Month: August 2012

I have confessed in the past that my Southern Ohio and Kentucky roots helped me develop an appreciation for country music. Now and again I venture over to the country channels to sample some of the latest offerings. Recently I heard a song that made me laugh and made me think. The title of the tune is “Like My Dog” and singer Billy Currington is lamenting that he wishes his significant other would “love” him like his dog.

He never tells me that he’s sick of this house
He never says, “Why don’t you get off that couch?”
He don’t cost me nothin’ when he wants to go out
I want you to love me like my dog

I want you to love me like my dog does, baby
When I come home, want you to just go crazy

Not sure that philosophy will resonate with the stunning Mrs.Burchett. Regular readers of my ramblings know how much I love my dog friend Hannah.

While I never really wished that my dear wife would love me like my dog I have learned a thing or two about life and even faith from my canine companion.

A fun article in Parade Magazine by “Dog Whisperer” Cesar Millan got me to thinking about how much I have learned in my Christian journey from Miss Hannah. Sanctification is not a word that Hannah would understand. Sadly, it is not a word that a lot of Christians understand either. It simply means the process of maturing in our faith and becoming ever so slowly more like Jesus. And just like everything else in this journey we cannot do that through dogged self-effort (sorry). I will give you Cesar’s thoughts on life lessons that we can learn from dogs in italics. I will add my little spiritual postscript to each of his comments.

Live in the moment.

Cesar – People often wonder how I get such quick results with the dogs I rehabilitate. The answer is simple: Dogs live in the moment. They don’t regret the past or worry about the future.

That is so key. When we live in regret of the past or fear of the future we forfeit the potential joy of today. The Psalmist encouraged that very idea.

This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24, NLT)

Nurture a balanced life.

Cesar – I tell my clients to follow this simple rule with their dogs: Offer exercise, discipline, and affection every day. Do the same for yourself. We humans are happier if our routines include physical activity, a sense of structure, and the opportunity to give and receive love on a daily basis.

Hmmm. I tell my clients (my tens of readers) almost every day to live a balanced life as well. Love God every day and allow Him to love you back. Based on my first book perhaps I could be the “Bad Christian Whisperer”? Can I do a TV Show where I rehabilitate anxious and poorly behaving Christians? Can I take a muzzle if I do? Just asking.

Trust your instincts.

Cesar – Animals don’t care about words. They recognize that what’s really going on in any interaction is beneath the surface. Many of us have lost touch with this all-important instinctual part of our natures. By paying attention to nonverbal cues such as body language and energy, we can learn more about our friends, our loved ones, and ourselves.

Unbelievers don’t care about words either. For followers of Jesus the old saying that “actions speak louder than words” is often tragically true. On this point I would suggest we can only trust the Spirit of God to live in a way that communicates with both word and deed. When you trust the Holy Spirit you are free to trust your instincts.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Galatians 5, NLT)

Be direct and consistent in your communication.

Cesar – Many of my clients only intermittently enforce rules, leaving their pets confused about what is and isn’t acceptable behavior. Great relationships, no matter the species, begin with clear and consistent communication.

God has been teaching me a lot in this area. I am trying to always communicate with both grace and truth. I love that Jesus is described by the Apostle John as being full of grace and truth. I suspect grace comes first because we have a far harder time communicating with grace. I am usually willing to be “honest” and tell you where you are wrong. Doing that with grace and truth requires me to love you and be vulnerable. It is much easier just to whack you with the rolled up newspaper of judgment.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4, NIV)

Learn to listen.

Cesar – Make the time to lend an ear to those you love or those who want to transform their lives. But don’t try to fix their problems, and don’t take their problems personally, either. A great leader is also a great follower and knows that everybody counts.

Right on Cesar. Learn to listen. Be willing to walk alongside those in need. Don’t interrupt to give out prescription verses in lieu of walking with your brother and sister through the trials. Living the real Christian life with others is messy but incredibly rewarding.

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (James 1, NLT)

Don’t hold grudges.

Cesar – There’s a remarkable lack of conflict in dog packs.  That’s because members resolve the situation when disagreements arise, then move on. Imagine what our world would be like if we dealt with our conflicts before they escalated out of control. Holding onto negative feelings tends to make them multiply and prevent us from moving forward.

This may be the biggest difference between dog packs and church congregation packs. There is too often a remarkable amount of conflict in our body of believers. And the reason is that members too often don’t resolve the situation. We get angry and hurt and move on without resolving the conflict. Unresolved sin is buried alive and it comes back at surprising moments. A follower of Jesus who does not forgive has forgotten how much he or she has been forgiven. So shake off your differences and resolve them.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12, NIV)

Live with purpose.

Cesar – When dogs are bored, they develop issues ranging from anxiety to aggression. But when given a job and a way to contribute to the pack’s well-being, they turn around almost immediately.

Followers of Jesus are no different. We are called to a purpose. Anything that does not contribute the “pack’s” well-being should be prayerfully reevaluated.

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. (Philippians 2, NLT)

 

Celebrate every day.

Cesar – For a dog, every morning is Christmas morning. Every walk is the best walk, every meal is the best meal, every game is the best game. We can learn so much by observing the way our pets rejoice in life’s simplest moments. Take time every day to celebrate the many gifts that are hidden in the ordinary events of your own life.

Hannah is illustrating this point even now. As I write this she is rolling on her back with a chew toy and loving life.

If I can take a moment to count how blessed I am today I can celebrate as well. There is joy even in the mundane events of life. Ask the Spirit of God to reveal that to you today. There is sacred in the routine. Ask the Spirit of God to show you that each day. As for me, I am going to take my spiritual mentor for a walk.

(Re-posted from theFish.com)

My least favorite time period occurs every four years during September and October. Those are the months leading up to another Presidential election. My distaste is slightly mitigated by the start of college and pro football but I still detest those weeks.

Why? Because those weeks are when normally nice and civil human beings become angry, hateful, bile spewing, frothing defenders of their politics. Ridiculous motives are assigned to people for committing the apparently unpardonable sin of looking through different political lenses. Hateful (and almost always courageously anonymous) posts are left accusing their opponents of everything from hate to stupidity to treason. The tone of our political discourse is depressing. On television the techniques most often used are more volume and interruption instead of thoughtfulness and exchange of ideas.

This is particularly tricky for followers of Jesus. Of course our faith directs our decision making (or it should). But does that allow us to demonize those who think differently? Yesterday my pastor at Waterbrook Bible Fellowship, Jeff Denton, delivered a powerful message about the body of Christ. He pointed out that a lot of people we profoundly disagree with or are that we are even repulsed by are a part of the body of Christ. That is so inconvenient to my working up a good unrighteous indignation. We don’t get to pick who gets the gift of grace. If there are websites in Heaven there might be surprised headlines like this…

Drudgereport:  Planned Parenthood Leader Amazingly Sneaks Through the Pearly Gates!

Huffington Post: Tea Party Enthusiast’s Name Somehow Found in Book of Life!

The separation of church and faith is Jesus and the Cross. People on both sides of the aisle are my brothers and sisters in Christ. Because my heart is to proclaim the healing message of grace I have stopped expressing any of my political views in my writings. It was a hard lesson learned in my first book. I tried to use a political situation to illustrate a point. Bad idea. Really bad idea. Some on the other side of that political situation attacked me and dismissed the other 57,287 words completely.

Let me assure you that I remain diligent in reading (both sides) and researching to see which candidates reflect my values. I vote in every election. I pray for our leaders and I hope that someday we will be able to throw out the extreme partisanship and forge a consensus for our country. But my real hope is not in Washington or in my state capital.

A song by Aaron Shust titled “My Hope Is In You” nicely explains my growth as a recovering political addict and slowly maturing follower of Jesus.

My hope is in you lord, all the day long
I won’t be shaken by drought or storm
A peace that passes, understanding is my song and I sing
My hope is in You alone

I wait for You and my soul finds rest
In my selfishness You show me grace
My hope is in you lord, all the day long

The last campaign brilliantly used hope and change as a campaign theme. I agree with the slogan but with a little different emphasis. My hope is in Christ. And the change that I can count on is what happened in heart when I decided to follow Jesus. That change should manifest itself in grace filled responses to those who think differently. On the other side they say “believe in America” and “reclaim America”. My heart cries out to believe in the grace of God. I want to reclaim the Gospel of love and serving others selflessly.

What makes me most sad is that so many people really seem to be placing their hope for happiness on a political candidate. I do believe that leaders make a difference. I care deeply about making an informed and prayerful choice. But I never place my hope in a politician. The word hope is used about 80 times in the New Testament. The first appearance of the word in the NIV translation pretty much lays out my belief.

“In his name (Jesus) the nations will put their hope.”  (Matthew 12, NIV)

Paul wrote about the hope that I have in his letter to the Romans.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Colossians we read this praise from Paul as he relates how hope based on the eternal God should make a difference.

For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

No matter what happens this November one thing will remain true for me.

My hope is in Christ.

So be nice to your political opponent. Extend grace. Who knows, they may be behind you in line at the Pearly Gates someday. Love your political enemies and avoid future awkward moments because it will be really hard to avoid someone for eternity.

(Re-posted from theFish.com)

School is about to start again and I always think about the kids who don’t get to sit at the “cool” table. A song popped up on the iPod that made me think about my prayer for these precious young souls. “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts offers a lot of lyrical wisdom and a wonderful sentiment.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold…

As a parent you wish your child could avoid heartbreak and pain but the truth is nobody gets out of this journey unscathed. So you try to prepare them to deal with the inevitable bumps of life.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God’s grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

Recently I wrote to a young lady who was beginning to navigate high school while figuring out how her new found faith in Jesus factored in. I shared with her some things I wished I had known way back then.

1.       I wish I had known that my high school years did not define me AT ALL.

My teen years were a mixed bag of memorable highs and incredible lows. Now I realize that what I once considered some of the worst moments of my life I am now grateful for experiencing. In many of those spiritual valleys you could not have begun to convince me that God was molding me or that those experiences could ever be of value. I knew the scripture just as you likely do…that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.

Do we know His attributes? Do we believe (really believe) His promises? If we do, then we must accept the troubles and “we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good”. Romans 8:28 (MsgB)

I have developed a heart of compassion for those who are wounded. Why? God gave me the privilege of being wounded early in my life. That sounds crazy as I read back over that last sentence. It is not a sentence that I would have written twenty or perhaps even ten years ago. But I can see that my struggles as an overweight, geeky and generally outcast adolescent molded my heart to empathize with those who are hurt and ostracized by their peers.

Had I been the coolest guy or the best athlete or the most handsome I most likely would not have developed a sensitive spirit to others. So God gave me the opportunity on all of those fronts to develop sensitivity.  I did not enjoy that period of my life. I would have given anything at that time to be one of the really popular kids. I would have told you that I would gladly trade nearly anything on the spot to be the starting quarterback or the big man on campus. I was desperate to be part of the cool group. With the benefit of hindsight I can promise you that I am grateful for every refining difficulty and problem.  Such a dramatic change in attitude is a matter of time, growth in my relationship with Jesus and my trust in the truth of His promises. As G.K.Chesterton wryly noted, “Do not free a camel of the burden of his hump; you may be freeing him from being a camel.” Had I been freed the burden of my “hump” (that tough teenage passage), I would not be who I am today.

So I hope your experience right now is better than mine. But if it is not or if it changes in the future, always remember that God is in control, He loves you more than you can fathom, and He will work it for good even if you cannot see it at the time.

2.     I wish I had known that I needed to decide in advance what I would do in tough situations

Most of my mistakes as a teen were made in moments of peer pressure that I was not prepared to address. Joni and I tried to teach our sons that you decide in advance what your response will be to temptation. Decide in advance that you will call for a ride when asked to get in the car with a drinking driver. Decide in advance to not get yourself into a situation where sexual temptation will be an issue. Decide in advance that you will be kind to the less popular no matter how the “cool” kids view that action. Decide in advance to trust God as you make decisions that you fear might lessen your popularity or status. In the moment you tend to make wrong decisions so make them in advance and then stand firm.

3.     I wish I had known that every person is created in God’s image…and He loves them just as much as He loves me

Sparky Anderson, a former Cincinnati Reds manager, once said that “you can never go wrong being classy.” And you can never go wrong being kind to everyone. Sometimes you will be tempted to ridicule or tease those who are less attractive, intelligent, gifted, or cool. Don’t do it. When I went to my 25^th reunion (ouch) I observed something interesting. Some of those “losers” are the “winners” now. They have wonderful families and lives. Some of the kids I was desperate to be like are still living off of moldy high school memories. High school is the start of a very long journey. Some people seem to be leading the life race coming out of high school. The real winners know that life is a marathon and that God has a plan for that long race. Be kind to everyone. Jesus loves them. And so should you.

4.   I wish I had known that nothing outside of who I am in Christ can make me cool

There is nothing wrong with desiring to wear clothes and shoes that are fashionable. There is nothing wrong with being in activities that are popular. But it is wrong to think that those clothes or shoes or activities make you better than others. I really wish I had known that going along with the group and doing wrong things did not make me cool. I wish I had realized in high school that people look at those things but God looks on the heart. It is your heart that makes you who you are, not your outfit or activities or “rebellious” moments.

5.    I wish I had known in high school that I needed to take responsibility for my own actions

Learn now to say these three sentences.

I was wrong.
I am sorry.
Forgive me.

And keep your “but” out of those statements. Don’t say “I was wrong ‘but’ I didn’t think it would hurt you” or “I am sorry ‘but’ I was having a bad day.”  Those are not real apologies. Take responsibility. Live with integrity. That will make you unique in this culture!

6.    I wish I had known in high school that the 2nd most important decision I would make is who my friends were

Your friends have an influence on who you are and who you become. Pick them carefully. Young Christians often think they can influence their friends for Christ if they keep hanging out with them. Be careful that you don’t lose the balance of fellowship and encouragement of Christian friends. Prayerfully seek a balance between the two. But understand that friends are a critical factor in your life and they will influence who you are…good or bad.

7.   The most important decision I will ever make is who or what I worship

I did figure this one out to some extent in high school. Everyone one worships something or someone. It can be money or power or fame or popularity. I believe we are created to worship God. We have a yearning from our birth to find our purpose and significance. But if you don’t find that relationship in Christ you will tend to fill it with wrong things. Often those things are not inherently bad. But they can become bad things when they become the focus instead of Jesus. We used to sing a camp song with these lyrics..

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you

There is nothing wrong with these “things” when you seek the kingdom of God first. One of my favorite passages is in the book of Colossians. Paul outlines what it looks like to be a real Christian. Living these five little verses will change your life.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. (Colossians 3, NLT)