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Today is my lucky day! I am reluctant to share this information with you because all of you will be hitting me up for loans, gifts, donations, etc. Today my cyber mailbox is offering me untold riches. My only decision is whether I should accept the offer from Mrs. Bernice Dos Santos, Dr. Philip Mensah, or Mr. Ming Yang. Maybe I will just be greedy and accept all three. Let’s compare the offers on this amazing day! My comments are italicized. First up is Bernice.

 

I am Mrs. Bernice Dos Santos a citizen Angola. I am 45 years old with two children. Presently residing in South Africa because of the political crisis in my
Country. I got your contact in strict confidence through South Africa Chamber of Commerce. (Good. I have always asked the South Africa Chamber of Commerce to be careful with my contact info. Good job, guys!)

I would Honestly want to seek for an immediate assistance from you, I Have $15 Million US dollars belonging to my late husband Mr. Desmond Dos Santos. Who was held bondage by the Rebels during the crisis and was letter killed. (letter killed?) I ran to South Africa refugee Camp when I Discovered danger to my life and that of my two children until the death of my beloved husband. He packed the above mentioned Amount in a METAL TRUNK BOX and deposited it with A SECURITY COMPANY in South Africa for safe keeping.

I am glad the money was safely stored in a METAL TRUNK BOX but how does that relate to little old me?

As it is, I have the intention of investing the money oversees and However needed a Foreigner who is capable of giving adequate assistance to me by the way of clearing the money from the SECURITY COMPANY and Thereafter forwarding it to your Account for investments.

Oh I get it. You need a random Foreigner supplied by the always cautious South Africa Chamber of Commerce to contact the SECURITY COMPANY. But what is in it for me?

I have nice percentage of the money for you. (I need a number, Bernice. I have other suitors today) If Necessary, Please do Feel free to ask me questions on this as I wait for your reply soonest.
Mrs. Bernice Dos Santos

 

Sorry Bernice. I have to tell you that I loved the fractured syntax and the use of ALL CAPS but you aren’t the only one who needs me desperately. Before I can reply soonest you need to take a number and I will get back to you. I feel like the commercial where the bankers are lined up outside the door clamoring to meet with me. Next offer please…

 

Dear Friend,  

I am contacting you from Abu Dhabi the capital of United Arab Emirates and I will be here for a while to attend a seminar which will last for a couple of days. I am Dr. Philip Mensah and I am a director with the Ministry of Local government and rural development back in Ghana. I must have ordered way too many magazines to be on every contact list in the world.

I am contacting you to solicit for your assistance in the transfer of us $35, 500,000.00 which we noticed that has been laying waste in the ministry since 2003. We know how to lay waste to large sums of money in our government too. That paltry 15 million in the METAL BOX may not be so inviting now Bernice. My man is talking some serious bucks.  Whacha’ got for me Doc?

Dear, (easy, we just met) we are only presenting you as a legal contractor with our ministry who is yet to be paid and we will apply for all the relevant documents of the said contract and then release into your nominated bank account(s) the said amount. Uhhhh…sure.

It is simple as we know the procedures over there. I’ll bet you do. All we need is your cooperation in the transaction and we will do the smooth transfer of the funds. Worthy to note here is that we have taking all the precautionary measures and as long as you are going to work under our instructions, there will not be any hitch. Suddenly I feel like I am in a bad movie…”Do what I say and no one gets hurt.”

We have decided to compensate your much needed assistance with 25% of the total sum while 5% will be to reimburse all expenses and 70% will be for us here. Now we are talking. No matter what position you are going to take in this proposal, be informed that we are still in service and there will be the need for you to keep this transaction to yourself.  No worries. No one reads these silly ramblings of mine. Your secret is safe here Doc.

I will be looking forward to your urgent response to this effect as I will be supplying you with all the relevant details of the transaction as soon as I hear from you.

Go read an old magazine in the waiting room…I have to see what Mr. Yang is offering first. 

Let me start by introducing myself. I am Mr. Ming Yang director of operations of the Hang Seng Bank Ltd. I have an obscured business suggestion for you. Excellent. Exactly what is an obscured business suggestion?

Before the U.S and Iraqi war our client Gen. Aadel Akgaal Bastaan who was with the Iraqi forces and also businessman made a numbered fixed deposit for 18 calendar months, with a value of Twenty Four million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars only in my branch. Upon maturity several notices was sent to him, even during the war which began in 2003. Again after the war another notification was sent and still no response came from him. We later find out that the General along with his wife and only daughter had been killed during the war in a bomb blast that hit their home. After further investigation it was also discovered that Gen. Aadel Akgaal Bastaan did not declare any next of kin in his official papers including the paper work of his bank deposit. And he also confided in me the last time he was at my office that no one except me knew of his deposit in my bank. So, Twenty Four million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars is still lying in my bank and no one will know of it. What bothers me most is that according to the laws of my country at the expiration of 3 years and 6 months the funds will revert to the ownership of the Hong Kong Government if nobody applies to claim the funds. Against this backdrop, my suggestion to you is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin to Gen. Aadel Akgaal Bastaan so that you will be able to receive his funds. 

That makes sense to me. Dave Burchett, the long lost Texas nephew of Aadel Akgaal Bastaan. Should be an easy sell. All they need is for me to send personal information to the attorney and it will all be “taken care of” with no risk to me. 

Please endeavor to observe utmost discretion in all matters concerning this issue. No problem. That is how Uncle Aadel would have wanted it. Should you be interested please send me your full names, private phone/fax and current residential address and finally after that i shall provide you with more details of this operation. Right. I will get right on that. 

How could I have been so lucky to have three offers just today totalling millions of dollars? And how could these crooks believe that anyone is gullible enough to believe any of this? These computer generated emails are laughable but apparently they find a random sucker now and then who actually believes the South Africa Chamber of Commerce selected them out of 4 billion people on the planet. Pick me! Pick me!

The bigger issue here is the danger of internet phishing to unwary users.  If phishing is a new term to you Dictionary.com defines it as…

A method of identity theft carried out through the creation of a website that seems to represent a legitimate company. The visitors to the site, thinking they are buying something from a real business, submit their personal information to the site. The criminals then use the personal information for their own purposes, or sell the information to other criminal parties.

I have to admit that I was unnerved when I first was targeted by phishers. I received a very official looking email that one of my internet accounts had been canceled because of attempted access by unauthorized users. This happened to be a Paypal account. I clicked on the link in that email. The website used the correct logo, had the same layout as the real one, and seemed legit. But something smelled fishy (pun intended) about the appeal. I went to my real account and it was very open. No transactions had been attempted. I had been phished. I am writing about this because many Christians tend to be a little too trusting and often naive about such tactics. Be wary. Be wise. And be discerning. Contact the company through your normal connections if you are not sure. 

Back to my windfall. What have I decided to do with my various offers of wealth? I think I will pass. My wealth is elsewhere. And the words of 1 Timothy trump my “friends” who desire to make me rich. 

Yet true religion with contentment is great wealth. After all, we didn’t bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

But you, Timothy, belong to God; so run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for what we believe…Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.  1 Tim 6  NLT

So with all due respect to Bernice, Doc, and Ming I have decided to be content with what God provides. Go phishing in another pond.

P.S. Another edition of “Ask a Bad Christian” will be arriving soon. If you have a question hit the email link and ask away.

 

 

 

Therapy has always been a word that generates a good response. Massage therapy and aromatherapy have a nice, relaxing connotation. But I am retiring therapy from my lexicon of positive words after experiencing a round of chemotherapy this past weekend with my wife. Joni and I embarked on the first mile of our marathon stagger to survival. It is hardly a race.

Cancer, we are learning,  is a lot of hanging around hospitals, doctors, and nurses. The old cliche of “hurry up and wait” is the motto for anyone going through the monotony of long term treatment. When Joni was diagnosed with breast cancer in March the reality of that ugly word hit hard. But the reality of the reality settled over us Friday as I watched toxic chemicals drip, drip, drip into my beloved’s bloodstream. An Oklahoma newspaper recently ran a story on the weird logic of using poison for good.

“You’re putting poison into the system to kill those bad cells,” said Andrea Mosteller, a registered nurse who works in the Muskogee Regional Cancer Center. “It takes something that strong to do it.” Chemotherapy, Dr. Ravikumar Vasireddy explains, is a chemical that kills “fast-growing things,” terming it “cytotoxic,” or poisonous to cells. Cancer cells grow rapidly, making chemotherapy an ideal treatment for some types of cancer.

Some people claim to have no faith but you have to have a lot of faith in your doctors to allow them to hook up chemicals that are intended to kill cells, and those drugs can’t discriminate between good and bad cells. If the cell is fast growing it is their mission to hunt down and kill it. So the cells of the hair follicles are casualties alongside, prayerfully, the cancer cells. One of the first chemotherapy drugs was actually a derivative of the fearsome mustard gas used during World War I. Another drug Joni is taking is also used in rat poison. The drug is a both a rodenticide and a medical treatment. Not exactly a Certs commercial…”its a breath mint and a candy mint.” 

I sat at the side of my bride of almost thirty years and watched toxins drip into her bloodstream. These drugs can kill you or cure you. Joni would likely tell you after round one that the cure feels like it is killing you at times. I watched the drip of these toxins that we have chosen to allow with the belief that they will kill any dangerous, fast growing cancer cells before they can wreak havoc elsewhere in her body.

I couldn’t help but think how we Christians too often allow the toxins of sin to drip into our spirit and poison our joy, our relationships, and our influence for the Lord. The late author Lewis Smedes wrote powerfully about forgiveness. He often spoke of how only forgiveness can “release us from the grip of our history.” We cannot change an abusive upbringing. We cannot alter dysfunctional theological training that denied grace. We cannot simply deny the hurts that have been visited upon us and be spiritually free. Only forgiveness can release us from the grip of these real and historical events.”

So everytime you choose not to forgive just picture that drip, drip, drip of spiritual poison coarsing through your spiritual veins. Everytime you choose bitterness over joy listen for the quiet drip, drip, drip of toxicity racing to your heart.

We did not choose cancer. But we have chosen to accept that God is in control and He will somehow use our journey through this valley for His glory. We have chosen to trust the doctors who drip toxins into the body of my wife. I hope that you will not choose to let the toxins of bitterness, lack of forgiveness, pride, jealousy, and lust drip into your soul. Paul recognized the effect that these toxins have on our walk with Jesus.

And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who 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 malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.  Eph 4  NLT

 The poison of  bitterness, rage, harsh words, and slander target the growing cells of the fruit of the Spirit. You can choose to cut off those toxins before they do their ugly work. And I pray that you will.

 

 

Just when I think they cannot come up with another ridiculous idea for a reality show they come up with another ridiculous idea for a reality show. I did a little research and found over 100 shows that could be called “reality” tv. There is actually a show called Reality Wrap-up on VH1 that summarizes all of the intellectual genius of these shows so that you don’t have to watch. What a blessing that is! For example, what if you missed the latest round of Date Plate, the show that pits two culinary Casanovas in a competition to win the stomach and heart of a beautiful bachelorette? The Food Network describes the riveting drama of this show.

They work within a budget — and against a clock — each cooking a special meal for a woman they’ve never met. The most delicious part is that the bachelors can see and learn about the bachelorette through a video greeting card, while she knows nothing about the men trying to woo her — except for their cooking skills of course! She chooses her Romeo based solely on the meal he makes for her — a truly tasty twist on dating television.

Okay, I confess. I won the heart of the stunning Mrs. Burchett with a lovely presentation of my reknowned dish that I dubbed “aide d’hamburger.” Less sophisticated gastronomes might call it Hamburger Helper but you wouldn’t get a girl like I did.

You likely know many of the reality shows. American Idol is the gold standard. Others are familiar such as The Amazing Race, The Biggest Loser, The Apprentice, Survivor, et al. But you might have missed a couple. Have you seen the latest episode, for example, of Filthy Rich Cattle Drive? The premise is that spoiled rich kids are thrown into a City Slickers like experience. Here is, honest to goodness, a real description of the first episode that aired on the E! network.

The adventure begins. The group, after arriving via private jet, is escorted to a pair of pickup trucks. After being divided into a Red Team and a Black Team, the gang engages in hot-rock massages, horse wrangling and cow-rectum checking. Don’t miss this one!

I have never been more grateful to report anything in my life as I am to let you know that I missed that episode and the next seven as well. The primary reason I passed on celebrity cowboy wannabes arriving by private jet and having uncomfortable bovine interaction is contained in the subtitle of the show. Filthy Rich Cattle Drive – Cows don’t care who your Daddy is!”  Bottom line – neither do I.

Spiritual themes are now working their way into the mix as well. The premise of God or the Girl revolves around four men who, for reasons known only to them, allow A&E to record their decision about joining the priesthood. The press release describes the show.

They’re bright, All-American guys with ambition to spare, hilarious friends and family, even girls they might want to marry. But beneath the surface, they are in turmoil trying to decide whether they’re being called in an entirely different direction. GOD OR THE GIRL captures the tension, terror, and triumph of Joe, Mike, Steve, and Dan, four 20-something men at the most important crossroads of their lives, as, over the course of this series, they decide whether or not to enroll in the seminary and become Roman Catholic priests, or to find the love of a woman and settle down with a family.

Excuse me. The terror of deciding between the priesthood and a family? That must be a either a very rough parish and/or a very mean girlfriend.

The irony of reality tv is the lack of reality. Reality is not found on shows like these. Reality is found in everyday life. I would love to see Christians (present company included) become totally committed to reality living for Christ. The sad truth is that most of us are not doing a really good job of living out the challenge from the gospel of Luke. The parable talks about servants being ready for the master to return. If they do not do what is expected they will be punished because they had been given much responsibility.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

The practical reality is that we (Christians in America) have been given so much compared to most of the world. I fear that we are falling far short of what can even reasonably be asked. Ron Sider (author of Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience) is a guy that I would rather avoid because he makes me uncomfortable with that darn truth thing. He was quoted about our cultural materalism in Christianity Today.

Materialism continues to be an incredible scandal. The average church member [from across the denominations] today gives about 2.6 percent of his or her income—a quarter of a tithe—to the church. Evangelicals used to be quite a lot better [in giving] than mainline denominations. But their giving has declined every year for several decades, and they’re now getting very close to the norm. The average evangelical giving is about 4.2 percent—about two-fifths of a tithe.

Six percent of the “born-again” people tithe; nine percent of evangelicals do. Our income has gone up fabulously over the last 30-plus years. The average household income now in the U.S. is $42,000-plus. If the average American Christian tithed, we’d have another $143 billion.

Imagine what organizations like World Vision or Samaritan’s Purse and countless others could do with 143 billion dollars! Imagine how that could impact the reality of suffering souls in Darfur. Katrina victims that are still displaced. Children that need medicine and food and hope. Single Moms struggling to make families work. Orphans of the Aids epidemic in Africa. And millions of souls living in hopelessness and darkness that could use a little love and a lot of light in their lives.

The reality is that you and I would scarcely miss that new car, outfit, or whatever material thing we somehow believe we simply must have this week. There will be an accounting some day. And that is reality.

 

Regular readers of these humble ramblings know one thing for sure. My brain is not wired according to factory specs. So it was no surprise to me that some synapses randomly crossed and I couldn’t get a gospel song out of my mind that I had not heard in, oh, forty years. That is the curse of a mind that can’t remember a security ATM pin number but knows every word to the Mr. Ed theme song.

I suppose the trigger for digging this gospel tune out of my musty brain storage unit was thinking about the journey that Joni and I begin in earnest this Friday. Somehow that brought to mind a gospel song that was a favorite in my house growing up. I had a rather unusual spiritual environment as a youngster. My parents were not regular church goers but they loved southern gospel music. We would go to concerts in the big city of Columbus, Ohio featuring groups like the Blackwood Brothers, the Stamps, the Speer Family, the Happy Goodmans, and others. I had forgotten that little slice of family history until this song perniciously implanted in my brain. The song was called “I wouldn’t take nothin’ for my journey now” and I can still remember the lyrics.

Well, I started out travelin’ for the Lord many years ago,
I’ve had a lot of heartache, I’ve met a lot of grief and woe.
But when I would stumble, then I would humble down,
And there I would say I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now.

Well, I wouldn’t take nothin’ for my journey now,
Gotta make it to heaven somehow,
Though the Devil tempt me & he tries to turn me around,
He’s offered everything that’s got a name,
All the wealth I want & the worldly fame,
If I could, still I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now.

There’s nothing in the world that’ll ever take the place of God’s love.
Silver & gold couldn’t buy a mighty touch from above.
When my soul needs healin’ I begin to feelin’ His power,
I can say thank the Lord, I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now.

If I could, still I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now

I write this one day before Joni begins chemotherapy for her breast cancer. We have talked about the journey ahead. We know it will be difficult. When we first found out about her cancer I quoted John Piper’s article called “Don’t Waste Your Cancer”. Here is an excerpt from that blog.

“It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate.”

We believe there is a reason for this journey we are on. We are praying that He will be glorified through this process. I would be less than honest if I said there is never a time when I wish the journey was easier or could be altered. I would have chosen to pass on the heartache, grief, and woe the song writer described above. There was a time when the wealth and fame were at the top rungs of my ladder of desire. But those heartaches, the grief, and the realization about what matters have molded me into who I am today. My journey toward being more like Jesus has a long way to go. Joni and I are ready for the next part of our journey together. We are, to be honest, a little frightened as we prepare to battle the giant. But we are steadfast in one thing. We wouldn’t take nothin’ for our journey now. We are going to make it somehow. And that somehow will involve the love of His people and a mighty touch from above…

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.Matt 11  NLT 

 

A local church is doing an interesting sermon series involving what Jesus would say to various celebrities. The signboard asks the question, What would Jesus say to….

Paris Hilton.
Bono.
Tom Cruise.
Terrell Owens.

I wondered what I would say to each of those famous or infamous people. In my fantasy world I would say something like this…

Paris Hilton – Look up the definition of shame.
Terrell Owens – It is your job to catch passes. Just do your job. I don’t dance in the middle of the room when I do my job well (thank God).
Tom Cruise – You might want to rethink the medication thing.
Bono – You rock.

In the real world I would likely not say any of those things except maybe the “you rock” to Bono. But I was wondering if what Jesus would say to a celebrity is the right question to ask. I am pretty good at figuring out what Jesus would say to others. I have an amazing ability to hear a sermon and wonder if Congregant A is hearing this? Or to shake my head and think, “Man does Congregant B need to hear that!”

But the question I need to be asking is what Jesus would say to Dave. That is where I get less comfortable and a bit more reserved. My fantasy conversation with Jesus happens (surprise) at Starbucks. The first question would be be WWJO. What would Jesus order? After we answered that I imagined the conversation would go something like this…

Jesus: I have missed spending time with you recently.
Dave: I have been really busy with work and traveling.
Jesus: I understand. But you know the shepherd knows when his sheep wander off for awhile. 
Dave: Yeah. Sorry.
Jesus: I was glad you came to me with your fear and hurt about Joni’s cancer.
Dave: I don’t know how I could have handled that without you.
Jesus: I am there for you. I am there even when there is not a crisis.
Dave: I know. I forget that sometimes. I get so busy with stupid stuff that I forget to pray and spend time in the Bible.
Jesus: I was just wondering something.
Dave: What?
Jesus: Did you find time to spend with your fantasy baseball team roster today?
Dave: Do you need a refill?
Jesus: Nice try. You make time for what is important to you. I want to be as important to you as you are to me.
Dave: Why do you put up with me?
Jesus: Because I love you. And I always will.

So maybe my imaginary conversation with Jesus would not go quite like that. I think that conversation would change how I go about my daily routines. I believe that conversation would alter how I view others. And I believe my talk with Jesus would energize my walk with Him.

So the next question is simple. Why isn’t that already happening on a consistent basis? I have His words and teachings to study. I have the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I have other followers of Jesus to share the journey with each day.

So what would Jesus say to me? I think He would say something very simple and yet profound enough to challenge me for the rest of my days. Here is a little medley of the message I think He would have for me (and you).

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”  Matt 4:19

 But Jesus told him, “Follow me….   Matt 8:22

 “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Matt 9:9

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  Matt 16:24

Then come, follow me.”   Matt 19:21

Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”   John 1:43

 Whoever serves me must follow me;   John 12:26

 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”   John 21:22

In the immortal words of Forrest Gump…”I’m not a smart man”. But like Forrest I have a keen sense of the obvious. I have surmised (brilliantly) that Jesus would say to follow Him. The rest of it we will figure out together.

 

 

 

 

 

It seems the number one rule of our enlightened culture is to not offend anyone. The corollary to that rule is to not clearly communicate whenever humanly possible.  John Leo wrote a great piece at Townhall.com about the avalanche of euphemisms that are overtaking actual communication. In this world a plane crash becomes, to the airlines, a “Hull loss.”  

New Orleans police rejected the term “looting” after Katrina, but they conceded “the possibility of appropriation of non-essential items from businesses.” I don’t think too many cared if water, baby food, clothing, and groceries were taken for desperate families. DVD players and HDTV’s are another issue. Exhibit A is survival…exhibit B is looting.  

Our educational system is a leader in the growing field of doublespeak. Self-esteem has become the Holy Grail of many education leaders. Leo’s column cited such gems as…

A number of schools have eliminated “F” as a mark, and “suboptimal outcome” means failure. 

How much better would I have felt about myself in high school if I had just realized my bombing of Calculus was merely a “suboptimal outcome’?  

In Britain members of the Professional Association of Teachers suggested that schools drop the word fail. The teachers wanted to use “deferred success”. 

This will be invaluable to me in future communication with the lovely Mrs.Burchett.  

“Dave, did you clean out the garage?”

“Honey, I am anticipating success on a deferred schedule.”

“Where did you hide the BS flag?” 

In this not so brave new world “mandatory discontinued attendance” (suspension) and “post instructional behavioral adjustment period” (detention) are in actual usage.  
 
I experienced “non-voluntary aerobic training” (running laps) for a little basketball disciplinary issue in high school as well.  

In Britain, the Church of England suggests that the words “living in sin” should be banished and replaced by a “covenanted relationship.”  
 
Actually I also disdain the term “living in sin” for couples who are not married. Why? Because I am am capable of sin every single day of my life. We can have a discussion about the biblical perspective for a healthy relationship with couples who are living together. But the reality of my life is best expressed by Paul in this letter to Timothy. 

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.  I Timothy 1  NIV 

I recently wrote a post called Your Rules, My Rules.  

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.  

Perhaps you are experiencing a bit of “deferred success” in your Christian journey. Maybe some of your relationships with other Christians are having a “suboptimal outcome” at this point in time. May I encourage you to have the courage to call a spade a spade and not an agricultural soil displacement implement. Sin is sin. And there is an answer to that in 1 John, chapter 4. 

God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins

G.K.Chesterton once responded to a series of articles on ‘What’s Wrong with the World’ with this pithy little comment. 

“Dear Sir: Regarding your article ‘What’s Wrong with the World?’  
 
I am.  
 
Yours truly, G. K. Chesterton.” 

So you feel like your actions don’t matter? Polish writer Stanislaw Jerzy once stated that “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.” I am accountable for my actions and how I represent Christ everyday. Don’t allow the temptation of clever euphemisms to disguise truth.  

Earlier this month I received the most meaningful birthday present of my life. When you get to be my age birthdays are kind of like unspoken prayer requests. You are aware they are there but you don’t want to make them public.  

But my family still insists on acknowledging the march of time on my birthday. So the morning of April 6^th dawned and my wife gave me a lovely card. And then she presented her gift. 

She gave me a rock. She handed it to me, smart alecks. It was not delivered up side of the head. I have to admit that I looked a bit quizzically at the gift. I looked at her and tried to think of the right thing to say.  

“Hey, it is just the color I was looking for! And what a cool shape. Thanks!” 

But my wife spared me by asking the logical question. “Do you know why I am giving you a rock?”

“Tell me.” I replied gratefully.

“Because you have been my rock through all of this.” 

Suddenly that stone took on the value of a Tiffany diamond to me. Joni’s reference to “all of this” was her diagnosis with breast cancer and our mutual efforts to confront that from a spiritual, emotional, and medical point of view. I have written about her cancer earlier. But to be honest I haven’t felt like a rock. The fact that she felt that way was an enormously touching to me. 

I guess I had always thought about a “rock” being like the lyrics from the Simon and Garfunkel song… 

I am shielded in my armor,
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
I touch no one and no one touches me.

I am a rock,
I am an island. 

And a rock feels no pain;
And an island never cries. 

I would guess that many men have been raised in that model. But any man or woman who is truly a “rock” through adversity does feel pain and they openly acknowledge that pain. And they certainly cry. How could I not cry about what my partner and best friend faces in the months ahead? So many people make the comment that they could not handle what Joni and I are experiencing as well as we are handling it. I disagree. I disagree because we said exactly the same thing in the past as we watched others endure adversity with strength and grace. There is one gigantic key to being a rock in a storm. That key is found in the gospel of Matthew. 

Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse, because it is built on rock. But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” After Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were amazed at his teaching… 

If I have displayed any characteristics of value in this trial it is because we decided as a couple to build on the solid rock of God’s Word. We did not know this storm was coming. We did not have time to board up the windows or reinforce the foundation. We had to have our foundation already built on the rock. And it has not collapsed.  

I value my birthday gift. But I feel like I should regift it to my amazing wife. And then we should both place it on the altar to honor the real “Rock” in this journey…Jesus.