Heartlight Articles - Special Features

Drafting Your Thanksgiving Fantasy Team

ron@faithteam.org (Ron Rose) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Preparation

When you gathered around your Thanksgiving table this year, thank God for your human design. Thank him for your ability to be recharged, replenished and revived. It's all in your DNA, but to be recharged means you have to have been drained and the ultimate charge only comes when you have been drained to the limit.

Ready for a recharge? There is a faith secret about this recharging process; it requires you to get your focus off yourself and onto others. Self-focus will never recharge you.

Think of people for whom you are truly grateful -- people who during the year have made a measurable difference in your life. Jot down their names. They will become your draft picks for your 2009 Fantasy Thanksgiving Team.

By each name write down why you are thankful for him or her.

Now, during this week call or get face to face with your picks, and tell each one how your life has been touched. Thanksgiving is not about you, it's about them.

On the surface the talented, athletic, artistic, creative, and intelligent people grab our attention, the ones, who, in spite of overwhelming circumstances, survive and thrive; they inspire us.

But, what about the everyday, ordinary people who have a mysterious, yet profound impact on our lives? You know them! The thankful people! Gifted, yes, but they refuse to be stuck on themselves.

Not only do they overcome, they overflow with gratitude: like the cancer survivor who sees every day filled with opportunity to love, to serve, to live.

Or, the 65-year-old newlywed I know who, when her new husband had a stroke, said joyfully, "I am so thankful to have a husband to take care of!"

That kind of thankfulness WOWs me! And, they need to know it.

Inspiration

Former Miami Dolphin football coach Don Shula and his wife were on a vacation trip to a small town in Maine; they intended to relax without people recognizing them. When they arrived, it was raining so they decided to go see a movie.

As they entered the theatre, the house lights were on and a handful of people stood and gave them a warm little round of applause. Secretly pleased, Shula whispered to his wife, "I guess they recognize me everywhere."

Then a man stood up and said, "We're thankful to see you folks; the manager said he wouldn't start the film until at least ten people came in."

It's easy to slip into self-centeredness, but it tends to cloud the real story. Humility is always a step forward.

Thanksgiving is never about me, it's always about us, that's what makes it Thanksgiving.

Motivation

You know what you have been called to do, so do it! Let your Thanksgiving be a blessing to those who have been a blessing to you.

Ron Rose is a noted author and leader of Faith Team. His new email ministry, Faith Notes, provides practical resources for growing faith. Email Ron!

Website: Faith Team

Grace?

dannysims@altamesa.org (Danny Sims) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Some of the favorite things most folks like about Leadership Magazine are the cartoons. One I especially remember shows two guys visiting about church over a table at a restaurant. They're sharing a cup of coffee as they visit. One guy smugly shares the following:

Our church's distinctive is to be a church of grace. If anyone can't adhere to that, we simply ask that person to leave.*

Like the cartoon, when I discovered grace I misunderstood. Truth is, I was pretty legalistic about grace. You had to believe what I believed and had to express it the way I expressed it. I was so full of grace in my head I had not much room for it in my heart!

The test of grace is not only what you believe. It is not just about how you behave. Grace gets to both for sure. But grace gets also to how you belong and an open invitation to other people to be in the right place with God. And before I can share it I really need to accept it.

You've heard things like this before:

Grace does not look the other way at sin, it looks directly to God.

Grace is not exclusive, it is inclusive.

Grace is not for me and mine alone, it is for you and yours and all of us.

Grace is God's Riches At Christ's Expense

Let me add one that seems right for me today:

Grace is not a secret I have discovered, it is God's truth for all ages and He has included even me!

* From "The Best Cartoons from Leadership Journal," Volume 1. This is definitely worth having in your library for those "rainy days" of ministry and life!

Danny Sims is the preaching minister at the Altamesa Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas, and a longtime Heartlight supporter and friend.

Website: Altamesa Church of Christ

Beyond the Clouds

tomnorvell@mac.com (Tom Norvell) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

After three days of beautiful autumn weather in New York City, I headed to the airport on a cold cloudy and gray morning. By the time I arrived at the airport, heavy rain had begun to fall. The walls of glass in the waiting area were soon fogged up and covered with blowing rain as the weather changed from beautiful to gloomy.

It was still raining when I boarded my flight. I took my window seat and looked out to see one last view of the city. There was only a faint vision of the New York skyline and memories of the beauty of the previous day. We taxied out to the runway and within seconds after liftoff the images of the city were hidden behind a sea of thick dark clouds.

As we continued to climb, the darkness began to brighten, and within a short time we were above the clouds. Below us was a light fluffy blanket of clouds. All around us was nothing but blue sky and sunshine. In my head, I could hear Willie Nelson singing, "Blue skies; nothing but blue skies ..."

Then I had one of those "Duh!" moments: beyond the clouds the sun always shines! No matter what the weather is down below, when we are able to see above and beyond the clouds, we realize that the sun always shines and the skies are always blue.

Sitting there peering out the window at the clouds below and surrounded by sunshine and blue skies -- and yes, under my breath I was singing "Blue skies and rainbows and sun beams from heaven ..." -- I was reminded of the scene on the mountain when Peter, James and John were with Jesus on the mountain:

Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus (Mark 9:7-8 NIV).

There was the cloud. Then, there was God.

These words of Jesus also came to mind:

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NIV).

Perhaps Jesus was telling us that there will be times in our lives when all we can see with our eyes are clouds, but if we will keep looking with our hearts, if we will search beyond the clouds, then we will see Him.

Perhaps He is speaking to you.

Your vision is clouded by the sadness of losing a loved one, or what appears to be inevitable loss of a loved one. Will you keep looking above and beyond the cloud? He is there.

Your world is darkened by a marriage that appears to be falling apart, or a marriage characterized by apathy and disrespect from your partner, or a marriage that seems hopelessly lost to busy schedules and an over-commitment to climb the ladder of success. Will you look beyond the clouds? He is there. He can help.

The cloud of a life filled of dishonesty, deceit, cover-ups, and pretense engulfs your life. Will you look beyond the cloud? He is there. He can help. He wants to help.

Your family is completely covered with a cloud heartache, loss, and grief. Will you look beyond the cloud? He is there. He can help. He wants to help. He understands your pain.

Your future is hidden by a cloud of hopelessness due to a past of broken dreams, failures, and disappointment. Will you look beyond the cloud? He is there. He can help. He wants to help. He understands your pain. He can give you a new dream.

In this life there will be clouds. But, take heart. He has risen above the clouds. He is there. He invites you to rise above the clouds with Him. You can see him ... if you'll look beyond the clouds.

Tom Norvell is the author of "A Norvell Note." He ministers at the Hermitage Church of Christ in Hermitage, Tennessee.

Website: A Norvell Note

Good without God?

p.d.odum@gmail.com (Patrick D. Odum) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:20-24 NIV).

Earlier this week, an organization called The Chicago Coalition of Reason put up a billboard at the corner of Grand and LaSalle Avenues in downtown Chicago that's generated some discussion and debate. The CoR is an atheist organization that promotes the idea that "humanists, agnostics and atheists are as normal as anyone else. We're your friends, neighbors and family members. We care about our communities and are true to our values."

Their billboard, which CoR members say is to "break the stereotype that atheists are evil and end the subtle discrimination that unfolds as a result." It reads: "Are you good without God? Millions are."

Well, frankly, I long ago gave up the notion that people who believe in God are necessarily nicer or better or more virtuous or more ethical than people who don't. People are good -- or not -- for a whole slew of reasons that may or may not have to do with faith in God. The question I have about atheists and morality is this: "Who tells us what 'good' is?" Is it enough to be true to our values if our values are mixed up?

Actually, though, that's a good question to ask folks who claim belief in God, too.

Are you good without God?

I think the billboard has a double meaning, and I want to look at both meanings. Are you good without God -- as in, "Are you OK without God? Do you need him to make your choices and live your life?" Christians, of course, would generally make the right noise about needing him. If you pinned a thousand self-identified Christians down, you might get five who'd say, "Actually, I can generally get by just fine without God, yes." We're conditioned to talk about faith and trust and depending on God's grace, and most of us can hit all the right notes.

But sometimes I think we live as though we're actually pretty good -- pretty OK -- without God. When we make our decisions based on what "seems OK" or "feels right," we're living as if God has nothing we need. When we know what's right and still choose to do what's wrong, we conduct ourselves as if our own conscience and value system are the true measures of character, integrity, and virtue. When we lean on our own talents, resources, and schemes to get what we think we want, we deny that there's any area of our lives in which we need his grace, wisdom, and strength. When we make our plans and carry them out without prayer and advice from other believers, we walk as if there's no one to lead us. When we live torn by doubt, worry, and fear, we choose to live as if we don't know the gracious Father in heaven who provides for our needs.

Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Ephesus of what their lives had been like, so he can remind them of who they claim to be now. Their predicament was darkened understanding, hard hearts, separation from God, and an intensifying desire to do evil inversely proportionate to their declining sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. "Futility" is the word Paul uses to describe their lives.

"You, however, didn't come to know Christ that way," he reminds them. That's a good thing to say to ourselves sometimes, when our lives haven't been reflecting "the truth that is in Jesus." What we've come to faith in isn't a set of laws. We've come to believe in a person: a person who says that there are parts of our lives that have been soiled by sin and need to be taken off like a dirty shirt. A person who makes it possible for us to be renewed and put on a new life that more accurately reflects the righteousness and holiness of our God.

So that billboard provides me with a chance to look in the metaphorical mirror and ask myself if I'm carrying on as if I'm good without God. Or does my life reflect that I need him? Do I try to obey him, even when it's inconvenient? Does the amount of time I spend in prayer and with the Bible and with the church show that I'm living in dependence on him? Does my hope rest on earning potential or net worth or my particular set of talents or my work ethic, or in God and his generous providence?

"There is no one righteous, not even one," the Bible reminds us. So, no, none of us can be good without God. That's true for all of us, atheists and believers alike. The first lie the devil told human beings was, "You'll be like God, knowing good and evil." It is a lie, though, on two fronts. We usually can't see much beyond our own immediate benefit or disadvantage when trying to determine what's right and wrong. And on those rare occasions when we do come up with the right answer, it's at best even money if we'll follow through and actually do what we recognized as right.

And so God, in Christ, stepped in. In being faithful to death, he lived what was right. In his death and resurrection, he brought about redemption and forgiveness from our sins and victory over sin and death. And he poured out his Spirit, God present in us, to give us the wisdom to know right from wrong and the strength to live it.

So, no; I'm not good without God. I'm not in any way OK without him, and I can't be a person of integrity and virtue without his grace, wisdom, and guidance. We can all do some good deeds, make some good choices, be nice or generous or peace-loving, but in the end it will all come down to this: What we need is to be new. What we need is to be renewed, redeemed, reclaimed, rebuilt, refitted. What we need is what only God can give us, and has given us in Jesus.

Good without God? I'm barely tolerable with him.

Maybe I should put that on a billboard.

Patrick Odum lives in Chicago, Illinois, with his wife, Laura and son, Joshua. He is one of the ministers at Northwest Church of Christ, and an avid Heartlight fan. He enjoys writing and maintains a website of his work called Faith Web where you can find all of his articles. Email Patrick

Website: Faith Web

Living Abundantly

tomnorvell@mac.com (Tom Norvell) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I recently made a trip to visit my son and daughter-in-law in New York City. A trip to the Big Apple typically involves at least one Broadway show, some sort of sporting event, a stroll through Central Park (or one of the other beautiful parks in the city), maybe a museum, possibly a visit to an art gallery, photographs at the well-known landmarks, maybe a celebrity citing, shopping, indulgence of the taste buds, and several stops at the local coffee shops.

Prior to leaving home, it's not unusual to plan the details of trips to the city days or even weeks in advance to insure that you make the best use of your time.
This visit was no different. One day was spent with family casually enjoying meals together and walking through areas of the city we had not previously visited. The second day included a more extensive tour of the area and a professional basketball game. The third day was dedicated to visiting some of the most scenic parts of the city, taking in a play, dinner, and a movie. Of course, each outing has been documented with photographs and involved at least some time spent simply watching people.

It was during those walks through the city that I was reminded of these words of Jesus:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10, NIV).

As I sat in the middle of one of the most famous spots of the city, Times Square, enjoying the experience of a beautiful autumn day, I thanked God for the life He has given me, and I asked myself what makes this trip so special?

That is when I was reminded of at least three thoughts that had been floating around in my head that helped create fertile soil for this "abundant life" experience:

There's so little time.

There's so much to see and do.

I may never have this same opportunity.

My pondering progressed as I considered how the quality of life in general might be improved if the same three attitudes that had dominated my thinking during this mini-vacation were applied to each new day. I have concluded that it would drastically change the way I live. It might do the same for you.

Suppose we start each new day telling ourselves, "There's so little time." We cannot waste time on things that do not matter. We must get busy with the things that do matter. We don't have time to waste with our "foolish and stupid arguments" (2 Timothy 2:23). We don't have time to waste making sure we get our way. We don't have time to waste worrying about all the things we cannot do anything about. We must stop waiting for that apology that may never come. There's so little time. It's time to enjoy what God has given us, enjoy His blessings, enjoy His creation, and enjoy each other.

"There's so much to see and do." God has created a wonderful world and He wants us to experience it, enjoy it, and marvel at it. "This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24 RSV). He wants us to keep our eyes open to what He is doing in us, around us, for us, about us, with us, and with those we know and love. He wants us to be busy with telling His story and sharing His glory. There is too much to see and do to sit around wishing we had something enjoyable to do. It's time to get busy.

"We may never have this same opportunity." There are some things that we do only once in our lifetime. Some conversations will take place only once. Encounters with some people will only happen one time. Many opportunities will pass our way only once. We will have only one opportunity to make a life-giving connection with some people. We will have only one opportunity to tell some people what God has done for us. We may have only one opportunity to ask certain people if they know God. The opportunities to be with our children and express our love for them, share our dreams for them, and help them develop their own vision for life, will come quickly and be gone. We may have only one opportunity to teach them to be kind, to be loving, to share, and to care for other people. It is true that we may never have this same opportunity again. We need to take advantage of it while we can. "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time ..." (Ephesians 4:15-16 RSV).

Today starts a new day, a new week, a new part of your life, and it gives us a new opportunity to live life to the fullest ... to live abundantly. Will you? There's so little time. There is so much to see and do. We may never have this opportunity again. Think it. Share it. Live it. Enjoy it.

Tom Norvell is the author of "A Norvell Note." He ministers at the Hermitage Church of Christ in Hermitage, Tennessee.

Website: A Norvell Note

The Ig Nobel Awards

p.d.odum@gmail.com (Patrick D. Odum) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us (2 Corinthians 4:6-7 TNIV).

You might have heard the winners of the Nobel prizes mentioned in recent weeks, but there were a series of awards given out recently that you probably missed. The "Ig Nobel Awards," given by a publication called, improbably enough, the "Annals of Improbable Research," honor the best of the year's research that cannot or should not be repeated.

At this year's awards in Boston, "Iggys" were given in economics to Icelandic bank executives "for showing how tiny banks can become huge banks, and then become tiny banks again." The peace prize went to researchers from the University of Bern for a paper entitled, "Are full or empty beer bottles sturdier and does their fracture-threshold suffice to break the human skull?" (Turns out that full or empty bottles will crack your noggin.) Other researchers were honored (?) for determining that cows who are called by name give more milk, for discovering that giant panda poop helps break down organic kitchen waste, for identifying the anatomical factors that prevent pregnant women from tipping over, and for developing a bra that converts into a gas mask. Well, two gas masks, actually.

Ignoble? Well, maybe. Unless you suddenly find yourself in need of a gas mask. Somebody has to study the "ignoble" stuff, right?

Judging from the Bible, God seems to be a big fan of the ignoble. A champion of the common. Lord of the lowborn.

It's a redneck shepherd boy, after all, who stands up to Goliath -- and with a sling, not armor and sword. When God wants to send his Son into the world, he comes as a helpless baby, with a feeding trough in a stable in a backwater town as his crib. His message speaks to the common people, and often alienates the VIP's. And when he rescues the people he loves, it isn't by raising an army or taking a throne. It's by giving his life as a despised and rejected criminal.

Moses parted the sea with a staff. A donkey chastised Balaam. Jesus fed 5,000 people with a little boy's picnic. You get the picture. God has a history of unexpected and unprecedented acts done with undistinguished people and seemingly insignificant things.

Seems that God can use regular people who seem to have little to commend them to do amazing things. A peasant couple in Nazareth receive an angelic visitation and, nine months later, a baby boy who is God With Us. Uneducated fishermen, an ethically questionable tax collector, a revolutionary, and assorted women make up his closest followers. But those followers go on to proclaim the good news and demonstrate the power of God's kingdom to officials, rulers, and kings all over the world.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).

That's the response of some of those officials and rulers to the ordinary guys who spoke the name of Jesus to them. And, unwittingly, they stumbled on the reason. What makes ordinary people able to do extraordinary things? What transforms unremarkable circumstances into remarkable acts of God? What gives nobility to what the world considers ignoble?

"They ... took note that these men had been with Jesus."

Paul calls himself and his co-workers "jars of clay"; pots so literally earthy and common that archaeologists today find thousands of shards of them scattered over every dig from Asia to the Middle East to Africa to Europe. Clay jars were to Paul what plastic and Styrofoam containers are to us: functional and unremarkable.

But, God had hidden a treasure inside Paul and his clay-jar colleagues. He had shown them his face through Jesus, revealed to them who he is. His light shone in their hearts, and so they carried around in themselves the treasure of the gospel of Jesus. They were still clay jars: weak, fragile, yes, even ignoble. They could be cracked, broken, and even destroyed. No one would look at them and be impressed or awestruck. But because they were clay jars, God did remarkable things through them.

You might have expected that I'd say "in spite of the fact that they were clay jars," or something like that. But Paul doesn't say that. Paul reminds us that the ordinary-ness of the messengers witnesses to the extraordinary-ness of the message. In using the ignoble, Paul points out, God demonstrates incontrovertibly that the power of the gospel is in him. It's not in the persuasiveness or faith or piety or courage of the container. It's in the glory and power and grace of God as poured out in Jesus Christ.

I wouldn't be surprised if you were a pretty ordinary person living a pretty ordinary life. Oh, I'm sure you have your moments, but I imagine that a fair amount of the time you worry about your weaknesses and stress over your shortcomings. I'm guessing that you see yourself as pretty average, and your life as unremarkable at best and mundane at worst. And I'm pretty sure that, given the choice, you'd say that you consider yourself more ignoble than noble.

Congratulations. You're in good company. People like you are just the kind of people God loves to use to do his work in the world. Really, when an ordinary person confounds the world's values and assumptions by showing extraordinary faith or courage, or sacrificing to show love to someone else, or speaking unexpected words of good news at just the right time, then God is glorified. It's clear that he's at work in that ordinary life.

Stay with Jesus. Stay close to him, follow him, do what he does, and listen to what he says. His Spirit lives in you, and the treasure of the gospel glitters through the cracks that every clay jar has in it. He'll do remarkable things with you, but that's his business, and he'll do it in his own time and in his own ways. As you take care of your family, or do your job, or shop for groceries, or go to school, or serve in your community, or worship in your church, he'll do his work. Your business is staying close, doing the things he did and speaking the words he spoke.

People will still notice.

And God will be glorified.

Website: Faith Web

All Who Are Weary

tomnorvell@mac.com (Tom Norvell) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Jesus offers us these words of comfort and invitation:

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:25-30 NIV).

Father, there are some weary people on this planet. Good people. Sincere people. People of faith. People who long to please You. People who love You with all their heart and soul and mind and strength. People who are committed to being good and doing good. Your people. There are some weary people in this world.

Father, there are some burdened people on this planet. Hard working people. People with big and generous hearts. People who care about people. People who have great compassion. People who give of themselves, share what they have, and show mercy to other people. There are some burdened people in this world.

So, I come to You on behalf of all who are weary and burdened people.

I come to you on behalf of the daughter who has the responsibility of caring for her aged mother who cannot remember her name, the name of the daughter who visits her every day, nor can she remember where she is.

I come to You on behalf of the husband who cares for his wife who suffers from a disease that will eventually take her life.

I come to You on behalf of the young mother who struggles to hold on to the hope that her husband will ever give her and their children the attention they crave.

I come to You on behalf of the single dad who had to learn to be a father and a mother to his teenage daughter.

I come to You on behalf of the Christian leader who carries the burden of spiritual development of his family, the Christian family he serves, and his own spiritual health.

Father, I come to You on behalf of all the weary and heavy burdened people. I lift them up to you. And, I pray that each one will hear Your invitation to come, and Your promise to give them rest. And, I pray that they will accept Your invitation to come to You.

I pray for all the weary and heavy burdened through the name of the One who hears, the One who invites, and the One who gives rest. Amen.

Tom Norvell is the author of "A Norvell Note." He ministers at the Hermitage Church of Christ in Hermitage, Tennessee.

Website: A Norvell Note