War and Evil…

The pictures from Ukraine tell an old story: war is never clean, civilians are never spared, and people die. War is an ancient story of a nation deciding to take by force something that is not theirs. It violates the old commandment, “Thou shalt not covet.”   

Mr. Putin, of course, served up a package of lies to justify his actions. The most dangerous leader is the one who begins to believe the lies he tells. Maybe he thought his army would roll into a quick victory, that his words would be strong enough weapons to win a battle.   

I admire the courage of the Ukrainian people. Having once been dominated by the old Soviet Union, they do not want to go back to living under Russian control. I saw a picture of a young Ukrainian woman with an automatic weapon in her hands and a determination on her face standing guard. She was obviously not a professional soldier, but she was ready to defend her country. 

War is evil written in large print. This war is the sin of neighbor rising up against neighbor. Children are dying, hospitals are being bombed, innocent people lose everything because a bomb, a shell, or a missile crashes into their homes.   

I live in a city with a large Air Force and Army installation. I know men and women who have deployed into combat, who have taken life because it was necessary. I have also sat with these men and women when they return home and suffer from flashbacks, stress, and depression. This is also part of the evil of war. 

I will never forget a pilot from the Vietnam era who came up to me one Sunday after worship and asked with all sincerity, “Can God forgive me? I did some terrible things when I flew over Vietnam.”  I assured him that God forgives and set up a time to talk later. We talked over many weeks, and his guilt level receded, but I don’t think it ever went away. The price for fighting evil is high. 

I am not a pacifist. There are times when nations must rise up and fight evil, lest it spread and contaminate more and more people. But never do I think war is God’s first desire to solve the problem of evil. 

You might protest, “But didn’t God order people in the Old Testament to go to war?”   The answer is “yes.”  But in every war God ordered, his people were attacking evil: evil kings, evil countries, and evil cultures. God has been fighting against evil since Adam and Eve first tasted the fruit in the garden. 

Jesus dying on the cross is God’s ultimate battle against evil. In that one act, the power of the perfect Savior unleashed a force of good that conquers evil. One day, that good will conquer evil once and for all. That’s why Isaiah 2:4 paints this great picture: “They will beat their swords into plowshares,   and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation,   nor will they train for war anymore.” 

Meanwhile, we live in a world where evil is not yet contained. Evil must be fought, lest its greed takes over the world. Whatever else he is, Mr. Putin is a greedy, covetous man. 

Like you, this war is costing me something. Even though our country is not fighting directly, whenever I fill up with gas, the war is impacting me. But then I remember that I am just paying more for gas; my wife, my children, and my grandson are still alive, still thriving. That thought makes me humble.   

Remember to thank God that war has not destroyed your home. Your family is not torn apart by this war. But it is not enough to thank God for your blessings; also, pray for peace. Pray for the people of Ukraine. Ask God for mercy, for his intercession to stop this war. Pray that evil that has been set loose will be caged once more.   

Jesus also said to pray for our enemies. Pray for Mr. Putin. Pray God will change his heart. Pray for a mindset change. 

What good will prayer do? Will Willimon, a Methodist pastor, told a story about a small prayer group of older ladies in his church in Greenville, SC. He dropped in on their weekly prayer circle one day and was surprised at the breadth of their prayers. They did not just pray for the sick; they prayed over world events. At that time, they prayed for the Soviet Union to collapse.   

Several years later, when the Soviet Union did collapse, commentators hailed the policies of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush as major factors. Willimon said, “I could not help but remember those ladies faithfully praying against the darkness, praying for evil to fall. Maybe their prayers had a bigger impact than I ever thought possible.” 

Pray.

Brahman Bulls…

You may have seen a Brahman bull or cow grazing in a pasture.  They are usually red or gray, with a large hump behind their heads.  Originating in India, this sub-species is noted for its tolerance of heat, its exceptional ability to thrive in tough environments, its strong maternal instincts, and a willingness to stand their ground.   Brahman cattle were brought to the United States in the late 1800’s, and a few years later, were introduced to Florida.  Crossbred to English cattle, they produce great calves for the feedlots. 

The biggest challenge with Brahman cattle is they can be temperamental.  If raised with a lot of human interaction, they can be very gentle.  My cousin Marcus Shackelford is Brahman pure-blood breeder, and he has bulls that are so gentle you can walk right up to them and pet them. 

On the other hand, a Brahman cow with a calf out in an open pasture can be very protective.  She will charge you if she thinks you are a threat.  Having run from these cows more than once, I can tell you they will charge in the blink of an eye, and they are faster than you. 

Brahman bulls can be very aggressive.  If you are in a pen with a Brahman bull, the best counsel is to move slowly and keep one hand on the fence.  My Uncle Bedford turned his back on a Brahman bull once, and in a flash, it charged him.  Before Uncle Bedford could react, the bull lowered his head and knocked Uncle Bedford down, face first, in a muddy puddle of water.  I can still see him, just raising his head out of the mud, then saying, “Load him on the trailer boys.  He needs to go.” 

I had a Brahman bull chase me across a pen once.  I ran for my life, grabbed the top board on the fence, and IT CAME OFF IN MY HAND (Pop would always rather fix something than replace it).  I swirled around just as the bull got to me and swung the board down on his nose.  He stopped, shook his head, and trotted off through the gate.   

Down at the ranch, we had a Brahman bull we could not pen.  He was old and not really doing his job.  It was time he and we parted ways.  But how do you load a bull who won’t cooperate?  When we worked cows, the crew went down into the bull pasture, and there at the edge of a thick tangle of woods we call Monkey Island was the bull.  Sid got a rope on him, and we decided rather than drag him to the trailer, we would bring the trailer to him. 

John hauled the trailer down to the pasture, and I followed in my truck.  After a couple of tries, Tim got a second rope on him.  We had to turn him around.  Rather than wear out the horses, we decided to untie one of the ropes from the horse and put it around the trailer hitch of my truck.  I backed my truck into position.  Tim threaded the rope up through the back end of the trailer, through the side panel, and tied it off to my hitch.  Sid got him in position, and I eased up my truck to put some tension on the rope.  Then I heard Tim yell, “Go Clay, go!”  I eased forward, and Tim yelled again, “Go Clay, go!!”  I went faster.  Tim kept yelling, and I kept going.  After what seemed like 50 yards (more like 30 feet), I heard, “Stop Clay, stop.”  I hit the brakes and heard the back gate crash.  The Brahman bull was loaded onto the trailer, ready for his next location: the livestock market.  Even the baddest Brahman Bull is no match for the power of a V-8.   

Everyone needs to remember there is someone bigger than you who will put you in your place.  I thought about Vladimir Putin.  I do not know how the war in Ukraine will turn out, but I sense that even now, Mr. Putin is learning he does not have unlimited power.  I thought about other despots in history.  They think they control their lives, but death still comes for them, as it comes for us all. 

Then I think about myself.  How often do I think I control my own destiny?  How often do I make decisions without thinking about others?  God usually sends me a message that I am not in control; He is.  Things do not work out according to my plans.  People do not react the way I thought.  My thoughtlessness catches up with me.  I know there have been times in my life when God has tied me off to his hitch and said, “You are going to go where I want you to be.”   

Here's the difference.  Unlike the Brahman bull who was going to the market, when I get where God wants me to be, it is better than where I was.  I should have gone willingly instead of making God drag me.   

Are you where God wants you to be?

Wow…

Somewhere back in time, I decided I wanted to see the Grand Canyon.  Some people have Paris on their bucket list; the Grand Canyon made mine.  I looked at the canyon with Google Earth, and that was impressive, but it is not the same.  I have read Wikipedia articles and looked at beautiful photos, but information and pictures do not give you the scale. 

A recent conference scheduled in Phoenix finally gave me a shot at seeing the Grand Canyon.  Despite the setback of a flat tire on the rental car and the threat of a foot of snow, we made the trip.  We pulled up to the Visitor’s Center, walked out to Mather’s Point, and I caught my first glimpse of the Grand Canyon. 

My first word was “Wow.”  My second word was “Wow.”  “Wow” became the operative word of the day.  There are no adequate words to describe what I saw: the reds, yellows, and grays of the rock; the grandeur of the buttes and peaks; the shadows of the canyons; glimpses of the Colorado River a mile below; and above all, the Grand Canyon stretching from horizon to horizon.  Wow. 

Have you ever had your mind filled with so many thoughts they jumbled up into one word?  Wow.  One of the first thoughts I sorted out was if I was an early explorer in these parts.  I would be riding my horse through the trees (yes, there are trees at the Grand Canyon) and then all of a sudden fall off into the canyon.  The explorer’s first word may not have been “Wow” but “Whoa!”   

I thought about Native Americans who lived in the Canyon.  How did they balance living in such beauty and eking out a living among the rocks?  I read the tribe would move seasonally from the bottom of the canyon to the top of the canyon and then back down again.  I bet they packed light for those moves. 

I know people hike down into the canyon and hike back again.  I admire these people.  They have an amazing experience and see things you cannot see from the rim.  My left knee tells me I will never be one of these people.  

You can also ride a mule down into the canyon as well, but there is a weight limit the mules can carry.  Let me just say if I want to do that in the future, serious dieting will have to occur.   

There is a story that may or may not be true about my grandfather visiting the Grand Canyon.  Grandpa would go to Vegas several times a year to gamble.  My parents went on a couple of these trips with him and, on one occasion, managed to tear him away from the poker tables to go see the Grand Canyon.  In addition to being a rancher and owner of the livestock market, Grandpa also owned a construction company that moved dirt.  His company cleared land for many of the developments in South Florida and dug canals for drainage and flood control. 

When Grandpa saw the Grand Canyon, he didn’t say much.  Momma asked him, “Daddy, what do you think of the Grand Canyon?”  Grandpa replied, “I sure would like to have had the contract to dig this thing.”   

My reaction was different: “Wow” in my vocabulary is short for “wonder.” I told my wife, “I think when God finished the Grand Canyon, he must have thought, “I did good.”  There is a sign at an overlook called “Hermit’s Rest” that reads “Sing to God, Sing praises to his name.  Lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds; His name is the LORD, exult before him – Psalm 68:4.”  I was tempted to burst out in song, but there were people around. 

I heard one Dad tell his five-year-old son, “See the river down there?  The Colorado River made this.”  I understand what he was trying to tell his son.  Geologists explain the formation of the canyon this way (although I was surprised to learn there is an “old” canyon theory of formation and a “young” canyon theory of formation.  Who knew?).  It is perfectly okay with me to explain the formation of the Grand Canyon as multi-million-year process. 

No matter how it was done, I know it was not the river alone that carved the Grand Canyon.  It was the finger of my Heavenly Father, to whom a thousand years are but a day, and a day a thousand years.  The beauty of the Grand Canyon is a reminder that our God is good, so good to make something so beautiful.  Then I ask, “Why would God makes something so beautiful for us to see?”  Maybe just to remind us he loves us; he loves us enough to give us things to provoke wonder.  We can wonder at the beauty of his world and the depth of his love.   

“Wow” is saying, “Heavenly Father, I see how amazing you are. 

“Wow.”

Bullies…

When I was in elementary school, a boy I will call “Joe” was the playground bully.  I learned early on to steer clear of Joe.  Cross him, and he was liable to beat you up.  He was not quite to the level of stealing your lunch money, but I never wanted to give him the chance.   

It seemed like every grade created a bully.  They were usually the tough guys, not book smart, but ready to assert their power to get their way, especially when the teacher’s back was turned.  As we progressed through middle school and high school, some of the bullies got left behind; others got more sophisticated in their bullying.  High school was the age of cliques and put-downs.   

I regret to say I was not innocent in this regard.  I obtained some leadership roles in high school that required me to enforce discipline with other students.  Because I had the backing of the teacher, I could yell at other students, make them run laps, even make them cut their hair.  I am sure that some of my fellow students look back at their high school days and remember me as the bully. 

Long removed from those days, I ponder what made me abuse my positions of power.  Part of it was my own insecurity.  I was afraid people would not do what I wanted them to do, so I yelled.  I thought the force of voice and personality could bluff people into backing down.  It worked most of the time.  I think I bullied people in part because I felt in control.  To be in control is a feeling of power, and power can go to your head.  I liked being in charge.  It was validating. 

As I matured, I realized bullying was not the way of Jesus.  Jesus never bullied people into believing; he never used his unlimited power to get his way.  He invited people to follow him; he did not intimidate people to be his disciples.   

When I began to work in church, I was surprised to find bullies.  In my second church, a couple of bullies were deacons.  They had a way of putting you on the spot with comments like, “I only see you working one hour a week, preacher.  I thought we were paying you for forty hours of work.”  In church, I also discovered women could be bullies, too.  I remember a sweet older woman who informed me that she would teach Vacation Bible School the way she had done it for fifty years.  If I made her follow the book, she would leave the church and let everyone know I was the reason she left.  One bully I remember informed me in front of his class that he worked harder preparing his Sunday School lesson than I did preparing my sermon. 

One day, when I was reading the Sermon on the Mount, I was struck by Jesus’ words: “Love your enemies; do good to those who persecute you.”  It dawned on me Jesus was talking about the bullies.  Since that truth convicted me, I have tried, not always successfully, to love the bullies in my life.  I listen to them, try to understand them.  I pray for them.  Some days loving my enemies is the hardest thing Jesus asks me to do. 

What Jesus invites me to do is stop competing.  Healthy relationships are not based on who finishes first.  He reminds me, “’Vengeance is mine,’ says the LORD.”  God gets the final say about a person’s life, not me. 

This reminds me to be grateful because I have been a bully, too.  But because I decided long ago to ask for forgiveness of all my sins, past and present, and committed to follow Jesus, the word over my life is “Forgiven.”  Every bully can be forgiven; every bully can have a new life.  All that is required is the hardest thing for a bully to do: Admit they are powerless over sin, they need forgiveness and change, and give their life to Jesus. 

Part of what convinces me that we are now in a post-Christian culture is the rise of the bullies.  Twitter makes it easy to take a swipe at someone.  From politicians to media personalities, it seems easier for bullies to emerge, ignore the truth, tell lies, and try to control people.  This is why I believe the world needs the way of Jesus: Love your enemies.  Do good to those who persecute you.  Leave vengeance up to God.  Embrace forgiveness.  It is the better way to live.

Downhill…

I have been watching the Winter Olympic Games, especially the skiing.  I admit I am fascinated by the bravery of those skiers, hurling themselves down the mountain, making sharp turns at speeds up to ninety-five miles an hour.  Last night I noticed for the first time the barriers on either side of course.  They looked like a fence at a NASCAR race.  I would hate to hit one of those doing ninety-five miles an hour.   

The long jumpers amaze me.  It is one thing to ski down a mountain when you know you have snow underneath you all the way.  It is another thing to willing go done a steep slope to hurl yourself into the air and fly as far as you can.  When I watch those folks land, my knees hurt from sympathy pains. 

The acrobatic skiers ski down the hill, then up a little hill, fly up into the air, and then twist their bodies around in weird contortions.  The last time I bent my body like that, a bee had gone down my shirt. 

My people’s long tenure in Florida meant we evolved into non-winter people.  We skied on water, not snow.  I tried skiing for the first time when I was twenty-five.  How hard could it be?  Much harder than I imagined.  First, there were the clunky boots.  How do you walk in those things?  Then you get the skis on.  Once I was clamped on, I found I could go backwards, not forwards. 

Getting to the top of the bunny slope was the hardest.  There was a moving carpet I was supposed to step onto.   I put my skis on the carpet and promptly fell down.  I couldn’t get up.  I was drug along, up the slope.  A small girl had fallen at the end of the moving carpet, and she looked in horror as this large man got closer and closer.  It didn’t help that her father was yelling, “Get up, get up, before that man crushes you and you die.” 

By the time I got to the end of the carpet, the little girl had rolled out of the way, one of my skis had come off, and I was wallowing like a beached whale on a white sand beach.  At the top of the Bunny slope, I finally was able to get to my feet, found my ski, put it back on, and was ready for my descent.   

I pushed off confidently with the assurance I could not go very fast on the bunny slope.  Soon, however, I was rushing past other skiers, past the trees, picking up speed.  I discovered I could not steer.  Every effort to slow myself or to turn seemed to have no effect.   

Bunny slopes are not that long, and I was approaching the end.  I knew how to stop: put the tips of the skis together and form a plow.  I did that, and nothing happened.  Everything they had taught me in beginners’ class was turning out to be a lie.  I widened my stance to make a bigger plow; I accelerated.  I seemed to be the exception to everything I had been taught about skiing. 

There was one more option when it came to stopping:  I could fall down.  Since I had already done so, I knew I could pull off this maneuver.  The orange netting was fast approaching, so I fell backwards.  One ski flew off to the right, the other to the left.  One of my sticks flew up in the air – I never did find it.   

I assessed my body condition.  Nothing broken.  I was wearing a camo bodysuit (definitely not ski attire), so no bruising had occurred.  The only thing wounded was my pride.   

My little jaunt up and down the bunny slope had taken over an hour.  I was losing feeling in my fingers, and I realized this was God’s sign to me that I was done for the day.  I returned my gear, and the man behind the counter looked surprised.  “Back so soon?” he inquired.  “Yep,” I replied, “I got my money’s worth.” 

The great lesson of that day was simple: God made some people to ski, and some people to sit in the lodge and admire the skiers.  I found great peace in discovering who God made me to be as I sipped hot chocolate in the lodge. 

It is good to try new things.  Sometimes God will lead you to a door and invite you to go through it just so you can learn it is not for you.

One Dumb Heifer, Part 2…

If you work with cattle, one day, you will get the call: “I was riding by your place, and one of your cows is out.”  I have done my fair share of trying to get cows back in that got out.   

One memorable night, my brother Steve and I pulled up to the house and saw a pair of eyes shining back at us.  In the light of the headlights, we could just make out a black cow, far from where she was supposed to be.  We were in our stepfather’s ’73 Buick Electra.  It hung low to the ground but was packed with power – a 455 V-8 with a four-barrel carburetor.  Steve was driving; he floored it, trying to chase a black cow on a moonless night through an orange grove, back to the pasture.  We roared up the middles and would catch a glimpse of the cow running.  Steve would sling that Buick around, and we could feel the frame hitting the dirt.  I was leaning out the window, getting hit by orange limbs, trying to get a better view.  We never did find her.  In the morning, we went looking again, and she was back in the pasture, apparently having decided it was safer behind the fence than being chased by a Buick through an orange grove. 

One thing I love about the pasture I lease is it has strong fences: hog wire all across the outside with a “hot” electric wire attached.  It would be hard for a cow to get out.  So I was surprised when Tommy, my landlord, called me to tell me I had a cow out.  Surely, he was mistaken.  How could a cow get out of my place? 

Still, when the call comes, you go.  I dropped everything and rushed out to the pasture.  Sure enough, standing on the wrong side of the fence was one of my heifers.  She was looking forlorn through the fence at her herd-mates.  They were sticking with her, and no one could figure out why the fence was in the way.  I looked a little closer, and it was my same dumb heifer who will not go through gates when I move the herd.   

I pulled my truck over and climbed up the embankment, and tried to get her to go along the fence.  She started in the right direction, and I thought I could keep her moving with my truck.  As soon as I went back to get in my truck, she turned back. 

I drove down and opened the gate she would need to go through, then came back up to the road.  I got out and began to chase her again down the fence line.  This time, she jumped the road and went into the woods on the other side.   

A kind man (I later found his name was Walt) had stopped, gotten out of his truck, and said, “I’ll go around and try to push toward the road.”  I went into the woods, got behind her, and gently steered her toward the road.  Another car stopped, and a young woman (I later learned her name was Savannah) instinctively went to stop this heifer from going further down the road. 

With Walt and I behind her, we got her out on the road, and she started down the fence line in the right direction.  Making the next turn was critical; if she went on, there was no fence to help.  Savannah standing there made a difference.  The heifer turned like magic.  She went into the woods on the dirt road but soon came out and followed the fence line all the way to the gate.  I moved as fast as I could to slam the gate behind her, thankful she was safe in the fold again. 

As we walked back to our vehicles, I thanked my new friends Walt and Savannah.  I could not have gotten her back into the pasture without them.  

How did she get out?  The day before, I was in a hurry, and I left a gate open as I was hauling hay.  No cow had ever gotten out before; why would one get out now?  Leave it to my one dumb heifer to lag behind, get out, and have an adventure.   

Why would a heifer leave the place where is she is safe, has plenty of grass, and gets fed?  There is an old hymn that explains: “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it; prone to leave the one I love…”  Why do we run away from our Heavenly Father who loves us, provides for us, who works good in our lives?  We still believe the old lies of Satan, who tells us life out on the road is more exciting and fun, who whispers to us that God is unfair.   Yet Jesus comes for us.  Whenever one of his cows are out, he comes to find us to guide us back home.  If you are far from your Heavenly Father’s pasture, Jesus is inviting you to come home.

One Dumb Heifer…

I move my small herd of cattle every other day. It’s called rotational grazing, though this time of year, there isn’t much to graze. The idea is for the cows to not over-graze any one spot. 

It takes the heifers a little while to catch on to this pattern. I had one bunch that never quite got the hang of it. I would open the gate to the pasture, put out the feed, and wait. And wait. They were a jittery bunch. Finally, I would have to get in the truck, get behind them, and push them toward the gate. If I went too fast, they would scatter. If I went too slow, they would stop and graze. As the old-timers used to say, “You have to have a cowboy’s eye.” 

This bunch of heifers I have now caught on pretty quickly. I would loop the chain attached to the feed trough over my trailer hitch and pull it to the new pasture. They would docilely follow along, then break into a run at the gate to beat me through it. When they saw that trough moving, they knew something good was coming (I feel the same way when I see an “Outback Steakhouse sign).   

The way my pasture is laid out, there is one rotation that requires the heifers to go from the far end of the pasture to the other end. We are not talking miles but yards. Seventeen of the heifers act as they always act. They follow the truck, they run ahead, they watch me get out of the truck and tell me with their eyes to hurry up and feed them. But there is one heifer, when it comes to making that long move, that just doesn’t get it. 

Every time we make this move (and we have been doing this for months now), she hangs back. She always stops in the same place, three gates back from the pasture she needs to be in. She stands on the other side of the fence, looking at her herd eating, paces back and forth, as if to say, “Hey, how do I get over there?”   

I keep thinking she will get it. If she will just go forward through two gates, make two left turns, and go through the last gate, she will be back with her herd, eating happily. Something in her brain, however, does not connect. She will pace at that fence, wanting to be somewhere else, but can’t figure out how she can get there. 

I know people just like my dumb heifer. I am not calling these people dumb heifers; I am just saying I see people act just like her. They see where they want to be. They are not happy where they are. There is a path that is open to them, but they will not take it. Sometimes it is fear that locks them up. They are afraid of what will happen if they actually make a move beyond where they are.   

It is not always fear that stops people. Sometimes they simply cannot see the way. Even if they have been that way before, their memory has not held it. Something in their brain does not connect.

I am tempted to leave my one dumb heifer where she is. I can be very judgmental about her: “If she wants to stay there, that’s her business.”  Or “I’ll just leave the gates open, and she will figure it out.”  Or even, “Should I just load her up and sell her?” 

Then I remember a story Jesus told, about a shepherd who had ninety-nine sheep and was missing one. He was not satisfied with a one percent loss. Instead, he went back, found that one dumb sheep, and brought it back to the herd. Funny how the stories of Jesus can convict me even about how I care for my cows.

I get in my truck, drive over three pastures to where my one dumb heifer awaits. She looks nervous, unsure what I am going to do, even though we have done this a half-a-dozen times. I circle behind her, honk the horn, and she begins to trot through the first gate. I keep a slow, steady pace behind her. She goes through the second gate. Then, she breaks into a trot, makes the two left turns, and goes through the last gate. She runs to the feed trough, muscles her way in, and starts to eat. 

I get out and close the gate behind her. The Spirit whispers to me, “How many times Clay, have you seen where you need to be, but you have been afraid to move? Or you just didn’t see the way? How many times have I come for you?”  Once again, I get lessons. I get a lesson in gratitude: My Good Shepherd comes for me when my life is off track, thanks be to God. I get a lesson in love: What a good, good Heavenly Father I have, that he values me. How he must love me. And I get a lesson in humility:  I can be a dumb heifer too.

Givers, Takers, and Matchers…

This is from the archives.

Do you want to be a giver or a taker?

Part of our souls leap to say, “I want to be a giver.”  But another part of our souls says, “Wait a minute. What if I give too much? What if I get taken advantage of?”  So we hesitate. According to Adam Grant in his book Give and Take, every human gathering has givers, takers, and matchers.

The attitude of a giver: “What can I do for you?”  The attitude of a taker: “What can you do for me?”  The attitude of a matcher: “I will do for you what you do for me.”

Takers can start out as givers who get burned. They gave, and someone took too much from them. If the wound is big enough, the giver will switch teams, vowing never to be taken advantage of again. Or, takers can be people who simply decide to let greed rule their lives. They believe, “He who dies with the most toys wins.”

Most of us, I think, would like to be givers. What stops us? Fear. We’re afraid we will be taken advantage of, or we will not have enough to take care of ourselves, or what we give will make no difference. As a result, we slide down to be a matcher. We watch to see what others do, and we decide we will match this. If we see Bob put $40 in the offering plate, we will too. If Mary volunteers, I will too. If Tom stays late at work, I will too. 

Matchers occupy the middle ground. I’ve seen many couples who have a “matching” marriage. Family is a series of verbal contracts: “I will if you will.”  The problem with matchers is someone else has to go first. If two matchers get disappointed with each other, the marriage freezes. 

A true giver gives from an internal source. His or her joy is found in helping someone else win. A true giver doesn’t give to be recognized. For a true giver, life is not a competition. The joy is not in the size of a financial gift or the number of hours they serve; the joy comes from seeing tomorrow being different than today. 

So who are you? 

God wanted his people Israel to be givers, but they were takers. They wanted God to bless them, protect them, and serve them. If they had time, they would try to do a little something for him. Funny, they denied they were takers, even while they robbed God of respect, resources, and reign. If you are quick to deny you are a taker, chances are good you are one. 

When Peter asked Jesus if he was to forgive his brother seven times, he was thinking like a matcher. Matchers keep score. In God’s kindness, he recognizes many of us start here. That’s why Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you.”  Being a matcher is better than being a taker, but Jesus also made it clear that we could do better. “If you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” 

God’s goal for you is to be a giver, but not to be a giver who gives out. It only makes sense to give if you believe in an infinite God who has infinite resources to give you. I believe God showed us he is an infinitely giving God when he sent Jesus, the infinitely pure one, to forgive us with infinite grace. When you truly live in His grace, giving is joy. 

Imagine a family of givers! Wouldn’t you love to have a family like that? Imagine a church filled with givers! What could be done? Imagine a city filled with givers! Wouldn’t you love to live there?   

It starts with you. Will you trust that God will pour into you, so you can pour into others?

Source of Hope…

A man puts his hope in a politician.  This politician promises to make everything better for everyone.  He will put an end to crime, get rid of “those people,” balance the budget, make Congress get in line, and get America back on track.  The politician wins the election.  He does some good things.  He does some stupid things too, because, after all, politicians are human beings.  But the man is disappointed.  He wanted everything to be made right.  At the end of four years, everything is not made right.  Was a politician the right source of hope? 

A woman puts her hope in a doctor.  He has the best reputation and practices at the best facility.  The doctor outlines a course of treatment; it works at first.  The woman has a few good months.  Then a setback.  Another treatment is prescribed.  This buys the woman weeks, not months.  Bad test results come back.  The next treatment has horrific side effects.  The woman goes ahead.  She grows weaker.  Her hair falls out.  Her appetite is gone.  One day the doctor comes in and says, “I am so sorry.  We have done all we can do.”  Was a doctor the right source of hope? 

A man dreams of success.  If he can only climb the career ladder, he knows he can take care of his family.  But underneath that noble reason, he hungers for the validation that promotion will bring.  He works long hours.  He gets promotion after promotion.  The promotions, however, never seem to satisfy him.  He tells himself the next one will finally give him the sense he has arrived.  That promotion comes, but the hollow feeling remains.  His family has everything they need, but they are distant and lack appreciation for his provision.  Then news comes of a merger.  In the inevitable reorganization that follows, his job is eliminated.  He wonders not only what he will do next, but what was the point?  Was a career the right source of hope?

A woman dreams of her soulmate.  The only problem is, she is married to someone she thought was her soulmate but has turned out to be a flawed person.  In the early days of their courtship, he seemed so attentive, so thoughtful.  But something is missing.  She cannot articulate what is wrong, but she wonders if she married the wrong person.  She sees an old flame on Facebook and wonders if he was the one.  One night, she impulsively messages the old flame.  A conversation starts, one that she keeps from her husband.  She and the old flame arrange to meet, just to talk, but talking gives way to something more.  She leaves her husband, moves in with her new-old flame.  As soon as the divorce is final, they marry.  Three years later, her new soulmate has turned into another flawed man.  Did she make a mistake?  Was a soulmate the right source of hope? 

A couple dreams of children.  They have been to every fertility specialist within two hundred miles, but they cannot conceive.  They adopt, knowing a child will make them happy.  This child brings joy and chaos to their lives.  They center their lives around the child, so adorable, so sweet.  Then the child becomes a teenager and starts to rebel.  The child is right on schedule, but the parents are not.  When the teenager pushes back on small things, they react – strongly.  The rebellions get bigger, the parental reactions stronger.  Finally, the teenager runs away.  The parents search and search.  They are devasted.  Their hopes and dreams, their image of themselves as parents, all crash down.  Was it right for them to make a child their source of hope? 

I ask these questions because I think we must think about the source of our hope.  As Dallas Willard said, “Hope is the anticipation of something good that is not yet reality.”  The great temptation is to put our hope in something that appeals to us but something we have no control over.  No politician can solve all our problems.  No doctor can promise tomorrow.  No career fills your deepest hopes and dreams.  There is no perfect soulmate to fix your emptiness.  Looking to your child to meet your needs ends badly for parent and child.  Why put your hope in things that cannot bring hope? 

Paul wrote to the Jesus followers in Rome and blessed them: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Among other things, this means the Christian God – our Heavenly Father – is a God of hope.  Hope comes because Jesus brings us joy and peace.  We know we are profoundly loved, and we are in the grip of God’s grace.  Hope flows out of us because the God of hope is at work in us.  The God of hope delivers what he promises. 

Pause for a moment.  What is the source of your hope?  Make sure your source can deliver the hope you need for life.  Jesus says, “I can deliver the hope you need.”

Losing It in the New Year…

If you are in the cattle business, January means hauling hay. I buy my hay from a good friend who is big in the hay business. I hook up to my hay trailer and drive five miles to his barn and load up four big round bales at a time. 

Once the bales are loaded, “To strap or not to strap?” is the question. When I first started hauling hay, I strapped down each load. But after a while, I wondered if it was necessary. After all, I wasn’t going that far. I promised myself I would go real slow. Turns out I could save about two minutes on the front end not strapping down and two minutes on the back end as well. Four whole minutes! Who needs to strap down hay? 

I made trip after trip and never had a problem. There is one very sharp turn I have to negotiate, however, and one afternoon I took the turn too fast and lost a bale. It laid there in the middle of the road, and I panicked. How was I going to get that bale back on the trailer? Thankfully, a friend and a passerby stopped, and together, we put the bale back on the trailer without too much trouble. I told myself I had learned my lesson and would never take the turn that fast again. 

I must have made twenty more trips and never had a problem. One of life’s great lessons, however, is just because you do not have a problem does not mean there is not the potential for a problem. 

I was out-of-town for a few days, and my cows had run out of hay. I made my first run to the hay barn without incident and offloaded four big bales in all the right places. I had to hurry on my last run to make it to the barn before five and then to get my bales offloaded before dark. 

I got loaded and headed down the road, back to my little place. I was listening to an engrossing podcast, not really paying attention to my speed. The sharp turn came up a little quicker than I expected, but I slowed down and made it with no problem. I thought… 

Half a mile down the road, I glanced at my rearview mirror. My hay trailer sits low, and without hay, you can’t tell it’s back there. There was nothing in my rearview mirror. “That’s odd,” I thought and drove another hundred feet when it hit me: there is supposed to be hay back there. I checked my side mirrors and there, in the middle of the road, were four bales, fading in the distance. 

Let me simply say my first thought was not “Blessed be the Lord.”  In fact, some very unBaptist words came forth from my lips. I had to turn around, but pulling a twenty-foot trailer makes that not so easy. I found a driveway, pulled in, backed out, and returned to the scene of the disaster.   

One bale was intact. The other three had exploded. The wrapping had come loose, and hay was everywhere.   I had created my very own hay obstacle course. Then I calculated the cost of the hay on the highway and started feeling sick to my stomach.   I don’t have a tractor with a front-end loader; in fact, I don’t have a tractor at all. How was I going to salvage this situation? 

Then I remember another friend who actually leases me my pasture. I knew he had a tractor with a front-end loader. I called him and when he asked, “How are you?” I told him the truth:  I was in a mess. I shared I had dumped a whole load of hay all over the road and wondered if he could bring his tractor and help me.  

It is not the easiest thing to ask someone for help. You dread the pause, which means they are thinking about whether you are worth their time. I have been on the receiving end of those pauses so many times it makes me reluctant to ask for help. But my friend did not hesitate. Right away, he said, “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” 

He made it there in fifteen minutes. He loaded what he could onto my hay trailer and then pushed the rest over to the ditch. I would come back later and pick up what I could with a pitchfork. I thanked him again and again; he was a life-saver. 

I do not know what waits for you in the new year. I can guess, however, at some point in this year, you will make a mess. You will lose your temper, alienate a friend. You will overestimate your capacity and then fail to deliver a promise. You will be tempted to try to fix everything yourself. But you can’t. No one can.    

I have another friend who never hesitates when I need help because I have made a mess. He comes to help me right away. No matter what I have dumped on my life or on others, he comes right away to clean up the mess, to help me through, to guide me, and to give me strength. He is the best 3 AM friend ever. You may have heard of him. If you need a friend when you have made a mess, call out to Jesus. He will be right there.

The Week After Christmas…

‘Twas the week after Christmas and all through the house the boxes were spread,

            Toys that were broken soon after their opening had been shoved under the bed. 

In the bathroom the scales were broken,

            Cries of “I can’t have gained this much weight” were spoken. 

The refrigerator was stuffed with leftover ham,

            And there a molding was a casserole of leftover yam. 

The men were sent to the return gifts line,

            While the women gossiped over their third glass of wine. 

One child exclaimed he was bored,

            His mother heard this and fell on the floor. 

She had shopped and clicked,

            Doing her duty as stand-in Saint Nick. 

“Find something to do,” she shouted,

            Off went the child to his room and pouted. 

The bowl games were on each night,

            With fans arguing imagined slights.  

Tigers were grumbling about their missed chance,

            While Gamecocks and Gators were thrilled just to dance. 

Some families took trips to see new-fallen snow,

            Others stayed home and binge-watched a show. 

Grandparents waved goodbye to the kids,

            Then collapsed into bed with a very quick skid. 

Decorations came down, reluctantly of course,

            Once again Dad found himself to be the work horse. 

Up to the attic, from whence they came,

            Each box labeled with an incorrect name. 

Room must be made for newly acquired loot,

            Closets were clean for new pairs of boots. 

Plans were made to celebrate the New Year,

            “Do we go out, or stay right here?” 

A young man debated if New Year’s Eve was the night,

            He should pop the question with a ring just right? 

Resolutions were formed for January second,

            Changes for good called and they beckoned. 

Many said, “Good riddance” to the year just past,

            But a few with a tear said, “It was my loved one’s last.” 

 But before the Christmas glow faded,

            Before in the New Year we all become jaded. 

Remember the Savior we celebrated,

            He is Christ the Lord, the one awaited. 

The promise of Christmas still remains,

            No matter your sin, he removes all the stains. 

Strive to follow him and fill your life with prayer,

            And this new year will find you in his care.

Coming to Rescue…

This happened before I was born, but I heard this story many times from my brother and sister. 

My Daddy had a little bulldog named Tinker.  Daddy used him as a catch dog.  You may not know about catch dogs.  When a cow does not want to go the direction you want her to go, you use a catch dog.  The dog will run-up to the cow’s face and bite its ear or its nose.  Now that the dog has the cow’s attention, the cow is usually motivated to move.  This might sound cruel to some people; these are people who have never been in pen with a cow that wants to charge you.  A good catch dog can save your life.  Daddy loved Tinker. 

It takes a lot of courage to be a catch dog.  You may never have thought about it, but a dog is smaller than a cow.  Imagine yourself charging an elephant, leaping up and biting its ear, knowing the first thing that elephant will do is shake his head.  A good catch dog is brave, has a strong bite, and is a little stupid.   

Daddy was off working cows with some men he did not really know.  They were working a herd of cattle that maybe saw a human being twice a year.  These were not just wild cattle; they were rebellious.  Tinker, the catch dog, got a workout that day.  He kept those cows moving.  More than once, he was slung off by an angry cow; he would get up and go back for more.  All the men were impressed by Tinker’s work. 

At the end of the day, the men Daddy worked with loaded up pretty fast and left.  Daddy stayed around to talk to a couple of fellows he knew and then called for Tinker.  Tinker did not come.  Daddy called and called and then took his horse and rode out to look for him.  Darkness fell, and Daddy never found Tinker.  He drove home, mourning the loss of a good dog. 

About a week later, a friend of Daddy’s called him and told him the fellows he worked cows with were bragging they had stolen Tinker.  Where I come from, stealing a man’s catch dog is serious business.  Daddy found out where the men were staying in an old ranch house.  He and my Uncle Pete went to get Tinker back. 

When they pulled up to the house, Daddy told Uncle Pete to stay in the truck.  He went up to the porch and hollered out he had come for his dog.  Tinker was inside the house and started barking when he heard Daddy’s voice.  Two of the men came out on the porch and told Daddy to leave, they did not have his dog.  All the while, Tinker was yipping and howling in the house.  Daddy said, “That’s my dog barking in the house, bring him out here to me.”  A third man came out of the house, holding a rifle beside his leg (I do not need to watch “Yellowstone;” my family stories are better). 

Daddy sized up the situation and realized the time for talking was past.  Two things you need to know about my Daddy: first, he was big.  In addition to being a cowboy and a State Champion Cowboy, he was also a Florida All-State Football Tackle.  His nickname was “King Kong.”  Get the picture?  The second thing you need to know is my Daddy was fast.  In the forty-yard-dash, my Daddy would come in first every time.  No one could believe someone so big could move so fast.   

Before the situation could deteriorate any further, Daddy charged up the steps, knocked over the first two men, grabbed the rifle from the third and threw it back into the house, ran into the house, and grabbed Tinker.  He passed the three men, all still a little dazed, and started hollering at Uncle Pete, “Start the truck!  Start the truck!”  Daddy threw Tinker in the front seat, climbed in, and Uncle Pete took off.  The passenger door was flapping opening as they headed out.  By this time, the men on the porch had recovered, and the man with the rifle opened fire.  His brain was still jolted; every shot missed.  But Daddy got Tinker back. 

If my Daddy would go to all that trouble, brave a fight and dodge bullets, just to get his dog back, what does it say to you that your Heavenly Father would send his son Jesus to get you back?  Jesus braved the attacks of Satan, the plans of cunning men, and bore the weight of the world to come and rescue you.  When you hear his call, and you respond (just like Tinker barking when he heard Daddy’s voice), he rescues you so he can take you home. 

The story of Daddy and Tinker to me is the story of Christmas.  God loves you and has come to rescue you and take you home.  

Merry Christmas.

You Can Stay Out Back…

“My town was overrun.  Casaer gave an order for all his world to be counted for tax purposes.  That meant everyone had to go back to their ancestorial city.  For most people around the empire, no journey was required.  But our people had been scattered from centuries of war, conquest, and exile. 

My name is Zadok.  I live in Bethlehem, the ancestorial home of David, the great King of Israel.  My quiet life, like all my neighbors, was turned upside down by Casaer’s order.  Thousands of people are flooding our little village.  Camping space around the square ran out a week ago.  People are renting out space in their homes, their barns, everywhere.  In my own home, there are now three distant cousins and their families, coming from Egypt, Galilee, and Antioch.  Another cousin is staying in the front part of the house with his family, where we normally shelter the cow and the donkey.  People are constantly coming and going as they complete the registration process. 

Like all my neighbors, my wife and I are cooking and selling food to outsiders, who neglected to pack enough for a long stay.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  In one week, we have made more than all we made last year from our crops and flocks.  But after weeks of this, we are tired and are ready to have our house and our lives back. 

The strangest thing happened a couple of days ago.  A young couple, from up north, friends of friends, came to us and begged for a place to stay.  The young woman was obviously pregnant, and my wife’s practiced eye noticed the baby had already dropped.  But we had no room.  The house was crowded, and the only space left was our own.  There was no room even where the animals normally stayed, for another cousin had arrived earlier in the day to claim that remaining space. 

I was about to turn the couple away when I remembered the grotto.  Behind the house, about thirty feet, the hill had an indentation.  It was not much, but we had moved the animals there, to shelter them from the wind and the rain.  I offered the space to the young couple for a shekel a night and to my surprise, they agreed on the price. 

Evening had fallen when my wife heard the sounds from the grotto – panting, moaning.  She went out and came back swiftly to get some water and a towel.  The baby had decided it was time to be born.  I stayed at the house, to settle down the families there, and then to sleep myself.  I knew I would be no help at the grotto.  What did I know of the ways of women in labor? 

My wife returned after an hour or two and shook me awake.  “A baby boy!  Nice and healthy.  They are going to call him ‘Jesus,’ she said.  Sleepily I mumbled, “They should name him after me.  After all, it is my grotto.”  My wife sighed and said, “Poor thing.  The only place to put him was that old stone manger.”  Sleep closed back in on my tired body like a welcome friend. 

It was two in the morning when I heard the rumble of voices out back, the excited voices of men.  At first, I thought the King had sent troops to kill us all, but I heard no shrieks of pain or cries of battle.  Instead, I caught phrases: “An angel… Good news… born in the city of David… A Savior, a Messiah, a Leader… A whole army of angels shouting… Glory to God… Peace on earth… Grace to all.”   

I had to get up and see what was going on.  Tiptoeing over sleeping forms, I made my way out back to see what was happening.  My eyes adjusted to the darkness, to the glow of fire in the grotto.  I recognized a couple of local shepherds; I did not know them well, but I knew them by their smell.  When they saw me, they rushed to tell me the same fragmented story: ““An angel… Good news… born in the city of David… A Savior, a Messiah, a Leader… A whole army of angels shouting… Glory to God… Peace on earth… Grace to all.”  But they added, “Imagine… coming to tell us… shepherds… the nobodies.” 

When the noise got too loud, the young mother would look at the new father, and with his squeaky fifteen-year-old voice, he said, “Quiet down fellows.  Mary needs her rest and please do not wake the baby.”  The voices would quiet for a moment, and then the same fragments would be spoken, the story would be told again, and the volume would increase with each telling. 

The young Dad, Joseph was his name, finally got us all to leave.  The shepherds were still talking so loud they must have awakened everyone in town.  When I got back to house, the sleeping forms were stirring.  I laid back down on my pallet and closed my eyes.  Sleep, however, would not come.  My mind kept going back to the disjointed story of the shepherds and the baby born behind my house.   

I wondered, what exactly was going on out back?  Angels? Savior? Born in Bethlehem?  Could God be at work right behind my house?   

If God was doing something out back behind my house, would anything ever be the same?”

The Ceiling Tiles…

Many years ago, our church was thinking about building a building.  We called around to find out which churches had buildings similar to what we wanted to build.  We loaded up the church bus with the Building Team and took a field trip.  Some things you must see for yourself. 

One church still stands out in my memory, not for the design, but for the experience.  We got off the bus and were met by an older gentleman, a long-time member of the church, who was chair of the Building and Grounds Committee.  To those of you unfamiliar with church life, most churches have a committee or a team that is responsible for taking care of the building.  What they don’t tell you when you volunteer for this Committee is they expect you to do all the minor repairs on the church building that you haven’t around to in your own home. 

The gentleman was very kind as he toured us through the building, patiently answering our questions.  It turned out he had been on every committee ever involved with the building, from the first committee that built the building to the committee that took care of it once it was built.  Though several years old, the building was in good condition.  The adult classrooms were neat and painted, the children’s space was clean and organized.  Then we went upstairs to the youth space.

In most churches, youth space is a disaster.  Teenagers are not neat creatures and churches usually do not invest much in their space.  Middle and High Schoolers get the leftovers: the broken-down couch that was almost put on the curb, but instead was donated to the church; grandma’s dining room table that is hideous and you wouldn’t allow in your house, but you thought the students might like it, and the stained chairs no longer clean enough to be used in adult space.

This youth space was different.  The furniture matched. Bibles were neatly stacked.  The floor was picked up.  Someone had strung a paper chain across the room, but it looked fine.  In an effort to make the room look cool, every other ceiling tile was painted a bright color: red, orange, yellow.  The space looked good.  Except to the gentleman who was our host.

“I can’t believe this.  No one asked my permission to paint those ceiling tiles.  This is awful,” he said.  I was surprised.  The room looked fine to me.  The kids painted the ceiling tiles, big deal.  This was not the Sistine Chapel.

Our guide turned to our group and apologized.  “I am so sorry you had to see this.  Believe me, I after you leave, I am going to call our Youth Pastor and demand to know why he did this.” 

I thought the older gentleman was overreacting.  I offered a mild comment to help him get perspective: “I think it looks nice.  Makes the room feel more welcoming for students.”  Old men can give you dirty looks when you step on the territory.  I got a dirty look that told me to go back to Sumter and never set foot in his building again.   We made a hasty exit and our host walked away, searching for a telephone. 

It was not just me; everyone in our group noticed the old man’s reaction and wondered why the ceiling tiles were such a big deal to him.  I was not sure if he was more upset the tiles had been painted or if he had not been consulted.  One member of the group put it perfectly, “I think he forgot who the building belongs to.”

This is not the first time I have seen this.  People forget the church does not belong to them.  They confuse their preferences with God’s will.  Yes, I have heard people say only organ music is acceptable to God (wonder what was acceptable to God before the organ was invented?).  In my home church, my Aunt Ouida and Mrs. Eva Robertson nearly got in a fist fight over the color of the carpet in the new sanctuary (I think Aunt Ouida could have taken Miss Eva in two rounds).  I guess they forgot that in ten years, that carpet would be worn out and replaced by a new committee. 

Churches waste energy and time over small stuff that doesn’t matter.  When did Jesus ever tell us to be obsessed with carpet and ceiling tiles?  Sure, take care of the buildings; that is good stewardship.  But let stuff go. 

Never forget, the church does not belong to you.  The church belongs to the babe in the manager, whose death and resurrection give him the right to say what matters – and even to tell you do not get cranked up over ceiling tiles.  They do not belong to you; they belong to him.

The Conversation That Started it All…

Of course, no one knows what happened before there was matter and energy.  I believe there was just God.  God, being a spiritual being, did not need a planet to stand on or a sun to keep him warm.  He did not need dark matter to move through nor energy to propel himself.  God just was.   

Jesus followers like me believe God is one being who exists as three persons.  I do not understand all that means, but I can imagine a perfect harmony in God’s soul.  There is no arguing about who is greater: Father, Son, or Holy Spirit.  There is a deep and profound love between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.  I do not know exactly how God converses with himself, but maybe there was once a conversation that went something like this: 

The Father: “I want to make a universe.  I want to scatter stars and planets, nebulas and quasars out on a background of nothing.  Then I want to choose one planet and design life.  I want there to be oxygen and carbon, hydrogen and helium.  I want to design plants of one cell and towering redwoods.  I want to fill an ocean with fish.  Some will taste good, and some will taste terrible.  Some will live in the deeps without sunlight – I will give them a way to make their own light.  Some will be enormous whales, and some will be tiny minnows.  I think I will throw in an eel and a sea snake, along with a porpoise with a smile.  How about a nine-brained octopus to round out the mix? 

Then I will make animals.  Some will have one cell like my one-celled plants, but they will be different.  Then we will add variety: Some will fly in the air; others will snake along the ground.  The biggest animal on land I will make a vegetarian, but I balance that out with a tiny weasel that only eats meat.  I will add worms and salamanders, grasshoppers and cows, horses and horse flies, spiders, and giraffes.   

Then I will top it all by taking a ball of mud and making a man, who will be made in my image, able to think, and choose, and love.” 

The Spirit: “Will the man love me?  Will he choose to do life with me?  Will he let me lavish grace on him, laugh with me at the end of the day, and marvel at my universe?  I do not think so.  For there to be love, there must be choice.  When I create choice, I foresee that man will choose to believe a lie from another one of my creations.  Choosing this lie will unleash evil in the world.  Things will come undone.  There will be disease and death, war, and conflict, striving and anxiety, depression, and disconnection.  If I create this, will I not also create for myself deep pain?” 

The Son: “I will be the conduit of creation.  I will speak the words for the stars and planets to form, for life to come from nothing, for all the forms of life that will come into being.  And when man breaks what I have created, I will suffer the pain of things getting worse before they get better.  Then I will humble myself and enter the universe I have made.  I will become human, and be born as a child, feeling the cramped limits of a body.  Then I will take upon myself their sin, their failures, their brokenness, and I will die a humiliating death.  When that sin comes upon me, I will endure that pain of my soul being torn, of touching the evil I have never committed or experienced.  I will feel the disconnection from myself, from my Father, and from the Holy Spirit, so that what is broken can be healed, what is lost can be found, and what is evil can be forgiven. 

Then I will rise from the dead to prove I have power over death, over despair, and over destruction.  I will redeem what I have made and make it mine again.”

The Father, the Son, and Spirit: “Am I willing to do this to myself?  Yes.  I want these people I will make to know what I know, to know love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.  I will endure the pain for them so that I can share my grace with them.”

And God said, “Let there be light.  And there was light.”  Then the journey to Christmas began.

Thankful for Unlikely Things…

In this season of Thanksgiving, I’m thinking about life and what I am thankful for. 

I am thankful for medicine that helps me with genetic dispositions and past poor choices; for living in the 21st century where we have CAT Scans and MRI machines to see inside our bodies; for researchers, doctors, and medical professionals who keep trying to figure out how to save lives; for cancer treatments that give us extra time; surgery that fixes what has gone wrong. 

I am thankful that leaves are green, yellow, and red, and not gray; for the warmth of a fire; for living in a time and place where indoor plumbing is standard; for the beauty of a deer moving through the woods; for squirrels that move like acrobats; for cows that put on weight. 

I am thankful that my amazing grandson smiles when he sees me; for the laughter of toddlers; for disposable diapers; for snuggly naps when Pa Pa and grandson fall into delicious sleep. 

I am thankful for a church that loves me; for gifts God has given me; for more fulfillment and joy in serving him than I ever dreamed possible; for miracles of changed hearts; for the chance to see up close God taking broken people, and making them whole. 

I am thankful for full moons on crisp winter nights; for stars spilled out on the night sky like glittering diamonds; for the flash of a meteor entering the earth’s atmosphere; for the brightness of Venus twinkling in the evening sky. 

I am thankful to live in the age of transportation; for being to fly across oceans or continents to see what my forebearers could only imagine; for being able to drive to Florida in a day instead of making a three week trip by horse; for a truck with heat, and air, and heated leather seats.

 I am thankful for sight and hearing; to be able to read and enter stories of the past; to hear and have my soul stirred by music; for the ability to touch and feel the softness of skin or the hardness of a callous; for a sense of smell, to be lured by freshly baked bread or to be warned that liver is on the loose. 

I am thankful for my country, divided though she may be; for the freedom to vote in secret my conscience; to speak my mind without fear of arrest; to freely gather to worship my God; to write and publish, never worrying that I will be arrested for my words. 

I am thankful for my family; for my wife who loves me in my most hard-headed times; for my children, who all have careers and futures, who still enjoy spending time with their Dad; for my sons-in-law and my daughter-in-law, who accept my eccentricities as part of the whole package. 

I am thankful for faith, hope, and love; faith that was nurtured in me by my mother, that bloomed by the grace of God, and that sustains me on the most difficult of days; hope, that no matter how bad things get, Jesus has always got me, the hope of eternal life, hope to see my Savior face to face and one day hear those words of grace; love that cared enough for me to offer God’s only son on Calvary, love that wants the best for me, love that is so vast it stretches to eternity. 

I am thankful daily signs of God’s grace; for impossible situations working out; for words that leap off the pages of the Bible right into my soul; for breaths of cool air; for the daily rising of the sun; for the cooling of anger and the rising of joy. 

I am thankful for this life, this amazing gift that God has given me and you; for every trip around the sun; for awakening each day knowing that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Happy Thanksgiving.

Dumb Headlines…

In this season, before holiday madness descends upon us, as the colors of fall fade, we could all use cheering up.  I ran across a collection of the dumbest newspaper headlines ever (note: none of the papers that publish my column would every do anything this dumb).  These are reminders that no matter your intentions, you can fail to get your message across: 

• “Homicide Victims Rarely Talk to Police.” – Rarely? When do they talk to police?

• “’We Hate Math’ Say 4 in 10 – A Majority of Americans.” – Fractions are not covered in journalism math class.

• “Breathing Oxygen Linked to Staying Alive.” – In other news, lungs are named essential organs.

• “Statistics Show Teen Pregnancy Drops Off Significantly after Age 25.” – Probably after age nineteen, too.

• “Marijuana Issue Sent to Joint Committee.” – Not a smart move.

• “China May Be Using Sea to Hide Submarines.” – Or they could use the mountains.

• “Federal Agents Raid Gun Shop, Find Weapons.” – I bet they found what they expected.

• “Man Kills Himself and Runs Away.” – “Hello, 911? I want to report a missing body.”

• “A Nuclear Explosion Would Be a Disaster.” – Most nuclear explosions are.

• “World Bank Says Poor Need More Money.” – I wonder how many economists researched this report.

• “Bugs Flying Around with Wings are Flying Bugs.” – And bugs without wings can be squashed.

• “One-Armed Man Applauds Kindness of Strangers.” – Now that is just cruel.

• “Bridges Help People Cross Rivers.” – Unless you prefer to swim.

• “Northfield Plans to Plan Strategic Plan.” – Wonder when the planning meeting is.

• “Rooms with Broken Air Conditioners are Hot.” - Talk about a hot news flash.

• “State Population to Double by 2040; Babies to Blame.” - The mutants are off the hook.

• “Greenland Meteorite May Be From Space.” – Or it might be a giant earth pimple, and Dr. Pimple Popper needs to be called.

• “Survey Finds Fewer Deer After Hunt.” - This is important news. Just because the guys are going hunting, does not always mean they are finding.

• “Barbershop Singers Bring Joy to School for the Deaf.” – Not sure that is a good match of performer and audience.

• “Woman Missing Since She Got Lost.” - That’s the way it usually starts.

• “Most Earthquake Damage is Caused by Shaking.” – And what is the rest caused by?

• “Students Cook and Serve Grandparents.” – When asked how her grandparents were, one student replied, “Kind of tough.”

• “Scientists Kill Ducks to See Why They are Dying.” – Call it a hunch, but I think I know.

• “Miracle Cure Kills Fifth Patient.” – Let’s refamiliarize ourselves with the definition of the word “cure.”

• “Yellow Object Spotted in the Sky.” – It also rises in the east and goes down in the west.

• “Prisoner Serving 2,000 Years Could Face More Time.” – But who will be around to remember to let him out?

• “Man Found Dead in Graveyard.” – I bet he had plenty of company. 

I believe God is the author of laughter.  He gave this gift so we could have a lift in the hard seasons of life.  Remember to let his joy lift your soul.

Torn…

When my son went to Duke, it was fun to watch their basketball games and see if I could spot him amongst all the Cameron Crazies.  One game, he was in the first row.   Such a strange experience, seeing him yelling as the team went up and down the court.  Because he went to Duke, I started pulling for Duke. 

Then my daughter decided to go to UNC-Chapel Hill.  If you do not know about this rivalry, it is not so great in football, but in basketball, it tops them all.  The schools are ten miles apart.  UNC leads the series, but in modern times (since Coach K), the series is nearly even in wins and losses and points scored.  Duke students camp out for weeks in the dead of winter to get tickets for the North Carolina-Duke game.   

Naturally, my sweet oldest daughter asks, “Daddy, will North Carolina be your new favorite team since I am your favorite child?” I was torn.   

What do you do when you are caught between a rock and a hard place?  First, you look for a compromise.  I told both children I would cheer for the home team when Duke and North Carolina played each other.  That seemed to satisfy everyone.  Until my daughter’s freshman year, when Duke and Carolina met in the ACC Tournament.  Both kids wanted to know, “Who are you going to cheer for, Daddy?”  I proposed that I cheer for one team in the first half and another team in the second half.  This compromise was rejected.  Then I said, “I will pull for the team that is the lowest seed.”  This also was rejected.   

Then it dawned on me: my pulling for one side or the other had no bearing on the outcome of the game.  So I put down my parental foot and declared, “I will pull for whoever wins the game.” 

It is depressing when two of your children roll their eyes at the same time.  My skillful solution simply resulted in both children being mad at me. 

Then my youngest daughter decided to go to Clemson.  This worked out nicely for me.  Clemson basketball has improved, but honestly, Clemson is about football.  Duke is not really relevant in football and North Carolina, while improving, is not a football power.  It was nice not to choose sides. 

But this week, a new dilemma has emerged.  As I have often written, I have been a Florida Gator fan since I knew football had winners and losers.  I have endured the horrible losing seasons and celebrated the National Championship seasons.  Though not an alumni, I proudly proclaim that I am a boy from old Florida. 

I went to Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, a good Baptist school.  Samford had a football tradition (Bobby Bowden once coached there) but dropped football before I attended.  It had gotten two expensive, they said.  The reality was that the three men who were supporting it with blank checks all died within six months.  After I graduated, Samford started football again, working its way up from Division III to Division I – FCS.

Traditionally, big-time programs like Florida play an FCS school down in the season.  The idea is to play a game not too challenging before playing the big rivalries and conference championship games.  This week, Florida, team of my heart, plays Samford, my alma mater.  I am torn. 

Do I root for Florida, who needs a win to get back on track after losses to South Carolina and Georgia?  Do I root for Samford, the underdog, to pull a major upset, one that will lift the program up to new heights in the Southern Conference? 

The sportswriters are saying no one cares about this game, but they are wrong.  I can’t decide which side to come down on.  I do not bet on games, but I know where I would put my money.  On the other hand, my school could join a handful of FCS schools (like Appalachian State) that defeat the big school with a game forever remembered.

One day the prophet Elijah called the people of God together to confront them about their divided hearts.  “How long will you waver between two gods?” he said.  “If Baal is god, follow him.  If the LORD is God, follow him.”  What followed was a showdown to see who would send fire from heaven.  Baal was silent – because he was not real.  The LORD sent fire. 

People sometimes say to me, “All religions lead to the same place.”  That is not true.  To worship the god of Islam is very different than worshipping the god of Christianity.  Maybe what people are trying to say is they feel torn.  I get that.  But deciding which god you will follow requires a choice: not which religion makes the most sense or feels right, but which god is real?  Think about that carefully.

Meanwhile, I still have to make up my mind about who to pull for on Saturday: Florida or Samford.  I think fire from heaven will be my sign.

Foreigner in the Stands…

Why am I such a devoted fan of the University of Florida?  As Hank Williams sang, “It’s a family tradition.”  We’ve had tickets in the North End Zone since 1962.  My sister, nieces, nephew, and countless cousins are graduates. People ask if I attended Florida.  I did not.  They did not have a Ministerial track, so I went to Samford University. 

As a Gator fan, you get used to the ups and downs.  We have been very good and won National Championships.  We have been very bad and had winless seasons.  Still, at the third quarter break, when the band strikes up “We are the Boys of Old Florida,” I still get goosebumps.  I stand and loyally sing, “In all kinds of weather, we all stick together, for F-L-O-R-I-D-A.” 

Florida State is not Florida’s biggest rival.  Our biggest rival is Georgia.  The game is played in Jacksonville, a neutral site.  The stadium is divided down the middle: half orange and blue, half black and red.  Before every football game was on cable, Florida vs. Georgia, the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, was the one Florida game on TV every year. 

In seminary days, two of my closest friends were Bob and William.  Great guys, with one flaw: they both pulled for Georgia.  In the years since seminary, we always touch base around the Florida/Georgia game, mostly so the winners can torment the losers.   

Bob’s son, Lewis, played football for my alma-mater, Samford, and after graduation has gone to the football staff of Georgia.  Bob got in touch with William and I before the season started and asked if we wanted to go the game in Jacksonville; he could get Lewis’ tickets for free (there may have been some discussion about Lewis paying his dad back for twenty-two years of support, but I was not privy to those negotiations). The schedule worked out, and we made plans to all be together for the first time in thirty-two years. 

We had a great time catching up in Jacksonville, eating at a fine steakhouse, and meeting some cousins of mine.  Then it was game time.  As we walked into the stadium, it hit me – I would be sitting in the Georgia section.  I had been to this game before, but I was always sitting with my own kind, with people attired in orange and blue.  “The Red Zone” took on new meaning as we found our seats.  Not only was I sitting in the Georgia section, but I was also sitting with the Georgia players’ families.  Mine was the only Gator blue shirt in sight.   

It was not bad through the pre-game activities.  A couple of Georgia fans kidded me about wearing the wrong kind of shirt.  I think one guy offered to buy me a Georgia shirt, but he slurred his words so bad I was not sure.   

The pain of being a “Foreigner in a Strange Land” hit when the game started.  When Florida made a great play, I was the only one standing to cheer.  Several thousand fans in red would turn and look at me.  I could hear the expressions on their face: “What are you doing over here?  You should be with your own kind.”  Of course, when Georgia made a great play, everyone around me would stand, so I had to stand to see.  I stood most of the game. 

It was not Florida’s year.  Georgia is ranked number one in the nation and has an incredible defense.  In the last three minutes of the first half, the defense forced turnovers, and Georgia scored three quick touchdowns.   

The Georgia fans around me were kind.  With good humor, they razzed me with “How ‘bout them Dawgs!”  Georgia fans are also prone to bark like dogs when their team does something well.   A couple of Georgia fans remarked, “This is not your year.” 

 At the end of the third quarter, the Florida Band struck up, “We are the Boys From Old Florida.”  I stood and looked for someone to join me, but I was all alone.  I swayed by myself and sang the words at the top of my lungs, one lonely Gator blue shirt in a sea of red. 

 The Georgia fan seated next to me (not my friends William and Bob) punched me when I sat down and said, “I admire you.  Got to stay true to your school even if you are getting whipped today.”  It was a very gracious thing for him to say.

 I left shortly after the fourth quarter started. I had to drive two hundred and fifty miles and work the next day (occupational hazard – I work Sundays).  As I left, I had two thoughts.  Jesus said, “I was a stranger, and you took me in…”  I was a stranger in the Georgia stands, and they were very kind.  I thought, “If we can be kind during a football game, why not the rest of life?”

 My second thought was about standing by myself to sing a song dear to my heart.  I thought about the old hymn, “Stand Up, Stand Up, for Jesus.”  To be loyal to your soul, you need to stand for who you believe in, even if you stand alone.

Shocked in Williamsburg…

If you have not been to Colonial Williamsburg, you really should go.  The historical restoration is amazing and you see people doing life as they would have done in Colonial times.  For example, it humbling to see bags of rags at the printers and learn that paper in Colonial times was made from cloth, not wood.  You go to the carpenter’s shop and realize the tedious process of turning a log into lumber.  I was fascinated by the blacksmith shop (my ancestry?).  To see a man pulling at the bellows all day to keep the fire hot, and then swing a hammer with skill to turn out metal, makes you appreciate modern manufacturing.   

I have been to Colonial Williamsburg before, but each trip was a brief excursion.  But I returned recently to visit.  My son and his wife are history nerds; you do not want to play historical trivia against them.  They had given me a trip to Williamsburg for my birthday pre-COVID, and we finally made the trip this fall.  Of course, my amazing grandson was with us.  His favorite part of Williamsburg was petting the horses and rolling in the grass.

 The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has done a magnificent job recreating a picture of life in colonial times.  Most of the workshops only had natural light; except for a few accommodations to modern necessities, like indoor plumbing, the historical area is as close to original as it can be. 

We toured to the apothecary.  A bright young woman explained to us the uses of various remedies and medicines in colonial times.  After listening to her presentation, I am glad I was born in the era of modern medicine.  We shuffled back and saw the colonial medical instruments, then turned the corner to find our way to the exit. 

I saw a woman in colonial dress standing on her tiptoes, trying to change a light bulb.  This was definitely not a colonial light bulb; rather, it was a concession to the safety of the guests, illuminating a dark corner corridor, before the turn to the sunlight coming through the front windows.  She was muttering under her breath: “It won’t go in.”

It is hard to replace a lightbulb on tiptoes.  Being about eight inches taller than she, I smiled and said, “Let me try.”  She replied, “Oh that would be so nice!”

I took the lightbulb, and started to turn it, but like the woman, I found it was not going in.  I have encountered this problem before.  It meant the socket was rotating as I was turning the lightbulb.  The solution was simple: cupping the light bulb in the palm of my hand, I reached up with three fingers to hold the socket.  I began to turn the bulb with the palm of my hand while holding the socket in place. 

I made one full turn, when I hit the bare wire.  I could feel the current shoot down my right arm and down my right side.  As I have shared before, it is amazing what goes through mind in a micro-second.  My first thought – and I am no making this up – was “I did not think Colonial Williamsburg would have something that would shock you.”  My second thought was “Let go!”  My third thought was to yell, “Aurgghhhh!”   

It was my third thought that attracted the most attention.  My wife quickly asked, “Are you alright?”  I assured her I was.  The Colonial Lady asked, “What happened?”  I explained I was shocked by a bare wire in the fixture and an electrician should replace the fixture.  My son and daughter-in-law expressed concern and I assured them I was fine.  This was not the first time I had been shocked, just the latest.  Any farmer with electric fence gets shocked regularly when he forgets and grabs hold of a strand of electric fence stretched across a pasture.

 My grandson seemed to enjoy the moment.  He smiled and I am sure he thought, “PaPa sure is funny.”  I live to entertain.

 I have no lasting effects from my shocking experience in Colonial Williamsburg.  But my experience there made me think about people encountering our living God.  When you get close to God’s power, you feel it.  You experience his presence.  Some people decide they do not want that kind of power in their lives.  They vow never to get close to God again.  A smaller number of people realize this is the power they have needed all their lives.  They come back, because they know without God’s power, they are going to be stuck in a dark corridor. 

I am not suggesting holding onto God is like grabbing a live, bare wire.  I am saying God’s power will either shock you or light up your world.  Your choice.