Category: Attitude

The Right Words

Perhaps you saw it. The headline caught my attention as it boldly proclaimed, “An Arizona priest used one wrong word in baptisms for decades. They’re all invalid.”[1] And the headline wasn’t just talking about one or two baptisms, but thousands of baptisms that took place since the priest started his ministry in 1995. Rather than reciting, “I baptize you,” his habit was to say, “We baptize you.” Because of his mistake, made in both English and Spanish over the years, Rev. Andres Arango, described as a good priest, resigned.

The article goes on to state that:

As far as the diocese is aware, all of the other sacraments that Arango conferred are valid. But because baptism is the “sacrament that grants access to all the others,” a botched baptism could invalidate any subsequent sacraments, including confirmation, marriage and holy orders.

“What this means for you is, if your baptism was invalid and you’ve received other sacraments, you may need to repeat some or all of those sacraments after you are validly baptized as well,” the diocese said.[2]

When I first heard this on the news, I was speechless. Incredulous might be a better word. Even though I’m not Roman Catholic, my heart goes out to those poor souls, thousands of them over the past quarter century, who are now being told by their church authorities that they are not really a part of the church because of a “mistake” made by a priest due to a single word he uttered.

I am sure this will be the topic of many theological and philosophical debates. Ecclesiastical law, semantics, and likely the priest’s ethnicity and language will be analyzed, scrutinized, and categorized for some time. All because of a single word, intended to convey a good thing, but suddenly upsetting the lives of the very persons it was intended to bless.

It is sometimes difficult to find the right word, isn’t it? Finding the right words or getting the words right is something that preachers like me spend a lot of time on. And the Bible has a lot to say about our words, as did Jesus. Remember when He said, “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37 NKJV)?

The Apostle Paul said, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13 NIV), which was a paraphrase of Joel 2:32 in the Old Testament.

It doesn’t sound difficult. It doesn’t require reciting an exact word or phrase. It couldn’t be more inclusive. Everyone has an equal opportunity to “call on the name of the Lord,” and find salvation and eternal life. It is sad that such a simple thing could become so complicated and confusing.

Jesus told a story about two men praying. One, a very religious man, used a lot of fancy language and did his best to point out to God that he was righteous and worthy. Jesus pointed out that this man’s boasting did nothing to gain God’s attention or admiration. In stark contrast, the other man, considered a great sinner, “stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” Jesus went on to say, “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:13-14 NIV)

God had mercy on the man who asked for it. What are the right words that our merciful God listens to? Sincere words. Humble words. Truthful words. Caring words. Loving words. Compassionate words. Contrite words. Grateful words. Heartfelt words. Halting words. Faith-filled words. Intercessory words. Clear words. Kind words. Simple words.

Even as He died upon the cross, we see the contrast between the right and wrong words. Dying between two criminals, one spoke words of derision, the other spoke words of contrition. This is how Luke 23:39-43 (NIV) describes the scene:

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Simple words. Dying words. Sincere words. The right words: “Jesus, remember me.” No baptism. There wasn’t time or opportunity for it. No long confession to a priest. Just a heartfelt plea to the High Priest, Jesus Christ. And Jesus’ response was good news for all of us sinners who call upon the Lord: “. . .today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus often used simple words, words a child could understand. He called his first disciples in John chapter one using 5 simple words. “Follow me. Come and see.” Those were the right words to draw them into a lifetime of adventure, travel, and service. Those simple words were the right words that changed the world and are still changing lives today.

The most important words, the right words, are often difficult to speak.

I am sorry.

I was wrong.

Please forgive me.

I forgive you.

I love you.

I care.

But don’t wait until your dying day. Practice saying the right words until they come automatically from your heart. Don’t worry about getting them wrong. Don’t worry that somebody higher up will rule them invalid. Jesus always receives these as the right words. And in the end, His opinion is the only one that counts.

©2022 Don Detrick

[1] “An Arizona priest used one wrong word in baptisms for decades. They’re all invalid.” NPR News Religion, February 15, 2022. Accessed 2/16/2022 at https://www.npr.org/2022/02/15/1080829813/priest-resigns-baptisms?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20220216&utm_term=6328018&utm_campaign=news&utm_id=4920732&orgid=&utm_att1

[2] Ibid.

Ancient Lessons From Aristotle: Connecting with Online Audiences in a Covid-19 World

The world seems to be stalled at the intersection of pandemonium and chaos.

Caught off guard, nobody seemed to have a contingency plan to mitigate a global pandemic. So in Spring 2020 the world scrambled to assemble protocols and systems to accomplish things many human beings have not had to deal with in their generation. We’ve grown accustomed to YouTube videos going viral, usually of some trivial amusement, like a cat playing chopsticks on the piano. We were not prepared to deal with an actual life-threatening virus (Covid-19) going viral, spreading disease and mayhem around the world.

Reader Note: This post was made during the Spring 2020 Global Covid-19 Pandemic, and is targeted for ministers and speakers or anyone who is delivering online video messages to connect with people experiencing isolation due to shelter in place orders or quarantines.

This is especially true for churches and pastors who are used to having a literal platform to stand on with a nearby audience to preach to. All that changed in a moment when governors across the United States and authorities around the world issued edicts to shelter in place, outlawing gatherings of any kind. This was not an attack on religion or First Amendment rights, but an issue of public safety. Most churches readily complied, and within a few hours were devising new methods to communicate and continue to engage their faith community.

When it comes to making significant leadership decisions that involve extensive changes and effort, many pastors and church leaders historically take a “wait and see” approach. Change is hard and often painful, especially for groups of people known for their propensity to cling to traditions, ancient or modern. Motivation for real and substantive change requires a sense of urgency to help people move from where they are to where they need to be. The ultimate sense of urgency brought about by the Coronavirus Crisis and subsequent government officials’ lockdown orders in states and municipalities created an immediate sense of urgency.

Organizational change generally requires a systematic process that involves a coalition of people who can intelligently answer the “why?” and the “when?” questions that present the compelling reason for change in the first place. For many churches, debate is all that ever takes place, leading to procrastination and stagnation as the world changes around them, and leaves them arguing about insignificant relics of the past, like replacing the pews with chairs, or style of worship, or even service times. All that changed when pastors were forced by reasons of public safety to find a different way to do church. We simply could not do “business as usual” for the foreseeable future. 

So without wasting time debating the “why?” or the “when?,” churches sprinted in an effort to discover answers to the “what?” and “how?.” They quickly pivoted toward online delivery systems and other creative ways of doing and being the church. Pastors who had never dreamed of streaming their services on Facebook, or lacked the equipment and resources for doing livestreaming or preparing a video, discovered that someone in the congregation with a smartphone could effectively use that tool to accomplish the task. There are a multitude of ways to take church online, from the simple smartphone to a million-dollar state of the art audio/visual system with all the latest HD cameras, bells, and whistles. But at the end of the day, it all boils down to this:

How do you effectively pivot from communicating with a live audience to simply speaking into a faceless camera in an empty room?

If you listened closely, you could hear echoes of the past back to a time when churches were forced to go underground, literally or figuratively, because of a different kind of government edict. And if you took a moment to explore back even farther than the history of that echo, you would discover an unlikely source of inspiration for the connection and communication challenges of today in the writings of Aristotle (384-322 BC), a disciple of Plato. His thoughts on the art of persuasion, what we usually refer to as rhetoric, might shed some ancient light to illuminate and enhance how we communicate with a virtual online audience in today’s pandemic panicked world.

Aristotle’s Rules of Rhetoric have been taught to speakers, politicians, lawyers, and preachers for thousands of years. Using the Greek words of Logos (logic), Pathos (emotion), Ethos (ethics or trust), and Kairos (a moment in time), he proposed a logical way to persuade or win an argument. When we stand or sit to speak to our audience, we certainly don’t want to take on the tone of an argument. That is what politicians do. But we do want to be persuasive.

Also bear in mind that Aristotle’s use of those words does not necessarily align with the New Testament Greek use of the words. For example, pathos occurs three times in the NT, with the connotation of sinful desire (Rom. 1:26; Col. 3:5; 1 Thess. 4:5). But the word itself is the basis for English words like empathy and pathetic, which convey a feeling or emotion, good or bad. And the writer of Hebrews uses a similar word, sumpatheo. Hebrews 4:15 describes how Jesus was touched by “the feeling of our infirmities” (KJV), in contrast with Aristotle’s mythical Greek gods, whom he believed could never be compared with humans.

The simple concepts of logic, trust, emotions, and timing provide us with guidance as we communicate in this crisis, and plan our communication strategy. Virtually every communication and conversation, especially those being broadcast or livestreamed, should combine elements of rhetoric, and be recognized as Crucial Conversations, defined by the authors of the book by the same name, as “high stakes, high emotions, and diverse opinions.”[1]

Having been afforded the opportunity a few years ago to attend a two day Crucial Conversations training workshop, I learned the importance of their first rule, “Lead with the heart.” Thus, I place pathos as self-awareness and awareness of the emotions and feelings of others, as the first consideration of any crucial conversation.

Pastors can be themselves. They should lead with their hearts in the current crisis, but make calm decisions using their heads so that the resulting actions (hands) will produce positive outcomes. In simplistic terms, I am suggesting the below graphic model might help you as a template or matrix for what you say and how you say it. So, with appreciation to Aristotle, I’d propose that you consider these thoughts as a potential matrix or lens as you create online content:

Lead with the heart:  Pathos/Emotions (Heart)

  • Gospel = “Good News” that God is still in control!
  • Be pastoral – be a shepherd
  • Be warm and empathetic: “Jesus wept”
  • Smile & be vulnerable
  • Look into the camera
  • Visualize you are speaking to a large crowd, but focused on a single attentive young person who is looking to you for answers to their persistent questions
  • Consider the feelings of your audience, their pain, anxiety, fears, or grief
  • Recognize some may feel guilty because they are OK, still have their jobs, etc.
  • Don’t minimize their fears
  • Be kind
  • Model and propose generosity
  • Don’t add to their shame
  • Point them to the love of God
  • Tell uplifting stories from your own faith community and from elsewhere
  • How are we impacting our neighbors?

Be Biblical:  Logos/Logic (Head)

  • Speak truth in loving ways
  • Don’t claim to be an expert
  • Don’t try to answer every question
  • Direct them to a community group
  • Check your facts
  • Emphasize Christ’s Sufficiency and God’s attributes
  • Remain Gospel-focused
  • Point them to Jesus
  • Direct them to Scripture
  • Ask them to consider the “why” question of their life: “Why am I here on earth?”
  • Lead them to a decision: “What about you?” “How will you respond?” but don’t coerce
  • Application for today, show them the steps for helping themselves, then helping others
  • Keep the community and broader community in focus
  • Direct them to resources for further study

Speak with confidence:  Ethos/Ethics/Integrity (Hands)

  • Rely on the Holy Spirit
  • Be yourself
  • Practice your message in front of the mirror, record it on your phone video and playback or ask for someone in your home to watch at a safe distance (But don’t increase home tensions if you are in isolation together!)
  • Be positive
  • Be calm
  • Be encouraging
  • Focus on hope and faith
  • Cast vision, not stones
  • “This shall pass”
  • Leave them with something to believe in
  • Leave them with something to do
  • You may not be able to solve the world’s problems, but what is one thing you can do today?

Consider the timing:  Kairos/Timing (Horology = Clocks/Schedule)

  • Remember what is happening in their world
  • Keep it short & simple
  • Slow down
  • We are all mortal, but we all have this Kairos moment today
  • Destiny
  • Think “is this tweetable?”
  • Consider your team’s time, and express appreciation
  • Examples from history of people who made it through tough times
  • Remember both the “here and now” and the “then and there”
  • Encourage them to take time for spiritual disciplines and Sabbath
  • Stay connected
  • Pray

Feel free to share and add your own thoughts in the comments section. You can decide what is right, wrong, missing, or confusing about what I have written. But hopefully it will provide a lens for some of you to sharpen your communication strategy in these crucial days. How will you lead with your heart, head, and hands?

Remember, Jesus has placed you in this time of history for this purpose: to communicate His love and a certain future to an uncertain world. You have a destiny. You can do it. Jesus is enough. I am cheering you on.

Below is a graphic showing my rendition of Aristotle’s main components in the art of gaining favor with an audience and leading them toward engagement toward you and your message:

[1] Patterson, Kerry, eds. Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When Stakes Are High. New York : McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print, various pages.

Easter Colors our World with Hope

Good Friday comes and goes in pale shades of terror and grief. Hammers, nails, thorns, and swords carry out their sinister work as implements of death while hiding in the shadows. Tones of disappointment violently strike the canvas, exploding dreams of a bright future. Abandoned hope allows a gloomy palette of suffering, pain, and loss to cover the horizon with despair. The sun disappears as dusk covers the face of the earth at midday. All seems lost.

Betrayal, injustice, violence, and circumstances join forces. Their collusion or random intersection may dislodge our security and stability, leaving us adrift in a perplexing and volatile stew of emotions. Disappointment clouds our personal atmosphere as certainly as the darkness hid the light of day on that terrible afternoon of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Disappointment leads to discouragement. Discouragement leads to depression. Depression leads to despair. Despair leads to disillusionment. Disillusionment leads to disengagement. Disengagement leads to apathy, indifference, or hostility. These prevailing thoughts and emotions invite the broad brush of hopelessness to black out every window of our souls that might allow us to grasp a glimmer of the light of possibility.

After the terror and grief of Good Friday comes the dark solitary night of suffering souls. We search for answers, obscured by the dark blanket of gloom covering our imaginations. Our minds wrestle with a thousand thoughts and questions. “Why? Why me? What if? If only. . . .”

If. A word equally at home as a bridge toward faith or doubt. “If you eat the fruit of the tree,” said the father of all lies. “If you will only believe, all things are possible to those who believe,” said the Son of God. The choice of who we believe is up to us.

If left to our own devices, we may attempt to resolve the tension with a bottle or pill. Or we could allow shame and blame to condemn us to a futile and dark prison, held captive by bars of self-loathing or retribution. When survival becomes your goal, any means toward that end might appear to be a solution. Even if that solution only exacerbates the problem.

In stark contrast, Easter colors our world with hope. If we listen to Jesus, and believe in him, we will experience the hope to conquer disappointment. Hope of life after death. Hope of the resurrection. Hope of success. Hope to end despair. Hope to overcome every circumstance. Hope to invite light and dispel the dark night of the soul.

Hope changes the picture. It changes from black and white to technicolor. Black and white conveys an either/or mindset. Technicolor opens us up to a world of vibrant possibilities. Jesus does that to our hearts, our heads, and our hands. His resurrection made possible our resurrection. His promise of abundant life creates a stunning array of doors to be knocked upon, even while recognizing that our present circumstances may not be ideal.

In the end, faith, hope, and love prevail. Jesus conquers death and the grave. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He said, “I have come so you might have life, and that more abundantly.” This is reality. This is within our reach, but not while on our own, locked in our own prisons of despair. We need the forgiveness and future Jesus offers. Faith unlocks the door. Because Easter colors our world with hope.

© 2019 Don Detrick

Encouragement

He Will Feed His Flock

Do you need encouragement? This morning my friend Pastor Jerry Beebe posted: “The problem with pity parties is very few people come, and those who do don’t bring presents.” – Zig Ziglar

While he is famous for posting humorous jokes and puns, Jerry is also one of the best encouragers I know.  We don’t need another pity party, but from time to time, we all need encouragement. We all like to be encouraged. We all need to be encouraged. Courage is the root of encouragement.

The word courage comes from the Latin “cor,” meaning “heart.” In the book, “Encouraging The Heart,” the authors state, “To have courage means to have heart. Richard I, King of England from 1189 to 1199 was glorified for his courage. What did the troubadours call him? Richard the Lion-Hearted.” 

The prefix “en” means, “cause to be.” So to encourage someone is to cause them to have courage, to take heart. On the other hand, the prefix “dis” means, “to take away from.” If you are discouraged, you’ve lost courage or heart.

If you’ve ever been discouraged (and we all have), you know how it can rob you of your strength. Like the wolves Jesus talked about in John 10, discouragement is a professional thief, relieving you of more than just your strength. It sneaks up on you when you least expect it and steals your optimism, your faith, your vitality, your zeal, your joy, your peace, and your contentment. 

If discouragement takes up residence for long, its friends from the wolf pack will come for a visit. You are familiar with them: anxiety, fatigue, hopelessness, despair, self-pity, depression, doubt, and bitterness. Unless you resist, this pack of wolves will claim squatter’s rights and take up permanent residence. They will hold you captive in your own home and rob you of courage to persevere.

Discouragement brings dissatisfaction with the past, distaste for the present, and distrust of the future. It is displayed through ingratitude for the blessings of yesterday, indifference to the opportunities of today, and insecurity about tomorrow. It blinds us to the presence of God, the needs of our neighbors, and the promises of Scripture – like this one: “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The LORD your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT) 

Remember, the Lord is your shepherd. And the closer we are to the shepherd, the safer we are from the wolves, including the wolf of discouragement.

© 2018 Don Detrick

When Circumstances Eclipse Our View of God

 MAIN THOUGHT:  We should not allow the circumstances of life to obscure our view of God’s power and goodness.

The Old Astronomer, by the British poet Sarah Williams: “Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”

Monday, August 21, 2017 will mark an event that most of us will never again experience in our lifetime, a total eclipse of the sun – even though it will only be about a 90% eclipse in our viewing range. This has not occurred across such a large part of the USA in more than 100 years. And it will not happen again on our planet until 2020 in South America.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon is in the correct daytime position to completely block our view of the sun, leaving us in a shadow of darkness. Here’s the deal – the moon is not very big, in comparison to earth. In fact, the earth dwarfs the moon in size, as it would take more than 80 objects the size of our moon to fill the mass of planet earth. So compared to the size of our sun, the moon is tiny, almost like comparing the head of a pin to a mountain. Our sun is so large, that it could easily contain a million planets the size of earth.  Thus, it could contain 80 million objects the size of our moon.

Yet tomorrow morning around 9 a.m., our moon, that comparatively tiny object, will completely eclipse the light of the sun, an object 80 million times larger than itself. It will do so because of perspective. From where we stand, it will appear to be dark, but that is only because we will be in the shadow of the moon, and it will only last about 2.5 minutes at its longest duration in the USA.

Many stories exist in history of people panicking in terror when a solar eclipse suddenly brought darkness upon their part of the world. Ancient people thought that perhaps a dragon was eating the sun and they made loud noises to try and scare it away. Eclipse events became fodder for legends and myths sparking fear and panic about disaster and death.

One time in history when we know the exact date of a solar eclipse was May 28, 585 BC, when two Greek armies, the Medes and the Lydians, were fighting a battle. Suddenly a complete solar eclipse turned day into night, and the stars appeared. The armies immediately stopped fighting, and taking it as a sign that the gods wanted them to lay down their arms, they declared a truce. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone took the eclipse tomorrow as a sign that we should stop fighting each other on planet earth, and we did?

What we will all experience tomorrow is a metaphor for what often happens in life, when circumstances suddenly remove the light, causing us to lose vision and clarity that robs us of courage and plunges us into a pit of darkness and fear. How do we respond when the lights go out and shadows eclipse our vision of God and rob us of hope?

2 Kings 6:8-23 tells a story about the prophet Elisha and a time when circumstances seemed to block the vision of God’s providence and protection.

8  Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.”
9 The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.”
10 So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
11 This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
12 “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
13 “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.”
14 Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.
16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18 As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
19 Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.
20 After they entered the city, Elisha said, “LORD, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?”
22 “Do not kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.”
6:23 So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.

What do we learn from this story?

  1. God knows the plans of the enemy and regardless, He can provide for us and protect us.
  2. We do not always see everything – the eyes of faith are required to see how God is working on our behalf behind the scenes.
  3. When we have opportunity, we should show mercy to those who mean to harm us.
  4. When we choose to believe, God can change our circumstances.

Never doubt in the darkness what God has told you in the light. Even if your circumstances seem to eclipse your vision of God’s provision or protection, keep believing in the light and choosing the path of light until you break free of the darkness. God has a bigger plan to thwart the works of darkness to accomplish His will and purposes. So don’t allow unbelief or circumstances to eclipse your vision of God.

Darkness is always temporary. The solar eclipse will result in less than 3 minutes of total darkness. Remember, He is working through your dark circumstances and the light is still shining somewhere, ready to burst through the shadows into a bright future.

Dealing With Life’s Most Persistent Question: Part 12 – The Top 10 Most Persistent Questions

Mt St Helens 7-9-11 PSYou don’t know what you don’t know. And you will never know exactly how another person feels or the depth of their personal suffering. I’ve spent almost 40 years of my life as a pastor and counselor. During those years I’ve empathetically listened as people have poured out their hearts and told me their stories. Some are horrific, catastrophic, or tragic beyond belief. All are filled with emotions from violent anger to shocked bewilderment. While the people and stories are all unique, the questions articulated remain very similar and all are a variation of what I’ve been calling life’s most persistent question, “Why?”

“God wants to build character in our lives,” I once mused to a young father with three children who was mourning the loss of his wife from cancer.

“I don’t need any more character,” he shouted at me. “I need my wife back!”

Ouch! His explosion reminded me of the then-recent eruption of Mt. St. Helens (pictured above almost 35 years after the explosion).  I was a young pastor and just trying to make sense myself out of his tragic circumstances. Parroting what I truly believed, but without any comprehension of his own incredible grief, my words, that were intended to soothe and answer, simply applied salt to his wounded heart. I’ve learned a few things about suffering myself since then and would never make such a statement under similar circumstances today.

Based upon many such encounters with grieving souls, I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 most persistent questions. Much has been written about them, and I seriously doubt what I might say will shed any additional light on the topic. But by their very nature, they persistently remain the questions that cross generational, societal, and geographical boundaries. They are universal questions, asked by all people in all places at all times. And in one way or another, they are also questions considered by the ancients and recorded in the pages of the Bible.

While there are personalized versions of every one of these, the general questions are universal.  And when asked in a real-life situation, every one of them are typically accompanied by a pretext. For example, “If God is all powerful, why doesn’t God prevent tragedy?” or “God answers prayers for other people, why doesn’t God answer my prayers? Here are my top 10:

10.   Why would a loving God send someone to hell?

9.     Why doesn’t God prevent corrupt leaders from coming into power?

8.     Why doesn’t God put an end to all suffering?

7.    Why does God allow innocent children to be victimized and harmed?

6.    Why doesn’t God heal everyone who asks?

5.    Why doesn’t God prevent tragedy?

4.    Why does God allow evil?

3.    Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?

2.    Why do evil people prosper?

1.    Why do the righteous suffer?

Before you quickly attempt to provide pat answers to these questions, consider the fact that these questions are consistently universal and ubiquitous—they appear everywhere at all times. If our philosophical and theological answers were adequate to explain the human condition on a level beyond the intellect, wouldn’t people stop asking them, and have stopped doing so years ago?

And please remember that they are posed in the midst of great turmoil of soul and spirit, typically generated by circumstances that have destroyed the fabric of human decency and order. They are not questions that inquire or call for a philosophical or even theological dialogue, although that sometimes occurs and may be profitable. No, these questions are more like a rhetorical shotgun blast, an interrogation generated by an internal explosion of angst and turmoil of the soul—triggered by external circumstances beyond our control.

These are questions that at the same time demand an answer, while not really expecting any single answer to sufficiently explain the catastrophe of a broken life and heart. So, how do we respond? How should we respond? And what do you think about the questions themselves? Are there other questions you would add to the top 10? I’d love to hear what you think, and I’ll share my thoughts in a later post. I will tell you this, Mt. St. Helens is proof that time may bring beauty out of the most explosive of circumstances. It takes time, but time alone does not heal all wounds. Ultimately, only Jesus does that.

Dealing With Life’s Most Persistent Question: Part 10

Highway to sunset Farm Road Springfield MO 5-2-15On the road to Emmaus, Jesus took the time to offer an explanation to his two questioning friends who were searching for an explanation, for a reason behind all the events they had experienced. He understood the sorrow and disappointment they felt, the loss that had blinded their eyes with tears and dampened their hearts with grief.

“Jesus quoted passages from the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining what all the Scriptures said about himself” (Luke 24:27, nlt).

Jesus is a gentleman. He patiently listened and explained. They had an engaging conversation. As they walked, they approached their destination. He did not invite himself in for dinner. He will not force himself on anyone. He will respond to an invitation, though. He waits patiently for each of us to invite him into our heart. He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” (Revelation 3:20, nkjv).

Cleopas and his friend invited Jesus in and he joined them for a meal. Jesus wants fellowship with us. He wasn’t angry with them. He loved them and was concerned for them. As Jesus blessed the dinner bread, they suddenly understood. Their eyes were opened and they immediately knew who he was.

Along with that revelation came something unexpected. God is always doing things we don’t expect. He vanished out of their sight. But even though they couldn’t see him with their physical sight, their spiritual eyes were opened. That is what happens when we journey with Jesus; we walk by faith, not by sight.

An encounter with Jesus changes everything. They had seen the Lord and their emotions went from confused sadness to elated gladness. Excitedly, they told each other how their hearts had felt strangely warm as he explained the Scriptures to them as they walked down the road.

When we can’t clearly see the road ahead because our vision is blocked by tears or by the tangled web of weedy circumstances, we must focus on Jesus. Once we see him, he gives us vision for the road ahead and shows us the way. He can turn our “Why?” into “Why not!”

I don’t know which lonely Emmaus Road you may be traveling. But I am sure that Jesus is with you, even if you don’t see him or recognize his presence. And when Jesus accompanies us on the road less traveled, it makes all the difference.

 

Dealing With Life’s Most Persistent Question – Part 3

Eagle soaring closeup Skagit County 3-26-15“Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”       -Isaiah 40:31

Wait. How we hate to wait! The word may spark anxiety in your heart, but the grieving process takes time. And that flies in the face of our “why wait?” culture and personal orientation when it comes to relief from pressure, anxiety, or desire of any kind.

Whenever you suffer a significant loss, you grieve. And the loss may seem insignificant to others or inconsequential in the big scheme of things. But if it was a big deal to you, if it made your heart feel pain, if it left you anxious and afraid, then you are facing grief. And working through the stages of grief takes time. You will get better. I know, you’ve heard it before. But you will get better. YOU WILL GET BETTER!

Denial. Anger. Bargaining.  Depression. Acceptance. How this process of grief plays out, and the length of each stage differs from person to person. It takes time–you just don’t know how much time. But you will get better. YOU WILL GET BETTER!

If you have read this far, you might think I am over-simplifying things, and if you are grieving your mind may have already circled back to the “Why?” question again. Well, you’ve come this far.  Why stop now? There, I did it–found another use for that most persistent question. And how about another?  Why not? Why not, indeed?

Why not learn from a fellow traveler on the road of suffering who had his share of disappointment–both giving it and receiving it. His name was Peter – and yes he is the one who cursed and denied that he had ever heard of Jesus (after promising that he would never do such a thing) at the moment Jesus needed him the most. Ouch!  Like I said, he understood disappointment. The Bible tells us that following that stellar performance, Peter went out and “wept bitterly.” This was such a big deal that both Matthew and Luke reported his bitter tears in their Gospels (Matthew 26:75; Luke 22:62).

When Peter speaks about suffering and disappointment, perhaps we should listen. Many years past that painful event, Peter, who had been transformed by Pentecost and the working of the Spirit in his life over time, shares some advice for fellow pilgrims who wonder, “Why me?”

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.  If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.  (1 Peter 4:12-19 NIV)

So did you catch what Peter said? I understand that he was writing to first century Christians who may have been facing persecution and even martyrdom for their faith–unlike anything most westerners are likely to face today. However his words provide meaning to all people in all places for all time.

  • Don’t be surprised by suffering.
  • Rejoice in your relationship with Christ.
  • Don’t think you are suffering for Christ if you are just being a jerk.
  • You may be suffering, “according to God’s will” despite those who theorize that God always wants you to be happy.
  • Commit yourself to our Faithful God.
  • Continue to do good.

This begs the question, “Why is it so difficult to apply this to my life?” Let’s begin with baby steps:

  1. What surprises you about your situation? The word “incredulity” means, “I can’t believe this happened to me!” What would it take for you to get over your shock that it did happen?
  2. What blessing can you discover to rejoice about today?
  3. What can you do to commit your ways to God? I like to pray and personalize these verses from Psalm 37:3-5 “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this.” (NIV)
  4. What is one good thing that you can do right now as a next step toward “continuing to do good”? Go for it. You can do this!

And always remember:  When you think you won’t, YOU WILL GET BETTER! Have a great weekend. After all, why not? More about life’s persistent question and another relevant story about Peter next week.

On the Verge: Finding Your Tipping Point – Part 3 “Perspective”

Clock magnifying glass Face value. That has to do with perspective. At first glance, all we see is what is visible at the moment, and from that particular point of view. We may assume or make a value judgment from that perspective, concluding that what we just observed tells the whole story—all there is to it. That can be a big mistake. In fact it can be a blind spot to us, because if we took the time to discover a different point of view, it might make all the difference.

I have more than a hundred old clocks, all more than a century old, and of all shapes and sizes. All have mechanical movements of some kind. Some are weight driven, some are spring driven. Some use a pendulum, and some use a balance wheel to maintain momentum. The mechanics are different in each, but the dynamic part is similar – they keep the clockworks moving.

What is the purpose in all this mumbo jumbo about clocks?  Regardless of how they operate, all clocks have the same major purpose:  to tell the accurate time of day. When you look at the face of the clock, you expect to see the correct time. Clocks line the tops of the bookshelves in my office. I seldom keep them all running—they are just for decoration and display. So they all register a different time of day. I often tell people when they look at the clocks and ask which clocksone is telling the correct time, “They are all correct, twice a day!”

To go beyond the face value, you have to take a second glance. Beyond the face, there may reside a complex system of machinery. This is true not only for clocks, but for people, and organizations, and families, and neighbors, and even cultures. To rightly understand anything requires closer examination beyond a casual glance and quick summation.

When a clock stops keeping accurate time, the problem seldom lies within the face. Something deeper is causing the problem, and requires more careful inspection. It may be something as difficult to detect as a speck of dust in the wrong place or as obvious as a broken spring. It may be the result of an overzealous owner drowning the works with a well-intentioned baptism of WD-40 that has gummed up the works. Whatever the cause, the clock is stopped and as Newton reminds us, an object at rest tends to stay at rest. Until some outside force repairs the problem, the clock will not start ticking again on its own.

What is keeping you from getting off the verge and moving ahead? Have you just accepted at face value your own analysis? Self-examination is generally a good thing, as is self-awareness. But self-diagnosis is often a tricky business, and may lead to disastrous conclusions. Some things are better done with assistance to help us see ourselves as others do, and examine our blind spots. While you might attempt to brush your hair without a mirror, shaving without one could result in some nasty nicks on your face. It may be time to get a second opinion, to let someone else take a closer look.

Whether you choose collaboration, consultation, counseling or coaching, soliciting another opinion can help you gain perspective, and get you off the verge. How difficult is it to admit and say, “I am stuck”? What is keeping you from doing so? Whatever it is, your answer to the previous question may be the one thing keeping you from moving forward or the catalyst for your healing.

James instructs us, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16 NLT) If confession of sin is a key to healing, perhaps confession of our other failures or frustrations may do the same by providing a different point of view as we open up and become vulnerable to another person. Their perspective could be just the thing to get you off the verge and start ticking away into your preferred future.

Abraham Lincoln: Humble and Meek

Abraham Lincoln Statue
Abraham Lincoln Statue

Today we celebrate the 206th birthday of my favorite president, Abraham Lincoln. Born in a humble Kentucky log cabin, humility characterized the life of the tall, lanky, awkward-looking man. Yet perhaps meekness, often defined as “strength under control,” is a better word to describe his character. He leveraged his strength as a wrestler and a fighter by channeling those energies into educating himself and becoming a successful attorney. Legal battles turned to political battles and as President he had to battle the personal demons of self-doubt and clouds of depression, while being demonized by a hostile press and political enemies who loathed the backwoods country lawyer.

He led our nation during its greatest crisis to overcome our greatest national shame. Though a fighter, he led in his characteristic humble and meek style, enlisting his political adversaries into a “team of rivals” to win them over and help save the Union. Rather than taking a swing at those who opposed him or his ideas, he resolved to stand firm in his convictions, while listening to and engaging his opponents in dialogue. He once said, “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” While standing firm, his self-effacing humor and ability to spin a yarn broke down defenses and built bridges.

One of my favorite Lincoln quotes is from the final paragraph of his Second Inaugural Address, delivered a few days before his tragic assassination: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

We can only imagine how much faster the process of healing our nation and reconstruction of The South might have taken place had Lincoln been able to serve out his second term of office. Perhaps we might have been spared some of the long and agonizing delays in the process of racial reconciliation and civil rights that continues in our nation and around the world to this very day.

But one thing is certain. Lincoln left his mark and made a difference in this world that is still recognized and appreciated today. His legacy is felt by all who work toward achieving and cherishing, “a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

Echoes of Lincoln’s hundred and fifty year old words are heard whenever a voice is raised to oppose injustice, whenever the chains are released from a soul rescued from human trafficking, whenever the lever is raised on a water pump to improve the health of a community, whenever a door of opportunity opens for a child born in poverty, and wherever freedom reigns so people have the right to lift their voice in praise to their Creator.  Quite an accomplishment for such a meek and humble man!