Don Detrick's Leadership Musings

Mission Confusion and Clarification

2011-02-20T21:36:00.000-08:00

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. It turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. Although I was far from being a leader at the time, it also turned out to be a defining moment in my life that helped shape my thinking about leadership and staying true to mission.

As a college student in 1975 I worked the swing shift in a Eugene, Oregon sawmill. I took my place at the bottom of the food chain, in a system of position and power based upon seniority and hierarchy. The guys referred to me as the “cleanup boy,” a belittling term that I endured because I earned a whopping $4.50 an hour, while the minimum wage in 1975 hovered a little over $2.00 an hour. My job required me to clean the mechanic’s shop and equipment. Having grown up on a farm, I was used to cleaning up after livestock, so I figured this could not be much different, besides the smell of sawdust beats the aroma of manure any day.

In addition, I knew how to operate tractors and machinery. Working in the sawmill expanded my operating portfolio as I drove forklifts of all sizes, log trucks, and assorted heavy equipment for the purpose of combatting their grease and grime with a steam cleaner. The work was dirty, noisy, physical, and sometimes monotonous. I took my responsibility seriously and made it my mission to keep everything as clean as possible. At times that seemed like a never-ending task because the mechanics and various machinists working in the shop knew how to make a mess, and never cleaned up after themselves.

One night I completed my regular tasks, and set to work organizing and cleaning up one particular storage area of the machine shop. A large pile of old metal parts seemed to be taking up a lot of space, gathering dirt, and making it difficult to keep the area clean. My muscles ached as I hauled the heavy metal components out to the dumpster where they would soon be deported as scrap. Looking over the newly cleaned up area, I beamed with a sense of pride in my work, believing the foreman would be pleased when he arrived in the morning at my initiative and hard work.

Arriving at work the next afternoon around 3:00 pm, I was not surprised when one of the mechanics told me the foreman wanted to see me right away. I could barely contain my enthusiasm at the prospect of a word of commendation, or maybe even a raise, promotion, or bonus. Upon arrival, the sour look on the foreman’s face soon took the wind out of my sails. “What did you think you were doing by hauling all those parts out to the dumpster last night?” he boomed.

“Well, I just got tired of cleaning up around that mess, so I thought I would get rid of all that junk,” I stammered.

“That pile of junk, as you called it, contained parts necessary to keep this sawmill in operation in case of a breakdown. You threw away about $20,000.00 worth of parts last night! It’s a good thing one of the mechanics noticed after you left last night, and lugged everything back in. If those parts had still been in that dumpster when it got hauled off this morning, you would be fired right now!”

Luckily, he was a Christian man, and knew I was a theology student, so he had mercy on me. Even though I did not lose my job, my mind reeled at the implications of my good intentions gone awry. Using my wages at $4.50 an hour, it would have taken me nearly five thousand hours to pay for my mistake. Twenty thousand dollars was a lot of money back in 1975, when you could buy a nice home for not much more than that in our area.

I thought I knew my mission, to clean up my part of the mill. But that particular evening I suffered from mission confusion, thinking that I was doing a good thing, while I was actually destroying the potential operation of the entire sawmill. The conversation with the foreman provided clarification. After that, I left the big decisions to the foreman, and asked before tackling a project that seemed like a good idea to me at the time.

The bigger mission of the sawmill, of course, did not center upon my role, as important as it might have seemed to me. The bigger mission involved keeping the entire organization operating efficiently so lumber could be produced, creating the raw materials for construction, building homes and industry. Keeping the larger mission in perspective requires perspective. Without that perspective, a cleanup boy might think his mission was just to clean up messes left by his fellow workers, and fail to realize that he was actually helping to make it possible for houses to be built, and the economy to flourish.

Without a view of the bigger picture, it is possible to lose sight of your purpose and true mission. The custodian of the church might view his job as cleaning rooms, picking up trash, or vacuuming the carpet. In light of the bigger mission, he could be an integral component in helping guests feel welcome in a clean and inviting environment, facilitating an openness to receive Christ.

Even amongst church leaders, mission confusion abounds. Some believe the mission of the church is tradition, to preserve their particular doctrinal statement or denominational affiliation. Others believe their mission revolves around numbers, maintaining and exceeding metrics for buildings or budgets. Still others view their mission as relevance, expanding programs, technology, and ministries to an ever-widening and diverse audience. Some point toward churches that experience explosive growth as they aim at the constantly moving target of popular culture. There are always those who believe the church’s mission finds its best expression through social justice, or community organization and development. Then there are those who believe the church is all about worship, as they define it. And many are the churches that believe their mission to be the defense of truth, or their version of it, at any cost.

Please indulge me as I invite you to peruse the following mission statements or slogans, gleaned from a few minutes surfing the internet for church websites. It seems a bit lengthy, yet it illustrates the point. Feel free to pass quickly through the bulleted points to the text below. While there are several familiar themes, I think you will agree no actual consensus appears to exist amidst quite a bit of confusion:

• Our church is called to proclaim the Gospel of Christ and the beliefs of the evangelical Christian faith, to maintain the worship of God, and to inspire in all persons a love for Christ, a passion for righteousness, and a consciousness of their duties to God and their fellow human beings.

• Love God. Love others. Serve the world.

• Developing fully devoted followers of Christ.

• Our mission is to sow "the Seed of Hope," Jesus Christ, in the hearts of many here and to the ends of the earth. Our context is the emerging post-modern culture. Post-moderns have rejected the "trinity" of modernism: reason, nature and progress-and the church that is built on it. Lacking a metanarrative, post-moderns turn to a sort of primitive tribalism, or bury their pain in technology or consumerism.

• Our mission is to carry the gospel, the sacraments, and God's love and fellowship to the unchurched, the alienated, and the excommunicated (the church's homeless).

• Reaching out to the World...Preaching to the Unsaved...Teaching the Saved to Serve.

• To yield to the wind of the Holy Spirit blowing through our mist, allowing it to change us into the image of Christ, thus making us the loving people God would have us to be.

• Christian, in our beliefs... Methodist, in our approach... Episcopal, in our organization.

• We strive to be an "open-door" church, actively reaching out and welcoming all persons. A Great Place For Your Family!

• First Church especially focuses upon those who are seeking a "new beginning," and those who want to become more "Christlike," and want to learn more about living a "holy life," and for those who are yearning to grow in "love and compassion," and the building of "family relationships."

• Where faith and adventure meet!

• To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

• To teach, preach, and baptize all who will heed "The Word".

• To courageously represent the kingdom of God through witness, discipleship and service to others.

• To worship God as we evangelize the world, and provide a place of fellowship to equip the believer for service to God and man.

• The goal of our mission is to introduce all who can be reached to our precious Lord Jesus, whose return to rapture His Church is so imminent.

• To increase our love for God and to help meet the needs of humankind by "Loving God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves

• We are a church that is committed to Christ and his Word.

• We are a church where we "Exalt the Savior", "Evangelize the Sinner" and "Equip the Saint"

• To make Christ known to the world through a loving, growing, giving and serving group of committed people who are connected in small groups.

• "The Word of God is our focus."

• A church that strives to be a beacon of light in our community

• The Church that understands that people don't care about how much you know, until they know how much you care

• Our purpose here is to reach as many people with the good news of Jesus Christ as possible through: Relevant and challenging messages from our pastor - An exciting atmosphere of praise and worship during our services.

• We are a full Gospel church that believes everything the Bible states. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We preach and teach the truth. We have the desire to see souls saved.

• Our mission is to save, educate and liberate humanity for Jesus the Christ by sharing the Gospel Message, teaching the Bible, and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.

• Where everybody is somebody and Jesus is Lord.

From the pleasantly simple to the painfully complex, churches struggle to define their mission. How do you synthesize twenty-seven New Testament books containing thousands of verses into a simple mission statement, proclaiming the main thing? With the variety of churches and Christian organizations, is it possibleto define the mission of the church organically?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines organic as, “relating to, or derived from living matter.” The word comes from the Greek organikos, “relating to a tool or instrument.” Organize and organization also stem from the same root word. Although this organikos is not found in the New Testament, we do find familiar themes of building, tools, and workmanship. Something organic derives from something living. Paul expresses our connection to Christ, “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV) The Greek word for workmanship, poiema, conveys the idea of craftsmanship, something organically fabricated, like linen cloth.

Perhaps the best mission statement for the church is an extrapolation of the one Jesus provided just before his ascension. Long known as “The Great Commission,” the words of Matthew 28:18-20 indicate our co-mission with Christ—providing explanation and substance for the “good works” Paul mentioned that “God prepared in advance for us to do.”

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’" (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

There is nothing new here, expositors wrestle with this text and preachers expound on its urgency on a regular basis, as they have done for all the centuries since Jesus first uttered the words. Yet the profound simplicity of these words convey an uncomplicated, organic message for continuation of the church, our true mission for organic growth, coming directly from the living Head of the church.

Personally, I shy away from simplistic approaches and do so throughout this book. Our modern and post-modern tendencies to discover linear solutions and offer a one-size fits all “how-to” solution cannot find basis in scripture. So we try to make texts say what we want them to say, in order to come up with a program or process for disciple-making. Yet I cannot escape the fact that Jesus’ organic commission can provide a steady and sturdy skeleton upon which our spiritual formation depends. We all look different on the outside, but we all look very similar within. That is a picture of the church in our diversity, yet having a structure framed by Christ himself. For those of you looking for an outline, here it is, alliteration and all:

EMPOWERMENT (vs. 18): Notice the words of Jesus, “all authority. . .therefore go. . ..” We cannot begin to think about accomplishing God’s mission without God’s authorization and power. Just as the disciples needed the upper room experience, so we need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to actively engage our culture, touch people, and be the church Jesus desires us to be. What could be more organic than a connection to the source of life?

EVANGELISM (vs. 19): “make disciples, baptizing them. . ..” The same Holy Spirit that compelled the 120 disciples to move from the Upper Room to the streets invites us to move from our safe inner circles to where the people live in our context. This involves proclaiming the Gospel, the evangel, the good news—using both words and deeds. At various times the church has turned the good news into either an argument, a political profile, a creed to recite, or a polemic for a particular theological perspective. The simple truth remains that the Gospel is best conveyed as good news, in a personal conversation between two or more real people. Encountering people and building relationships with them is natural, not staged or forced. The early church grew, not because of programs, or crusades, or organizational skills. It grew because it was organic.

EDUCATION (vs. 20a): “teaching them to obey. . ..” Notice the emphatic use of the strong words by Jesus, obey and command. There is nothing prescribed or enforced about the method of teaching or style of ministry, but we are expected to educate others. How did people learn at the time of Christ? They learned by watching and listening. A disciple or learner was an apprentice, in close relationship with a mentor. There are those who will point to the Greek word didasko (teaching, vs. 20a) to indicate a particular didactic style of teaching. However, it is clear that Jesus used a variety of methods to teach, based upon the need for information and condition of the learner. We have an obligation to teach, and content is more important than the style of delivery. The very task of educating all types of people in all settings with the most important message requires a more fluid, organic approach.

EXPERIENCE (vs. 20b): “surely I am with you always. . ..” The continued presence of God within the community of believers and in the lives of individual believers may provide the very best antidote to skeptical or apathetic individual objections to faith in Christ. Cerebral protestations to the Gospel or even toward the idea of theism find themselves usurped by personal experience. When the church recognizes that part of our mission involves taking Jesus with us into the marketplaces and private spaces of our lives, we will influence others toward faith in him. People took note of the early believers and recognized that “they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

The writer of Hebrews tells us that, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

How could a return to these simple organic concepts Jesus so clearly explained help us reach into the lives of people who otherwise will persist in their unbelief? What if we truly loved the world as much as God does, and edited our mission statements in light of these truths? What if we examined our personal mission in the same light? We may discover that our core values and mission change when we learn the true value of those things we might ordinarily throw away.

©2011 Don Detrick

Technology, Shop Class, Soulcraft, and the Nazareth Carpenter

2011-02-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

An ordinary day in my life revolves around a core of technology. While interacting with actual human beings in a virtual way, my working and waking hours are often spent answering e-mails, browsing webpages, articles or books on my iPad, talking on my iPhone, or videoconferencing with people half a continent away. I take pictures and video with my digital devices and send tweets and posts to Facebook while writing manuscripts, policies, or correspondence at my computer keyboard. My ordinary life is just that, ordinary. There is nothing unique about my ordinary life because it is also the ordinary life of billions of people in this second decade of the twenty-first century who now work in environments that require technological sophistication with its continual evolution and demanding learning curve.

But it is far from an ordinary day in my life thirty years ago, when my interactions with electronic technology were limited to listening to a transistor radio, putting a cassette tape in a stereo, or playing “Pong” on a black and white video screen. Ordinary people seldom encountered sophisticated technology in those days, and those encounters were often fraught with suspicion. If you are old enough, you remember how computers were blamed for everything back in the day. If there was a mistake in billing or business, a computer was generally faulted—not a pc, but an impersonal, monstrous machine that inhabited some corporate cave far from the world of real, ordinary people. Things have changed. Today you’d be hard pressed to convince the throngs of people lined up to spend their dollars at an Apple store that the cleanly displayed devices will bring them nothing but trouble.

Luddites do not receive much sympathy from me. Personally, I generally have been quick to embrace technological change, choosing to believe the benefits outweigh the challenges in the long run. I must admit it took me a while to eliminate my Smith Corona typewriter from my personal inventory, but after my first PC back in 1990, I decided to never turn back to the old ways of communication or putting words on paper. Nor do I subscribe to various conspiracy theories about the inherent slippery slope of technology. What could be used for evil, also could offer generous rewards if used properly.

Although our ordinary lives look far different from the ordinary lives of people a generation or two ago, much remains the same. While technology has improved the methods, we still must wash our clothes, prepare our food, earn a living, travel to our destinations, and learn to get along, just like people have done for centuries. At the end of the day, we still lay down our tired bodies to sleep, while our troubled minds reflect many of the same questions our ancestors pondered about truth, love, family, purpose, and meaning.

In our sophisticated, technologically empowered scientific world, it may seem irrelevant to reflect on the life of a humble carpenter from a small Middle Eastern village who lived 2,000 years ago. But does our scientific acumen and technological prowess really trump those questions we ponder as we lie in our beds with the lights out while the iPhone and iPad are charging in silent mode? Does it matter what I believe about Jesus Christ? Dallas Willard answers that question in The Divine Conspiracy by explaining, “He matters because of what he brought and what he still brings to ordinary human beings, living their ordinary lives and coping daily with their surroundings.”

Over the past year I’ve returned several times to a small recent volume by Matthew B. Crawford titled, Shop Class as Soulcraft. In it he laments the decline of shop or industrial arts classes in public education. He also notes the dismaying fact that our growing dependence upon technology makes it virtually impossible for the average person to actually understand how the devices that we depend upon for our ordinary existence work, let alone how to repair them if they fail us. That makes us more and more dependent upon experts to keep our ordinary lives moving along.

For example, when I look under the hood of my 2009 model Honda, little besides checking the oil makes much sense to me. Compare that to my old ’55 Chevy pickup, where I dissembled and repaired almost every component pertaining to the engine, transmission, and drive train with ordinary tools found in my toolbox. I still have the tools and toolbox, but the sophisticated technology of today’s automobile makes them relics without the knowledge of how the computers and onboard electronics actually make everything mechanical work.

At the beginning of the book Crawford quotes an unknown shop teacher: “In schools, we create artificial learning environments for our children that they know to be contrived and undeserving of their full attention and engagement. Without the opportunity to learn through their hands, the world remains abstract, and distant, and the passions for learning will not be engaged.”

Thus, he sounds a nostalgic chord by reminding me of the importance of working with your hands and using hand tools—enduring lessons I learned in junior high shop class. Our teacher, Sandy Brown, provided a daily illustration of the importance of shop safety as we observed the missing digits from his always animated hands, fingers lost through careless interactions with a power saw blade in his younger, pre-teacher days.

Besides safety concerns, he instilled in me the importance of creating a plan of procedure, a list of materials, a budget, and using the right tool for the right job. In short, shop class helped prepare me for the most fundamental and practical components of living an ordinary life. As I work in my shop today, I am reminded of those practical lessons and their timeless application to transform ordinary work into accomplished works of art.

I wonder what it would be like to see a door, shelf, or table built by Jesus Christ? How did the Creator of the universe make his mark of master craftsmanship upon a simple piece of furniture? Did it stand out from the work of all others, or did it appear ordinary? What did an ordinary day in his life look like as he interacted with customers, raw materials, and the tools of the trade? Did he take pride in his work? Did he think of just snapping his fingers to create a modern, twenty-first century shop with all the latest machinery, or better yet, just order a few angels to do the work? Such speculation aside, the important lesson of the incarnation remains that God himself so valued simple, creative, and ordinary work that he took no shortcuts in creating simple structures and furnishings, using equally simple tools of the first century.

In contrast, my days are filled with the busyness that technology affords to accomplish a myriad of tasks. Perhaps it is just the nature of my work with human beings in the church world, but at the end of the day I am sometimes hard pressed to see any tangible results from my efforts. Without an underlying eternal purpose to my activities for perspective, my soul is left void of an emotional sense of worth or genuine accomplishment.

Yet I nostalgically remember a simpler era, when as a young laborer working in construction or in a sawmill I could see the tangible results of a job well done, leaving me emotionally satisfied. My own father was both a farmer and a roofer. Both occupations offered opportunities to observe the tangible results of manual labor. You could see it in the rows of a crop, or in the rows of chicken houses and barns he built with his own hands. As we drove down the main street of our small town, he would point out the houses and businesses that bore his mark of craftsmanship as their crown.

Perhaps what is missing today is that balance that leverages the best parts of technology with the accomplishment of a satisfied soul. For me, Jesus Christ helps bridge that gap. Our most stunning advances in technology and science are no surprise to him. When I lay down to rest at night, I can do so with the sense that there is a purpose in it all, and while I don’t have all the answers to all the questions, I do know the One who does, and that makes all the difference.

As a carpenter, Jesus no doubt crafted many wooden ox yokes, enabling farmers of the day to have the best current technology could offer as they used their oxen to plow. Humble, ordinary objects, and humble, ordinary work, that’s what it was. And that makes his invitation in Matthew 11:28-29 even more significant, as he offered his own yoke, normally used to bear a burden of work, to provide rest for your soul—your thoughts, decisions, and emotions. The irony of using a metaphor for work as a symbol for rest provides a lesson for technologically advanced, but soul weary human beings today. His invitation still stands, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29 NKJV)

©2011 Don Detrick

The Sacred and the Secular--A Presidential View

2011-01-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday’s Sunday edition of The Seattle Times featured a front page story about a prominent area businessman, accused of masterminding the largest Ponzi scheme in the history of Washington State, bilking investors in his bogus mortgage company out of $100 million. The headline said it all, “Financial empire, luxurious lifestyle were built on a mirage.” The article pictured the architect of the scheme relaxing by the pool of his $10 million mansion, just down the road from Bill Gates’ home, complete with two yachts parked in his dock at the back—not to mention his two jets for personal use.

The Seattle Times author quoted the bankruptcy trustee who compared him to the Wizard of Oz. There was absolutely nothing behind the curtain of legitimacy that lured investors through the promise of big profits on their investments. Sadly, we can become jaded by reading about such scammers, developing a deep sense of distrust and suspicion that easily leads to skepticism or cynicism. When we hear or see something or someone who seems too good to be true, we often wonder what is hiding “behind the curtain.”

So where should we land? We certainly should not believe everyone who says, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” On the other hand, we miss a great deal of life’s beauty if we do not recognize good character and the accomplishments of those who surprise us with their honesty or unexpected kindness. Sure, there are Bernie Madoffs in this world, just like there are preachers who are charlatans, and politicians who are corrupt. But I believe they are in the minority—those who have given themselves over to wholesale corruption and deceit. I personally know hundreds of pastors, lawyers, politicians, and business leaders who quietly do their jobs with dignity and integrity, working for justice and seeking the truth.

For most of us, the struggle is to maintain our integrity in the face of temptation. And for those of us who believe God cares about such things, our challenge goes beyond the surface, what people see on the outside. Our challenge remains the challenge of character, of staying true to our convictions, of living a life free of duplicity or hypocrisy.

In the Gospels, Jesus viewed the hypocrisy of religious teachers and leaders as reason enough to publicly chastise them for not practicing what they preached. Today, we may not use the word, “hypocrite” very much, yet we know how we feel when we spot one, particularly if it is a person we have trusted. And when a person loses our trust, we lose as well. We become less likely to trust others, more jaded in our perspective, and suspicious of those whose kindness or good works seem too good to be true.

The trouble is, we often separate the sacred from the secular. Believing that what we do in our personal life has nothing to do with our professional or public life is a slippery slope. We all have recollections of a former U.S. President whose private Oval Office sessions with an intern, and subsequent denials of wrongdoing, brought scandal and impeachment proceedings. Along the way, many took the position that a person’s private life should not be open to public scrutiny. The false assumption that there is a sacred side of life and a secular side of life contributes to this skewed perspective.

I am the first to admit that none of us would want absolutely everything about our private lives broadcast for public consumption. Not that there isn’t a market for it—reality shows and webcams provide ample evidence of a ready audience. But watching the failures of others is no excuse for our own shortcomings. There is a price for leadership, and that price is a sacred trust, especially for those of us who labor in the church.

I love old books, and recently ran across two antique volumes I purchased for a couple of bucks on eBay containing the Messages and Papers of President Theodore Roosevelt. In it, I discovered a speech to a gathering of Methodist church leaders. Teddy delivered the address to a receptive audience in Carnegie Hall on February 26, 1903, on the occasion of the 200th birthday of John Wesley. Listen to a bit of what he said (by the way, the copyright information of the book says, “There is no copyright on this work, as President Roosevelt considers that his messages and speeches delivered while President have been dedicated to and are the property of the public.”)

“The instruments with which, and the surroundings in which we work, have changed immeasurably from what they were in the days when the rough backwoods preachers ministered to the moral and spiritual needs of their rough backwoods congregations. But if we are to succeed, the spirit in which we do our work must be the same as the spirit in which they did theirs. These men drove forward, and fought their way to success, because their sense of duty was in their hearts, in the very marrow of their bones. It was not with them something to be considered as a mere adjunct to their theology, standing separate and apart from their daily life. They had it with them week days as well as Sundays. They did not divorce the spiritual from the secular. They did not have one kind of conscience for one side of their lives and another for another. If we are to succeed as a nation, we must have the same spirit in us.”

Wow! I wonder what the press would have to say today if the President of the United States delivered such passionate lines to a group of church leaders. I believe it to be a relevant message to twenty-first century citizens hungering for authenticity. However, “Separation of church and state” would no doubt be the cry of those calling for his resignation. That’s too bad, because there would be a lot less headlines in newspapers across this country reporting on another fallen leader if everyone took his advice! (c)2011 Don Detrick

Some Thoughts on the 400th Anniversary of the King James Version

2011-01-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

Like many in my generation, I grew up believing that God spoke in Elizabethan English. I heard so many “thee’s” and “thou’s” in the prayers, hymns, sermons, and scripture readings during the course of an excursion to church or Sunday School that it seemed a logical conclusion to a young boy. You can imagine my surprise to later learn that the archaic expressions used in the church of my youth were more a product of the 1611 King James Version of the Bible than a proclivity for speaking in God’s native tongue.

This year we observe the 400th anniversary of the Authorized or King James Version of the Bible. If my brief perusal of the Jan/Feb edition of the History Channel Magazine is any indication, the year will be filled with articles and memorabilia to commemorate the occasion. Marketing strategies will pitch every conceivable edition of the venerable KJV, including those in the original 1611 olde English (hardly decipherable by modern English readers), along with bindings in leather and designer fabrics. Already I’ve noticed a number of media responses to include NPR broadcasts and various special reports.

Although I rarely use the KJV for public speaking or preaching anymore, I must admit to an affinity for this most common of the English translations of the scriptures. Probably because of my youthful exposure to the best-seller of all time, I tend to think biblically in the King James Version. Indeed, most of the hundreds of Bible verses I memorized as a child and teenager were from the pages of the KJV. Those verses have served me well over the years, filling my heart and mind with principles, promises, and ideas that transcend human comprehension.

When faced with temptations to compromise my convictions or do wrong, I immediately think of a verse like Psalm 119:11, “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” or 1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which ye are able, but will with the temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (For the purposes of this article I am writing out the verses from memory, so I might not get them exactly right—maybe you should check.)

When weary or troubled, my thoughts go to those red-letter words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me. For I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

When discouraged, my mind turns to Hebrews 10:35-36, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” or 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.”

I could go on, but I think you get the point. Although we never use a word like “recompence” in daily conversation, the word has meaning to me precisely because I was taught at an early age to look up words I do not understand in a dictionary. That may seem quaint and even archaic in the post-modern world of electronic technology, yet it served the purpose of encouraging my love of learning, and desire to investigate and find out something for myself. There was something intrinsically satisfying about going to the library and taking a look at the Oxford English Dictionary to find the precise definition of a word, or using the old oak library catalog and Dewey Decimal System to research just the right book or resource, that I find lacking in the 5 million hits of a one second Google search.

Don’t get me wrong, I would not trade the ability to search the internet for a throwback to the old Dewey Decimal System and its arcane code of numbers and alphabet. Still, there is something to be said for actual printed books and real brick and mortar libraries that I miss when using my iPad. In the same way, there is something to be said about a translation of the Bible that has served us in the English speaking world well for the past 400 years, and you can be sure to hear at least some of it in the coming year.

The King James Version of the Bible has strongly influenced our culture and history. Handel used it as the text for his oratorio, The Messiah in 1741. Verses from its pages can be found engraved in public buildings in Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King quoted from Isaiah 40:4 in his 1963 “I have a dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial: "I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

King James authorized this translation of the Bible to, “be read in churches.” When read aloud, the poetry and majesty of the words create a syllabic soliloquy that convey the drama and pathos of the printed word, often in relatively simple terms. The fact is, most of the British citizenry was illiterate in 1611, and having a Bible available to be read in the common language of the people, with verses easily understood and memorized, opened up literacy to the general populace.

Our modern tendency is to explain and over-explain, and use far too many words in the process. As a man who has made his living preaching sermons most of my adult life, I should know. While many verses in the Bible do require explanation, exposition, and commentary using principles of biblical interpretation, many verses easily stand on their own with clear meaning—even when using the 400-year-old KJV.

The late British journalist and host of Masterpiece Theater on PBS, Alistair Cooke, once used hyperbole to offer a modern politician’s wordy rendition of God’s simple command, “Let there be light, and there was light” in Genesis 1:3: "The Supreme Being mandated the illumination of the universe and this directive was enforced forthwith."

Even the detractors of the Bible recognize its importance as a singularly unique and glorious piece of literature. “For three centuries, this book has been woven into the life of all that is best and noblest in English history; it has become the national epic of Britain and is as familiar to noble and simple … as Dante and Tasso once were to the Italians … it is written in the noblest and purest English and abounds in exquisite beauties of pure literary form.” One would not expect such accolades for the Bible from Thomas Huxley, known as the first public figure in Britain to declare himself an “agnostic” while championing Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Such is the power of the Bible to create conversations about the most important topics of life: “Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?” And those who objectively look at the Bible will acknowledge its influence and beauty. For those of us who believe it to be the Word of God, we also acknowledge its inspiration and authority—but primarily its power to change lives for the better.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not worship the Bible, rather I worship the God of the Bible. And I do not think there is any special blessing that comes from reading the KJV as opposed to any other translation. Those who believe so ignore the fact that Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek make up the original languages of the Bible. Nor was King James a saint by any stretch of the imagination!

Yet the translation endures in popularity. And I for one, want to say, “Happy 400th birthday!” to an old friend and faithful companion from my youth. The leather bindings, gilt edges, and India paper will always bring a sense of peaceful nostalgia to my soul, but it is the power of the printed words upon the pages that have been transferred to the flesh of my heart that really make the difference.

Reflections on a Snowy Day

2011-01-08T09:41:00.001-08:00

This morning I was reading John Greenleaf Whittier's epic poem, Snowbound. Whittier, a Quaker who gained fame as a celebrated poet and a crusader against slavery, served as a member of the Massachusetts legislature in the 1830's, and was a founding member of the Republican Party in America. Like his contemporaries Longfellow, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Emerson, and Whitman, among others, his was a household name before, after, and during the Civil War era, during one of the most tumultuous times in our nation. Many of his musings seem surprisingly relevant to twenty-first century residents of planet earth, including one of my favorite Whittier quotes, “Of all sad words of tongue or of pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been.’”

During my morning meditations on this winter day filled with anticipation of the forecaster's prediction of snow, I was drawn to Whittier's lengthy, 769 line treatise, first published nearly 150 years ago, in 1866. Snowbound begins with a detailed description of the effect of a New England blizzard on the landscape, home, and hearth of a farm family of that era. His first-person narration makes it clear early on that this is not a piece of fiction, but Whittier’s own story. His accurate depiction of the humble home filled with a loving family, and barn filled with cattle, horses, sheep, and chickens are bursting with such exquisite detail that only a resident observer, thoroughly familiar with the characters and setting could describe.

Soon the author takes the reader on a nostalgic journey, as he reminisces about winters past, and reflects on the memories of family and loved ones through all the seasons of life. A cold winter day is a perfect time for reflection. Reading Whittier’s personal snowbound echoes through the tunnel of time plucked my own heartstrings, producing several resonating chords on this snowy winter day. I would like to share a few of my observations from his Snowbound notes with you.

1. Faith is stronger than doubt, and life is stronger than death. While reminiscing about the past Whittier observed that out of his immediate family, only his brother and he remained. Yet no matter how old he was or how long he lived, he could not forget the influence of his loved ones. He wrote:

Yet love will dream, and faith will trust,

(Since He who knows our need is just,)

That somehow, somewhere, meet we must.”

While looking over the marble tombstones of a cemetery, he observes:

Who hath not learned, in hours of faith,

The truth to flesh and sense unknown,

That Life is ever lord of death,

And love can never lose its own!

During the long months of winter it is so easy to forget that spring and summer will return. And during those times of frigid, isolated darkness we cannot allow our immediate circumstances to control our feelings, or thwart our God-given destiny. Despite the current surroundings, we must set our course on the truth: Life ebbs and flows like the seasons. A high point will be followed by a low tide. And both can reveal details and open passageways that are hidden by the other. We do well to “learn in hours of faith” the truths that will sustain us when doubts tug at the fabric of our souls, seeking to create an opening for unbelief and defeat.

2. We have a God-given right to liberty and justice. A staunch abolitionist, Whittier found himself on that snowbound day reflecting on the struggle for justice and liberty, only recently won through the horror of Civil War. No doubt his own conscience was battered by the tension and dilemma between his Quaker pacifism and the battle in which he had long engaged that led to the bloodiest war in American history, literally pitting brother against brother. The cause was just, but the price was high. As if to remind himself of this he recited the “trumpet call” pen and voice of Mercy Warren, once called the most remarkable and influential woman of the American Revolutionary period:

Does not the voice of reason cry,

Claim the first right which nature gave,

From the red scourge of bondage fly,

Nor deign to live a burdened slave.

Slavery takes many forms, with tyranny and terror always the twin results. We can become enslaved to habits, to people, even to institutions or ideologies. The consequences are always the same as we yearn for freedom from the chains that bind our hearts and souls. The human heart beats for freedom. Human lungs long to be filled with the fresh, unpolluted air of freedom. The human voice cannot be silenced by tyranny and terror, as those who enjoy the blessings of liberty must use their voices to speak on behalf of those whose voices are stilled by the tyrant’s whip.

Sadly, nearly a century and a half after the American Civil War, slavery still exists in one form or another in many parts of our world, and wars are still being fought for far less noble purposes. Despite the geography or time, the human heart continually cries out for freedom. The abolitionists of the day used St. Paul’s clarion voice as a banner for their movement, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) Those words remain faithful and true to this day.

3. A simpler and slower pace of life allows space and time for sorting out the important from the unimportant. There is nothing like an extended time of reflection for determining our core values. The temporary and trivial melt like the snows of winter when exposed to the sunlight of truth, revealing the foundational structure upon which all of a good life is built. Love, mercy, justice, piety, integrity—principles that form godly character, must be joined with friends, family, and community—relationships that sustain and nurture human existence. Reflecting upon simpler times, Whittier was reminded of:

The common unrhymed poetry

Of simple life and country ways,

The story of her early days,

She made us welcome to her home

At another point he wrote of an uncle, lacking perhaps in formal schooling and social graces:

Our uncle, innocent of books,

Was rich in lore of fields and brooks.

Whittier went on to describe persons like his uncle, who were rich in their own character and skills, unseen or unnoticed by the casual observer, but readily viewed and appreciated by those long familiar with golden treasures lying below the wrinkled patina of experienced skin. How often do we pass by or dismiss others because they lack the appeal of youth or beauty in our rush to judgment? I have frequently reflected upon my own life growing up on a farm, how that one can observe things from the seat of a tractor traveling at 8 miles per hour that you would surely miss from the seat of an automobile traveling at 80 miles per hour.

Our trajectory is frequently so rapid that we grow accustomed to the dizzying pace, and feel faint when given a moment of respite. It is too bad that it often takes a crisis to bring a busy life to a temporary halt. We learn so much from those experiences as we mine strength from the depths of our souls and learn to depend upon God and others for our mere existence. It is during such times that we separate the trivial chaff of life from the wheat that produces the bread of life. Those moments can lead to Him who invites us to “Come and dine,” freely offering the Bread of Life to all.

4. There is more to life than the here and now. Within the heart of man lies a tendency to ponder the imponderable, to ask the question, “Is this all there is?” Unlike his transcendentalist friends, Whittier possessed a foundational belief in the Bible and saw God as more than an impersonal force of nature or voice of reason. Reflecting upon a loved one lost in death he wrote:

But still I wait with ear and eye

For something gone which should be nigh,

A loss in all familiar things,

In flower that blooms, and bird that sings.

And yet, dear heart! Remembering thee,

Am I not richer than of old?

Safe in thy immortality,

What change can reach the wealth I hold?

I cannot feel that thou art far,

Since near at need the angels are;

And when the sunset gates unbar,

Shall I not see thy waiting stand,

And, white against the evening star,

The welcome of thy beckoning hand?

The Bible speaks of three eternal virtues: faith, hope and love. This trio plays a passionate song that cannot be extinguished by the desperate circumstances of life or the traumatic sorrows of death. When its music plays, the heart can soar above the winter landscape; over the regrets of the past, and the perils of the present to see the mystery and glory of a future known only to God but bright with the promise of spring.

I am still awaiting today’s predicted snow, although the temperature is hovering near freezing, and the clouds are foreboding. But the meditations on Whittier’s Snowbound have fueled my spirit on this cold winter day, and once again reminded me of the importance of reflection and sorting out the trivial from the treasure, regardless of the weather. Whittier is listed among the group known as “Fireside Poets” and I’ve enjoyed sitting by the hearth of his warming words.

If you are interested in reading Snowbound, and have a Kindle, iPad or other electronic reading device, you can find a copy of it on Amazon.com for the low price of $00.00—a good price for a good read on a snowy day.

To Jana and Chris on Their Wedding Day

2010-06-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

Like Gilbert Blythe

And Anne with an “E,”

Your love developed

But it did so slowly.

As children you played,

You sang and you made

Beautiful music

Then went separate ways.

As friends and composers

You did collaborate.

Writing songs for other weddings,

For other friends

Who’d found their mates.

Watching your collaboration

Others made the observation

That your best consideration

Would be a firm foundation

Built on each other’s love.

But like Gilbert Blythe

And Anne with an “E”

You could not see

The forest for the tree.

All the while you were praying

With this hope in view,

That the wedding songs you’d written

Would one day be sung for you.

Then out of the blue

You knew it was true,

That Gilbert Blythe

And Anne with an “E”

Actually were a portrait

Of you and of me.

This sudden realization

Caused a growing new sensation.

That the answer to your prayer

Was not way off somewhere.

But in the friendship that you’d nurtured.

And in the hopes and dreams you share.

Some people say that love is blind.

Others say true love is hard to find.

While scoffers claim it’s only in fables.

But like Gilbert Blythe

And Anne of Green Gables,

You finally found the love of your life.

Not far away, at Green Gable’s farms

But close to home,

In each other’s arms.

June 5, 2010

Memorial Day: Remembering and Reflecting

2010-05-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

A few years ago Jodi and I sat next to an Israeli cardiologist on a flight from Tel Aviv. He was returning to his residency at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Our conversation flowed to the topic of differences in our culture and his perspective on American life. “Holidays,” he said, “are celebrated differently. Take Memorial Day as an example. In Israel, we pay our respects to the dead on Memorial Day. It is a solemn day, like the Sabbath. In America, Memorial Day is a sale at the shopping mall.”

Our cardiologist friend proved not only to be able to diagnose ailments of the heart, but also showed keen insight into the heart of our American culture. Memorial Day should represent more than just a sale at the mall, a camping trip in the great outdoors, or a chance to work on household projects that accrued over the winter’s dormancy. Memorial Day is about remembering and taking the time to reflect on things that are truly important—of eternal significance. Themes like freedom, justice, and compassion find their best and fullest expression when considered in light of those who sacrificed their life’s blood so others might experience life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

On Memorial Day, as at a memorial service, we should at least pause a few moments to remember and reflect. As a child, I recall Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day parades and watched the old men—veterans of World War I and even the Spanish-American War, slowly salute as they marched or rode through our small town. Today, the old-timers are the World War II Veterans, and the ranks of those members of the greatest generation are shrinking at the rate of 1,000 per day. I hope we will think about the ways those we are remembering on this Memorial Day influenced others through their lives and fulfilled their purpose and mission. For those we knew personally, it goes without saying that we do miss them, even though through faith in Jesus Christ, we do not sorrow as others who have no hope.

As a minister, I recognize that while a memorial service honors the departed, it is really meant to bring comfort to the living. Thus, we recognize the opportunity to speak to those alive and present, to hopefully influence them toward Christ and eternity. Influence is an important word and concept. In my mind it qualifies as the best single-word description for leadership. So let’s think about influence in the context of remembering and reflecting.

The biblical writer of Hebrews uses the word “remember” five or six times, depending on the translation, and asks us to remember the faithfulness of many of the Old Testament saints. We should remember those who have gone before us because they serve as an example of faithfulness to us. They remind us that as followers of Jesus we exist in more than just the present here and now—we are connected with those who have gone on before and with all of the people of God who make up the church for eternity—the body of Christ.

So it is fitting for us to appropriate recall the lives of those who served our nation during their lifetime. And it seems particularly that we honor the memory of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in so doing. As we do, it is natural to remember those in our families who are no longer with us.

My mind goes back to the days of my childhood when my father called Memorial Day, “Decoration Day,” as it was commonly known to past generations of Americans. It was the day for decorating the graves of all departed family members. Rising early in the morning, my parents would go to the garden and pick the flowering blossoms of the snowball tree, iris, peonies, day lilies, rhododendron, or azalea blooms—anything that happened to be colorful and fragrant. Depending upon the weather patterns of spring in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, we might have an abundant or meager floral supply—but there was always something. These cut flowers were placed in mason jars and taken to the cemetery where they were lovingly placed on the graves of those we were remembering.

I must admit, I failed to recognize the significance of this ritual and tradition at the time. The noise of the nearby boat races on the Willamette River sounded much more exciting than the dead silence of a graveyard to my way of thinking. Over time however, I discovered my parent’s traditional genes also flowed through my blood. These days I consider it a privilege, if not a responsibility, to follow their ancient rituals in remembering loved ones from the past on Memorial Day.

In chapter 12, the writer of Hebrews encourages us to remember the great cloud of Old Testament witnesses, and to look to Jesus. In verse 3 he says, “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” He is calling us to reflection—to “consider” and think about what Jesus did for us means to us, and how we should then live.

As human beings, we are prone to action more than reflection. We are human beings, not human doings, but we seem to love doing more than being. While remembering, it is good to pause and reflect on our own lives—to examine ourselves. I've never seen a group of people applaud a snowcapped mountain range or an exquisite, priceless painting, or a breathtaking sunset. Silence befits the profound, the awesome. Being in the presence of God invites adoration, praise, and worship. But it also invites silent reflection.

Reflection requires us to slow down, to wait, to think, to meditate. Growing up on a farm, I particularly enjoyed tasks that involved driving the tractor. It is a job that does not require great amounts of concentration, and provides you time to reflect. One thing I learned is that you can observe things at the speed of 7 miles per hour that you miss at the speed of 70 miles per hour. You notice the little things that have fallen by the wayside, and have time to think and reflect.

Speaking of reflection, memorial services and funerals always lead me to introspection and to reflect upon my own life. Who am I influencing? Am I making a difference? How will people remember me? What do I need to change today so people at some future point will have the memory of me I hope they will have?

What about your legacy? Do you have aspirations about the image you leave behind? How do you want people to remember you? Wouldn’t it be interesting to know what people will say about you following your demise? Morbid thoughts scare or offend some people, yet follow along with me for a moment. I promise not to intentionally frighten you. What if you could catch a glimpse of that far off day way down yonder in the future, look in the newspaper, and read your own obituary? Would that insight about some distant tomorrow motivate you to change your behaviors today?

Many years ago, Al, a prominent chemist, engineer, and international business executive, received that very opportunity by way of a mistake in identity. Al’s brother Ludvig died, and a prominent French newspaper erroneously printed Al’s obituary by mistake. Further contributing to the faux pas, the obituary was very unflattering. In fact, it was a complete condemnation of Al’s life and work. “The merchant of death is dead,” the obituary said. “Al, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.”

Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite, read his own obituary, and was so upset that he determined to change his legacy and the public’s perception about him. He re-wrote his will about a year before he died, and intentionally made a statement by signing it at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris. He left 94% of his assets to endow five Nobel prizes, in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. Rather than leaving a lasting legacy of war, suffering, and pain, he chose to honor and celebrate humanity’s greatest accomplishments and achievements.^{^[1]}

Reading his own obituary before he actually died and reflecting painfully upon what it said motivated Al to change his life, and his legacy forever. More than 110 years following his death, we do not remember Alfred Nobel for inventing dynamite, we remember him as a philanthropist. Even more to the point, had he not established the Nobel Prizes, we probably would not remember him at all.

Today’s Seattle Times contains a story about a Long Beach, Washington woman who passed away this month at the age of 98. By all accounts, Verna Oller lived an austere life, refusing to spend money for anything but absolute necessities. Childless, she spent her final years in the Circle of Life Retirement home, and never spent anything extra on herself. When friends told her that her coat was threadbare and she should buy a new one, she walked to the thrift store and purchased one for $2. She then removed the zipper from the missing lining and used it for shoelaces. Among her effects was found a package of shoe laces, unopened.

In her last will and testament, Verna left more than $4.5 million to the local school district, including $3.5 million to the city of Long Beach to build a public indoor swimming pool. Her fortune was made by frugal living, and careful investment. Verna’s bequest will hopefully leave a lasting legacy, but there is a caveat she did not consider. The city must decide if they can accept the gift because while they appreciate the gesture, they do not know the cost of finding a suitable building site, construction, and eventually maintenance of a swimming pool for which no tax dollars are available.

No doubt Verna’s motives were good, but perhaps she could have enjoyed life more herself—who really wants to use an old zipper for shoelaces if you have $4.5 million dollars sitting around? The paper reports she feared others would take advantage of her if they knew how much she was really worth. Maybe by collaborating with someone other than her attorney, the only living person who knew of her true financial circumstances, she could have together with others provided a workable solution to benefit the residents of Long Beach that she obviously cared about.

In contrast to Alfred Nobel’s desire for fame and Verna’s well-intentioned but not well implemented benevolence, is another story about influencing others, taking place in May of last year. Just before the commencement ceremony at Azuza Pacific University, three graduating students were called to a special reception. At the reception were John and Nancy Ortberg, 50-year alumni from the school, and the president along with a few faculty and distinguished guests. These students thought they were there to be commissioned and sent off with a blessing because each were leaving to spend the next two years ministering to the poorest of the poor in India.

But then something happened that they did not know was coming. President John Wallace turned to them and said, "I have a piece of news for you. There's somebody you do not know—an anonymous donor—who is so moved by what you're doing that he has given a gift to this university in your name, on your behalf."

John turned to the first student and said, "You are forgiven your debt of $105,000." The student immediately started to cry. John turned to the next student: "You're forgiven your debt of $70,000." He then turned to the third student: "You are forgiven your debt of $130,000." All three students had no idea this was coming. They were just ambushed by grace—blown away that somebody they didn’t even know would pay their debt. The whole room was in tears. An unknown donor chose to provide an anonymous act of kindness. Who knows how many people will be influenced by his decision to give?

So as we think about those gone before us on this Memorial Day, their stories leads us to the story of the greatest giver and influencer that ever lived. The influence of Jesus is still felt today, 2,000 years after his ascension to heaven. We remember his overwhelming generosity and amazing grace as he paid a debt he did not owe, so that we might experience eternal life. His followers recognize the hope of heaven, provided by his sacrifice. As you remember and reflect, remember the one who said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” And remember to express your appreciation to the living, especially our veterans and aged loved ones. And treasure the moments that remain while never forgetting what we already know: freedom isn't really free--others paid the price for the freedom we enjoy.

[1] Garrison Keillor, The Writer’s Almanac, October 21, 2009. American Public Media, accessed online 10/21/2009 at http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/.

The Gorgeous Girl

2010-05-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

When I first met the gorgeous girl
She was only fifteen.
Her waist length enchanting brown hair
Falling straight down her back with no curl.

I thought it was quite sensational
That a pretty, intelligent girl
Who was very conversational
Would want to talk to me.
But she did.

If she had said,
“Marry me and your wildest dreams
Will all come true”
I would have believed her.

She didn’t say it,
But I did, and they did.

Life has brought some wild moments,
But the calm within life’s fort
Is the gorgeous girl I married
Her lovely hair now colored and short.

And together through the years
With laughter’s joy and sorrow’s tears
Our dreams have evolved
Over time more defined
They became less wild
And more refined

She made my dreams come true
This gracious woman who said “I do”
The proof is in our children
Three lives, distinctly set apart
But each a true reflection
Of their mother’s loving heart.

Happy Mother’s Day, Dear Jodi!

© Don Detrick May 9, 2010

God is now Following You on Twitter

2010-04-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

You can imagine my surprise this week when I received an e-mail from Twitter saying, "God is now following you on Twitter." I have always believed that God is omnipresent--certainly always near wherever I am. But this was something new. Jodi wrote about it for her Easter 2010 Seattle Times column. Here is what she said:

I turned to see what had caused my husband's outburst of laughter. "Now that's a new one!" he chuckled, pointing to the subject line of an e-mail notification he'd just received. "It says, 'God is now following you on Twitter.'"

Sure enough, someone who'd claimed "God" as their Twitter account name had started following my husband's tweets. It got even funnier as we read on:

"You may follow God as well by clicking on the 'follow' button on their profile. If you believe God is engaging in abusive behavior on Twitter, you may report God for spam.”

"God may not appear in your follower list. God may have decided to stop following you, or the account may have been suspended for a Terms of Service violation."
I know my husband is an amazing man with many admirers, but this takes it to a whole new level. He'd better be careful what he tweets these days!

We live in an interesting time. There are so many ways to stay connected, even with people we don't know and will likely never meet. Yet for all our social networking and technology-enabled associations, I'm not sure we've made much of a dent in the world's loneliness equation. There's just something about looking someone in the eye and having face-to-face conversations that can't be replaced by pithy quips on a computer screen.

When I first began to write this column, I had a photo shoot so that I could be properly introduced to Seattle Times readers. The photographer was a delightful person, a true pro who put me at ease as she did her work. For one shot, she had me sitting outside under a large tree. "Look up like you're looking at God," she instructed. I looked up. "Now bring God just a little lower," she added.

I lowered my gaze and smiled. We'd been chatting about this column and what I might write about. "You just gave me an idea for a column!" I replied. "I think that's what Jesus did. As a Christian, I believe He brought the essence of God, His truth, character, and love down to eye level, so we could see and know Him."

One biblical writer calls Jesus "the Word" the understandable human expression of the divine God:

So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart; he has told us about him.

John 1:14, 18 New Living Translation NLT

Jesus is God at eye level. His death on the cross means that God came down to us â€” to look us in the eye, to bear our sin and pain. But Easter, which I will celebrate with millions of Christians around the globe on Sunday, means also that He intends to raise us up to His level. When we proclaim He is risen!, we're acknowledging that Jesus faced down humanity's greatest enemy, death, and won.

The biblical writer Peter says it so well:

Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see.

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NLT)

Now that is a God worth following and I don't mean on Twitter.

You can also read the article online here:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011493425_detrick03m.html

Resurrecting Possums

2010-03-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

(c)2010 Don Detrick

“Opossum Resuscitation”—there it was, on page two of today’s Seattle Times. I don’t know about you, but a title like that gets my attention. The story told of a Brookville, Pennsylvania man who was charged with public drunkenness after he was seen trying to resuscitate a long-dead opossum along a highway about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Sparse details for such a teasing title. Something about the human imagination cries out for more information. I’d love to know the rest of the story. Then again, maybe not.

I have lived long enough to observe countless aberrant behaviors of inebriated souls. Nevertheless, it is difficult to imagine the degree of intoxication that would drive a grown man to attempt CPR or worse yet, mouth to mouth resuscitation on a long-dead possum. What was he thinking? Oh, yes, he probably was not thinking. And what would you think if you were driving along and suddenly came upon a smashed man by the side of the road trying to blow air into an equally smashed possum? You must admit, there is a certain tragic irony and humor in the story.

Growing up on a farm, I had the opportunity to observe countless possums, as they are usually called by those accustomed to less-formal nomenclature. Even though they have the distinction of being the only North American marsupial with a prehensile tail, they simply do not generate warm and fuzzy feelings for me. Raccoons or chipmunks seem cute and snuggly--possums, not so much.

I have had close encounters with them both dead and alive. In neither state are they particularly appealing. When threatened, a live possum will bare his teeth in an ugly display that is enough to frighten off most human opponents. He certainly has the capability to defeat and kill a smaller creature. One of the most heartbreaking stories of our family involves the tragic night when a killer possum clutched our children’s beloved “Miss Kitty” from the patio. By the time we heard the kitten’s cries for help it was too late, as we watched the possum’s jaws of death crush our family’s beloved pet and drag her into the woods for a late night snack.

As a boy I often observed our dogs corner a possum. The same flash of teeth and ferocious snarl was quickly followed by the possum’s best defense—playing dead, or as we called it, “playing possum.” King was a hunting dog and I never saw him back down from a fight with any creature. But a possum could fool him every time. As soon as the body went limp, with all appearance of life gone—breathing and heartbeat barely discernable—King simply walked away. As far as he was concerned, the game was over. The possum fooled him every time. We’d walk away, and once the threat of danger was absent, the possum would make his escape. For these reasons, I’ve never trusted a possum.

Possums appear especially despicable as road kill because both the sight and smell sicken the senses. A person normally feels repelled by the sight of carrion, getting close or touching it seems out of the question. That is, unless you are drunk enough to believe that you have the power to resurrect one—because intelligent and logical people know that it is a biological impossibility to raise any once-living creature from the dead. I suppose that is why I ask, what was the drunken man thinking? Is there some latent desire in all of us to be able to obtain or grant immortality—if only to a dead possum?

In the natural world, death is final and the image of a man trying to revive a dead possum seems ridiculous, because it is. But within every human being is that latent desire for immortality, questions about eternal life, a longing to answer the nagging question, “Is this life all there is?” Thankfully, there is an answer.

Like possums, human beings can behave in despicable ways. Our inebriated possum-reviving friend provides a good example. Like possums, we have a tendency to bare our fangs and act duplicitously whenever it is convenient for us to do so. Frankly, I have observed depths of human depravity that would nearly rival the appearance of a dead possum. But in spite of this, God reached down to us and Jesus came to provide eternal life. When our chances of resurrection seemed as hopeless as a drunken man trying to resurrect a dead possum, Jesus came and gave his life. He rose from the dead so that we might live. These verses offer hope:

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)

“For I will live again, and you will, too. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:19-20 NLT)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17 NIV)

Honestly, I have no idea what the drunken man was thinking when he tried to revive the long-dead possum. Whatever it was, I doubt the answer would make much sense, nor would it make any difference. But to know what God was thinking when he sent Jesus, and what that means to me—that makes all the difference both now and forever.

So the next time you see a dead possum by the side of the road, rather than your typical response of, “yuck,” maybe this story will serve as a reminder that there is hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ. And if I were you, I’d just keep on going and leave the possum alone.

Somebody's Mother

2010-02-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

Since my own mother went to heaven in 2002, I am often struck by the thought of her when I see an elderly woman and think, "That could be my mother." Back when my mother was with us, I would often pray, "Lord, please watch out for her and when I am not around, may someone else's son help her when she needs help." Thankfully, my mother was never left alone to fend for herself and I am grateful for the help of our father, siblings, and others who made her journey through life easier through her final years. I always try to be attentive and aware of opportunities to return the favor, and this old poem reminds me:

Somebody's Mother

The woman was old and ragged and gray
And bent with the chill of the Winter's day.
The street was wet with a recent snow
And the woman's feet were aged and slow.
She stood at the crossing and waited long,
Alone, uncared for, amid the throng
Of human beings who passed her by
Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eye.
Down the street with laughter and shout,
Glad in the freedom of 'school let out,'
Came the boys like a flock of sheep,
Hailing the snow piled white and deep.
Past the woman so old and gray
Hastened the children on their way.
Nor offered a helping hand to her—
So meek, so timid, afraid to stir
Lest the carriage wheels or the horses' feet
Should crowd her down in the slippery street.
At last came one of the merry troop,
The gayest lad of all the group;
He paused beside her and whispered low,
"I'll help you cross, if you wish to go."
Her aged hand on his strong young arm
She placed, and so, without hurt or harm,
He guided the trembling feet along,
Proud that his own were firm and strong.
Then back again to his friends he went,
His young heart happy and well content.
"She's somebody's mother, boys, you know,
For all she's aged and poor and slow,
And I hope some fellow will lend a hand
To help my mother, you understand,
If ever she's poor and old and grey,
And her own dear boy is far away."
"Somebody's mother" bowed low her head
In her home that night, and the prayer she said
Was, "God be kind to the noble boy,
Who is somebody's son, and pride and joy!"

"Somebody's Mother" by Mary Dow Brine. Public domain.

Pilgrims and Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

During these hectic holiday preparation days, it is easy to forget the true meaning of Thanksgiving as celebrated in the United States of America. The loud voices of political correctness often drown out the voices of those Pilgrims who risked everything for a new life in a new world. While we may have a general idea about Pilgrims and their funny clothes and odd habits, we often fail to remember that they were real people, and faced tremendous hardships and adversity with amazing faith and strength of character. Even politically correct authors, like Sarah Vowell, in her recent interesting book about the Puritans, The Wordy Shipmates admits her admiration of them for their faith, tenacity, and perseverance.

On August 1, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from England. It carried a total of 102 passengers - all of them seeking freedom – primarily religious freedom. Of those 102passengers, 34 of them were children. According to the Mayflower Compact that they all signed, they undertook their voyage "for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian Faith."

The grueling journey to the New World took 66 days in a ship no larger than a basketball court. Planning to arrive in northern Virginia, a storm at sea blew them off course. And when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts on November 11th, they found (according to William Bradford's detailed journal) a cold, barren, desolate wilderness. There were no friends to greet them, he wrote. There were no houses to shelter them. There were no inns where they could refresh themselves. But they did not despair. Their first act when setting foot upon land was recorded by Bradford:

"Having thus arrived in a good harbor and come safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the dangers and miseries thereof, and permitted them to again set their feet on the firm and stable earth.'"

During the first winter, half the Pilgrims died of starvation, sickness, or exposure. Six died in December, eight in January, seventeen in February, and thirteen in March. Thirteen of the eighteen wives died; only three families remained unbroken. Bradford's young wife drowned when she fell overboard. Yet when the Mayflower returned to England in the spring, not one of the remaining Pilgrims went with her. They were dedicated to their God and the freedom to worship Him as they wished. Like the Pilgrims, we must learn that:

Psalm 92:1 says, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. . ..” In Scripture, we see that God blesses things that are good. From the beginning of creation, we witness this pronouncement “and God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:4) God then blessed His “good” creation. (Genesis 1:28) It follows then, that if “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,” then God will bless a grateful person.

The Bible has a lot to say about thanksgiving, mentioning it nearly 140 times. In the book of Psalms alone, we are told over 30 times to “be thankful” and "give thanks unto the Lord.” Psalm 92:1 says, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High." Nineteen out of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament mention the need for thanksgiving. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

A few years ago, Jodi and I visited Plymouth, Massachusetts. We spent an afternoon at Plimoth Plantation (www.plimoth.org), the re-creation of the original colony of Pilgrims. There, in the original setting, surrounded by people playing the part of Pilgrims, I gained a better understanding of the hardships these people endured. Although they were not wealthy members of the ruling class in England, they left behind security – homes, jobs, and families - to pursue a dream: To find a place where they could put down roots, raise their children, and worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience, not according to the mandates of the King of England.

The word “worship” comes from the Old English words for “worth-ship,” meaning “the ascribing of worth, worthiness, or honor to a person, place or thing, ardent devotion; adoration.” Worship truly flows from a heart of gratitude. The liberty to worship God freely, according to your own convictions, has been a fundamental right of our citizens since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. To them, worship was a good thing. They valued the ability to worship God more than the security of home, even if it meant traveling through the perilous ocean to a wilderness land filled with unknown dangers.

The Mayflower II, built in the 1950’s and now docked in Plymouth Harbor (you can take a virtual tour at http://plimoth.org/features/mayflower-2/journey/), is an exact replica of the original Mayflower. At first glance, it is not easy to imagine that such a small vessel could hold a cargo of supplies and over 100 passengers while crossing the Atlantic. While aboard this summer, I couldn’t help but think about the hardships, the seasickness, the storms, and unknown danger lurking ahead of those Pilgrims in 1620. It must have been terribly difficult to maintain an optimistic outlook and express gratitude. But since worship was so important to them, it is not surprising that one of their first acts after landing at Plymouth Rock was to make the following declaration:

“May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: 'Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness: but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice, and looked on their distress. Let them therefore praise the Lord, because He is good, and His mercies endure forever.'”

Billy Graham wrote, "Giving thanks to God for all blessings is one of the most distinctive marks of a true Christian. A heart that is attuned to God naturally pours out thanksgiving. Some things the believer thanks God for are material blessings, the people in your life, His promise of presence and care in the midst of trials and even persecution, salvation, and His continued presence and power in your life."

Weeds grow without effort. But if you want a beautiful bouquet of flowers, they must be planted and nurtured. You must cultivate the soil, keep the pests away, provide proper nourishment, and pull the weeds. That’s the way it is with gratitude. Like weeds in our hearts, taking things or people for granted comes naturally. But gratitude must be nurtured. As we mature in our faith, we learn to appreciate the Lord and others who have blessed us. That appreciation will result in our verbal expression of thanks.

The author G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) said "When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude."

In Vermont a farmer was sitting on the porch with his wife. He was beginning to realize how much she meant to him. It was about time, because they had been married for forty-two years. She had been such help, a very willing worker. One day as they sat together, he said, "Wife, you've been such a wonderful woman that there are times I can hardly keep from telling you."

When we think of the first thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims, we assume it occurred during the first year of their residency here. In fact, we know they did have a 3-day feast in the fall of 1621 where wild fowl and venison were served. A letter by Edward Winslow is the only surviving description of the event itself. The hard winter months that followed brought extraordinary suffering and even more deaths to the small band of Pilgrims.

But the first real extended thanksgiving celebration took place a full three years after their arrival in 1620. Those three years were filled with much hardship, toil and suffering. Their days were spent combating sickness, drought, inner conflicts, and the elements. But it wasn’t all bad news. The Indians had taught the settlers how to plant corn, fish for cod, hunt for game, and skin beavers for coats. They had planted gardens, built a blockhouse for their protection, houses for their own comfort, and a meetinghouse to worship God.

Just when things seemed to take a turn for the better, they again got worse. In the summer of 1623, a drought threatened to destroy their vital crops. So the colonists prayed and fasted for relief. When the rains came a few days later, disaster was averted, and their crops were saved. Not long after, Captain Miles Standish arrived with staples and news that a Dutch supply ship was on its way. Because of all these blessings and answered prayers, the Pilgrims held a day of thanksgiving and praise. This 1623 event appears to have been the origin of our Thanksgiving Day because it combined a religious and social celebration. It was a time for expressing gratitude to God and sharing with their native American, Indian neighbors. Governor Bradford made the following proclamation:

"Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meetinghouse, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings."

The provisions for that thanksgiving feast included: "twelve tasty venisons, besides others, pieces of roasted venison, fruit pies, roasted wild turkeys, plums, nuts, grapes, corn, popcorn, vegetables of all types, fish, roast pork, etc. But before all this, the first course was served: on an empty plate in front of each person were five kernels of corn. . .lest anyone should forget" (the hardship of the previous winters.)

We should never forget our heritage as Americans, regardless of the diversity of our backgrounds. In fact, our diversity can celebrate the fact that many of our ancestors, whether from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, the islands of the sea , or parts in between, endured suffering, so we could enjoy prosperity. Moreover, for followers of Jesus Christ, we should never forget that we are citizens of a greater kingdom, without natural or civic boundaries. We have a lot to be thankful for. With those realizations, we will never take our blessings for granted.

Born with neither sight nor hearing, Helen Keller (1880-1968) could have become a bitter recluse. But the persistence and love of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, reached through to her heart. Helen Keller's gratefulness to God for what she had been given made her one of the most influential women in the history of the world. She said "So much has been given to me, I have no time to ponder over that which has been denied."

Helen Keller was deaf and blind from an early age. But she saw and understood more than most people with all five senses. Many people fail to recognize God’s blessings and presence in their lives. Those who have been helped the most are sometimes the most ungrateful.

Benjamin Rush (1746-1813) was an American patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was a physician, educator and politician. He worked relentlessly for the abolition of slavery and the humane treatment of the mentally handicapped. His insight into the human condition is revealed in this quote: "I have found the least gratitude from those families in which I had performed the greatest services."

Sometimes, oddly enough, the opposite is true. Because sometimes it is people who begin life with a real deficit, (like Helen Keller: physically, socially, or in life circumstances), that are the most grateful to God and others when blessings do come their way. If you’re born with no ability to communicate, and someone gives you the gift of speech, you are grateful. If you are born without the ability to ever walk, and a surgeon’s skills change that, you appreciate every happy step you take. If you are born into a “family” that isn’t a real family, but a nightmare of abuse, and someone takes you into their loving family, you never take that privilege for granted, like the rest of us sometimes do.

Let’s never forget “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto His name.” Always remember gratefulness produces peace, faith, contentment, and a positive attitude. We can cultivate a thankful spirit by trusting God, and learning lessons from the pilgrims, Helen Keller and others about being thankful. But we need to develop thanksgiving in our own hearts, in our own time, in our own circumstances. Difficult circumstances are occasions for us to grow better or bitter. We grow better with a thankful spirit and a heart that is grateful to God.

The thankful heart enjoys blessings twice - when they're received and when they're remembered. The thankful heart will overflow with blessings given and received. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Here are some suggestions to help this be your best Thanksgiving holiday ever:

This Thanksgiving week:

• Do a word study on thanksgiving and reflect on the meaning. Find every verse you can about being thankful in the Bible, or quotes from others on the topic.

• Count your blessings, especially as you meet with family and friends this week.

• While visiting with family, discuss how God has protected, provided for and preserved your family through the years. How many family members have memories of God’s guiding Hand?

• How many generations back can you trace your heritage? Were there people of faith in your family’s past? Even if there are negative circumstances in your family heritage, can you find blessings there to be thankful for?

• Choose to give thanks. Decide to express gratitude "in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

• Thank someone everyday for his or her positive influence in your life.

• Memorize Psalm 92:1 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Organic Spiritual Formation - Chapter 6 Polish, or Lack Thereof

2009-10-03T17:41:00.001-07:00

Back on the farm, apples were a favorite commodity. We never grew them for sale, but for our own use. Our apples were grown organically, without any chemical sprays or commercial fertilizers. I learned early on to take a good look at every bite and was generally only alarmed when I found half a worm—because that meant I had probably consumed the other half!

When I started taking horticultural classes in high school, I learned all about chemical sprays and commercial fertilizers that would eliminate the worms and diseases that disfigured our apples. My dad was of the old school, however, and wouldn’t budge on that point. I personally think he was more opposed to spending money on chemicals or fertilizer than he was in favor of organic farming methods. He was a practical man and after all, we had plenty of manure on the farm for fertilizer, and could easily cut the wormy or bad parts out of the apples before we made applesauce, cider, or pies. Besides, I had to admit they generally tasted better than the store-bought varieties.

My ag teacher in high school taught us about chemical sprays for orchard use, and also about the importance of marketing to the consumer. I mentioned my dad’s reluctance to spray our apple trees, and he said, “Your dad could never sell those apples in the store. Nobody wants to buy a wormy or diseased apple.” He was right. All the apples in the store in those days were waxed, polished and red—fit for the teacher’s desk. Unless they are organically produced, commercially grown apples for the consumer market are pampered, sprayed, washed, waxed, and polished before they make it to the grocery shelf. No wonder they cost up to $3 a pound or more these days! What consumers don’t realize is that those are only the best, the primo apples from the tree. Their siblings ended up as apple juice or in the makings for applesauce, apple pie, dried apples, or some type of apple filling for a donut or dessert.

In contrast, organic apples, even those sold in the grocery store, are generally a bit smaller, and lack the eye-popping polish of the commercial variety. The typical orchard run organically grown apple would not win any prizes for appearance. It must be accepted for what it is, worms, warts, blemishes, and all. But for me, an apple is not an object to be placed in a fruit bowl for observation; it is an object to be consumed. And I must admit, I prefer the organically grown variety for both aroma and taste, hands down.

Imperfect apples grow in the real world. Jesus was the perfect Son of God, but he gathered some un-perfect apples around him, including at least one very bad one. After three years of training, they still were not very polished—not much of his perfection had rubbed off on them. And we learn from this that the process of organic spiritual formation is not always accomplished in a well-oiled institutional machine, using polished people and programs. Organic spiritual formation occurs in the real world, with worms, warts, diseases, and all. The transformation from a bad apple to a good one is what Jesus is all about. He works to polish out our imperfections, even though we don’t always look too polished in the process.

The modern world was fascinated with polish. Slick magazines, glitzy advertising, neon lights, patent leather shoes, candy apple red trucks with chrome ornamentation, sparkling jewelry, and shiny cases to display our gilded trophies all contributed to the bling and glitter of the twentieth and early twenty-first century ethos of success. We don’t have to look very far to see that this same fascination has crept into the church.

With the advent of television ministries in the 1950’s, many pastors and church leaders felt the need to improve every component of the worship service in order to compete with growing religious media voices. For most small congregations, the competition was definitely an uphill battle. And it is a battle that existed mainly in the minds of leaders, as there really is no way of comparing the impact or effectiveness of a radio, television or media “ministry” in fostering spiritual formation with the impact or effectiveness of a local church.

During my growing up years, I can remember mom and dad watching Oral Roberts, Rex Humbard, and Jerry Falwell on Sunday morning television before our own church services. Later, when I became a pastor back in 1977, I faced Sunday morning congregants who had already heard singing accompanied by professional musicians and an entertaining message all neatly packaged into a 30 minute program that included some serious time dedicated to nothing but fundraising. I was twenty-two years old, my congregation numbered less than fifty, and our annual budget was less than $15,000.00. “Pastor, Rex Humbard really preached a great message this morning. Did you watch? And that daughter of his can really sing!” Without people and resources, how was I to compete?

But we have tried. In the past few decades we have promoted slicker bulletins, ever more dazzling PowerPoint or MediaShout presentations during worship or the sermon, and tried to outdo each other for the coolest websites and most extravagant buildings. We have choreographed and scripted our services in a minute-by-minute format to pack as much energy and enthusiasm as possible into those sixty or ninety minutes on Sunday morning. As a pastor for nearly thirty years, I have witnessed the evolution and for the most part been a willing participant.

However, as the results of the Reveal Survey bear witness, I have been forced to ask the question, “How is it working for us?” And to ask even more personally, “How is it working for me?” I remember my first attempts at using PowerPoint to illustrate my sermon and trying to coordinate the slides with the major points. It frustrated both me and my audience. Growing more proficient in the technology with use, I eventually would spend hours each week building a PowerPoint presentation to go along with my sermon, along with a published manuscript which was distributed to the congregation during all three morning services, and also posted to our website. I felt like I was doing a good job of “getting the Word out” and training my congregation. In the end, though gnawing questions made me wonder.

Organic spiritual formation is not a polished, linear process that can be easily reproduced with a curriculum or template that works everywhere. So much depends upon geography, community context, and generational differences. Even the climate makes a difference. I have visited a number of large churches in Southern California that make use of outdoor spaces for everything from small group meeting places to baptismal pools, bookstores or prayer stations. It seems to be working great for them, but that particular strategy would never work for colder climes in most of North America. Jesus interacted in different ways with different people in different places to produce spiritual growth as we shall see in the following chapters.

This is a short excerpt from Chapter 6 of the book I've been working on the past year, Organic Spiritual Formation -- in progress. I hope to have all 12 chapters completed within the next few months. (c) 2009 Don Detrick

A Thing of Beauty

2009-09-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

A Thing of Beauty

By Don Detrick with appreciation to John Keats

Dedicated to my teenage bride of 35 years, Jodi

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will shine
Growing in beauty, grace, and line.

I met my beauty while still a youth;
Life on the farm had taught me truth:
Things of beauty time will claim;
That joy subsides, only dust remains.

By nature’s law, emotions fade;
So human beings and all things made.
Though young and short, Keats might have guessed
Of something greater, something blessed;
A law of love, unscathed by years.
A love grown stronger,
Though stained with tears.
A love grown longer,
In spite of fears.
A love transcending earthly ties;
I found that’s where the answer lies.

For in your face and smile I saw;
A visage only God could draw.
And he our hearts together knit,
Though teens we said we’d never quit.

So through the years in joy and pain,
We hold each other and love remains.
I look at you, my precious treasure;
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

A Tribute to My Father

2009-06-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

Originally written June 18, 2002, Postcript June 21, 2009 - Father's Day

Last Sunday my sister and I checked our 85-year-old father into the hospital. He was very ill, with a temperature of nearly 104 degrees, yet his hands were blue and he was shivering from cold. “Yes, he is my father. Medical history? Bypass surgery more than a decade ago, prostate cancer, slight stroke last year. Yes, he has been here before, and yes he is taking his meds.”

As I sat next to his bed while my father was being x-rayed, poked and examined in every conceivable way, my heart was filled with a thousand thoughts and memories.

“Do it again, Daddy! Please!” He took me up in his arms and swung me back and forth like an old-time logger working a misery whip.

With his huge hands wrapped around my tiny body, he sang in his baritone voice, “Swing the little birdy in the tree, in the tree, in the tree. Swing the little birdy in the tree, sing, sang to Donnie, whee!!!” When he said “Whee,” he threw me up in the air toward the ceiling. I thought I would explode with a delicious combination of giggles and fright. I loved that game and over the years I saw my dad do the same thing with my own three children.

Another time, another place. Dressed in my blanket sleepers, with a quilt wrapped around me, I was watching my dad fix the broken motor on the mechanical chicken feeder. Mom was gone to a meeting for the evening. I was in his care and too young to understand that the health and welfare of his livestock was the key to our family’s survival. His hands looked so big to my four-year-old eyes, big enough to fix anything. Big enough to carry anything. Big enough to protect me from anything lurking in the dark shadows of the chicken house. “Daddy what are you doing? Can we go back to the house and watch television? Daddy, I’m thirsty. Can I have a drink? Why can’t I help you? Daddy, do I have to go to bed?”

It was the first time I can remember wanting something so much. I needed that red Radio Flyer wagon in the display window of the Western Auto store. It was just like the one Timmy had on the “Lassie” television show. Lassie and Timmy had such a good time playing with that wagon and hauling around everything important to a young boy. I had a collie like Lassie, too – and I just knew she would be as smart as Lassie if only I had a red wagon. “Daddy, can I have that wagon? Please, daddy? Shep and I would love to play with that wagon.”

Then I remember becoming very sick. The doctor came to our house and said I had rheumatic fever. They poked me with needles and hooked up machines that watched my heart. Dr. Bump said that I had to stay in bed for a long rest until I got better – but he also said I might not get better. I was very weak, and had to take the most awful medicine that my dad coaxed down my throat with a mixture of applesauce and sugar.

One day dad came home from town. He had been to the Western Auto store. I was lying in bed on the sofa in the living room. “Donnie, look out here on the porch.” I’m sure my heart really fluttered because there before my eyes was the brand new Radio Flyer red wagon! “It’s yours and you can come outside and play with it just as soon as you get better!”

With help from the Great Physician, and motivation from my dad, after six months I was able to go outside and play with that wagon. My earthly father and Heavenly Father worked together to provide my healing and I have never suffered a heart murmur or any ill effects from the disease that had threatened my young life.

As I sat and waited, more memories came. I was ten years old and an insurance salesman stopped by the house on his regular rounds. He was always trying to sell dad a different policy, but he was always treated like a friend, invited into the house for a cup of coffee and a piece of my mom’s pie. In fact, pretty much everyone who came by was treated the same way. From the ubiquitous salesmen, to the field agent, to the preacher, no matter how busy my dad was or what he was doing, it was momentarily laid aside for some polite conversation and some of my mom’s ever-available dessert. My parents had the gift of hospitality and they passed it along to their children. It is part of our inheritance – their legacy to us.

Although not old enough to participate in the conversation on that day, I was old enough to eavesdrop and understand much of what was being said. I knew times were hard and things were bad on our farm, but until that moment I didn’t realize how bad.

“We lost thousands of chickens ready for market during that last hot spell,” my dad was saying. “Besides that, the price we pay for everything keeps going up, while the price the co-op pays us keeps going down. I don’t know how we are going to make the mortgage payment and pay the bills, let alone buy another insurance policy. I just don’t understand it. You try to live right and work hard, and then things like this happen.” His voice trailed off.

That day I grew a little bit and learned a lot more. I’d never seen my dad cry before, but there were tears in his eyes and his voice trembled as he talked to the insurance man. I’d always seen my dad as invincible, never afraid of anything, able to pull us through any situation. But that day I learned that he was vulnerable to discouragement and I needed to do what I could to help pull our family through some tough days.

As they often do, things improved in time. Now I was thirteen. Dad and I were riding in the truck, going to McMinnville to buy supplies. “Son, you’ve worked like a man this summer. We couldn’t have accomplished what we did without your help.” My dad was a man of few words and even fewer words of praise. As if he had reached his absolute spending limit on such extravagances, he next did what he normally did as we rode together.

“Oh I want to see Him, look upon His face. There to sing forever of His saving grace. On the streets of glory, let me lift my voice. Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice!” On the seat of a tractor, or the seat of a pickup truck, my dad always sang. He loved the old hymns and gospel songs.

But my mind wasn’t on the song; it was on his words of appreciation. To tell you the truth, spending most of your summer daylight hours at the controls of a tractor isn’t exactly torture for a teenager. But at least for a few moments, I felt vindicated; like I’d paid my debt to the family for all the times I’d been a slacker and complained about life on the farm. A little bit of praise goes a long way to improve a thirteen-year-old boy’s perspective on life. But that wasn’t all.

“Hey, where are we going?” Instead of pulling into the feed and farm supply store, we were parking in front of the local Honda motorcycle shop. I had to pinch myself to be sure I wasn’t dreaming. I couldn’t believe it as we walked in together and I saw my dad plop down cash money to buy me a Honda 90. I wouldn’t have been happier if someone had given me a million dollars!

Fast-forward another five years to 1973. An eighteen-year-old high school graduate is spending a hot August day loading his car with most of his worldly possessions. He has seldom been outside of his own state. But tomorrow he will leave this home where he has spent his entire life and begin the drive to Dallas, Texas. There he will attend a Bible college he knows only from a catalog he has pored over and prayed over.

“Son, I know you’ve got to do what you feel called to do. You do your best and stay in touch. But I want you to know there is always a place for you right here if you should change your mind. You might be able to use these. I can remember my dad using these same titles in the ministry, studying them for his sermons.” He handed me two brand new books: a Matthew Henry commentary and a topical Bible, both purchased (by him for me) from a traveling Bible salesman.

I was shocked. I knew dad really wanted me to follow in his footsteps on the family farm. At the very least he had encouraged me to get a back-up profession like a teaching degree or perhaps even go to law school after college. But that day he gave me a precious gift – the gift of affirmation and the freedom to go and be the person I believed God was calling me to be.

Ten years later I was packing again – this time a moving van. Jodi and I were leaving behind our home church where we had spent the past four years as associate pastors. In fact, for the past six years we had lived and ministered close to the home place with both of our parents nearby. Kristi and Mark were born during this time, and Jana was in the hopper. Now we were moving to Toledo, Oregon – a new church assignment. Even though I had more details to take care of, more boxes to pack, and more furniture to load, I took a few moments and drove out to the farm.

I wanted to see my dad. More than that, I wanted his blessing. Over the past years, our relationship had grown and in the process I’d grown to appreciate his friendship and advice. Now I was moving his precious grandchildren more than a hundred miles away.

As usual, he was busy at work when I arrived, but not too busy to talk. We walked and talked and did a few chores together. “You know, I talked to the District Superintendent a few years ago about you.”

Trying to hide my surprise, I said, “Oh, you did?” I couldn’t imagine my dad having a conversation with the Superintendent of the Oregon District of the Assemblies of God, and certainly couldn’t imagine him keeping it a secret for the past few years.

“Yes, I was over at the District Office to fix the roof for them and as he was showing me the leaks, he was talking about you. He said he thought you’d be pastoring one of the greatest churches in the Northwest one day. And I agreed with him. Son, I know we’ll miss having you around here, but I think you are doing the right thing by going to Toledo.” Once again my father gave me words of affirmation, a gift I have since treasured through some rough moments in the ministry.

“Mr. Detrick, we are going to have to keep you overnight and run some more tests. Your lungs are clear, but your heart is going in and out of a fibrillation and there are some other things we need to check out. Maybe your son here can gather your things and the nurse will move you down to another room.” The doctor’s pronouncement brought an end to my trip down memory lane. But it did not diminish the admiration I felt for the old man we were wheeling down to room 130.

Stricken by the poignancy of the moment, and the reversal of our roles, I was reminded of Malachi’s prophecy. When I was a boy, I really didn’t understand my father. I saw him as a good provider, but a workaholic. And I’m not sure he always understood me – especially during my longhaired teenage years. But over time, and by the grace of God, my heart has been turned to his heart and his heart has been turned to mine. That’s really what our Heavenly Father wants from all his children as well.

As if you couldn’t tell, my father has a giving heart. That’s how he has always expressed his love, by giving selflessly, expecting nothing in return.

But over the past few years he has grown to express his love in other ways – hugs, and kisses, and the precious words, “I love you.” As we were leaving him behind in the hospital room last week, his parting words were for his ailing bride of 63 years. I knew part of the pain he was feeling at that moment was his inability to be at home to care for her: “Be sure and tell your mother how much I love her.”

POSTSCRIPT:

Little did I know when I wrote this seven years ago, that both my mother and father would be in heaven within six months. I am thankful I was able to deliver this tribute to my father personally, and see the tears in his eyes as I read it to him. Up to this point in their lives, my parents continued to live on the same farm in Newberg, Oregon where my dad had lived for 75 years, since moving there as a boy in 1927. Although their health was failing with age, they still lived independently, Dad still drove, and they made it to church every Sunday.

Within a few days of writing this, my mother was hospitalized and placed in intensive care. A combination of cancer, diabetes, and low sodium levels left her in a near comatose state. Dad had recovered somewhat and drove to the hospital daily to sit by Mom's side. One day, the nurses came into the room and found Dad slumped over in a chair. He had suffered a stroke. So within the course of a week, my parents went from living independently to being hospitalized--and they never came home. Because of the severity of their health conditions and their need for constant care, they were moved from the hospital into a care home.

Although this was a difficult time for our family, two poignant memories stick out in my mind. First, after Dad’s stroke, family members gathered around his hospital bedside. The doctors did not know the severity of the stroke or the prospects of recovery. Nearly 86 years old, Dad was in a very weakened condition and in a comatose state. We knew he might be able to hear us so a number of us spoke to him and told him how much we loved him and prayed for him. Then, our youngest daughter Jana said, I want to sing to Gramps. She began to sing, “On a hill far away, stood an old rugged cross.” As she did, the most amazing thing occurred—Dad started to sing along! We all joined in and then began singing, “Amazing Grace.” Although his voice was weak and trembling, he didn’t miss a word. Nor did he open his eyes or show any other sign of being cognizant. When the singing stopped, we all stood in amazement and tears, while Dad slept on. He didn’t really awaken until days later.

Mom and Dad shared twin beds at the care facility. Mom went to heaven on August, 28, 2002. Before she died, Dad crawled into her bed, and gently cuddled next to his bride of 63 years. He was so sweet as he stroked her forehead and hands, and repeated, “I’ll meet you in the morning, on the other side. I love you and tell all the family I’ll be coming soon.”

A few months later, on November 12th, Dad went to be with the Lord and to see those family members who have gone on before. I spent the night sleeping in the room with him the day he died. Although he has been gone for nearly seven years now, hardly a day goes by that I don’t think about him and his impact in my life. They say that grown men are just little boys in a bigger body. Even today, when I close my eyes, I can see my Dad holding me, a little boy in his arms, swinging me way up high as I giggle and say, “Daddy, do it again!”

(c)2009 Don Detrick

Memorial Day - Remember the POW's

2009-05-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

Remember The P.O.W.’S.

(c)2009 Don Detrick

MAIN THOUGHT: It is good for us to remember the sacrifices and challenges of others.

Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and loved to think about him. "They will be my people," says the LORD Almighty. "On the day when I act, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient and dutiful child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not." (Malachi 3:16-18 NLT)

Recently we’ve been bombarded by news about how some of our soldiers mistreated or abused Iraqi prisoners of war. While we’ve come to expect that type of behavior from our enemies, we are shocked to discover that type of behavior from our military. Under the Geneva Convention, there are rules of war and there are rules about the treatment of prisoners of war that civilized society should follow. However in all of the rhetoric from both sides of the political fence, it is easy to forget the sacrifices made by those who have vigilantly served to secure our freedom.
That’s what Memorial Day is all about: remembering.

Many of us can remember - just after the Viet Nam War ended - seeing bumper stickers stating, “Remember The P.O.W.’s.” During the Viet Nam era, the news of the war dominated the daily news. But once we pulled out of Viet Nam, people soon forgot about the conflict and the soldiers. But family and friends of the Prisoners of War did not forget. If your husband or father or brother did not return home with the rest of the troops, you would never rest until you knew where they were. You would never give up hope and never stop praying until you knew they were either safe or dead. That was the reason for the bumper stickers and billboards and advertisements urging us to “Remember The P.O.W.’s.”

To tell you the truth, there are many things in life that are easy to forget. Even important things, like birthdays and anniversaries can be easily forgotten if we get too busy or preoccupied with other things. A few weeeks from now Jodi and I will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. I am planning a little getaway for us to Tanglewood in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. We will visit the Tanglewood Music Festival, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra—and enjoy a live broadcast of Garrison Keilor’s Prairie Home Companion radio show. Someday we will go to Paris or maybe even Antarctica. For now, a trip to the Berkshires is good. But we will remember our anniversary. I will not forget! And I remember that my parents were married for 63 years and never went to Hawaii or Europe – they should have – but they didn’t. Other things, like putting the needs of children or grandchildren above their own, were always more important to them. Unfortunately for many people, those most important things are the things most easily forgotten.

We usually remember the things that are most urgent, most important to our heart – or our own personal needs. You might forget your grandparent’s anniversary, but you aren’t likely to forget to eat lunch today! The urgent things press upon us and clamor for our attention. Like the cries of a hungry baby in the middle of the night, we aren’t likely to forget the urgent and pressing needs of the moment because they make a lot of noise and are difficult to ignore. But sometimes the things that are truly most important simply don’t demand our attention. That’s why we need reminders.

This is Memorial Day weekend. Many Americans have no idea why we celebrate Memorial Day - viewing it only as a reason for a 3-day weekend. Memorial Day has traditionally been a day of remembering the many heroes who lost their lives during the Civil War and other wars in which the United States has been involved. All told, more than 1.1 million lives have been lost in America’s wars since our nation’s beginning. However, for many people, Memorial Day is also a time to honor all loved ones who have passed on before us. Years ago it was known as Decoration Day, but is now known as Memorial Day.

It is a good thing to use ceremonies or holidays or special observances to help us remember important people or events. Referring to the emblems of communion, Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me." (Luke 22:19 NLT) The word “remember” or a form of it is used more than 200 times in the Bible. Like the signs, “Remember The P.O.W.’s”, I’d like to remind you of the P.O.W.’s the Bible challenges us to remember.

1. Remember the poor. - Galatians 2:10

Galatians 2:10, “we should continue to remember the poor.” (NLT)

Have you ever been resource challenged? Have you ever had more than enough? Most of us live most of our lives somewhere in the middle ground. I think one thing we will miss is the tremendous perspective given to my generation by our parents and grandparents who lived through the 1930’s period known as the “Great Depression.”

The man who has 12 children is richer than the man who has $12 million. Why? Because the man who has 12 children doesn’t want any more, but the man who has $12 million is always grasping for more money.

· “Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters.” (Galatians 6:10 NIV)

· "Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” (Luke 6:35-36 NLT)

· “Don't forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:16 NLT)

When we are having financial struggles, remember that God has promised to supply all of our need. Also remember that Jesus has a special blessing not only for those who are poor, but for those “who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3 KJV) The New Living Translation says, "God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.” When we come to the end of our human resources, we begin to realize our need to depend upon God and with that comes God’s peace.

Last night our daughter Jana, who serves as a minister on staff at Shoreline Community Church in Seattle, participated in an outreach to people on the streets of Tacoma, providing personal items, prayer, and care to those in desperate need of the love of Jesus—including those involved the area’s thriving sex industry and strip clubs. Joining Jana was her friend, Tiffany Ziesemer, who serves on staff at Life Center in Tacoma and is a firecracker of a young Christian leader. These young single women in ministry are doing more than just talking about the platitudes of the Christian faith, they are making a difference in Jesus’ name.

2. Remember the orphans and widows. - James 1:27

“Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” (James 1:27 NLT)

Have you ever felt abandoned, or all alone in this world? All people who are poor, orphaned or widowed face many challenges. Perhaps the greatest challenge is the feeling of being abandoned or forsaken – being alone and not knowing where to turn for support and provision.
We sometimes need to be reiminded that life is short, God is good and we belong to Him. We all face feelings of abandonment and challenging circumstances from time to time. But those who are orphaned or widowed, or single parents can feel that way most of the time. Scripture gives us comfort and hope:

· “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing.” (Psalm 68:5-6 NIV)

· “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.” (Psalm 27:10 NLT)

When we were pastors at Bethel Church in Chehalis, Washington, Tiffany Ziesemer was in our youth group and a dynamic teenager who loved Jesus and showed it in many ways. Tiffany started out in life as an orphan. Her parents, Gary & Naomi, worked through Lovebasket, a Christian adoption agency based in Missouri. Tiffany was 17.5 months when she was adopted, but the process of adopting her took 3 years and began before she was even conceived. Her mother was very beautiful – that is all that is known about her parents – on her adoption papers simply said, “Abandoned.” Tiffany may have been abandoned by her birth parents, but she was not abandoned by God. And in a few weeks, Tiffany is getting married to another young man from our church in Chehalis, Derek Bluhm!

We all could do more to remember “the widows and orphans.” If we could see through the eyes of Jesus, we would know that they have so much to offer. We all can do more to show the love of Jesus to others. And we are never too young or too old to do so. In countless congregations, there are unsung widows and widowers who are using their gifts and talents to bless and serve others. I am privileged to know many of them, like our friend Jen Annan from Bethel Church, who, though an octogenarian now, unselfishly give of their time and talents in various ministries in the service of Jesus Christ.

3. Remember the suffering of others. - Hebrews 13:3

“Don't forget about those in prison. Suffer with them as though you were there yourself. Share the sorrow of those being mistreated, as though you feel their pain in your own bodies.” (Hebrews 13:3 NLT)

Our daughter Jana also spends a considerable amount of her free time ministering to female prisoners at the King County jail. Our son Mark and daughter Kristi and her family care deeply about the needs of the homeless and suffering people around the world and often minister and give in practical ways. Our son in law Jesse is a registered nurse and did an internship at the Mission of Mercy in Calcutta. It is encouraging to see members of younger generations who vigorously embrace compassion and service to others as core values.

But there is more than one kind of prison, you know. There are those trapped in a prison of fear, feeling chains of anxiety and worry holding them back from experiencing the freedom of faith. There are those who are living in a prison of intimidation or frustration, feeling that they can never measure up to their own expectations or the expectations of others. So they live in isolation, silently suffering and seldom leaving the security of their own cell. Others are trapped by various bondages and addictions. Jesus wants us to remember those who are suffering in any way and help them in any way we can.

We often don’t look beyond a person’s outward appearance to recognize the pain on the inside. The next time you are tempted to just pass someone by, I challenge you to dig a little deeper – to ask yourself if this person might be a person Jesus is asking you to help in some way. We are to remember the poor, the orphans, the widows and the suffering. But we are also called to help the prisoners, the oppressed, the weary and the strangers that cross our path.

One of my favorite professors at Eugene Bible College was R. Bryant Mitchell. He studied pre-med at UCLA and graduated from Biola University, L.I.F.E. Bible College and Drake University. Dr. Mitchell had served as General Superintendent of the Open Bible churches and as their Director of Missions.

His brother, Hubert Mitchell had gone to the Island of Sumatra (Western Indonesia) in 1934 as a missionary. Sumatra is the fifth largest island in the world, larger than California and Nova Scotia combined with a population at the time larger than the combined states of California, Oregon and Washington. Conditions were primitive there, and World War II was threatening the area.

Evangelism in the jungles was difficult, but God was blessing with a harvest of souls. During the steaming hot days of the summer of 1940, Hubert and his wife were expecting another kind of harvest, the birth of their second child.

Hubert's wife, Helen, had been an accomplished soloist, often singing for Aimee Semple McPherson at Angelus Temple. Things seemed to go well during this pregnancy and on September 14, 1940 she gave birth to a little girl, Jean Marie. The next day, however, Helen had a severe headache, which turned into a coma and convulsions. Without adequate medical care, Helen soon succumbed. Little Jean Marie was just three days old when her mother died.

The Mitchells were talented people, and could have led successful lives and careers at home in America, but they chose a life of service to the Lord. They had a great impact on reaching the people of Sumatra. So great had been their influence that the head of the Dutch bank took care of all the funeral arrangements. Due to conditions, the funeral had to be held on the same day. All the city officials attended the service. "Before coming to Sumatra, Hubert had written the music to the famous poem of Annie Johnson Flint, 'He Giveth More Grace.' The song was sung at the graveside. There were only a few dry eyes as the words were sung by another missionary couple. As the song was sung, Hubert said he 'felt the sting of death being drawn out, and he then spoke to them all in Malay with the anointing of God's Spirit upon him.'"[1] News of Helen's death took six weeks to arrive in America by letter. This was the first public performance this song that has blessed so many for the past 64 years. Here are the words by Annie Johnson Flint:

He giveth more grace, when the burdens grow greater.
He sendeth more strength, when the labors increase.
To added affliction, He addeth his mercy.
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
His love hath no limit, His grace hath no measure.
His power hath no boundaries known unto man.
For out of his infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance.
When our strength has failed, 'ere the day is half done.
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father's full giving has only begun![2]

God gives – He provides for the poor, the orphans, the widows and the suffering. He often uses us as channels of His provision. Won’t you ask the Lord to help you Remember the P.O.W.’s, and look for opportunities to be conduits of God’s resources, providing for those who are hurting?
Without God's provision, it would be impossible to sing the words "He giveth and giveth giveth again" at your wife's funeral. The "peace of God" passes all human understanding! We all need to be reminded about that, don’t we? Here are a few more reminders to consider this Memorial Day Weekend:

· We need to be reminded that life is short: Psalm 90:12 "Teach us to number our days. . ." A visit to a cemetery, hospital, or care home can remind us that life is fragile and short.

· We need to be reminded that Jesus is Lord and God is in control.

· We need to be reminded that while we can’t always change our circumstances, we can change our attitude.

· We need to be reminded that prayer changes things.

[1]Mitchell, R. Bryant and Lucille M. "Heritage & Harvests." Des Moines: Open Bible Publishers, 1995, p. 49.
[2]Gariepy, Henry "Songs in the Night." Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1996, p. 5-6.

HURTING PEOPLE NEED HEALTHY GUIDANCE

2008-12-31T17:02:00.000-08:00

“This experience has really opened my eyes to the realization that many people are hurting. I just never noticed it before.” My friend was commenting on her new awareness. She had spent two weeks by the bedside of a loved one in the trauma intensive care unit of Harborview Medical Center. As we prayed and talked over her feelings, I was again reminded how much hurting people need healthy guidance. The healing, therapeutic touch or word of a friend provides immeasurable comfort and relief.

The church should be a center for healing, encouragement and help. Unfortunately, some people are hindered, rather than helped by their experience in church. For example:

Well-intentioned people who speak or act without thinking. “Just get over it” is not good advice for a person in the grieving process. Working through the stages of grief takes time and God’s help. Nor does it help to say, “I know just how you feel.” The reality is, nobody knows exactly how another person feels. You may have endured similar circumstances, and can share your story when the time is appropriate. But it seems trite to compare your situation to the grieving person’s.

False assumptions. You might tremble at the prospect of jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. But what if I told you the airplane was sitting on the ground?

You might believe that every person who has cancer dies from it. But you would be wrong. Many cancer survivors can testify to healing through both Divine and medical treatments. The reality is that every single person will die from something someday. Our false assumptions can keep us from moving forward with hope. They can also hinder the grieving process or reaching a place of acceptance and healing.

Simplistic answers and wrong beliefs. A hurting person is often confused and questions everything. In the process, they can come to the wrong conclusions about their circumstances. Often they will try to find a simple answer when a hundred complicated ones would not explain their predicament. Have you ever had these thoughts or has anyone ever said to you:

· "You must have done something to deserve this." While our actions or sins do have consequences, your own personal circumstances or loss may not be attributable to your own personal choices. To always believe so is a serious mistake that Job’s comforters made.

· "The devil is behind this. . .." In Job’s case, the devil for certain was behind his trouble, yet God still permitted it. The devil is not personally responsible for every problem we face. Sometimes we suffer loss and people die of old age. The Bible tells us we may battle the world, the flesh and the devil. Chasing demons is not the answer when working through grief or loss. “Spiritual warfare” will do little to ease your suffering when a tragedy occurs or a loved one dies. God, Scripture, a caring friend, and time will help immeasurably, though.

· "You must not have enough faith." This is an old line, and one that could be applied to every person listed among the “heroes of faith” in Hebrews chapter 11 – for they all suffered losses in many different ways, yet they all had great faith!

· "You must be out of the will of God.” The truth is, we can reside in the very center of God’s will and still be in a real pickle! Scripture is full of stories about God-fearing people from Joseph to the Apostle Paul who were doing God’s will and suffered anyway.

· “You can’t trust the medical profession, you know. If you will buy my remedy you will get better.” The fact is, God often provides healing in a variety of ways, and He certainly does use people in the medical profession. Luke, the author of the Gospel that bears his name as well as the book of Acts in the New Testament, was a physician! Anecdotal information or testimonies are not always helpful to a hurting person, because the experience of another person, no matter how wonderful, might not be the experience of the next person. What worked for one might not work for another.

Ultimately, our trust must be in the Great Physician to heal spirit, soul and body. Jesus once used mud to heal blindness (John 9:6). But He doesn’t want us to market the curative powers of “healing mud.” Instead, He wants us to trust in the Healer who applied the mud.

With God’s help and with our help, hurting people can become healthy people. The church should be a catalyst for making it happen. What do you think?

Keep Christ in Christmas!

2008-12-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

In December of 1965 I was about to turn eleven years old and a fifth grader at Dundee Elementary School in Dundee, Oregon. It was a tradition for the fifth grade class to recite the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-14 in the annual school Christmas program. Harold Wilson, our teacher, instilled in us a belief that our recital of these fourteen verses from the King James Version would be the highlight of the evening’s festivities.

So at the appointed hour, the school gym, where hours before we had played basketball or “red rover,” became a nativity scene. With anxious parents looking on from their folding chairs in neatly formed rows on the floor, we took our places on the stage. Although I have many memories of Sunday School and grade school Christmas pageants where I alternately played a shepherd, wise man, or Joseph while wearing my bathrobe and sandals as a costume, none stand more clearly in my mind than that particular night as we stood before that audience. Hours of memorization paid off as we began to recite the familiar words, “And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. . ..”

As we finished with, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,” the audience rose to their feet with thunderous applause. Mr. Wilson beamed, our parents glowed, and we were all thankful that we had completed our assignment without missing a word. Looking back, that evening was a highlight of my young life. I had quoted many great authors from that stage—Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Patrick Henry’s “the war inevitable” and various works of prose and poetry. But none seemed as inspiring as quoting from the greatest story ever told.

Even the knowledge that the event would soon culminate in a visit from Santa Claus, played by Mr. Vinson, our school janitor, who at 120 pounds was a skinny substitute for the real thing, did not stem my enthusiasm and sense of accomplishment at that moment. The reward for all the students was a coveted sack of candy, which Santa Claus distributed to all participants. Inside the brown paper bag was an obligatory inventory that included an orange, a few walnuts and hazelnuts (Dundee was known as the “nut capital of the USA” in those days!), a peppermint candy cane, assorted hard or ribbon candies that stuck together and nobody ever liked, and a few jelly/gummy orange slices. If you were lucky, you received a bag that contained the most cherished prize: one or two delectable mounds of flavored sugar, covered with chocolate. Maybe I’m just sentimental, or given to nostalgia, but the warm feelings from that evening fill my heart to this day.

It was no secret that Mr. Wilson was a born-again Christian and a member of the First Baptist Church. Nor was it a secret that he was an excellent teacher, devoted to his craft and to his students. I knew him as an engaging teacher, a caring coach, a volunteer vacation Bible school leader, and a man that impacted my impressionable young life by showing me that the world was bigger than the humble environment of our family farm.

I remember the bulletin board he prepared for our school that year. In those days it seemed fashionable to abbreviate Christmas as "Xmas". Mr. Wilson would have none of that. In capital letters his bulletin board message boldly proclaimed "Keep Christ in Christmas." No one protested or ridiculed—at least not publicly. Deep in our hearts, we knew that the message was true. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, not just another “happy holiday.”

A lot has changed since then. The freedom to express his Christian faith that Mr. Wilson enjoyed as an American educator has slowly eroded over the last forty-three years. Most would agree that the erosion of that freedom has coincided with an erosion of values. Courts and school boards in many jurisdictions have decided it is illegal for public expressions about the real meaning of Christmas, and that is a shame.

The fact is, you really can't remove Christ from Christmas. After all, it is His birthday. It would be politically incorrect to try to distance most holidays from the birthdays they commemorate. For example, to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day without a discussion of his life, death and accomplishments would be unheard of in the twenty-first century.

Jesus Christ was a real person cutting a far wider swath in history than any contemporary human being. We even count the years on our calendar from His birth. So why shouldn't we allow the historical details of his birth, life and death to be publicly proclaimed? D. James Kennedy wrote:

"The truth is this: Had Jesus never been born, this world would be far more miserable than it is. In fact, many of man's noblest and kindest deeds find their motivation in love for Jesus Christ; and some of our greatest accomplishments also have their origin in service rendered to the humble Carpenter of Nazareth."[1]

For the past thirty some-years, our family gathers around the tree on Christmas Eve. These days, that circle includes our children and two granddaughters, sometimes accompanied by other assorted family members and friends. Before opening our presents, our traditions include my recitation of the Christmas story. Those timeless and familiar words from Luke’s Gospel entered my mind in 1965, but they also entered my heart. They never left my heart, and I hope they never do.

About twenty years ago I wrote a similar article on this theme that was published in The Pentecostal Evangel. I sent a copy of it to Mr. Wilson, thanking him for the impact he made on my young life. Later I met with him and we reminisced about those days. Since then, we’ve lost track of each other. I’m not sure if he is still living, but if he is, I’d like to say, “Thanks, Mr. Wilson. Thanks for taking an interest in children and devoting your life to helping them learn and become better citizens and better people. Thanks for helping us remember to ‘Keep Christ in Christmas.’” It was good advice back then, and it is good advice today. In fact, it always will be.

[1]Kennedy, D. James What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1994, introduction.

(c)2008 Don Detrick

Leadership Lessons from Billy Graham

2008-12-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

From The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, I learned a new appreciation for his life, his leadership, and his legacy. Even though I’ve read both his autobiography (published in 1997) and biography by John Pollock (published in 1966), I gained a lot more insight from this volume.
Identifying Billy Graham as a level five leader, the authors point to Billy’s “extreme personal humility” combined with “fierce resolve.” This combination enabled him to establish and lead multiple organizations, maintain evangelism as his top priority, keep a team together through nearly seven decades, serve as chaplain and confidant of presidents and world leaders, and maintain his personal integrity through it all.

Like many Americans of my generation, I grew up with regular exposure to Billy Graham. Even as a teenager, I recognized something in Billy Graham that helped me identify more with him than with others of his generation. Perhaps it was the fact that he started wearing his hair longer in the early 1970’s. I can remember my dad being rather appalled that one of his peers (dad was born in 1916, Billy Graham in 1918) would want to “look like a hippie.”

Reminding my dad that “Jesus had long hair” proved to be a rather ineffective strategy as he reminded me that, “Jesus walked everywhere he went, too. He didn’t ride a motorcycle.” I jumped on my Yamaha 175 Enduro to take a ride in the hills and think about it.

I wondered why my dad didn’t think more like Billy Graham did. Both were raised on a farm in pretty humble circumstances. But my dad had pretty much stayed on the farm and had a worldview that didn’t extend far beyond the fields he had plowed most of his days. Billy Graham had left the farm years ago, traveled the world and was friends with the President.

That didn’t mean I necessarily thought Billy Graham was cool, because I don’t think teenagers ever think old people are cool when they try to look like teenagers or copy their styles. But I did appreciate that he seemed to have more of an understanding of the “generation gap” than my own father did. The fact that Billy Graham at least tried to understand the younger generation made a pretty big blip on my radar screen. And even though I didn’t verbalize it back then, I think I understood that to be a sign of leadership. At least it helped me respect him as a leader.
As much as my dad (and a lot of others of his generation) detested change, protested change, and resisted change, Billy Graham seemed to accept change. His acceptance was not just passive apathy, but reflected an actual embrace of change when change was necessary and beneficial to the advancement of God’s kingdom.

Growing up as he did in the racially segregated south, Billy Graham must have had a difficult time going against the tide of racial prejudice. But he did. Early in his ministry, he had followed local custom by preaching to integrated audiences in the North and to mostly segregated audiences in the South. The authors point to one 1952 incident in his Jackson, Mississippi crusade when he made a stand and exhibited courageous leadership:

Walking toward the ropes that separated blacks and whites, Billy tore them down. Mystified and uncomfortable ushers tried to put the ropes back up. Billy personally stopped them. This symbolically powerful gesture marked a major ministry watershed. He never again led a segregated campaign.

“There is no scriptural basis for segregation,” he said. “The ground at the cross is level, and it touches my heart when I see whites standing shoulder to shoulder with blacks at the cross.”[1]
I wish I could have witnessed that night. “Humility blended with fierce resolve” seems an appropriate description of his leadership that evening. He was humble enough to admit that the old ways he grew up with and had gone along with were wrong, and resolved to make a difference, even at the expense of alienating some of his constituents. More than a decade before Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech that riveted the nation’s attention on racial inequality and galvanized the civil rights movement, Billy Graham’s vision paved the way to make the dream a real possibility.

Billy Graham was a visionary leader. Some examples cited in the book include:

· His use of the term “team” years before it came into vogue in the business world and his actual practice of teamwork.
· In the first and only church he pastored, he changed the name from “Baptist Church” to “Community Church.”
· His consistent practice of turning his critics into coaches by asking them how he could improve. He understood the maxim, “The more influential you are, the harder it is to find people who will tell you the truth.”
· His practice of contextualization of his message. When preaching in New York in 1957, he used the titles from theater marquees as titles for his messages.

As a Pentecostal, I was once again reminded of the emphasis Billy placed upon the power of the Holy Spirit. Although I’d read about it years ago in Pollock’s biography, I was touched by the author’s description of Billy’s powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit in the early days of his ministry.

His first night speaking in Wales brought a small, passive, unresponsive crowd and showed no indication of the success Billy had achieved in America. Billy was hungry for the power of the Holy Spirit as the great Welch preacher Stephen Olford had described his own experience of Spirit baptism and coached Billy to seek after the same.

As Billy wept, they knelt to the floor and cried out to God. The description of what followed would rival any description of a Pentecostal outpouring:

“I can still hear Billy pouring out his heart in a prayer of total dedication to the Lord,” said Olford. “Finally, he said, ‘My heart is so flooded with the Holy Spirit!’ and we went from praying to praising. We were laughing and praising God, and Billy was walking back and forth across the room, crying out, ‘I have it! I’m filled. This is a turning point in my life.’ And he was a new man.”

That night, when Billy preached, “for reasons known to God alone, the place which was only moderately filled the night before was packed to the doors,” said Olford. “As Billy rose to speak, he was a man absolutely anointed.”

Members of the audience came forward to pray even before Billy gave an invitation. At the end of the sermon, practically the entire crowd rushed forward. “My own heart was so moved by Billy’s authority and strength that I could hardly drive home,” Olford remembers. “When I came in the door, my father looked at my face and said, ‘What on earth happened?’ I sat down at the kitchen table and said, ‘Dad, something has happened to Billy Graham. The world is going to hear from this man.’”[2]

As this applies to my own ministry context, I want to be sensitive not to discount someone else’s experience with the Holy Spirit, particularly when there are observable results. In Billy Graham’s case, the anointing upon his preaching, power to witness, leadership dynamic and fruit of the Spirit have been evident and readily acknowledged. I should not discount the work of the Spirit just because it doesn’t seem to fit into my theological box or personal comfort zone.
Perhaps the greatest lesson learned from Leadership Secrets was the tremendous potential of seemingly small decisions. Shortly before the Los Angeles crusade that launched him into the public spotlight, Billy conducted a much smaller crusade in Modesto. One afternoon of that crusade, he met with his young team and asked them to go back to their rooms and think and pray about all the things that had become stumbling blocks to evangelists in years gone by, write them down and come back to discuss the issues.

The results of that meeting became known as the “Modesto Manifesto.” In comparing their lists, they found the results strikingly similar and included these points:

1. Shady handling of money.
2. Sexual immorality.
3. Badmouthing others doing similar work.
4. Exaggerated accomplishments.

In a solemn time of prayer, the team members agreed to hold one another and their organization accountable for these things. As a result, Billy Graham personally and organizationally has never been subject to the scandals that have rocked the evangelical world. At the end of his life, his character and integrity remain intact, and it is largely due to the decisions and agreements made in 1948 in a Modesto hotel room.

Credibility is a precious commodity because it is short on supply and greatly in demand. Although I cannot hope to attain and achieve the stature of Billy Graham, I can learn from his leadership characteristics and godly example as a humble, but fiercely resolved follower of Christ.

[1] Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley. The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. p. 139.
[2] Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley. The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. p. 23-24.

A Wonderful Book

2008-12-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading, "Same Kind of Different As Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. I first heard their story on NPR, and was so intrigued I ordered the book (which is a New York Times Bestseller, BTW). I'm glad I did--it is one of the most touching stories I've read in a long time. The book mirrors two lives, Ron Hall, a millionaire Ft. Worth art dealer, and a homeless African American, Denver Moore who was raised in near-slavery conditions as a Louisiana sharecropper. Their story is remarkable--particularly how Ron's wife Debbie brought them together by her desire to work at the Union Gospel Mission in Ft. Worth.

The book is written in a chapter by chapter dialogue, letting Ron tell his story and Denver tell his in contrasting chapters. The similarities between the two individuals' backgrounds is astounding, as is the contrast between their opportunities and outcomes in life.

Debbie is the common thread between them and provides the sub-plot. The story of her life and ministry is amazing--her faith and love for "the least of these." In the midst of this, her battle with cancer provides more insight into faith and teaches some good lessons about healing, grace, grief, and recovery.

Despite its funny sounding title, "Same Kind of Different As Me" is one of the most missional stories I've ever read and I will be encouraging others to read it. Evangelical Christians can learn a lot from this true tale. You won't view homeless people in the same light after reading this compelling story!

Lessons About the Birth of Christ

2008-11-21T20:43:00.000-08:00

Lessons About The Birth of Christ
Galatians 4:4 & Luke 2:1-20
(c) 2008 Don Detrick

MAIN THOUGHT: The Christmas story offers hope to all people, in all places, for all time.

1. God’s purposes are always redemptive.

As much as it pains me to have to say it, a woman was responsible for bringing about the fall of mankind. It was Eve who first ate the forbidden fruit and then shared it with her husband Adam (1 Timothy 2:13-14). Through the disobedience of our original parents, sin was passed down to all of us (Romans 5:12).

Of course the serpent, Satan, was responsible for tempting the woman in the first place (Genesis 3:1-8). The consequences of sin were both immediate and delayed. Genesis 3:14-15 says “So the LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, you will be punished. You are singled out from all the domestic and wild animals of the whole earth to be cursed. You will grovel in the dust as long as you live, crawling along on your belly. From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

In theological terms, this is called the protoevangelium[1], literally “the first gospel, or good news.” Symbolically, it alludes to the future coming of Jesus Christ as the One who would “crush the serpent’s head” – a fatal blow, while at the same time having “His heel” bruised, or struck by the serpent. Though Jesus died on the cross, the resurrection was the fatal blow to Satan’s domination of the human race, and through the passion of Christ, God made possible redemption of the human race.

God has always had a plan, and His plans are always redemptive. In essence, that which was lost through the original sin of Eve was rescued, restored and redeemed through the work of the Savior. So it is significant that just as a woman was responsible for bringing about the fall of man, God used a woman, Mary (Galatians 4:4), to bring redemption to mankind through the birth of the second Adam, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:22-45).

Mary was convinced of God's mighty power. Her faith led her to believe that He was able to do anything. And because of her faith, she was a willing participant in God's plan for eternal salvation. In response to the angel's message (Luke 1:37 NKJV) "For with God nothing shall be impossible,” Mary replied (Luke 1:38 NKJV) "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word."

For us, redemption often means rescue, or something good coming from something potentially bad. Mary had been invited to a wedding in Cana, along with Jesus and His disciples. Probably the worst thing that could happen at such an event was for the host to run out of food or drink. When the host came to Mary with the news that he had run out of wine, the stage was set for Jesus to perform His first miracle. And it happened because of Mary’s admonition: "Whatever He (Jesus) says to you, do it." (John 2:5) Because of her faith in His Word, the first of many redemptive miracles occurred in the ministry of Jesus.

Mary understood the concept of redemption. After all, she was chosen by God to play a key role in His plan of redemption. She must have marveled as she listened to the words of the prophet Isaiah, and realized that he was speaking about her: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” As she stood at the foot of the cross, watching her Son's tortured death, she knew that He was dying for her sins, as well as the sins of the whole world. No doubt Isaiah’s prophecy gave her solace in her hour of grief:

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked; But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:3-11 NKJV)

2. God can use little, insignificant things for significant purposes.

A digit in a telephone number isn’t big, but what a big difference one digit can make when trying to reach a specific party. Little things like spark plugs, batteries, valves, and seals are seldom thought about until one malfunctions and your automotive wheels of progress grind to a halt. Little snowflakes create huge avalanches and little viruses can cause major diseases. I once heard Paul Harvey say that two cats and their offspring can produce a total of 17 million cats within nine years! A person who pays attention to the little details will avoid a lot of major problems in life.

On the other hand, most people don’t pay a lot of attention to the little details of life. And it is for this very reason that many people feel they are just another face in a crowd. Not worthless, but not significant either - just average, without much expectation of grandeur.

It’s not that average people don’t think they could become heroes or successful. It’s just that their talents haven’t been discovered yet, or other people get all the breaks, or they are never in the right place at the right time, or they just don’t have the right connections, and on and on the list goes. This tension between reality and what we dream about must have led Thoreau to write that the “mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”[2]

When I was in the 6th grade, I was enthralled with The Monkees (a ‘60’s rock group) and my little sister and I never missed their television show if we could help it. Their theme song contained these lyrics “Hey, hey we’re the Monkees, you never know where we’ll be found. So you better get ready, we might be coming to your town.”

That last line always bothered me. I saw it as kind of a cruel joke. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see them in person. I wore a stocking cap like Michael Nesmith and wanted to play a 12-string guitar like he did. But when they sang, “we might be coming to your town,” I was always profoundly disappointed. Even though I was young, I was smart enough to know that a popular group like The Monkees weren’t ever coming to my town. Nobody important ever came to a backwater town like Newberg, Oregon. The Monkees only went to places like New York City, Los Angeles, or Chicago. Even if they came to Portland or Seattle, it was a sure bet my parents wouldn’t take me there for that purpose. Though I now cherish my rural upbringing, I resented it then. It seemed to me like nothing exciting ever happened in my hometown.

One of the most significant Bible prophecies about the birth of Christ is about a small town. Micah 5:2 (written about 700 B.C.) states that Christ would be born in Bethlehem. "But you, Bethlehem, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting." (Micah 5:2 NKJV) Have you ever felt insignificant, like a small number in a world full of billions of numbers, “little among the thousands?” The birth of Christ in Bethlehem illustrates the fact that God can use little, insignificant things for significant purposes.

The Old Testament book of Ruth is set in the region of Bethlehem (Ruth 1:1-2,19,22; 2:4; 4:11). Ruth chronicles how Bethlehem became the hometown of David and the place where he was anointed. (1 Sam. 16:1-13; 17:12,15). Perhaps you’ve never thought of some of the little details about Bethlehem that had significant consequences in biblical history. Here are a couple to think about:

Little words can leave lasting impressions: Ruth’s words to her mother-in-law Naomi may not have seemed significant at the time, but they have been remembered throughout history: "Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” (Ruth 1:16 NKJV)

Little choices can have dramatic consequences: Ruth chose to go to Bethlehem with Naomi, and because she did, a drama ensued that reached from her day to ours. In Bethlehem, she met her husband Boaz. Their son was named Obed, and he became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David. As a result of her little choice to accompany her mother-in-law to Bethlehem, she became the great-grandmother of King David, and her name is included in the lineage of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5).

Bethlehem, meaning “house of bread,” was a small village in the days of Ruth. It is not a large city today, lying approximately five miles southwest of Jerusalem. While it once had a significant Christian population, the town is now controlled by the Palestinian Authority and has an Islamic mayor. Poverty and war fill Bethlehem this December.

Because of the conflict in the region, no large crowds of pilgrims will arrive to celebrate Christmas 2008. In recent years, the few Christmas trees decorating the town have not contained lights or ornaments, but pictures of martyrs in the Islamic jihad[4].

Since Herod killed the children in the area around Bethlehem, the town has seen a lot of trouble. Over the centuries Bethlehem has been ruled by dozens of different governments and leaders, yet this small town’s significance is forever established in history: From here was born the One who would rule the world and reign over the universe forever and ever. All of which leads me to my final point:

3. God is always in control, even if it doesn’t seem like it to us.

We have an old adage, "the only things that are certain are death and taxes." That saying was true in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. An emperor's taxes caused Him to be born there, and an earthly king's decree ordered all babies to be killed. Through Divine intervention, He escaped. God was in control, even when it seemed like someone else was calling the shots.

When Jesus was born Augustus had been ruler of the Roman Empire for twenty-five years. He was the grandnephew of Julius Caesar and the first true emperor of the entire Roman Empire. After the death of Julius Caesar he defeated Brutus and Cassius in a battle at Philippi in 42 B.C. He defeated Antony & Cleopatra in 31 B.C. at the Battle of Actium, thus gaining control of the entire Empire at the age of 35. The Roman Senate changed his name from Octavian to Augustus (literally "Reverend" - an honorary title to indicate his power and dominion).

Augustus was influential in establishing the system of Roman roads - many of which exist to this day. He was responsible for establishing the concept of the Pax Romana - the Roman Peace. This emperor was able to do what no one had done for at least 200 years before him - brought peace. He reigned as Caesar for 41 years. Two words characterized his life and influence: glory and peace. Writer N.T. Wright says about him:

This man, this king, this absolute monarch, lifts his little finger in Rome, and about fifteen hundred miles away, in an obscure province, a young couple undertakes a hazardous journey, resulting in the birth of a child in a little town that just happens to be the one mentioned in the ancient Hebrew prophecy about the coming of the Messiah. And it is at this birth that the angels sing of glory and peace. Which is the reality, and which is the parody? [5]

Many Bible scholars speculate that Joseph still owned property in Bethlehem, therefore he was required to travel there for the census. The Bible Background Commentary says it was quite possible that Mary was also originally from Bethlehem and needed to return to that town. "Although tax laws in most of the empire required only the head of the household to appear, the province of Syria (then including Palestine) also taxed women."[6]

Herod (73 B.C.- 4 B.C.) had built a massive fortified palace nearby. In fact, it was the largest in the world at the time. The Herodium, like Masada, was one link in a chain of desert fortresses King Herod built during his reign, and was located 5 miles east of Bethlehem.

The circular protective wall had four circular watchtowers with 200 marble steps leading to the summit where there were rich royal apartments, providing Herod with security and beauty. Within the wall below were enclosed a palace, hot and cold Roman baths, a synagogue, and a banquet hall as big as a football stadium, all 2600 feet above sea level and 980 feet above the desert floor.

In addition to the mountaintop fortress, the Herodium complex, which covered more than 50 acres, originally included a large monumental palace and a huge football-field sized swimming pool surrounded by a luxuriant royal garden, both fed from distant aqueducts built at great expense. Distinct remains of a thousand-foot long hippodrome, or horse race track may be seen even today.

While Herod lived in unbelievable opulence, splendor and security, the real King, Jesus Christ, was born in a stable nearby. When I did or said something foolish as a youngster, I might be asked, “Were you born in a barn?” How ironic that the One who formed the universe, and breathed into man the breath of life, was willing to come to earth and literally be born in a barn!

Appearances can be very deceiving. Don’t despair. Even when things seem most chaotic, most confusing, and most difficult – God is still in control. He can be trusted, because He has a plan (Romans 8:28). He knows the end from the beginning and the beginning to the end because He is the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 22:13).

The birth of the King - Jesus Christ - was not announced to King Herod, but to shepherds and wise men. Though He was only a baby, Herod feared him. He knew Jesus was the One who would be greater than all earthly kings. Thus, he ordered all male babies under the age of two in the region around Bethlehem to be slaughtered. This infanticide was only one of a multitude of atrocities committed by the tyrannical Herod.

Shortly after the birth of Jesus, Herod died in Jericho. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus describes Herod's funeral procession from Jericho to the Herodium where he was buried:

After this they betook themselves to prepare for the king's funeral; and Archelaus omitted nothing of magnificence therein, but brought out all the royal ornaments to augment the pomp of the deceased. There was a bier all of gold, embroidered with precious stones, and a purple bed of various contexture with the dead body upon it, covered with purple; and a diadem was put upon his head, and a crown of gold above it, and a sceptre in his right hand; and near to the bier were Herod's sons, and a multitude of his kindred; next to whom came his guards, and the regiment of the Thracians, the Germans also and Gauls, all outfitted as if they were going to war; but the rest of the army went foremost, armed and following their captains and officers in a regular manner; after whom, five hundred of his domestic servants and freedmen followed, with sweet spices in their hands; and the body was carried two hundred furlongs to Herodium, where he had given order to be buried. And this shall suffice for the conclusion of the life of Herod.[7]

With all his pomp, power, and splendor, Herod is dead and forgotten by most, but Jesus Christ still lives on. We celebrate His birth this December, not just as the Bethlehem baby, but also as the Ruler of the universe. His power is greater than any politician. His compassion is stronger than the hatred, evil, and bigotry of Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. His wisdom transcends every philosophy known to man. His Gospel is more powerful than any religion. His forgiveness covers every sin known to mankind. And His love reaches out to every person on planet earth, including you and me.

APPLICATION :

· Even if your circumstances right now are difficult, how can God help you to make them redemptive?
· Thank God for the little blessings that come to your life this week.
· Jesus is the real gift of Christmas. If you have never accepted His gift of eternal life, why not do so today? (John 1:12; 3:16)

[1] http://www.bibleteachingnotes.com/ot/gen/gen03.asp
[2] Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) quoted from Walden, “Economy” (1854).
[3] http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/12/03/LatestNews/LatestNews.39273.html
[4] “Palestinians say Israel steals holiday joy” Jerusalem Post; Jerusalem; Nov 26, 2001; Reuters;
[5]"The Most Dangerous Baby" by N.T. Wright. Christianity Today, December 9, 1996, p. 35.
[6]Keener, Craig "The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament." Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1993, p. 193.
[7]Josephus, Antiquities Volume XVII, Chapter 6, p. 1-8; Wars I. Chapter 33, p.1-9.

God's Greatest Surprises: A Christmas Message

2008-11-21T20:35:00.000-08:00

God’s Greatest Surprises
James 1:2-4 NLT & Selected Scriptures (c) 2008 Don Detrick

MAIN THOUGHT: God sometimes surprises us by concealing miraculous opportunities in unlikely people, unexpected places and unfavorable circumstances.

A beautifully wrapped gift, carefully tied with a ribbon and bow, symbolizes this season of the year for many. But you can’t always tell a gift by its package. I’ve received some beautifully wrapped gifts in my day and many of them turned out to be duds. On the other hand, some of the most wonderful and enduring gifts I’ve ever received didn’t come beautifully packaged.

If you’ve read the Purpose Driven Life, you’re familiar with the phrase, “transformed by trouble.” Sometimes God’s greatest surprises are opportunities He carefully conceals behind a façade of trouble. James wrote, “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For 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 strong in character and ready for anything.” (James 1:2-4 NLT)

Someone once paraphrased this passage by saying, “We miss great opportunities because they often come cleverly disguised as problems.” Perhaps a more generalized anecdote would be this rendition: “We miss great opportunities because they often come cleverly disguised.”

The truth is, opportunities are often missed not because they appear to be problems, but because they appear to be ordinary. Sometimes we miss opportunities because they swiftly and unexpectedly appear in unforeseen places so we aren’t prepared to seize the moment. And at still other times we throw away opportunities because we fail to recognize the potential value in them.

Aunt Eddie Ogan, is a 70-something lady from Colville who has given so much to missions and penned the story, “The Rich Family In Our Church.” In a letter a few years ago she wrote:

By now you all know the Yankees went to the World Series and lost. Because I loved Babe Ruth so much as I was growing up, I always want the Yankees to win. When I was growing up in the 30’s and 40’s you got baseball cards in your bubble gum. I wanted the Babe Ruth cards. Girls never saved them, but everyone knew I was a tomboy so when girls didn’t want their cards, I’d take them. Then I’d trade with the boys, several cards I didn’t want for one Babe Ruth. That was all I wanted, Babe Ruth cards. I always kept them clean and neat. They were my prized possession. When I went to work for the telephone company at age 18, I really started to collect, even buying some.

In 1952 I got married. I knew I was too old to be collecting baseball cards, but I kept my 64 Babe Ruth cards. I never told people about them, because I was embarrassed to be a married woman who had a collection of Babe Ruth cards. At the end of November 1953, my husband was returning from 20 months in the service so I was cleaning out the bedroom at home where I had been living with my parents. My stepfather had the burn barrel going and I burned a lot of old stuff. I was ready to leave for my new apartment with my husband. The only thing left was my precious box of Babe Ruth cards. I opened the box and looked at each card one last time. Then I straightened my shoulders and walked out to the burn barrel and threw in the box. I was ready to enter my new life as a full-fledged adult.

A few years ago when one of our foster sons collected baseball cards, I was surprised to learn from a Beckett book what vintage baseball cards were worth. I almost had a heart attack when I read the current value of the Babe Ruth cards I had burned in that burn barrel. I thought about what I could have done for missions with all that money and decided the best thing to do was just try to forget!

We’d all love to be able to find a knickknack on a shelf at home that turned out to be worth a million dollars. The Antiques Roadshow is a very popular television show for the simple reason that we are amazed to see ordinary people bring in trinkets or family heirlooms and discover they are worth a fortune. We may have overlooked a vast resource of potential treasure in our own closet, attic, garage or backyard because it wasn’t packaged in a conventional way.

We often judge by outward appearance, and our judgment is superficial. The Bible says, “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV) You would be surprised if you could see the heart of every person and really get to the heart of every matter. Let’s take a look at a few of the ways God surprises us.

1. God surprises us by using unlikely people to fulfill His purposes.

It takes so little to be above average. A study showed that the average American spends $240 a month eating out at fast food restaurants. The same study showed an average American spends only $5 a month helping the needy.[1] If you give more than $5 a month to missions or some outreach to help others, you are above average. Yet we often think of ourselves as unlikely candidates to accomplish great things. The Bible record tells us otherwise.

It shouldn’t surprise us that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things and unlikely people to fulfill His purposes. For example:

· God used a farmer with no maritime experience to build the greatest floating vessel ever constructed and lead a voyage to save the human race. (Noah – Hebrews 11:7)

· God used childless senior citizens, who were too old to qualify for life insurance policies at any price, to bring forth a baby boy named Isaac, who would be a patriarch of God’s chosen people. (Abraham and Sarah – Hebrews 11:8-12)

· God used a man with a speech impediment to be His spokesman and debate the undisputed leader of the most powerful nation on earth at the time. (Moses – Exodus 4:10)

· God used a young shepherd boy with no military experience to defeat the greatest military giant Israel had ever faced. (David and Goliath – 1 Samuel 17)

· And God used a poor young girl from an obscure village to give birth to His only begotten Son.

In the Roman world at the time of Christ, leaders gave themselves grandiose titles to try and elevate themselves to godlike status. Caesar Augustus ruled the world when Jesus was born. He died August 19, A.D. 14 and a description of his funeral gives some indication of his power and wealth:

On a couch of ivory and gold, with purple and gold coverings, lay a wax image of the emperor in triumphal garb; his body was in a coffin underneath. Senators carried the couch and coffin to the Forum; behind it came other images of him and of his ancestors and relatives. After various eulogies and ceremonies, his body was carried to the Campus Martius and placed on a pyre. Around it marched all the Roman priests; then came all the equestrians, with cavalry and the Praetorian Guard, throwing on the pyre their own military decorations. Centurions lighted the pyre with torches, and as the corpse and wax image were consumed an eagle flew upward from the pyre to carry the emperor’s soul to heaven. The senator Numerius Atticus took oath that he had seen the emperor ascending to heaven, for which the emperor’s widow, Livia, paid him a million sesterces.[2]

Here’s my point: As self-appointed “king of the world,” Caesar Augustus would never have considered marrying anyone other than a blueblood royal with a pedigree longer than her name. In fact, his own father (by adoption), Julius Caesar, had made Cleopatra Queen of Egypt. The world expected pomp and circumstance to surround the birth, life and death of a royal figure.

After the death of Julius Caesar, Augustus defeated Brutus and Cassius in a battle at Philippi in 42 B.C. He defeated Antony & Cleopatra in 31 B.C. at the Battle of Actium, thus gaining control of the entire Empire at the age of 35. The Roman Senate changed his name from Octavian to Augustus (literally "Reverend" - an honorary title to indicate his power and dominion).

Now here’s the surprise: the real King of Kings and Lord of Lords was actually born during the reign of Caesar Augustus, but it wasn’t Caesar’s son. And He wasn’t born to a Cleopatra or a Livia.

He was born to Mary, an impoverished peasant girl living in a backwater town. God chose Mary not because of her outward beauty, wealth, or intelligence, but because of the beauty in her heart. The Bible says,

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:28-30 NIV)

Mary’s heart was right with God and she was convinced of God's mighty power. Her faith led her to believe that He was able to do anything. And because of her faith, she was a willing participant in God's plan for eternal salvation. In response to the angel's message (Luke 1:37 NKJV), Mary replied, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." (Luke 1:38 NKJV)

2. God surprises us by using unexpected places as settings for miraculous events.

We tend to commemorate celebrity appearances and enshrine memorials of their visits. The McKinley Stump in Chehalis, WA is such an example. A Google search on the Internet for “Chehalis McKinley stump,” brought forth this information from the Travelcascadia[3] website: “The McKinley Stump holds claim to the origin of a "stump speech" when President McKinley stood on the historic stump to deliver a speech in 1903.”

Actually, that would have been quite a fete considering the fact that President McKinley was assassinated in 1901, two years earlier. Actually, McKinley had been scheduled to make an appearance in Chehalis and a huge old growth stump was brought into town from the woods to serve as a platform for the occasion. It was so large, they had to widen the road to bring it into town.

And the truth is, it was pretty common for politicians in the old days to stand on a stump while pounding the podium in order to be noticed and get the crowd’s attention. “Stumping” became a term to describe political campaigning way before the 20th century.

After McKinley’s assassination, President Teddy Roosevelt did make an appearance in Chehalis and addressed 10,000 people from the stump in 1903. So why it isn’t called the Roosevelt stump? Probably because McKinley took on larger-than-life status after his assassination, thus in those days “McKinley” sounded a lot more magnificent than “Roosevelt.” Just as we might think “Kennedy” conveys more prestige than “Johnson.”

Whether we like it or not, a sleepy little town like Chehalis isn’t exactly on the map of places you’d be most likely to spot a celebrity. After all, the stump was originally provided for McKinley. Thus, to enhance the popular perception of the day, the residents of Chehalis opted for the more glorious “McKinley stump” than the mundane title, “Roosevelt Stump.”

In the days of Caesar Augustus, Bethlehem wasn’t exactly on the map of places frequented by the rich and famous, either. True, Herod had built a huge fortress nearby, but he and his entourage would never have considered partying in the town.

Bethlehem was known as the “house of bread” – an impoverished community inhabited by shepherds and farmers and working poor. The Old Testament book of Ruth is set in the region of Bethlehem (Ruth 1:1-2,19,22; 2:4; 4:11). Ruth chronicles how Bethlehem became the hometown of David and the place where he was anointed. (1 Sam. 16:1-13; 17:12,15).

One of the most significant Bible prophecies about the birth of Christ concerns Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 (written about 700 B.C.) states that Christ would be born there. "But you, Bethlehem, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting." (Micah 5:2 NKJV) The birth of Christ in Bethlehem illustrates the fact that God can use unexpected places as settings for miraculous events.

Jesus did not travel to exotic or metropolitan places to perform miracles. He didn’t live in a gated community surrounded by security guards. He went wherever people were and performed miracles wherever He found people in need. The Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5) was healed near a graveyard way off the beaten path. But He healed blind Bartimaeus as he begged by the roadside (Mark 10:46). Jesus wants to do miracles for us today, wherever we live or wherever we are.

3. God surprises us by using unfavorable circumstances to show forth His mighty power.

An old song says, “If I never had a problem, I’d never know that God could solve them.” Not only does God remind us that our problems are opportunities for a joyful response, but He seems to rejoice in helping us solve our problems. He has lots of experience. The birth of Jesus Christ was fraught with problems. Consider just a few:

· His earthly parents were poor.

· His mother was forced to make a long journey on foot just before His birth.

· Once at their destination, there were inadequate facilities available for lodging, not to mention the birth of a child.

· He was born with the stigma of illegitimacy.

· The regional government threatened the baby’s life.

· The parents were forced to flee to another country to protect the life of the child.

It’s almost as if God was saying, “Surprise! You expect My Son to be born in a palace, surrounded by princes and princesses, but I want Him to be born in a stable – the place where lambs are born.” Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (John 1:29), was born in a stable.

When I did or said something foolish as a youngster, I might be asked, “Were you born in a barn?” How ironic that the One who formed the universe, and breathed into man the breath of life, was willing to come to earth and literally be born in a barn!

The apostle Paul wrote, “I was chosen to explain to everyone this plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God's purpose was to show His wisdom in all its rich variety to all the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. They will see this when Jews and Gentiles are joined together in His church. This was His plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ephesians 3:9-11 NLT)

From our side of history, with a clear understanding of Bible prophecy and Scripture, the birth of Christ makes perfect sense. After all, we know the rest of the story. But what if we were transported back in time? And what if we didn’t know the rest of the story? Wouldn’t it appear that things were totally out of control?

This is an important lesson for us. Unfavorable circumstances can be fertile ground for planting seeds of faith. And those seeds can sprout into a harvest of miracles so glorious that you almost forget the planting process.

Don’t despair, because that is what all of life is: a process. Even when things seem most chaotic, most confusing, and most difficult – God is still working and still in control. He can be trusted, because He has a plan (Romans 8:28). He knows the end from the beginning and the beginning to the end because He is the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 22:13). God often surprises us by using unfavorable circumstances to display His mighty power. Are you ready for a surprise?

Some Suggestions:

· As you send out or receive Christmas cards next month, pray for the recipient or sender.

· Even if your circumstances right now are difficult, how could God surprise you with a miracle?

· If you have children at home, help them memorize Luke 2:1-14, and encourage them to do so before Christmas.

· Memorize Colossians 4:5, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” (NIV)

[1] “Go Figure,” Christianity Today, December 2003, p. 19. Source: University of Rochester, Mobile Register.
[2] Augustus To Constantine by Robert M. Grant. Barnes & Noble, 1996, p. 5.
[3] http://www.travelcascadia.com/chehalis/

When People Throw Stones - from Enrichment Journal

2008-11-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

When People Throw Stones:
Protecting Your Marriage and Family

By Don and Jodi Detrick

Sunday, December 9, 2007, dawned cold and crisp, like most December mornings in Colorado. But unlike most December Sundays, shots rang out as a gunman aimed at worshipers leaving the morning service at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. Frightened parishioners, gripped with terror, suddenly turned from lunch plans and fellowship to survival tactics and barricades. As the drama ensued, the gunman took two young lives and wounded three others. A female security guard bravely intervened to end the massacre by wounding the shooter, who then took his own life.

Earlier in the day, the same gunman unleashed a torrent of bullets in a dormitory at Faith Bible Chapel in nearby Arvada, killing two Youth With a Mission students and wounding two others. What had motivated Matthew Murray to such violence?

Murray’s parents had home schooled him and raised him in a Christian atmosphere. A few years earlier, nevertheless, Youth With a Mission had dismissed 24-year old Murray. Embittered, he had recently sent hate mail to the Arvada campus. For Murray, the wounds ran deep. His perceived offenses and unresolved pain turned to resentment, bitterness, hatred, rage, and ultimately the revenge he unbridled against innocent victims on that cold December Sunday.
In the wake of the New Life shootings, many churches are taking another look at security and evaluating their plans and procedures regarding the health and safety of their parishioners. We call this risk management. Perceptive churches have been doing this for years. Armed guards may seem an extreme measure, but how does one determine the importance of security, particularly when children are in the sanctuary — a place that is considered safe from harm and intruders?

Fortunately, tragic events such as the New Life shootings tend to be an anomaly, rather than a regular Sunday occurrence. Most people do not fire bullets in church. But many do throw stones — but not the kind that might shatter stained glass windows. Instead, the stones they throw shatter emotions, hearts, dreams, and hopeful perspectives. These stones can hurt. Ask any pastor who is nursing wounds he received from the verbal ambush of an unhappy parishioner or board member.

My wife and I have been there, too. After pastoring for nearly 30 years in small, medium, and large churches — while raising three children — we have had experience and education in triage while staffing our own first aid stations. Since serving as a district official for the past few years, I frequently help pastors and their families express angst and maintain their balance while recovering from stonings at the hands of those they serve.

My wife and I believe in the importance of risk management to protect our marriage and children from those who would intentionally or even inadvertently cause them emotional harm. How many adult children of pastors loathe the church and are far from God because no one protected their dignity and shielded them from assaults in church while they were growing up?

How many ministerial marriages that seemed made in heaven ended because conflicts in the church disrupted and eventually destroyed family life? While you cannot hire security guards or build a fence to protect your marriage and family, consider these suggestions.

You can read the rest of this post at:

http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200901/200901_070_ThrowStone.cfm

Divine Destiny

2008-11-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

The tissue of the life to be,
We weave with colors all our own.
And in the field of destiny,
We reap as we have sown.
~ John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892)

Without a sense of purpose or destiny people who possess tremendous potential often flounder. For Christians, discovering our gifts and calling should be a priority pursued with careful, prayerful thought and preparation. 2 Peter 1:10 says, “. . .my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.” (NIV)

A person can begin the process of finding his or her destiny at any point in life. It is never too late, as we learned from the late George Dawson, an African-American whose grandparents had been slaves. George started working full time as an 8 year old and never had a chance to attend school. He didn’t learn to read until he was 98 years old. For the next five years, he got up nearly every day to attend remedial education classes. He continued to learn until his death at age 103 in 2001. He said, "Every morning I get up and I wonder what I might learn that day. You just never know."[1]

Rather than waiting until you are 100 years old, it is far better to start early in your pursuit of God’s purposes. When a young person seeks and finds God’s will, he or she has a lifetime to fulfill God-given dreams.

When Jesus looks at a man, woman, boy or girl, He sees not only who that person is, He sees who they can become. He sees not only the liabilities in a person; He also sees the possibilities.
Once someone came upon Michelangelo chiseling away on a huge, shapeless piece of rock. When asked what he was doing, the sculptor replied, "I am releasing the angel imprisoned in this marble."

There is potential for greatness in each of us. In fact, it is our Divine destiny. We must give control of our hopes and dreams to the Master Sculptor, Jesus Christ. When we do, His strength and power transforms us to release the Master’s greatness through us.

A. B Simpson wrote, “God is preparing His heroes; and when the opportunity comes, He can fit them into their places in a moment, and the world will wonder where they came from.”

[1] REMEMBERING GEORGE DAWSON1898 - 2001 at http://www.readin.dcccd.edu/dawson/dawson.htm

Pleasure and Pain

2008-11-07T21:44:00.000-08:00

The older I get, the more aware I become that life brings with it a balance of joys and sorrows, pleasure and pain. With anxiety comes hope—so grows our faith. And every time I discover an answer, I also discover another question. But of one thing I am certain: Whatever happens, God is still in control and He will see us through! I base that statement on both the promises of the Bible and my own personal experience.

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians as a defense of his ministry and apostleship. Even after coming to Christ, his was not an easy life. He explained to the Corinthian believers:
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:8-9 NIV)

Do you catch the drama and trauma Paul is describing here? He was under stress and pressure – so much so that the New Living Translation says, “We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it.” (2 Corinthians 1:8b NLT)

Have you gone through hard times? Then I suggest you read Paul’s description of his perils in 2 Corinthians 11:23-30. He was shipwrecked, beaten and jailed (among other things) for his faith in Christ. While your suffering may be very real, reading about Paul’s problems can help put your pain in perspective.

You can make it through difficult experiences the same way Paul did. He trusted in God’s faithful provision to be in control and see him through:

(God) Who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us. . .. (2 Corinthians 2:10 NKJV)

Do you notice how Paul covers all the bases here, past present and future? God always has been, is, and always will be in control. He will see you through.

It is hard to imagine, but six years ago this month, my Dad went to be with the Lord. Back then, while waiting near my Dad’s bedside we heard the joyful sounds of children just outside his window. You see, the nursing home was located right next to a day care center. Just a few feet away from where my dad was struggling to take his final breaths, children were blissfully playing.

Dad was about to leave behind his worn out 86-year-old body and enter into the joys of eternal life. Several times he said, “I’m crossing over. It’s my time and I’m ready to go.”

And several times I asked, “Dad, are you in pain?”

“Not at all,” he replied. I think the anticipation of heaven’s pleasure was greater than the
pain of death.

It reminded me that life is full of both pleasure and pain. And we can’t truly appreciate one without the other. It’s kind of like our experience of leaving behind yesterday and welcoming today. Whatever it holds, God is in control and He will see us through!

Sacred Places or Religious Spaces?

2008-11-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

Last year an issue of U.S. News & World Report featured a cover photo of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro along with a feature story titled, “Sacred Places.” The accompanying article states, “Sacred places range from entire cities to that special room in your home, and can be man-made or part of nature. Often associated with saints or holy figures, they are places that draw pilgrims—sanctified, in some cases, by great churches, mosques, temples, or shrines.”[1] One thing is evident from the article: most sacred places so designated are monuments to, and relics of, the past. Few, if any, would be considered dynamic organizations making a positive societal impact in the current era.

In contrast, I am aware of many churches that are making a difference in society and a positive influence in our culture. This is not the result of random selection. Those influential sacred places are more about people than geography, and have arrived at this opportune moment in history because of intentional choices made in the past to form a culture or ethos of influence. For them, “What would Jesus do?” is more than an ephemeral slogan, it is an incarnational mandate.

The challenge for Christian denominations in the twenty first century lies in our ability to maintain our alignment in a day when many are questioning the value or role of denominational affiliation—or the need for stick and brick institutions at all for that matter. It is no secret that mainline Protestant denominations and many evangelical denominations are suffering from decline and struggling for identity. In contrast, many of the fastest growing and most influential churches in postmodern America have no traditional denominational affiliation. In my own Seattle backyard, Mars Hill Church, Overlake Christian Church, Westminster Chapel, and The City Church serve as prime examples.

In his recent work on denominational structures, George Bullard addresses the post-denominational era and suggests that perhaps what is really taking place is a time of denominational transformation as opposed to the death of denominations. He cites the growth of ministry networks, and how new denominational forms or associations are growing in the number of congregations and total membership. He states, “Real denominations are genuine, authentic, exceptional, positive, essential, and incarnational—to name a few characteristics. They are denominations who care more about making kingdom progress than the thriving of the denomination as an institutional presence.”[2]

I can speak on behalf of the Northwest Ministry Network and affirm that we are in a time of great transition. While we have already made many changes from a hierarchical structure to a more collaborative leadership model, we continue to change as we embrace the values of a learning organization. We view ourselves as more of a resource center than a command and control center. Executing this vision is not as simple as it sounds. The pathway is often fraught with tension as we attempt to fulfill our vision of “strengthening and developing empowered leaders and churches.” If we are able to leverage that tension in the proper way, we can stay in tune with the Spirit’s leading with more harmony than discord.

The fact is, some of our churches and ministers don’t particularly feel a need to be strengthened, developed, or empowered by us, particularly those who place a great deal of value and security in the past and in the way things have always been done. They confuse theology with praxis, substance with style, and view any change from the status quo with suspicion. It is not difficult to understand the sense of security felt by those who have retreated into their sanctuaries of tradition, where change is obscured by the comforting patina of familiarity. Nevertheless, leaders who would train transformational leaders recognize the comfort of living in nostalgic niches comes with a price. It must be exchanged for irrelevance in the present and extinction in the future. To me, that doesn’t seem like a very good exchange.

Simply put, our world is changing. And the implications of our changing world will greatly impact our religious institutions—particularly our colleges and universities, and the denominational structures that birthed and support them. Unless we in the Assemblies of God are willing to work together with our institutions of higher learning to engage the culture, while embracing our values and purposes, we will quickly lose sight of our mission and lose relevance in the world. If we fail in this task, we will experience decline and waning influence as both the church and the university founder in the throes of an identity crisis.

However, if we succeed, and we surely can succeed if we set an intentional course to align our vision for the future with our purposes and mission, we will emerge from our present identity crisis and experience robust growth and expanding influence in our world. The key to our success lies in our ability to weave together the threads of our core values, theological truths, biblical purposes, and mission in order to create a compelling tapestry that will explain a timeless story to a new generation in a new way—a way that does not just tell, but show. This tapestry must be gripping and persuasive enough to engage the seeker on the journey, the parishioner in the pew, the pastor in the pulpit, and the scholar in the university. Some call this missional thinking, some call it incarnational ministry, but it is really just doing what Jesus modeled and asked us to do.

It would be a mistake to expect that this will be an easy task. However, even the most complicated of tasks can be broken down into basic components, building blocks in a strategic design. While it may seem like the impossible dream, we need to formulate a strategy that holds forth the promise of balancing the most treasured parts of our heritage with a compelling vision for the future. In short, it must invite us to engage our culture, while embracing our own values, and in so doing, make a difference in our world for Jesus’ sake.

Without the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit, any institution or denomination, and particularly academia, can easily be bogged down in the mechanics of organizational anxiety. Prayer and spiritual formation must remain central to all that we do. This component from our heritage will ensure a bright future for both the church and our schools as we equip students and parishioners to think theologically and live out their faith with passionate hearts. However, we must learn to focus on the future, not the past. Driving while constantly looking in the rear view mirror is a certain path to disaster.

The world of 2008 is not the world of 1914, when the Assemblies of God was birthed. In those days, the Temperance Movement, fueled by Wesleyan Holiness and Pentecostal preaching, was about to usher in the ratification of the 19th amendment, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages for the most part in this nation. There were no mega churches within our ranks, most of our constituents were suffering from poverty, the War to end all wars (WWI) was about to begin, infection from a simple wound or catching the flu could kill you, and sacrifice was a way of life. Foreign missions held the prospect of journeying into the unknown regions beyond, wherein lay great adventure and serious dangers.

In the context of today’s flattened world, individuals have many choices, and technology has removed many of the barriers of time and space. In this environment, can we expect to survive unless we step up to the plate with contemporary ministry to meet contemporary needs? While we recognize our arrival in a postmodern, post-Christian era, we must also recognize that many of our churches are still trying to figure out the modern age, and fighting against it with a separatist mindset. In some churches, purchasing a video projector is met with suspicion and pity the poor pastor who tries to preach from anything other than Paul’s Authorized KJV! As a denominational executive with some experience in untangling church conflicts, I can tell you that many of the issues dividing our churches have nothing to do with the mission of God, but everything to do with petty cultural preferences; many of them firmly entrenched in the early 20th century.

We must recognize that we are not all the same, that we can have unity in spite of our diversity. Last year I preached in one of our Seattle churches where, as a white male, I was in the minority. I wish I could say this is true in more of our churches, but sadly, the color of our churches does not reflect our society at large. The only way this will change is through intentional effort on our part by embracing diversity and encouraging people of color to associate with us by giving them a seat at the table and a warm welcome. In the Northwest Ministry Network, we have recently added new members to our governing board, the presbytery, to reflect the ethnic diversity of our constituents. We also offered seats to those of the female gender, recognizing the value of their representation with voice and vote. In order for us to more accurately reflect the ethnic diversity we hope to achieve, we must also discover ways to remove many of the cultural barriers that build walls and learn to build bridges instead. In John McCain’s recent concession speech, he made reference to the fact that Theodore Roosevelt was severely criticized for inviting Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House more than a century ago. Today a member of Washington's race will call the White House his home.

We find ourselves in a time of great transition in an emerging church in an emerging world. And times of transition are always fraught with anxiety and tension mingled with moments of exceedingly favorable opportunity for those willing to take a risk and journey beyond the familiar avenues of the past. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit thrust the original disciples from their familiar inside surroundings onto the streets where the people were gathered. In the twenty-first century, does the Holy Spirit want to do the same thing, strategically thrusting Spirit-empowered students and adults into the culture where they can make a lasting difference?

If we are to survive and thrive in the future, we will need to leave our holy huddles and impact society by empowering servants in our communities who will rise to leadership positions within their discipline or vocation. Churches will be considered sacred places and not just religious spaces when they are truly offering refuge and hope to the communities they serve, by partnering with those who will do good works, love justice, and walk humbly with God.

Many pastors comment that they are “having good services.” I wonder if the community cares much about the services they offer? Would your community notice or care if your church ceased to exist? If we offered services that truly served our communities, they might be more interested in our “church services.” Through incarnational works of service, new young leaders will exert influence on public policy and serve at all levels of government.

Visionary, transformational leadership requires today’s leaders in the Assemblies of God to rise up to the challenge and leverage the security of our own success to ensure the success of future generations. King Hezekiah was given a fifteen year life extension in response to his prayer for healing. Nevertheless, poor judgment later brought a severe reprimand from the prophet Isaiah, the consequences of which would be felt in the next generation as their treasures would be pillaged, and their sons emasculated and taken into captivity.

Hezekiah’s response to Isaiah was almost flippant, “‘This message you have given me from the LORD is good.’ But the king was thinking, ‘At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.’” (2 Kings 20:19 NLT)

Hezekiah represents those leaders who choose to live in the present on the storehouse of the past, while ignoring diminishing returns and ultimate destruction of the institutions they have held dear. “As long as everything stays the same for my lifetime, I’m happy with the status quo,” they think. May that never be said of our leadership. Instead, let us embrace the vision of our churches as sacred places—not just religious spaces—where spiritual vibrancy, biblical authority, theological purity, academic integrity, incarnational ministry, community unity, global visibility, and ethnic diversity converge in order to affect societal and spiritual liberty—for the glory of God.

[1] Jay Tolson, “Sacred Places.” U.S. News & World Report, November 26, 2007, 36.
[2] George Bullard, Real Denominations Serve Congregations: Seven Practices of Greatness. (Seattle: Amazon Shorts, 2007), 2.

Some Thoughts About Time

2008-11-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

In our present dimension of living, time is a certainty. Einstein factored it into equations. We expect that just as yesterday was, today is. And there will be a tomorrow. But that is not true for all of us, because the future – time beyond the present – is an uncertainty for the individual. And most of us have lived long enough to understand that while time remains constant, times change. The Bible gives honorable mention to the sons of Issachar because they were men “who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. . ..” (1 Chronicles 12:32 NKJV) Do we understand the times we live in? Are we willing to adapt and change as necessary when the times demand it? Do we seek the Lord in order to “know what we ought to do” in our lifetime, to make a difference in our generation?

"God, who is liberal in all his othergifts, shows us, by the wise economy of his providence, how circumspect we ought to be in the management of our time, for he never gives us two moments together." --Francois de Salignac de La Mothe Fenelon

"Time is our destiny. Time is our hope. Time is our despair. And time is the mirror in which we see eternity." -- Paul Tillich

Why Tradition is a Slippery Slope

2008-11-06T19:10:00.000-08:00

I am basically a traditionalist. I love history and antiques. But these things must be kept in perspective or they can easily become shrines to what used to be. Nostalgia always clouds opportunities in the present with the foggy memories of prior success. To worship at the shrine of the past is to plant the seeds of tomorrow's harvest in the dry, sterile soil of yesterday's dust. Those seeds might survive as relics in a museum, but in that environment, they will never produce life.

"The greatest opposition to what God is doing today comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God was doing yesterday."--R.T. Kendall