Metanoia Praxis

A New Attitude for the New Year

2024-01-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

New Year's has always been one of my favorite days. That is because it gives me a recurring moment to begin, recommit to, or drop things from my life. That is an attitude goal that I often fail to keep active due to the rigors of life, but New Year's Day lets me return to the "default" setting and begin again, at least in terms of attitude.

This idea of returning our attitude to the "default" mode is evident in the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote,

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. --Philippians 3:12-16, NASB 1995

Only God knows what will happen in this New Year, and he will let us know the right attitude to have in response. So, let us forget what lies behind us and press on toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

I pray we all have a Happy, Blessed, and Best New Year. Now go and let it happen.

The Way Home (Part 1): Righteousness Through Faithfulness

2020-06-08T12:00:00.002-04:00

Are you wondering what is next in this crazy mixed-up world? Are you wondering what to do, where to turn, how to feel, and how to respond? Are you willing to change if needed but you don’t know what to keep in your life and what to cast off? Well, I have good news for you today. God already has the answer for you, and I hope we can discover that answer together in the summer worship series entitled “The Way Home” based on The Letter of Paul to the Romans.

The first sermon of the series, “Righteousness Through Faithfulness,” is based on Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-31. A video and an audio podcast of the worship service and sermon are available.

I have chosen this topic because whether it seems like it or not, we all assume we are on a journey to the same good place. Because of this common destination we have in mind, we tend to give in to our competitive natures along the way, making comparisons of our methods and progress with the methods and progress of others. When at our worse, we draw distinctions that make us feel better about ourselves by making us feel worse about others. Now, my primary concern is over wrongful comparisons we make within our spiritual life, but other aspects of life comparisons also apply and even overlap.

Unfortunately, when we are in times of rapid change and uncertainty, as we are now, we see the failure of this misguided system of comparison. We can’t rely on comparing ourselves to others because we are all in unknown territory. No one knows what to do next because we have never been here before and none of us have ever been to where we hope to go. Therefore, we need a reliable standard of comparison so that we know if we are truly on the right path that leads us home.

You may remember an old computer game called “The Oregon Trail.” It was used as a tool to teach school children about the realities of 19th-century pioneer life. The game came out in the mid-1970s, but I never got to play it because the school I attended only had two computers when I graduated in 1986, and apparently no one could use them. So, from what I have read, the player in the game assumes the role of a wagon leader guiding his party of settlers over the dangerous trail from Missouri to Oregon in 1848.

As you can imagine, the object of the game is to anticipate your needs in advance and make good choices, so that you arrive successfully at the previously unseen destination that will become your long-awaited new home. Obviously, not everyone will make good choices and not everyone will make it home successfully.

We are not in a game here. This is real life, and we are all on a journey today, hopefully to a new home that we have only heard about but never seen. We have been told and shown the way, but each decision, at each turn in the road, is ours.

We have difficult choices to make and there are many voices that are speaking loudly to us, vying for our attention. Many are intentional in being truthful and many others are intentional in being deceptive. Whether intentional or unidentical, these voices can easily lead us astray, because they are not the voices of the one who will guide us home. God has provided a simple standard for us to follow because he knows the way, he is the way, and he wants us to arrive safely and successfully at home. Let’s listen to that one voice, that one guide, that one way from the one who wants us to arrive safely and successfully at our new home with Him.

We see in the passage, Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-31, the power to save us comes only through accepting the righteous and faithful gift of Jesus Christ who died on a cross so that we might live forever.

Everywhere we turn today, we are being told to think, and to say, and to do a lot of things, by people who want us to accept their views as our standard. Some of them are deceptive and some of them are sincere and heartfelt, but it does not matter. There is but one voice for us to follow and that only one voice can lead us home. The power to save us comes only through the righteous and faithful gift of Jesus Christ and our faithful response and resulting righteous life as his follower.

In our journey of faith, that we hope will lead us to our heavenly home, we tend to discount the power of the gospel and overcompensate with inadequate reliance on comparing our works to those of others. We tend to listen to the voice of other people who know no more than we do how to get to this home we desire. We need to put aside all comparisons, both favorable and unfavorable, and embrace the righteous faith of Jesus Christ as our only hope for salvation.

The trouble in the text is that Christians in Rome are divided in their understanding of how to merge the old practices of Jewish Christians with the new practices of the non-Jewish Christians. The Jewish Christians probably asked, “Why do the non-Jewish Christians eat “unclean” food?” and the non-Jewish Christians probably complained, “the Jewish Christians are relying on their works and not Jesus for their salvation.”

In our world today, there are many Christian voices calling for change, and we must make difficult choices about which practices we will keep, and which practices we will discard.

We desperately need to hold on to those Christian practices that are of value. However, we are going to find that some of the things we have held onto are not helpful, are not of value, and are not truly core tenants of our faith. It is not comfortable to admit mistakes and initiate needed changes, and that is why we are so uncomfortable with our world today.

The text tells us that to help unite the Roman Christians, God revealed himself as the standard of righteousness and faithfulness for all people to follow by faith.

It is by faith alone that we can be saved and our model of faithfulness to follow is God the Son, Jesus Christ, himself. God sent the faithful Jesus to die on the shameful cross as the atoning sacrifice for sinful humanity, who by faithfully receiving this gift of grace, can become righteous and through that righteousness can become faithful through obedience.

So, The Apostle Paul points the confused and fragmented Roman Christians to Jesus as the only standard to follow. If they all look to and follow the same example found in Jesus Christ, then righteousness, unity, and faithfulness would be the natural result.

God’s same grace is available for us today. In our confusing and rapidly changing world, the choices that lead us to our heavenly home are simplified by our embracing the righteous faith of Jesus Christ as your only hope for salvation. That is our only hope for Christian unity it this time of uncertainty and confusing comparisons.

Is your life too complicated and complex? Do you have a hard time making sense of all the comparisons you are seeing? God in his grace has a simple solution, the good life that we seek is the life of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.

If you want to be right, then go with Jesus. Any other path you choose will lead to confusion, destruction, discouragement, heartache, and damnation. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can have salvation.

Man pushing a wagon stuck in the mud.
First National's Spirit of Nebraska's Wilderness and Pioneer Courage Park.
Source: TripAdvisor.com

So, drop everything from your life that does not fit with Jesus. Like the pioneers on the Oregon Trail, our wagons are sinking deep in the mud and mire of confusion caused by improper comparisons. It is now time to cast off things that hinder our progress toward our home with God through Jesus Christ.

Can These Bones Live?

2020-03-30T12:27:00.001-04:00

As the entire world dealings with the COVID-19 virus, many Christians are asking deep questions about their faith. Fortunately, there are many aspects of the Christian faith that can help during such times. One source of help is the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, which has many powerful visions and prophecies for the people of Isreal during one of their most difficult times.

Ezekiel 37:1-14, the vision of the valley of the dry bones, is the most striking and memorable of those fantastic passages. In this passage, God has a message for the prophet Ezekiel that is intended to reassure the nation of Israel they will live again after the exile in Babylon. Its concepts of re-creation, redemption, resurrection, and restoration are still inspiring people today feel they are somehow “cut off” from their normal lives.
The historical setting of the vision of the valley of dry bones is probably during the period after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem when the exiles were still in Babylon. For generations beforehand, the people had clung faithfully to the notion that Jerusalem would never fall because the temple was located there. As long as the holy city and the temple stood, the people felt the promises of God were secure. However, with the destruction of the temple, the Israelite’s world essentially ended. For the first time in their memory, they see themselves as a people without a land and without a God, but He has a message for the prophet Ezekiel intended to reassure the nation of Israel that they will live again after the exile in Babylon.

The passage begins with Ezekiel recalling the spirit of the Lord taking him and setting him down in the middle of a valley filled with dry bones. God askes Ezekiel if the bones could live again, a question that Ezekiel wisely defers back to God. God instructs Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones and as Ezekiel dose, the bones are miraculously reassembled and covered with flesh. Then the spirit of God gives life to the bodies by putting breath into them. They form a great standing army. We are left to wonder whether they would have ever been slain in the first place if they had stood before as such a united host ready to follow the lead of their commander. This completes a two-part process of new life that is reminiscent of the creation story from Genesis. God explains that the bones represented Israel in their bewildered and anguished loss, while exiles in Babylon. God, however, promises to bring Israel back to life by returning them to the land and filling them with his spirit so that they know he is God.

History has proven that the exilic period was pivotal to the success of the Jewish people, and this vision no doubt had a significant influence in their transcending that bleak period. The message of hope and restoration given to Ezekiel changed the hearts and minds of the people so that they would be able to return when the time came.

There is a great message of hope in this for us today. Like the Israelites, we often feel separated from God and forgotten. We often feel that because we no longer see success, that God has forsaken us. The periods of exile we experience can be used by God to strengthen and prepare us for greater plans. However, we need some strong message of hope and restoration to convince us sufficiently enough for us to look beyond our circumstances. The vision of the valley of the dry bones can still be that strong message today. God’s message and God’s messengers are critical in this process. Once we receive and accept that message of hope, we must then receive the full Spirit of God as our strength and guide. If we try to do it without God, we will be just an empty shell of a disorganized army, but with God, we can move forward united to victoriously take back what has been lost.

We are not cut off, and yes, these bones can live.

A video of a more detailed study of this passage is available on Youtube.

Prisoners of Our Own Freedom

2017-07-11T09:54:00.001-04:00

Thomas B. Costain tells the story of the man who was a prisoner of his own freedom. During the fourteenth century, Raynald III was a duke in what is now Belgium. The younger brother, Edward, revolted against Duke Raynald, and placed him in prison.

Raynald’s greatest weakness was not able to control his appetite and so he was grossly overweight. Knowing this, Edward sent him delicious food every day and Raynald grew fatter until he could not pass through the door.

The conquering Edward promised his brother Raynald he was free to leave whenever he wished and on that day, his title and property would be returned to him. Anytime someone accused Duke Edward of treating Raynald cruelly he said: “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.”

He remained there for ten years until he was released after Edward’s death in battle. By then Raynald’s health was so bad that he died within a year. He was a prisoner of his own freedom.

Just as Raynald was enslaved by his appetite, sin will enslave all those who yield to it.

God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.” (Genesis 2:16-17)

The implication of the Adam and Eve story is unavoidable: True freedom is found only in obedience to God and keeping the fellowship that comes with it.

The problem today is that we continue to give up freedom through sinful disobedience and rebellion in exchange for feeding the desires of our carnal nature.

The gospel theme of true freedom through obedience and servanthood is inescapable in the Bible. Yet we miss it because it doesn’t make sense in our culture.

God’s liberating grace is abundant, but like water in a hose, it will not flow freely for us until we allow him to help us get kinks out of our spiritual life.

Remember, a train is free only so long as it stays on its tracks; a train that jumps the tracks is "free" of the rails but no longer free to achieve its potential.

God’s Plan for this Generation

2017-05-29T07:33:00.000-04:00

In the movie Saving Private Ryan, Army Captain John Miller takes his men behind enemy lines on a hard-fought and dangerous mission to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat. The orders are to see to the safe return of Ryan to his grieving mother before she suffers the loss of her only remaining son.

On a bridge at the end of the final battle, Captain Miller sits dying. He has completed his mission, however, and has seen to it that Private Ryan can go home. Ryan looks at Miller and explains that tank busters have come and that the battle has been won.

Captain Miller, with his dying words, pulls Private Ryan close and says with his last breath, "Earn this. Earn it." He means for James to realize that many men died to set him free, so he has an obligation to do something meaningful with his life.

As Ryan looks over the captain, in a voiceover we hear the words of the army chief-of-staff in a letter to Mrs. Ryan consoling her on the death of her three sons, but also telling her of her one surviving son's valor and his soon return home. He quotes the prayer of Abraham Lincoln, that God would lessen her grief and remember her boys with honor, and that the country is grateful for her sacrifice.

On this Memorial Day, as we remember those who have fallen in service to our nation, we are reminded that we too have a duty to perform. We owe a great debt to those who have sacrificed and given “the last full measure of devotion,” to those who have purchased for us an opportunity to live well on their behalf.

But not all battles are fought with physical weapons on foreign soil. Most battles are moral, ethical, and spiritual in nature and there is no battlefield more important to occupy and hold than the Christian home. We find our help in these battles throughout the Bible, and one of the best places is Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 20-25.

In this passage, Moses repeats God’s ongoing covenant with Israel to a new generation and gives specific instructions for them to practice and teach to their children. God expects his people in each new generation to give him absolute and exclusive devotion in all aspects of life. He doesn’t want to be just the first in our lives, he wants to be the only.

I want you to hear God speaking to you in your generation his charge to make God the driving force of your life. Israel needed to hear its covenant with God repeated so the law could be reinterpreted and applied to the needs of each new generation. We need to hear God in our generation as well because the home is battling for its life today. People are searching for fulfillment outside the home because their homes are unstable, lacking the foundation of principles that will guide the affairs of a family.

Christian homes should be a place of spiritual strength. Deuteronomy 6:4 – 5 tells us that we are to found our families on love for God and a spiritual relationship to him. God loves us, and we return his love toward us obediently.

Christian homes should be a place for divine truth. All of the commandments, statutes, and judgments of the Lord are to be observed and taught to each generation. Verse 6 refers to the “words” that are so important, and verse 7 says that we are to “teach” them to our children. Not only is God to be loved and worshiped, but his words and commandments and faith are to be taught in our homes. At stake is the faith of the living God in the lives and homes of our nation.

Christian homes should be a place for demonstrating Christian character as seen in Ephesians 6:4, “Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Such cCharacter development demands training and discipline and the Christian home provides it from infancy to maturity. Children need the security that discipline gives, and parents need the fulfillment that such leadership provides.

Christian homes should be a place for creative fellowship, where there is love and forgiveness and understanding. It is a place where patience and kindness and courtesy thrive. It is the place of warmth and oneness of spirit. It is the oasis of fellowship in a world that starves for someone to care.

God does have a plan for this generation and for your home if you will let him help you find it. If we respond to God’s charge as he calls to and leads our families in the light of his love and Word, we will experience the joy of God’s plan. But hearing is proven by doing. Not only are we to hear the charge for ourselves, we are to pass it on to the generations to follow through our words and deeds.

In the movie, after depicting the terribly tragic loss of Private Ryan’s rescuers, the scene changes to the present. James Ryan is now an old man standing in at the graveside of Captain Miller, where he confesses that he has thought every day of the charge that he laid upon him on that bridge.

"I've tried to live my life the best I could, Ryan said. I hope that was enough. I hope that, at least in your eyes, I've earned what all of you have done for me."

His wife approaches, and he asks her to tell him that he's lived a good life, "Tell me that I'm a good man." She replies, "You are." Then, as if having discharged his duty, he salutes Captain Miller's grave.

Each of us has to ask ourselves the same question. Jesus gave everything for us. He shed His blood that we might be forgiven our sins and someday live eternally with Him. We should live our lives in such a way that we do not have to come to the end and feel that anguish of having wasted a life that Jesus thought was so valuable that He gave His own to save it. And though we can never earn it, we can confess that we remember it, and allow it to be the driving force of our lives.

Choose Carefully Whom You Will Serve

2017-05-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

How are things with you and your family? Is your home a place where everything runs smoothly? Are your family members all dedicated to a common purpose? Is their peace and tranquility in the midst of industrious effort for good? No? Don't feel bad, we are still working to improve at my house too.

Family is special — so special that our families are usually our dearest earthly relationships, the family is the oldest human institution on the earth, and family life is the foundation of society. Family is important and doing family life right should be one of our greatest concerns.

Joshua recognized the importance family life as he gave final instructions to the Israelites in Joshua 24:1-28.

After initial success in the promised land, the Israelites renew their covenant with God despite the requirement for righteous living it carries. We would be wise to follow the example of Joshua and his household in their choice to serve the Lord, because the God has blessed us beyond what we care to acknowledge or remember, and because turning from God brings terrible judgment on us and our children.

The passage is at the end of the story of the Israelites’ conquest of the Promised Land, when Joshua was old and the Lord had given rest to Israel from battles and wars. Joshua speaks “to all the people” (Joshua 24:2), and he speaks not from himself but as a prophet: “Thus says the Lord,” begins his speech in 24:1. What follows in verses 2 through 13 is a summary of the whole history of God's blessings. God uses the word "I" repeatedly to make it clear that the success of the Israelites was His doing, not the people’s: “I brought you out” (v. 5); “I destroyed them before you” (v. 8); “I rescued you” (v. 10); “I sent the hornet ahead of you” (v. 12); culminating with, “I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and towns that you had not built, and you live in them; you eat the fruit of vineyards and oliveyards that you did not plant” (v. 13).

Yet there is trouble in the undertones of the verses that follow. After all their success, the Israelites were in great danger of forgetting God’s powerful role in their blessings. They were in danger of developing complacency with their status and pride in their accomplishments. Without a permeating memory of God’s blessing ever before them, they would begin to turn from God under the difficult task of obedience to his commands. This would mean certain destruction for the Israelites.

There is similar trouble today, in fact some would say we have already fallen into the trap that God was trying to prevent for the Israelites. In our world, we have long since forgotten God and turn to the idols of self-gratification that are so pervasive around us in rejection of the righteousness that is expected by God. Consider these words written about our nation in a more recent context:

. . . insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

(Accessed May 22, 2017. http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/fast.htm)

These words are from a resolution introduced in the U.S. Senate on March 3, 1863. It was passed and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on March 30, establishing a National Day of Fasting and Prayer. These words sound as if they could have been written in description of our nation just today.

Our sins against God, as a nation and as individual people seem far greater and far more destructive than were those of the Israelites and the people in Lincoln’s day. Is there any doubt that our judgement will not also be more sever?

Fortunately, God is patient, merciful, and full of grace, at least to a certain point. Such grace is made available in the passage when God sent Joshua to remind the Israelites of His blessings, His expectations, and His potential judgments. He gave them an opportunity to make an informed decision, a choice to serve God or pursue forbidden idols. When we get to Joshua’s charge at verse 14, the decision the people have to make is initially based entirely on remembering their own history through the perspective that God has narrated through Joshua. The charge is simple: “revere the Lord” and “serve the Lord.”

The people shined in their response to Joshua: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods” (Joshua 24:16). The story stands as an example and a charge to us: Will we serve the Lord or the gods of our times? Will we be able to remember God’s blessing and return to a right relationship with him? Will we accept the charge to serve God and will we be an example for others, especially our own children, to follow?

God’s grace is still available to us today. God has drawn us to this point of remembrance and this point of conviction so that we can chose to serve him rather self-gratification and sin. If we choose well, we can avoid God’s certain judgments and preserve Godly heritage for our children and our children’s children.

The Enemy has been Identified

2017-01-23T06:12:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard someone say, “I do not have an enemy in the world”? Perhaps you are among those who cannot point to a single human enemy, but all of us have an enemy in the devil (1 Peter 5:8). He is described as a powerful and wicked enemy (Eph. 6:12).

In our world today we see conflict and strife all around us. The news media and political pundits have recently concluded that we live in a divided world. Really? Many have known that for decades but I am glad it is now being acknowledged.

We as Christians are taught to love our neighbor and pray for our enemy. Though others may make themselves our enemy, we know that our greatest enemy is evil itself, personified in the devil, that old serpent, the prince of darkness.

The Christian life is warfare but not in the physical sense, and not in the sense of conflict with each other. Our battle is a continuing struggle with evil and it begins within each of us. If you have not discovered this to be your own personal experience, it is possible that you have already been captured by the enemy and are a prisoner of war without being aware of it.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians concerning the nature of their enemy and the character of the struggle they must put forth if they would live a victorious Christian life. He said, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Eph. 6:11, NIV)

Ephesians 6:10–20 (NRSV)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.

11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.

15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.

16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.

19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we face a wicked enemy in the devil. The Bible says little about the devil’s origin and therefore many doubt if he is real, however, Jesus taught often about the devil. For those who hold the biblical teachings of Jesus supreme, the devil cannot be disregarded.

The Bible infers that the devil came into being as part of God’s good creation, an archangel of great beauty, power, and majesty. However, because he chose to allow himself to became offended, arrogant, and power hungry, he led a rebellion against God for which he was rightly cast out of heaven. So the devil is, by his own choosing, God’s foe first and foremost, and he is the enemy of all people because of his hatred of God. He seeks to bring about our defeat and destruction as individuals and as a human race by pitting us against God and each other.

But, it is not God’s will that his children be destroyed by evil. He offers us all that is necessary for victory, that is, the power of his spirit who comes to dwell within us at the moment of salvation. God has made a way to victory for us, but we must do our part, we much accept his gift and put on the whole armor of God.

So we have a daily choice to make. To fight against evil or to fight against God, our neighbors, and ultimately ourselves. Your success in the struggle with Satan will be dependent on whether or not you use the armor God has provided. There is no way by which you can be victorious otherwise. Though many will try every other way imaginable, all other methods will fail and in their life evil will prevail.

Seeking Jesus in Wise and Unfamiliar Ways

2017-01-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

Phillip Yancey has an interesting perspective on seagulls. (From “The Strong Willed Child” by James Dobson)

'It's easy to see why people like the seagull. He exults in freedom. He thrusts his wings backward with powerful strokes, climbing higher and higher until he's above all the other gulls, then coasts downward in majestic loops and circles. He constantly performs, as if he knows a movie camera is trained on him, recording.

In a flock, though, the seagull is a different bird. His majesty and dignity melt into a sordid slough of in-fighting and cruelty. Watch that same gull as he dive-bombs into a group of gulls, provoking a flurry of scattered feathers and angry squawks to steal a tiny morsel of meat. The concepts of sharing and manners do not exist among gulls. They are so fiercely competitive and jealous that if you tie a red ribbon around the leg of one gull, making him stand out, you sentence him to execution. The others in the flock will furiously attack him with claws and beaks, hammering through feathers and flesh to draw blood. They'll continue until he lies flattened in a bloody heap.”

People can be like seagulls sometimes.We may admire a person for his or her individual performances but then become disappointed to learn they are less than admirable personally. Interacting with people can be a challenge, especially if there is something unfamiliar or strange about them. We just don't like to deal with the strange and unfamiliar. However, if God is going to do something new in our lives this year, we will need to accept and even embrace unfamiliar and strange new experiences.
Matthew 2:1-12 tells the story of the Magi (Wisemen), strangers from the East who came after Jesus’ birth to pay him homage. These were strange, unfamiliar people who were seeking Christ in familiar ways.
God was seeking to reveal Christ to all the people of the world, including unfamiliar people in the Gentile world like the Magi. Unfamiliar people require us to make adjustments. Consider the faith and courage adjustments required for the unfamiliar Magi to enter into a Jewish home and worship a child Jewish. Consider the humility adjustments required for Saul to embrace Jesus' message on the road to Damascus, and consider the love adjustments required for Jesus to leave his heavenly home and dwell among us and then die for our sins.
Tony Campolo tells a true story of a Jewish boy who suffered under the Nazis in World War II. He was living in a small Polish village when he and all the other Jews of the vicinity were rounded up by Nazi SS troops and sentenced to death. This boy joined his neighbors in digging a shallow ditch for their graves, then faced the firing squad with his parents.

Sprayed with machine-gun fire, bodies fell into the ditch and the Nazis covered the crumpled bodies with dirt. But none of the bullets hit the little boy. He was splattered with the blood of his parents and when they fell into the ditch, he pretended to be dead and fell on top of them. The grave was so shallow that the thin covering of dirt did not prevent air from getting through to him so that he could breathe.

Several hours later, when darkness fell, he clawed his way out of the grave. With blood and dirt caked to his little body, he made his way to the nearest house and begged for help. Recognizing him as one of the Jewish boys marked for death, he was turned away at house after house as people feared getting into trouble with the SS troops. Then something inside seemed to guide him to say something that was very strange for a Jewish boy to say. When the next family responded to his timid knocking in the still of the night, they heard him cry, "Don't you recognize me? I am the Jesus you say you love."

After a poignant pause, the woman who stood in the doorway swept him into her arms and kissed him. From that day on, the members of that family cared for that boy as though he was one of their own.
If God is going to do something new in our lives this year, we will need to accept and even embrace unfamiliar and strange new experiences too.

"To Whom Much Is Given"

2015-09-21T12:52:00.000-04:00

We are not owners of our resources; we are stewards, managers of all that God has created. In the beginning of Genesis, God created everything and put Adam in the Garden to work it and to take care of it. God created us and gave us a kingdom mission as an extension of his love for us. We didn’t create it; it can be taken from us; and we can’t take it with us when we die. So it’s not really ours, it's GOD'S. Therefore we must be careful when we claim or use things in a selfish way outside his will. So a better understanding ownership is vital to gaining a better understanding of stewardship.

The next concept of stewardship we need to understand is responsibility. Within the story of creation, Genesis 1:27-28 says God created humans in his own image. Then he blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” (NLT) So as a part of the creation story God blessed humanity and gave them the responsibility of caring for everything he had created.

Later, in Luke 12:42-48, Jesus saw the disciples were in danger. They misunderstood God’s expectations in regards to this responsibility, especially in the area of religious leadership. He said they were like someone who had been given responsibility to look after someone else’s house, family, and workers. It is tempting in such an arrangement for the steward to abuse the situation, to kick back and relax thinking the owner will not soon return. When the owner does return, there will be a harsh punishment for not meeting the expectations that went along with being entrusted as a steward. Jesus saw that the disciples were not prepared to give an accounting of what God had entrusted them with and he knew this needed to be corrected.

In our world today God expects more from us because he has entrusted us with more responsibility. We need to better understand the responsibility that God entrusted us with as his stewards and be prepared to meet his expectations. So God, in his grace and mercy through Christ Jesus, gives us clear instructions about his expectations of us as stewards responsible for all he has entrusted us with.

The evidence of God’s continuing grace in the world today is that he blesses us with more opportunities to better understand the responsibility of stewardship. Though we don't own anything and thought we have not been a fruitful as we should, God has graciously entrusted us with the care, development, and enjoyment of more and more blessings.

"All I Have Is Yours"

2015-09-15T05:37:00.002-04:00

Somewhere in the process of growing up we develop our own private philosophy about possessions, shaped by our parents, grandparents, and our experiences with others. Altogether, these lessons and experiences have brought us to what we now believe about possessions.

But, unfortunately, there’s a universal flaw lurking in our philosophy. The flaw is that our ideas about possessions typically boil down to doing what we think is best for us. Selfishness hides in the decisions we make about possessions. This is first heard in the early stages of toddler speech with the quick leaning and effective use of the word “mine” while the concept of sharing with others is naturally resisted.

This is a problem because Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." We learn as the Bible opens that God owns everything because He created everything. Likewise the Psalmist wrote in Psalms 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it." If God made it, He owns it. God made the whole earth so it’s all his.

If one has ever lost a job, gone bankrupt, had something repossessed, or ever been forced to down-size or sell off, he or she learned a second important aspect of possessions. Nothing really belongs to us, because we can have everything taken away. Adam and Eve learned this lesson when God sent them out of the Garden of Eden.

We can also learn from every funeral we attend. The old saying is true, “you never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul.” We don’t “own” anything because we don’t take it with us. If we didn’t create it, if it can be taken away, if we can’t take it with us, then it’s not really ours.

The Old Testament character Job came to this conclusion saying, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." (Job 1:21)

We must conclude that we are not owners, we are stewards. Stewardship is the most basic of all biblical concepts about material things. So what is a steward? Very simply, stewards manage the property of others.

In the beginning of Genesis, God created everything and put Adam in the Garden to work it and to take care of it. It is clear that man was created to work and that work is the stewardship of all of the creation that God has given him. This is the fundamental principle of biblical stewardship. God created us and gave us a kingdom mission as an extension of his love for us. God owns everything; we are simply managers or administrators acting on his behalf. When we claim or use things that belong to God selfishly, outside his will, we rob not only God, we rob ourselves of future blessings.

Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor

2015-09-10T12:48:00.000-04:00

Before we get too far away from Labor Day consider one of the most common misconceptions students and sometimes adults make about work, which is that the most important thing about a job is to enjoy what you are doing. While that is important, the first thing we need from our work is the ability to meet our physical needs, and that in itself is worth celebrating.

"What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity. There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?"

Ecclesiastes 2:22-25 (NRSV)

The writer of Ecclesiastes initially decides that all human endeavors, including our labors, are just self-serving vanity—chasing after the wind. Work does not seem fulfilling, which is in keeping with the judgment upon the decedents of Adam and Eve. God put humans in the Garden of Eden to work and keep it. Once they gave in to temptation and sinned, God allowed work to be more frustrating and difficult due to weeds that infested the ground. The writer ponders the subject and comes to the conclusion that when we die we will leave behind all that we have worked to accumulate in this life. We will leave behind the sum total of our efforts for others to enjoy, not a very enjoyable way of thinking about work.

Things are not any different today. Too many today are unhappy in their jobs or with their employment status. The first successful establishment of an English colony on this content required a rather harsh understanding of work. Captain John Smith had to warn the insufficiently motivated settlers of Virginia saying, “No work, no eat.” Sadly, it has been recently proven that some of those settlers had to result to cannibalism of their own dead during a particularly harsh winter. No work, no eat; no eat no live; no live, be eaten.

In a very real sense work is not fun, it is necessary. Many find work difficult, monotonous, boring, and uninspiring. Managers and supervisors can be unwise, unkind, and unsympathetic. Workplace violence born from worker frustration and anger is a growing problem.

Yet, perhaps due to our learned work ethic, we can easily feel guilty for not being thankful for job, for not working hard enough or perhaps for not having a job at all. Still others have the problem of not having work to do. Perhaps they do not have the skills, education, and training they need, perhaps they are disabled, have child care issues, or need to stay home with a sick relative. Still others have psychological issues that make it seemingly impossible for them to hold down a job.

All of these difficult issues surrounding our work do seem to be a fulfillment of the judgement God has placed on us through the sin of Adam.

But there is also good news in the biblical text, a different way to think about work and enjoyment. God revealed to the writer that work makes possible the enjoyment of the fruits of one’s labor. So work is a blessing not because it is fun but because it allows us to earn money to do the things we need to make life possible and more enjoyable. One commentator put it this way, “[If] blocked [from going] down the high road, one is to take the low road, eat and drink, and though toiling, enjoy oneself as best one can—which is quite different from finding joy in one’s task.”

Well, that is what the Bible says, but does that apply to us today? Last week I posed a question on the church Facebook and Twitter pages, “Do you find joy and fulfillment in your work?” Only one person gave a positive reply. Perhaps many are unhappy in their job because they expect the wrong thing from their job. God is present and we can turn to God to find the joy we seek when our labors seem fruitless. Have you ever considered that when we gather at the Lord’s Table we enjoy the blessings of Jesus’ sacrificial work on our behalf but we also enjoy the fruit of our work to plant, harvest, process, and prepare the grapes for the wine and the wheat for the bread. And do not forget God’s plan for us to rest from our labor and delight in his presence during our weekly Sabbath. As one career adviser put it, “the most important thing you can do to make your job enjoyable is leaving it behind at the end of the day. Go home and enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

Work is a burden that can also be blessing in the joy that it can provide.

God's Love, Who Needs It?

2015-09-04T12:51:00.001-04:00

We know the importance of forgiveness from God, it is necessary for salvation because without forgiveness for our trespasses and sins, we are alienated or separated from God and we cannot function as intended in that condition. If we die in that condition, we endure endless suffering; separation from him.

But there is good news today, God has taken the initiative to save us by grace. According to Ephesians 2:4-5 God returns us to life by removing the sin that separates us from him and restores our relationship. In other words, God forgives us! And that is good news.

We know the process of receiving this free gift of grace. The church has taught us from scripture that we confess our sins to God, then we turn from our former way of life in repentance, we then express our faith and belief by establishing or renewing our relationship with Jesus as the lord and leader of our life.

All of this is good news, but there is something missing. Unless we understand God’s love for us, we remain trapped in the endless cycle of sin, trespasses, and death. We need something to break the cycle. We need a game changer. We need something or someone to come in and act on our behalf, because we just can’t manage to do it ourselves.

Fortunately, God knows our need and takes the initiative to save us “even when we are dead through our trespasses and sin.” Did you get that? God knows we can’t break the cycle of sin, trespasses, and death. God knows we will not seek forgiveness on our own initiative. God knows that his love is what we lack and what we need for forgiveness so he provides it to us in greater abundance than our rejection of him.

In other words, God lifts us out of the darkness of the grave by his own initiative so that we might see by the light of his glory the value of life available in unity and love with him.

They way is paved for us, the mode of transportation is provided, and the means of love and acceptance is extended by grace, at God’s initiative, though we do not deserve it. All that is left is for us to exercise the free will that God created in us and choose for ourselves to travel with him in unity along the path of life or return to the dark grave of the way of death from which we have come.

We need God’s love because without it we cannot choose to receive forgiveness.

“Wayfaring Strangers”

2014-10-05T17:40:00.000-04:00

Homecoming Sermon

Robert’s Grove OFWB Church

Date: October 5, 2014

In 1822 John Howard Payne was credited with writing a song that would remain well known for 150 years. The opening lines of the song, which you will recognize in part, say

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;

How would you define the word “home?” The dictionary says home is “the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.” But that does not seem to fully capture the mystical attachment we have for it. Home is the place we long to be but it is fleeting in our ever-changing world and thus home is sometimes best experienced in our fond memories, which is in part perhaps what North Carolina’s son Thomas Wolfe meant when he wrote, You Can't Go Home Again.

The writer of Hebrews adds another dimension to the meaning of home in Hebrews 11:13-16 when he writes about Christians as strangers passing through a foreign land as we press on in our search for our real home.

Like the Jewish patriarchs, we who belong to God are strangers pressing onward as we pass through a foreign land in search of our home. The writer wanted to encourage the early Jewish Christians who may have been wavering in their faith due to persecution and other hardships.

He reminded them of their long history of being sojourners (or temporary residence) in the land and how their ancestors remained faithful; never turning to go back to the places they had come from. Though they saw the promises of God only from a distance, they received them with gladness and passed them on to their children. Clearly their ancestors were thinking of a better land, a heavenly land, and for that reason God adopted them as his own and prepared a heavenly city for them.

In our world today, it would be helpful to the cause of Christ and his church if Christians reacquainted themselves with the ancient notion of not becoming too comfortable with our surroundings. We would all be happier if we embraced our status as aliens in a foreign land and celebrated gatherings like this one today as opportunities to come together to encourage one another in our common journeys of faith. There would be less depression, less poverty, and less oppression in general if we could all see each other as fellow travelers in need of assistance. Like hobos leaving marks on the gatepost as we pass, “Christianity [should be] one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread.”

Like those who first gathered 120 years ago, the worshipers at Robert’s Grove find comfort in their church of like-minded believers but we realize that we desire an even better place to go. This is our temporary home for now and we have no desire to go back to the spiritual darkness of our past.

It is by God’s grace that we have been handed a Godly heritage and it will be by God’s grace that we pass on that heritage to future generations. Each generation however must come to the understanding that our inheritance is material and it is not here, our inheritance in not to be comfortable and happy with this world as it is, our inheritance is to constantly on the move, pressing on to the better land. By the power of God’s Spirit and the example of his Son we strive and struggle against the forces of injustice and oppression. “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12, NRSV) We are so blessed to be counted among those yet unrecognized victors who stand as did Moses and testify saying . . . ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. . . (Deuteronomy 26:5, NRSV)

Like Moses, we may not see the promised land. We may not see the fullness of his blessings here. We may not win every struggle we enter into for good and right, but we press on, we do not turn back, and we continually work for the heavenly land that we truly desire.

I want us to celebrate the gathering of homecoming with the understanding that we are all still on a journey together to a heavenly home.

For more information on the song "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" see these links:

Positively History

Wikipedia

The Uniting Power of the Cross

2014-01-28T11:48:00.001-05:00

There was once a man in Fayetteville, NC walking along the Cape Fear River Bridge, and he saw a preacher about to jump over the rail. He stopped him and said, "Surely it can't be that bad. You know God loves you."

The preacher got a tear in his eye. He said, "Son, you speak of God, but are you a Christian or a Jew or a Hindu?"

The fellow said, "I'm a Christian."

"Me, too” said the preacher. “Are you Protestant or Catholic?"

"I'm Protestant."

"I am, too. Are you of the English, Dutch, or German Reformation?"

“I’m English Reformation, I think.”

"So am I said the preacher. Anglican or Separatist?"

"Separatist, I guess."

"That's a miracle! I am, too. Are you Calvinist or Armenian?"
"Armenian.”

"Me, too said the preacher. Are you Episcopal, Methodist, or Baptist?

"Oh, I'm Baptist, John Smyth and Thomas Helwys founded our branch of the Baptist faith."

"Me, too. Are you General Baptist or Particular Baptist?

"I'm General Baptist heritage but Free Will Baptist by name of course."

"Oh, of course, well so am I. So, are you Cape Fear Conference Free Will Baptist or South Carolina Conference Free Will Baptist?” asked the preacher.

"I'm Cape Fear Conference Free Will Baptist of the General Baptist English Heritage.”

“Brother,” said the preacher as he stepped down from the bridge rail and embraced his rescuer. It is so good to know we are the same. Then the preacher began praising God in a loud voice and speaking in tongues.”

The man looked upon the preacher with concern and said, “I forgot to ask, are you Cape Fear Conference Original Free Will Baptist of the General Baptist English Heritage or are you Cape Fear Conference Pentecostal Free Will Baptist of the General Baptist English Heritage?”

The preacher replied, “Well praise the Lord Brother I am Cape Fear Conference Pentecostal Free Will Baptist of the General Baptist English Heritage.”

And the guy said, "Die, heretic, I am an Original Free Will Baptist," and threw him over the bridge.

(adapted from the work of others)

According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there are approximately 41,000 Christian denominations and organizations in the world.

This is unfortunate, especially considering the the Apostle Paul warned us about the danger of giving in to divisions (1 Corinthians 1:10-18).

Paul urged the believers at Corinth to not be divided over secondary issues, but to be united to proclaim the gospel by the power of the cross.

Though it seems natural to be divided over many trivial things, the offensive gospel and cross of Jesus Christ has power to unite us all. We all come to the foot of the same cross.

I pray we will all put aside the trivial matters that unite us with some people while dividing us from others and unite with the people of God in proclaiming the gospel through the power of the cross of Jesus Christ.

The Successful Church is a Christ-centered Church

2014-01-28T11:21:00.000-05:00

What should a church (or individual Christian for that matter) do to ensure success in that role? I agree with the researcher who concluded “the main, significant factor over all else of why churches succeed is this one point: they were centered upon Christ as LORD! The researcher went on to say, those successful churches “were not centered on a personality, a vision, a denomination, an emerging paradigm, or a set of trends.” So the answer is that we should center all we do upon Jesus Christ as LORD.

This answer is obviously simple to state but more difficult to put into to practice and that is why so many churches are failing; they fail to practice the simple principal of keeping everything they do centered upon Jesus Christ as LORD.

Facing many uncertainties and adversities, Jesus began his ministry of establishing God’s kingdom in a hostile world filled with great need (Matthew 4:12-25). His ministry began by the Sea of Galilee and grew rapidly to include new followers in a ministry of meeting the needs of people according to God’s plan and vision. By God’s grace, people were able to identify with Jesus’ message, see his vision, and be moved along the right path in their lives.

Today, just as it was then, the church Jesus established is facing many difficulties in fulfilling its God-given mission to bring the world to a saving knowledge and work of Jesus Christ. And still today, by work of God’s Spirit through the Church, people can be moved by Jesus’ message along the right path toward his vision for God’s kingdom.

The success of Jesus’ early ministry can be attributed to his intentional process that we can follow in our ministries today. I pray we will all learn from and follow the example of Jesus so that our church and personal ministries will have the potential for success as he intended.

Repent Your Way to a Merry Christmas

2013-12-10T14:30:00.000-05:00

Matthew3:1-12

In the third chapter of Matthew’s Gospel the writer introduces us to John the Baptist as the forerunner of Christ who prepares the way by baptizing in the wilderness with a message of true repentance and the natural resulting fruit of good works.

For God’s kingdom to come, for us to stand in the coming judgment, for our homes to be filled with the joy we hope for this Christmas there must be a removing of all that does not fit into his kingdom concept, especially the hidden things of our hearts. This is the loving, though seemingly harsh, message that John the Baptist lived by and proclaimed to all who would listen.

But the problem was that some, namely the Pharisees and Sadducees, thought they were prepared for the coming kingdom of heaven when they were not. Their repentance was only on the surface and did not penetrate to the heart. John saw the problem and pointed to the solution provided by God’s grace when he said that there would be one after him, Jesus, who would provide the deeper baptism that they were lacking.

As we prepare for our Christmas celebrations and ultimately the awaited second coming of Christ, we are faced with the same problem. Many of us today are finding that true repentance has eluded us, leaving us with fruitless, frustrated lives and an empty whitewashed shell for our faith. The great danger and reality is that many of us will not stand the coming judgment necessary to usher in the new kingdom and we need more preachers like John the Baptist who love us enough to tell us the truth.

There are many reasons for this persistent and deadly problem: shallow religious observances; lack of care and concern for our neighbors, the poor, the down trodden, the lest of these among us; society pushing us away from God toward material processions; and the false assumption that somehow in all of our carnal failings God will look the other way.
Fortunately, God knows our frustrations, he understands our need, and he sympathizes with our desire for fulfillment. God, in his grace and mercy, has provided a way to true repentance through the saving work of Jesus Christ and a way to good works, the natural fruit of repentance through his Holy Spirit. Both of these are readily available to us in the Church, the adorned bride of Christ who works preparing herself for the arrival of Jesus as coming the bride groom.

So what would it look like if we experienced true repentance and good works, the natural fruit of repentance? First, true repentance results in a real hatred and Godly sorrow for Sin, a hatred and sorrow not just for the sins we have committed but a real hatred and sorrow for the carnal nature within us that temps us to turn away from God. Too often in our world today, we are taught to view our carnal failing as acceptable, but sin is never acceptable to God and sin blocks the way of Jesus coming into our lives.

Second, true repentance results in confessing and turning from our Sin. “Repent” actually means to experience a change in thought that results in turning and taking a new direction. True repentance is incomplete without true change in our lives. Understand that we will not live totally without doing wrong things, but the desire of our heart and mind will always be to avoid Sin and return to a right relationship with God.

Third, true repentance leaves us with a full life, not an empty life. True repentance then replaces the deadly, destructive sin that imprisoned us and replaces it with the desire to live a liberated life of righteousness, holiness and good works.

I pray we will all be prepared for the new kingdom to come this Christmas and that the attitudes of our hearts will produce fruit worth of repentance that will stand in the accompanying judgment to come.

“Wholeness: An Attitude of Gratitude”

2013-11-25T15:01:00.002-05:00

Have you ever given a gift with a glad heart only to experienced hurt or disappointment over not receiving some expression of gratitude? Most of us probably have. Our sense of fairness and human decency tells us it is wrong to take something without permission, without asking, and without saying “thank you.”

We are not alone in hoping for some expression of gratitude from others. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus experiences disappointment when all but one of a group of ten fails to express gratitude after being healed of leprosy.

Jesus healed ten lepers and upon returning to give thanks, one of them, a Samaritan outsider, was affirmed and told his faith had made him well. We see from this encounter that restorative faith that makes one truly whole is more than just belief and action; it involves having gratitude for undeserved mercy. We do not know what actually happened to those other nine, but I am pretty sure that the tenth leper found his life overflowing with joy and wholeness. And the fullness of his blessings came when he returned to thank Jesus and praised God.

Please understand that God’s love for us does not depend on whether or not we give him thanks, but our attitude of gratitude does effect the fullness of our joy. It opens the doors of our heart to experience all that God has intended for us. It seems clear that in our busy world today we are less grateful because our lives are less thoughtful. Remember the words “thank” and “think” are both are spelled very much alike, reminding us that thanksgiving comes from thinking about our blessings.

So I encourage you to give some thought this week to what has God has done for you and then do yourself a great favor and show him your attitude of gratitude. I hope we will all have that joyful experience of wholeness by expressing our gratitude to God this Thanksgiving.

All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in from Mr. Adolph

2011-10-11T09:06:00.000-04:00

I was asked to return to my old high school last spring to make a few remarks about my Ag. Teacher and FFA Advisor from years ago. His name is Mr. Adolph Warren, and he taught me a great deal; much of which was foundational, preparatory, and necessary for what I learned later. So, I borrowed from author Robert Fulghum and shared these thoughts.

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned from Mr. Adolph. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the ag. shop at the back of the school.

These are the things I learned: Don’t take life too seriously, do your best and have a good time doing it. Put things back the way you found them and if you can, make things a little better. Clean up your own mess. Set goals and work hard to achieve them. Don't take things that aren't yours. The things that other people don’t want often have a lot of hidden value if you know how to look for it and take the time to find it. This is true of old trucks, tractors, cars, tools, and people; especially people. The simple way is usually the best way but rarely the easy way. Do the job right or don’t do it at all. Persistence in the face of adversity may not change things, but at least you can sleep at night.

Take time to spend with your family and always be willing to help a neighbor. Say your prayers, read your Bible, attend worship every Sunday, and try to live a good Christian life. When you go out into the world, give a good day’s work for a good day’s pay. Always stop and talk to a friend, or a stranger who might become your friend. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or watch skilled people work, you might just learn something. Don’t do business with dishonest people, but when you purchase something from an honest person, count every item, because people can make mistakes. Respect agriculture and natural resources and respect the people who work in it. Realize there are no dumb farmers; the dumb one’s all went broke a long time ago. A good shop student can learn to fix anything; anything except the break of dawn and a broken heart. Remember that everyone is good at something and no one is good at everything, the trick is finding your something and then go out and “do your thing.”

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere; the Golden Rule, love, basic sanitation, ecology, politics, economics, and sane balanced living.

Think of what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had taken an ag. class under Mr. Adolph. Or if we had a basic policy in our world to always put things back better than we found them and clean up our own messes. And it is still true, we are all good at something, now go out and “do your thing.”

Mr. Adolph, thank you for “doing your thing” well so that many of us could learn to do ours.

Campbell University Divinity School Video

2011-02-11T16:33:00.000-05:00

Campbell University Divinity School has produced a promotional video (9:30) that helps to capture something of the spirit there.

The Meaning of Metanoia Praxis, Part Two

2010-08-18T12:55:00.000-04:00

When a coach teaches a rowing crew or a basketball team how to be successful, it only makes sense for the team to begin putting the new skill into practice. (Sometimes putting a new skill into practice takes practice.) Likewise, if one receives a career promotion, continuing to do the same old job in the same old ways would be foolish. These changes are not natural (they do not occur passively). Rather, they come about because of an intentional decision to grow. The same logic can be applied to Christian living.

The term praxis is a Greek term often defined as putting a theory into practice, but the full meaning is much deeper. Aristotle thought of praxis as an intentional action toward a desired end. However, the act of practicing itself could be a part of the objective. So, the idea of Christian praxis is to intentionally put Christian thought into practice, with the understanding that the act of trying to live as a Christian (as Christ) is part of what is desired.

When coupled with metanoia, to form Metanoia Praxis, the title of this blog, praxis implies intentionally putting new activities into practice based on the new thinking God has given. So, if we are new creatures, after our conversion, we should intentionally (not passively) choose to act like new creatures. We should be seeking to do new things in new ways. As we study, and learn how to be better followers of Christ, we should intentionally seek to put that learning into action as well. And, if we come to a different understanding of God’s will (even after many years as a Christian), we should intentionally adopt new actions to correspond to our new understanding. So, to be a growing Christian is to be in a constant state of growth (in terms of thought and action).

Most people accept this easily in the secular activities, but somehow seem reluctant to “practice” spiritual disciplines. Perhaps we feel performance does not matter to God, we are adequate already, or perhaps we have not yet thought about practicing our faith in new ways. The old hymn “Just as I Am” best describes how Christ receives us, not how he intends to leave us.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NRSV)

Images from www.allposters.com

The Meaning of Metanoia Praxis, Part One

2010-08-09T13:41:00.000-04:00

Some have asked about the title of this blog, Metanoia Praxis.

Metanoia is a Greek word that is has different meanings in different contexts, but the idea always involves a changing of the mind or thoughts.

In rhetoric (the art of using language to communicate effectively), metanoia refers to a technique to retract a statement just made, and then state it in a better way.

In psychological, metanoia refers to a process of self healing that could be extreme, even to the point of a psychotic breakdown. It is not always best to prevent such episodes in psychosocial treatment because the underlying issue that caused the problem would still exist. According to Carl Jung, metanoia, in this context, is a “spontaneous attempt of the psyche to heal itself of unbearable conflict by melting down and then being reborn in a more adaptive form.”

The term metanoia is most often used in the context of theological discussions where it is usually means repentance, or more literally, the changing of one's mind. This change is more than a simple act of turning in a new direction. It implies moving to a higher, more perfect, way of thinking.

So, in the context of this blog, metanoia is the process, however traumatic and painful, of changing one’s mind to think in a more perfect way and communicating that change effectively.

In the near future, part two of this discussion will focus on the word praxis.

Picture source: Vladimir Kush