Charisa Stories

Category: Uncategorized

  • Love Them Through It

    (From theFish.com)

    This is an interesting time of year for me as stores pull the pink paraphernalia off the shelves and put up the Christmas items. October has become known for pink reminders everywhere of the battle against breast cancer. I am grateful for all that is done to defeat this dread disease. My dear wife just passed the five year survivor mark this year.

    Today a song from Martina McBride brought back waves of memories from a difficult journey. The song is called “I’m Gonna’ Love You Through It”.

    She dropped the phone and burst into tears
    The doctor just confirmed her fears

    Her husband held it in and held her tight
    Cancer don’t discriminate or care if you’re just 38

    With three kids who need you in their lives
    He said, “I know that you’re afraid and I am, too
    But you’ll never be alone, I promise you”

    I remember facing those fears with Joni. I remember promising to walk with her through the valley. I am not a hero. It was my chance to be there for her as she had been my stalwart for so many years. The chorus of McBride’s song describes my desire to serve her.

    When you’re weak, I’ll be strong
    When you let go, I’ll hold on
    When you need to cry, I swear that I’ll be there to dry your eyes
    When you feel lost and scared to death,
    Like you can’t take one more step
    Just take my hand, together we can do it
    I’m gonna love you through it.

    I thought about the better or worse clause in our wedding vows. Cancer was not in the brochure I had pictured for our lives. But the amazing thing about the journey with Jesus is that He works good out of bad. Joni and I drew closer. I was humbled by the strength and depth of her faith. I was amazed by her courage, spirit, and resilience. I was challenged by her lack of self-pity. I now appreciate the good days a lot more and trust Him more during the bad ones. For me it was a privilege to serve a woman who had given selflessly to our family for so many years.

    During her chemotherapy Joni’s wrote these words in her blog.

    “I don’t like being sick but God keeps  reminding me that He is in charge of my body, the cancer, the treatments and the timing even though  I feel so out  of control.  When I am able to relinquish control of my situation is when He can work.  Lord, I thank you for Dave, my earthly rock, and I thank you that you are my true Rock.  Psalms 31:3…For thou art my rock and my fortress; for thy name’s sake Thou wilt lead me and guide me.”

    We are called to “love” people through trials and storms. I remember my bride making a declaration of trust when she faced an uncertain future with her breast cancer diagnosis. Her words inspired me then and now. “I am not and I will not question God.”

    Joni did not want to go through what she went through. But she knew that God had been faithful and she believed that would not change. It did not.

    We have seen how God has used our trials in our lives and in the lives of others through His grace. In the book “The Perfect Loss” author Chip Dodd begins the volume with these words.

    “Life is tragic; God is faithful.”

    I believe that. I believe in His faithfulness. I believe in the joy that’s coming. I believe in a God who used brokenness and hurt to tear down my protective walls to learn how to trust Him and others with my needs. I believe I can live in a realm of grace that allows me to see and love others without the judgment that clouded the eye of my heart for so long. And I believe in the outcome of the journey no matter how tough it can be at times.

    Paul wrote this to the church at Corinth.

    …As God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4, NLT)

    I pray that you hold firm to your trust when “life” happens. And I pray that you and I will remember that we are God’s hands and feet on this planet to “love” people through tough times. That is how the body of Christ should function. They may respect us for our knowledge and doctrine but they will know we are Christians by our love.

  • Who Really Wrote the Book of Love?

    Who Really Wrote the Book of Love?

    (From theFish.com)

    If you have sampled a handful of these iPod Devotionals you already know that my musical taste is eclectic. That is a kind word for weird. I have rock, oldies, indie, country, Christian, folk, pop and some unclassified on the device. Recently a forgotten oldie caused the neurons to fire oddly in my noggin. The song “The Book of Love” was written and recorded by The Monotones in 1958. Here are some of the lyrics.

    Oh, I wonder, wonder who, mmbadoo-ooh, who
    Who wrote the Book Of Love

    Chapter One says to love her
    You love her with all your heart

    Chapter Two you tell her you’re
    Never, never, never, never, never gonna part

    In Chapter Three remember the meaning of romance
    In Chapter Four you break up
    But you give her just one more chance

    So there you have it. Before you get to Chapter Five you have already parted ways according to this version of the book of love. By the way, there is a little “boom” sound in the first lyric that is oddly translated “mmbadoo-ooh” above. The story goes that a kid was kicking a ball against the garage while the group was rehearsing and they thought it sounded cool. Inspiration can come for odd sources.

    The part of the song that led to today’s devotional came in the first lyric. I had never noticed the reference before.

    Tell me, tell me, tell me
    Oh, who wrote the Book Of Love

    I’ve got to know the answer
    Was it someone from above?

    That is a good question. I would suggest that the book of love was indeed from above. And not just from someone. The book of love is from God. It is called the Gospel. Truefaced speaker and my friend John Lynch has written a wonderfully thoughtful piece called the New Testament Gamble.

    “What if I tell them who they are?” What if I take away any element of fear in condemnation, judgment or rejection”?

    “What if I tell them I love them, will always love them? That I love them right now, no matter what they’ve done, as much as I love my only Son? That there’s nothing they can do to make my love go away”?

    “What if I tell them there are no lists? What if I tell them I don’t keep a log of past offenses, of how little they pray, how often they’ve let me down, made promises that they don’t keep?”

    “What if I tell them they are righteous, with my righteousness, right now”?

    “What if I tell them they can stop beating themselves up? That they can stop being so formal, stiff and jumpy around me?”

    “What if I tell them I’m crazy about them? What if I tell them, even if they run to the ends of the earth and do the most horrible, unthinkable things, that when they come back, I’d receive them with tears and a party”?

    “What if I tell them that I am their Savior, they’re going to heaven no matter what–it’s a done deal?

    “What if I tell them they have a new nature–saints, not saved sinners who should now ‘buck up and be better’ if they were any kind of Christians, after all He’s done for you!”

    “What if I tell them that I actually live in them now? That I’ve put my love, power, and nature inside of them, at their disposal?”

    “What if I tell them that they don’t have to put on a mask? That it is OK to be who they are at this moment, with all their junk. That they don’t need to Pretend about how close we are, how much they pray or don’t, how much Bible they read or don’t?”

    “What if they knew they don’t have to look over their shoulder for fear if things get to good, the other shoe’s gonna drop?”

    “What if they knew I will never, ever use the word “punish” in relation to them?”

    “What if they knew that when they mess up, I will never ‘get back at them’?”

    “What if they were convinced that bad circumstances aren’t my way of evening the score for taking advantage of me?”

    “What if they knew the basis of our friendship isn’t how little they sin, but how much they let me love them?”

    “What if I tell them they can hurt my heart, but that I never hurt theirs?”

    “What if I tell them I like U2’s music too?”

    “What if I tell them I never really liked the Christmas hand bell deal with the white gloves?”

    “What if I tell them they can open their eyes when they pray and still go to heaven?”

    “What if I tell them there is no secret agenda, no trapdoor?”

    “What if I tell them it isn’t about their self-effort, but about allowing me to live my life through them?”

    John’s words summarize the miracle of grace that is the precious Gospel of Jesus. It was never really a “gamble” because God had planned this from the beginning of time. Jesus wrote the book of love on the Cross. Paul commented on that amazing story in Romans when he stated this startling truth.

    For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5, ESV)

    Could there be a more stunning book of love than that? While we were still sinners Christ died for us. I am grateful for the Gospel and for grace that makes the real book of love a reality in my life today.

  • Don’t Blink

    (From theFish.com)

    Yesterday was a convergence of reality and the random iPod shuffle. As I contemplated the thirty-third birthday (yikes) of my first born a song fired up from Kenny Chesney. In the lyric an interviewer asks a man celebrating his one hundred and second birthday about his secret to life. His response?

    Don’t blink

    The lyrics go on to describe just how quickly this earthly journey goes by.

    Just like that you’re six years old and you take a nap and you
    Wake up and you’re twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
    Don’t blink
    You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
    Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your “better half”
    Of fifty years is there in bed.

    Wow. I am right there. I’m still a ways from the century mark though my shoulder feels that old this morning. It seems like just yesterday that I was playing sandlot baseball as a kid. Moments ago I was in high school being Attention Deficit before ADD was cool. Just yesterday I met the stunning Joni Banks and somehow conned her into dating me. Couldn’t have been too long ago that I donned the hideous baby blue tux to wed my beloved. Wasn’t it just weeks ago that three adorable baby boys came into our lives? How is it possible that I am now directing the baseball exploits of athletes that were not close to being born when I started this gig?

    Don’t blink.

    The best line on parenting I have heard is that the days are long but the years are short. Amen. I now am the father of a 33 year old, a 30 year old, and a 25 year old. When did that happen? Married 35 years. Are you kidding me?

    I have had, if I may borrow the franchise of Frank Capra, a wonderful life. Not devoid of tragedy and trouble to be sure. I have lost a very dear nephew to leukemia, a daughter to terminal birth defects, my father and mother and many other family members and friends. My bride has battled breast cancer but, thankfully, is doing well. Through it all we feel blessed beyond comprehension. I believe that is because we have found our reason for being here. Pastor and author Rick Warren summed it up nicely in a recent interview.

    People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond, In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body – but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillion of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act, the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn’t going to make sense.

    Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one or you’re getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that’s not the goal of life: The goal is to grow in character, In Christ-likeness.

    If this is the warm-up act for my eternity gig on the main stage then all of this is merely preparation. Football players hate the two-a-day practices in the brutal heat. But they love the exhilaration of victory that the difficult preparation allows for later in the season. Sometimes the two-a-days of life seem cruel and without purpose. But my understanding of the God who made me and His purpose for me allows me to believe there is purpose and design. I don’t always see it. I love being happy and carefree. But if my purpose is preparation for my real gig then I had better be a little more interested in living out of my new identity and trusting God for maturing me in Christ-likeness. Paul wrote this in the book of Colossians.

    Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (Col 3, NLT)

    The song continues…

    I was glued to my TV when it looked like he looked at me and said
    “Best start putting first things first.”
    Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand
    You can’t flip it over and start again
    Take every breath God gives you for what it’s worth

    The songwriter is correct. We have a pre-determined number of grains in the hourglass so I choose today to live in the moment in grace and freedom. Every breath is a gift even on the tough days. Enjoy today. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not promised.

    Don’t blink.

    In no time at all on the eternity clock I will be reunited with my daughter in heaven and other loved ones. I will be with my Lord and Savior. I will be home. For my fellow sojourners I pray that you will trust that truth. You may face storms and deep valleys along the way. My secret to life is to trust a God who is trustworthy. And one more thing.

    Don’t blink.

  • United We Stand?

    (From theFish.com)

    Occasionally a song pops up in the iPod shuffle rotation that reminds me of my failed career as a disc jockey in the ‘70’s. The song is called “United We Stand” and it was recorded by a British group called the Brotherhood of Man. The message was simple.

    For united we stand
    Divided we fall
    And if our backs should ever be against the wall
    We’ll be together, together, you and I

    The songwriter was talking about a love relationship but the sentiment to stand united should permeate family relationships, team relationships and especially church relationships. But we know in the latter case that is too often not true.

    I have written a lot about how people in the church do considerable damage with actions and words that do not reflect Jesus. I have been frustrated by Christians who receive grace willingly and deny it to others. I see division in the body of Christ where we should see unity. It occurred to me that the church does not understand a few key principles that winning baseball teams understand. The first thing that winning teams understand is that every teammate brings strengths and weaknesses to the team. A great team celebrates the strengths of each player and works together to offset the weaknesses. I pondered this as I read about the career of Joe Gordon. In 1942 Gordon led the American League in strikeouts. He made more errors that year than any other second baseman. He hit into more double plays than anyone in the league. By dwelling on those stats we could surmise that the New York Yankees were looking for a new second baseman for the following year. But there was one mitigating factor.

    Gordon won the American League Most Valuable Player for that season!

    In spite of the flaws mentioned above Joe Gordon had a great season. He batted .322, fourth in the AL, with 18 homers and 103 runs batted in. Gordon teamed with Phil Rizzuto to lead the league in double plays turned defensively. In 1942 Joe Gordon was deemed to be the MVP of the league despite some obvious weaknesses in his game. Great managers and good teammates know that every player has strengths and every player has weaknesses.

    And that is the lesson I was thinking about for the church. 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. Paul mentions spiritual gifts in his letter to the Roman church.

    I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

    Commentators note that the translation here might be a bit confusing. The text might sound as if Paul’s giving away spiritual gifts to the first ten callers. A better translation might be that Paul wants to use his spiritual gifts to strengthen and encourage others. I believe that every single Christian is given spiritual gifts. We are given those gifts for many reasons but two of the primary ones are to glorify God and strengthen one another. But I wonder if we sometimes look at our spiritual gifts as something that we have the right to exercise for our personal fulfillment and glory? I am sure Joe Gordon often struck out when his team needed a hit. I suspect he sometimes made an error when the pitcher threw a good pitch and should have gotten an out. But his teammates (and the rest of the league) saw his gifts. Base runners batted in and key home runs hit. A vital double play turned and great range at his position. That is what made him valuable to a winning team. His strengths were vital to the team winning. His flaws were compensated by the team working in unity toward the goal of the World Series.

    Do we do that in the church? Or do we choose to focus on the flaws of others? The World Series is a wonderful goal but it pales in comparison to the goal that Jesus challenged us to pursue.  Do we understand what it means to be unified for the common goal expressed so succinctly in the Gospel of Matthew?

    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. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

    That is the game plan. Each of us has been given gifts to contribute. Each of us has flaws. Can we pray that we will be mature enough to focus on Who unites us instead of what divides us? Even the MVP of the American League had shortcomings. So will the pastor, elder, committee member, and volunteer chairman as we pursue the Great Commission of Christ. Another thing that winning teams understand. You don’t have to be best friends with everyone on the team but you do have to be united for the common goal of the team. My prayer is simple.

    God give us the grace to be unified as a team for your glory. Teach us to use our gifts to strengthen one another and glorify you. Give us the strength to be a good teammate and the humility to believe that it cannot be about me for the team to succeed. Give me the desire to be a good teammate in the body of Christ. Teach me to see and exalt the gifts of my brothers and sisters even if they compete with my own talents. And especially teach me to be graceful with the flaws of others. We are all gifted and we are all flawed. A team understands that truth. Help us to do the same for the sake of the body of Christ.

    (Joe Gordon story excerpted from When Bad Christians Happen to Good People)

  • Give Me Your Eyes

    (From theFish.com)

    A song by Brandon Heath is the inspiration for this iPod Devotional. The song is titled “Give Me Your Eyes” and the lyrics are thought provoking. Heath talks about seeing so many people in his daily journey and wondering why he doesn’t care. He writes this chorus of longing.

    Give me your eyes for just one second
    Give me your eyes so I can see
    Everything that I keep missing
    Give me your love for humanity

    Give me your arms for the broken hearted
    The ones that are far beyond my reach
    Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
    Give me your eyes so I can see

    Brandon Heath’s songs are full of gritty honesty. His admission is real and relevant. It is a topic all followers of Jesus must address.

    God did not create me to live in a “believers only” cocoon of safety. Living that kind of Christian life is so easy in America. There is a safe path of least resistance to live out our faith in this country. No resistance just might mean you aren’t doing anything that threatens Satan. In basketball you don’t guard the players that aren’t doing anything. They pose no threat to your goal of winning the game. Sometimes I suspect I am unguarded by Satan’s defense for a reason. I choose the bench of comfort instead of the arena of serving.

    Comfy Christianity is epidemic in America. We encounter a store that won’t say Merry Christmas and we think we are persecuted. God help us. We send checks instead of serving. But according to most giving research we don’t even do that very well.

    God has called me (and you) to give and to serve. In the Civil War the wealthy paid poor men to go “serve” for them. I remember having such disdain when I read that bit of history. But don’t I do the same thing in my Christian journey? I feel really good if I pay a missionary to go reach the world with the message of Jesus. I feel like I am godly if I give to the church so the “professionals” can do ministry. But God is asking me to do both. Give and serve. Maybe not to be a missionary but certainly to reach out to my neighbor and my community. I was not created to live in a safe bunker of climate controlled Christianity. Jesus is not safe. Following Him will take you out of the comfort zone and into the messy world of ministry. How did the early church explode against all odds? Author Ken Curtis makes these points in an excellent article on the early church history.

    After the Apostle Paul, we do not run across many “big names” as missionaries in the first few hundred years of Christian history. Instead the faith spread through a multitude of humble, ordinary believers whose names have been long forgotten. Early Christianity was primarily an urban faith, establishing itself in the city centers of the Roman Empire. Most of the people lived close together in crowded tenements. There were few secrets in such a setting. The faith spread as neighbors saw the lives of the believers close-up, on a daily basis.

    It is too often a tragic occurrence that careful observation of modern Christians on a close-up, daily basis is a reason to turn away from faith, not toward it. The article goes on…

    And what kind of lives did they lead? Justin Martyr, a noted early Christian theologian, wrote to Emperor Antoninus Pius and described the believers: “We formerly rejoiced in uncleanness of life, but now love only chastity; before we used the magic arts, but now dedicate ourselves to the true and unbegotten God; before we loved money and possessions more than anything, but now we share what we have and to everyone who is in need; before we hated one another and killed one another and would not eat with those of another race, but now since the manifestation of Christ, we have come to a common life and pray for our enemies and try to win over those who hate us without just cause.” In another place Justin points out how those opposed to Christianity were sometimes won over as they saw the consistency in the lives of believers, noting their extraordinary forbearance when cheated and their honesty in business dealings.

    Perhaps the main reason the early church exploded is contained in the lyric of a simple song we used to sing while we were on staff with the organization formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ.

    They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love.
    They will know we are Christians by our love.

    Will they? Those exposed to the early church knew the people called Christians were different. Very different. And good different. The article continues.

    Christians became known as those who cared for the sick. Many were known for the healings that resulted from their prayers. Christians also started the first “Meals on Wheels.” By the year 250, they were feeding more than 1500 of the hungry and destitute in Rome every day.

    When Emperor Julian (“the Apostate”) wanted to revive pagan religion in the mid-300s, he gave a most helpful insight into how the church spread. This opponent of the faith said that Christianity “has been specially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers and through their care of the burial of the dead. It is a scandal that there is not a single Jew who is a beggar and that the [Christians] care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those who belong to us look in vain for the help we should render them.”

    Oh that we could adopt a “scandalous” faith that would not overlook a beggar or turn away from those who need care. Those who labor in love serving the AID’s victims in Africa are following that tradition. Is it a surprise that Christianity is growing so rapidly in Africa? God bless you. The brave followers of Jesus who carry the gospel to countries where persecution is real are following the example of the early church. God protect you.

    For the rest of us the questions are uncomfortable. Are we willing to leave the climate controlled Christianity that is so comfy and go outside where it is risky and dangerous? Scripture makes our calling pretty clear.

    Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18 ESV)

    So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, …
    (Philippians 2:1-4:23 ESV)

    Followers of Jesus are called to be servants. Do we dare trust Him enough to take the chance? Give me Your eyes to see Your grace, Your love and Your heart for this world. And the courage and faith to act as I lean fully on Your grace.

  • My Generation

    (From theFish.com)

    A classic rock anthem from my youth was part of the iPod rotation today. “My Generation” was our defiant statement that we wanted nothing to do with the older folks who we believed to be clueless. The song reminded me of an interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal detailing how the younger generation places less value on the advice of their elders. That cultural trend has carried over into business, politics and the church. Serves us baby boomers right since we were the generation of don’t trust anyone over thirty. We rocked with The Who and sang these lyrics about how stupid my parent’s generation had been.

    Things they do look awful cold (Talkin’ ’bout my generation)
    I hope I die before I get old (Talkin’ ’bout my generation)

    Sadly, like every generation since the Garden we did, in fact, get old. Writer Jeffrey Zaslow believes the advice gap between current generations is even wider today.

    Older people have always offered advice to younger people, with words of wisdom culled from their memories of youth. And, of course, in every era, young people have found advice from elders to be outdated and ineffectual. These days, however, given how fast the world is changing, there’s been a clear widening of the advice gap.

    It’s rooted in a devaluation of accumulated wisdom, a leveling of the relationships between old and young. On many fronts, people from Generation Y—now ages 16 to 32—assume their peers know best. They doubt those of us who are older can truly understand their needs and concerns.

    Zaslow reminds us geezers and geezerettes not to get our feelings hurt.

    “As for those of us who are older, we should resist feeling offended if young people shrug off our advice.”

    I am not offended at all if you youngins think advice from my generation is outdated and ineffectual. We were right there with you just a few decades back.

    Why don’t you all fade away (Talkin’ ’bout my generation)
    And don’t try to dig what we all say (Talkin’ ’bout my generation)

    I’m not trying to cause a big sensation (Talkin’ ’bout my generation)
    I’m just talkin’ ’bout my generation (Talkin’ ’bout my generation)

    I have read Ecclesiastes so I know there really is nothing new under the sun. Technology and culture change but human nature remains sadly consistent. So I don’t care if you don’t seek my advice on clothes, cars and jobs. In fact, I encourage you not to. No worries if you could care less what I believe about politics or investments. Paul had some words to Titus about how we older folks could and actually should influence younger men and women. By living grace filled lives dependent on Christ.

    Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives.

    But mostly, show them all this by doing it yourself, incorruptible in your teaching, your words solid and sane. Then anyone who is dead set against us, when he finds nothing weird or misguided, might eventually come around. (Titus 2, The Message)

    So if we follow Paul’s advice the onus falls on us (and me) to demonstrate and model the truths of God’s Word. If we demonstrate dignity, wisdom, healthy faith, love and endurance then the young men and women might be inclined to listen now and then.

    And if they happen to ask my advice would be pretty simple.

    • Your identity is not your job. Your job is the way you pay bills. Your identity is in Christ. You are a saint because you have been declared righteous as a gift of grace. Remind yourself of that every day.
    • Living out of faith pleases God. Your actions don’t gain any favor with Him apart from faith.
    • Love your spouse. There is no better testimony in this culture.
    • Love your family and show it by making time for them. I have to confess that this advice comes out of some regret.
    • Treasure your friends. They are the ones who provide community to live out this journey and that is how God designed it to work.
    • Live in the moment. Satan loves to have us regretting the past or fearing the future. God desires to be with us in the moment.
    • Model grace and truth. That balance will gain an audience with all ages.

    So I am resigned to not being the guru for Generation Y. My advice may not be in great demand. But if my teaching is incorruptible and my words solid and sane (tall order) then God can use even an old fossil like me. I am trusting Him for the strength and grace to live out these truths knowing that God will do the rest. I am confident that living out these truths in grace is never outdated and never ineffectual.

  • Don’t Know Much About….

    Some of the theologians I encountered did not seem like anyone I would actually want to be around on purpose. I made the crack that some theologians were to joy in Christ what nutritionists were to enjoying cheesecake. They both took something full of delight and made you feel mostly bad about it.

    Yet something is changing in my life. I am really seeing the need for a solid theological basis for what I believe.

    All of this came to mind when Sam Cooke’s classic Wonderful World popped up on the iPod. You know the one where Sam builds a strong case for academic slacking actually being a strength.

    Don’t know much about history
    Don’t know much biology
    Don’t know much about a science book
    Don’t know much about the french I took

    But I do know that I love you
    And I know that if you love me too
    What a wonderful world this would be

    I wrote an ode (cross off “Bucket List” Item Number 87 –  Write Ode) using that classic tune to describe our lack of theological depth. This classic appears in the new version of When Bad Christians Happen to Good People.

    For the music director. A psalm of parody sung to Sam Cooke’s Wonderful World. All rise.

    Don’t know much about theology,
    Don’t know much Christology.
    Don’t know much about Leviticus,
    Don’t know why they had the Exodus.
    But I do know that God loves you,
    And I’m trying hard to be good too.
    What a wonderful faith this would be.

    Well, I don’t claim to be a good Christian,
    But I’m trying to be.
    For maybe by bein’ a good person, brother,
    I can gain eternity.

    (Everyone now…)

    Don’t know much about the Pharisees,
    Can’t explain the Trinity.
    Don’t know much ecclesiology
    Don’t know what a good tithe should be.
    But I think that God forgives my quirks,
    And I figure if I do good works,
    What a wonderful faith this would be.

    Humorous? I hope so. But the problem is not so funny. What do we believe? And why? I think one of the fundamental problems in many churches is that we do not effectively connect the theological dots. That is why the book Truefaced and the Truefaced Romans CD series has had such a profound impact in my life. The authors (and speakers) connect the dots of justification, imputed righteousness, propitiation, identity in Christ, sanctification and other assorted church words. Remember the connect the dots books you had as a kid? When you connect the theological dots the picture revealed is Jesus.

    Now I find myself neck deep in theology. Trying to learn more to be able to make a defense of the Gospel of Jesus. I want to understand church history and doctrine. I want to understand grace and more importantly I want to live it. I have a long, long, long way to go but someday I hope that the scouting report on me will reflect the summary of Jesus written in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Jesus was beautifully described as being “full of grace and truth”. That would be a dramatic shift from what I have been described as being full of at other points in my journey.  I am excited about continuing to refine my theological base but I want to always be mindful that truth preached without grace is not received nearly as well as the reverse approach. Connect the dots. The picture is beautiful.