The Shepherd's Staff

Thank God for the Women!

2013-08-22T10:50:00.000-05:00

Some words shared at a community Good Friday Service. My assignment was to consider the Word of Affection (John 19:25-27).

Thank God for the women!

The women never betrayed Him. The women never spoke a word against Him. The women never raised a hand in opposition to Him. And, here we see, the women never deserted Him.

Thank God for the women!

His first missionary was a woman He met at a well. She went and told everyone to "come and see!"

Thank God for the women!

His first miracle was for a bride. The wine had run out and, so she would not be shamed, He turned water into wine. Let the celebration continue!

Thank God for the women!

His first words after His resurrection were to some women who showed up to take care of the body. (Brothers, I'm not sure where the men were. The women were even discussing among themselves who they would get to roll the stone away. Seems as if the men folk were busy that morning. Discussing matters of grave importance I am sure.)

Thank God for the women!

Born of a virgin. Nursed at her breast. Showered with her praise. Cared for by her hand. Fed at her table. Taught by her word. Comforted by her presence. Yes, now, at the last, again, comforted by her presense. "Jesus...saw his mother standing nearby."

Thank God for the women!

We struggle to conceive of the anguish dear Mary must have felt on that Friday afternoon. There hangs her dear son, naked, mocked, humiliated, and she does not cry out. She hears His cry of thirst and is unable to meet His need. She sees Him struggle for breath and is unable to offer Him aid. She sees, all too clearly, the wounds and is unable to tend them. She looks upon that blessed brow, now pierced, and is unable to soothe its hurt. Certainly she thinks again of Simeon's words to her that day in the temple when they dedicated Him, "and a sword will peirce your soul..."

Thank God for the women!

Here we find a son speaking to his mother. That is respect.
Here we find a son providing for his mother. That is responsibility.
Here we find a son caring for his mother. That is love.

Thank God for the women!

But look, standing there with her is another. One simply described as "the disciple whom He loved." This one had deserted Jesus a few short, dark hours ago. This one had made bold professions of loyalty and courage, "Never will I desert you!" The pride and machismo ran naked into the darkness when the soldiers came. The bravado and bluff disappeared like the smoke from the torches in the mob's hands and all he carried with hm was his shame.

Yet, now we find him, "the disciple whom He loved," standing near the cross.

Would he find rebuke?
Would he be greeted with a sneer?
Would he simply be ignored?

"To err is human; to forgive, divine." (Alexander Pope)

Here we see them together. The erring human standing before the crucified and forgiving divine.

"And he took her into his own home from that hour."

Rather than a rebuke he was given a responsibility.
Rather than a snub he was given salvation.
Rather distrust he was given a life-long trust.
Rather than hearing a grievance he was given a grace; a mother.

Thank God for the women.

Good Friday

2012-04-07T23:22:00.000-05:00

Some thoughts I shared with the extended faith family in town during our noon Holy Week services on Friday.

I wrestle with Good Friday. It was not always this way. It used to be a day out of school and a day to eat chocolate rabbits. I used to make plans for some fanciful diversion; a fishing trip, a romp in the deep woods, a movie with some friends. But no longer. I find myself brooding and moody. I've even taken to wearing dark colored clothing.

I used to blow right by Good Friday with hardly a thought. Now Good Friday comes and I can hardly think of anything else. For instance, when I stepped out of our sanctuary doors Thursday evening and saw the full moon hanging there in the sky I was struck by the thought that it was under just this sort of moon that Christ and His disciples walked to Gethsemane; Passover is always celebrated on the full moon. It was under just this sort of moon that Judas gave that fateful and fatal kill. It was under this sort of moon that Peter betrayed Jesus with a curse only to hear a rooster crow. And roosters...I have some. Their usually joyous celebration of the new day was clouded with notes of condemnation this morning. You see, I too have betrayed the one I claim to devotedly love.

A bit of study tells me that I am not the 1st to be slow in embracing Good Friday. Just over 100 years ago it would have been unheard of for Baptist's of any stripe to make much of Easter, let alone Good Friday, and certainly not a Thursday evening service! After all, Easter was just a thinly veiled pagan celebration.

There were slow adopters before my stodgy Baptist fathers though. C.S. Lewis cogently points out that the crucifixtion did not become common in art until all who had seen a real crucifixtion died off. Perhaps there is good reason to want to hide our eyes and shield our emotions from such inhumanity.

Others join this parade also. I am fascinated that the early church fathers forbade the depiction of the cross in art until the time of Emperor Constantine. You will remember it was Constantine who had the vision of the cross and was told to conquer in that sign. You may not be aware that it was Constantine who banned the use of the cross as a form of execution.

Even so, in my personal quest to embrace Good Friday I cannot fathom the indignity, the shame endured on my behalf. No matter how many times I watch the graphic depiction of the cross in film or how often I comb over the accounts given in Scripture, I know I'm still not getting it.

For a time I focused on the physical side of the cross. Certainly horrific in its own right; stripped naked, flogged, spat on, struck in the face, crowned with thorns, flesh and nerves impaled with spikes, the jolt of the cross being dropped into its hole, the suffocating effort and agony of each breath. There is enough physical torment to cause the most stout among us to quail.

However, in recent years I've looked a bit further, past the bruises and blood, past the panting and pain, and have discovered, much to my dismay, that there is even greater suffering here. Jesus' words from the cross give us the clue. There is only one mention from His lips concerning physical matters. Two simple words, "I thirst." That's it. After all He has endured physically it's not the welts and open sores on His back, it's not the spikes in His hands and feet, it's not the thorns pressing into His scalp, He is thirsty.

The other things He says from the cross tell us more..."Father, forgive them," "Take care of my mother," "Today you will be with me in paradise." But there is one that grips me, that has already this day brought tears to my eyes and causes turmoil in my soul. "Eloi, Eloi. Lama Sabachthani!" "My God, My God. Why have You forsaken me?" I fear that I know, all too well the dread answer.

"For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:21)

"⁴ Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:4-6)

That which pains Him the most, that which causes Him such unimaginable agony is my sin. There, I've said it. Surely now you can understand why I would prefer to forget Friday's gloomy darkness and move on to Sunday's lovely light.

However, I must linger.

I've been instructed to remember and, lest I EVER forget, I am mindful that even in His perfected resurrection body He bears the scars. Thomas' doubt was put to flight by the invitation to touch those scars for himself. John's vision was made clear when the figure among the lamp stands in the opening chapter of Revelation was revealed to be " a lamb, looking as if it had been slain."

We who know the outcome in advance struggle ineffectually to recapture the dire-end-of-the-world feeling that fell upon Jesus' followers that 1st Good Friday. Over the intervening centuries the story has grown familiar. As best as you can, grasp the grief, hold the horror, feel the failure and descend into the darkness. It make the Easter announcement all the more shocking and glorious!

Lord Jesus, I need to be drawn to your cross. Help me to watch and wait there though I fear it may well break my heart. If it requires my heart be broken to have You, then take my heart and break it, lest I miss having You and am never made whole. Amen.

A needed reminder from Thomas Helwys

2012-02-10T12:29:00.002-06:00

"That the magistrate is not by virtue of his office to meddle with religion, or matters of conscience, to force or compel men to this or that form of religion, or doctrine: but to handle only civil transgressions (Rom 13), injuries and wrongs of man against man, in murder, adultery, theft, etc., for Christ only is the king, and lawgiver of the church and conscience. James 4:12)."

Article 84 of Helwys' confession of faith.

"the King is but an earthly King, and he hath no authority as a King but in earthly causes, and if the Kings people be obedient & true subjects, obeying all humane lawes made by the King, our lord the King can require no more: for mens religion to God, is betwixt God and themselves; the King shall not answere for it, neither may the King be judgd (i.e., judge) betwene God and man. Let them be heretikes, Turks, Jewes, or whatsoever it apperteynes not to the earthly power to punish them in the least measure."

No words in the book are more forceful than the preface.

"Heare, 0 King, and dispise not ye counsell of ye poore, and let their complaints come before thee. The King is a mortall man, and not God[:] therefore hath no power over ye immortall soulles of his subjects, to make lawes and ordinances for them, and to set spirituall Lords over them. If the King have authority to make spirituall Lords and Lawes, then he is an immortall God, and not a mortall man. 0 King, be not seduced by deceivers to sin so against God whom thou oughtest to obey, nor against thy poore subjects who ought and will obey thee in all things with body[,] and goods, or els[e] let their lives be taken from ye earth. God save ye King."

From The Mistery of Iniquity, Thomas Helwys

2011-12-23T10:33:00.000-06:00

"Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort of Thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which Thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen." -Collect printed in the front matter of Commentary written by Rev. J.R. Drummelow, 1957.

The Second Coming - W.B. Yeats

2011-12-14T10:58:00.002-06:00

A bit of unusual Advent reading. "The best lack all conviction, while the worst/ Are full of passionate intensity./ Surely some revelation is at hand;/ Surely the Second Coming is at hand."

THE SECOND COMING

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

The Martyr's Oath

2011-12-13T10:26:00.000-06:00

The Martyr's Oath is a pledge that many Pioneer Missionaries take before launching out into the mission field, to not only live for the Lord, but to die for Him. This concept is completely alien to our westernized Christianity. We would do well to call to mind Bonhoeffer's words, "When Christ calls a man he bids him to come and die." (The Cost of Discipleship). This oath can be found in various forms but its content is largely the same. Following is one version which speaks clearly to the commitment to which we are called.

Today, I stand as a dead man. I declare that in Jesus Christ, I am saved by his blood, and thus I am dead to sin, and no longer dead in my sin.
Today, I stand and declare that I surrender my will and my life to His will and His life.
I shall go where He sends me, without asking questions.
I shall go to whomever He sends me, without seeking fame.
I shall preach to everyone, even if they hate me.
I am an Ambassador of the cross, and must deliver the message.
I shall pour my life out to reach my family, my friends, my neighbors and my city.
I embrace the shame of the cross, and I fear nothing but God.
I welcome suffering, shame, persecution, beatings, imprisonments and death, but I will not be silenced.
If I am killed, I pray that my blood should be a harvest for souls.
This is my calling, I dare not do less.

While we remember the gift given during this season may we consider the cost of receiving so great a salvation.

Some Thoughts on Luke 8:1-11

2011-11-14T22:10:00.001-06:00

This is a "re-posting" from about a year ago. Partly to re-boot the blog. Partly to invite additional conversation on this. Currently working through some studies on reconciliation/forgiveness with our collegians. This may be among the most riveting stories of forgiveness in the NT.

"This is the scandal of the gospel: that what in your life is most cursed and hateful, the trash of your soul, can become your greatest instrument for redemption and healing and blessing." Leonard Sweet,

There she stands, guilty, condemned by her own actions and condemned by an altogether too eager crowd. I almost imagine her with clothing a bit dishelveled (after all she was "caught in the act" v. 4) and certainly with eyes firmly fixed on the ground. The evident weight of shame crushing her already wounded spirit.

There they stand, wild-eyed and breathless. Rocks already in hand to exact judgment. Righteous (self-righteous maybe?) rage boiling through their bodies. They have a question to ask, a question sure to expose the heart of the troubling teacher who has appeared yet again at their temple, "The Law commands us to stone such women. So what do you say?" (v. 5).

There He stands, a healer in the presence of desperate wounds. Pressed for an answer He rises from doodling on the ground, "If you're not guilty too, go ahead, stone her." He then returns to His impromptu dirt drawing.

One by one the stones fall from their hands only to be carried away in their own stony hearts. The condemning crowd is now nothing more than a memory leaving the guilty woman and the deliberately doodling doctor of souls alone. I find it fascinating that she stayed and watched Him draw. Her accusers were nowhere to be found. She was a free woman, but not really. Her guilt still bound her and the only remedy was to be found in the man drawing in the dirt.

He stands, looks around, and then looks in her eyes and asks, "Where are they? Has no one accused you?" (Oh, they had certainly accused her; all the way to the temple. Through every street and alley they had accused her. The sinuous tendrils of the grapevine had reported the sensational news. She had been accused and would continue to be accused by whispers and pointed fingers for the rest of her days, "She's the one. I hear they caught her in the act.") Her only answer is, "No one, Lord."

Let us pause and remember, she is without doubt guilty. She beyond question deserves punishment. She, no doubt, expects the worst. After all, it is what she has earned. But it is not what she will get.

To her utter astonishment He says, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." She turns and walks away forgiven.

But what of the man? She was caught in the act which, unavoidably, means there was a man equally guilty if not equally condemned. I wonder about their lives from that day forward. She publicly condemned and permanently branded a "sinner" yet privately and potently forgiven. He, on the other hand, never facing public scrutiny, but living with the festering ulcer of unacknowledged and unforgiven sin.

Which would you choose; the public humiliation of having your sin put on display and the life-changing experience of mercy and forgiveness or the temporary satisfaction of looking good while missing the grace of God extended to you? Far too many of us, like the un-named and unidentified man, choose the latter and great is our loss.

I imagine that guilty woman a few years later walking down those same streets through which she was unceremoniously dragged. I see her walking into that same part of the temple and running her fingers through that dirt where He drew things. She has difficulty remembering just what it was that He drew that day, while a passerby whispers behind her back, "I remember the day they brought her here to be stoned." It brings a smile to her face because she knows that, much like that ephemeral work of art, He no longer calls to mind her sin. Rising and dusting her hands she hums a joyful tune on her way out, for she is forgiven; far and away among His greatest and most enduring works of art.

Lux et Veritas

2011-09-27T10:12:00.000-05:00

Following is a scripted version of the Chapel address I delivered at Judson College on September 20th. Several have requested copies of these remarks as they apparently generated some on-going conversation on campus. I can think of no higher praise. These thoughts are offered here for those who wish to partake.

The Judson Seal carries the Latin phrase, Lus et Veritas – Light and Truth. A bit of reflective pondering reveals, surprisingly, that the most critical word therein is the most diminutive and most easily overlooked; the word et. Et, a vital connector without which Light and Truth are left standing dimly, dangerously, and deceptively alone.

Let us 1^st affirm there is indeed Light. The pursuit of Light and the enlightenment it brings is not only valuable, it is vital! There are things yet unknown which desperately need to be known: a cure for cancers, how to provide sustainable and clean energy for the world, how to feed the soon-to-be 8 billion people inhabiting our shared planet. These critical issues, and many others like them, must be addressed by the brightest and best thinking we can produce. But what difficulties arise from the pursuit of Light without the guidance of Truth?

I. Light Without Truth

1. Dim

Light without Truth is, first and foremost, dim, truly an arresting juxtaposition. To be clear, dim is a shorthand way of saying “dim-witted”. It is fascinating that the pursuit which should produce sharpness and clarity of thought, when divorced from Truth, produces just the opposite, fuzzy thinking and dimness. Jesus stated in His Sermon on the Mount “If then the light within you is darkness –how great is that darkness.” (Mt. 6:23) This pursuit of Light without the guidance of Truth deepens the darkness rather than illuminating it.

I have followed with great interest the career and thought of, perhaps, the greatest mind living among us in this age. The fact that this marvelously gifted mind is contained within the body of a man confined to a wheelchair makes his career all the more intriguing. Stephen F. Hawking is certainly among the greatest minds of our day and quite possibly in all of human history. I am not intelligent enough to understand all he writes about but I did read his A Briefer History of Time (the “Reader’s Digest” version for folks like me!) and have regularly sought out his publications. I was humored by the title of one of his latest offerings, The Grand Design. I found it to be humorous simply because this great mind is talking about a design while simultaneously denying a Designer. To my, admittedly inferior, mind this seems to be a dim-witted position. Through the years I have held on to the kernel of wisdom offered to a class of undergraduates by Dr. W.T. Edwards at Samford University: “Boys, keep an open mind. Just don’t keep it so open that your brains fall out.” With apologies to Mr. Hawking, it might just be that his brain has fallen out.

2. Deadly

Though Light without Truth may be dim, producing a frustrating conundrum, it is also deadly, producing all too tangible evidences of its dangers. Perhaps chief among the tangible evidences of the deadly nature of Light devoid of the guidance of Truth is the horror of the Holocaust during World War II. Rudolph Hess, who was 3^rd in line of succession to Adolph Hitler, called Nazism “applied biology.” This horrific application of the Light of biological sciences divorced from the Truth of the dignity of all men resulted in the death of over 6 million Jews, as well as millions of other “inferior” peoples. 6 million is a difficult number to wrap our minds around in a practical way. Consider that a population greater than the entire population of Alabama was exterminated over a period of just a few years. All of this done in the name of “applied biology.” Clearly, our pursuit of Light desperately needs the corrective guidance of Truth.

3. Deceptive

Perhaps the most startling consequence of the pursuit of Light without the guidance of Truth is that it is deceptive. Light without Truth says, “It’s all a smorgasbord! Indulge!” We live in a culture awash in choices, whether it’s the hundreds of channels available for our surfing pleasure or the ever burgeoning cereal aisle in our grocery stores, we are accustomed to choices and immediate availability of all things we desire. But this can be a deceptive descent into darkness.

This is most readily observed in our societal obsession with, and celebration of, every expression of sexuality. A couple of recent top 40 hits, which are shockingly sung by young children everywhere, provide sufficient proof of this “anything goes” obsession. Take a moment to rationally consider the message of Rhianna’s celebration of Sado-masochism in her hit “S&M” or of Katy Perry who was not satisfied to “kiss a girl and like it” but decided to recall her exploits “Last Friday Night” complete with maxing out credit cards at the bars, some skinny dipping with a group, a ménage a trois and then wanting to “do it all again.” Allow me to quote Randal Stoner on this issue: “Uncontrolled sexual appetite, like physical appetite, can kill. And it may feel good all the way to the emergency room or the morgue. It kills…what is ultimately at the heart of the best sex imaginable, trust.” (Randal Stoner, The God Who Smokes)

II. Truth Without Light

Let us again affirm there is indeed Truth – capital “T” truth. Truth which applies to all people in all places at all times is also known as “universal Truth” or “absolute Truth.” I continue to be amazed at the resistance to this notion when we all live with “capital ‘T’ Truth” each and every day. There just aren’t many sane people walking out of 3^rd story windows due to the universal Truth of gravity. Likewise, people getting on a jet in New York heading to Los Angeles want their pilot to be ruthlessly absolute in selecting the route. Or consider the patient in the operating room for heart surgery. I am completely confident they are counting on their surgeon being anything but “relative” in this moment. They absolutely want their heart fixed and not their liver invaded.

While affirming that Truth exists we must also recognize that Truth without Light is just as dim, deadly and deceptive, maybe more so, than Light without Truth. Steven Weisberg, Nobel Prize winner for his work on the theory of particles and fields comments on this in his Nobel acceptance speech. “Good people can behave well and bad people can do evil: but for good people to do evil – that takes religion.” While I will reserve comment on why a particle physicist would venture into the realms of sociology and theology in his Nobel acceptance speech I must say I think he’s on to something we should consider.

1. Dim

There are those who hold to the Truth while excluding the Light. I call these people “Joy Stealers.” They like nothing better than to bludgeon people with the Truth without considering the Light. Paul’s letter to the Galatians is full of concern for his friends who were being “bewitched” and “enslaved” by just these kinds of people. Unfortunately such people continue to thrive in our day and age. There is an old wag I share, tongue-in-cheek, from time to time concerning the “Baptist” view.

Baptist’s don’t drink,

Baptist’s don’t chew,

And Baptist’s don’t go with girls who do.

(Furthermore, Baptist’s don’t recognize each other in the liquor store.)

We would do well to remember that Jesus was known as “the friend of sinners” and that the “Joy Stealers” of his day did not approve of the company he kept or the parties he attended. They were purveyors of Truth without the illumination of the Light. But let us always be cautious with this matter. As Leonard Sweet perspicaciously observes, “There is no one soul size. What makes one sing may singe another.” (Leonard Sweet, Soul Salsa) Or as Paul put it, “Don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13). Martin Luther summed it up nicely, “Love God and do as you please.”

2. Deadly

In much the same way Light without the guiding hand of Truth became deadly under the Nazi regime during World War II, Truth apart from the illuminating presence of Light has all too often become deadly. Perhaps the most widely known example of this disturbing phenomenon is the Spanish Inquisition. Spanning almost four centuries this terrible abuse of Truth in the absence of Light took the lives of thousands of people whose only crime was daring to espouse a belief different from those who ruled over them. This reign of terror began during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella (yes, the same ones who would provide Columbus a few boats to make his fateful journey in 1492). In 1478 they petitioned the Pope for permission to “purify the people of Spain” and soon thereafter began the persecution of Protestants, Jews, and other non-believers. Thousands were forced from their homes and thousands more lost their lives during this “purification.” Remarkably this practice continued until 1834.

I wish this was an anomaly or a singularly unique event. Sadly it is not. History is replete with stories of the unhappy and deadly marriage of Truth and Power devoid of the illuminating presence of Light. I pray for a brighter future for the purveyors of Truth.

3. Deceptive

Truth without the benefit of Light can also lead to deception. Sometimes people, particularly people of faith, want to close their eyes and not see what the Light may be revealing. I sometimes tell the story of the pastor who was talking with some children. “Kids I’m thinking of something that is grey, lives in trees, eats nuts and has a bushy tail. Can anyone guess what I’m thinking about?” After a few moments of uncomfortable silence one little boy slowly raised his hand and said, “I know the answer is supposed to be Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me!”

Galileo Galieri had an encounter with thinking dominated by Truth without the illumination of Light that was only recently resolved. Galileo was denounced by the church in 1615 for daring to state that Copernicus was right and that the earth indeed revolved around the sun. Late in his life Galileo, in the interest of his eternal soul, recanted his statement but it was not until 1992 that the Catholic Church cleared his name, finally affirming the Copernican view of the solar system.

How easily Truth becomes hidebound when it is insulated from the knowledge made available by the pursuit of Light. How easily Light degenerates into harmful pursuits when not gently guided by the unwavering standard of Truth. Light and Truth must walk hand in hand. Lux et Veritas.

III. Light AND Truth

The world in which we live faces serious questions which require serious answers. How will we feed the 8 billion people soon to inhabit this planet? Are all men created equal or are there some who are expendable? How will we power the future? How will we address the economic issues facing our world? I dare say these, and other equally pressing questions, will require the best which Light and Truth have to offer.

Lux et Veritas is a pursuit which must consume our lives.

However, Lux et Veritas is not a subject to be mastered but rather is the Master to whom we must be subject. Jesus clearly identifies Himself as the Light and the Truth. John, in the magnificent opening chapter of his gospel, writes of Jesus saying “in Him was life and that life was the light of men…and we have beheld His glory…full of grace and truth.” Light and Truth are found only in one, Jesus.

“He is the way.

Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness

You will see rare beasts and have unique adventures!”

W.H. Auden, For the Time Being.

A Reasonable Faith?

2011-04-20T09:40:00.000-05:00

The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in Science Speaks (Moody Press, 1963) to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability.

Stoner states that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, "we find that the chance that any one man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017." (Please pardon the format. Blogger will not support superscript). That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.

In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that "we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover the state two feet deep. "Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man."

Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, "we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10157, that is, 1 in

100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 1079. It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident.

It's not that complicated

2010-09-22T11:24:00.002-05:00

“I attain salvation by allowing my spiritual, rather than material, nature to dominate my actions. If I lead a life of spiritual good deeds of compassion, virtue, and self-sacrifice I will enter the kingdom of heaven both in this life and after death.” (Baha’i)

“I save myself by living out my expected dharma of required conduct and by meditation and reciting mantras. I attain salvation only when all my desire is eliminated and I achieve final and ultimate enlightenment.” (Buddhist)

“The goal of my existence is moksha, a freedom from infinite being and selfhood. I work to get out of the cycle of reincarnation. To attain moksha I can choose from several paths: yoga and meditation taught by a guru, the way of works, the way of knowledge, or the way of love and devotion.” (Hindu)

“Only ideas that reflect God’s nature are real, so sin, death, disease, and pain are not real. I attain salvation by overcoming those illusions with a realization of my divine spirit and mind.” (Christian Scientist)

“In order to attain salvation I must have faith, be baptized by immersion, and be actively associated with the Watch Tower and Tract Society. I have no hope of salvation if I fail to display righteous conduct and absolute loyalty to Jehovah.” (Jehovah’s Witness)

“My plan to acquire the celestial kingdom requires that I adhere strictly to the twelve steps of 1. Faith, 2. Repentance, 3. Baptism by immersion into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 4. Laying on of hands by a member of the Melchizedek priesthood in order to receive the Holy Ghost, 5. Being ordained as a Melchizedek priest, if I am a man, 6. Receiving the temple endowments, 7. Celestial marriage, 8. Observing the Word of Wisdom, 9. Sustaining the prophet, 10. Tithing, 11. Attending the sacred meeting, 12. Obeying the Church, its teachings, and the prophet.” (Mormon)

“I attain salvation by attending church at least once a week, reading my Bible and praying daily, giving 10 percent of my income to the church, and making sure that my good deeds outweigh the bad.” (Average American churchgoer)

Source: www.4truth.net

Thank God for the Bert Elliots of the world.

2010-08-25T16:24:00.002-05:00

Ran across this gem on Christianity Today's site. Here's to faint stars that rise night after night to the glory of God.

In January 2006, author Randy Alcorn had the opportunity to join with Jim Elliot's family for a dinner that marked the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of Jim and four other missionaries in Ecuador. Randy writes:

There we met Jim's older brother, Bert, and his wife Colleen. In 1949, years before Jim went to Ecuador, they became missionaries to Peru. When we discussed their ministry, Bert smiled and said, "I can't wait to get back from furlough." Now in their eighties, they are in their sixtieth year as missionaries, joyfully reaching people for Christ. Until that weekend I didn't know anything about them. Bert and Colleen may enter eternity under the radar of the church at large, but not under God's ….

Bert said something to me that day that I'll never forget: "Jim and I both served Christ, but differently. Jim was a great meteor, streaking through the sky." Bert didn't go on to describe himself, but I will. Unlike his brother Jim, Bert is a faint star that rises night after night, faithfully crossing the same path in the sky to God's glory. I believe Jim Elliot's reward is considerable, but it wouldn't surprise me to discover that Bert and Colleen's will be greater still.

Randy Alcorn, If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil (Multnomah, 2009), p. 421

"Change the Gears Within Us..."

2010-08-02T10:21:00.002-05:00

Forgive us, Lord Jesus, for doing the things that make us uncomfortable and guilty when we pray.
We say that we believe in God, and yet we doubt God's promises.
We say that in God we trust, yet we worry and try to manage our own affairs.
We say that we love Thee, O Lord, and yet do not obey Thee.
We believe that Thou hast the answers to all our problems, and yet we do not consult Thee.
Forgive us, Lord, for our lack of faith and the wilful [sic] pride that ignores the way, the truth, and the life.
Wilt Thou reach down and change the gears within us that we may go forward with Thee. AMEN

Peter Marshall, Mr. Jones Meet the Master; Sermons and Prayers, 1950. (emphasis added)

Prominence vs. Significance

2010-06-08T15:13:00.005-05:00

prominent - adj - 1. Projecting outward from a line or surface: PROTUBERANT. 2. Immediately noticeable: CONSPICUOUS. 3. Widely known: EMINENT.

significant - adj - 1. Having or expressing a meaning: MEANINGFUL. 2. Having or expressing a covert meaning: SUGGESTIVE. 3. Momentous: IMPORTANT.

Can one be significant without being prominent? This is a question I have grappled with for several years now. The vast majority of us are not, and will never be, "prominent" but I firmly believe we can all be significant. The difference is, I believe, well, significant.

There is much desire for prominence in our culture. Gaining one's fifteen minutes of fame seems to be the life pursuit of many. Some see prominence as equal with significance as is illustrated in the celebrities who find it necessary to comment upon subjects about which they have little or no knowledge. Sadly prominence does not necessarily carry with it the weight of significance.

Significance may go largely unnoticed by the tabloid tititlated public. Significance may pass quietly under the radar of the prominence seekers. Significance rarely seeks prominence preferring the quiet and steady rhythms of meaningful change.

On rare occasions there are those significant individuals who are contentedly carrying out their significant livs that, much to their surprise, become prominent. One thinks of Mother Teresa, or Rosa Parks, or Billy Graham, or Martin Luther of the reformation (Perhaps Dr. King would fit this category though I might argue from his biography he was always seeking prominence), and these are only a few who come to mind quickly.

Can one be significant without being prominent? In my little life there have been many significant people whose names would mean nothing to you, yet for me they are the sources of life and inspiration. Here's to significance! Live it well!

Now the State is Telling the Church What to Say?

2010-05-12T14:40:00.002-05:00

All the recent discussion about church and state issues has centered on the church's intrusion into state matters, until now. It seems that Speaker Pelosi feels that she has some authority to instruct the church on what should be proclaimed from the pulpits. It goes without saying that I wholeheartedly disagree. In fact, I think this very sort of thing was what concerned the founders.

Here, again, are our options:

The Church is above the State, a theory held by those claiming that their ecclesiastical head is the Vicar of Christ on earth.
The Church is alongside the State, a theory held by the State Churches of various countries.
The State is above the Church, a theory held by totalitarian governments.
The Church is separate from the State, the theory championed by Baptists everywhere and held by those governments that have written religious liberty into their fundamental laws.

Let's get this right people! Politicians have no business telling the church what to say or do. The church has the moral obligation to comment upon what politicians say and do. The State should keep us from killing each other. The church should help us to love each other.

Franklin Proposes Prayer

2010-05-07T15:27:00.003-05:00

James Madison preserved for us this bit of American history which casts light on the all too shadowed relationship of church and state. If there is any doubt concerning the soil in which their thoughts were planted this motion by Mr. Franklin is representative of their thoughts. While they understood that a particular church should not be sanctioned they likewise understood, and grasped, the foundational concept that "God governs in the affairs of men" (Franklin).

Doctor Franklin to Mr. President

The small progress we have made after 4 or five weeks
close attendance & continual resonings with each other - our different
sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes
as ays, is methinks a meancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human
Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom
since we have been running about in serach of it. We have gone back to
ancient history for models of Government, and examined the differet forms of
those Republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution
now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe,
but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.

In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were
in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when
presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once though
of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our
understandings? In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we
were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine
protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously
answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed
frequent instances of a Superintending providence in our favor. To that
kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the
means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now
forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need
his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the
more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God governs in the affairs
of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his
notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have
been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House
they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also
believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political
building no better that the Builders of Babel; We shall be divided by our little
partial local interests' our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall
become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And, what is worse,
mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing
Government by Human Wisdom and leave it to chance, war and
conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move- that henceforth prayers
imploring the assisatnce of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be
held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one
or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that
service.

It is vital to note that this motion was never voted on and the Assembly adjourned after some discussion. Among the points of discussion were the issues of concern for the perception that things had gotten so bad in the Constitutional convention that they had to resort to prayer! Also mentioned was the issue of having no finances with which to pay the clergy for their services. Though the motion was never ratified it set hearts and minds on a different track and soon after the Constitution was produced in its final form .

Franklin may not be the most religious of our Founders but he was certainly cognizant of the foundational role faith plays in life. Perhaps we should remember our history and stand firm on the foundations on which our nation was built.

Temporal and Spiritual

2010-05-03T14:38:00.008-05:00

Began reading "Wrestlin' Jacob," by Erskine Clarke which revisits religion in the old South, particularly Liberty County, Georgia and its surrounding environs. I immediately ran across the following lines which gave me pause as they resonated with the thoughts already rattling around in my head about this deeply important question of church and state relations.

"'We are sensible," they wrote in the Articles of Incorporation, 'to the
advantages of good order and social agreement, among any people, both for
their Civil and Religious Benefit. . .' For theses Puritan setlers, the government of
such a commuinty would consist of two coordinate branches: the Church and
the Society. The church would be governed by the male communing members who would administer spiritual affairs; the Society would be composed of all males who would subscribe to the Articles of Incorporation, whether they were communing members of the Church or not, and would administer temporal affairs. If this
were not a "Holy Commonwealth," it was clearly a Christian Society they wished to establish on the Georgia coast...At the center of this community stood the church." (emphasis added)

I find it instructive that for our Founders, and the society in which they lived and breathed, issues of faith played a central, undeniable role; particularly issues of the Christian faith. You will find this singular fact borne out in the architectural fabric of almost every community in this great land where standing in the midst of the places of law and merchandising are the places of faith and worship.

Can there be any denial that the ground from which the early thoughts about our nation grew was a thoroughly Christian ground?

Questions I Am Pondering...

2010-04-29T09:09:00.003-05:00

I enjoyed the unique opportunity to hear Dr. Martin Marty speak earlier this week at Samford University. It has sparked several thoughts in my heart and head, most unresolved but not unimportant. I list a few of them here for initial consideration with the hope that I can flesh these thoughts out in future posts.

1. Dr. Marty states that it is "historically untrue that our laws are "Christian" laws and that the Founders did not set out to create a "Christian" nation. That said there can be no doubt that Christian thought exerted a strong influence on the thinking of the Founders."

My response: Is it possible that though it may not have been the intent it was, however, the inevitable result?

2. Dr. Marty spoke of the harmful result of "privileging" the church citing the example of Finland where the "official" religion is Lutheranism. 94% of the population is Lutheran and only 2% attend services with any regularity.

My response: I think he is on to something significant here.

3. Dr. Marty asked, "Can the church be prophetic if it is privileged?" and then quoted John Leland (I believe) "Whoever takes the King's shekels gets the King's shackles."

My response: I have always been more than a little suspicious of the "Faith-based Initiatives" approach from government. The church can only speak to power when it is clearly not beholden to that power.

4. Dr. Marty speaks of the Deism of Benjamin Franklin and it being a poor example for the religiously passionate.

My response: While I agree that Franklin is, at best, pragmatic in matters of faith I must call to question his commitment to Deism. If I correctly understand the notion of Deism being that of a disinterested Deity, then many of Franklin's statements fly counter to that notion. One cited by Dr. Marty is a fine example, "A super-intending providence...God governs in the affairs of men." (From Franklin's speech to the Continental Congress, June 27th, 1787). This does not sound like a man who would advocate for a God who made the watch, wound it up and left it to run it's course. It sounds suspiciously like someone who believes that somehow God is engaged directly in the comings and goings of the lives of all mankind.

5. Dr. Marty noted that Franklin did indeed propose that prayer be offered at the Continental Congress but that the motion was not acted upon. The reason being that those present recognized the terrible can of worms this would open. Would the prayer be Anglican or Congregational?

My response: This is a cogent point. Though not well remembered, 9 of the 13 colonies had "official" religions. (Always an interesting recollection as they were steadily recreating what so many of them had fled, i.e. religious persecutions.) A similar point I often make in discussions of this nature concerns prayer in the public schools, who will lead the prayer? Here in the Bible belt I have a reasonable assurance that it will be a "Christian" prayer of some sort. In some other part of our nation it might be a Mormon prayer, or a Muslim prayer, or perhaps even Wiccan! Who is to decide and am I willing for others to be teaching my child, or anyone's child, how to pray?

What response do these thoughts spark in your head and heart?

2010-02-08T11:15:00.002-06:00

For those of you who happen by here every now and then I thank you for your patience. My time in front of a computer has been limited (not neccessarily a bad thing - just make time for blogging take a back seat) but it seems that may be coming to a close as doors are opening that have the evident finger prints of God. It would seem that prayers for clarity during this time of transition have been answered and it simply remains for us to faithfully follow. I will leave details for a later time but suffice it to say we have a peace about the new day of ministry dawning for us.

For all of you who have prayed, thank you. Please don't stop! Evey anxious moment we have faced in this time of transition has been made easier by the sure knowledge that you were praying for us.

Watch this space for addtional details in the coming weeks.

Christmas Day

2009-12-25T07:38:00.006-06:00

Christmas Day

by McKinley Cash

Up on the wings of the morning

From the mystic land of Nod!

To greet the day that's borning,

When man drew close to God.

"Love ye one another,"

We heard the Master say,

And one way or the other,

We'll answer that today.

The Lily of the Valley

And Sharon's red, red Rose

Are treasured in the tally

As the heart overflows.

Let's ope the parcels now,

And as we snip each seal,

The woundrous why and how

The content will reveal.

All thoughts are centered home

In Love's own master plan,

For on this day has come

God's greatest gift to man.

(McKinley Cash was my great uncle and this is one of the poems he left for us in his collected work Alabama Folk Tales. A copy of Uncle Cash's work will be available in the Sulligent Public Library in January 2010. I apologize for the lack of spacing, but blogger is not accepting my formatting.)

And the Word Became Flesh

2009-12-24T19:25:00.002-06:00

It is my prayer that you and yours take a few moments to consider the magnificent truth of God taking on flesh and blood and coming to live among us. Be blessed during this season when we recall that there was a day when God spoke to us all and said, "I am with you."

2009-12-16T18:56:00.002-06:00

Psalm 55

Cast Your Burden on the Lord

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.

1 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
2 Attend to me, and answer me;
I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
3 because of the noise of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

4 My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7 yes, I would wander far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter
from the raging wind and tempest.”

9 Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues;
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its marketplace.

12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—
then I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend.
14 We used to take sweet counsel together;
within God's house we walked in the throng.
15 Let death steal over them;
let them go down to Sheol alive;
for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.

16 But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19 God will give ear and humble them,
he who is enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not change
and do not fear God.

20 My companion stretched out his hand against his friends;
he violated his covenant.
21 His speech was smooth as butter,
yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
yet they were drawn swords.

22 Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.

23 But you, O God, will cast them down
into the pit of destruction;
men of blood and treachery
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.

About the Photo - The Next Big Step

2009-12-03T16:06:00.000-06:00

If ever there was a parable in a picture this one would qualify. On a late summer afternoon a longing was fulfilled; a step was taken that had been considered for years but had simply been set aside for reasons of practicality. Maybe it was the testosterone level that was right that day. Maybe it was we knew changes were coming and this might be the last chance for us to do this thing. Maybe it was simply that the light was perfect. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I am now 42 and it had been a whole bunch of years sine I had jumped off a cliff. Or maybe it was the realization that my kids were finally old enough to make up their own minds about doing questionable/dangerous/fun/crazy/memorable things. Whatever the reason we did it.

I jumped first. The fall was exhilarating but my impact with the water was almost debilitating. I pasted a lying smile on my face and groaned out a "Come on! It's great!" My poor entry into the water was no reason to deny others the thrill of leaping from the stony security of the cliff. One after the other they took the leap with a descending "Whooo!," a glorious splash and a concluding fist pumped victoriously into the air with a shout of conquest. It was, and will be forever, a memorable day.

My friend Barry captured this photo of my eldest taking his leap. It is a photo with the potency of poetry. Not only was Jeremy leaping from rock to river, he was also making the leap from family to future. It is his next big step. He seems to be enjoying the journey much like he enjoyed that marvelous day at the river. I hear tales of leaps he's recently taken from a bridge into a river near campus! I suppose that first big step and that first big leap inevitably lead to others quite naturally.

Do I worry? Sure. What parent doesn't? (I can tell you my mother worried enough for all of us on the day the photo was taken!) But my worry is not that he'll get hurt, or that he'll do something stupid - I'm pretty certain that's going to happen along the way. No my worry is, and has always been, that he will be afraid to take the next big step.

So, for Christmas he's getting a framed copy of this perfect parable in a photo to remind him of the joy in taking the next big step. Please don't tell him. I'd like to watch his face as he remembers this unforgettable day.

Resigned to His Will

2009-11-15T12:30:00.000-06:00

Dear Church Family,

It is with a heavy heart that I tender my resignation effective immediately. Due to issues, both personal and professional, within the staff and administrative structure of the church I feel it to be in the best interest of the church to move out of the way in order that the church may continue to move forward. Please be assured that I have not been "forced" out neither is this intended to be "send a message," I simply sense, due to events beyond my control and relationships which are already deeply strained, that moving out of the way is in the best interest of First Baptist Church and my family.

Eleven years have flown by. You have watched my family grow and watched me grow as a pastor. I and my family carry nothing but fond and loving memories of our days spent among some of the finest people in the world. We thank God daily for your partnership in ministry and rejoice in the remarkable, even miraculous, accomplishments with which God has blessed us during this season of ministry. You can be sure there will always be prayers of thanksgiving offered for you and we will eagerly anticipate the glad reunions ahead of us!

Please pray for us as we seek God's direction in the days ahead. It is our belief that He has faithfully, though by difficult paths, brought us to this place. That clear confidence inspires us to believe that His plans for us are good and that we will continue enjoying His good blessing in our lives. We believe the same to be true for each of you. We are already praying for the man God has in mind to come and lovingly shepherd this church.

I leave you with the words with which we began our journey together, "Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding." (Jeremiah 3:15) I still trust His words today; for you and for me.

Respectfully submitted to the Deacon Fellowship, November 15, 2009.

John Nicholson
Pastor

The Cripple and the King

2009-11-08T16:50:00.004-06:00

The once was a little boy...

To be clear, this is NOT 'Once upon a time there was a little boy.' This little boy was once a real little boy and the story I am about to tell you is true, even if I have taken the liberty of filling in some of the blank spaces in the story. It really happened and it really happened something like this...

There once was a little boy who, through no fault of his own, grew up crippled. He wasn't always crippled. He started life just like any other little boy; mischievous, rambunctious, and adventuresome. He had a name, but if I told you his name you would think, "What a strange name to give a child!" So, instead, let me tell you what his name meant: "Beloved of the Lord."

And so he was.

As Beloved ran down the halls of the palace fighting the bad guys and disrupting the servants trying to do their work, smiles would cross faces. Everyone enjoyed watching Beloved grow up!

What's that? Oh, the palace. Yes. I suppose you need to know that this was no ordinary child. You see, Beloved of the Lord was the king's grandson. Not only that, his dad was the 1st born son of the king, which, everybody knows, meant that he would one day be king. No, Beloved was anything but ordinary, he was beloved. Certainly beloved by God, after all he was born and raised in the palace. Certainly beloved by all who knew this delightful, if mischievous, boy. His name fit him perfectly.

Until.

It all happened so suddenly. Such things usually do. Without warning Beloved of the Lord heard the panic in the palace. He saw people running whom he had never seen run before. He was only a small boy but he knew that something must be terribly wrong. At first he was just curious but when his nanny grabbed him and started running he got scared and, as little boys are want to do when they get scared, he started crying. He didn't know why he was afraid. He just knew he was afraid.

His nanny was a wonderful woman who loved little Beloved as if he was he own. She certainly didn't mean to change his life that day, but in her haste she did. As she ran through the halls of the palace, trying desperately to get Beloved to safety, she tripped and fell crushing Beloved's ankles beneath her. Now the little boy was truly frightened and in terrible pain.

This was a little boy caught up in something much bigger than him. How could he possibly know that on this terrible day God was already at work creating another beautiful masterpiece of reconciliation? How could he possibly understand that he, Beloved of the Lord, was to be at the center of it all?

The bones never healed properly. Beloved never ran another step, and oh, how he used to run! That's when the whispers started, "Maybe he's not 'Beloved' after all. Maybe he's something else. Maybe, instead, he is the shameful one." It wasn't long before everyone was calling him by this new name and he began to forget his real name. He began to believe that he was, indeed, a shame. And, as shame is want to do, he hid.

Shame was afraid. People were telling him that this new king would hunt him down one day and kill him. That's what kings did.

Shame was bitter. You see, even though he had forgotten his real name, he sometimes had memories of running through the palace. When he did remember he wept because he was certainly not running now and he was certainly not living in a palace. There were moments when he thought he heard someone call him by that once familiar but now forgotten name. He would always think, "Pah! If this is what being "Beloved of the Lord" is like I'll just keep my shame. It surely fits me better. A crippled outcast with no future."

Shame woke one morning to the sounds of strange men in the village. King's men! And they were looking for him! So, this new king who was living in the palace where he should be living had finally found him. The king was going to have his way with this crippled, shame of a man. This crippled, shame of a life.

Shame hobbled into the court of the king. His heart was racing, his hands were sweating, his eyes were darting from side to side, expecting a knife in the back at any moment. Though he had eaten nothing all morning he felt sure he was about to throw up. The metallic taste in his mouth made him think of the cold steel of bitterness that had been forged and re-forged in his heart all these many years of being Shame.

He somehow found himself on his face before this king. Did he trip? Did someone push him? Did he just naturally do what people do before a king? He wasn't sure why, but there he was; before the king and expecting the very worst.

Surely there would be gloating over another victory. ("Some victory!" thought Shame. "I'm just a cripple!) Surely there would be speeches about the superiority of this king as compared to that other king (who, just to remind you, was Shame's grandfather.) Surely there would be a pronouncement of judgment. Surely Shame was breathing his last breaths here on his face in front of this king.

Yes, come to think of it, especially at this moment, "Shame" was a more appropriate name for him after all. He had stopped believing he was "Beloved of the Lord" a long time ago.

Shame sensed that the king was now standing to his feet. His guts clenched in anticipation of the words that were about to come. And those words did come. But those words came in a way he had never dreamed.

This king was calling him by his name!

This king was not angry!

This king was kind and gentle of heart!

This king was taking this shame-filled cripple by the hand and lifting him to his broken feet!

This king was inviting him to lunch, and then dinner, and then breakfast, and then every other meal that was to ever be served at the king's table!

This king was restoring Shame to the palace, forever!

In the days and weeks and months that followed Shame pondered all that had happened to him. He discovered that this king was looking for an enemy to love. How astonishing it was to be the enemy who gets invited to dinner!

On a clear evening Shame heard the king playing one of his favorite songs. He was quite the musician. Near the end of this song Shame thought he heard the king's voice waver with emotion as he sang, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." Shame began to weep because in that moment he realized something truly marvelous. Something that changed him much like those broken ankles changed him so many years ago.

At that moment he knew that even though everyone called him Shame, his real name was Beloved of the Lord.

There is a king calling your name. You may fear what He has to say. I assure you He is inviting you to come and live with Him in the palace.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." -Revelation 3:20

(If you would like to read the story of the cripple and the king you can find it in 2 Samuel 4:4 & 9:1-13)

Gloom to Glory!

2009-10-28T10:18:00.007-05:00

The path ahead was clearly evident but nothing more. All else was deeply shrouded in cloud, rain, and wind. It was a singularly un-pleasant day to take a walk. Roots and rocks were slippery traps waiting to spring their surprise on unwise steps and puddles patiently pooled their resources to further dampen our spirits. We knew there must be incredible views out there, after all we were walking a knife-edge path along the ridge tops, but there was only a seamless wall of gray.

Arriving at the shelter we discovered other weary and discouraged travelers, strangers now brothers because of a shared journey. One considered pressing on to the next shelter but the presence of good company outweighed the certainty of six dreary miles. Stories were shared, meals were eaten, and a fire was attempted and abandoned. Somehow the only solution to such a day was to turn in and turn off. Surely tomorrow would be better.

And the views simply fell into our laps! A bright sunrise inspired the decision to retrace our once dreary steps in order to see just what we had missed along the way. What had only recently been burdensome was now breathtaking! Where there had been only gloom there was now nothing but glory!

As is often the case, my wilderness wanderings crack open spiritual insights. "Sorrow may last the night, but joy comes with the morning." (Ps 30:5). What may seem to be a dreadful section of trail can, in fact, become a place of wonder to be returned to again and again. The discomforts of a dreadful day are banished by memories of enduring beauty. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!