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I try to stay away from politics in my humble ramblings. I learned my lesson about trying to make a spiritual point with a political example in my first book. Nothing causes people to take the grace card off the table quicker than being on the wrong side of their political views. So I proceed with great humility in this post. I know the White House has a lot on their plate. I know that there is a lot to track every day. But doesn’t someone have a TV Guide at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Of all the the shows they could have preempted why did they have to preempt A Charlie Brown Christmas? I would be happy to give them a list of shows that would benefit the culture by preempting them. But no one asked.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of my annual delights. The message of Christmas and the meaning of Christmas is powerfully portrayed in this classic show. In many ways Christmas has become an economic and not a religious holiday. There are so many icons like Santa Claus and Rudolph and the Grinch that are not at all related to the religious aspect of the holiday. The annual battles over nativity scenes are likely cranking up.

One of the most powerful reminders of the message of Christmas came from the genius of the late Charles Schultz in A Charlie Brown Christmas. One simple and elegant scene captures it all for me. Charlie Brown has failed miserably in his attempt to find the true meaning of Christmas. But then Linus recites the following passage from the King James version of the Bible.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

And then Linus says to Charlie Brown, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” That is what I believe Christmas is all about. So despite my tongue-in-cheek dismay with the White House schedule makers I choose to take the message received by the shepherds to heart today. You are forgiven Mr.Schedule the Speech Guy. There is a timeless message that no one can preempt.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

I am still a fan of the daily comics in my local newspaper. I might skip the editorial page but I rarely miss my daily dose of  the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. Since my brain was not wired according to factory specs I am fascinated by others that have odd wiring. Stephen Pastis is the genius behind this strip and he has created some great characters. At first glance the strip inhabitants don’t seem all that creative. There is a rat named Rat, a pig named Pig and a goat named Goat. Not a lot of anguish went into the naming phase. But the traits of the characters make for an entertaining and even insightful look into our own blemishes. Pig is the naive and innocent character. Goat is the thoughtful moral compass and Rat is the self-centered rodent that his species implies.

A recent strip brought back memories of an early marital crisis.

 

 Copyright Comics.com

I strive to be transparent and honest in these humble ramblings. You see, I was a member of that dangerous sect.  I was raised in a flap under home. Yes, I was (deep breath) an “underer”.  Joni was a flap over person. We came into marriage needing to resolve this conflict. Joni converted me lovingly and patiently to the flap over camp. Now I am committed (not as much as Rat) to this better way of life. Little marital adjustments like this are humorous (hopefully) and not important. But I have seen marriages and relationships falter on issues almost that meaningless.

Tragically the same thing happens in the church. We laugh uncomfortably about the church that splits over carpet color or music styles. Too often we focus on issues that may be important but they are not the most important. It is much easier to be right than righteous. If the other person disagrees we flail them with our disapproval and label them as a dangerous sect. I am not talking about heretical theology. I am talking about issues in which thoughtful and sincere followers of Jesus disagree. I have written that Christian math teaches multiplication and addition but we seem to understand division most easily. It is heartbreaking.

In a room of grace we would accept and stand beside someone we disagree with. I know that I have changed my views because of the loving influence and example of others. All of us are in process and it is in God’s timing, not mine. Incredibly God doesn’t seem to feel pressured by my sense of urgency.

I remember listening with amazement as a person questioned the faith of another because they used some tobacco product. Defiling the temple was the accusation. The accuser was extremely overweight. No temple abuse there? I abuse my “temple” by pouring ridiculous amounts of coffee into it every day. Conviction or ulcers may change that behavior someday. Judgment and criticism will not.

Do we understand what it means to be unified? Paul gave a pretty good blueprint in this letter to the Colossians.

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.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Colossians 3, NLT)

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 best athlete or most brilliant teacher has shortcomings. So will the pastor, elder, ministry leader, and children’s worker. All of us are in process as we mature into what God says is true about us. Winning sports teams understand a simple fact. 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 reflects that truth.

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 winning team understands that truth. Give me the wisdom and patience to trust your timing as you mature your followers. Give me the grace to love them even as we disagree because we are united in our love and gratitude to You. Help us to unite for the sake of the body of Christ.

 

I have been doing this church thing for a lot of years. I have sung hundreds of songs over the four decades or so that I have been darkening the church door. Some songs have great meaning to me. Some lyrics moved me to deep worship of God. Some times I really meant what I was singing. Other times I was singing through the motions while thinking about lunch and when the kick-off was going to happen. Gotta think that Satan loves the ADD brain.

One song that has always made me uncomfortable came up on the iPod today. The song was put to music by the legendary George Beverly Shea in 1932. The words were a poem written by Mrs.Rhea Miller in 1922. Shea recalled the moment.

At the age of twenty-three, I was living at home with my parents, continuing to work at Mutual Life Insurance and studying voice. Going to the piano one Sunday morning, I found a poem waiting for me there. I recognized my mother’s handwriting. She had copied the words of a poem by Mrs. Rhea F. Miller, knowing that I would read the beautiful message, which speaks of choice. As I read these precious words:

    I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause.
    I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause.

I found myself singing the words in a melody that expressed the feelings of my heart.”

Thanks to Mr.Shea I found myself going through a rather uncomfortable self-examination today.

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand.

What a timely verse for times like these. As I watch my worth dwindle daily can I really say that I would rather have Jesus than silver or gold? Maybe our economy will make that decision for me. Do I mean it when I sing that I’d rather be led by his nail pierced hand? Am I prepared to make Jesus more than an “activity” in my busy life? What would I have said if I was the young rich man described in Matthew? Here is the text from The Message.

Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”  Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”

 The man asked, “What in particular?”

 Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.” The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”

His response has always surprised me. I think I would have begged for mercy after that list. But the young man thought he was doing just fine. And then Jesus exposed his heart.

 “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”

That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.

I have held on tight to a lot of things. As I get older I wonder why..

 As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”

 The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”

 Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”

I can do that. I can trust God. I have no choice because I have a long and spectacular track record of not being able to live this journey on my own ability. The song continues.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame,
I’d rather be true to His holy name.

Given the sales of my books I am pretty safe from the world-wide fame snare. But I do crave men’s applause if I am not careful.

He’s all that my hungering spirit needs,
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead.

Perhaps the uncertainty in the world will cause all of us to evaluate our dependence on Christ. I hope that I will continue to grow in my desire to echo Paul and his words to the Phillipians.

“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

So can I sing the words of this classic hymn and mean it? I am getting closer as I learn (slowly) to put my full weight on the truths of identity in Christ and grace.

Today I was sitting at my nephew’s house in Southern Ohio when I heard a THUMP! Then another THUMP! Going to investigate I found that a beautiful Cardinal was sitting on a branch near the dining room window. I guess he saw his reflection because he would look at the window, take off and fly smack into it. THUMP! He did this over and over.

(Actual shot of “Thumper the Concussed Redbird”)

I remembered that I had a similar experience with a bird back in Texas so I was relieved that this is not just a Red State phenomenon. I thought I would revisit my comments on Avian behavior and how that relates to my personal journey. No, I have not yet seen my reflection in a mirror and attacked it. I would more likely move quickly away. I like to think I am smarter than that bird so I laugh and make fun of him for mindlessly hitting the same window time after time. Obviously he is not hurting himself too badly because he comes back every day for the morning concussion. Stupid bird.

But the sad parallel is that for years and years I would go out and imitate this poor creature with my own daily behaviors as a Christian.

Day after day I went out and slammed up against the same spiritual windows. Einstein was once quoted as saying that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” I am not quite willing to concede that I was insane. But the truth is that I did approach my spiritual life the same way everyday while somehow expecting different results. If I am hitting the same window over and over maybe it is time to change my approach. Scripture tells me that I should be producing fruit in my walk with Jesus.

If I am truly grafted into the True Vine I will be producing fruit. But I too often decide to THUMP against the window of my own desires and selfishness. I THUMP against the ridiculous theology that I can produce fruit with my own talents and disciplined strivings. Jesus said this in the Gospel of John.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.  (John 15, NIV)

Sometimes I make this so hard. I am asked to trust in Jesus daily because I can do nothing on my own. When I do that Jesus says I will produce fruit. Then the Father will give me whatever I ask in His name. Then He commanded me to love one another. That is not a “helpful suggestion“. That is a command. But that doesn’t fit my bird-brain plan.

My strategy is to ask for the Father to give me whatever I ask first and then I will get around to producing fruit. THUMP.

And then I decide that some people I simply cannot love. THUMP.

If I just try harder in my own ability I will produce fruit. THUMP.

I rationalize that I just can’t produce fruit right now because of  (insert difficult life circumstance here). THUMP.

Yep. I am a lot smarter than that bird. It only took me thirty-six years to figure out I needed to change my approach. Stupid bird.

I have learned to reserve my use of the word hate. I don’t say that I hate those who oppose my faith. I don’t hate those who have opposite political views. I don’t even hate the Michigan Wolverines even though that will get my Buckeye passport revoked. I do, however, have a few things for which I will use the word hate.

I hate legalism in Christianity. Legalism is answering to the wrong source of authority. Legalists default to religious traditions rather than the Word of God. My faith journey began in a legalistic church. I will probably always walk with a bit of a spiritual limp. Legalism has reared it’s ugly and sinful head in the lives of some very dear friends. They are being hurt by church-goers who are living in legalism. 

Legalism takes the sweet Gospel of Jesus Christ and mixes in some “churchified” version of the law. Church by-laws occupy equal footing with God’s Word. Righteousness is no longer about Christ but about right behavior as only they define it. Legalism cherry picks verses that support behavioral control while conveniently ignoring dozens of verses about grace, forgiveness, kindness, love, gentleness and forbearance.

Focusing on right behavior does make you moral and perhaps a good person. It does not make you righteous. Such focus is not much different (if at all) from an agnostic or sporadic church-goer who really tries hard to do right and moral things. Tim Keller wrote this provocative thought about legalism in his wonderful book The Reason for God.

The devil, if anything, prefers Pharisees—men and women who try to save themselves. They are more unhappy than either mature Christians or irreligious people, and they do a lot more spiritual damage.

Without a doubt. I have been damaged. I have seen loved ones damaged. I have damaged others.

I hate legalism but I don’t hate legalists. I hurt for them. I suspect they are tired, miserable and wondering what happened to the once joyous message of the Gospel. What happened is that we take God’s amazing grace and mix in our own interpretation of the law. Never watching an R-rated movie or touching alcohol does not make me righteous. Going to church six times a week does not make me righteous.

Righteousness is entirely because of Christ. Nothing I have done or will do will make me righteous. I spent three decades trying to be “righteous”. When I hit a dry spell I would try harder, read more books, buck up and beat myself up because I felt so distant from God. Lots of helpful Christian friends would faithfully remind me that God hadn’t moved so it had to be me. So I disliked myself more and tried harder and God seemed even more distant. And I got tired. I was discouraged. I got wounded again by the church. I had reached the end of my spiritual rope. I cried out to Jesus something along these lines.

“I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!”

God does not get insulted by all-caps. In fact, I imagine that Jesus smiled at that point because I was finally ready to trust Him and not myself. I had reached the point of brokenness that allowed me turn over the keys to Christ. I reached the point where I no longer had to be right. I had reached the point where I didn’t want to wear a phony mask of holiness. I had reached the point where I was willing to trust God completely with everything about me. I had reached the point where I was ready for grace. I had reached the point where I was willing to believe what God says is true about me. That I am completely forgiven. I am completely loved. I am completely changed because of Christ. I am completely empowered with the Holy Spirit to mature into all of those things that are already true about me. I am righteous not because of anything I have done but entirely because of Christ.

If you are tired enough, discouraged enough, wounded enough and ready to scream you can’t do this anymore then I have good news. You are ready for grace. If you haven’t done it then please listen to the message of the Two Roads and Two Rooms. 

God is waiting for you to experience His grace. Legalism is a dead end street to misery. There is a better road. What have you got to lose?

On too many occasions recently I have been visiting with someone who has cancer or who has a friend or family member with the disease. I sometimes refer them to the website to read some of our experiences during Joni’s breast cancer journey. I decided to make it easy for anyone who wants to share what God has taught us with others that are currently going through this trial. Here are some of the “cancer chronicles” that Joni and I have written over the past year.

A word of encouragement to those beginning the journey. Cancer is scary. The treatments seem overwhelming. But here is what Joni and I have learned. God gives you the grace and strength to take this journey one step and one day at a time. You will look back at the end and wonder, “how did I do that?” Be encouraged that you can. Stay steadfast in your faith. Keep your sense of humor as much as possible. Determine that the cancer has picked a formidable foe and don’t give in.

You can do it. We did.

Here are some links followed by a brief capsule of the contents.

Sentences that change your life … Reflections on the shock of hearing Joni’s diagnosis and the plan that we implemented to not “waste her cancer”.

How to be a good cancer buddy … What to say and what not to say when your friend has cancer.

I will praise you in this storm … The theme song we adopted for the journey.

I am a rock? … Joni’s touching gift to me on my birthday.

Wouldn’t take nothing for the journey now … Written the day before we began the frightening chemotherapy regimen.

Poison for healing? … The mindboggling concept of using poison for good.

The Ultimate Oxymoron? … Cancer humor may seem like the ultimate oxymoron but we found it was vital to healing.

Bald is Beautiful – Part 1 … A tribute to my beautiful bride when she lost temporary custody of her hair.

Bald is Beautiful – Part 2 … A tribute to the amazing women who make up the breast cancer sisterhood.

Round 3  … Rocky had nothing on my bride in toughness.

Unmasked … The realization that we did not have to be superhuman in this journey.

The meaning of Kemosabe … Reflections on the privilege of being Joni’s “chemo-sabe” during her treatments.

In our last episode … When we had a little adventure that was not in the brochure I decided to use some old movie stills to tell the story.

Kleenex Warning … It is okay to be scared. But you don’t have to stay there.

One Finish Line in Sight … Part of the plan is setting up markers along the journey. Rejoice when you hit each goal.

We’ll remember always…Diagnosis Day … Some days you will always remember. D-Day is one of those.

Reflections from the Slow Drip Spa … The amazing spirit that permeates the cancer treatment center humbles me.

I have eyebrows! … Joni’s realization that sometimes incredible blessings come in the oddest ways.

Pop the top! … A PG rated note from Joni about ditching the wig and going with her sassy short hair look.

Book plug (not mine): Joni found tremendous comfort and insight in a book that we now give to cancer patients. The book is called Praying Through Cancer…Set Your Heart Free From Fear. It is excellent.

Joni and I pray that you will trust Him completely in the journey. We would love to hear from you if you (or a loved one) are on the cancer journey now.

Blessings and peace in the trial.

Dave

A coalition of musicians including Pearl Jam and R. E. M. backed a formal demand yesterday to be told if their songs had been used to torture detainees in Guantánamo Bay and Iraq. There have been many allegations by former prisoners that they were blasted with excruciatingly loud music for months on end — a tactic that is banned under the UN Convention Against Torture but not yet from the US Army Field Manual. (London Times Online)

I am not advocating torture (see, I’m not such a bad Christian) but I have to admit that it is pretty funny that one of the songs they allegedly used was a Barney the Purple Dinosaur song.

“I Love, you love me, we’re a great big family…”

Aghhhhhhhh! Stop. I’ll talk!

If I were ever captured a  more effective way to get me to break would be to cue up a couple of TV preachers on a continuous loop. I wouldn’t last a day. It brought to mind an article I wrote earlier about earworms. An earworm is a term for a portion of a song that becomes “stuck” in your head and you cannot get it out of your mind. Soon you are literally out of your mind. A survey of several hundred students came up with a list of the most insidious earworms.

Chili’s “Baby Back Ribs” jingle (“I want my baby back, baby back, baby back…”)

Who Let the Dogs Out (“Who let the dogs out…woof, woof, woof, woof…Who let the dogs out…woof, woof, woof, woof…”)

Kit-Kat candy-bar jingle (“Gimme a Break, Gimme a Break …”)

The Lion Sleeps Tonight (“We-de-de-de, de-de-de-de-de de, we-um-um-a-way – drum fill – We-de-de-de, de-de-de-de-de de, we-um-um-a-way…A wimoweh, a-wimoweh a-wimoweh, a wimoweh”) Note: That also makes your spell checker go crazy.

“It’s a Small World After All” (“It’s a small world after all…it’s a small world after all…it’s a small, small world…”)

From the Disney earworm file I would add the Pirates of the Caribbean (“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me…”)

I have to confess to an occasional really bad Christian moment. I have been known to quietly hum The Chicken Dance (na-na-na-na-na-na-na) in a crowded office space and then listen for the earworm to take root. Someone will start humming the song and catch themselves and begin agitated grumbling.

I know. I am a sinner. But it is pretty funny to watch.

There are lots of other songs that you absolutely hate to hear because you know the “earworm” will bury deep in your brain for the rest of the day. But musical earworms are generally annoying and not really dangerous. There are other earworms that damage our relationships and even our walk with Jesus. These are the portions of our life history that get stuck in our heads. You know what I mean. Those old lyrics get played and the spiritual battle earworm takes hold.

“You will never change.”

“Why even try? You will just fail again.”

“You are not enough.”

“You are faking and everyone knows.”

“Everyone is doing fine except you.”

“You are not smart enough…pretty enough…tough enough…whatever enough”

“God is tired of your failures and He is tired of you.”

Satan is even meaner than me humming the Chicken Dance. He will plant those damaging earworms in your heart and mind. And if we don’t have a defense plan they will rob us of our peace, joy and relationships. I will defer again to my friends at TrueFaced. Their book and principles have helped me to recognize and repel Satan’s earworms. When I hear those old tapes start playing I simply think or say out loud this simple statement of fact.

“That is not who I am anymore.”

Because of Christ I am a new person. I have been changed. And my mission is to allow God to love me and mature me into what is already true about me. I am a saint who sometimes sins, not a sinner trying to become a saint. So when the earworms of deceit and destruction start in your mind you can shut them down by simply stating the truth.

That is not who I am anymore.

Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. (I Corinthians 5, NLT)

By the way…it is okay to let that passage get stuck in your head. In fact, I recommend it. And finally let me leave you with this…

Na na na na na na na na na na na na,
Na na na na na na na na na na na na,
Na na na na na na na na na na na na
Bom, bom, bom, bom…

Sorry.