You've Got This

Have you ever taught sa child  how to tie their shoes?  It takes practice.  There is this point where they are struggling to figure it out but it's going slow.  You have this overwhelming urge to  tie the shoes for them and get on with it, but what you need to do is sit back and watch.  Give them some encouragement and wait it out.

When helping someone there is that temptation to do it for them, to bail them out,  It's tempting because we want to make things better.  We see the struggle and we want to make things better.  And as much as we want to help, what we do is counterproductive.  When we bail someone out we are telling them, "This is beyond you."  When we give people a push and wait, we are saying "you've got this."



Sometimes God sees us struggling and lets us struggle.  He lets us work our way through it and stands back. In Deuteronomy it says that the Lord will not Leave you or Forsake you.  He is there watch and saying "You've got this."

God could give us our daily dose of miracles.  He could do it all.  But he gave us talents and gifts and abilities, and by standing back and letting us work it out He allows us to become the best that we can be.  

What Have You Done for Me Lately?

Sometimes when I think about some of the great stories of the Bible I am left with the question, "Why then and not now?" I was thinking about that great story about Elijah squaring off against the 450 prophets of Baal.  Fire shoots down from the sky scorching the soaking wet ground.  Wow.  Why do things like that not happen now?

And there are plenty of these to choose from; parting the Red Sea, water turns to wine, the blind see, the lame walk, why doesn't it happen today?  After all, if we saw these things, it would be easier to believe.  Right?

Here's what I think.

1. It didn't happen that often then either.  The Bible covers thousands of years of history.  Most people in the world alive at the time did not see Elijah call fire from the sky.  Most people did not see the Red Sea part or Jesus feed the 5000.  So even if one of the greatest miracles of all time is happening right now, why would we suspect that it would be happening here in front of us?

2. We wouldn't believe it.  I hear stories about miracles happening.  About Jesus appearing or someone's miraculous healing.  I'm inclined to be skeptical about it and think it probably has another explanation.  Maybe they are happening and we are just refusing to see them.  There was a line in a movie once, God is talking to a person on Earth.  The person wants to see a miracle.  God points to a tree.  The person says that it's not a miracle, it's a tree.  God responded, "Let's see you make one."

3.  But here's the real reason as I see it. It is too easy for us to focus on the miracle and not on God.  The wonder quickly fades and we are left with a sense of now what?  The Israelites wandered through the desert with a pillar of fire leading their way.  Every day manna would fall from the sky to eat.  And still, they would question God's providence at every turn.

Sometime we are in a fix and we are putting it all on God.  We pray for God's help and when the crisis passes we say, "now what?"  We need to focus on our relationship with God and not what he is doing for us right now.

So there's not really any reason to think that seeing miracles happen all of the time would actually bring us closer to God.  Soon the awe and mystery fade and we are left with a sense of "now what?" We need to focus on the blesser and not just the blessing.

Rhymes with Ebola

The Kingston Trio was a group of folk singers in the 1950s and 60s.  My parents used to listen to them when I was younger.  I remember them taking use to hear them perform at Meadowbrook one summer.  One of their songs that I liked is called "The Merry Minuet". It is a happy tune that talks about bad things happening places.  Even when I was young I could appreciate sarcasm.

They're rioting in Africa, They're starving in Spani,

Thee's hurricanes in Florida.  And Texas needs rain.

Then later in the song,,,

They're rioting in Africa.  There's strife with Iran.

What nature doesn't do to us, will be done by our fellow man.

What I think is amazing is that this song is over 60 years old and most of the words still apply today.  Rioting in Aftica, check, strife with Iran, check check.  This song could almost be written today, but they would need to find a rhyme for ebola.

Here we go again

It seems that some problems are always with us.  Some politician is stealing money, or cheating on his wife.  There are racial tensions and riots, a war a kidnapping, some big storm or earthquake or fire.  The stories are the same just the names are different.  I wonder if people who write for the news could create the stories with a fill in the blank form.   There was a break in at _______.  Congressman ______ was caught in a scandal.... Sort of like Mad Libs

Not Just Them

It isn't only the news that goes in cycles, we all do.  Many of the issues that I struggle with are the same ones that I have struggled with for years.  There are good times and bad times but there they are.  

As we go through our recurring battles, there is a sense that we are less and less able to deal with it.   The thought is I've been here before and even if I get this under control, eventually I will be right back here.  And that's true if we do it on our own.  We need to realize that if these problems were easy, we would have dealt with it long ago.  It is tough and we will only conquer it with God's help.  

So we need forgiveness when we start believing and again every day.  Every day.  Every day.  The struggles continue.  We think that when we become a Christian that it should all be better.  But becoming a Christian only means that we have the right tool to do the job.  We are just getting started.

And if we have a hard time realizing that about ourselves, we have a harder time seeing it in others.  We feel like that person there is a Christian, shouldn't they be better.  But they are going through their own struggles just like we are.  They need Grace every day too.

  

Grace is needed by everyone for everyone.  When we become Christians, we have only taken the first step.  The need for grace is just beginning.

Running Out the Clock

It's football season.  Between high school, college and prod there is a game most days  going on somewhere.  There comes a point in most games where one of the teams is ahead and they are trying to run out the clock.  Their goal changes from scoring to keeping the ball and letting time tick away.  It is such a part of the game that announcers talk regularly about clock management.  But for the fan it isn't that interesting to watch.

I like watching the final drive, when the team is down and they need a score.  Time is ticking and every play counts.  There is a long pass that sets up the goal line stand or that 50 yard field goal.  Now that's fun.

Baseball is different.  There is no clock.  If you want to win, put up some runs and get 27 outs.  It doesn't matter how long it takes.  And many times it goes longer, much longer.  The extra innings can go on and on, and sometimes this is tough on fans too, but there is no stalling.  As Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over till it's over."

I think that too often Christian behave like we are running out the clock, and not on the final goal line march.  We are ready to take a knee and wait it out not go for the Hail Mary Pass.  The great commission says that we are to go and make disciples, but we stay inside and guard the walls.  We go through life with a mentality that says, "I don't want to lose what I've got, and not losing is good enough." 

We are called to be advancing the ball, moving the kingdom forward, trying for one more score. Some Christians are more wired for the methodical drive down field and others for the long pass, but we are called to move forward.

 And here's the thing about taking the knee and running out the clock.  Every time a team does it, they go back a few yard.  They think it doesn't matter because the game is ending.  They go from 1st and 10 to 2nd and 12 to 3rd and 13.  That's how it is in football and in life,  if you aren't advancing, you are losing ground.

More Like Us

When I was in college I had a job for a while in the security department at the Sears store in the Oakland Mall.  We would watch the surveillance cameras for shoplifters and other suspicious characters.

Sometimes we would need to use the cameras to watch employees.  Someone's till has been coming up short, so keep an eye on them.  Now, this was different.  If yous spend several hours watching one person you will inevitably see them act suspiciously.  They will do something that we don't understand.  "Why would they do that?" "Something is odd about what they are doing." These days when I am in a store, I often wonder what the people behind the cameras are thinking about what I do?

Given enough time, everyone acts oddly.  This means that we don't understand ther actions based on our own perspective.  Making a separate trip to the store room seems suspicious to one person.  Bringing everything out at once seems suspicious to another.  We all have our own motivations and perspectives.

Sometimes the ways that other people make decisions is confusing to me.  I see a falling down old house with a satellite dish in the yard.  I wonder why they don't fix up the house and skip the TV.  They think, how depressing would this place be without decent television?  It's all about perspective.

 

It's no wonder that we have a hard time with moral decisions and behavioral issues.  As Christians we see certain values as obvious.  We even think of them as traditional or family friendly.  However, so many people come to these decisions from differing perspectives.  It's no wonder that we come to different conclusions.  Especially when the perspective is one from a nonbeliever.

We get very angry when nonbelievers don't behave like we think believers should.  Considering a lot of believers don't behave the way that we think believers should, it is no surprise that nonbelievers come to different conclusions.  

I think we worry too much about behaviors and not enough about people.  So often we wish life was like it was back in the good old days, but what we are thinking about is not the days gone by, but rather the white washed versions that we saw on Happy Days and Leave it to Beaver.  Those days didn't exist then and don't exist now.  Some things were better back then, but some things were worse.

We need to worry about people more than their behaviors.  If they accept redemption through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will work on their behaviors.  In the mean time, I should worry about my own.

We have a name for loving people in spite of their behavior.  For forgiving people who don't know that they offend us.  For understanding and practicing the idea that Jesus died for them as much as he died for me.  That word is Grace, and we are all called to practice it.

Just Another Interest Group

It's the political season.  We are seeing commercial after commercial for this office or that.  In Michigan we are seeing a lot of adds for Governor and US Senate.  And while I have some very strong opinions on who are the better candidates, this isn't that kind of blog.

I have been thinking a lot lately about Christians being involved in politics.  Not about Christians voting or running for office, those are civic responsibilities.  I am talking about Christians and Churches behaving like another special interest group.  Interest groups from labor unions to the NRA to the AARP stake out positions and  endorse candidates.  And some churches do this too.  Some high profile pastors give out endorsements, some let politicians speak on Sunday morning at the service.  Some pass out voter guides that endorse candidates.

Here is the problem as I see it.  Politics turns everything that it touches into politics.  And politics is first and foremost concerned with gaining and maintaining power.

But don't we want our Christian values represented in public policy?  Of course we do.  I am a Christian and that affects every part of my life; Everything that I do; Every decision that I make.  But that is not politics.  Politics is about gaining and maintaining power.

There is a saying among politicians, "you can't do anything if you don't get elected." The next election quickly becomes more important than the values that sent them there. When Christians behave like an interest group, we get lumped in with the NRA and AARP and our standing suffers.  There is nothing wrong with groups advocating for a cause, but the Christian Churches are different.  Jesus is the light of the world and through his death and resurrection, salvation is available for the asking.  In Christ we can be released from our sins, our guilt, our transgressions and live lives full of purpose.  This is more important that whether or not capital gains investments are taxed.

 

Christians need to be more interested in saving the next soul than winning the next election.  We are need to speak the truth in love to people who need it.  And that isn't politics.  

Another problem with mixing politics and Christianity is raising the bar of membership.  By staking out political positions, we send the message that only people with these political views may become Christians, that salvation is only available to those of a particular party.  

To be a Christian is to put your faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior.  It doesn't matter if you are pro-life or pro-choice, if you support gay marriage or not.  If you are pro gun-rights or are in favor of gun control.  It doesn't matter what you think the tax rate should be or what the US policy should be towards modern day Israel.  Christianity is about letting the Holy Spirit work in your heart, and good people, Jesus loving Christians, are on both sides of every issue.  Sometimes we send the message that only people who have a specific set of political beliefs are welcome to join.  And that isn't even close to the truth.  

As Christians we are called to speak the truth in love in order to help those who don't know.  And that isn't politics.

Election day is November 4.  Be informed about candidates and issues and go vote.  Pray for discernment and wisdom and do what you think is best.  That is how democracy works.  And when I see Christians with yard signs in their yard that are different than the ones in my yard, I know that we have a lot more in common than the opinions that separate us.

I need, I need, I need

A little child is praying, "Please God help my finger not be sore and while you are at it; I would like a puppy."  The prayer ends, the finger is still sore and there is no puppy.  The child says, "Well that didn't work at all."

And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. - Mathew 18:3

Somehow, I don't think that is the part of a child's faith that Jesus was talking about.  But a lot of people look at prayer like a to do list.  "God, here is a list of troubles that need to be solved and please throiw in the winning Lotto numbers while you are at it." What's in it for me?  After all, I have needs. 

There is a need for Christians and the Church to be bold in faith.  There is a need to change the question from "What can God do for me?" to "What would God like me to do for others?" God works through his people.  And what God wants for you to do for others is probably more than just pointing out what they are doing wrong.

Jesus did not show us a church where Christians sat back and pointed out the shortfalls of others.  There is the need in the Christian church for believers to be bold in taking our faith out and helping others.  And most of that can only happen when we get to the other side of the stained glass.

What are you praying about today?  How many things on your want list can change to "How can I held in this situation?"

Never to Return

A few day ago I wrote about slavery, and I have been thinking about it ever since.  I have a hard time comprehending slavery.  Not slavery in a historical sense, but in the modern sense.  How is it possible that slavery still exists in our modern world.  The idea that even here in the United States people (mostly women but not exclusively) are held against their will and forced to work as domestic help or in the sex trade.  I just don't get it.  But just because I don't understand it, doesn't mean that it isn't true.

One group that is trying to fight slavery is trying to raise money to buy people out of slavery.  This person is for sale, they will buy them and give them their freedom.  This is a controversial approach and has some serious draw backs.  First is the fact that you are rewarding the people in the slave trade for being grossly immoral.  It is like negotiating with terrorists or kidnappers.  They make their money and will keep on doing it.  

A second problem is the law of supply and demand.  Since nothing is being done to halt the demand, if this became a serious movement, it would increase the value of each slave as the demand grows.  The higher price would increase the incentive for people to be involved in the slave trade.  SO there is the chance that if this was done on a large scale, that it could actually make the problem worse.

BUT HERE IS THE REAL PROBLEM WITH THIS APPROACH.  What happens to these girls after they are freed?  Many of these girls were sold into slavery BY THEIR FAMILIES.  And if there is one part of slavery that I find particularly awful, it is this.  I realize that cultures are different and what being a parent means is different in different cultures but still. 

If the girls return home, they will not be welcomed back.  They will be sold again.

So if a person is bought and redeemed out of slavery.  It needs to be done in such a way that they don't go right back in.  Otherwise, we get all of the bad consequences and none of the benefits.

Slavery is an awful thing.  The fact that slavery still manages to exist in America is unfathomable.  But we can all put ourselves into slavery.  We can bind ourselves to the things that make us less free.  But we have an option that these girls do not.  For us, not only is door unlocked, but someone is knocking on it and asking to free us.  We just need to open the door and walk through it.

Slavery is an awful thing.  I don't really know how to fight it.  We can give money to groups that are working against it.  We can lobby our politicians to do more, but I'm sure it is complicated.  I think that not talking the freedom that we have or that we could have for granted, might be a good start.

To Be a Slave

We all have our issues.  Some are issues that require a response.  Some issues cause life to crash so that there is no going forward without dealing with it.  But that it isn't how it works for us.  Most of our issues are manageable, they just lower the quality of life in the process. Here, watch this music video.

I don't know Mia, but I feel like I do.  She works with a group called Tree Hill Collective that has been generous with letting me use their music on some video projects, such as the opening music for the TV ministry and a promotional video for Lydia's Gate. 

Slavery is a tough concept to wrap my head around.  Probably because we live in a country that is so free.  Mostly what we face are inconveniences not true slavery.  Maybe that's why we don't see it coming.  We can allow things to fester until it becomes a chain.

It makes me think of the german shepherd that we had when I was a kid.  We would put it in a fenced area.  The dog could have easily jumped the fence, but never did.  He made attempts to dig under.  But never took a running start and jumped over.  Freedom was there all along.

 

In the days of slavery, there were slave markets where people would be bought and sold.  Think about how much would you ask for your own freedom.  If we were going to sell ourselves into slavery, what would be the price?  It's hard to imagine a price high enough.  The amazing thing is that we put ourselves onto the auction block for free.  

So here's the good news.  We can be free.  The issues of our life, whether big are or small, do not need to be our chains.  Like our german shepherd, freedom is there if we take the leap.

So we have put ourselves on the auction block, God is there and ready to pay the price.  We just need to say OK.

Ignoring Boundaries

You ever deal with someone who is in your space?  We have this area around us and the list op people allowed in is short.  Very short.  Some people violate that space and just get a little too close.  Sometimes it's subtle and there's just something about that person that makes you feel uncomfortable.  Then there are the others.  You try backing up, but it's no good.  They follow.

In the movie "What About Bob?" a psychiatrist tries to set up boundaries between his home life and his patient.  Bob, played by Bill Murray crosses the line repeatedly.  What makes it worse is that his family and friends don't see the problem.  They love Bob.  Well in the movie it all works out fine and it is a very funny movies, but the idea of boundaries is important.

The greatest place for boundaries is not between professional and personal, but between right and wrong.  And there is a boundary.  We live in a world that believes that so much of what we do is just about our choices and what's right for me isn't necessarily right for you.  And while for some things that's true, on the bigger things, the important things, it couldn't be more wrong.  There is a boundary between right and wrong, and God draws the line.

We can flirt with boundaries and maybe we'll be all right, but maybe we won't.  The real boundary I think is actually between God's will and our own, and often we stand on the wrong side.

Pride and Authority and Humility and Mercy

Coattailing - To sponge, to mooch, to skate by and do absolutely nothing but watch and then somehow still try to take credit for what you had little part in.

There's one in every group.  There is the person who let's the others do the heavy lifting and then stands near to take the credit.  The rest of the group decides that they don't want the project to fail so they pick up the slack.  A friend of mine once told me a story from a college class.  He was working on a group project thinking about how every group has that one person that seems to get stuck with all of the work.  Then he realized that it was him.  He was getting stuck with the work.

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The worst part is really not having to do the extra work, it's watching the coarrailers take the credit.  I mean what about credit where credit is due.

Sometimes we behave like coattailers in our walk with Christ.  Through Grace we've cleaned up our act a bit, but we act like it's all us. that we did this under our power.  

Grace means that we are riders on God's coat tails.  That's not only OK, it's the plan.  But we should remember who gets the credit.