Do good to those hate you

A handicapped Spokane woman who was inside a church at a prayer meeting had her powered wheelchair stolen by someone with apparently no shame.

The woman, who suffers from MS and cerebral palsy, uses the chair for transportation around town. Because her church can’t accommodate the motored chair, she normally parked it outside the front entrance while other parishioners helped her into the church.

But last week, as she was being helped outside to her chair after services, her chair was gone.

Naturally, the community is in disbelief. But the woman’s reaction speaks volumes.

According to the news report, the first thing that came to her was to pray for the thief.

“I prayed that whoever sit in the chair they get a hunger for God, a real hunger for God because it has to be heart condition for someone to take someone's chair, so their heart needs to be fixed," she said.

Watch her loving response here.

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Luke 6:27-28.

I am reminded by this story to pray and bless those who hate me, curse me, and abuse me.

How about you?

Pieces

When someone you care about

Photo Courtesy Mary Schwalm

goes away

you don’t lose them

all at once

You lose them

in pieces

over time

like the crisp leaves

that drop from a tree

in the late fall

One by one

each

a sad reminder

of days gone by

Turning snow days into sun days

We're all aware of “snow days,” those blessed days when school is called off and kids spend the days sledding down frozen paths and designing snow men. Their frozen faces are melted only by hot chocolate and the sheer joy of zero responsibility for a single day.

My fellow High Calling blogger Billy Coffey even wrote a novel extolling the virtues of the Snow Day.

But one Washington school actually declared a “sun day” last week. That’s right – they called school off because the sun was shining! Bellingham, WA, is notoriously wet and overcast. The sun rarely peaks out and the long winter drips with bleakness.

So when the forecast called for a 60 degree day and sunshine, Bellingham Christian School Principal Bob Sampson decided to celebrate.

“If we take a day off for snow days…why not take it off for a sun day and enjoy?" said Sampson.

A posting on the school's Web page said "Good morning students, parents and staff. Yes, It's a Sun Day! Wahooo. That's right, school is CANCELLED today due to good weather! Enjoy.”

It seems to me that this is a perfect illustration of the church. While the world wallows in all that’s wrong – the inhumanity of man, the injustice of justice, and the imperfection of a fallen planet -– Christians should be declaring a few more “sun days.”

As we enter Passion Week, we have a Sun Day coming up. When the clouds were at their darkest and Death seemed to have it’s victory, a thunder rose from the earth’s bowels. The skies rol open and declared, “Wahoo. Yes. It’s a Sun day!”

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Photo by schakoyana, by permission

More than what we see

When I look around at a physical world of decay and destruction, marked by disappointment and sorrow, I have to ask, "is this all there is?"

Modern day philosophers tell us that meaning is found in what we see around us. That the natural world is all that we can ever hope for.

According to modernity, all of our answers and our hope lie in humankind with no eternity, no plane beyond the one which we can see and touch. And by default, the grave is the end of all hopes.

But for me,  this is no way to live a life.

Robert Jastrow ,the founder of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, made this powerful statement:

“The theologians have always accepted the words of the Bible; in the beginning God created heaven and earth...But for the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”

We spend so much time running from the logic of God. He fashioned and made us. He designed us so that we would have a longing for him. In our pride and hopeless logic we have tried to create answers apart from him. These answers will only lead us to the junkyard of hopelessness. They end up like broken trucks; mere aging, rusting machines.

The answer is live for the transcendent -- beyond the pale of this existence. There are indeed answers to be found to every question. And the answers are not found in man, in our learning, or in our puny little lives.

Junkyard Blues

Millions of cars are replaced each year. Faster, newer models replace the old cars that we once held dear. How many vehicles have you been through?

Where do the old cars go? Some are recycled. Others end up in any one of thousands of junkyards scattered across the nation.


These junkyards hold a little of everything ­­ Tractors without wheels, cement trucks, busses gutted and left with only rotting frames. Old sedans and pickup trucks litter the landscape, hoping that there is some something good that can be salvaged.

Except for the wind that sways through the overgrown weeds, these junkyards are usually places of eerie silence. What once roared with power is muted. Thousands upon thousands of potential horsepower now lay in frozen impotence. What once pulled and pushed and hauled and rattled now became an ugly backdrop to the busy world that surrounds it.


This scene leads to some unsettling introspection. All of this power is now useless. If our greatest achievements as man are destined for the junk heap, what then will become of me?

Is all of life but utter foolishness? Will I live my life in power and strength and mission only to end up being used for spare parts? Will I work and labor and live for what is right, only to rot away in a grave? Solomon asked the same questions .

“What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? ...There is no remembrance of men of old and even those are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.” (Eccl 1:3, 11 NIV)

May my life hold lasting significance.

Seeds of change: How will we impact tomorrow?

(This is also today's featured post over at High Calling Blogs )

Two years ago, on a remote Norwegian island in the Arctic Ocean, a massive underground seed bank opened. The Svalbard Seed Vault serves as a repository of more than 500,000 seeds representing nearly 1/3 of the world’s food crops.

The bank consists of three secure rooms at the end of the 427-foot tunnel blasted out of the frozen mountain. The seeds are sealed in four-ply foil pouches, and then stored in marked boxes.

It’s been called a “Noah’s ark” for plant genetics. At four degrees below zero, it will preserve the thousands of regional and local crop varieties farmers worldwide have bred for thousands of years. The seeds may be viable for 1,000 years. It also preserves “pure strains” of crops before they are naturally or chemically altered. One day, in the event of a Doomsday, the seeds could potentially regenerate our current crops, feeding future world citizens.

What am I planting?

This bank got me thinking. What kind of seeds am I hiding away for the future? As I store them away — in my children, in my home, in my workplace — they will one day germinate. Will they be seeds of righteousness, or seeds of sin? Will they be seeds of hope, or seeds of doubt?

A daily reality check reminds me that what I say has meaning and what I do has impact – often far beyond the present. It’s a scary thought that my words and deeds can play out far into the future.

I remember having a conversation with a woman who used to work for me several years earlier. She had recently undergone a tremendous personal and spiritual transformation. She confided that during her darkest days, that I was “the only Christian she knew,” and that I “was a decent man.” She saw an example of a life that could be lived above her own darkness and she wanted that same kind of freedom.

I also am reminded of the lives I’ve impacted for bad because of my stubbornness, my pride and my forceful ways. I shudder when I think of the eternal damage I’ve caused.

And then there are seeds planted in my own life. How many of my present troubles are simply harvests of seeds sown years ago, natural consequences of my past?

I suspect I’m not alone. There are many, many others who are motivated by the eternal International Harvester who are ready to join this collective. Fellow farmers, unite!

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Garbage collectors

Each day, while driving to work, I pass the central facility and office for a garbage collection company. The collectors clock in, get their assignments, and then grab the keys to their vehicles. They start them up and they rumble out of the yard, one by one, fanning out across the city to collect people’s waste.

At some point, these trucks will fill up. There’s only so much that can collect before they will have to go to the landfill to deposit their collections.

There are human "garbage trucks" too. Some people are so full of junk – frustration, anger, and disappointment -- that eventually, they have to have a place to dump it. And sometimes, it’s right on me.

And what do I do when its’ dumped on me? Do I spread it about even more to other people at work, at home or to innocent strangers on the streets around me? Or do I find a trash bag, collect it, and neatly deposit it. Do I just move on and love them.

It’s been said. “Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.”

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Oblivious

'I had no idea it was that bad.'

We’ve all said that when we have had friends or coworkers who went through a major emotional change in their life. A marriage on the rocks. An attempted suicide. A deep depression. A loss of hope. Who knew?

We were oblivious to their need.

Most of our daily interactions are strictly surface relationships. We barely scratch below the well-crafted façade. A quick chat in the elevator or a hello past a cubicle. Nothing to it. Our verbal banter fills the airwaves with hollow talk. Listen to the conversations. “How are you?”

And of course, we are all “fine.”

But we’re not.

As Red Letter Believers, we need to stop and listen. We need to get beyond the breezy banter to the hearts of those around us. Rather than moving from one shallow conversation to another, we need to be better about asking questions – and listening for answers.

Given the chance, most of us will jump at the chance to minister to those around us. But if we wait for the obvious to hit us between the eyes, it may be too late.

What kind of questions do you think we should be asking those around us, at work, at school and in our churches?

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The Jesus action figure

If you need a little reminder of the Savior, Amazon.com offers you just the ticket -- the Jesus action figure.

The advertisement asks, "Can you use a miracle today?"

The action figures stands 5" tall and features glow-in-the-dark hands! He comes in an illustrated window box with 8 accessories: a jug, 2 fish, and 5 loaves of bread.

At first I scoffed outright at this vain commercialization of God Incarnate. But then I got to thinking. This action figure is much like my life. In desperate need of salvation, of comfort and of right living, I should be turning to the real Jesus. But instead I substitute him with cheap imitations, the Jesus action figures of pleasure, power and pride.

I drink from the shallow well of pleasure, hoping to satisfy the thirst with things that coddle my flesh. Eating, sex, and comfortable living all appeal to my base man, but they leave me wanting.  

So I turn to power, thinking that by controlling people or situations, that I'll taste glory. I demand and contrive, manipulate and manuever and think that I've got it under control. Until the bottom drops out and I'm left empty.

And then I look to pride, that awful green potion that I drink that swells my head, puffs out my chest, and trips my feet, all at the same time. I so desperately yearn for the attention of others, the applause of men, and the admiration of the masses, that I'm willing to sell my soul.

All of these are the Jesus action figures of my life. I need to save my $13.89 and turn to the Word of God. I need to push away all the distractions, and be in His presence. I need to turn away from cheap imitations, and wipe His feet with tears of repentance.

I need the real Jesus.

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Linking to the world

I would be honored if you read my contribution to the group book review of  Real-Time Connections by Bob Roberts Jr. over at Bible Dude.

The portion of the book I reviewed focuses on “Linking to the World.”

Robert’s points out the obvious global shift we have had. All of the information is flattened thanks to television, telephones and international travel. Tribes and cultures are now dispersed across the planet and the enclaves we once thought safe are now in the great big mixing bowl of planet Earth.

The church unleashed isn’t a new principle, but it is exciting to see a pastor who writes about his church members changing the world without everything rolling through the church structure.

Read the chapter review  here, and the entire review project here with posts so far by Marcus Goodyear, Sam Van Eman, and Christina Meyer.

And say hi to Dan King, the Bible Dude himself.

Seek first the kingdom of me

This article was featured at this week's "The High Calling." Please click here for the original post.

As children, we knew all about kingdoms. We erected make-believe castles, dreamt of princes and princesses, and battled rival knights. We donned bath towels and called them royal robes, wore garish crowns of cut-out gold paper, and rode the family dog like a white steed.

We grew up and cast aside much of that fantasy world. But one grown man is still having fun with it all. Meet Kevin Baugh, or as he prefers to be called, “His Excellency, The President.” Baugh is the self-proclaimed exalted ruler of the Kingdom of Molossia. Try to find it on a map, and you might be frustrated, because it isn't there. Molossia is Baugh's creation. The boundaries of the kingdom are located on the 1.3 acres surrounding his home just outside of Dayton, NV.

Molossia has its own Post Office , telephone system (two phones connected with a single wire), money system (good only within the borders,) and Navy (see it yourself). Micro-nationalists even stage coups and declare wars on each other.

And Baugh isn't alone. He's one of a growing number of micro-nationalists—individuals who start their own "kingdoms," declaring their independence. They are found around the world, pretending to be islands of sovereignty.

Of course, it's all in good fun. The tongue-in-cheek effort is a grown man's playground. The founder gets to play king, making all the decisions and is answerable to no one.

An Insight into Human Nature

Micro-nationalists give us insight into human nature, for we all have a secret desire to rule. We are terribly uncomfortable with living under the authority of another. That's why we cannot function at work without conflict.

That's why churches split. That's why nations fail. That's why families are in turmoil.

Really, it's all about the kingdom of me. Like Kevin Baugh, I don't need anyone else. I don't need another king. I don't need anyone else. I have me.

You see this crazy self-rule in the simplest of conflicts. My neighborhood association now has a team of legal advisors. A local car club meeting broke out into a melee. Soccer coaches have been attacked by parents. Companies have been undone by disloyal employees. All the kingdoms of earth are in conflict with each other. It's a literal world war.

There's nothing new about Baugh's efforts. Humans have been creating their own kingdoms since the dawn of time.

Kingdoms in Conflict
Adam couldn't live under a ruler who had given him utter freedom, but felt unduly burdened by just one rule hanging on a tree. It didn't take but a few words of persuasion and Adam created his own government rule. And Eve was right in the mix, challenging Adam's leadership, questioning what he heard from God. Every human since has had issues with authority and leadership. Humanity has rolled in a series of disastrous events from self-rule.

Power struggles are most evident in the duopoly of marriage. We are uncomfortable being alone, and even God recognizes that it's “not good” (Gen. 2:18). But he created the two to now become one and to mutually submit. It's a conundrum. We don't want to be ruled by another, but hate the thought of absolute isolation.

And nations are ripe for conflict. Our founding fathers understood the snares of a single ruler. The idea of a king or a dictator would have never worked in the new society. So they created three branches of government, a checks-and-balance system.

You're Not the Boss of Me
Our workplaces are full of mini-kingdoms. Accounting thinks they rule the roost, while sales thinks they are the most important function. The support group spends time in front of the mirror in self-admiration, while operations pats themselves on the back with hands that did the work.

And isn't it interesting that bosses are often the subject of ridicule and the tag “incompetent”? We all think we can do the job better, but we don't dare step into the role. “You're not the boss of me,” oozes out in a thousand different insubordinations.

It's easy to understand why people are reluctant to submit to rulers who are corrupt, incompetent, uninterested, or just plain evil. But why is it so hard to submit to rule that is just and compassionate and in one's own best interest?

A New Rule
The Kingdom of Heaven is entirely different. The Kingdom of Heaven is just. It is fair. It is run on an entirely different set of principles. And when Jesus declared “another Kingdom,” he established new rules for us to live.

Jesus said, "the time has come. The Kingdom is near. Repent and believe the good news." Mark 1:14-15.

There's a royal problem when we allow the Kingdom of Me to coexist in the Kingdom of Heaven. War breaks out. The two sets of principles are so at odds that something has to give. You cannot live for yourself and live for God.

It doesn't work.

The truth is that I'm a lousy king. I make selfish decisions. I don't think about the long-term consequences of my decisions. I don't consider others. I don't live for anyone else.

It's time to banish the Kingdom of Me and allow another King to rule.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” Matt. 6:33

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