The challenge I issued last week for all of us who watch bad news to give equal time to something inspirational or uplifting was made a bit easier, perhaps, as the whole world has been captivated in recent days with the good news of the rescued miners in Chile. As our family watched the first man emerge to enthusiastic cheers and long embraces, we did not hold back our own tears of relief and joy.
The moment was an epiphany for my seven-year-old grandson who commented, "This is the first time I ever cried from happiness." He identified with the seven-year-old Chilean boy who burst into tears waiting for his father, initially feared dead, who he had not seen for over two months. My grandson shared the emotional pain of a stranger thousands of miles away, putting himself in that other little boy's shoes to realize what it might mean to never be able to see his loved ones again.
As the miners were pulled to safety, one by one, nobody seemed to care that some of them have rather messy personal relationships outside of the mine. In fact, for a few of them, we see conduct which doesn't measure up to the strict moral code which many Christian watchdog groups would like to impose and enforce. In spite of that, thankfully, I haven't heard comments that the mining disaster is God's punishment for anyone; the universal response seems to have been prayers going up on all fronts.
My hope is this is a trend which continues...that we will all view others who are struggling day by day, living in desperation or even with the consequences of poor choices, not as "bad people who deserve whatever they get," but as hurting individuals who need our love, prayers and support.
In light of that, I issue a second challenge this week: To realize those miners are no better and no worse than any of the rest of us. That we should spare no expense, go to every length, to help free others from feeling trapped and hopeless. Let us remove judgment from the equation when we decide who to help, and let's make a decision to love others, unconditionally. If we could accomplish that, in my mind, I imagine Jesus crying tears of happiness, too.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
A Challenge
It is baffling, to say the least, the amount of fear and hate emanating from some Christians. Because Jesus was not a promoter of hate or fear, it does not make sense for his followers to spew out that which is unlovely. Perhaps those who do are spending less time studying the teachings of Jesus than they are absorbing news from other sources.
I understand the desire to not be isolated from the outside world (although there are many well-informed, well-adjusted folks who do try to insulate themselves from bad news, and they appear to be functioning just fine). But what is always needed is a willingness to achieve balance in all things, and in this case, a lot less negative and a whole lot more positive is in order. Less secular, more sacred.
As Christians, we are disciples (students) of Jesus. If time is not spent meditating on his goodness and desiring to learn more about and to practice the Way he proclaimed, then there is a great likelihood that, "the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things [will] enter in and choke the word, and it [will] become unfruitful." (Mark 4:19) If we allow only negative points of view into our thoughts day after day, eventually a negative view becomes our focus, and that focus can become an obsession. A follower of Jesus should be obsessed only with Jesus, not what the world or any politician or alleged pundit is doing or saying.
So here is a challenge for us all: For every minute spent listening to/reading bad news and negative opinions, let's spend at least an equal amount of time concentrating on something inspirational (I would particularly recommend the New Testament gospels), or even just fun; it wouldn't hurt any of us to lighten up a little.
And for those who share negative information about politics/politicians/government or religion (any religion), especially via email and on social network sites, try sending an equal number of links and comments which have something good to say, something which might make someone's day better, not worse.
Here's a good piece of advice from scripture: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." (Philippians 4:19)
I think we all need to step back and ask ourselves: What exactly is the purpose -- what is to be gained -- by concentrating on the negative?
I understand the desire to not be isolated from the outside world (although there are many well-informed, well-adjusted folks who do try to insulate themselves from bad news, and they appear to be functioning just fine). But what is always needed is a willingness to achieve balance in all things, and in this case, a lot less negative and a whole lot more positive is in order. Less secular, more sacred.
As Christians, we are disciples (students) of Jesus. If time is not spent meditating on his goodness and desiring to learn more about and to practice the Way he proclaimed, then there is a great likelihood that, "the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things [will] enter in and choke the word, and it [will] become unfruitful." (Mark 4:19) If we allow only negative points of view into our thoughts day after day, eventually a negative view becomes our focus, and that focus can become an obsession. A follower of Jesus should be obsessed only with Jesus, not what the world or any politician or alleged pundit is doing or saying.
So here is a challenge for us all: For every minute spent listening to/reading bad news and negative opinions, let's spend at least an equal amount of time concentrating on something inspirational (I would particularly recommend the New Testament gospels), or even just fun; it wouldn't hurt any of us to lighten up a little.
And for those who share negative information about politics/politicians/government or religion (any religion), especially via email and on social network sites, try sending an equal number of links and comments which have something good to say, something which might make someone's day better, not worse.
Here's a good piece of advice from scripture: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." (Philippians 4:19)
I think we all need to step back and ask ourselves: What exactly is the purpose -- what is to be gained -- by concentrating on the negative?
Sunday, October 3, 2010
A Dilemma
I'll admit I am not familiar with the teachings of Muhammad, nor do I know much about "Shariah" law. However, I know enough to know I am not interested in living in a country which adheres to Islamic rule or which is governed by imams and Muslim clerics. From reading the Old Testament, I am familiar with the teachings of Moses and Judaic law. I am equally certain I do not want the laws of the land to encompass the particulars of the Jewish faith, especially that of the "orthodox" variety. I'll make a big assumption and suppose that the vast majority of readers will agree with me on these two points.
But here's a question to consider: As a country, do we want the teachings of Jesus to be the basis for our laws? Before you answer, consider the scripture in Acts 4:32. The early followers of Christ "were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them." And Acts 2:44-45, "And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need."
Those first believers, an example for us, held this attitude as a result of following the teachings of Jesus. One such teaching was when he advised a rich man who came to him seeking answers to ". . . sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor . . ." (Luke 18:22). Ministering to the poor is a prevalent theme in what Jesus taught.
This presents a bit of a dilemma, I would think, to those Christians who decry particular political positions and government programs as "redistribution of wealth," or even socialism, but also desire to "take America back," presumably so it can be a Christian nation. As a proponent of the separation of church and state, I'm not promoting the idea of basing our laws on the New Testament, but I will make the observation that a truly Christian nation would look a lot like what many people seem to be frightened of, and it would look considerably different than the present situation. The rich, especially corporations in America, would have a lot less than they do now (but still plenty), and the poor would have a lot more than they do now (enough to live comfortably).
What is it, exactly, we expect of government? An important question for our country. What is it we should expect from ourselves? An important question for believers.
But here's a question to consider: As a country, do we want the teachings of Jesus to be the basis for our laws? Before you answer, consider the scripture in Acts 4:32. The early followers of Christ "were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them." And Acts 2:44-45, "And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need."
Those first believers, an example for us, held this attitude as a result of following the teachings of Jesus. One such teaching was when he advised a rich man who came to him seeking answers to ". . . sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor . . ." (Luke 18:22). Ministering to the poor is a prevalent theme in what Jesus taught.
This presents a bit of a dilemma, I would think, to those Christians who decry particular political positions and government programs as "redistribution of wealth," or even socialism, but also desire to "take America back," presumably so it can be a Christian nation. As a proponent of the separation of church and state, I'm not promoting the idea of basing our laws on the New Testament, but I will make the observation that a truly Christian nation would look a lot like what many people seem to be frightened of, and it would look considerably different than the present situation. The rich, especially corporations in America, would have a lot less than they do now (but still plenty), and the poor would have a lot more than they do now (enough to live comfortably).
What is it, exactly, we expect of government? An important question for our country. What is it we should expect from ourselves? An important question for believers.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Concentrating on Change
Many of you know I write a weekly column in the West Plains Daily Quill which is what I generally re-post (often with modifications) on this blog. This week, while preparing to submit my column, I encountered a bit of writer's block. As the deadline approached, I stared blankly at the computer screen for a long while, finally asking my husband, "Do you have any ideas for my column?" (He has been the inspiration for several over the years. I'll let you interpret that any way you want, but he honestly has made many good suggestions for topics.)
"Why don't you just start typing?" he suggested. "Have you ever tried it?" He obviously didn't have any ideas, either. I thought how that approach was like trying to make a decision by randomly opening the Bible to point at a verse to find an answer.
As an experiment (and because I was stuck), I did try "just typing," and, of course, the resulting gibberish wasn't even a sentence. (Although it did start out "Now is the time for all . . ." a phrase which might be recognizable to those who have ever taken a typing class, a precursor to what is now called "keyboarding." That sentence fragment had been ingrained in my mind many years ago and prompted a conversation with my husband about Mrs. Orr, who was our typing instructor when he and I were in high school. It was a nice conversation about the "good ole days," but it didn't provide much inspiration.)
After that, and several other side conversations, I was reminded of how easy it is to get side-tracked in any area of life, and I remembered the scripture which says, ". . .if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 18:19).
In many cases, believers have become distracted. We are called to be united in Christ, but we're not. We should be thinking about the things on which we agree -- serving Jesus, loving others, honoring God -- and yet, we use precious time being preoccupied with petty differences. Denominations. Opinions. Politics. Right. Left. Labels. Do you realize if we could all get in agreement on the larger issues of life, we really would change the world?
It seems as though the Church has tried what amounts to "randomly opening the Bible" or the "fingers tapping mindlessly on a keyboard" approach, and it hasn't worked, hasn't produced anything that makes sense. The time is right for concentration on our calling, for agreement among believers. It will take an intentional, deliberate effort to stay on track, but if we could ever manage to do it, it would be worth every minute.
"Why don't you just start typing?" he suggested. "Have you ever tried it?" He obviously didn't have any ideas, either. I thought how that approach was like trying to make a decision by randomly opening the Bible to point at a verse to find an answer.
As an experiment (and because I was stuck), I did try "just typing," and, of course, the resulting gibberish wasn't even a sentence. (Although it did start out "Now is the time for all . . ." a phrase which might be recognizable to those who have ever taken a typing class, a precursor to what is now called "keyboarding." That sentence fragment had been ingrained in my mind many years ago and prompted a conversation with my husband about Mrs. Orr, who was our typing instructor when he and I were in high school. It was a nice conversation about the "good ole days," but it didn't provide much inspiration.)
After that, and several other side conversations, I was reminded of how easy it is to get side-tracked in any area of life, and I remembered the scripture which says, ". . .if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 18:19).
In many cases, believers have become distracted. We are called to be united in Christ, but we're not. We should be thinking about the things on which we agree -- serving Jesus, loving others, honoring God -- and yet, we use precious time being preoccupied with petty differences. Denominations. Opinions. Politics. Right. Left. Labels. Do you realize if we could all get in agreement on the larger issues of life, we really would change the world?
It seems as though the Church has tried what amounts to "randomly opening the Bible" or the "fingers tapping mindlessly on a keyboard" approach, and it hasn't worked, hasn't produced anything that makes sense. The time is right for concentration on our calling, for agreement among believers. It will take an intentional, deliberate effort to stay on track, but if we could ever manage to do it, it would be worth every minute.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Prophetic Prospective
End time biblical prophecy is a fascinating and often controversial topic. According to various interpretations of scripture, the world has been in the "last days" for as long as I can remember and certainly much longer. From those who say Jesus has already returned to earth for the second time to those who are still waiting for him to arrive the first time, there are many views.
For the majority of Christians, the general belief is Jesus has been on earth once, and he will return again some day to collect those who believe in him. From denomination to denomination, opinions vary widely as to the specifics of his return, but self-proclaimed prophets have been trying to guess the date of his return for centuries. So far, even though many have predicted with great certainity the exact date, they have all been wrong. (Which is no great surprise because scripture says no one knows of that day and hour except God.)
One thing I do find interesting about this topic is that many believers seem to fear the fulfillment of prophecy. If prophetic words are leading to the return of Jesus, then shouldn't we embrace those teachings? Shouldn't it signal joy, rather than dread? (I remember hearing a preacher talk about "post-millennialists" and "pre-millennialists," regarding those who had different opinions about whether or not we would be around during the coming "tribulation," and his conclusion was he chose to be a "pan-millennialist." He believed everything was going to pan out in the end, so he was not going to worry, which makes sense to me.)
Someday, the world, as we know it, will come to an end. Maybe in my lifetime or yours, maybe not. But something I know for certain is this: The world comes to an end every day for many people who live and die never knowing they were loved because people who should have been showing compassion to them and loving them with the love of Jesus were too busy worrying about the end of the world.
Prophecy does not need be ignored, but it should also be kept in perspective. Jesus said, "Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. . . ." (Matt. 6:34) Those who live their lives intently focused on end time prophecies miss countless, joyful opportunities to love and serve in the here and now.
For the majority of Christians, the general belief is Jesus has been on earth once, and he will return again some day to collect those who believe in him. From denomination to denomination, opinions vary widely as to the specifics of his return, but self-proclaimed prophets have been trying to guess the date of his return for centuries. So far, even though many have predicted with great certainity the exact date, they have all been wrong. (Which is no great surprise because scripture says no one knows of that day and hour except God.)
One thing I do find interesting about this topic is that many believers seem to fear the fulfillment of prophecy. If prophetic words are leading to the return of Jesus, then shouldn't we embrace those teachings? Shouldn't it signal joy, rather than dread? (I remember hearing a preacher talk about "post-millennialists" and "pre-millennialists," regarding those who had different opinions about whether or not we would be around during the coming "tribulation," and his conclusion was he chose to be a "pan-millennialist." He believed everything was going to pan out in the end, so he was not going to worry, which makes sense to me.)
Someday, the world, as we know it, will come to an end. Maybe in my lifetime or yours, maybe not. But something I know for certain is this: The world comes to an end every day for many people who live and die never knowing they were loved because people who should have been showing compassion to them and loving them with the love of Jesus were too busy worrying about the end of the world.
Prophecy does not need be ignored, but it should also be kept in perspective. Jesus said, "Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. . . ." (Matt. 6:34) Those who live their lives intently focused on end time prophecies miss countless, joyful opportunities to love and serve in the here and now.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Freedom from Fear
Scripture is filled with admonitions against fear. Psalm 112:7, one of my favorites, says, [the righteous] "will not fear evil tidings. . ." Evil tidings is another way of saying "bad news." Believers should not fear what they hear and will not if they walk in obedience.
"The Message" translation of Psalm 112:4-9 says it this way, "Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people -- God's grace and mercy and justice! The good person is generous and lends lavishly . . . . Unfazed by rumor and gossip, heart ready, trusting in God, Spirit firm, unperturbed, ever blessed, relaxed among enemies, they lavish gifts on the poor -- a generosity that goes on, and on, and on. An honored life! A beautiful life!"
When we place our trust in God and live unselfish lives, free of pettiness, we have no reason to fear rumors, bad news or even our enemies. God is gracious, merciful and just. When we are in constant fear and impart that fear to others, I believe that is one way we cause grief to his Spirit, because, in effect, we are saying we don't trust him to take care of us. (Ephesians 4:29-30, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God . . .")
The verses from Psalm 112 show an important connection between giving, steadfast trust and living a blessed, happy life. Unchecked fear becomes all-consuming, stealing not only opportunities to be joyful and generous day to day, but robbing our hope for the future as well. The easiest way to not be afraid of what we hear and read is to stop seeking out and concentrating on rumors and bad news. We also need to quit repeating "evil tidings." Even if some ugly thing we hear happens to have a grain of truth to it, if it does not serve to edify, there is nothing to be gained by sharing it with others.
Life is too short to spend it being agitated and upset, always thinking the worst is about to happen and disaster is around every corner. And simply put, Christians should not live that way because there is a greater hope residing in us; to thrive on distressing thoughts is to walk in disobedience.
Let's allow the "sunrise to break through the darkness" and live beautiful lives, free of fear.
"The Message" translation of Psalm 112:4-9 says it this way, "Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people -- God's grace and mercy and justice! The good person is generous and lends lavishly . . . . Unfazed by rumor and gossip, heart ready, trusting in God, Spirit firm, unperturbed, ever blessed, relaxed among enemies, they lavish gifts on the poor -- a generosity that goes on, and on, and on. An honored life! A beautiful life!"
When we place our trust in God and live unselfish lives, free of pettiness, we have no reason to fear rumors, bad news or even our enemies. God is gracious, merciful and just. When we are in constant fear and impart that fear to others, I believe that is one way we cause grief to his Spirit, because, in effect, we are saying we don't trust him to take care of us. (Ephesians 4:29-30, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God . . .")
The verses from Psalm 112 show an important connection between giving, steadfast trust and living a blessed, happy life. Unchecked fear becomes all-consuming, stealing not only opportunities to be joyful and generous day to day, but robbing our hope for the future as well. The easiest way to not be afraid of what we hear and read is to stop seeking out and concentrating on rumors and bad news. We also need to quit repeating "evil tidings." Even if some ugly thing we hear happens to have a grain of truth to it, if it does not serve to edify, there is nothing to be gained by sharing it with others.
Life is too short to spend it being agitated and upset, always thinking the worst is about to happen and disaster is around every corner. And simply put, Christians should not live that way because there is a greater hope residing in us; to thrive on distressing thoughts is to walk in disobedience.
Let's allow the "sunrise to break through the darkness" and live beautiful lives, free of fear.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
A Greater Freedom
Christians in America should be the most grateful people on the planet, living as we do in a country which allows us total religious freedom. When we gather in small groups in our homes, it is not because we are forced into hiding and must meet in secret, as millions of others around the world do. When we want to worship with hundreds (even thousands) of others, we can do so as well, while our congregations enjoy tax-free status. We can even turn on our televisions and find religious programs at any time of the day or night. Despite persistent rumors to the contrary, these freedoms are not in danger.
Yet, it seems as though the Church in America is not content to merely enjoy the freedom to follow our own spiritual pursuits, worshiping in the way we choose; it appears that we want to crash the gate which separates church and state and impose our individual desires and beliefs on everyone else. One of the many problems with this concept is that even within the Christian community, from denomination to denomination, there is considerable disagreement as to what that should mean.
One of the other issues, is that while this nation was founded on democratic ideas which, perhaps, favor Godly principles, its laws are not even based on the ten commandments (for example, there are no laws demanding that we honor our parents; we can make all the "graven images" we want; the Sabbath is just another day of the week; coveting our neighbor's property -- keeping up with the "Joneses" -- may even actually be pretty close to the definition of the "American Dream," etc.).
And certainly our country, based on GOVERNING LAWS, does not follow Christian principles. Read the "Sermon on the Mount," a very good summary of the teachings of Jesus (see Matthew 5-7), and decide for yourself if the United States is a "Christian nation." Jesus promotes gentleness, mercy, making peace, being reconciled to our "brothers" and loving our enemies. He speaks against adultery, divorce, storing up treasures and greed, among many other things which are not against the laws of our land.
The other big problem is the Bill of Rights. The very first line of the First Amendment is: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." As Americans, we should appreciate our personal freedom of religion and not deny the same freedom to others, regardless of how much we might disagree with their views. As Christians, we also need to concentrate on getting our own house in order and be less concerned about what everyone else is doing.
As American Christians, we are not called to place patriotism above or ahead of Jesus. Our true freedom comes from a source higher than any government: "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another." (Galatians 5:13-15)
Freedom in Christ is much greater and more precious than freedom granted by man's laws, and it carries even greater responsibilities. If we continue to lash out at others, we are in danger of destroying ourselves.
Yet, it seems as though the Church in America is not content to merely enjoy the freedom to follow our own spiritual pursuits, worshiping in the way we choose; it appears that we want to crash the gate which separates church and state and impose our individual desires and beliefs on everyone else. One of the many problems with this concept is that even within the Christian community, from denomination to denomination, there is considerable disagreement as to what that should mean.
One of the other issues, is that while this nation was founded on democratic ideas which, perhaps, favor Godly principles, its laws are not even based on the ten commandments (for example, there are no laws demanding that we honor our parents; we can make all the "graven images" we want; the Sabbath is just another day of the week; coveting our neighbor's property -- keeping up with the "Joneses" -- may even actually be pretty close to the definition of the "American Dream," etc.).
And certainly our country, based on GOVERNING LAWS, does not follow Christian principles. Read the "Sermon on the Mount," a very good summary of the teachings of Jesus (see Matthew 5-7), and decide for yourself if the United States is a "Christian nation." Jesus promotes gentleness, mercy, making peace, being reconciled to our "brothers" and loving our enemies. He speaks against adultery, divorce, storing up treasures and greed, among many other things which are not against the laws of our land.
The other big problem is the Bill of Rights. The very first line of the First Amendment is: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." As Americans, we should appreciate our personal freedom of religion and not deny the same freedom to others, regardless of how much we might disagree with their views. As Christians, we also need to concentrate on getting our own house in order and be less concerned about what everyone else is doing.
As American Christians, we are not called to place patriotism above or ahead of Jesus. Our true freedom comes from a source higher than any government: "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another." (Galatians 5:13-15)
Freedom in Christ is much greater and more precious than freedom granted by man's laws, and it carries even greater responsibilities. If we continue to lash out at others, we are in danger of destroying ourselves.
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