The Painful Truth

In Matthew 18, Jesus asks his disciples, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" There's no record of a response, probably because that very issue landed them in hot water on more than one occasion. Jesus answered his own question when he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Scholars have bantered about numerous ideas concerning what it means to become like a little child; I'm sure there's more than one possible answer. But I was reminded the other day of one aspect of being child-like. We were out with a friend who was holding Jake's hand walking through a store. One of the women who worked there struck up a conversation with him and he politely answered all her questions. She said to him, "wow, are you always this good?" My friend started making some kind remarks about how nice he was and Jake interrupted with a vigorous head shake and a very clear, "No."

He was telling the truth. Even though it didn't put him in the best possible light, he just came right out with it. He didn't have the sophistication to think about how to answer the question in a way that would make him look as good as possible. He didn't think for a moment that his answer might cause him to be loved less. He just said what he knew to be true.

There's a lesson in there somewhere. How many times do I say or do something to make myself look better than I really am? How many times am I afraid that to be honest about my brokenness would make me less loved? How many times do I choose a higher status in the kingdom of men rather than the kingdom of heaven? I want to be a truth teller, and so, somehow, grow up to be a child, perfectly at home being loved and blessed by Jesus in the kingdom of heaven.

Tent Murmuring

Ps 106:24-25 says, "Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise. They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD." Nearly all the translations say that Israel despised the pleasant land, but I think rejected more accurately reflects our way of thinking. Israel didn't despise the land, as though they didn't think it was good enough for them. They rejected the land because the difficulty of taking possession of it seemed far too great to be a realistic option. So they refused to even consider it.

They rejected God's lavish provision because they didn't trust in God's promise that he would do what it took to help them take possession of the land. If God had promised them a barren land with just enough vegetation to sustain their existence, but a land without giants, they might have been quite happy to go. But God had a lot more in mind. He had a better land that would take more trust and more work, but would provide for them much more richly.

True to human nature, they rejected God's big promise for something they could grasp, but then spent time in their tents grumbling against God and his leaders because of the lack of abundance. They did not obey the voice of the Lord and they suffered greatly because of it. That pattern can be an easy one to fall into. God offers abundant provision with the caveat that I trust him to do the heavy lifting, and instead I settle for the wilderness, rationed food, and evenings spent murmuring in my tent. Lord, help me to obey your voice and live in the provision you have called me to.

Missions Convention

Our church recently finished a missions convention; we invited several missionary couples to come and share their lives and ministries with us. Spending time around missionaries sometimes leaves people with a sense of awe because of the exoticness of where they live and what they do (and in my book, anyone who eats soup with their hands from a large pot with a goat's head sticking out does have a claim to living an exotic lifestyle). But most of them will tell you that most of what they do is fairly mundane. They get up and work, shop, eat, rest, and all the other "normal" parts of our existence. In the end, I think what makes them stand out
is not just their lifestyle, but their deep sense of the mission of God and the part that God has called them to play in that mission. They endure frustration and struggles because they know that they have been called to join God in his mission to bless all the peoples of the earth. That brings me back to me.

Is there any reason that I should feel less of a sense of God's mission just because my soup comes with a spoon and happens to be chicken noodle? I don't think so. When I wake up in the morning, I should have just as strong a sense of God's mission as my brothers and sisters living on the other side of the world. May the Lord help us to sense the opportunity we have every day to join him in his mission.

Spiritual Leadership

The Bible contains some difficult sayings; some are difficult to understand, and some are difficult because I understand them. 1Corinthians 11:1 falls into the second category. "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ," Paul says. It's possible to find some comfort in the immediate context. After all, we no longer struggle with meat offered to idols and so we could just dismiss the passage as "historically bound." However, even a moment's reflection reveals the hopelessness of that argument. The bigger issue includes anything that would cause offense to another person, thus the words, "whatever you do."

But even more than the immediate context, I believe this statement reflects something much more central to Paul's way of thinking about spiritual leadership. Paul lived his life that he might know Christ--"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead (Phil 3:10-11)"--but he wanted those under his leadership to follow his example--"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you (Phil 4:9)."

That leaves me with some difficult questions. Would I be happy if everyone under my leadership followed the example of my life? Would I be happy if everyone responded to my sermons to the extent I respond to them? Would I be happy if everyone lived out their faith they way I live out mine? The gap between my example and the Biblical standard provides the to-do list of my spiritual life. God grant me eyes to see where I fall short and heart that is quick to repent.

The Gym Roof

After a large gust of wind this afternoon, the gym roof at our church peeled off like the lid on a can of spam. Fortunately there was no questionable meat or gelatinous material under it:o) That meant an afternoon of talking to roof guys and insurance people, neither of whose language I speak particularly well. Apparently the fascia wasn't properly anchored which led to wind getting under the membrane and eventually to a loud pop, lots of flapping, and pieces of insulation and roof decking all over the parking lot. The roof guys did their thing, the insurance guys will do their thing, and now I'm home watching an old Star Wars rerun. That's exactly why we have weekends!

Which One Doesn't Belong?

I fondly remember those puzzle workbooks I used to fill out. What fun it was to look at a series of objects and try to figure out which one didn't belong. I was reminded of that today when I made my usual Monday afternoon hospital calls. Since the hospital is pretty close to my house I decided to meet Keri and Jake for lunch. And since it was such a nice day I decided to ride my motorcycle back to work instead of my car. No big deal, right? But when I pulled my shiny red motorcycle into the parking spot marked with the large "clergy only" sign, I received no small number of nasty looks. "What's that young guy on that shiny bike doing stealing the clergy parking space," I could see them thinking. I guess I was the object in the series that didn't seem to fit. I'm really glad God doesn't judge me by what other people see.

Which reminds me. Jake's interest in Bible stories right now is pretty much limited to the story of David and Goliath. He told me today that he didn't want anything other than the Old Testament because of the story of the little guy's victory over the giant. Given the fact that he's not much more than three feet tall, I can appreciate his admiration. But in addition to being a heretic (a thoroughly mixed up Marcionite, in case you're wondering), I just don't think I can read that story one more time. Then it struck me, that story is sorta like my experience at the hospital. David was judged by all to be completely out of place, ill-suited and ill-equipped for the task at hand. It seemed like a joke that no one thought was funny. But in the end, what God sought out was someone who was willing to fight for His honor and His glory, and he didn't particularly care what he looked like on the outside (or what he drove).

It's a good reminder. God doesn't particularly care about what other people see, because he looks beyond that. God told Samuel, "man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." God give me a heart that strives for your glory...and remind me to put my clergy parking pass in plain sight.

God's PR Problems

God seems to be having some PR problems these days. For example, someone sent me a clip of Oprah discussing her religious views. When she was in her late twenties the baptist preacher at the church she attended spoke about characteristics of God: his omniscience, his omnipresence, and his jealousy. God's jealousy didn't sit well with her and she began to search for an experience of God that was outside the box in which the Christian Bible had placed him. She found a much bigger God, one who could be experienced in any number of different religions using any number of different methods.

I can't help but think Oprah might have a stroke if she read Isaiah and discovered that God said he wouldn't share his glory with anyone or anything else. Even worse, were she to read John Piper, who boldly claims that God is most interested in his own glory, she might well not recover. That just makes God sound so ill-mannered and spoiled. But if God is truly perfect, then he alone is worthy of all glory and has every right to be jealous, whether it sits well with our modern sensibilities or not.

Oprah's PR capabilities stagger the mind. But rest assured, God has been through other PR problems in the past and he seems to outlast them all:o) God will receive the glory he deserves.