Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

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What Is The State of Your Heart

July 8, 2015

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” — Jeremiah 17:9-10

I heard John Ortberg once refer to Jesus as the first cardiologist for he was always concerned with the state of your heart.

We should all be concerned with the state of our own heart.

Where is it today? What is it full of?

Is it fearful? Look deep inside at it. Ponder. What is it that I am afraid of? Sit down and have a conversation with God. Lay out your fears before him. Then listen. God will lead you to a writing or will whisper a message that lets you know that with God in your life, you really have nothing to fear. You have a life beyond this one.

Perhaps your heart is full of bitterness? You have suffered a wrong, or at least believe you have suffered a wrong. People are bad. They are all out to get you. Your life is shriveled. People avoid you. God is there to heal the bitter heart and bring warmth.

Perhaps your heart is filled with joy. You smile easily. You are comfortable with yourself and your relationship with God. And God smiles with you, spreading the joy to all you meet.

Perhaps your heart is filled with love. Everyone you meet says, “There goes a true follower of Jesus.” And their lives are enriched.

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When Words Become Meaningless

June 25, 2015

Upon becoming a CEO, a former research scientist turned to obsessive reading of management books to help make the transition.

He found lots of memorable phrases (my favorite–“focus, focus, focus”) but very little actual help. The author of the focus phrase neglected one very important piece of the puzzle–just what should the manager focus on!

Some phrases were repeated so often and regularly misused that the words–for example quality and excellence–had lost meaning.

Sometimes I wonder if we do the same think as Christians (or Jews or Muslims, too). We repeat phrases that lose their original meaning and their impact. They become just words. Sometimes just words that we can use to self-justify (remember my recent post) our actions or lack of action.

I’ve witnessed people who have a favorite phrase (“praise the Lord” or “I love Jesus” or “I’m saved”) and then flagrantly commit adultery. Or even worse, pick up a weapon and injure or kill someone.

One of the original “God is dead” theologians whom I read probably 50 years ago was merely trying to explain that when the word “God” loses its power and impact on people–when it just becomes a word that is repeated–then it is as if to those people God is dead. Indeed, He is dead to them.

The word is there, but the spirit is missing. Or, as we used to say, the lights are on, but nobody’s home.

When we use words without power or spirit, we devalue the word, the thought, the spirit.

And remember, adverbs are not your friend. And adjectives should be acquaintances who seldom visit. And yes, when I wrote that last sentence I paused and scanned to count adverbs. I think one too many. What do you think?

God is a real spiritual being who desires a relationship. Jesus was a human being who, being the pioneer of our faith, died and then returned to life. Real beings, not just words.

Words have power, use them wisely.

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Where There Is Hatred, Let Me Sow Love

June 22, 2015

Make me a channel of your peace…where there is hatred let me sow love… –prayer of St. Francis

Sometimes it seems we are living in the old Wild West. Everybody is carrying weapons. It feels as if violence exists everywhere.

Part of the reason is that we get news from all over the world, now. Once news was mostly local with a smattering of regional, national, and international news. TV now brings us, indeed floods us, with instantaneous news produced and directed for maximum emotional impact.

Still, how could a young man sit in a Bible study for an hour with a peaceful group of spiritual seekers, then coolly pull out a handgun and kill nine people. A quote I saw had him saying that they were such nice people he almost hated to do it.

All because they were born with a different color skin than his.

Yes, there is evil in the world. I had a deeply spiritual conversation with a friend a couple of weeks ago who denied the existence of evil. But, it exists. Where else would someone learn to hate?

I had hoped that the civil rights work of the 60s would have yielded much more progress. I went to graduate school in the south in the early 70s. My Southern classmates all thought that with the new generation racial relations would be improved.

Overall, we treat people of other races, religions, and nationalities much better than we used to.

When it comes to healing the hearts of humans, though, sometimes it looks as if we’ve made no progress from the earliest times written in the Bible.

But we have. Despite all the fear-mongers and incessant media attention we are much safer in much of the world than we used to be. There are substantial places where peace needs to come.

Mostly we need to work and pray to heal people’s hearts.

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Drawing From The Deep Source of Life

June 1, 2015

She was confronted by the owner of the company where she worked. His demeanor was angry as was his usual way of relating. Frustration boiled over him like an untended teapot on a hot stove. 

He was accusing her of many examples of wrongdoing. She was confused. The accusations were either greatly exaggerated or outright fabrications. She has told someone something. Huh? The accusation was vague. She had done something–it had never happened.

Then at a deep internal pause, the idea crept into her consciousness–she had been betrayed. Someone was out to get her, promoting themselves at her expense.

There are only a few choices at that point. She was on the defensive. The other person had the initiative. She could fight back, but the owner was famous for never backtracking. She could refuse to play the game and just continue doing the best work she could–oh, and also begin quietly probing contacts for job openings elsewhere.

I have just begun reading a book called Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth by Samuel Chand. He opens with a chapter on betrayal.

While I was contemplating my own experiences with betrayal, this verse from Jeremiah was part of a daily devotional:

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of the drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. –Jeremiah 17:7-8

I love this metaphor. Jesus uses a similar one when he says, “I am the vine, and you are the branches.” Or also when he talkes about the Living Water.

When I’ve had some of these painful situations or when I’ve observed others going through the trials, I’ve seen where there is that life force that flows through life that provides strength and perspective.

Leaders who lack that life force drift into operating by pride, greed, narcissism. Parents not connected to the life force of God parent through intimidation (screaming) or by bribery. Others crumble into despair, depression, bitterness, anger, and hatred when going through trials.

I love to sit in contemplation of God’s Living Water flowing through my body and mind and soul. It’s the pause that refreshes. Then I can go and create.

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Working Your Way Through Suffering

April 23, 2015

She was dealing with a series of emotionally unstable people. Whether she saw one of them, or saw their caller ID on her phone, or saw an email–it all brought a tightness in her gut and constricted her heart. A psychologist might say that her “fight or flight” biology was activiated.

Every day, the scene repeated.

Sometimes, though the others’ emotions were sanguine. Sometimes, despondent. Sometimes, even belligerent. 

She suffered through every day. Never knowing what she’d be facing from loved ones and acquaintances.

Sometimes our sufferings are simply (if I can say that) seemingly intractable problems. Sometimes as a result of a tragedy that touches our lives–discovery of serious illness, death of a loved one. For some of my readers, it is the constant fear of facing evil in the body of fanatic anarchists who might torture and kill.

Do not ask why, advises an ancient Celtic Christian priest. 

He says that by working through your problems and sufferings, you will become stronger and endure. Without going through suffering, most of the transforming power of the cross would disappear. In the struggle, we can overcome through the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

As Jesus said to the church of Laodicea according to John in the Revelation, “To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throune, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”

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Now What?

April 6, 2015

Easter is over. Many of us had beautiful worship experiences. Worship leaders went all out to provide music and speaking designed to lift our spirits and emotions.

How was your worship? Meaningful? Do you feel charged up, reinvigorated with the remembrance of the foundation of the Christian faith–the resurrection of Jesus?

Now, you’re up. It’s Monday. You’re returning to work. To normal life. With its difficult people, challenging tasks, things left undone.

Now what?

How do we take the experience of the risen Lord and live today? Live in this moment?

Will your life be different today from Friday?

Paul reminded us that we have to go back to work. We can’t live our lives totally in worship and meditation. At some point we have to go out and work. Provide for bodily needs–food, shelter. Serve others. Witness our changed lives.

We return to work refreshed, renewed. We take with us a deeper understanding of peace, joy, perseverance. And the presence of God.

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Three Days That Make Us Different

April 3, 2015

Today is what we’ve come to call Good Friday. I have to admit that as a kid I wondered about that phrase. What’s good about that day? As an adult with thinking skills, I could come up with a lot of reasons to justify calling it good. But still…good?

Good Friday–a remembrance of the day Jesus was killed. Leaders of the day just couldn’t get over their fixation on the way history was supposed to play out. Especially the part that they were to play–that is, they were to lose their jobs. So, they killed the threat.

But, Good Friday leads inevitably to Easter.

Ah, Easter. More than a remembrance. A celebration. Our culture places so much celebration on Christmas. But Easter. Without Easter, we have no faith.

No person of Jewish faith has ever commented on this blog or emailed me directly. But I have had a conversation with a teacher within the Islamic faith.

Within Islam, Jesus is acknowledged as a prophet. Maybe so. I think at that level he was more of a Wisdom teacher than a classical prophet. But then, I’m not a learned scholar. Just a disciple. And he certainly acted as a prophet in several examples.

Within Judaism, Jesus is not recognized. During a recent Bible study, one of the men blurted out (since it’s so obvious to us), “Why don’t Jews believe?”

I found this very consise, rational, scholarly statement from a Jewish rabbi detailing the Scriptures that prove Jesus was not the Messiah. Like I say, thinking people can come up with lots of reasons.

I just finished 1,500 pages of scholarly work showing how Paul (the ex-Pharisee, Jew above Jew) re-interpreted his Scriptures in light of his meeting with the risen Jesus. Jesus, himself, in fact re-interpreted his scriptures.  And he taught his followers to do so. I understand the reluctance to abandon a faith based on what you see as faulty interpretation.

Easter, though, has nothing to do with interpretation of scripture.

Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus lives again.

That’s all. Everything else is mental exercise.

Faith in the resurrection is what makes us different. More than that. It’s how lives are changed by the power of God’s spirit when we accept that reality. 

We are different from other religions. But we are also different people. Changed people. That power has been proven over 2,100 years. And it continues to be proven with each new Jesus-follower today.

I cannot help it that so many people claiming the title “Christian” behave so poorly–even to the extent of killing great numbers of people. The power of the resurrection lives in too many of us to deny the fact.

Therefore, I guess we call it “Good” Friday. But it’s all about Easter. Enjoy.

PS. Since my feeble attempts at writing are read around the world, even in places where calling yourself Christian could be life-threatening–my prayers go out to you that you can celebrate the day without fear. And that peace will come to you soon.

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Are You Unprepared

January 5, 2015

I can still remember walking up the steps to the entrance of the high school. Every morning there were the same deep misgivings in my gut. Once again I had studied many things the previous evenings. But, once again, I had not completed (or even started on) my assigned homework.

I know the sick feeling of unprepared.

Sometimes we are unprepared because we didn’t do the work. We didn’t study. Write the report. Make the call.

On the other hand, sometimes we are not prepared because we have never faced that situation before. We have never created that work before. We have never worked with this particular group of people. Seth Godin, a respected marketing guru who also now writes about life skills as much as about marketing, addressed this type of unpreparedness.

Then, I though of Jesus disciples. When he called them, they were totally unprepared for the experience. They were unprepared first, then they followed and learned, but then when they were on their own, they wished at first that Jesus had prepared them a little more.

They were visited and then filled by the holy spirit. Then they were prepared.

I’ve heard Bill Hybels talk about taking the first step in faith. He called it “help along the way.” First you take a step in faith, and then the spirit will help you.

As you ponder your “great work” this year, don’t stop because you don’t feel prepared. Take the first step in faith. Of course you are unprepared. But help will come as you move out.

Oh, I graduated from high school. And the university. And I learned to prepare when you need to. It was a lesson that if visiting me sooner would have saved me much emotional turmoil.

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Might As Well Relax

December 24, 2014

It’s finally here. Christmas Eve. All the worrying about did I get the right present for someone (or did I get presents for everyone I should have). The stress of coordinating family visits. It might as well be over. It’s too late now to worry anymore.

If you have little children around, just relax and enjoy their anticipation. They will be past that soon enough.

I have already gone to my Christmas church services. Maybe you’re heading out for Midnight Mass (I assume Catholics still do that–the church who ran the school I taught in one year was known throughout the area for its beautiful one). Back home, they’ll have a candlelight service with much singing.

If so, just relax and enjoy.

There’s a scene in Christmas Vacation where Clark’s dad says he got through the dysfunctional family gatherings “with a little help from Jack Daniels.”

Perhaps you can get by with just a few deep breaths.

There are readers of this blog who live in areas where the greater stress is not just family bickering but personal safety. I pray that your celebration is safe, as well as meaningful. It’s amazing to me what Christians in the US think is persecution which is so insignificant when compared to so many other countries of the world.

One of the titles for Jesus is Prince of Peace. As followers, let us all work toward fulfilling that promise of peace.

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Theoretical Christians Not Wanted

October 23, 2014

It was a wide-ranging conversation with a friend over a plain doughnut and tea at Tim Horton’s. We covered an upcoming men’s conference we’re working on, leadership in the church, Acts 2 churches.

We talked about Christ-followers actually doing something with their faith. “Jesus doesn’t want people for whom this is all theoretical,” he said.

Yes, it’s not theory. It’s doing. There’s a song I learned in the early 70s, “Love Is Something You Do.” Not always something that you feel, but it’s real.

Sitting around and arguing about whether you believe this idea or that idea and opining that anyone who “believes” the other thing is an idiot–those people are not found in the New Testament as people we should associate with.

Acts 2 churches were about teaching, worshiping–and living a life so attractive that others said (like in the movie), “I’ll have what she’s having.” It was how they lived more than what they said. I just had a great conversation with a woman who is 92. She asked how she could get involved in some of my ministries. Faith isn’t theory for her. It’s acting on her faith. Wow, if only others were like her!

As much as I love philosophy and theology, if it doesn’t help me grow and become a better teacher, then it is wasted. But if it provides that solid foundation for teaching and witnessing, then I’ll pursue it.

Anyone want to go on an international mission trip with me? 😉

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