Monthly Archives: April 2016

Live to be forgotten?

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Whether it’s at a reunion celebration or a celebration of life service, most of us like to be remembered. In fact, we intentionally plan to be remembered by living a life of legacy that extends beyond our earthly years. While few of us will have large hospitals or libraries bearing our name, we hope to leave a legacy at our work, in our family, and in our church and community. After we’ve gone our legacy is based on our accomplishments, our character and the choices we made. That legacy is influenced largely by how we treat people, especially those who have no chance or power to advance our cause. Jesus said it is how we treat “the least of these” that matters greatly. Relationship are all we take to heaven.

And yet how quickly legacies turn from current memory to forgotten history. Do you remember the surge of national patriotism the days following the 9/11 attacks? And do you remember how quickly the unity dispersed and divisiveness again swept our country? Who will remember the history you experienced? Sacrifices made for just causes, values upheld in the face of persecution, faith in the middle of stormy life events, love and peace amidst the chaos of divisiveness.

The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. Some died and others were born in the desert, having no recollection of the miraculous way God rescued them from the Egyptians. They were exiled into Babylon for seventy years. Entire generations  lived to be born and die in captivity. They had no personal experience with life “back home.” Only the legacy of faithfulness sustained them in tough times.

When I die, I suppose there will be friends and family who remember me. Hopefully their memories will be ones of kindness, compassion, passion for living well, and other positive attributes. I hope they will carry those same attributes and pass them on as the legacy they leave.

But should we live to be remembered? Is that the primary goal?

Count Zinzendorf was evidently a wealthy religious and social reformer of his 18th century times. His theology was Christ-centered, and he emphasized a “radical” lifestyle of “living for Jesus.” He is quoted to have summarized the goal of life simply as:

“Preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten.”

Live and love with one solitary purpose, to preach the gospel, not only in words but in the harmonious ways Jesus guides our relationships with others. LI’ve, really live all out for Jesus and then die with the goal of being forgotten. Really? Why should be aim to be forgotten? It is so that every bit of pride may be swept away. So that when people remember you, what they really remember is how God moved through your life, how he helped and inspired others through you. It’s the outcome that follow’s John the Baptist’s conclusion that “He (Jesus) must become greater and greater, and I must become less.” (John 3:30) It is Paul’s message to each of us to consider the interests of others as greater than our own, love without grumbling, and consider everything we do as unto the Lord, for his purpose. (Philippians 2:2-16, Colossians 3:17)

So while our prideful self wants to remembered and our name to be preserved, how much better if what people remember most is God’s goodness revealed in our lives. His ways are higher than our ways and so leaving a legacy of God’s great love is our most prized goal. May your legacy and mine be marked by kindness, strong faith, persistent prayer, compassion for the needy, wholesome laughter, and quality time enjoying time with friends and family. Long after your name and mine are forgotten may the legacy that lives on be one of faith, hope, and love.

Especially love!

That doesn’t belong here!

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Marcia and I took a tour of several Amish country stores in Northern Iowa. They were recommended by one of my nurses so we thought it would be a good day trip on the way to our “Mayo Clinic vacation.” Traversing the muddy country roads, we came across a number of Amish buggies, including one driven by a very young boy presumably taking his even younger siblings home from school. Wherever we looked, everything spoke “Amish” to us: the horse-drawn buggies, the conservative and modest dress, clothes hanging on the line, draft horses pulling wagons or tied to the post at the general store, waiting for their owner to return from his tasks. It all fit together perfectly. . . except one item tucked in amidst the large bags of bulk flour, the containers of bulk spices, and the “penny” candy display:

imageAmish Country MICROWAVE Popcorn.

The package pictures a horse-drawn buggy returning to a rustic Amish Farm, of course with NO electricity running to the house! I pictured a quiet scene of an Amish family sitting around their fireplace, telling stories and recalling the events of the day, while cooking Microwave Popcorn. It gave me a chuckle because it didn’t seem to fit in.

I notice, my life is sometimes like that too. Our road trip was delayed after spending nearly two hours communicating between medical providers and insurance company. Again, authorizations for various tests weren’t completed. As I drove to Minnesota, I could feel the frustration tensing up my neck muscles.  My brow was furloughed by the worry of wondering if I would be denied critical testing due to unnecessary bureaucratic red tape. Disappointment and even a bit of anger rose up within me. It wasn’t that I was in a rage or anything like that. And ultimately I understood that everything will work out. I’ll get tests back in Iowa if needed. I maintained a calm demeanor throughout the multiple conversations after being transferred from one agent to another. But I realized, “Something doesn’t belong here.”

Christians aren’t perfect. We don’t have our act together all the time. We have real emotions that accompany real disappointments just like anyone else. But we are also called to be different, set apart. It’s one thing to experience a bit of frustration or to have concern for something that isn’t right. It’s quite another to dwell there and let it hang like a dark cloud over the whole day.

Like the Amish Microwave Popcorn or the “three are the same – one is different” game  my grandchildren play, some things “don’t belong” in a life of faith. That is to say, they shouldn’t characterize our response.

Anger crowds out love. Dissatisfaction impedes joy. Worry defeats peace. Demanding overpowers patience. Self-concern shoves away kindness and goodness. Over-assertiveness crushes gentleness. Insisting on my own way casts faithfulness aside. And impulsiveness drowns self-control.

As I reflect on how many things God has shown me during this unexpected journey through cancer – his mercy, love, and faithfulness to name just a few – I’m aware of how this journey is shaping me lIke the clay on the potter’s wheel. And still, for as long as you and I live these human lives, there will be some things that don’t belong. Things like pervasive worry, dominating fear, and persistent anxiety contradict the faith we claim. True, we will likely experience all these and other negative, unproductive and harmful emotions at one time or another. But if we dwell in them, it becomes clear that It’s time to put off the things that don’t belong and put on the attitudes that reflect who we are meant to be.

It’s time to trade our sorrows for the joy of the Lord, anxiety for peace, fear for assurance, and a demanding character for one that his more gentle and humble,  patient and kind, governed by self-control. What doesn’t belong in your life? Give it up and let God replace it with something better.

 

From the rising of the sun to its setting

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Strahan Tasmania Sunset with verse

Sunset at Strahan, Tasmania 1975, (c) Bryan Thayer

We were on vacation in Tasmania decades ago. While I say “vacation,” it was actually a whirlwind road trip. On a busy day, we found ourselves rushing to the beach at Strahan in order to catch its famous sunset “just in the nick of time.” Whew. I’m glad we didn’t miss this glorious sight!

I don’t know about you, but even as a retired guy I have lots of tasks on my to-do list… every single day. I remember Marcia’s Dad sharing about his retirement: “I wake up with nothing to do and by the time I go to bed I only have half of it done.”

The fact is, we’re all busy people. From the rising sun to its setting, our days are filled often with too much to do and too little time to get it done. Maybe you’ve struggled with how to achieve the perfect “balance.” The most productive and effective people will tell you it comes down to starting the day with the most important tasks and working your way through other less-demanding tasks.

How do you prioritize your daily schedule? If I start the morning with easy tasks I prefer to do I typically find there is not enough time or energy to complete the most important ones. But when I tackle the tougher, more important projects first, I usually have time for my preferred or easier tasks.

We find this true in our devotions. Isn’t it easy for the day to be filled with all sorts of urgent but not all that essential things to do? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that leaving time with God to the end of the day is not a plan for success. How can he guide our journey if we don’t consult with him until we reach the day’s end destination?! God’s design is not to add more things to our to-do list. He simply wants us to invite him to be a part of our everyday activities and to acknowledge who he is throughout the day.

“From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised.” Psalm 113:3

When a young boy, Samuel was awakened by a voice from God and he responded saying, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”  1 Samuel 3:10  Recently, our pastor encouraged us to begin each day with this simple prayer. Before we present our long list of requests to God, consider just being still and listening to what God may speak to you in a moment of quiet. If that concept sounds foreign to you and silence makes you feel like bolting and running, be encouraged with another challenge. BEGIN the day by reading a portion from God’s Word and then let his truth and wisdom sink in while you listen to him in silence.

Don’t have time? CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the average US consumer spends 40 minutes on Facebook alone each day. And that doesn’t include other internet activity, TV, or any other sort of diversion. You might find it helpful to do a time study for a single day to find out how much of your time is spent in things you regard as important compared to things that rank lower on your list but continue to take up too much time.

Don’t know where to start? We’re using a reading plan that takes us on a tour of the whole bible in one year. Check with Biblegateway.com or google bible reading plans. You could jump in to a reading plan right now that leads you through reading the entire bible or the entire New Testament in a year, or any number of other options. Or you could commit to reading a chapter of the gospel of John each day. I find it helpful to take a single verse or passage that speaks to me and putting it on a sticky note or card where I can reflect on it throughout the day. That’s the goal, isn’t it? To step back several times throughout the day, even if just for a moment, and acknowledge who God is, what he has done, how he is working in your life this very moment, and consider what yet the Lord will do in your presence.

It’s a good habit that not only doesn’t require a lot of time but also makes better use of the time you have remaining in your day.

 

 

Do your prayers “smell” good?

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Marcia and I have been diffusing essential oils lately. This produces a pleasing aroma and provides a cleansing and healing effect. It also caused us to think about incense we burned in our college years and the incense offerings made by God’s people in Old Testament times.

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God gave specific and detailed instructions for the construction of the altar of incense which was placed inside the Holy Place of the tabernacle. It was to be built of acacia wood with gold overlay. The fire was to be brought from the altar of burnt offerings outside the tabernacle. A specific blend of incense was to be burned day and night, never to be used for other purposes. It was “an aroma pleasing to the Lord.” (Leviticus 3:5) The high priest sprinkled blood on the altar to cleanse it. (Sounds strange in our times, doesn’t it?) Later we read that God found the incense offerings to be “meaningless” and “detestable,” and he ordered them stopped (Isaiah 1:13) because the people were living disobedient lives and just “going through the motions” or worship. What God always desires from us is a humble and grateful heart, devoted to him.

The incense burned in the tabernacle was accompanied by prayer, representing to us a symbol of our own prayerful life. Just as the smoke from the burning incense rose from the altar, so our prayers rise to heaven. And just as the burned incense, when offered from a pure heart, was a pleasing aroma to him, so your prayers and mine are also a pleasing aroma. It’s not worship rituals, but rather the heart of worship that pleases God.

God is holy. And because we are made in his image, we are called to live holy, pure lives also, set apart and different from the rest of the world. You know how you feel when your child does something right and generous and good. You might think of it as a pleasing aroma, something that satisfies you and makes you happy. It seems our sincere prayers are like that to God. In John’s vision of heaven (Revelation 5:8, 8:3) he saw “golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” And just as the incense in the Holy Place was kept burning day and night, so we are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16) and we are meant to live lives of unending prayers (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The psalmist said, “May my prayer be set before you like incense.” (Psalm 142:2)

You can diffuse essential oils, burn incense, or simmer vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon to make your home smell like a heavenly bakery. But what God is most interested in – what pleases him most – is the “fragrance” of a grateful heart, a heart that seeks him and is fully satisfied in him.

May our prayers always “smell” good!

 

What do I REALLY believe?

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Conversations with the heart:

I believe.

Two words. So easy to say. I believe laughter is good for the soul. I believe in the future of my children. I believe in God. I believe in the value of hard work and restorative rest and in taking care of my body.

I believe so many things.  But do the thoughts of my mind and my actions give evidence to what I believe?

My children and wife know that I am particularly cautious (i.e.phobic) around high places. Standing next to the railing overlooking a deep canyon below, I walk carefully and slowly toward the edge…if I must. And before I lean on that railing, I examine it carefully asking, “Do I really believe this railing is secure enough to bear my weight? Should I lean on it to gain a better view?” If I really believe it is plenty sturdy enough I will demonstrate my belief by leaning against it. It’s an act of trust you and I perform every day. We sit in a chair, we ride in a car, we confide in a friend, we dare tell God how we honestly feel, because we believe we are secure in doing so. We believe the chair will hold our weight, the car will be safe, our friend will understand and maintain confidentiality, and God will be ever forgiving and patient with us. We believe, and so we act on that belief.

Do you believe God hears and answers your prayers? Even if the answer is slow to come and not what you had expected? We were challenged with this question. “Do you believe God WILL heal you of this terminal cancer and deadly fusarium infection?” Of course, we know God CAN do this. He is afterall the one and only true, all powerful God of the universe. He speaks and the world is created, mountains are formed, living beings breathe, the sick are healed, and even the dead are raised! Nothing is impossible for our great God.

But does believing make it so? On the one hand, God has endowed us with the incredible gift of  exercising mind over body. He allows us to rise above circumstances by understanding the secret of being content. Whether we have much or little, whether in good health or bad, whether alone or surrounded by friends, there is one reality that looks at the circumstance and another reality that rises above them. It is how we discover joy in the midst of sorrow, hope when surrounded by despair, strength in utter weakness, and peace in the middle of the storm. Believing in what is actually true and promised by God makes it so. It invites his will for our lives “on earth as it is in heaven.”

On the other hand, merely believing doesn’t make it so. I might believe the stock market will rise only to find it fall instead. I may confide in someone believing them to be a true friend only to discover their betrayal. Believing doesn’t always make it so. The prophets of Baal believed in a false god who had no power. Elijah believed in the Lord God Almighty who was not only able and willing but did demonstrate his power in response to Elijah’s belief. What we believe makes a difference!

There’s no point in asking for peace if we insist on worrying and arguing with others.  There’s no purpose in seeking joy if we only look down upon our own sorrows; no point of asking for healing if we convince ourselves we are doomed.

We clearly see the fires that rise up around us. Words like “poor prognosis, 100% mortality, great chance of future relapse, high risk of treatment-related mortality,” have a way of making circumstance stand out as the only reality. But there is another reality that we see when we lift our our eyes from our troubles and turn them upon Jesus.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”

And so, until he tells us otherwise, we believe in God’s desire to grant us more years of ministry together and pray accordingly. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who, as they were about to be thrown into the fiery furnace said, “Our God will save us from this fire. But even if he doesn’t (we will remain faithful to him),” even if God has decided to heal me in heaven, he remains such a great and merciful God – far more than I deserve.

Dear heart, believe. But not only believe. Put your trust in what is always true and respond freely from that belief.

When life doesn’t seem fair

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Have you ever caught yourself thinking how some folks seem to get everything they want in life while your lot in life seems unfairly short of blessings and long in unfair suffering? Have you ever asked God why those who follow him faithfully suffer and die when others who reject him enjoy both health and prosperity? You’re certainly not alone. The prophet Aseph felt the same way. In Psalm 73, he acknowledges that God is good to those who are pure in heart. But then he says,

“But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.” (Psalm 73:2-5)

Surely, God rewards those who follow his ways, who are fully devoted to him, but just now it doesn’t appear that way. It looks like those who ignore God are doing well in all aspects of life. Called to “stand firm” we start thinking in ways that lead us to stand on a slippery foothold. How do we regain our senses at such a time? Aseph shows us. He snaps back to the reality of his faith, realizing that the foolish who ignore God and go their own ways wear the necklace of pride. They clothe themselves with violence, and they promote iniquity, fueled by evil imaginations. They look successful while they scoff at and oppress others. They mock God while they accumulate wealth for themselves. He wonders, and perhaps you have too, “Maybe keeping my heart pure was all in vain. I’m surrounded by sorrows and afflictions while everyone else seems to be living “the life of Riley.””

And then Aseph says something astounding and profound.

“When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God.” V16

We find the more we visit with doctors about my health, the more our minds are troubled by the “evidence” before us. Probably you too have observed that focusing on problems brings sorrow while focusing on solutions brings joy. What is the fulcrum point that shifts our perspective? It’s when we “enter the sanctuary of God.” Our minds and hearts can’t be turned from being troubled to being transformed until we enter God’s presence and seek his heart.

It’s then that we understand the final destiny of mockers and self-seekers and also the grest inheritance of those committed to living fully – yet however imperfectly – for God. He takes our hand and leads us from slippery ground to a solid rock, a foundation that is unshakeable.

In our envy, we are like Aseph. Our heart is grieved, our spirit is filled with bitterness, and our ignorance defines us until we come to Jesus, the perfector of our soul, the redeemer of our life. I wonder if Aseph’s realization describes how you’ve been transformed by the love of God:

“Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.” (V23-26, 28)

This life doesn’t always seem fair. In our emptiness, we ask, “How long, O Lord?” But enter into the presence – the sanctuary – of the Lord and inherit a new perspective that strengthens you and fills you with great hope. Tell others of his goodness and be renewed in your own spirit.

In what ways will you enter into the sanctuary of God today?