading singing for one another at nursing homes. Despite poor health, he too retains a brave spirit and a deep love for Christ. His grandson is one of the deacons at Ridgedale.
I also spent a few minutes with Clyde Holder, who was an elder there for over sixty-five years. A man of vision and compassion, he is one of a few men who spring to my mind when I hear discussion about biblical qualifications for elders.
I mention these three because they are among my heroes of faith - people who kept their focus on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. They each have directed many others to the Lord and have shown in their own conduct what it means to walk in his steps. May they know health and happiness; it may be selfish, but I still need them.

When Both Sides Are Wrong

In a Bible discussion last night, my friend Randy observed that sometimes church problems resemble the insurrection attempted by Korah the Levite and his Reubenite friends Dathan and Abiram against Moses in Numbers 16. Korah and friends challenge the authority of Moses and doubt whether God really backs him. Probable motives of the rebellion were Korah's wanting to be high priest of Israel and the Reubenites wanting political power. Moses and his brother Aaron had both. In response to Randy's statement, I suggested that often church squabbles, local or national, might be better described as Dathan versus Abiram - both sides are wrong. Perhaps one side advocates an unorthodox position; the other responds with personal attacks. From there the fracas escalates as each side bombards the other with increasingly vicious accusations, and one (or both) moves into increasingly questionable doctrinal positions as its proponents (subconsciously?) try to distance themselves from their attackers. What really makes it tragic is that all involved may love Jesus and his church dearly. They want nothing so badly as to advance the cause of Christ in the world. Everyone involved may be warm (to those who agree with them), friendly, highly moral, and biblically knowledgeable. But their behavior, to take an expression from 2 Corinthians chapter 2, emits the odor of death. While group members may cheer their champions, the rest of the world chokes on the rancid smell. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples," Jesus said in John 13, "if you love one another."

God's people

Some basic concepts of Christianity boggle my mind. There's the idea of God's becoming man, then dying as a substitute for the rest of humanity as a consequence of everyone else's misconduct. Then there's the resurrection a few days after the death, followed by a witnessed ascension into the skies. And the idea that a reenactment of death, burial, and resurrection occurs in a ritual called baptism which, when united with faith in Jesus being divine and the above being reality, makes us God's children (Read Romans 6:1-4 and Galatians 3:26,27, if you don't believe me). When one steps back and takes a hard look, one can understand why skeptics ridicule such ideas. They just do not fit into our everyday experiences. More seriously, the worldview of many people precludes such events. They have not observed such things themselves, and do not believe anyone else has.
In Hebrews chapter 8, a passage from the prophet Jeremiah is quoted as having been actualized in Christians. "I will be their God and they will be my people," reads one line. "My people," says the creator of the universe. Other biblical passages assert even more, suggesting a noble destiny of service intended by God from the beginning of time. Still, "my people" keeps reverberating within my mind. God cares, and claims these people.
That relationship carries great responsibility on our end. When my brothers and I left the house for a date or to travel, our father would always say, "Remember who you are." What we did or said would reflect on other members of the family. God's people hear similar words: "Be holy, as I am holy." It's tough sometimes just living up to a human family's legacy. How does one live up to being one of God's people? "I will forgive their wickedness," God says, "and will remember their sins no more"(Hebrews 8).
God's not an overly permissive parent. Responsibility and accountability are required. But God possesses, loves, forgives his people. He does not remember what he forgives. That ranks right up there in hard-to-believeability with executing God's son and resurrection. He does not remember what he forgives!
That's good news. No, that's great news!
Let's spread it.

Let God's People Hear His Word...In Their Own Language

During the 1530's, a man named William Tyndale was burned at the stake. His last words were, "God, open the King of England's eyes." His crime was translating the Bible into English. Such a charge sounds bizarre now. But after hundred years of the Bible being read at church services exclusively in Latin, translating it into the languages used by people in everyday life struck some as blasphemous. Latin sounded "sacred" and "holy." Ironically, the major Latin translation which had been used was the Vulgate, a term which comes from the Latin word for common. When the Bible had been translated into Latin from Greek and Hebrew in the fourth century, it had been because Latin had become the language of the common people. When the books and letters that comprise the New Testament were originally penned, their authors used a form of Greek now known as Koine, again "common." The New Testament was not written in a sacred-sounding style. It reached out to the common person with good news of God's word. Tragically, and I suspect most people will find this hard to believe, some still try to suppress the use of Bible translations in the common language of the people, clinging to Bible translations that they believe sound more "sacred." Whether it is the King James Version (which itself was originally attacked as too common) or the Catholic Douay version or (even now) the Latin Vulgate, lovers of these translations ascribe to them a holiness that transcends other translations. The King James Version had a profound, positive affect on English language and literature. Phrases from it passed into everyday street usage. But the average person on the street today, despite loud protests by a few to the contrary, does not understand parts of it because the language is not the dialect he speaks. In a high school English class last week, I heard students trying to read from a piece of literature that was contemporary with the King James Version. They frankly stumbled badly in pronunciation and comprehension. If you believe God inspired the Bible, and I do, the fact that his Holy Spirit revealed it in common street Greek has a profound significance. It means that God wants everyone, even the poorly educated, to be able to understand his Word without requiring years of training or acculturation. I'm not talking about thorough appreciation of intricate doctrines here, just being able to recognize and understand the words. A friend of mine, who prefers to use the King James Version, bought a book that identified archaic words and expressions used in that translation because he wanted to be sure he understood it (a noble motive, by the way, and I applaud him). The book was over five hundred pages long. The translators of the King James Version, all members of the church of England and under precise royal instruction to translate certain words in certain ways, in the original preface noted that even the meanest translation of the Bible was God's Word. Most modern translations have teams of translators from various church backgrounds that serve as a system of checks and balances against one group's or one king's priorities damaging the translation. They want the common person to hear God's Word. That, I believe, is what God wants. So sit down, and read a chapter from the King James Version, then read that same passage in the English Standard Version, the New International Version, or some other popular translation. Which is easier to understand? There are other other issues; most translations (even the King James Version) have some glitches at points. Books like How We Got the Bible by Neil Lightfoot, 3rd edition Baker Book House, 2003, and The English Bible from KJV to NIV by Jack P. Lewis give insights by conservative scholars into history and accuracy in the Bible translation process.
My main point is this: The Bible was meant to be read in the common language of the people. God's Word needs to be heard and understood in an age where a network news program asked this week, "What has happened to manners in America?" Don't let poorly informed tradition slow the spread of God's Word. Use, and encourage the use of, the Bible in an accurate contemporary translation.

Reconciliation

Reconciliation - what a worthy goal! God has given it as a ministry to Christians - the focus of our portfolios as his ambassadors to the world. So says 2 Corinthians 5, or is that passage using an editorial "we," in which case, only the apostle Paul and his colleagues would be the reconciling ambassadors. Certainly the concepts apply to the apostle, but by extension to those he converted, and to Christians today. In a letter to his protege Timothy, he charged him to teach faithful men, who would teach others also. The chain of reconciliation extends beyond the original circle of disciples.
Reconciliation is hard! It means laying aside pride and pain caused by the past. Our passage discusses reconciliation to God, which falls in line with what Jesus said about loving God with all one's heart, soul, and strength. He called that the greatest command. But doing it God's way? I like the way I'm doing it now. Why should I change? I must change if I want to survive spiritually. That's a challenge - pushing out of the net formed by habit and laziness to break through to one who waits laughing with arms extended. The second command - loving one's neighbor as oneself - requires reconciliation also. Sometimes, that's even harder, when the rift spans months in a marriage, years in a family, decades in a church, or centuries in ethnic struggle. After all, we can't see God and we may tell ourselves we've reconciled to him when we really hope he's reconciled to the way we are. It's hard to hide when it's a person or a group standing in front of us, with fear, distrust, or even hate drowning us. Reaching out, risking rejection, knowing perhaps that reconciliation may not succeed, that sometimes physical or emotional survival requires taking different paths. And knowing, if we take separate paths, that a sense of something lost will endure, an awareness of a possible parallel universe in which sacrifice, dialogue, and negotiation produced reunion.
God has given us a ministry of reconciliation.

Comforting God's People

Stress! In the midst of change, change, and more change, God's people call out for rest. Things change. That's a constant. But sometimes change damages, sends someone away, offends. Pray, search the word, remember the people for whom Christ died...and for whom there remains a rest.
Some people and churches change by the minute...Christian chameleons. Others refuse to change, call themselves trees planted firmly by the water, often deserve the designation "fossils." Perhaps the truth lies elsewhere, where people hear the Lord's voice in his word and hear also the plaintive cries of people clamoring for a message of hope they can understand...in their language, people longing for stability but needing also freshness. Comfort my people, says the Lord (Isaiah 40).