faith

Remember the Alamo!

Frank

Traveling to San Antonio a week ago I knew I had to write some kind of post about the Alamo. I was thinking something along the lines of demolishing strongholds or the Lord being our fortress. The problem is that battle was lost, everybody died, and the Alamo was not held.

(As an aside, isn’t interesting how this is remembered by history? A monumental strategic gaffe which led to the death of hundreds is revered in history and William Travis is hailed as a hero while the Battle of Little Big Horn was a similar loss (though larger in scale) and George Armstrong Custer is remembered as a bumbling fool. It is a fine line between foolishness and bravery, I suppose- sounds like a future post to me, but I digress.)

I guess I could write from the perspective of Santa Anna, but as I am frequently reminded I better not “mess with Texas.” So visiting the site and scouring through the history I was stumped with how to present a spiritual lesson from this historic battle. Then I found this little nugget at the end of one of Travis’ many letters requesting reinforcements:

“P.S. The Lord is on our side. when the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn. We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of beeves.”

Less than two weeks later every single man fighting alongside Travis would be killed, and ironically Travis was one of the first to fall. But here he is proclaiming confidently, “the Lord is on our side.”

The skeptic could look at that and respond, “see, there is no God!” The fundamentalist might respond, “there must’ve been unrepentant sin in their camp.” Liberal Christians may point a finger at the Texians as oppressors that the Lord was ensuring would get their due, and The Christian Conservative is left speechless while clinging tightly to the flag.

There’s a danger in confusing God’s blessing with God’s favor. Were they blessed to find extra food? Certainly. But by the outcome of the battle it would be hard to argue that they enjoyed any special favor from God. But we don’t learn from history (or the Bible for that matter). Every small victory, every seeming blessing is touted as “God is on our side!” From sports, to international affairs, to even the mundane occurrences of our daily routine we look for any little blessing (or kiss on the forehead as my wife likes to call them) to comfort us that God is with us.

Tony Campolo recounts in his book Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God, how he was speaking for a prison ministry to a group of hardened lifers and a young woman leading worship shared that on her way there a rock nicked her windshield. This made her very upset, so she stopped, got out of the car and prayed that God would remove the nick from her windshield. And God answered her prayer. Now just imagine being incarcerated for something like murder and hearing this story. Would this encourage you or patronize you? Why would God act in such a trivial matter while you were suffering in prison begging for forgiveness? Would you want to be redeemed by a savior who fixes windshields while children are starving around the world?

How often do we hear in sports that God was with the victors? Does that inherently mean that he wasn’t with the losers? Does God love one team, one quarterback, one player more than all the others? And does one team defeating another advance the Kingdom so much that it is worth God intervening to ensure victory?

And look around this political season. We have been spoiled for so long in America with wealth and prosperity, that it was a given for most that we are a “Christian nation” or that the United States holds some special favor with God. Yet now we are reaping what we’ve sown by living in excess as we look for someone to blame. Where is God’s favor now? The same place it has always been.

Jesus says in his Sermon on the Mount that “[God] causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45) In context, Jesus is talking about loving your enemies, but he had just spoken about blessings and sin.

“The Lord is with us.” Sure, but he is also with your enemy, your coworker, your neighbor. He may be actively blessing one with good fortune while refining another’s faith through trial. God may be sparing a friend from cancer while a family member is suffering and about to die.

I’ve learned to be careful trying to read too much into things to find God’s motives. What is important is not whose side God is on, but whether I am on God’s side surrendering to his sovereignty. In hindsight it is sometimes easy to see blessings that are not obvious now. And what may look like blessings now may not be after all. God will do as he chooses. And the rain will fall on all of us.

Remember the Alamo.

Prayer Warriors Don’t Fight Alone

Frank

When passing milestones, it is a good time to look back and reflect. Remembering old friends, the late-night talks about nothing and everything, the struggles and hurts, and the victories that followed. Wednesday night my congregation had a prayer service. It reminded me of the first midweek service I attended out here, a little more than ten years ago when I can out to interview for my job. That service was also a prayer service, where everyone was given an opportunity to pair up, get on our knees, and lift up our voices to God. It was moving to me then, and it moved me Wednesday night.

“If you believe, you will receive anything you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 22:21)

I cannot say I am a prayer warrior. I go through periods where I am “on”, when my heart just pours out and I am left feeling so refreshed. But then I go through dry spells as well, when it is all I can do to even whisper, “please, Lord, help me.” I have found that one of the best ways to get out of these ruts is to stop thinking about myself and pray only for others and their needs.

But the other night reminded me of a better way to get out of those ruts: to pray with someone else. As I prayed with one of my best friends, and then later with a brother whose wife is battling cancer, something different moved within me. I did not once pray for myself, yet I felt the weight of the world that I have been placing on my shoulders lift. I was one of the last people to leave as another brother and I opened up about some sin in our lives. And I was refreshed.

It’s funny, as I look back over the years I have called myself a disciple of Jesus I can point out a few single times, single events, that stand out as memories that mean something special to me. But what I seem to remember most were the times I wrestled in prayer with someone else. I remember praying with a stranger who would later become one of my best friends as we watched a sun rise. I remember going with my roommate on a prayer walk that I didn’t want to go on, and yet probably praying one of the most vulnerable prayers I ever had. I remember just a couple of years later, praying with this friend right before his wedding. I remember an elder who used to be here, and if you asked him what the weather was like he would first pause and pray about it before giving an answer. I remember praying non-stop the days before I was baptised, wrestling over a new conviction that turned my religious upbringing up side down. I remember my wife and I praying on our knees every night before bed; only a memory because we have since allowed our lives to wear us down and distract us from what is most important.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

How awesome it is that because of the sacrifice of Jesus we can enter into the presence of the Creator of the universe, that he loves us so much that he listens as we ramble on like little children, and that in his infinite wisdom he answers our prayers. That awe, that refreshing, that faith is forgotten when I neglect the power of praying with someone else.

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

Are you in a rut spiritually? I encourage you to find someone else and make time to pray together. Even if it is someone you do not know who sits on the other side of the fellowship every Sunday morning, there is nothing better to break the ice than to pray together. So who is someone you can call up today to pray?

Ten Years Gone

Frank

Ten years ago I packed up everything and headed into the great unknown. Fresh out of college (roughly; I was waiting tables at Bennigan’s for almost a year) I was moving to a place I had only read about before to begin my career.

In that time, I have logged more than 20,000 hours at my desk, in meetings or on the road to support my work. I have commuted 200,000 miles and spent 3,750 hours doing so.

In contrast, in the same amount of time I have spent 1040 hours sitting in church on Sunday mornings, driving 7280 miles back and forth from my home. If I add board meetings, leadership meetings, and other ministry activities I could triple these numbers and still fall well short of the time I have devoted to my job.

Assuming I had an hour quiet time every day in that span (regrettably, not a safe assumption), that is still only 3650 hours spent in prayer and Bible study. Still not close to those 20,000 hours.

So based on these numbers alone, can you tell what my priority in life is?

That is why it is so important to live out our faith in every corner of our lives. We cannot limit our Christianity to time spent in the pew on Sunday mornings because that is wholly inadequate. But not only must we be active in our faith while punching the clock, we must also ask the hard question whether our jobs themselves bring glory to God.

And after ten years, given the numbers above, I wrestle over that question every day.

“…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

“Be very careful then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Jesus Wears Rocket Boots

Frank

Last night as I was putting my son to bed, we were tackling all the hard questions in life. My son asked a question about the Bible that I couldn’t answer, so I simply told him that some things in the Bible we can’t explain. They are miracles and we have to take them on faith that they really happened. I said, “take Jesus walking on water. We don’t know how he did that, just that he did.”

“Oh! I know,” my son quickly interrupted. “Jesus was wearing rocket boots, like Iron Man!”

Ok, maybe we can explain everything in the Bible. I suppose when the sun stood still for Joshua, Superman was flying around the Earth so fast that it stopped turning. (It worked in the movie, anyway)

A child’s imagination allows for robot armor, light sabers, men who turn green when angry, and talking animals. There’s room in their little minds to accept raising people from the dead, driving out evil spirits, and.. talking animals. Maybe that’s what Jesus meant when he said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15)

As we grow older, we also grow more cynical and skeptical. It is harder to accept Jesus walking on water; and even if we can make that logical leap, no way do we allow for Peter to do the same. Feeding 5000 with just a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread? Turning water into wine? These are harder to accept. Driving out demons can be explained away with psychology. We no longer have the faith of a little child.

Yet we spend billions to watch “The Avengers” while eagerly awaiting the next “Batman” and “Spiderman” release and speculating online about what, exactly, “Prometheus” is all about. We go in to the latest blockbusters willing to suspend belief for two hours. And then expect the Sunday morning sermon to be preached from science and history books.

I’m not saying we  should check our brain at the door to our churches. But rather we should allow for our imaginations to do just what God intended them to do- grasp at the unknown, wonder in awe at God’s power and creativity, and maybe in some way be inspired to share our unique insights through art, music, or prose.

If we can be child-like watching our childhood heroes on the big screen, why can’t we be child-like, as Jesus commanded, learning about our ultimate hero in Jesus? Miracles cannot be explained. If they could, they wouldn’t be miracles. And as I had to explain to my son, rocket boots weren’t yet invented when Jesus was alive. But I suppose that would have been a miracle too.

This is my first time joining my friend Duane Scott’s blog-carnival “unwrapping His promises”. Click the button below for more.

Two Thieves

Frank

What do your prayers sound like? When the pressures of life are pressing you down, when it feels like there is no hope at all, when there is no other place to turn do you pray, “aren’t you the Messiah? I need to you get me out of this. Save me”? Or instead do you simply pray, “Jesus, remember me”?

I don’t know why, but when I read the account of Jesus on the cross in Luke 23 and reflected on the words of the two thieves crucified with him, I couldn’t help but think of myself. I thought about how I approach God with the attitude, “you created the universe, you can fix this!” as though God owes me something. It convicted me to think of the second thief and his response, “don’t you fear God?” (v 40) as I ask myself the same question. I thought about how Jesus instructed not to pray by rambling on and on and how simple a prayer it is to surrender what I want and just say “Jesus, remember me.” (v 42)

I thought of how God is just and by his grace he saves me from all that I deserve. Yet there are times I deserve what I get. When I make my job the most important thing in my life and am later all stressed out. When I stop being giving to my family and act surprised when my children stop obeying. When I fail to ask the simple request for Jesus to remember me and wonder why life seems so hard. Then the second thief replies, “we are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man [Jesus] has done nothing wrong.” (v 41)

No, Jesus did not deserve to die like he did. And he does not deserve to be treated like a cosmic vending machine, or some strip mall self-help guru. Sure, he can get me off this tree, but I need to be honest and ask myself do I want this for me, or for him?

Lord Jesus, remember me.

Happiness Happens

Frank

This is a common thought of mine, frequently wrestled with in prayer: why does fill-in-the-blank rob me of my joy? I fill that blank with my kids, my job, the minutia of adult life (bills, burned out light bulbs, weeds, etc), my computer crashing, and so on. I struggle over this because I am convinced that as a Christian these things should not shake me.

But then I heard a great observation in a sermon: “happiness is based on what happens, but joy is rooted in the eternal.” Easy to remember. Happiness happens. I don’t think I’m alone in the feelings I describe above and I think our problem is that we confuse happiness with joy.

It’s ok not to be happy when you’re running late and stuck at a red light. It’s ok not to be happy when you are sick and tired of being sick and tired. It’s ok not to be happy when all those little things get under your skin, on your last nerve.

But the Bible commands us to “be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, emphasis added)

Honestly, I read that scripture, shake my head and wonder, how on earth?

But that’s my problem. There is no “how on earth”. Jesus endured the cross “for the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). The joy before him wasn’t here on earth, it was in eternity with God his father. We have that same hope and therefore we should share that same joy.

Jesus told his disciples prior to his betrayal and crucifixion, “A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (John 16:21-22) While we did not get to see the resurrected Jesus, we have confidence that we will someday. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.” (v 33)

Thankfully, until that time, Jesus did not leave us all alone.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:1-5)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy, second only to love. We need to turn to, trust in, and rely upon the Holy Spirit to give us joy as we have hope in Jesus.

Instead of saying @#%! happens, remember instead that happiness happens, joy is eternal. Thanks be to God for his gift of the Holy Spirit and the hope we have in Jesus for eternity.

Helicopter or Drone?

Frank

By now school is back in session for everyone. The last wave started either yesterday or today following the Labor Day holiday. My kids started last week. My wife, this week.

The first day of school is marked by parents taking extra pictures while frantically making sure their child has everything ready. A certain type of parent, the “helicopter parent”, will even follow their child to school to make sure they get in the right classroom, get along with the right kids, and do all the “right” things. They watch to make sure Johnny isn’t picked last when teams are drawn up for kickball and make sure Sally is called on first when she raises her hand in class.

The name, helicopter parent, comes from the image of these parents hovering over their children in every facet of their day. I want to add another type of parent to our nomenclature- the drone parent (more catchier than UAV parent, I think). This parent also hovers, but not as close. Like an un-piloted drone, they hover high up where they can’t be seen, but are constantly on surveillance.

I admit, I’m a drone parent. We followed our children to school, took all the pictures, hugged each maybe just a little too long and watched as they went off to their class. But we didn’t leave. We stood back and we watched. How would our son respond to his new teacher? Which of his best friends are back after the summer and will be in his class? Unlike helicopter parents, who have a reputation of control, drone parents simply stand back and watch and respond to the data they receive.

But even that is too much. Watching other parents drop their children off last week- some helicopter, some drone, some “bombers” (drop the kids off and fly away)- it occurred to us that it didn’t matter how close we stayed or how much we watched. As other parents commented on which teacher was the best (and of course, their child had to be in that class) and which children were the worst, we realized that it all really doesn’t matter. Yes, it is important that our children receive a quality education. Yes, there are certain kids and some demographics that are obstacles to learning. But we are not dropping off our children to never see them again. They may spend more of their waking hours at school, but it is ultimately at home where they will learn the most. One teacher or one bad apple child in the first grade will not change the ultimate fate of my child.

So the drone has to fly back to base. We have to let them go. We have to trust that God is in control.

But Why?

Frank

What if you find yourself on the other side of the story? What if it was your baby who had to die so that another could live? What if you find yourself asking why?

Our whys could be losing a job, a spouse walking away, the tragic death of a child. Or your whys might be an ongoing struggle that will never change, no matter how desperately you pray.

My wife is a Special Education teacher. While her caseload doesn’t consist of the most developmentally disabled, daily she faces parents who deep inside are asking “why”. Six months ago one of her students shared the proud news of a baby brother being born. Unfortunately, this baby was born with just about everything wrong imaginable. He was hydrocephalus, blind, under weight, under developed, and under responsive. Collectively most babies in his condition would only survive weeks or at most a year. Naturally our heart went out to this family. Not only did they already have one special needs child, but they also lacked the means to fully take care of this baby. He requires frequent trips to LA for surgeries, check-ups, and other treatments. Without a car or any other means to make his appointments, my wife jumped in without hesitation.

This precious little baby was quickly accepted like part of the family. My daughter loves him so much she now wants a baby brother of her own.

At the same time we were struggling in prayer over my friend’s baby mentioned in my last post, we were also struggling in prayer over this baby. Do we pray that he will be healed? Do we even have that much faith? Do we pray that he finds peace and that God calls him home with no suffering? Do we pray for the family, facing this challenging circumstance? In the end, we simply pray that God’s will be done.

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’
‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,‘ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.’“ (John 9:1-3)

For all the reasons one could ask why: every tragedy, every adversity, every infirmary, every disability; maybe the answer is as simple as “so that the work of God might be displayed in your life.”

Why is Tyler suffering through his short life while AJ is blessed with a new life? I don’t have an answer, but I pray that God is glorified through both.

Psyche!

Frank

So after yesterday’s post, I was expecting to share some exciting discussion from my Crazy Love group last night. Nope. The truth is, stepping out on faith is scary… for everyone. When asked the question, “if you had unlimited faith, unlimited resources, and unlimited support what would you do?” the group drew a blank. Sure we thought of some broad things like travelling the world to personally end hunger or to intercede in some conflict to bring about peace. But we were unable to come up with something that we, as Joe Shmoe Christians, could practically do right now.

My brother in law was in town this weekend, and we all got together for dinner Saturday night. He was telling us about his one time trying out skydiving. He said it wasn’t that scary; he was confident because of all the practice and prep that came before. But when he was on the plane, and the person in front of him jumped out of an open door into nothing, he was paralyzed. It’s not the jump that scares you, it’s the anticipation right before.

The big adventures in faith are like that. Once we step out, we realize it’s not that bad. But thinking about it ahead of time. Praying about it. Planning it. We can  psyche ourselves out before we ever take that first step if we’re not careful. That’s why it was so easy to make excuses when confronted to follow Jesus.

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.”
Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”  (Luke 9:57-62)

Peter, on the other hand, didn’t think ahead. When he saw Jesus walking on water he stepped right out. It was when he started thinking about it that he began to sink. (Matthew 14:22-36)

I guess the moral of the story is don’t think! Actually, I’m curious: has there ever been anything you’ve wanted to do that you talked yourself out of because you thought too much about it?

And since I couldn’t get this song out of my head when I heard the topic for this carnival (and it helps that I have two small children) here for your viewing pleasure is some Sesame Street:

This entry is part of a Blog Carnival hosted by Peter Pollock. This week’s topic is “adventure“. Be sure to visit the carnival and check out all the other posts!

Conspiracy Theory

Frank

Put on your tinfoil hat! You know the story, someone in authority makes a claim and you don’t believe it because of your own personal convictions. Experts come out and support the claim, but you still cannot believe it. People who would have an interest in discrediting the claim come out and support the claim, but you still will not believe it. Documents are produced that validate the claim, but you question if they are real. You are convinced there is more to the story.

In today’s Internet Age, you can log in online to discussion forums, user groups, and social media pages to support any idea out there. So it doesn’t take long to find others who believe like you do. They too do not believe the claims being made. In a virtual version of groupthink, you begin to believe these strangers, only because they subscribe to the same skepticism as you. So together you weave an elaborate explanation to dispute the claim. You have now come up with your own Conspiracy Theory.

This scenario played out in my mind when thinking about “birthers” and President Obama’s claims regarding his nationality. Honestly, I haven’t paid much attention to this debate. I figure if there was something to it, someone more credible than Donald Trump would come out exposing it. And so I read this article earlier in the week, mainly because I saw Trump’s interview and couldn’t believe my ears. I clicked the link more out of curiosity than expectation of any real “scoop”.

The article follows the outline of the first paragraph: a claim is made by the President, experts validate the claim, and even someone who would have an interest in discrediting the claim comes out to support it. It’s that last one, from then-governor of Hawaii, Republican Linda Lingle, that got my wheels turning. Here is the quote that got my attention:

“Why would a Republican governor — who was stumping for the other guy — hold out on a big secret?”

In a few days, Newsweek will put out their annual issue questioning some aspect of Christianity by interviewing some hand-picked “expert”. It has become a tradition for them to release this issue right before Easter. There have been articles on Mary, the Jesus Seminar, the evolution of Christology to name a few. But I don’t know if they have dared to tackle the biggest conspiracy theory of them all- the death, burial, and resurrection of this man called Jesus. Which is ironic, because that is what Christians celebrate Easter for in the first place.

There are many conspiracy theories one could attribute to the events 2000 years ago: the “swoon” theory, paying off the Roman guards, the Apostles stealing the body, questioning whether the events even happened at all.

But just like the birther claims, these theories fall apart when faced against expert testimony, documentation, and the inaction of those who would have an interest in squelching the claims. John’s testimony that when Jesus’ side was pierced blood and water flowed out, is consistent with what medical experts would expect to happen to someone suffering suffocation and heart failure. A fact John, nor anyone else at the time, would have had the knowledge to make up. The main characters of the story and the methods used are corroborated by historians. Josephus, a Jewish historian and Roman sympathizer, substantiated the events as described, including calling out Jesus by name, only a generation later. Most importantly, the Romans ruled over Jerusalem with an iron fist. If there was an uprising based on some false claim of someone coming back from the dead, they would’ve done everything possible to put an end to it with evidence to the contrary. Both the Romans and Jewish authorities responded to this fledgling religion called Christianity by putting to death anyone who claimed Jesus rose from the dead because that was the only way they could. They had no evidence to discredit the foundation of Christianity. Yet they were unsuccessful in covering up this conspiracy theory that remains two thousand years later. That’s a lot of staying power for something that’s not true. So maybe there’s something to it.

“…blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29)