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The Dogs of Stay: Sweet Hannah and Condemnation

I am delighted to share a brief snippet of my new book Stay. The book releases in about 2 weeks. You can pre-order a copy now at my website.

Paul talks about no condemnation from an eternal perspective. It is the passage that contains a verse that has already played a role in this journey.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
Romans 7:21–8:2, emphasis added

No condemnation. None. Nada. Zip. What part of no do I not understand? Yet we have a hard time believing that truth. Surely there must be some condemnation from God. It doesn’t make sense. I mean, look at how I blew it again. How can Jesus let me skate on that? Of course there are consequences to sin and bad decisions. But we need never compound that with shame and guilt that causes us to hide from the One who can keep us from making another bad choice.
Maybe this is one more way that our canine friends can be breathing role models of grace. Hannah could be the poster puppy for no condemnation. Nothing that I do causes her to abandon me. No selfish act on my part drives her away. She is incapable of condemnation. I can ignore Hannah. Snap at her. Refuse her nuzzles. And then when I call her name, she runs to me with the undignified abandon of the father to his prodigal son.

What an example of forgiving grace!

Because we are God’s beloved children, Jesus is incapable of condemning us. I know that those who fear that Christians will take advantage of grace push back against statements like that with varying levels of civility. Doug Kelly once mused that “If you want to make people mad, preach law. If you want to make them really, really mad preach grace.” Again, let me be clear. Sin has consequences, and they can be ugly. God allows those consequences to play out in order to teach us tough lessons. But I am convinced of this. He never condemns me because condemnation is the antithesis of grace. Taken from Stay by Dave Burchett copyright © 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

February 6, 2015
The Dogs of Stay – I Once Was Lost

Several years ago youngest son and dog lover Brett called from Baylor University. He had spotted five abandoned puppies along the side of the road. He tried to round them up but could only catch one. Brett called to let me know that he intended to bathe, feed, care for the dog and then take him to the Humane Society on Monday for adoption. I knew I was in trouble when Brett decided to let me know what his rescued puppy looked like.

I called the lovely Mrs.Burchett. “He is working me,” I told her. “He is falling in love with this dog.” On Sunday I was driving through Waco and I stopped to see Brett and his alleged short term friend. The way this puppy followed Brett around and looked at him was astounding. He appeared to sense that Brett was, for him, the canine version of Amazing Grace. That dog seemed to understand that he once was lost and now was found. Maybe if we remembered our dramatic rescue along the side of the road to destruction we might gaze at our Rescuer more consistently with such a look of adoration.

I also started falling in love with this improbable mutt and concluded that our family dog population had just increased. Brett was scheduled to take “Trigger” to the vet for shots and a checkup on Monday. On that day another phone call came. Trigger had become violently ill overnight. The scourge of too many abandoned puppies seemed to have attacked this sweet little ragamuffin mutt. Trigger had contracted Parvovirus. Brett’s words were heartbreaking in their honesty and love.

“Dad, I don’t think he is going to make it. But at least he knew he was loved for a few days.”

Okay. I cried at Old Yeller. I am a soft touch. But that remark from my youngest touched my heart and made me think that this is a microcosm of ministry. Sometimes it is heartbreaking. The results don’t always match our desires. But if we can love the down and out like Jesus at least they know they have been loved and they will know the source of that love.

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
“Then these righteous ones will reply, `Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ And the King will tell them, `I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ (Matt 25, NLT)

The results are not guaranteed when you minister to the least of these. But when we do minister to the least of these we show them the very face of Jesus.

This one had a happy ending. Trigger was in the hospital for 12 days of intravenous feeding and medication. I earned hundreds of airline miles on my credit card thanks to Trigger. He and Brett have been best buddies going on nine years.

Trigger is doing great.

And he still knows that he is loved.

February 4, 2015
The Dogs of Stay – Shake it Off!

Leading up to the release of Stay I will be posting some brief excerpts from the book. This lesson came from a summer outing and watching Hannah “shake off” water in impressive fashion.

The life lesson from Hannah was not how to shake off water. What I need to learn is how she can shake off rejection and disappointment way better than I can. If I say no, Hannah doesn’t get insecure and touchy. When she is rejected, she doesn’t start wondering why she is not good enough. She doesn’t hear condemning barks from her puppyhood. She doesn’t flash back to her littermates mocking her with cruel yips. She doesn’t think, Maybe Dad doesn’t like that toy; if I bring his favorite toy I’m sure he won’t be able to resist. Hannah doesn’t slink away and hide, thinking she is worthless if I don’t respond. She simply accepts that now is not the time and communicates through her body language and gaze that everything’s okay—she’s cool with me. Oh, and by the way, I’ll be back soon. Hannah doesn’t shut down. She simply tries again, with self-image undaunted.
Not so for me. I immediately hear the voices of condemnation when I am rejected or someone is angry at me. I couldn’t think of any verses about shaking off water, but I did recall a verse from Hebrews about “shaking” or “throwing” off those things that cause us to stumble.
Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. (12:1, NIV)
When she climbs out of the pool, Hannah has definitely learned how to throw off the water that hinders her. I love the imagery of getting up and shaking off all the things (even some good things) that hinder me from an intimate relationship with God.
Did you catch the part that it is not only sin that entangles us? That is what I tended to dwell on—to “get better” for God and be more “righteous.” But the verse says to throw off any weight or encumbrance. In order for me to be used most effectively for God, that good thing that is not the best thing has to go. As Timothy Keller explains perfectly, “An idol is a good thing turned into an ultimate thing.”

Taken from Stay by Dave Burchett copyright © 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

February 2, 2015
The Dogs of Stay – Part 2

One of the great philosophical questions of our age was addressed lyrically a few years ago. And I quote from that thoughtful anthem by Baja Men.

Who let the dogs out
(woof, woof, woof, woof)
(woof, woof, woof, woof)

Today we know a partial answer to that haunting query. On February 24th Tyndale Publishing House will let the dogs of Stay out to your E-Reader, bookstore, and online vendor of choice. As a lead up to that day we thought it would be fun to do some bios of the dogs featured in my new book.

The stars of the book are Hannah and our new rescued friend Maggie. Hannah was our amazing friend and canine comforter during Joni’s cancer journey nine years ago. Hannah’s best canine friend was Sadie.

Our son Scott adopted Sadie while attending Baylor University and it was love at first sight for both of them.

A bit later Hannah joined the family and these two became fast friends. It was remarkable watching them interact. Here is how I described a visit to see Sadie in Stay.

Just the mention of her best friend’s name gets Hannah excited. From the moment we pull out of the driveway and head to Sadie’s house (at least Sadie thinks it is hers), you can see Hannah’s growing eagerness as we drive through the neighborhood. My canine navigator doesn’t need a GPS for this familiar route. Her ears perk up and her tail begins to wag as we get closer.
When we arrive, she jumps out of the car and heads straight to the front door without the normal olfactory explorations. She bounces up and down because her sweet friend is on the other side. Suddenly, the door opens and the greeting is simple. There is no extensive sniffing or posturing; their body language is relaxed. They are two old girlfriends.
Watching how easily Hannah and Sadie settle in together is a hallmark of real friendship. Real friends come together as if time has never passed. Whether it’s been hours, days, or years since you’ve been together, when you see a real friend, you immediately feel safety, comfort, and connection. Taken from Stay by Dave Burchett copyright © 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

A song by the Avett Brothers titled The Perfect Space expresses the yearning of my heart.

I wanna’ have friends that I can trust,
that love me for the man I’ve become not the man I was.

Wouldn’t that be amazing? To have a friend that you could trust with all that is true about you and feel safe. All of us have a deep need to be known and accepted.

Hannah and Sadie demonstrated that kind of friendship. Friendly competition to fetch tennis balls in the pool. No jealousy when the other one got attention. They just loved to be together.

For their human friends the the truth is that nothing creates an environment of trust like humility and loyalty. In that soil deep friendship grows. When you look at your friends through the lens of grace you see who they have become and, more importantly, who they can become in Christ.

This journey is hard. We all need friends who can be real and present.

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. (Proverbs 27:9, NLT)

Next up in The Dogs of Stay…Rescued and Adopted!

January 30, 2015
The Dogs of Stay

I almost changed the title of this series of canine bios leading up to the release of my new book Stay. The title sounded like the followup reality series to the Housewives of Orange County. But rest assured the Dogs of Stay are far less catty. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

I am really excited about Stay and I thought it would be fun to get to know some of the “stars” of my new book. First up is our unforgettable Golden Retriever Charlie.

      Puppy Charlie making sure the dishes are all clean.

Most of us remember our dogs because they leave paw prints on our heart. Charlie certainly did that. But just to make sure he was not forgotten he left chew marks on our table, scratch marks on our doors and teeth marks on our doorknobs. I quoted John Grogan (of Marley fame) in Stay about the charm of dogs like Charlie. “Dogs are great. Bad dogs, if we can really call them that, are perhaps the greatest of them all.”

By that standard Charlie was one of the greatest dogs that ever lived. At least our three boys thought he was. My long suffering wife was not so sure. I describe his humorous (and sometimes not so humorous) destruction of our house in Stay along with a poignant moment shared with a NYC Policeman.

    Our boys loved Charlie and he loved them back with the same exuberance that he did everything else.

    Charlie was eccentric.

     Funny.

                                                    Charlie was eighty pounds of hard charging intensity.

He was loving. Infuriating. And he was intensely loyal to his three boys.

Charlie gave me a bonus lesson that is not in the upcoming book. Sometimes I wonder how God can love someone as messed up, inconsistent and sorry as me. And I remember how an impatient and selfish man like me could love that disaster of a canine that was Charlie. If I can muster that in my soul then why can’t I believe that a God who sent His Son to the Cross for me would still love me with all of my flaws? God loved me first and completely. I will have some fleeting moments when I please God but for the most part I will be leaving a trail of well intentioned disaster in my path just like Charlie. And God loves me just as much at those moments. Amazing.

Featured next will be Hannah’s best friend Sadie.

January 28, 2015
Can We Ever Really Get Together?
A peace anthem from my youth came on the radio today. The Youngbloods recorded “Get Together” in 1967 and it became one of the quintessential peace songs of the era.
I remember listening to the static on my AM transistor radio while singing along with The Youngbloods. I was sure that my generation could make a difference. We would fix the mess that my parents and grandparents had made. We believed peace was possible. We just had to get together. This would be easy enough. Just love one another. Everybody sing now…

C’mon people now,
Smile on your brother
Ev’rybody get together
Try and love one another right now

Nice words. The problem was contained in the last line of lyric above. Try and love one another right now. How is that working out for our peace loving generation? Not so well. It is far easier to sing about loving one another than it is to actually love another. No matter how much I “try” I seem to fail miserably when I determine that I will, in my own strength, love others. It is easy to love some people. But loving the unlovable is the challenge. On that count we have not done so well. Jesus pointed out my hypocrisy on that count.

If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. (Matthew 5:46-47, NLT)

As an idealistic teen I believed that more education, communication, and edification would change the world. I believed that the problem was not sin. The problem was a lack of knowledge. I was wrong. The problem is sin. Education and communication certainly help. But real change comes from the inside out. And for me that came from the most amazing revolutionary in history, Jesus Christ. How we have marginalized the powerful teachings of Jesus. He bluntly said that peace was not going to be found in this life.

“But the time is coming–in fact, it is already here–when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16, NLT)

Jesus said the Holy Spirit would comfort us in times of trouble and that the peace the world advocates would fall short.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14, NLT)

I watch the news and my heart aches. I wish we could have peace on earth but I have come to believe that is not possible through human institutions. I truly wish it were possible.

It is not in my trying that we can get together. It is by trusting God and allowing Him to love me. Then I can love others because of Christ. Only then can we truly love one another.
January 23, 2015
Hump Day Hope – Power Versus Influence
The pundits are parsing the State of the Union address this morning. My friend Ed Underwood wrote a wonderful piece on the topic of power versus influence. Today I yield my space to the gentleman from California.

(Reposted from EdUnderwood.com.)

Every time Jesus’ first disciples dreamed of position and power, He warned them that His measure of greatness was serving (Mark 9:33-37; 10:35-45). When we ignore His warning dreams of position and power sidetrack us.

Books and sermons on a Christian’s relationship to government often fail to distinguish between political power and cultural influence. The primary passages—Matthew 5:13-16, Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-4, 1 Peter 2:13-16—clearly teach us that our role is to use whatever position we have to influence society toward righteousness and justice as we submit to governmental authority.

Biblically, influence and power are not the same. The influence is ours, but the power is God’s. Historically, when Christians confuse the two, we lose both—today and forever.

Confusing influence and power diverts our energies from the only true hope for any society—the transforming power of new life in Christ. The Bible says we’re new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) endowed with power from on high (Acts 1:8) to live a life only explained by God’s presence in us (John 14:20).

Where we choose to invest our time and resources depends largely on where we think the solution lies. As more and more of us decide that the solution is political power, it changes our priorities.

We know Christ commands us to influence our culture. And we know that one of the primary ways we do this as Americans is by voting. But, these are the questions that bother me most when I think of all the time and energy Christians have poured into the pursuit of political power in the decades since the 60s:
- America hasn’t become more righteous and just; it’s more decadent and unfair. What would have happened if we had devoted more effort equipping Christians to live out the gospel of Christ and less to telling Christians how to vote?
- Families aren’t getting healthier; they’re falling apart. How do you think the families of our country would be different if we had been more passionate about transforming families in the way Christ values—through the hard work of disciplemaking in the context of authentic spiritual communities and less obsessive about entrenching the family value message in Washington D. C.?
- The church doesn’t have more impact; its influence is almost negligible. What if Christians had spent more time studying their Bibles and praying for their neighborhoods, communities, states and nation, and less time glued to conservative talk radio and cable news while worrying about exit polls and economic trends?
Confusing influence and power also deflects our focus from the state and final destination of human beings—either living in His love and power now looking forward to being with Jesus forever in a place called heaven or estranged from God in brokenness now and careening toward a forever in a place called hell. The Bible says we’re ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) representing Him as strangers and pilgrims (Hebrews 11:13). Our earthly citizenship is only temporary because we’re citizens of a better, heavenly country (Hebrews 11:16). Our true identity is in Christ and our true citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
January 21, 2015