Sunday's Comin'

Today we marked another "Good Friday" off the calendar as time moves toward that final consummation when the Trumpet Sounds and our Father in heaven begins the finale toward a New heaven and earth.  I'm reposting a blog I wrote just over two years ago.  At that time it had been just a few months since one of the Rocks-of-my-life passed into the presence of God.

Gene Cherrie was my father-in-law.  He was an extraordinary man. I'm hoping these words will help those looking forward to the Resurrection Day celebration expand their appreciation for what God in Christ did for humankind at the Cross. That said, reflect and prepare.  It's Friday, but Sunday's comin.'

The family gathered in November 2014 to say our final farewells and remember Gene in a memorial tribute to his the life and legacy.  At that time I ran across a pair of scissors that belonged to him. My first response--I laughed out loud! Then my heart was warmed as I realized they were metaphor for Gene's life--his legacy, and God's amazing grace.

They are an ordinary three-dollar pair, with customized handle--the one that your middle finger slips into. It's been very skillfully fashioned from a one-inch piece of ply-wood. It's clear that Gene had created a jig from the broken handle; carefully cut the wood using the jig, then shaped it with a grinder to fit precisely the targeted finger; sanded to be smooth and pose no splinter threat to the user.

The "stub" of plastic it has been attached to was skillfully reshaped to be the base for the new wood-extension. The extension has been precisely measured so that the fabrication slips tightly over the stub with one end slightly longer than the other to provide the proper leverage as the scissors are opened and closed (Physics matter). The extension has been glued to the "stub" and secured with three very intentionally placed wood screws, two on the long end, one on the short to complete the revision. The screw on the short end has been ground down just enough to allow the scissors to close precisely as they did when they were new just coming off the shelf at Staples.

I immediately asked Betsey, Laura's step-mom, if I could have them--she very graciously said "Of course, take them." As I've used these scissors, and yes--reflected on them--over the past several months, I realize they say as much about God, as they do about Gene.

This came clearly into focus for me just this week as I had breakfast with a dear brother-in-Christ and our conversation turned to the impact, the life-long impact, of sin on our lives. There isn't a re-set button for the bad choices we make. The grooves sin cuts into our lives are deep and stubborn, they don't simply disappear when we confess our sin and seek God's forgiveness. The consequences of our willful choices and bad decisions are still part of our daily experience. If it ended there it would be a difficult load to bear. But, thanks be to God, it doesn't.

When we come to Christ through effective faith, God takes us as we are, then carefully, lovingly and skillfully refabricates our lives. The scars are there, still visible--painful--but He restores us. Like Gene's re-visioned pair of scissors, we become fully-functional again. He never throws us away; He picks us up, dusts us off and empowers us to carry on. The scars, the memories, they serve to instruct us each day about His gracious provision, His empowering desire and His loving redemption.

Paul writing to the Church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 4.1,2...7-10) instructs us...

"Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. 2 We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods...7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies."

Did you see that? We are cracked pots; pressed not crushed. Perplexed not confused. Pursued not abandoned. Pushed down not destroyed. Suffering, but fully alive in Christ! The scars that remain serve as a map pointing others to Jesus. It is our weakness that serves as such a remarkable witness to the power of God--choosing the weakness of the human condition to transform our spheres of influence one person, one family, one neighborhood, one community, one nation at time. This humble path-to-power is, in fact, the real "road less traveled." 

I thank God every day for that pair of scissors. They have an honored place in a simple container, with other tools we use on a daily basis, on one of the counters in our kitchen. Each time my gaze falls on them, I remember Gene--and in that moment, the legacy of his life points me to God's grace, power and love. He takes the "total-loss" that was our lives and transforms it to treasure..."all I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife, but He made something beautiful out of my life."  

Hallelujah, what a Savior!  It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin.'


Life is fast.
Live it well...bN M6.8

A New Song

Spring is off to a very slow start (again), even for Northern Indiana.

This past Monday morning I began to notice the birds vocalizing with a frenzy that produced a cacophony to the human ear.  I thought it was curious given the wind, rain, and biting cold that has once again defined our Spring.  But there they were, intent on doing what birds do; they sang, I groused (pun intended).

Their internal calendar informs the birds "it's Spring." They sing with confidence because they know, intuitively, that regardless of what the weather may be like today, it's Spring, and it's going to feel like Spring sooner than later.

It occurred to me this morning, off to another blustery start, as I listened to them sing outside my window, I can do that too.  I know my life is "hidden with Christ in God," and even though it may not feel like that today, it will again, sooner than later.

Colossians 3.2-4 "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory."

Wow!  He put a new song in my heart.  "Its Friday, but Sunday's comin'."

So...sing.  Life is fast.

Live it well...bN M6.8


bN tGit

Above the Law

Anger and hate are easy because they are intuitive to our human nature. 

Empowered by God, we can do better; "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5.22, 23

No law; Statutory, Constitutional or Sharia can stand against these compelling virtues. They are a starting place, pointing us to the truth about the Universe we can see, but not fully experience; the world we can experience, but not fully understand and ourselves--with hearts so desperately sick, who can know them.   

Need help?  Let's talk.  Message me.

Life is fast.
Live it well...bN M6.8

NeXT

Life is hard. Age diminishes us. Disease ravages us. Then, we die.
      Or...
Life is hard and softens our hearts.  Age diminishes us and equips us with wisdom. Disease ravages us and empowers us to embrace hope.  Then we die and pass into eternity.

What happens to us, all of us, in the course of a lifetime is simply a variation on the same theme.  What sets apart those not beaten, from those that are?  It is what that "lifetime process" produces in us. 

I've been reminded recently, we are fragile and our bodies will eventually fail--some sooner than others, but for all of us life ends in one final breath.  The ability to see our sojourn as a prelude to "something more" is the key to empowering us to embrace all we experience in "time" with wonder; while anticipating what we glimpse of eternity with hope.  

Yes, I'm talking about faith.  A specific "effective-faith" we are given instruction about in the Scriptures; the Second letter to the church in Corinth, written by the Apostle Paul (5.1-5):

"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.  2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.  4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.  5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit."

Be sure not to miss v.5...God prepares us for NeXT, gives us a holy desire to "level-up" and then seals the deal with His Holy Spirit--indwelling, empowering, informing us--all the while transforming us into the image of Jesus Messiah--in this life with godly character--in the NeXT life with a heavenly body.  Yahoo!

Over these past 30 months I've invested time in some weary people...all filled with hope.  They are fragile over-comers.  Their lives are a tapestry illustrating God's grace, love, presence, power and certitude about NeXT.  Paul acknowleges this too (5.17-19, 21)...

"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18  And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them...21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

Trusting Jesus Messiah, through effective faith, is what makes the difference--"so that we could be made right with God through Christ."  No one makes it out alive.  It's what happens NeXT that matters for eternity.  It's a quality-of-ETERNAL-life issue.  The Apostle Paul spells out exactly what we must do in his letter to the church in Rome...

"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'”  Romans 10.9-13

NeXT looms close on the horizon for each of us--we know it's there, what will you do with Jesus?  

Life is fast.

Live it well...M6.8

We will Rise.

Several years ago I received a note from a good friend..."my dad's cancer is progressing. His time here is probably down to days..."  When I read those words I was transported back to the last time I was with his dad.  I was saddened by this news, concerned for the grief this final act of life would introduce to my friend and his family...and not.

My friend's father did lose his life; but not once was he in danger of losing his hope: the certain promise that he, as a believer in Jesus Christ, would finally be transported into the presence of His Lord and Savior, there to enjoy life as HE designed it to be.

Life is hard, then we die.   We will all lose our lives, but we need not lose our hope.

Praise God for the hope we have in Christ, and the healing death brings for those who have embraced Christ through effective saving faith.  For these death need not be something to be feared; it is a gracious provision that carries us back into a "face to face" real-time relationship with God. Without death, we become eternal beings, like Lucifer and the legion of angels which were cast out of heaven because of their rebellion...eternally separated from God, without hope of redemption.

Death became the modality that God uses to foil Satan's attempt to co-opt God's crowning creative act, the human race.  So then, death is the definitive "check-mate" and demonstrates God's mastery; always steps ahead of evil and the chaos of sin. Genesis 3 describes the event that initiated the rebellion of Adam and Eve to sin and it's necessary result, death; it's also here that we learn that death is part of God's bigger plan for hope and the redemption of human-kind.

The rest, is history, 1 John 4.9,10...

"God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son 

into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 

10  This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us 

and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."

We know that love is a four letter word, spelled H-O-P-E; more importantly, we know that death simply marks the first day of the rest of our lives, 2 Corinthians 4.16-18...

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet 

inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary 

troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 

18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, 

since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

We will rise, thanks be to God.  It's a GRACE day.

Life is fast.

Live it well...bN tGit

Wrong War.

The "culture war" is the wrong campaign. It's a battle for minds; people of faith are called to battle for hearts. Bad hearts produce bad minds; surely we aren't shocked by the fact that minds have become utterly corrupt.

In this process, we see how people of faith have been seduced too. The culture war is self-serving. It's an attempt to preserve and re-create a world less hostile, less chaotic, less wrong-headed for OUR benefit. It's about preserving our values, protecting our children, maintaining equilibrium and economy so we can live out our god-informed vision of what our lives should be like. This is normal; it's also carnal...it's the way most humans think and act.

That's not the vision people of faith have been called to by God. We have been called to justice, to selfless living, to compassionate action; to loving the unreached citizens of this world like God does. When people of faith do that, people with no hope notice. They understand that this kind of concern is counter-intuitive. It's not the way normal people live; they want to know "why?"

Peter's first letter to the church contains instruction for us "...but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect..."  1 PETER 3.15  ESV

We win the world one heart at a time gently, respectfully. It can't be done with legislation. We don't win them with constitutional amendments. The silver bullet isn't packing the courts with the "right kind of thinkers." It's done by living alongside people who aren't like children of the King, who don't share His values and act in ways that reflect how radically confused people without effective faith are.

When people of faith insert themselves into culture in a transformative way hearts begin to change. When hearts begin to change, minds begin to change. When hearts and minds begin to change, culture begins to change. When people with no hope begin to see faith, hope and love in their neighborhoods, schools, workplaces they pay attention! They realize they are thirsty, hungry and without hope. They realize there's more, and they want to know where they can embrace it...one heart at a time.

For too many people of faith, living this way just isn't something we want to do. We're more comfortable on church properties that create space between the world without effective faith and our world of grace. We shield our children from the world without effective faith in ways that create fear and contempt in their hearts. We forget what life without grace is like, and we become entrenched in a battle for minds using the least effective means available to us--the wisdom and power of the world system.

Little wonder we seem befuddled, put-off, by those Jesus described as "sheep without a shepherd." They aren't like us, they don't think or act like us. They are driven by differnt values, often by different passions. Yet, they carry the same godly imprint on their souls that people of faith reflect...we are all created in His image. We are all loved with an unconditional love. We all have access the same unmerited overflow of His grace. We are all sinners in need of a Savior.

These lost sheep, these lost souls, are not the enemy. They are victims in Satan's attempt to foil the purpose of God in the redemption of all people. That purpose begins with a battle for hearts...and minds will follow. We win hearts when, in the power of the Spirit, we come along side these "unlovely" people and their messy lives and seek to serve them in compassion, with sacrifice through love.

One heart, one mind; gently, respectfully, powerfully.  Life is fast.

Live it well...bN tGit

Why?

Please, tell me...

Why is the express line, not very "express?" Why is over-night delivery always 2nd day? Why do yellow lights make people see red? Why is urgent rarely important?

Why do we expect politicians to lie to us, and then get upset when they do? Why do we complain about the quality and direction of government, then refuse to vote? Why do we ask government to lower our taxes then complain when they reduce our services? Why is "public-service" so oppressive?

Why do we make vows we don't really intend to honor? Why do we "honor" people we often don't respect? Why are love and heartbreak two sides of the same coin? Why do we swear on a book we don't revere?

Why are teachers accountable, but parents aren't? Why do we need a license to marry, but not to parent? Why can a 15 year old get an abortion, but not a divers license? Why do we mandate an education for "students" who won't try, don't care and refuse to cooperate? Why do so many parents think they can do a better job teaching, than our teachers, but make so little effort at educating their children?

Why do we feel sympathy for those with great need and outrage for those with great privilege? Why is the Humane Society only about animals? Why do we pretend everyone should be treated the same way, when we know that's not the way life really works? Why do we act like everyone is born with the same set of genes, when we know that's just not true? Why are criminals victims and victims criminalized? Why is "Affordable Health Care" so unaffordable?

Why does the right to privacy trump the right to life? Why is "profile" a dirty concept when, if applied appropriately, it can save innocent life? Why does our Constitution work harder for criminals than for good citizens? Why are some lives more valuable that others? Why is justice such a fleeting virtue? Why is it that the smarter we are, the dumber we get? Why has the information highway produced so much uncertainty?

"35...Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Matthew 9.35,36

"28 ...Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.'” Matthew 11.28-30

Confused, helpless; lacking direction, weary, burdened?  Embrace rest.

Life is fast.
Live it well...bN tGit

In retrospect.

I'll be 64 later this week.  I don't consider myself to be a "senior citizen," which of course is just wishful thinkin' at this stage in my life.  While I don't "see" myself that way now, truth is, I can certainly see "that place" from here.

Life is so much faster than I ever imagned it would be, and so much more than I ever dreamed it could be.  My cup isn't half-full, it overflows.

• In High School a guy named Mark Zier walked into my life and lovingly led me to a life-changing decesion to trust Jesus Messiah as my Lord and Redeemer; then he introduced me to a girl who eventually became my for-life companion.
• I have been blessed by that girl, Laura Cherrie, who became my wife (we were both 19), help-mate, mother of and for our children, my best friend and companion, for 44 years and counting!
• Neither of my parents were college grads and when the time came for me to enroll, my father died one month after I graduated from high school; there was no money for higher education.  God provided, first at Duke were I received my BA and then at Talbot Seminary where I earned an M.Div. all without student loans.
• God blessed us with two children.  Erin and Jospeh have made me so proud because of the people they have become; honest, engageing, generous, interesting good-hearted young adults.  Our "second" son Matthew, and "second" daughter Miranda are amazing in every way.  These four are our closest friends.  We prayed from the time the children were born that God would bless them with stellar life-mates, He did.
• We have four grands, three boys and a girl.  Our hearts were broken when our oldest, Braden, passed away last June after a sixteen month battle with cancer.  He was 14. He lived it well.  We miss him so very much, but our hearts remain full as we watch his brother Kellen, and his cousins Gabriella and Grayson make their place in the world.  They have all made us laugh, given us hope for the future, loved us in a special way unique to our role in their lives...and enjoy hanging-out with us.
• I have enjoyed two modestly successful careers centered around helping people; for 25 years as their Pastor and, now, for the last 16, as guy who takes the "scarey" out of the risks of everyday life as their State Farm Agent.
• Over the years I've witnessed lives change in long-term and very profound ways; I have played a part in that process as a tool in the Master's Hands; what a privilege those moments have been.
• While I have experienced disappointment in and betrayal by friends, my life has been rich beyond measure because of folks who've come alongside and embraced me (changed me) with their friendship.
• I have traveled with people through the most difficult intersections of their lives, prayed with them and waited; then watched God do what only He can do..."exceedingly, abundantly beyond anything we could ask or imagine."
• Laura has loved me and patiently waited for me to become the man she needed and so richly deserves.
• The roles (the work of my hands) I have chosen to invest my energy in, have been challenging and rewarding.  Not once have I felt trapped in doing what has been my life's work.  It's been and continues to be too much fun.
• My girlfriend's dad, (my future father-in-law) stepped into my life as the man I needed when at age 17, my father died--he continued to be a rock for me until his passsing in 2014.
• Mentors have invested their lives in me.  They've taught me, listened to me, cried with me and believed in me. 
• Life has softened me.  Tenderness comes easy today.

I enjoy a rich tapestry of memories, some good and not.  These memories confirm what most people eventually come to realize: there are a few regrets, there are scores upon scores of very special people and wonderful events, whose images remain clear to the smallest detail.  I smile each time I think about these people and replay those special moments. 

There has been failure, good fortune and difficulty; pain, lost dreams, heartbreak and victory.  But through it all runs a story, my story, of God's grace transforming me, using me, teaching me and most amazingly, loving me with an everlasting love. 

I pray that when my run for the prize concludes, my legacy will be people I've touched along the way saying, "I love Jesus more."

Life is fast.


Live it well...bN tGit

...Eye on the Ball.

Spring is just over a week away. Soon we will stop obsessing about shooting balls and return to a passion for hitting balls--baseballs, golf balls, tennis balls, and of course billiard balls. The cardinal rule of good hitting--baseball, golf, tennis, billiards--is of course, "keep your eye on the ball." 

Just this week I had a conversation with a very good (left-of-center) friend. She teased me about being a conservative. We laughed together about the sorry state of politics in America and then I felt compelled to say: "Don't be so certain that you know just what kind of conservative I am." She responded, "Just what kind of conservative are you?" I smiled and commented "I'm NOT an ideologue and I'm NOT a culture-warrior."

My mission as a follower of Christ--to proclaim the truth about God, His love for humankind, His provision for our redemption--does not require me to fear a culture filled with souls who "are like sheep without a shepherd."  It does NOT require me to win the so-called "culture war.

Jesus saw the crowds of distressed people and was "moved with compassion" all the way to the Cross where He crushed the power of sin, once-and-for-all.  God's Word makes it clear who the enemy is..."For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places"  Ephesians 6.12

God's Word tells me what it is I must do to engage these evil adversaries and prevail...

"10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."  Ephesians 6.10-24

Note that this passage does not instruct Christ-followers to revile the sinner, legislate a solution that protects my family, leave the Union, or disengage from "life in the world--not of the world."  This is not a political war, not a culture war--it is a Spiritual battle that calls for weapons fashioned by God for taking down, taking back, strongholds.  Our weapons?  See...truth, righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, faith, salvation, God's Word, intercessory prayer, wisdom from God to speak the truth in love with boldness behaving as an Ambassador/Doulos (bond-servant) for the King.

When we allow ourselves to be drawn into a "culture-war" mentality, we lose; people yet to trust Christ and experience spiritual re-birth lose.  We allow the "the rulers, the powers, the world forces of darkness, the spiritual forces of wickedness" to pick the time and place of the struggle; we lay the Armor of God aside--and we are impotent in the face of such evil. It's high time believers figure out "who and where" the enemy is and the rules-of-engagement; then take the fight to the enemy as per Paul's instruction in Ephesians 6.10-24.  Only then will we see the tide of evil begin to recede. 

We will not prevail in the long-term by building higher walls around the spiritual reservations we have fashioned our churches into,  by asking Focus of the Family to lobby our politicians, by finding conservative--too often shrill--politicians to write laws and pack the courts; cursing-the-darkness won't win the battle. 

What then?  Choose God.  Love people.  Know who the enemy is and "10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."  Ephesians 6.10   

Our battle is NOT against flesh and blood.  The stakes are infinity higher than a culture-war; eternity hangs in the balance for those yet to embrace Christ with effective faith.  

For the sake of the Kingdom, for the sake of all those "lost sheep"  keep your eye on the ball.

Life is fast.

Live it well...bN tGit

Don't wait for it.

Yesterday we got a teaser.

Temps rose to 63* on a bright, sunny, beautiful blue sky day. Who knew 63* could feel so deliciously warm, so "right." 

We haven't been set free from the clutches of "Old Man Winter," but we can see the day looming fast on the snow framed horizon. Spring is just 4 weeks away--March 20, 2017...liberation day in Northern Indiana.

We just "wait for it." Now, much sooner than later, it will happen.

Life is like this too, isn't it. We wait. It happens. Life, happens. If we aren't attentive to this "cycle of reality" we wake up one day and realize, life passed us by while we waited.

That's why "now" is important. It's really all we have. It's all we need; now.

"Now" gives us time to live fully in this moment...with certainty, confidence, live now with no regrets. Ah, but tomorrow, tomorrow will be a better day--but what if tomorrow never comes?

Don't wait for it. Life is fast.

Live it well...bN tGit