Welcome to the web home of Christian author, Dave Burchett
Welcome to my website! Regular readers of the humble ramblings know that there has been some debate about the name of this site. I had tentatively changed the title to "Confessions of a Saint Who Sometimes Sins". I opened it up to the tens of readers to decide if the new name should stick. The consensus was to go with the golden oldie.
Grace and peace to you, Dave
Email: dave@daveburchett.com
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Winnie the Pooh character Tigger often departed by saying “TTFN” (Ta-Ta For Now). Today is a NTTW (No Time To Write) day for me. So I have gone back to the dusty electronic archives and pulled up a well received article full of grace and truth. Okay, to be honest it was published earlier and it is full of something. I hope to swing by the insight market and whip a fresh blog for next week.
Blessings, Dave
One of my favorite ancient characters is Diogenes of Sinope. Born in Turkey about 400 years before Christ, he was a student of Antisthenes (444-370 BC), who was himself a pupil of Socrates. His philosophy was "marked by an ostentatious contempt for ease, wealth, and the enjoyments of life." Diogenes would have had a field day skewering the consumerism and materialism in modern day America. One of the things that I love about Diogenes is his moniker. The irascible philosopher was known as Diogenes the Cynic. What a great name! How cool would that be to have a title like that? It certainly is better than Diogenes of Sinope. I would gladly swap Dave of Garland for Dave the Self-Deprecating as my appellation any day.
One story relates that while Diogenes was sunning himself, the powerful and feared Alexander the Great came up to him and offered to grant him any request. "Stand out of my light," he replied. For a man who lived in a tub that was probably all he needed at that point in time.
When asked what wine he found most pleasant to drink, Diogenes replied, "That for which other people pay." (So I actually do think like some of the great philosophers at times). But the name Diogenes is most known to the general populace as the man who would stroll through the Agora at full daylight with a torch (or, as legend sometimes has it, a lantern). When asked about it, he would answer, "I am just looking for an honest man".
While I part company on much of Diogenes philosophy his search for an honest man resonates with me. This will likely sound harsher than intended but sometimes I feel like taking up the lantern and going out in search of one authentic Christian. Please hold the emails about how negative and judgmental I am. I know they are out there. But what breaks my heart is how many people are not living an authentic and transparent life as followers of Jesus. That is what those outside of the body of Christ see far too often. Is that a smokescreen to avoid the question of who Jesus really is? Of course it can be. But I do not want on my ledger that I was a person that someone looked at to evaluate the Christian faith and they saw nothing. Or at least not enough to find it compelling.
That is why I would choose Dave the Self-Deprecating as my title. I am not using the definition of self-deprecating that means to undervalue one’s abilities. That would be a false humility. I am talking about being able to see and admit your shortcomings. Simply being honest and real.
I began my book When Bad Christians Happen to Good People with this disclaimer.
I am a hypocrite. I can be arrogant and selfish. I have been known to stretch, conceal, or slightly massage the truth. I am sometimes inconsiderate and insecure. I struggle with lust and impure thoughts. My ego often rages out of control, and I battle foolish pride. I can be lazy and foolhardy with my time. I get angry, petty, and ill-tempered. I am sarcastic and cynical.
I am a Christian.
That is real. I am a sinner saved by grace. The parts of Diongene’s philosophies that apply to me are summed up in these points.
- Living by personal example
- Exposing the falsehood of conventional thinking
- Exposing vice and conceit
That would be a decent road map for a follower of Jesus.
- Walk what you talk
- Share the hope that is in Jesus, not in this world
- Hold one another accountable in our walk
If Diogenes were walking around Garland with his lantern looking for one authentic Christian and ran into me…would he put his lamp down? Would his quest be complete if he encountered you?
A song by Brandon Heath resonates with me. The song is called “I’m Not Who I Was” and that describes any person who has decided to put their trust in Jesus Christ. It certainly describes me. I am not who I was forty years ago or twenty years ago or even one year ago. This journey with Jesus cannot be status quo. You are either going forward or backward. Most of us have done both at various times during the journey. I have made a lot of mistakes over the thirty-nine years of my fumbling, bumbling, stumbling walk with Jesus. So the lyrics by Brandon Heath echo my own experience.
I wish you could see me now
I wish I could show you how
I'm not who I was
I used to be mad at you
A little on the hurt side too
But I'm not who I was
I found my way around
To forgiving you
Some time ago
But I never got to tell you so
Heath’s song illustrates Paul’s familiar text about becoming a new creature in Jesus Christ. Those verses takes on a fresh new perspective in this translation from The Message.
Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you. (I Cor 5)
We do get a fresh start and the slate is clean before God. But we have a hard time accepting that amazing grace. We have a hard time applying that to our lives and perhaps a harder time applying that to others. We tend to look at snapshots of a person’s life and form judgments based on those few images. But the progress of Christ in a person’s life is revealed in the total album of their journey. You could have taken some snapshots of my life during spiritual deserts that would have led you to believe that I was not a very good Christian and maybe not a believer at all. I am grateful that God does not give up on His children who wander.
Samuel Johnson wrote that "God does not propose to judge a man until his life is over. Why should you and I?" That is a great question. But we too often do exactly that. We desire grace but don’t grant it. Too often we dwell on the weakness and not the gifts that God has given others. Or we acknowledge the gifts but make sure to note the weaknesses. All of us are a mix of gifts and flaws. And over the years God patiently knocks off the rough edges as He molds us more and more in His image.
I have referenced the book TrueFaced as an incredible volume of practical theology.
Buy it. Borrow it. Get your library to stock it. But please read this book. The authors have a great approach to teaching who we are in Christ and helping me (and you) really understand that I am not who I was. Here are some nuggets from that book.
God is not interested in changing the Christian.
My heresy alarm sounded prematurely when I first heard this comment from the TrueFaced guys. But listen to the rest of the story.
God is not interested in changing the Christian. He has already changed us when we believed in Jesus for salvation. At that point our spiritual DNA was rewritten and we became a new person in Christ. God wants us to believe that He has already changed us so that He can get on with the process of maturing us.
Grace changes our life focus from struggling with sin issues to trusting who God says I already am. I am a saint who occasionally sins, not a sinner who is striving to become a saint. If we focus on struggling with sin issues, we will never experience trusting who God says I am. If we focus on the trusting who God says I am, we will experience unparalleled transformation regarding our sin issues. Grace lets God handle sin. Moral striving to become godly only keeps us enslaved to sin. Shifting to trusting God helps us take ourselves less seriously while taking our sin far more seriously.
Powerful stuff. I am experiencing unparalleled transformation as I am finally comprehending who I am in Christ and what it means to put my full weight on that truth.
I am walking this road with dozens of people who could say with confidence that they are not who they were. But the problem is that sometimes they are not who we want them to be. The question I have to answer is do I give them the grace to trust that God is getting on with the maturing process? God accepted me when I was unacceptable. God is maturing me after decades of being on a spiritual treadmill…running like crazy and getting nowhere. Lord help me to have the grace to accept others even when their behavior may make that task difficult. We have a hard time with that, don’t we? We keep score and are quick to point out failure to justify our lack of acceptance. Paul addressed such behavior to the Ephesians.
But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil….
And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Eph 4 NLT
And yes, I know that I may get burned by that approach. But if I am to err I pray that I will err on the side of grace. Don’t give up hope. We need to give others (and maybe ourselves) the grace to believe that maybe, just maybe, a whole lot of us are not who we used to be.
Much has been made recently about the Evangelical Manifesto. First of all, I really dislike the word manifesto. Perhaps because I immediately think of the Communist Manifesto when I hear the word. The Evangelical Manifesto seeks to clarify the definition and beliefs of evangelicals. There is much in the document that I welcome and endorse. I don’t agree with everything in the document. But I am pretty sure that no one agrees with everything I say. Including me.
One central idea makes me shout AMEN loudly. That idea is that Evangelicals should be defined theologically and not politically, culturally or socially. Since I am not smart enough to produce a document as eloquent as the Evangelical Manifesto I have decided to issue my own smaller brain version.
Without any adieu I present “The Bad Christian Mini-festo”.
- I am a follower of Jesus.
- I believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe the Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God. I believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, His sinless life, and miracles. I believe in His atoning death, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. I believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
Let me tell you what this particular evangelical Christian does not believe...
- I do not believe you have to be a Republican to be a Christian. Like it or not, heaven will be bipartisan and I am totally fine that there will not be sides of the golden aisles.
- I do not believe that God is "judging" America for any particular sin. But if He is judging this country I would suspect it is for the massive squandering of wealth and resources that America has been blessed with while giving back an average of less than three percent.
- I do not believe in ranking sins for their offensiveness to me. Some things are more offensive to us but all sin is equally intolerable to a Holy God.
- I do not believe that censorship, boycotts, or politics will redeem this culture...only a spiritual renewal can accomplish such redemption.
- I do not believe that it is my place to relish or desire eternal punishment for others. I am willing to leave that to a righteous and just God who sees the real heart and motives for each one of us and Who will judge justly.
- I do not believe that I should follow a spokesperson that represents all Evangelicals. I engage Scripture, my conscious, research, debate and prayer into my decisions as a Christian and as a citizen of this country.
Here is my complete agenda.
- To try and see everyone through the eyes of Jesus because my eyes are prejudiced and prideful.
- To try and love them like Jesus because my love is selfish apart from Him.
- To let them others know that my relationship with Jesus has changed my life, given my life purpose, given me strength to endure tragedy and real hope for the future.
- To authentically relate how this personal relationship with the living God saved my marriage and made me a better father to my sons.
- To be gentle in relating the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to people in every situation and mired in any sin. My goal is to introduce them to Jesus and let them work out their salvation in fear and trembling.
- To exhibit grace and forgiveness to those who oppose me.
- To love my wife and family sacrificially and well.
- To be an example of the living Christ to everyone I come in contact so that I can be salt and light to my little circle of influence.
- To be a advocate for those wounded by the church and other Christians. Our lack of unity must grieve the Lord who prayed for unity of the body during His final agonizing hours before His betrayal, mock trial and crucifixion.
- To try to never be surprised or repulsed by the actions of those who do not have a relationship with Jesus. The Lord Himself was always gentle with sinners and always tough on religious hypocrites. We have reversed his example far too often. We are too tough on sinners and too gentle with the hypocrites.
- To try and give generously of my time and treasure to those who have not been as materially blessed in my neighborhood, my country and around the world.
- To let people know that I love Jesus and I am not at all ashamed of that fact.
I believe that Jesus gave me a very simple game plan.
- “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[e] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22, NLT)
- “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” (Matthew 28, NLT)
And finally, I believe the truth of this promise that Jesus made.
“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
That’s it. I care about the environment and politics and issues but I am passionate about Christ. He is where I have found hope and change.
Last year I wrote an article about a “reality” TV show that was so far from reality that it couldn’t see it with the Hubble telescope. The show is called The Girls Next Door and it sleazes up the E! Network on a regular basis. The premise is to look inside life at the Playboy mansion. Another sign of the apocalypse is that this is the fourth season of this show.
Three gorgeous young women vie for the affection of octogenarian Hugh Hefner while they all live under the same roof. Now that is reality! Hefner rates the girls and appoints one of the girls as “number one” like some weird parody of Dr.Evil. In fact, the Mike Myers character Dr.Evil makes this appropriate comment in the movie.
“There's nothing as pathetic as an aging hipster.”
Last year The New York Post reported that the show might have a ratings gimmick planned. They hinted that Hefner might just marry “Number One”. Here is an excerpt from that Post story.
"This is very secret, but the word is 'yes,' " one insider told Page Six. "Hef has decided he will marry Holly, and he wants it for his show, 'The Girls Next Door.' Hef thinks business all the time, and looks for a new hook, although he also does really love Holly."
Hmmm….he thinks business all the time and is looking for a new hook. The afterthought that Hefner “really does love Holly” must certainly have made Number One feel really special and valued. Hefner reportedly wanted to delay the marriage because monogamy would “kill the show”. Another reason for Number One to be wildly optimistic. So I was not a bit surprised when this followup to this ridiculous story appeared today.
The Dallas Morning News reported that since she first laid eyes on the Playboy mogul in 2001, Hugh Hefner's "lead" girlfriend, Holly Madison, has made it no secret that she wants to get hitched to the geezer. (Perhaps the first stop should be getting a thorough vision check)
But it seems she's starting to give up on her dream. "We are no closer to getting married than we were years ago," she said at last week's "Playmate of the Year" luncheon in Los Angeles. "It's like a car stalled at the side of the road." (So many lines…) She looked away as he added, "I love Holly very much and I think we're going to be together the rest of my life. But marriage isn't part of my puzzle." (Anyone shocked by this besides Number One?)
Madison was quoted during season one about the odd arrangement she had agreed to live with at the mansion.
She said she "couldn't believe" that she's sharing her boyfriend with the other two busty blondes. But, she noted, "you do funny things when you're in love."
I would suggest you do funny things when you are infatuated by money and fame and material comforts. You do loving, sacrificial things when you are in love. You sacrifice for your wife and children. You place your mate first. You love her just as much when her body reflects the effects of child bearing and age. You take seriously the words of Paul when he admonishes followers of Jesus to love their wives.
Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. (Ephesians 5 – The Message)
Hugh Hefner is living the fantasy of many young men. I used to be one of them. But I do not envy him one bit. Because he will never understand what I have been blessed to experience. A wife who has loved me when I was unlovable. A wife who doesn’t care if I am rich or famous or powerful because that is not what she bases her love on. A relationship that has weathered storms together and emerged stronger. Joni’s strength and dignity during her cancer journey took my respect for her to a new level.
She is number one. There are no other contenders. And there never will be.
This will be the second Mother’s Day since my Mom died. This is a piece that I wrote right after her death. It is a story of incredible grace and redemption. I pray that it will encourage some of you.
Blessings, Dave
There is the sadness of loss that is tempered with the joy of seeing her relationship with the Lord Jesus in her final months. The last year of my Mom's life caused me to think of Al Michael's famous question from the 1980 Olympics. "Do you believe in miracles?"
I do believe in miracles. I have seen one.
I loved my Mom but our relationship was challenging. She was raised in a family where love was not expressed. She could be very negative and her comments had stung me over the years. I knew that she loved me fiercely but I will admit that I grieved for a more gracious expression of her love. My Mom could be really difficult.
As her health declined I prayed that her relationship with God would be clear to her and to her family. The summer before she died I journeyed to Ohio to visit her. A group of Christian friends in Texas told me they would pray that I could discuss salvation with my Mom. I thanked them for their concern but in my heart I felt they were naive. They did not know my Mom.
Fast forward a few days as I am sitting with my Mom. The conversation is mundane. Out of nowhere she dropped this bombshell.
"How can you be sure that you are going to heaven?"
You could have knocked me over with a feather and I immediately thought of those saints in Texas praying for exactly this moment. And I felt a bit of shame because I was the naive one who doubted the power of prayer. I shared the gospel with my Mom. She assured me that she had trusted Christ as her Savior. The next question was nearly as surprising.
"What if you trusted Christ but haven't lived it?"
Wow. What do you say to that? I chose to tell her the truth. That she was a child of God but she had forfeited a lot of joy by not walking more faithfully with Him. She had likely missed chances to serve and probably many blessings the Lord had desired her to experience. Still, there was a nagging question in my mind that I lacked the courage to address. I knew there were people who had hurt my Mom deeply and she showed no signs of forgiveness. I was fairly certain she would take that bitter anger to her grave.
But Mom took those comments about living for Jesus to heart. She chose to try to live for Him with the rest of her days. She told my niece that she had prayed more in the last year than she had in her whole life. She regularly asked me to pray for her and told me she was praying for me and especially for Joni as my bride battled breast cancer.
My Mom began to regularly tell me she loved me. That was something you didn't say in her family. You were just supposed to know it. A few weeks before she died she told me that she was sorry if she had hurt me with her words or actions. That was the first time I had heard those words from my Mom in 53 years. It was a powerful moment of grace and reconciliation between us. When I saw her last week she kissed me and said, "you don't know how much you mean to me." But she was wrong. I finally did.
But the real miracle happened in her last days. My niece asked Mom about a woman she had felt so much bitterness and hatred toward. When I was told about her response the words sent chills through me.
"Oh honey. That was in the past. I have forgiven her."
What irony that I have been writing about forgiveness for so long and my Mom gave me a miracle of forgiveness as her final gift. Forgiveness can happen. It is never too late. For those who think they cannot forgive I will tell you that with God it is possible. I have witnessed a miracle to start the New Year. I am saddened that my Mom is gone but I am rejoicing in her victory. She was able to lay her burdens at the foot of the Cross and pass unencumbered into the presence of the Lord. I praise God that I have not lost my Mom. Nope. Now I know exactly where she is.
I am a big football fan. I often hear announcers describe a defense that gives up yardage but not points as a team that bends but doesn’t break. I think that is often an apt metaphor for our walk with Jesus. In the current season of my journey I have been sharing life with a lot of friends, family and readers who are dealing with a difficult and bumpy road. So I decided to revisit an earlier blog on the topic and add some recently gained insight.
During my occasional iPod devotional series I wrote about a song called Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. Earlier I had written a very personal blog featuring a song by Rascal Flatts called Skin. Bless the Broken Road also became a hit for the group Selah. Here are some of the lyrics.
I set out on a narrow way, many years ago
Hoping I would find true love, along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two, wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign, pointed straight to you
It is so interesting to look back over the landscape of three decades plus of my journey with Jesus. I can see God’s hand in so many events and even heartbreaks in my life. My early church experience was a broken road of legalistic and judgmental Christians who crushed the spirit of a young and fumbling Christian. That experience became the basis of my books. I have found many friends who have shared my journey. C.S. Lewis once said that “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What! You too? I thought I was the only one!" Sadly, many of us bear the wounds of dealing with imperfect people in the dysfunctional little gathering we call church. Still, God has blessed that broken road in my life.
The broken road for me included the devastating death of a beloved nephew thirty-three years ago. At that point I was a crossroads in my faith. Turn my back on God or get serious in my pursuit of Him. Along the broken road God brought a man named Wendel Deyo into my life (Wendel now heads up a retreat center in Southern Ohio) . His life challenged me and he helped me stay on the narrow way. That relationship led to my association with Athletes in Action. And while on staff with AIA I met the lovely future Mrs.Burchett. And again, God blessed the broken road.
Every long lost dream, led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way, into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
Yes He did
It is hard to imagine life without Joni. Her cancer has forced me to realize the possibility of that. I am grateful that she is doing really well but I pray I will never again take her for granted. Each day is a precious gift and God has blessed the broken road by deepening our relationship and love.
I think about the years I spent, just passin' through
I'd like to have the time I lost, and give it back to you
I remember with great sadness the years I spent working too much, taking my bride for granted, telling her that the schedule would soon “ease up”. But it rarely did. I really wish I had that time back. I would give it to her in a heartbeat. If I could say one thing to young couples and parents it would be to make time for your mate and your children. It took me too long to realize the hard truth that our schedule reflects our priorities. But somehow Joni hung with me. She had traveled her own broken road and found that God was faithful.
But you just smile and take my hand, you've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan, that is comin' true
Every long lost dream, led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way, into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
The journey is not easy. Never will be. One of the big mistakes we make as followers of Jesus (in my humble opinion) is making it seem like all troubles are over when you embrace Christianity. That is not in the contract. We will still have problems and heartaches and even tragedies. The guys at TrueFaced continue to challenge, inspire and change me with their insight into God’s word and this path of trusting God. They define the abundant life better than I could even hope to explain it. Here is the definition of abundant life from the TrueFaced Romans CD series.
The abundant life is comparing God's character, faithfulness and ability with my particular circumstances and believing that God's character trumps my circumstance.
Through the death of a nephew, daughter, both parents, an armed invasion robbery and the life-threatening illness to my spouse I have found that statement to be absolutely true. His character, faithfulness and love always trump my circumstance. I especially see that with the benefit of hindsight. God will bless the broken road. King David wrote these words while escaping down a broken road…
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
C.S. Lewis also said that no one ever told him that grief felt so much like fear. Don’t be afraid to continue down the broken road. God will meet you there and together you will make it to the end.
Disclaimer to Internet hall monitors: This article is not meant to throw Al Gore under the bus. That would be an inappropriate use of carbon resources to fire up a nasty fume spitting fossil fuel wastin’ bus just to make a point. The point of this piece is to examine one aspect of the story from a spiritual viewpoint.
First, some background is in order. Al Gore has made an amazing personal comeback with his global warming documentary. I will not debate the claims of his film here. Instead I want to focus on a very inconvenient truth that all of us battle. We are natural born hypocrites. All of us. Gore outlined a list of sacrifices that we could all make to help the environment. Use a clothesline instead of the dryer. Drive a hybrid. Cut back on the thermostat and home energy consumption.
But Al Gore’s personal lifestyle severely damaged his message. (Hint to Christian readers…this is fore-shadowing) The Chattanoogan newspaper reports that Gore’s mansion, located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES). In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh — more than 20 times the national average. In the month of August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh — guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year.
Bear with me, I am getting to the spiritual application. So how does Gore justify this apparent case of talk not matching walk? Mr.Gore purchases “carbon offsets” to make his consumption “carbon neutral”. By paying to plant trees or contributing to solar or wind powered energy it “offsets” the personal excessive usage.
Hmmm.
"Every family has a different carbon footprint," said Kalee Krider, a spokeswoman for Gore. The official footprint of Al and Tipper is Sasquatch. The logic is interesting. Perhaps if I invest in companies that use sweat shop labor I can “offset” that by giving money to orphans and the underprivileged.
The spiritual application is real and sobering. A messenger without commitment to the message loses effectiveness. Christians produce our own version of “carbon offsets”. We talk about the life changing power of Jesus and don’t demonstrate it. We talk about God’s love and don’t manifest that love. So we invest in “carnal offsets” like serving on every church committee or saying yes to every church request so that others can see how committed we are to the church.
“Look at how hard I am working.”
“I am doing so much more than that person.”
“All they do is consume the message every week, they never help out.”
And we spectacularly miss the point of following Jesus.
Jesus encountered an enthusiastic potential follower on His way to Jerusalem. The young man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. The Lord’s answer was encouraging…at first.
“…to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
His response stops me in his tracks. He was a good man. He was honest, lived with integrity, and was loving. The kind of guy that we assume should have stored up enough “sin offsets” to get in the gates. But Jesus saw what he worshiped and it was not God.
Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
When he had to pay a price to follow Jesus the young man could not do it.
Trying to live that foot in both worlds faith results in a life without much impact. The ire of Christ was never directed at sinners. His harshest words were directed at the religious types. Imagine walking up to a religious leader today and saying something like this…
Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
Jesus said the cost of following Him was full commitment.
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
That is an “Inconvenient Truth” for me. I want a Savior because I desire eternal life. I am reluctant to want a Lord because I would have to deed over control to God. Until we as followers of Jesus are willing to deny ourselves we will remain marginalized in this country. When people see something supernatural in our lives they will listen.
If we do not daily depend on Christ we are prone (every Christian) to be hypocrites and frauds. Al Gore gives us a secular mirror for our own self deception. We can too easily offer “sin offsets” instead of the difficult offerings of submission and grace. Inconvenient? Yep. Uncomfortable? No doubt. But if we are not sensitive to that truth we will leave a very small eternal footprint.
In the second game of a doubleheader, Western Oregon University's Sara Tucholsky slammed what appeared to be a three-run homer over the centerfield fence, the senior's first in either high school or college. But Tucholsky wrenched her knee at first base and collapsed.
Umpires ruled that a pinch-runner could replace Tucholsky, but she would be credited with a single and only two runs would count. After being assured there was no rule against it, Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace carried Tucholsky around the bases, helping her to gently touch each base, completing her homer and adding a run to a 4-2 loss that eliminated the Wildcats from postseason.
(Western Oregon's Sara Tucholsky is helped around the bases by members of the Central Washington softball team after injuring her knee when doubling back to tag first base) By Blake Wolfe, AP
USA Today had a follow-up to the story.
As word of the game spread, Tucholsky and Holtman have been featured on national television and radio, and written about in newspapers across the country. I love this story. It is a wonderful metaphor for how the church should function. The Central Washington team could have stood by and done nothing. The players could have offered sympathy. They could have sadly noted how tough life can be. But they chose action. Compassion. And they chose sportsmanship that is extraordinary.
There is a good lesson for followers of Jesus. Caring is often appreciated but action is never forgotten. Too often we substitute a half sincere word of sympathy or we seek the emergency exit I have too often used. “I will pray for you.” (sound of door slamming as I exit stage right)
If you mean that statement about prayer that is the best thing you can do. But how often have I walked away and never followed up on that implied promise? And I wonder how often the quiet voice of the Spirit might have been telling me to do something as well?
James wrote these annoying words.
Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4, NASB).
But I found the most interesting spiritual analogy to this story came from some feedback after the story broke. Gardiner picks up the story.
Not all the responses have been pleasant. One person labeled Holtman a selfish player who did not consider her teammates. Another e-mail criticized the women's lack of competitive spirit. "That really bothered me," said Tucholsky, who fears she has a torn ligament that will end her career. "We are very definitely competitive, but this was a situation were sportsmanship overrode our competitiveness."
There was nothing selfish nor soft about this act. Sara Tucholsky earned the home run. She hit the ball over the fence. She was not given a home run. She was offered help to finish what she had already earned.
If someone can find fault with a player helping their opponent complete what they have already earned it is no wonder that our self-reliant culture struggles with the concept of the grace of God. The players carrying Tucholsky is a compelling but not complete picture of grace. Sara is being carried home when she could not do it herself. The difference between this act of grace and the grace of God toward me and you is enormous.
Sara Tucholsky hit the home run and then got help to finish. She had done something to earn the gracious help she received. When we come face to face with our sin in the matchup with God’s holiness we have no chance. Yet Jesus picks us up and carries us gently home. That is grace beyond comprehension. I look at this story from these special women and I am touched. But I think of the grace of Jesus carrying me when I had done nothing to deserve it and I am amazed, grateful and blessed.
Western Oregon coach Pam Knox offered these thoughts. "Some people are trying to say this is something men would never have done. I think that's an unfair statement. You would hope guys would have the character to do the right thing at the right time."
You would hope. But what I can control is how I respond. Will I have the character to do the right thing at the right time? Understanding the grace of God will allow me to extend some of that grace to my fellow sojourners.
I try to sample various schools of thought and I attempt to understand how others think. Part of my assignment on a recent road trip was watching Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. To say that Maher doesn't like Christians is one of the great understatements of all time. He would have to double his respect for Christians to ratchet up to contempt. Whew...Maher is so cynical he makes me look like Mr.Rogers on Prozac. But he did have one segment that was kind of amusing. Maher does a segment that he calls “New Rules.” He outlines the old rule and then he comedically (at least in his mind) unveils the new rule. To be fair, some were funny.
I got to thinking about how that applies to us to as followers of Christ. We often look at the struggles of the journey and declare "new rules" for ourselves. Part of the spiritual battle is being deceived into believing that we are exceptions to the rule. Pride whispers that God is pretty lucky to have me on the team. Perhaps we imagine we are special like those selfish folks who drive down the shoulder of the highway instead of waiting in the traffic jam like everyone else. Or like the person who kept jamming their seat into my knees on a flight today and gave me an opportunity to field test my forgiveness blogs that I have written.
Rewriting the rules could result in the making if a special set of Dave rules that only I get to play by. For example, here is your rule followed by my rule.
When you gossip it is sin….
When I gossip it is "sharing."
When you stand up for a belief you are stubborn and rigid…
When I do I have the strength of my convictions.
When you make a mistake you are an immature Christian…
When I screw-up I am going through a "difficult time".
You are selfish…
When I act selfishly I am looking out for myself because no one else will.
When you miss church you are letting down the fellowship…
When I miss it is because of my difficult week that you can't even begin to understand.
When you don't work at a church function you are lazy…
When I don't volunteer it is because I can't possibly take on another thing (sighhhh)
When you take initiative you are self-centered…
When I take charge I am following God's direction.
When you get angry you have a terrible attitude...
When I get ticked off I am "filled with righteous indignation"...or something.
I think I have made the point. I can run my sin through the Dave filter, apply my special Dave rules and remove every shred of personal responsibility and accountability. C.S. Lewis pointed out our nature when he said, "It is only our bad temper that we put down to being tired or worried or hungry; we put our good temper down to ourselves." The good things I do are me bein' spiritual, the bad things I do are because of whatever excuse I can muster that day. I have had enough of the excuses in my own life. George Washington said that "It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one." For Christians there should be no excuses...good or bad. On those "Bad Christian" days (and all of us have them) we just need to learn the following phrases.
I am sorry.
Forgive me.
A very interesting question was posed today in the job section of the Dallas Morning News. The query was posed to career advisor Joyce Lain Kennedy.
I'm on the market – again – and I've never seen such competition as I'm finding in this job market. I was at my last job seven months and left before I was fired. I read a book that says you can lie about certain things on your résumé and omit a negative experience, much as advertisers don't mention what's wrong with a new product. Do you agree?
Haven’t all of us been tempted to “fudge” our qualifications a bit to appear more qualified? One company that does background checks has found that well over half of all resumes contain false information. Background Information Services has found that most people stretch the truth about their work and educational credentials.
This one hit close to home for me. A few years ago I was asked to write a bio that would be sent out with a press kit for my new book, When Bad Christians Happen to Good People. My educational background was, to be very kind, inconsistent. I was attention deficit before it was cool. Instead of having accommodations and testing and medication I was called into the guidance counselor's office and chastised for underachieving and laziness. Those are indeed great motivators. I loved the line from Donald Miller's book To Own a Dragon. Miller was describing the difficulties of paying attention in school.
"I felt I was on a merry-go-round, hearing every fifth sentence. The rest of the time I wondered what a civilization of puppets would use for currency."
That, ladies and gentlemen, is my brain. I just spent about ten minutes wondering what the puppets would use for currency. Maybe string.
At any rate, I survived high school with good enough grades to pass. With a clean slate I enrolled in Marietta College with a determination to show I could do well academically. I stayed interested for one semester and did well, even making the correct Dean's List for a change. After proving I could accomplish that goal my interest promptly turned to ping pong, pinball and Strat-o-matic baseball for the second semester. Not surprisingly, I dropped out after my freshman year to become a disc jockey. That was a well thought out strategy.
As I examined my educational credentials for my book bio here is what I had to put on the table.
College drop out.
Marginal ping pong player.
1972 high game on the Play Ball pinball machine - Student Center, Marietta College
Not exactly Algonquin Round Table material. I would have loved to embellish the old academic credentials. But it was like my grandpa used to say when he noted that you can't polish a, uhhhh, well never mind what grandpa used to say. Even though I have had some success here and there my lack of “credentials” was a source of shame for me even as my career advanced. It didn’t help that I married into a family of advanced degrees. Anyone or anything that made me feel stupid would trigger that shame and caused me to try way too hard to “prove” I was smart and capable. So I reached a crossroads in my journey of self-esteem when I sat down to write my bio.
You will notice that there is nothing mentioned in my book bio about my stellar educational background. My philosophy? “There’s nothing to see here. Move along.”
Like Donald Miller I found my refuge in reading and research. I learned that you never stop learning. And something incredible happened in my life. I realized the miracle of how God can use anyone, even a slacker like me. Getting puffed up with pride is not an option for me when it comes to my academic credentials but I can be quite content in who God says I am.
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12, NLT)
That is who God says I am. His child. Wow.
So here is my educational and job resume with no embellishment.
Education: One year of college
Degrees: None
Honors: None
Clubs/societies: Member of Sam's Club
Job experience: Former disc jockey. Television director for twenty five years of Texas Rangers baseball telecasts (enough bad pitching for three lifetimes). Writer of two books that have sold enough to keep me in television.
Personal: Child of God and Follower of Jesus
Devoted husband of Joni (32 years this summer)
Proud father of three wonderful men and two beautiful daughter-in-laws
Blessed with wonderful friends and work associates
Sometimes I wish the top half of my resume could be tweaked a little. But the personal portion of my file is what matters. And there I am blessed beyond words…and that is no embellishment.
Last week I was out strolling with dog friend Hannah and thinking about the lesson I would be teaching on Sunday. Recently I have been devouring the TrueFaced Grace series based on the book of Romans. This series of messages continues to challenge, clarify and mature me in my journey with Jesus. Teachers John Lynch and Bill Thrall are teaching truth that is a couple of thousand years old but they have a gift of connecting the dots in a way that rocks me to my core.
So I decided to relate what God was teaching me from Romans and steal…uhhh…resource some of the material from the TrueFaced CD. I am always upfront about giving proper credit to the Leadership Catalyst boys. I figure if I make anyone mad I can simply blame them.
So I am walking along, thinking about Paul’s argument concerning the law. At that moment this song comes up randomly on my iPod.
Breakin' rocks in the ... hot sun
I Fought the Law and the ... law won
I Fought the Law and the ... law won
I needed money, 'cause I ... had none
I Fought the Law and the ... law won
I Fought the Law and the ... law won
And I smiled and realized that was so true. Many years ago I examined God’s Word and I realized that I could not keep the law and live a sinless life that would allow me to be declared innocent in front of a Holy God. For a while I fought the law and the law won in a contest that was as lopsided as the Globetrotters playing the Washington Generals. I realized I could never reconcile with a Holy God on my own merit. James pretty much let all of the air out of my self-effort balloon with this little gem.
For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. (James 2, NLT)
I had broken large chunks of the law and obviously there would be no grading on the curve. If I had to depend on keeping the law I was doomed. Then, and I promise I am not making this up, this song by Johnny Cash came up next.
There was a time on Earth when in the books of Heaven
That an Old Account was standin' for sins yet unforgiven
My name was at the top there was many things below
But I went unto the keeper and I settled it long ago
Long ago,yes long ago I said the Old Account was settled long ago
And my record's clear today 'cause he washed my sins away
And the Old Account was settled long ago
And that, in simple iPod theology, is justification. I cannot keep the law. God justified me and declared me righteous because of Jesus and His substitutionary death. Just as Paul argued to the Romans centuries ago that Abraham was declared righteous by believing and not for behaving. So it is with me.
From the moment I trusted Jesus God credited to my account His righteousness. When I screw up He refuses to put that against my account. Do I believe that? That is the amazing grace of the gospel. I am as righteous as Abraham. I don't have to work or beg or strive for it. That is crazy. But that is what God's word is saying.
So what happens if I believe this? Won't I take advantage? I know me. I am lazy and undependable and easily distracted. Won’t I just become a sluggard for Jesus? I will tell you what happens if you really get this.
You will worship. It actually becomes not about me but about Him. And you will behave better. This is borrowed from the TrueFaced CD because I could not write it any better. I did change the name in the quote to my bride’s name. I mention that because I did not want you to think Joni left me for a better speaker.
I have learned with Joni that I don't do right stuff to earn her love. That is what I used to do. I do right stuff because I have found her love.
That changes how I love her and that changes how she responds. That is what this truth does. I don't do right stuff to earn the love of Jesus. I do right stuff because I have found His love.
That is grace. Grace gives and we simply need to believe to receive it.
Cynicism is not missing from the Bible texts. For example, Job’s response to his buddy Zophar smacks of cynicism.
“You people really know everything, don’t you?
And when you die, wisdom will die with you! (NLT, Job 12)
Job throws down a “you people” to Zophar and his two compadres. I don’t think that Job really thought wisdom would die with the passing of his three friends. I would classify that as a cynical remark. What I struggle with is that cynicism is never listed (even in the apocryphal books) as a spiritual gift. My one chance to move to the head of the class! Denied.
Recently I spotted a T-Shirt that conveys a sad truth.
I’m not cynical. I’m just experienced.
I receive a pretty steady stream of correspondence from “experienced” Christians who are fighting cynicism. This recent email is typical.
I'm a cynic by nature. I recognize human failings (especially the stupidity in myself) and I am amazed by the concept of grace and mercy - the idea that the Almighty would humble Himself to reach out to faulty, fallen beings is an awesome one. However, I noticed that with each passing year, as I see more and more of those failings I am getting more hardened with each passing experience.
It was my prayer years ago that as even as I see the reality of what is around us, I will still do good anyway, still love people anyway, and still believe in them anyway. I'm still trying hard, but I find it hard to keep myself "tender". (please excuse the churchianty jargon. I have a rabid dislike for religious jargon in everyday communications, but it seemed appropriate for this occasion)
How do you keep yourself from becoming hardened or from being overwhelmed by cynicism?
(Name withheld to protect his cynical identity)
First of all, it is okay to use churchianity jargon with me. I am bilingual – I speak Christian as a second language. So I know that being “tender” means keeping your attitude toward others loving and kind even when they behave like the south end of a north bound horse.
Writer P.J.O’Rourke once said that “"making fun of born-again Christians is like hunting dairy cows with a high powered rifle and scope." And it can be just as easy to get angry at Christians who don’t seem to have read any of the things that Jesus said (conveniently in red letters) in the Bible.
So how do I keep myself from becoming hardened? I tried a cynics support group (Motto: Like I need YOUR support). That didn’t work. The truth is I don’t always keep myself from becoming hardened to people who are acting like Bad Christians. That is an ongoing process and I suspect I will be busy working on this till Jesus returns.
Here are a few things that I have learned so far in my journey.
I am the wretch that the song is talking about. When I finally put aside my pride long enough to do some honest self-examination I realized how far I was missing the mark and how amazing His grace is to accept me in my “as-is” condition. Realization of your spiritual weakness is not weakness. In the mystic dichotomy of God’s grace and justice acknowledging the inability to do anything to win God’s favor is an act of incredible strength. I told a buddy this week that the day I finally admitted I was just an idiot saved by grace was the day I began to actually grow in Christ.
I need to focus on Jesus. I get my undergarments misaligned when somebody says or writes a negative thing about me. But I have learned (with varying degrees of success) to focus on Jesus. Imagine if you had poured every ounce of your strength for three years into a person. And then that friend, at the moment of truth, turns his back on you, denies that you are a friend, and runs away. Not one denial of your friendship. Three times. And that person you had given everything to cursed as he threw you under the bus. How would I respond to that kind of friend? It is possible I would need a seven second delay to edit my comments for family viewing. That is what Peter did to Jesus. But what did Jesus do? He forgave Peter and He restored him.
I don’t have any idea what other people are going through. There is a powerful song by the country group Sawyer Brown about how infrequently we stop to consider that other people might be enduring real trials. Here is a sample of the lyrics from the song
“They Don’t Understand”. Everybody's busy with their own situation
Everybody's lost in their own little world
Bottled up, hurried up trying to make a dream come true
They don't understand
Everybody's living like there ain't no tomorrow
Maybe we should stop and take a little time
'Cause you never really know what your neighbors going through
They don't understand
I remember driving away from one of Joni’s early doctor appointments after her breast cancer diagnosis. Joni was driving her car as I followed her. She was distracted (imagine that) and missed her turn. She drove forward to the next opportunity to turn left and double back. Because she temporarily blocked the left lane a guy laid on his horn and started gesturing. I remembering thinking that this guy was not a quality human being (rough translation). I wondered if it would make a difference in the attitude of this, uhhh, not really nice homosapian if he knew what was going through my wife’s mind. He was busy worrying about his 20 second delay as she was thinking about her health, her family, her job, and maybe her life. So I try to step back, breathe, and ask for patience.
Finally, I look in the mirror. What I see there is a man who is capable of nearly everything I get angry about with others. And I am humbled again that somehow God is patient with me as I work this out. Regular readers know of my admiration for the group Casting Crowns. The song “Who Am I” comes to mind in this context.
Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Take a moment to meditate on that. Then take a moment to meditate on a later verse.
Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
That God sees me and looks on me with love is mind boggling. How can I accept that love and not at least attempt to offer it to others? Because there is not a (Christian cussing warning) dang thing that I have done to deserve mercy like that. From a human perspective that person who incites cynicism probably doesn’t “deserve” grace. But did you? Did I?
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.
So I guess that is the game-plan of how I try to not get hardened and cynical. Realizing who I was and what He has done. Focus on the One who understands rejection and suffering. Realize that others may be enduring real trials of their own. And understand that the God who sees me with all of my junk still looks on me with love.
On some days I execute the game-plan better than others. But that doesn’t mean it is not a good plan. It just means I have to spend more time in the playbook and with my Coach.
There is a game show on NBC called Deal or No Deal. I have only watched the show in passing but the concept did generate a little spiritual musing. Let's suppose that some thirty-eight years ago Jesus had come to me in person and offered the following deal.
Jesus: "So here is My deal for you. I will forgive you of your sins and relieve you of the guilt and fear that burdens you. I will give you the assurance of eternity spent with me. I will be there throughout your life to teach, console, strengthen and bless you. Just ask me and accept my gift of grace and I will provide all of that."
Me: "Wow." (I wasn't much of a wordsmith at sixteen)
Jesus: "By the way, I know that your relationship with me will lead you to a beautiful and Godly woman who will be the love of your life and who will help you become the person you want to become. You will have three wonderful sons who will all grow up to be Godly men. You will have troubles and some tragedy but I will help you through every step of the way and I will use those trials for good in your life and the lives of others. So Dave, will you accept the deal?"
Me: "Is this a joke? Sure I will."
It just seems too good to be true. But it has been true in my life. If you read When Bad Christians Happen to Good People and these humble ramblings you know that Joni and I have not lived a life free of heartache. But despite some difficult times it is a deal I would agree to accept even more quickly now.
But let's add a layer of complexity to my imagined time with Christ. When He asks if I will accept His deal I have a question.
Me: "That sounds a little too good to be true. I have done nothing and you are offering all of this for me. Don’t I have to do anything?"
Jesus smiles and says, "Well, there a couple of things."
"Ah hah!" I reply smugly. "I knew it was too good. What's the catch?"
I picture Jesus looking at me with that gentle hint of a smile and saying, “You need to trust my character and receive my love.”
I wait.
Silence.
"That's it?" I ask incredulously.
He nods.
"You will give me all of those things and that is all you want in return?"
He nods again and speaks. "It won't be easy. You will be hurt. There will be some people that will be tough to love. As we walk together I will ask you to drop your masks and be honest about yourself. I will ask you to forgive, be patient and love one another."
I consider His words. "For all that you have done for me that would seem to be the least I can do."
I picture Him looking at me with a pensive and almost sad expression. "You would think my son. You would think."
Because many of you have somehow forgotten to buy my books. (shameless link) I continue to make my primary living by directing sporting events. I am the faceless guy (actually I have a face, it just isn’t on camera) that selects the camera shots that you see during a televised game. For twenty year-five years I have directed Texas Rangers baseball. And all of those seasons have taught me a valuable spiritual lesson from the National Pastime. I have learned how important it is to be a good closer.
In baseball parlance the closer is the pitcher who comes into the game in the last inning to protect the lead and finish off the win. It all comes down to the closer. If he does well the collective efforts of eight position players and the pitchers that proceeded will have a happy ending. If the closer fails all of that effort is wasted. There is nothing more demoralizing than playing a great game for eight innings and seeing it all blow-up in the last one. So what is the spiritual lesson learned from a baseball closer?
Closing out well is critical as a follower of Christ. I am praying and seeking to be a good closer in my faith walk with Jesus. Sadly that is not a given. Many great men of the Bible did not finish well. They allowed the efforts of many around them to end in frustration and anguish because they did not close well. The honest portrayal of human success and failing is something I love about God’s Word. It is one important aspect that makes the Bible unique and real. The Bible does not spin the failures of godly men and women. Would you write a book attempting to persuade others to adopt your beliefs and deliberately choose to detail adherents who failed miserably? With all due respect to Mr.O’Reilly, the Bible is the original “no spin zone”. The successes and failures are equally displayed. Men with great stories still managed to not close well. Examples? How about the story of Saul? How sad to hear words like this at the end of your journey.
“How foolish!" Samuel exclaimed. "You have disobeyed the command of the LORD your God. Had you obeyed, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your dynasty must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already chosen him to be king over his people, for you have not obeyed the LORD's command." (1 Sam 13, NLT)
Imagine when the prophet came to Eli and proclaimed this dire message. What a kick in the spiritual gut this must have been.
"Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says: The terrible things you are doing cannot continue! I had promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But I will honor only those who honor me, and I will despise those who despise me.
I would be willing to wager (note to Spiritual Hall Monitors – a figure of speech – no actual wagering occurred) that Saul and Eli were planning on closing well. They had moments of great leadership and fellowship with God. But they couldn’t close. You know that Saul’s story ended in madness. The results for Levi’s sons were horrific. His family needed a man who could start well, stay strong, and close it out with integrity and faith.
I want to finish strong. I want to close this journey with an effort that honors the One who was willing to finish for me. Paul understood athletics. Sports can be a good metaphor for life and he knew that well. At the end of my life race I have a couple of options that I could hear.
a) You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. (Gal 5)
b) You have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, you have kept the faith. (2 Tim 4)
I choose b) for the words I want to hear. Author Kenneth Blanchard says, “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”
That is why I hold myself so accountable. I am committed to this journey with Jesus. And I accept no excuses in my own life. I will fall at times. But I intend to get right back up and follow Jesus faithfully. Regular readers of these ramblings (both of you know who you are) know that I am a big fan of song lyrics to portray messages. Songwriter Mark Schultz is a brilliant writer/composer/storyteller. His song Time That is Left is rumbling through my mind as I sign off.
What will you do with the time that's left?
Will you live it all with no regret?
Will they say that you loved till your final breath?
What will you do with the time that's left?
And what will He say when your time has come?
And He takes you into His arms of love
With tears in His your eyes will He say "well done"?
What will you say when your time has come?
I pray that I will close well.
Regular readers of the humble ramblings know that the morning walk is my time to muse. Today an iPod tune and C.S.Lewis quote occupied much of the usually dormant gray matter. The song was from legend Bob Dylan and you likely know the words…
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
A great song with a sad message. For many people their answers are blowing in the wind. Their lives bounce from one failed philosophy to another. Check the best selling non-fiction list for the last several years and you will see how common the “flavor of the month” answer to life has become. People are desperately searching for something to fill the emptiness that success and acquiring stuff cannot. Christians believe they have found the answer to that search. That answer is not blowing in the wind but is found instead in the living Word of God. That doesn’t mean I can answer some of the questions that Dylan poses but I can answer the questions that haunt me. Why I am here? What is my significance? What is my destiny? That led me to think about why so many followers of Christ are frustrated and unhappy despite the incredible message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is where Mr.Lewis came into the cranium. A quote came to mind about how easily we settle for the familiar in our walk with Jesus instead of daring to believe the supernatural. You may have heard this thought from Lewis.
It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
Indeed we are. I have spent far too many years being too easily pleased on my journey. I want to trust God and believe He has a spiritual holiday at the sea waiting for me. That means trusting the character of God when I feel like my circumstances are overwhelming. Abram (Abraham) looked at his circumstances when God promised him a son and told him that his descendants would be countless. Abram was older than Larry King. His wife was several decades past menopause. Abram did exactly what I do when I face a really tough situation by jumping in with some ideas for how God could make this work. Abram suggested the son could be born in his house instead of from his seed. But God said that was not the plan. The heir would come from him. So Abram (Abraham) looked at the circumstances and then he looked at the character, faithfulness and power of his God. And he believed. For that simple choice God did the most amazing thing. For simply believing “He (God) reckoned it to him (Abram) as righteousness.” Abraham was declared righteous not for his actions but for his faith and trust. That is the starting point for me in dreaming and believing that God has great things ahead. Most of us who are self-sufficient would much rather be getting dirty making the mud pies than having to be patient and trust God. But Abraham was declared righteous not by his actions but by his faith. He didn’t know how God was going to do it. He simply believed that He would. And God was pleased not by his gifts, talent, sacrifices or even obedience. God was pleased by his belief.
Seems too easy to be true. Surely I must have to do more that that to merit God’s favor. The amazing answer is no. When you believe and trust in God’s character and faithfulness good things will happen. It has been true since the beginning. And it is true today.