The Shepherd's Scrawl

Monday Mornings in the Scripture with the Scrawling Shepherd #2 of 33

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 14:32:00 -0400

Monday Staff Devotions Monday, September 19, 2022 (#2 of 33)

The Harmony Ministries website can be found HERE

and the website for Harmony Christian School is HERE

You can also find us on Facebook at Harmony Ministries and Harmony Christian School

,,,and on YouTube at Harmony Ministries on YouTube

To continue what I was talking about last week with John the Baptist:

Matthew 11:1-6

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

Have you ever had a moment, or a month, or a year of uncertainty!

You believe in God. You believe in Jesus. You know in your head, and even in your heart, that it’s all true, and that God is good, and He does love you, and He does care about what you’re going through, and He can fight your battles, overcome your obstacles, meet your needs, restore your joy.

But you need something, a word, a touch, a sigh to reassure you that Yes, it’s all true.

The songs you learned to sing as a child aren’t just nursery rhymes.

The stories of God’s victory aren’t fables, myths or legends.

John the Baptist went from prophet to prisoner, and all for doing what God had called him to do. He had been faithful, and now he was in jail, with little or no hope of escape or parole. So, he reached out for some reassurance, some certainty.

And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, adn the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

We don’t ever get to see or hear or read about John the Baptist’s reaction to receiving this message back from Jesus. In fact, the next time we read about John, he has been executed. But I believe that he got the reassurance, the certainty, that he asked for. And so, I am convinced, do you and I when we seek God with open eyes, ears, hands and hearts.

2022-2023 Harmony Ministries Staff Devotions #1 of 33

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 14:28:00 -0400

Dear Blog Reader,

This is a new series of articles in my too-long-inactive blog. It was originally written and presented to the Faculty and Staff of the Harmony Christian School in Middletown, New York. Harmony Christian School is one of the major ministries of Harmony Ministries, also located in Middletown, New York.

The Harmony Ministries website can be found HERE

and the website for Harmony Christian School is HERE

You can also find us on Facebook at Harmony Ministries and Harmony Christian School

,,,and on YouTube at Harmony Ministries on YouTube

Each Monday this year, I intend to share with you some of my favorite Bible verses/passages, particularly in the context of you and I being part of the same ministry staff here at Harmony Ministries.

This morning I’m going to start with my “Life Verse”: John 3:30

John 3:25-30

Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness--look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”

John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The who who has the pride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Let’s take some time to consider what it is that each of us is seeking to accomplish here at Harmony Christian School. For some of us...

It’s a job;
the schedule is nice; all the holidays, snow days, 2 months off in the summer; same schedule as your children
It’s a steady, if modest, paycheck
You’re gaining experience in your field; maybe working toward certification

Whatever your reason for taking this job, though, this is true for all of us: We are workers together in this part of the Kingdom of God.

To be successful, I believe it’s necessary to get myself--my ego, my ambitions, my pride--OUT OF THE WAY so that Christ can get the attention.

In short, He must increase, but I must decrease.

"The Exercise of Comfort" by guest author Don Ashley

Mon, 8 Mar 2021 21:03:00 -0500

The following is written by Don Ashley, my older brother. It came at a time when I, and others, really needed to hear it.

Click HERE to hear this essay read by the author's brother, Dennis Ashley.

Dear friends are dealing with a new source of grief in their family. It’s not easy, and it follows on the heels of other very raw feelings of grief. I’d like to help, I’d like to give them the Bible verse that would alleviate their pain. I’d like to reach into our resources and pull out a solution for them. But the grief continues. All too often our prayers are in the category of banging our fists on God’s chest, and crying why! Why did this happen! What went wrong! What do I do now! I do want to include a few thoughts here, because in a time of suffering like this—this is where I go. This is what I cling to. Nothing fancy, no deep theology, just a relationship with God that gets subtly hinted at in the Bible.

The scene is the disciples, gathered with Jesus, in Acts 1. It's an extended visit rather than the drive-by sightings previously described. The disciples are therefore excited. They sense a big change, they sense that their leader is a leader with unparalleled power. They get up the courage to ask, "Lord, is it at this time that you are going to establish your kingdom?" It's a natural assumption, and they are eager for the information. That leads us up to Acts 1:7, when Jesus says "It's not for you to know...but you will receive power". How often we hear the 8th verse, that begins with "but". This is so often the situation we see, or even enter ourselves. What we're facing, blindly, makes us eager for the information, that is, the answer. But the spiritual answer is that power is more valuable than answers. The power to go through. The power to get through. It's a test of faith, because, desperate for answers, we trudge on, trusting that God is aware and acting on our behalf. And in the times we need it most, we start out by feeling that promise as weak. So how do we proceed? It isn't by giving answers. I cried out to God when I was unable to help someone, feeling that the equipment we are given is woefully inadequate. What do we have! Well, we can think. And then, we can give a comforting hug. We can pull out an encouraging Bible passage. We can pray for, and with, the person in need. We have the comfort and support of others for us as well, and we have the Holy Spirit. I am embarrassed to admit that I complained to God that those "tools" seemed woefully inadequate. What I wanted was a spell, or a staff of power, or something else of Biblical origin that could slay the problem before me. But the comfort did come--in the sense that list of tools is all anyone is given, or, guide me if you know another! This list, I believe, is the plan of God. And if I use it right, I'll see that I am never intended to be the answer-man. That God's plan is two-fold: my job is to enter the relationship again, with the person that needs me, but the second, best part, is to remember that it is God who does the heavy lifting. Take His yoke? Really? I like to think I'm helping, and God smiles and looks that the weakling in the yoke-bar beside Him and says, "See, we can do this. I'm seeing that image of the tiny lion cub roaring in victory, but it is the Lion King behind the cub doing using his power.

I can usually sum up my need by recalling a simple little song we used in Vacation Bible School, because I loved watching the kids sing it. It was a key to relief for me—it might not be the key to unlock your need, but perhaps it will bring you closer to the One who says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…”

At a time like this.

At a time like this, OHHH!!!

I need the Lord to help me.

The Outcasts, both Real and Imagined (Part 4 in the "Normal Is Moving" series)

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 07:00:00 -0400

NEW! Now you can LISTEN to the author read this essay. Click here: Listen to the Scrawling Shepherd read this essay

Poor sinners, outcasts, at the edge of the crowd. Wanting to see, wanting to hear, wanting to draw near, but not daring to risk being noticed, being rejected.

Perhaps he or she is thinking "They know me. They know who I am, what I've done. They'll never let me in. They'll never let me get close. And they are right. I don't deserve it."

But also, they might be thinking "but what He is saying has the ring of truth. He's speaking in an accent of love and of mercy. Maybe He won't turn me away, even if those around Him do."

In the last few weeks since church services have gone ONLINE ONLY, something different and WONDERFUL has been happening. Well really, many different and wonderful things have been and are happening. I haven't noticed ALL of them. If you have noticed any, why don't you go ahead and write about what you've noticed?

The thing I have noticed and want to comment on is this: some people who for any number of reasons have found themselves no longer comfortable or welcome attending a local church are finding their way back by joining ONLINE. Online, they won't be confronted with glares, stares, or suspicious glances. There, they won't be shunned or snubbed. They can see, they can hear, they can move up close to the front safely and without fear because they are present ONLINE ONLY.

Jesus was often surrounded by crowds of people, leaning in intently to see Him and to hear what He might say, and especially to see what miracle He might DO. The word about Him traveled quickly in whatever parts He traveled through. There are quite a few instances recorded in the Gospels where some of these very "outcasts" or "social pariahs" were among those trying to see and hear Jesus.

Sometimes, they were sick people. Lepers, the literal unclean outcasts of their day. They were required by law to keep social distance from healthy people, lest they infect them. Jesus never shunned them or turned away in outrage, disgust, or fear. As far as I can tell, there is no record of Jesus ever encountering a leper and leaving him or her in the same condition as when they first met. (Of course, Jesus was immune to any virus or illness. He didn't have to wear a mask or maintain a safe social distance.)

Once there was a hated tax collector, named Zaccheus. He was not a nice man. He had betrayed his own people, working for the Romans, and further, cheating his countrymen to become wealthy at their expense. Yet he, too, wanted to see this man Jesus for himself, hear what he was saying. He wasn't a very tall person, and couldn't get close enough to see Jesus. Certainly, his neighbors were not willing to make room for him! I can imagine them shouldering him aside, crowding together all the tighter to keep him from getting close. So, a clever man, Zaccheus climbed a tree to be able to see. Not only did Zaccheus see Jesus, but Jesus saw Zaccheus, and called to him by name. Oh, I bet that the "in" crowd didn't like it that Jesus went to visit Zaccheus in his own house! (This story is found in Luke 19:1-10 if you'd like to read it for yourself!)

And the children--don't forget the children! Some parents were wanting Jesus to bless their children--what parent doesn't want that?-- and they were trying to get close to Jesus, but of course, children are supposed to be seen, and not heard, so the disciples, thinking that they were doing a good job of crowd management, tried to shoo them away. Jesus wasn't having it, though. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away. (that's from Matthew 19:14-15)

There are other examples, too. Jesus is far more welcoming to the socially underprivileged than most of His followers are. Maybe we have good intentions, such as they are, and maybe we can even cite chapter and verse to justify our opinions and actions. I wonder, though, if Jesus would agree with our attitude toward those that we have judged "undeserving" of His attention. There's this one thing Jesus said that really troubles me sometimes: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea." (That's from Mark 9:42, but this saying of Jesus is also recorded by Matthew in 18:6 and Luke in 17:2. Seems like these words made quite an impression on the disciples who heard it "Live" also.)

How does this look today? Those people who are finding their way back to "church", to worship, to the teaching of God's Word, to prayer, and hopefully ultimately to God, are like Zaccheus, or the lepers, or the woman caught in an adulterous act, or even the noisy children. To some, they have no right, no place at the feet of Jesus. But to Jesus? Well, He's spoken quite clearly on that subject. Who really "deserves" to come near to God? Of course we all know that the answer to that question is "NOBODY! Certainly not ME!"

And yet, Jesus has made it possible for any of us, for ALL of us, to draw near to Him. He has taken my unworthiness, my uncleanness, my unfitness, my disease, my contagion, my filth, my sin, and paid for it. "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow."

When this time of social distancing at last is at an end, and those of us who have been deprived of our assembling together return together, I'm praying that we come together with enough room for those who have felt unwelcome and unwelcomed. If I am part of the reason that you don't feel welcome or comfortable in church, PLEASE, PLEASE FORGIVE ME! Come with me to the "altar" and let's kneel together in joyful thanks that Jesus has made enough room for all of us.

If you liked this article, perhaps you'll also enjoy reading the previous articles in this "Normal Is Moving" series. You can find them HERE:

Part 1: "Normal Is Moving"
Part 2: "Closing the Distance"
Part 3: "Real Connections Take Real Effort"

The Great Conspiracy

Wed, 8 Apr 2020 07:00:00 -0400

NEW! Now you can listen to this essay, read by the author, by clicking here: "The Great Conspiracy", read by the Scrawling Shepherd

You've heard some of the various many theories about why people are getting sick and dying right now. "Coronavirus" or COVID-19 is the culprit. It's an aggressive and highly contagious virus, passed by the most casual human contact, airborne.

Or is it? Is it actually the 5G wireless signal that's being blasted, unseen, through our airwaves in millimeter-wavelength, empowering our wireless devices and killing us?

Or is it a state/military-sponsored biological weapon, tested first on native population before being employed against enemy peoples?

Is it the elite top few most powerful and wealthy people and corporations in the world, working in concert to "thin the herd" to save the world from it's greatest threat and enemy: humankind?

Or is it something else?

I don't know.

I DO know about one Great Conspiracy, though, and because I've fully "bought in" to this one, none of the rest of them really give me much anxiety.

The GREAT Conspiracy was launched long, long ago. Before Time began, in fact. There are Three Conspirators, acting in perfect Oneness, Unity and Harmony, and with absolutely no discord, and with no malice or evil or selfish intention. Their identity is not a secret. They've disclosed Themselves to the world in the personifications of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

(Author's NOTE: This is NOT intended to be understood as quoting or even paraphrasing of Scripture--this is just my hypothetical imagining of a supposed conversation based upon what we DO KNOW from revealed Scripture. No well-meaning but cranky critic needs to denounce me for twisting or distorting Scripture or putting words in God's mouth that He never spoke.)

It began, more or less, when One said,

[Overheard in an undisclosed location code-named "Heaven":]

"Let us make humankind in our image..."

As the Conversation went on, perhaps it went a little like this...just bits and pieces of the whole exchange.

ONE: "We'll give them independent will and freedom of action. We want them to choose to trust Us, to love Us, to obey Us, for the right reasons."
ALL: "Agreed."
ONE: "We know, of course, that they won't choose Us every time. Or even many times. We know that they will rebel. They'll be deceived. Disillusioned. And We're going to have to take action against that rebellion."
ALL: "Agreed."
ONE: "It will go on and on and on, and get worse and worse and worse."
ALL: "Yes."
ONE: "They won't be able to stop. They won't be able to fix what they break. Even if they want to, they won't find their way back to Us."
ONE: "You are correct. They will need Help. They are going to be like sheep. And so, they will need a Shepherd. A Good Shepherd."
ALL: "Yes, that's right."
Then the Son said,
SON: "I'll do it. When the time is right, I'll go and join them. I'll live among them, and show them who We are. And, finally, I will lay down my life for those sheep."
ALL: "It's the only way. They can't be redeemed in any other way."
SON: "I will do it. There is no other way. I will give up My life."
FATHER: "Let it be so. But I will not let the grave hold You. Three days only, and no more. Forevermore."
SON: "Agreed."
SPIRIT: "Agreed."
ALL: "Let it be so."

And it was so.

And it IS so.

And because of this, no earthly conspiracy by any bad actor or actors will prevail. God knows the hearts and thoughts of every one of us, whether we acknowledge Him or not. No scheme or plot conceived in secret and launched from the shadows will defeat God's Eternal Plan. God knows these things, has always known them, and has taken them all into account. Some, He thwarts. Others, He blunts. Some He shines the light of day upon, that it will become known what we have and are doing, what evil we have conceived in our hearts and wrought by our hands.

God declares to His people in Isaiah 54:17--"No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD.

Elsewhere God speaks over us these words that bring us hope and confidence in response to any action accusation that any force or power opposing us may bring:

And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose...

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:28, 35-39)

Conspirators of the world: beware. Your plans are KNOWN. As God declared to King Belshazzar of Babylonia, "MENE--God has numbered the days of your reign and is about to bring it to an end."

"TEKEL--you have been weighed on [God's] scales and found deficient."

"PERES--your kingdom has been divided and given over to your [enemies.]"

(Daniel 5:25-28)

I still believe. And I am thankful for that First, that Greatest, Conspiracy. It has a name by which it has come to be known for millennia. The name: The Gospel.

Amen.

Is Easter Cancelled?

Mon, 6 Apr 2020 07:00:00 -0400

NEW! Now you can listen to the author read this essay by clicking the link here: Is Easter Cancelled? read by the author, The Scrawling Shepherd

Is Easter cancelled?

I saw this question earlier today on a friend's Facebook post. It may have been just a rhetorical question, or it may have been a request for information about a specific event planned or scheduled by or for a specific church or group. It doesn't matter. I saw that question, and that was all it took to send my mind galloping through the array of dictionaries, thesauruses (thesaurii?) and textbooks to write this, my next article.

Is Easter cancelled this year because we're all confined to quarters? On quarantine? Maintaining safe social distancing? If churches are still closed, how can we celebrate Easter? Oh, the pretty new Easter dresses for Mother and daughters; the new bow ties and pastel colored clothing for all the family...alas, what can we do?

My dear wife is groaning at the thought of not being able to have the family together after Church on Sunday for Easter Feast. Secretly I'm thinking "that's more ham and deviled eggs for me." (Side note: why are they called "deviled eggs?" and why in the world do we think of them as part of the Easter feast? Is it because we consume deviled eggs in symbolic demonstration of Jesus consuming the Devil's hold on us? Hmmm...I think I'll go with that.)

So, is Easter really cancelled? HAH! Not hardly. We cannot cancel Easter. It's not an event. It's just something that we celebrate each year about an event that already happened. No, not an event. THE event. The most important, significant, incredible, amazing, miraculous occurrence in the whole of the history of everything that was, is, or ever will be. The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, who was and is known to be both Lord and Christ, is the pivotal moment in time. It did and does change everything.

And, when it comes down to it, even if not one single person on earth uttered one single word about Easter on this coming April 12; if no one says "He is Risen!" and if no one answers back "He is Risen indeed!", it won't matter. If not a single person turns to hymn #216 and sings "Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph o'er His foes,", or #217 "Christ the Lord is ris'n today, a-a-a-a-a-le-lu-ia", or even #213 "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow..." or #220 "You ask me how I know He lives...He LIVES within my heart!". Even if none of those things happen this coming Sunday, well, He is risen, just the same.

If not one of those things would happen, well, it wouldn't change anything. Easter is not cancelled. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ happened, and nothing can or will ever overturn that truth.

We're going to observe Holy Week in the best ways we can figure out, in spite of our current "handicaps." Our home group plans to gather via video conference to mark Good Friday together. Our church family will worship together on Resurrection Sunday morning from our living rooms. I know I'll be singing at the top of my lungs. You won't hear me from your house (except Kelly. Kelly, if you're reading this, then yes. You WILL hear me there at your house.) but God is going to hear my voice on Easter. He IS risen! He IS risen--INDEED!

Here's a couple of people who agree:

Rise Again, by Dallas Holm

What a Beautiful Name by Hillsong

Happy Easter, friends!

Real Connections with Others Take Real Effort (Part 3 in the "Normal Is Moving" Series)

Fri, 3 Apr 2020 10:42:00 -0400

NEW! Now you can listen to the author reading this essay HERE: Listen to the Scrawling Shepherd read this essay

I've mentioned this before to those who know me, or who have read other things I've written: I am in introvert by nature. Talking to "strangers", to new people I'm just meeting, or even to acquaintances does not come easy to me. I do it, because I know that it's important. It is just always an effort to me to do it. I comes with a cost. I have to spend emotional capital, resources, to engage in conversation.

For me, this is especially true with "chit-chat," with "small talk", with conversation just about anything at all. Filler. That's how I see it. Something to fill the silences, the pauses. Some people seem to need it, or at least, to want it. Not me. I'm comfortable with silence. It's a part of who I am, my personality. Carrying on this kind of conversation, for me, does not come naturally or easily. I can do it, but it is often awkward and feels, at least to me, like maybe I'm "trying too hard." I really don't know if the other person notices my discomfort or feels my awkwardness. If so, they don't say anything about it. Maybe they just politely continue on, while thinking "what's wrong with this poor guy? Is he daft?"

Well, enough about that. Here's the point I'm trying to build up to: really connecting with others requires real effort. Right now, almost EVERY interaction I have with ANYBODY and EVERYBODY is taking place in a telephone call, an email, a text message, or especially, a Zoom videoconference call or meeting. I'll talk about the Zoom meeting in particular. The Zoom call is planned, scheduled, arranged, set up, hosted. It can be recorded. There are steps to take to set up a call. There are steps to be taken to accept an invitation to join a call. There is protocol to follow while in (on?) the call. For most of us this is quite new. I know that Skype and Facetime and some others have been around for awhile now, but I've never been much of a fan of them. Doesn't matter. Right now, this is how we are connecting with one another.

As a teacher, I'm using Google Hangouts Meet, which is yet another video conferencing "app". We're using Meet because it's part of the Google Suite of software applications our school is using for creating, storing, sharing, and distributing data and content relating our our educational objectives. (That sounds like propaganda as I read it back. It is, unfortunately, exactly the way my mind sees it. Poor me.) I (and my colleagues with me) are using this application to conduct live teaching sessions engaging with our students "face to face" in real time. They see and hear me, along with whatever content on my computer that I choose to share with them. I see and hear them (although it's amusing to me how many of my students want to leave their cameras and microphones turned off. Turns out that at least one student uses that ploy to sign into class on his computer and then walk away. But that's a matter for a different forum entirely.)

Using video conferencing to teach, or to conduct a board meeting, a church leaders meeting, a home group Bible study meeting are all things I've done with frequency in the last two weeks. You're probably familiar with what I'm talking about, and perhaps you're using these tools even more often than I do. They all require some degree of intentional effort to make the connection happen. That brings me, finally, to the point of this post. I've been giving some deliberate thought to the way I connect with people. (Reference my previous post in the series called "Closing the Distance" --click on that title to follow the link to the article.)

Making and maintaining relationships with others requires deliberate effort on your part. Sometimes the effort seems light, and the joy you find in the relationship makes you overlook, or even forget, that you're spending effort to participate in that relationship. My marriage to Kelly is a great example. Unlike me, Kelly is extroverted by nature. She wants to connect and engage with people; she craves it, and she's very, very good at it. To me as an observer, it seems effortless to her. I sometimes watch ice skating on television. The really, really accomplished skaters make it look so easy, so natural, to graceful, so effortless. And then I remember me on ice skates on a frozen lake, or most recently, an indoor ice arena. That is how I imagine the relative ease of making and maintaining relationships for a person like Kelly as compared to the same tasks for a person like me.

The bottom line in this, for me, is the "want to." I am aware now, more than ever, that connecting with people requires deliberate effort. And I can do it, if I really want to. And right now, I do. (Really want to, that is.)

Normal Is Moving. And I'm coming with it, whatever it is, and wherever it ends up. See you there!

(Personal note to "Unknown." If you are not "Unknown" please stop reading now. Thanks.
Dear Unknown:

Thanks for your encouraging comments on some of the blog articles you've read. I appreciate you wanting to keep your name private and unpublished. I respect that. Just between you and me, though, I'm curious about your identity. I am uncertain if you are someone I know personally, a family member or friend, or someone I know casually or professionally, or possibly someone I've never met in person. If you're willing to let me know, privately, who you are, I would very much appreciate it, and I promise not to reveal your true identity to the others who might read my blog. I believe that there is a way to contact me directly somewhere in this blog, but if you can't find it, post in an anonymous comment how to reach you, or tell me to need to know how to reach me. Thanks so much!

And if you are not "Unknown" and you are still reading this: not cool, man.

Are You a Teacher? You are!

Thu, 2 Apr 2020 07:00:00 -0400

NEW! Now you can LISTEN to this article, read by the author. Click HERE: The Scrawling Shepherd reads "Are You a Teacher? You Are!"

Teaching? Yeah. This week I've had a recurring thought. I am a teacher. It isn't simply my occupation, my job. It's a large part of my identity. In fact, it doesn't even matter if I don't have a classroom right now. Or whether or not I have a class roster, or an attendance book, or even a grade book. I am a Teacher. And, (this is really what has me thinking HARD), because I AM a teacher, IF I AM TALKING, I AM TEACHING. Corollary: EVEN IF I AM NOT TALKING, I AM STILL TEACHING. Now the question is less about WHO am I teaching, and more about WHAT am I teaching? If anyone reads my posts on Facebook or other social media: what are they learning FROM me? What are they learning ABOUT me? It's quite astonishing to think that I learn a lot about people by what they post, share, like on Facebook. Makes me stop and think about what I post, share, like on Facebook. Right?

If I encounter someone OUT THERE, in the world outside my four walls, what am I showing them? Am I showing them Fear? Am I showing them that I am foolishly disregarding all advice about limiting my social interactions, maintaining a safe distance? Hopefully, with a smile and a wave and a nod, and maybe, if we're both moving slowly enough, a friendly exchange of some words.

Hey, think about those people who are your students. I spent some time recently with one of my grandsons. He doesn't watch the news. He doesn't know about COVID-19 or social distance or any of the other things that most of the rest of us are thinking about, talking about, worrying about. Whenever I'm around him, I'm definitely teaching. And, strange as it may sound, today, he was teaching me, too. Life is still happening. It's different right now. For sure. It's almost the end of March as I'm writing this. April Fools Day is just a few days away now. It's going to be April, and really Spring! The sun is going to shine. The temperatures will get warmer. And this present thing will eventually be over, and the next thing will begin.

May my teaching reach beyond this present grim moment and look ahead to the time after this time. There's a lot more to learn, and a lot more to teach.

Class dismissed.

Closing the Distance (Part 2 in the Normal Is Moving series)

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 07:00:00 -0400

NEW! Now you can LISTEN to the author reading this essay HERE: The Scrawling Shepherd reads this essay

A few days ago I wrote an article I called Normal Is Moving. If you missed it, you can find it HERE.

In that article I mentioned some ideas I have about how I want to describe, define, and develop its new location for me. Today I'm writing about the first of those ideas.

I also mentioned recently that my mind has been working hard while the rest of me is resting. Many mornings I've woken with a spaghetti pile of thoughts tumbling around like sneakers in a clothes dryer. This morning, the thread of one of those ideas was sticking out a little more prominently, where I could get hold of it and coax it loose.

We're in Week #3 (depending on when you start counting) of what we've been calling "social distancing." It's a new expression, socially engineered to be less alarming and confrontational than the old words: isolation and quarantine. But that's okay, I'm not objecting to the semantics. Words are important. That's not my point.

My thought was this: since I'm overcoming the isolation of social distancing using digital technology readily available to most of us at very little expense (besides the expense of internet access we were already paying anyway!), that means of connection has actually SHORTENED or CLOSED the distance between people who are separated by hundreds of miles of actual, real world distance.

Kelly (my wife in case you don't know me personally) and I have some very dear friends who live in Northern Maine. During the three years we lived there, we made many friendships that were and are dear to us. Since our return visits to that region are very few and very far between, it has been difficult to maintain those relationships.

Here's where I need to confess a character flaw or shortcoming that I have long known was true of me: I'm really lousy at maintaining relationships over time and distance. It's partly due to my introverted nature, but I was reminded by my pastor on Sunday that "It's just the way I am" is not an acceptable excuse for not doing the things that I should do, or becoming the person God wants me to be, and others close to me want me to become.

So, it's been my "custom" to allow the relationships I've made during a certain season in my life to wither due to neglect after I've moved on geographically, or professionally, or both. That's "my bad." (Another way of acknowledging that it's my fault without actually doing anything to change it.)

I started noticing more than a decade ago that now that we have these new platforms that eventually became known collectively as "social media," I could find and reconnect with some of those people. It started with "MySpace." Remember that one? It showed up a little earlier than Facebook, but like Compuserve, was quickly swallowed up by Facebook, and Twitter, and then Instagram, Snapchat, and whatever else is already in use.

I found and reconnected with some high school classmates, and one connection in particular gave me an opportunity to try to apologize for the poor treatment and neglect I had shown to one of those classmates. Some of you who know me well and/or have heard me talk for long enough might remember that story. I won't retell it here.

Soon, I moved over to Facebook, the social media megaladon, where I've found and reconnected with many, many other people I've known over the years: high school, college, military service, seminary (1st), seminary (2nd), and the churches and schools where I've served, as well as the secular jobs I've held over the years. All of these relationships I rediscovered were important to me AT THE TIME, but every one of them had been left to wither, starved of attention.

But all of that is changing, starting NOW. My thought this morning was that social distancing, while impacting by current relationships and style of work, has closed the distance that existed between those former and neglected relationships.

Friday night our "Home Group", the small group Kelly and I are a part of at our church, met via Zoom conferencing. (Side note: man, I wish I had the money and intelligence to buy some shares of Zoom a month ago!) We sat "together", each in our own place of isolation and distancing, but connected virtually by digital communication tools. A camera, a microphone, sound speakers, a computer to drive them and an internet connection (wireless!) facilitated our meeting. It wasn't "the same" as being in the same room. (Mostly because we couldn't share a potluck meal together!) Okay, there are other things true of meeting over distance that fall short of being in person, but since that isn't possible, this seems like the "next best thing." Some of the people in our group actually live quite close to us, geographically. We could walk to their house if we wanted to, but right now that's out of the question.

Back to my thought from this morning. If I can continue to teach my students while at home staring at a computer screen and speaking into a microphone, and if I can attend a board meeting, or a staff meeting, or an elders meeting, by Zoom, and have a satisfactory experience of seeing and hearing what others are saying, why not use the same means of connection with my friends who live hundreds of miles away?

The social distance between us is a current and temporary necessity. But in some way, the distance between those of us who are nearby and those of us who are far away is, right now, exactly the same distance.

Normal is moving. But I see a chance to go forward from where it used to be to a new, and in many ways better, situation. Get ready, friends far and wide! I may be sending you an invitation to a Zoom meeting soon!

God's blessing and peace be upon you.

Dennis

NORMAL IS MOVING. (Part 1 in a Series)

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 07:00:00 -0400

NEW! NOW you can LISTEN to the author read this essay HERE: The Scrawling Shepherd reads "Normal Is Moving"

#NormalIsMoving. #NormalIsOnTheMove. Normal doesn't live here any more. It won't be back. I'm not really worrying about it, though. I'll find it when it settles in at its new address. Don't know where it will be or what it will look like yet. But I'll catch up to it, sure enough.

It's for the best, really. The only thing Normal's old look had going for it was, well, its familiarity. I knew right where to find it. It had really settled in. It was comfortable. Because of that, it was reassuring to me. On reflection, though (because suddenly I find myself with the time to reflect, to think. I had been putting this off, because it is so much easier not to do this. Easier to kick it down the street; to put it off until a time when I might be able to think about things without being annoyed.) Normal really hasn't done that much for me. Just kept me right where I was.

Rats. No more excuses, no more reasons not to think about things. It's time I really started looking at how really messy Normal had made things. Normal is the enemy of progress; the adversary of growth, the antagonist of change. I'd go on, but I left my thesaurus in my actual office/classroom, and in my home office/classroom/broadcasting studio, I don't have room for it.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm pretty excited to imagine the possibilities of Normal's new place. In fact, I've got some ideas I'm going to suggest. For now, though, I'll keep them to myself. I don't want to spoil your joy at being able to have some input into what your new Normal is going to look like.

I just know this. I won't find Normal in the usual place any more. And now that I'm coming to realize that, I think I'll be okay. Maybe I'll be a little more reluctant to let Normal get so comfortable in its next location. #NormalIsATraveler.

When I Finally Get to be "Unpaused," or, I See a Chance...

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 08:00:00 -0400

NEW! Now you can listen to the author read this article here: The Scrawling Shepherd reads "I See a Chance"

Friday, March 27, 2020

Yesterday I posted an article which you may have seen. If not, you can find it here: Why I am On Pause, and Why I am Okay with It.

Today I want to write the article I thought I was going to write yesterday when I sat down to write. I've been thinking about the current circumstance we're sharing: a dramatic response to a critical threat to our health. We've been put "On Pause," as we're calling it in New York. You may have a different name for it: self-quarantine, shelter-in-place, lock-in, or any number of other words or phrases.

I'm a teacher, and this circumstance has dramatically affected my work, and my way of working. We're figuring out how to continue teaching and learning over distance, using technology in most cases. Early into this experience, I began thinking about how this dramatic change will outlast the current crisis. Even when we come crawling out of our metaphorical bunkers, blinking in the bright light of day and looking around to see who else is still standing, we may never again go back to whatever was "normal" just three weeks ago.

And that got me thinking wider still. Churches, like schools, are figuring out what HAS to be included in "church" experience, and what we can do without, even if only temporarily. Our home groups have been reading and discussing Francis Chan's Letters to the Church and his observations about how we've come to expect certain things in our experience of church that aren't really lining up well with what Jesus and His apostles described, designed, and established. It has been challenging, convicting, sometimes embarrassing. But how to fix it? It's almost like we need to start over.

Start over. Huh.

I see a chance here. I see an opportunity to restart. To get a "do over." A Mulligan.

I see a chance to finally, finally, put some distance between the church and that ugly label, that ugly sweater we keep wearing even though nobody likes it, called "hypocrisy." "The church is full of hyprocrites." I've heard it all my life, or at least it seems like I have. And as soon as I try to deny it, to say that "well, it might be true of them, but it's definitely not true of me," I get that all-too-familiar poke of the Holy Spirit's conviction and I have to withdraw my objection, my deflection, and put that ugly, smelly, scratchy sweater back on again.

But I see a chance. I see a chance to take that old mildewy, moldy, scratchy, smelly sweater out to the firepit in my back yard and burn it on a funeral pyre. And once I get it burning in a big, roaring, purifying, consuming fire, let's rummage around and see what other ugly things have been clinging to me that I can also use to feed the Refiner's fire.

I see a chance for a fresh start. A new beginning. A clean slate.

I want to be a different kind of Christian, a different kind of follower. I want to be the kind of follower of Jesus that doesn't attract labels like hypocrite, or judgmental, or exclusive, or prejudiced, or bigoted, or any of the other negative labels that have been attached to Christians in our culture. If I am going to be criticized, let it be because I have been trying to follow the example and the teaching of Christ as shown in God's Word, the Bible. Not legalistically, like the Pharisees of Jesus' day that were the first to carry the label of hypocrite. But lovingly. Let that be my legacy.

I'm Just a Nobody. (This is a live link to a music video by Casting Crowns, with Matthew West.)

It shouldn't have taken a global pandemic to get my attention. There's been a pandemic going already, from the early days of human history. It's transmitted by birth. It's the original STD. It infects EVERYONE. It has a 100% mortality rate. Nobody is immune. No one escapes or avoids it. It reaches everything, everywhere. It's responsible for every other illness. It's the root cause of every war, every act of cruelty. It gives birth to fear, hatred, mistrust, untruth, lust, rebellion, violence, addiction, abuse, poverty, hunger, thirst, and every other awful thing that is a part of the history of our world. It goes by many names, but I call it sin.

We've been dealing it with for so long, we have stopped talking about it, stopped fighting against it. We've found ways to become comfortable with it, to anesthetize ourselves against its worst symptoms, and otherwise ignore it, pretending it isn't lurking there, waiting to kill us. Because it does kill us. All of us.

That's the first truth of the Good News, the Gospel. We are all sinners.

Doesn't really sound like very good news. And by itself, it isn't. The good part starts with point #2: God loves us. Even while we were still sinners, God loved us, and gave His Only Begotten Son do die for us.

Jesus Christ is the Cure for this fatal disease! Look unto Him, all you to the ends of the earth, and be saved! Isaiah 45:22.

I see a Chance. Do you see what I see? Come stand next to me. Let's see if we can take this chance together. Maybe we can do it better, together, this time.

Why I am "On Pause..." and Why I'm Okay With It.

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 09:32:00 -0400

NEW! Now you can listen to the writer read this essay HERE: Click Here to listen to the Scrawling Shepherd read this essay

It's Thursday, March 26, 2020.

Like most of America, and quite possibly, most of the world, I am at home. "Sheltering in place", some are saying. Here in New York, we are not officially sheltering in place. Instead, we are "On Pause."

I'm a teacher. I teach Bible classes at Harmony Christian School, grades 7-12. The 7th and 8th graders are still kids, and they know that they are kids, and are content to behave like kids. The high schoolers, of course, believe themselves to be "adults", or at least, want to be treated like adults, so except in their most unguarded moments, they don't let themselves be seen behaving like kids.

The kids, though, occasionally play this "game." One of them points an imaginary remote controller, or "air controller" (my words, not theirs) at another one or other ones of them, pretends to push a button with his or her thumb, and declares "pause." At which, the target kid(s) actually pause. Until the "god kid" (the kid with the air controller) depresses the imaginary button again and declares "unpause." (Is "unpause" an actual word? My spell checker tells me that it is not. Or, was it an actual word before remote controllers?)

Consequently, when New York was declared to be "On Pause" a day or two ago, this image of children playing resurfaced in my admittedly strange (damaged?) mind. The magic of the game is in the willing cooperation of the players. There is no actual remote control. No "pause" button. No control, whether digital, infrared, Bluetooth, or other communication link, exists. The "god" player declares it, and the "subject" players comply. These labels, "god" and "subject", are my labels, not theirs. I suspect that they don't even think about this in any kind of analytical way. That's my construct.

But in a very real sense, that is what is happening here around us. The "god" player--in this case, the Governor of the State of New York--has figuratively pressed a button on a very, very large remote control. Whether or not it works will depend to a very great degree on the willing cooperation of we the "subject" players, i.e., the citizens, residents, of the state. Will we actually pause?

When you pause an image on your television/video screen, the image is frozen. If there is a person in the image, that person is not blinking. He/she is "frozen" in place. When you "unpause" that image, the person thus frozen instantly resumes his/her action exactly as if nothing had happened, NO MATTER HOW LONG THE PAUSE WAS IN EFFECT.

And that is the point of divergence between TV pause and RL pause. (Oops. I'd better explain the acronyms. TV is shorthand for Television. Everyone knows that. But only people in the texting generation will know that RL is shorthand for Real Life.) The TV pause is artificial. It's done for convenience, so that I can get up from the comfortable chair, go get a free refill of my beverage from the kitchen, refresh my empty bowl of popcorn, and attend to other matters of personal comfort. And, I can do all of this without missing any of the content of the program I am viewing.

This RL pause is done for similar, but vastly different reasons. Similar in the sense that it gives me a chance to attend to my personal comfort needs and wishes. But that's where the similarity ends. It's not simply a matter of personal comfort and convenience. And I will most definitely be missing out on some things that would otherwise have been happening while I/we have been patiently waiting out the "Pause."

Here's why I'm pausing, as I understand it. Feel free to add to my list or challenge some of my thoughts in a comment below.

To keep myself as safe as possible, I'm avoiding contact with others, who may, inadvertently or advertently (evidently also not a word, though it should be), try to kill me. Or at least make me very sick.
Similar to #1, only possibly even more important) to keep other people as safe FROM ME as possible, so that I don't inadvertently or advertently to hurt or kill them.
To minimize my demand on the limited resources and infrastructure that needs to be refocused on helping those already sick, and finding an effective way or ways to KILL COVID-19. (Incidentally, I HATE YOU, COVID-19. But God tells me that Vengeance is His, so I'm asking God to annihilate you, COVID-19, using any and all of the not insignificant resources at His control. Which, by the way, is EVERYTHING. So, if I were you, COVID-19, I would take whatever time left you have on this Earth and run. Run as far as you can, as fast as you can. Run away. But it won't matter. Because there is no place where you can run and/or hide where My God cannot, will not, find you.) There. That felt pretty good.
To show my support of... well, of all of you, by doing my part as a citizen to respect and obey authority, to exercise good judgment on behalf of myself, my family, friends, neighbors, and strangers who share our world.
To set an example for others. Not that anyone is watching me, in particular, but if I do have any influence on anyone, let my example be one that helps others, not the opposite.

When I started writing this blog article/entry today, I had a different title and another article altogether in mind. But as I wrote the first few lines, and then a few more, I realized that I wasn't writing what I thought I wanted to write at all. But I kept writing anyway, and as it turns out, I actually WAS writing what I wanted to write after all. I just didn't know it yet.

Perhaps I'll still write the other article. I still want to. Keep an eye out for it. The title is, or was going to be, "I See a Chance." Don't steal my idea or my article, though! Or maybe, do steal it. Perhaps you'll say it better.

[Update: I DID write that article! If you're curious, you can find it HERE.

I love you!

(In the words of the not very articulate but sometimes funny comedian Larry the Cable Guy, "I don't care who you are, that's funny!" I'm saying to you, I don't care who you are. Even if I don't know you. Or even if I do know you and we're not friends. From one human being to another. "I love you!" Believe it or don't. Take it or leave it. But I mean it.)

Great Pillars of a Vibrant Christian Life, Part 5: We Have a Great Confession

Sun, 24 Feb 2019 14:42:00 -0500

Sunday, February 24, 2019
Series: "Pillars of a Vibrant Christian Life"
Part 5: "We Have a Great Confession" [to Make]
Key Scriptures: Matthew 16:13-20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Delivered at: Community Baptist Church, Wappingers Falls, New York.

Listen to this message HERE

This morning we will continue in the series of messages I began last month, called:

9 Pillars of a Vibrant Christian Life

Definitions:

Pillar: any upright, supporting part; post

Vibrant: pulsating with vigor and energy; vigorous; energetic; vital; exciting; stimulating; lively

Last time we put the first pillar in place:

“A Great Commandment”

Today we are installing the second pillar, and you’ll begin to see the pattern of this series of messages taking shape.

The Second Great Pillar of a Vibrant Christian Life is: A Great Confession

The word “confess” is used in two different ways in the Bible.

It is used of confessing, or admitting, your sin:

1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

James 5:16:

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

But the word “confess” is also used in another way: to state your belief or firm conviction, as in:

Romans 10:9-10

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Here the word “Confess” means “to make a clear and firm statement of what you believe to be true.” Or “to publicly declare where your allegiance lies.”

Joshua did this famously in Joshua 24:15: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

In Matthew 16:13-18, Jesus asks His disciples to make a statement in which they would declare their belief in Him:

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Here are a few other statements, or “confessions,” that appear in the New Testament:

1 John 4:1-3

¹ Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

1 Timothy 1:15

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

2 Timothy 2:11-13

Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

Ephesians 4:4-6

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8

¹ Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. ³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

1 Timothy 3:16

Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

Sometimes, our “confession of faith” is called a “creed.”

A Creed is: an authoritative, formulated statement of the chief articles of Christian belief.

The Apostles’ Creed

1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:

5. The third day he rose again from the dead:

6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:

9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:

10. The forgiveness of sins:

11. The resurrection of the body:

12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

“These Are the Facts” Michael Seward 1971