DoxA

1:Thing that Changes Everything - Part 5

Today I was reminded of an old phrase I used to read on billboards and see in pamphlets. It's associated with a particular symbol and it got me thinking about the very first symbol used in Christian culture. Used as a means to signify faith, this symbol was first discovered in the catacombs of Rome, where Christians were imprisoned, to possibly signify a meeting place for fellow believers or identify one as such. Also, during times of open persecution the symbol was used to declare kinship. When coming upon another person it was likely a Christian would draw an arch in the sand with his foot. If the other mirrored the same, creating the image of a fish, it revealed one had come upon a friend. The fish symbol or Ichthus derives from the Greek word ichthys which is an acrostic meaning I = Jesus, X = Christ, T = God, Y = Son, S = Savior.

Today we still see this symbol. But like many things it has gone the way of commercialism and parody which seems to be a problem for many Christians. But this is the kind of problem we've brought upon ourselves. We have fallen into the trap of what some refer to as "Bumper Sticker" Faith. With phrases such as, God said it, I believe it, that settles it!", "No Jesus, No Peace, Know Jesus, Know Peace", "What would Jesus do?" and "I'm not perfect just forgiven!" it's no wonder people think we have reduced the Christian life down to a cliched experience.

Christians do have problems! I know, I am one. But our problems are rarely problems when we consider there are those who deal with real issues that have life altering consequences. For those who live in poor, oppressed countries, the lack of clean water and ample food is a real problem. Consider those who face ostracism and being disowned by family because of their new found faith in Christ; wouldn't you agree that is a real problem? And then there are those Christians who face imprisonment and severe punishment in cultures where it is illegal to believe in Jesus as Lord and God... I think that is a REAL problem!

For those of us in secure, affluent cultures, where freedom of religion allows protection against such problems, we should be embarrassed to consider our discomfort as real. Perhaps we would be better off to remember the words of the apostle Paul written to an affluent and secure group of believers in Corinth...

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:17,18

Here we see Paul reminding us that in the face of death (see vs. 11) our faith has a limited perspective yet an eternal destination.

What then are we to do?

We should remember those who are in prison and suffer as though we were there and feeling it ourselves. (Hebrews 13:3) We should welcome trials and not trivialize them with a heartless response, "Well you know, Consider it all joy!"(James 1:2) Finally, I believe the answer lies in the one phrase that got me thinking about this whole thing in the beginning. As yesterday was the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, we should pray, not just on one day but everyday. Not just for your problems but for real problems and not for comfort but for courage! Because...

The one thing that perhaps changes everything... is Prayer.

1:Thing that Changes Everything - Part 4

    I have to admit; I've lived a comfortable life. Oh sure, there have been times when things weren't rosy and I would have liked to crawl into a hole but most of the time, even during those early years growing up when we had very little, I must confess, I've done pretty well in the "lack of suffering" department.

However, for several days now, I have been burdened with the suffering of others. There are several families in our church who are going through very difficult times! They have been out of work, some are in the process of losing their homes and yet others have made the choice simply to move to a less expensive place hoping to find a better life. Which to me seems a bit silly but I understand why. To move to a place where there are more affordable housing, good schools, plenty of jobs and secure neighborhoods your choices are pretty limited. Which makes me think, "what if I didn't grow up in California, live in the freedom of the United States and benefit from a civilized culture providing roads, sewers, utilities, not to mention, rapid communication and travel devices?" Let me ask you... What if you did? Can you dig it? You too are dong just fine in the "lack of suffering" department!

All too often our world is defined simply by those people and things around us. We hear about people in foreign places who suffer and by definition I mean those who truly suffer (have no clean water, eat perhaps but one meal per day, have no access to medical care, are subjected to the elements and exposed to pestilence, disease and thuggery) but we don't really understand suffering. Not because we are ignorant, we are fairly intelligent folks around here, but we don't really understand it because we've never really experienced it! Now, without opening the Knowledge vs. Experience can of worms let me just say, knowledge can never lead you to an experience. it can help you have a better experience but never give you one. On-the-other-hand, experience does give you knowledge, albeit limited based simply by what you experienced! So, with that said; if you suffer, you have better, more accurate knowledge!

Why then am I burdened with all this suffering if I'm not experiencing it myself? Hmmmph! I wish I knew. But we are told, as part of the body of Christ to share in the suffering of our brothers (1Cor.12:25,26); is this it? Perhaps. But maybe I'm becoming more mature in my faith as a follower of Jesus. How do I know this? I'm becoming more and more convinced as I read more and more of His Word that suffering is evidence of my faith!

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21

... It is tests, strengthens and perfects my faith!

Dear brothers and sisters,​ when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4

... and it validates and empowers my faith!

So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian,​​ for then the glorious Spirit of God​ rests upon you.​  If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! 1 Peter 4:12,13

Why then is it a problem for us to embrace suffering? To normalize and dare I say, expect it? There are places around the planet where suffering is the way of life... there are Christians, who in the face of persecution, find great joy, do incredible good and consider it a privilege to suffer for Christ! I have my opinions but what are yours?

Perhaps the one thing that changes everything... is location.

1:Thing that Changes Everything - Part 3

At an early age I would love to watch crime detective shows. I especially loved the part where the unexpected twist would occur. Just when you thought the guilty guy was actually innocent or the innocent woman guilty, the writers would reveal a hidden piece of evidence that would change the whole thing around and present, without question, the real criminal! Colombo was my favorite... just when Peter Falk was clear on the evidence and had the whole thing figured out he would start to walk out and then turn around with that classic line, "Excuse me... uh, one more thing..." then proceeding to go over a few other pieces of evidence that had been overlooked and therefore unconsidered, he would solve the case! So, before we can consider the evidence; let consider evidence.

Evidence is a powerful commodity. Here's what I mean...

• If you have evidence you have credibility! Unlike the kid who makes up stories in eloquent vacuums about being a red-belt, karate student, a kid who can produce the actual belt and deliver a roundhouse kick proves it!
• If you have evidence you have confidence! Having a genuine photograph of the person who blames you for stealing the cookie from the cookie jar with his or her hand in it, assures you the punishment will go elsewhere!
• If you have evidence you have command! For those who hold the proof, its as if they're holding power! Countless people have been blackmailed into doing or not doing things simply because someone had evidence on them.

So, I ask the question; when it comes to our faith, wouldn't it be prudent to have evidence of such faith? Or is that possible? Because it is, after all... "faith." 

The writer of Hebrews describes faith as the "assurance" of things hoped for and "evidence" of things still unseen. Some would argue it's not real if it's not seen... evidence has to be evident! Which is why miracles are sought after in this world as evidence or proof in the existence of God! Unfortunately, I have seen, as perhaps you have, the only evidence of miracles happening today is nothing more that a bunch of Tom Foolery in the name of Christ to get a quick buck!

So what then? Are we to throw our hands up collectively and declare, just because these guys are phonies, "God is too?" Well, maybe not so fast... could it be we have overlooked some evidence that has been there all along?

In a courtroom, evidence is used to determine the viability of one's behavior against the limits of the law. Without going into the whole legal analogy of "reasonable doubt," which forces any atheist into the category of being an agnostic, I'll simply ask this question. Do you have the evidence of God on you? If so, why aren't you credible? Why are you lacking confidence and what is keeping you from taking charge? The last time I checked, the keys of life and human existence have not been discovered. The fact you are eating, talking, breathing, seeing, laughing, crying, loving, hurting, driving, lifting, thinking, sleeping is greater evidence of God than any scientific formula or philosophical explanation. The evidence shows, no promise to a quality of life, only that you have life.

So, for those waiting to see evidence of God to believe in God; take a look around. For those who've found evidence, be credible, confident, courageous. For those uncertain, think about the law that you've tried so hard not to break. If we're honest, in our hearts, we know we're not perfect. Therefore, hoping God will grade on a curve isn't faith... But believing in Christ is!

Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises?​​ Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:21,22

Perhaps the one thing that changes everything... is evidence! Think about it.

Just Stop and Think!

I was reminded of this video today and thought since I've been absent in provocative thought lately I'd let someone else ask the questions! Sit back...             these are good things to ponder.

1:Thing that Changes Everything - Part 1

This past week has been a week of waiting. Me waiting on God, God waiting on me, you waiting on me and me waiting on you, not to mention, you waiting on God and God waiting on you. How? You think. Well, we all go through life with the desire of a better tomorrow, instant answers, peace of heart and mind and the assurance you always have a little more than you need. Because we believe God supplies us all we need (according to His riches) and He often uses people like you and me to accomplish this promise, we go through each day wanting... and that generally finds us waiting.

Hope is a good thing. When we speak of hope our mind wraps around a virtue that stems from green goodness or a ray that streams from golden sunshine. Hope reflects gratitude and if left unfulfilled; no one gets hurt. Expectations, on the other hand, are another thing. These are thoughts that rise to the surface like a film coating everything, they leave a selfish, often bitter taste in one's mouth and requires a satisfactory resolve or everyone gets hurt. Now just to be clear, while both ideas convey a sense of waiting for a particular result, an expectation holds an assurance of completion while a hope holds a desire for such.

I often find, when counseling folks who are going through relational difficulties, that most of their problems stem from "expectations" that should be hopes" and "hopes" that would be better as "expectations." We tend to have hopes that we're unwilling to let go, so in time they become expectations. Likewise we discover our expectations, that seem so obvious, continue to go unmet so we dismiss them as hopes and put our energies elsewhere. Best thing to do when coming to this realization is to evaluate our hopes and expectations and perhaps re-categorize. But this isn't the point I'm trying to make but it is related, so it's thrown in at no extra charge... back to my point.

When we have expectations our ability to wait is strong while our desire to wait is weak. Likewise when it comes to hope our ability to wait is weak while the desire is strong. In other words, we act like our hopes should have the result of expectations and visa versa. Confused yet? Just try this test... What are you waiting for? A new car, a better job, a loved one to be healed from a terminal illness, your own miracle that only God can do? What is it? Now, honestly ask, do you expect or hope it to happen? Well, you could say one implies greater faith and if you believe as Jesus said, to have faith of a mustard seed... I can expect it to happen. Also, if I don't expect God to do X, Y or Z then I believe that God is limited in his power and I think less of God! Yes, you make a good point. BUT let's look at the familiar verse which tends to define faith... Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) Interesting, it doesn't say "expect."

Yes, we can put God up to the big challenge and expect Him to come through, in our life and in the lives of others but wouldn't it be better to hope that God's will is the same as our expectations? We do not see the eternal picture. We have a limited view from the disadvantaged position of our humanness. Which, last time I checked, was still selfish and sinful. Yes, we can put the blame on God when things don't happen the way we want them to but perhaps it would be better for us to just change our view... maybe the one thing that changes everything is "perspective." 

(to be continued)

Oh, Just ___ More Thing

(read this as if Andy Rooney were talking...)

I've heard people talk about the "Power of One." I'm sure that is a reference to unity and how much can be accomplished when everyone is putting forth a collective effort toward the same goal. I can recall chanting "We're number one!" after winning our high school football championship. Essentially, we were bragging to the rest of the world or anyone who cared that we were pretty full of ourselves. Then there's that song which sings, "One is the loneliest number." Kind of depressing, when you think of it. I imagine a crowded restaurant of colorful, laughing, flirting couples eating lobster and drinking champagne while a black and white, solitude character sits in the corner sipping soup and water. We are told to be of one heart and mind (which feels like duplicity to me) to go one way when navigating the concept of community; in other words, common unity. In golf the greatest challenge is to get a hole in one while keeping one as a whole appears to be the greatest challenge in leadership. For something that appears to be so simple just by being the smallest of all numbers, ONE can be so complicated.

(Okay... Andy Rooney is no longer speaking...) Let me ask, "Is one really that small?" Perhaps... What we see as tiny, God sees in a much different way. 

Without getting into a numerology discussion, where we debate the number of God being 7 or 3 or the value of 40, I present to you, when it comes to what is important to our creator, He places a lot of weight on 1.

God created Adam (man) and saw that it was very good but being alone was not, so... out of man's side God created woman so the two could become 1. If that wasn't obvious enough, God wanted His people to know, "The Lord your God, is 1 Lord... 1 faith, 1 baptism, 1 God and Father... that they may be 1 as you and I are 1... name under heaven which man can be saved..." You see 1 is actually a very big number!

We on the other hand we do not like 1. If I have 1, I soon want 2. And after I'm bored with 2, I'll get a 3rd. and before you know it, I'm having a garage sale to get rid of 1, 2 and 3, to buy 4 and 5! Why? Because, 4 and 5 are new and 1,2,3 are old and broken and no longer exciting! Which is why I am so thankful God isn't like us. In fact, He is a collector and a restorer. He makes things new and he treasures each 1. You and I, although different and unique, are priceless and in Gods eyes. You are 1 of a kind. I am 1 of a kind. Together we are different parts of 1 body yet we are perfectly placed!

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.  Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,​​ some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and... God has put each part just where He wants it. 1 Corinthians 12:12,13,18b (NLT)

Just 1 more thing to think about. 

"WHERE are you?" Hiding in a corner, sipping soup as a small person, all by yourself being alone? Or part of one, big body... connected, colorful, different, happy?

You Can Relate

Everyone has a story.

Once upon a time, I was walking with two very funny people. So funny they had careers in comedy. Being with them was always a blast. You could count on laughing so hard your side would ache, cringing with a "I can't believe you just said that!" reaction and wishing, oh so wishing, you could be that funny too. When I was walking and listening to them I blurted out, mid-laughter... "I wish I could be funny." They just looked at me... seriously. I, in similar seriousness, restated, "I'm just not that funny." To this they burst into laughter! At first I didn't know whether they were humoring me (no pun intended) or genuinely caught off guard by my unassuming wit! When I asked them what was so funny? They just said... "That was funny." Their point, as we talked about humor, was everyone is funny. But we try to say funny things when we over look what is truly funny is often where we find ourselves!

"It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic!" Ever heard that? or how about, "How in the world did I get myself into such a mess?" Maybe this one... "I never saw it coming."

Everyone has a story. Yet few people can really tell a story.

Jesus was a master story teller... these stories or parables we call them have had a lasting impact beyond culture and context. Each parable told either revealed the nature of the Kingdom of God or the heart of the listener. When we read these stories today we are without the presence of these listeners and without them we most likely miss much of the meaning of the story being told. We can categorize these listeners in three ways... 1) Disciples or followers of Jesus. 2) Religious types such as pharisees, scribes and priests and 3) sinners or common folks without faith. From tax collectors and lepers to the poor, it pretty much describes anyone not a disciple or religious.

As Jesus told stories, the characters within were usually the characters around. Take the story of the Prodigal in Luke 15. The audience was religious types who were questioning the company Jesus kept and the sinners and tax collectors who basically were the ones around the table when Jesus ate dinner. In the story were three characters... the Father; who graciously and abundantly grants favor and forgiveness to the next character... the youngest son; who disrespectfully asks for his inheritance, all but saying, "Dad, thanks for letting me have all these wonderful things so I can now act as though you're dead!" And the oldest brother; who disdains both father and younger brother for their frivolity and reckless behavior.

Jesus tells the story placing his listeners at the very center of the story by causing both sinners to identify with the younger brother... "I have sinned against heaven and you, I am no longer worthy of being called your son..." vs.18,19 and the religious to identify with the older... "I have never once refused to do a thing you told me to do!" vs.29 NLT.

Today when we hear this story it is easy for us to adopt a beautiful "and they lived happily ever after" mindset but the object remains the same as it did two thousand years ago... put yourself in the story! Who are you? Sinner... needing to return home? Religious... arrogant and demanding? Either way, neither are very funny. They are tragic, a mess and the outcome was nothing anyone would have predicted.

Jesus, found himself the center of a story, which for any outsider might think, tragic, mess, never saw it coming, but in fact, he knew all along how the story would end. Not only was he the master storyteller, He is the master story! Or to be cute... H is story!

What's your story? I could use a good laugh!

NIMBY

Not in my backyard! Is the notion of unwanted yet necessary institutions or industries that begin to develop near your place of residence... such as prisons, nuclear power plants, airports; you get the idea. But if the heart were completely revealed it would include many more things as well... such as people of different color, faith and orientation of the sex kind!

I was thinking about this today as I was driving through a low income neighborhood which is predominantly comprised of a different ethnic background than mine... What am I by the way? Uh... like your typical US citizen... what is that? mmmmm... I don't know anymore but I'm sure it's just like me! Anyway, I got to thinkin' would these folks want me as their neighbor? Could I be the person who would be looked upon as "not wanted?" I've never thought of myself that way - EVER!

What about You? What makes you so special? Hold on, let me rephrase that... What makes you so special!

One asks the other declares... which is it?

Are we coming to a time when churches will be (perhaps we already are) the subject of NIMBY?

We have to ask the question regarding these churches... What makes you so... special? so, others can declare... THIS is what makes them so special!

Don't Ever Change

Looking through your high school yearbooks can either be a wonderful walk down memory lane or it can feel like a stroll into a dark, scary place where you know you will inevitably have to face a demon or two. Beyond the themes and mediocre photography lie dozens of handwritten sentiments of shared experiences, inside jokes and pledges of life-long friendship. Often ending with these words... "Stay the way you are... don't ever change!" Silly as it may seem, 10, 20 or 30 years later; at the time it was heartfelt and of course who ever imagined they wouldn't stay as they were?

Fast forward some time later and there is another pictorial to open and reminisce. The wedding album recalls the best of our hopes and dreams. What the photographer captured that day was a odd combination of elation, numbness, worry and innocence. Little would you imagine on that day just how much things would change. When we say "I do," an agreement to all those words the preacher says, we never intend to break them... you know, like the "until death do us part"... part. Yet, today these vows appear as nothing more than good ideas until better ones come along: Better eyes, better touch, better conversation, better sex, better intelligence, better jobs, better vacations, better... The problem with the better syndrome is there will always be something better to best the very thing you hold new. Sometimes it happens as a flash in the pan other times it's a slow burn but eventually there will be something better.

I suppose you could easily make a life out of finding the better; many do. However, when the final days of sunlight are fading on the soul, one is only left with what is. And is what is the best there ever was?

We know God hates divorce. We don't have to be told that... it just seems like God would anyway. When we speak of God, whether you see Him as a kind, gentle, just, harsh, demanding God, in any state, we can only imagine God as one who would hate to see the difficult, hurtful rending of heart and possessions.

I'm sometimes amazed how many will justify their desires to get a divorce on the basis that it's best for everyone, when they really mean it's best for them. When we believe the lie that divorce is better for everyone it's like Edmund's Turkish Delight, a trickery intended take you where you really don't want to go! When you divorce; children suffer, work suffers, friends suffer and mostly you suffer. So why do we insist on it?

When it comes to divorce in the church there are so many questions... I suppose these questions arise out of loop-hole expeditions; giving allowance for behavior and granting freedom to the troubled conscience. Yet, Jesus was pretty clear...

Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?” 4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’​​ 5 And he said, ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’​ 6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” 7 “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?”​ they asked.
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. 9 And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful.​​” Matthew 19:3-9

Some would content the Apostle Paul was less clear giving allowances in 1 Corinthians but I say the result is the same...

Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. 1 Corinthians 7:17

As stated before and again here reiterated; Marriage is not for your happiness, it is for you holiness! I truly believe if we could get to the place where holiness was our aim, we'd see a lot less divorce and a whole lot of happiness!

Guys Have it So Easy

I remember hearing this line a long time ago... "Guys have it so easy!" This in reference to how we dress, what we eat, how we lose weight, the fact we don't have monthly "issues," You get the idea. I can see how someone close to me would believe I actually think this way... I've often joked, "It's good to be King!" meaning I can do basically whatever I want. That is after I've cleared it with my wife. But the truth is, I rarely check things with my wife and I don't have it so easy because, while I may lose weight easily, I bear the weight of responsibility for my family, heavily!

Yesterday I made the bold statement that the success of a marriage is not dependent upon our wives but the strong leadership of men who are married to them. But before you go gettin all Gloria Steinem on me, let me put it in clear context. My words are only taking to heart the message of a man who lived in a dominantly dominant male society and who had the audacity to say it was the responsibility of men to follow Christ and love their wives as Christ loved the Church. (Eph.5:25) Over the years, I have had the "conversation." You know the one where a strong, independent woman pulls me aside and begins to tell me how times are different and culture has yielded to more civilized forms of rolls and respect. That women need not find themselves; their identity or worth in what a man thinks or does and she is as capable, if not MORE capable of doing what men do and we should all get over our sexist prejudices and promote equality without thought for what's inside the pants. Every time I hear this; I smile, nod my head, let her finish and say... "I completely agree." Although once I was scolded for just patronizing I mostly get a look of confusion and the question, "Why?"

A person's abilities, whether male or female, has nothing to do with authority and submission. In the military as well as other civilian occupations there are qualified, capable folks along the chain of command that could easily out perform and lead more successfully than their officers and direct reports. Yet, submission is essential for "order" and authority is crucial for health. This is very true in my marriage: Although I lead, my wife submits and together we have order and we have a complete, whole perspective of how our lives work together. It's healthy. Our bodies work the same way, the blood in the body is essential but the heart commands the blood's orders one beat at a time. One without the other can not survive... Well, you say the analogy breaks down here because men and women can survive without the other. In fact, some survive better without the other! I disagree; they do better outside a bad relationship, one out of order and counter-authority. But a true godly marriage, where respect for submission and authority exists, shows equality in position and harmony in practice... in other words; no one is sitting around going, "I can't believe I'm not allowed to..." or "When am I going to get my chance?"

If you're a guy you have it good and you need to make it better! If you're a gal you have it good and you too need to make it better! What's it going to take today for you to notice just how good you have it and just how good it can get?

BTW - the remote controls are a joke!