PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

This week I had the privledge of praying for a couple who were having trouble. The guy is middle aged and believes in God sincerely. He has a good work ethic and loves his family, but growing up he developed a dependence on drugs and alcohol. I sensed he was a genuine person but his problem was real, deep rooted and not easily dislodged. As we talked, his wife shared her longsuffering struggles and how much damage had been done to the relationship. Yet, she was not ready to give up. I told him about my experience with many, many people in similar situations. (My age group had and has a particularly hard time with the issue of escape). It was a powerful time of encouragement, building up hope and ministering to the hurts and wounds of this couple. Before we prayed, I felt the need to warn him against thinking God was going to do all the work. He had heard of people who said God immediately healed them of the desire to use. But I knew of many who had been prayed over and then thought it was all in God's hands. So, I told him that we could pray and ask God to intervene. My belief is that God will answer that prayer and intervene as He sees fit. He will always respond to healing of the soul. He will always respond to healing relationships. He will always attend to the prayer of a genuine soul. But I told him not to be shocked if the urge still came. God works but He always invites us to "co-labor" with him. This guy has to walk out a new way to make decisions. He has to choose to call people when he feels weak. He has to decide his wife and family are more important. Praying is a powerful tool but it does not absolve us of choosing. Deuteronomy tells us to "choose this day...life or death...blessing or curse." God is always willing and able to do "exceedingly abundantly more than we could ask or think." But that doesn't take away the immense confidence He has placed in us by giving us a free will.

WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR SCHOOLS

What follows was sent to me. I didn't write it but it rings so true...it can't be ignored or explained away. Our society and culture is corroding because we have asked God to step aside. That's how I see it and I have no doubt that we need Him involved more than ever...

Dear God:

Why didn't you save the school children at ?. ..Moses Lake, Washington, Bethel, Alaska, Pearl, Mississippi, West Paducah, Kentucky, Stamp, Arkansas,Jonesboro, Arkansas, Edinboro, Pennsylvania, Fayetteville, Tennessee, Springfield, Oregon, Richmond, Virginia, Littleton, Colorado, Taber, Alberta, Canada, Conyers, Georgia, Deming, New Mexico, Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, Santee, California, El Cajon, California and Blacksburg, VA ?
Sincerely, Concerned Student
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Reply:
Dear Concerned Student: Sorry, I am not allowed in schools.
Sincerely,
God
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How did this get started?...Let's see, I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained. She didn't want any prayer in our schools. And we said, OK. Then, someone said you better not: Read the Bible in school; the Bible that says "thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, And love your neighbors as yourself," And we said, OK... Then someone said Teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. and the school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, And we surely don't want to be sued. And we accepted their reasoning...Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents. And we said, that's a grand idea. Then some of our top elected officials said, 'It doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And we said, It doesn't matter what anybody, including the President, does in private as long as we have jobs and the economy is good....
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And the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence and illicit sex...and let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes...And we said, it's just entertainment and it has no adverse effect and nobody takes it seriously anyway,So go right ahead.
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Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, classmates or even themselves.
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Undoubtedly, If we thought about it long and hard enough,we could figure it out. I'm sure it has a great deal to do with...
"WE REAP WHAT WE SOW"
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WHY IS IT OUR CHILDREN CAN NOT READ A BIBLE IN SCHOOL, BUT CAN IN PRISON!

WRITING

You don't have to be Ernest Hemingway to pick up a pen (or sit at a computer) and write. Writing is therapeutic. That's why most psychologists recommend journaling to their patients. There is a power in words that is undeniable. Genesis chapter one makes the case emphatically. God "spoke" and the world was formed. In one translation it is recorded that God said, "Light Be!". In essence, he commanded the light to come into being. I think you'd agree there was power in those words. Writing down your thoughts is another way to get to know yourself. I can hear the skeptics laughing. "I know who I am already." That may be true, but there is something about writing that connects thought with reality in a very unique way. I'm not talking about sitting down and trying to write the next great novel. I'm talking about writing down thoughts, impressions, feelings, questions and engaging in a dialogue in print. Sometimes I do it with myself. Sometimes I do it with God. (talking to Him through my words on a page...it's not prayer but it's close). This kind of writing is not meant to be critical. Sentence structure, grammar and all that stuff have no place in this kind of writing. It should be cathartic, not constraining. There is power in getting things out of your head and into a form where you can look at them—almost as though you were one step removed from them. And some very good ideas, solutions to problems, and creativity often accompanies this type of writing. No one has to see it. It's yours and yours alone. "A word well spoken," the Bible says "is like an apple of gold." Who says you can't speak it to yourself?

STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND

Someone once said, "we are all strangers in a strange land." The Apostle Peter called us "sojourners" or "travellers" just passing through. The body is a temporary shell and our existence a fleeting moment in eternity. I once wrote in a journal, "Now I know why it's so hard to fit the pieces of life's puzzle together—they don't fit." I was thinking about the fact that I am not made for THIS world. I'm just passing through. Quoting Peter again he says, "during the time of your stay on earth." It's pretty obvious he's referring to a "visit" not a permanent encampment. It does change your perspective when you think of it in those terms. If I'm really designed to exist in ANOTHER place, then I have to look at this place through a different lens. I know everyone doesn't share that perspective, but for those who do, some of life's mysteries begin to unravel. If I'm passing through then where I live is more like a tent than a fortress. If there's a place of eternal life, then my preparations for that place are more important than my vain attempts to make this place perfect. There's something in my soul that connects with that truth. We look around and we can see that nothing lasts very long. The interesting thing is I'm always choosing on two levels. One level impacts this world and the other impacts the next. The choosing shapes the being, which delivers the strength to weather the storms of life. The learning helps with humility which opens the door to understanding. It's like a slow motion blink of an eye nestled in a boundless eternity. With that in mind, I face the joys and sorrows of this temporary thing called life! A popular song in the sixties asked the question, "Is that all there is?". The song was about life and the things that promise joy but ineveitably fail to deliver. The answer to the question is no. That's not all there is. And that makes all the difference in how I face each day.

RESURRECTION (Starting Over)

Is there anyone who doesn't appreciate a SECOND CHANCE? I have had many occassions to need a second chance. Sometimes it was serious, sometimes it was trivial, but I needed a chance to "try again". To get a "mulligan" (golfers will get that one). A "re-do". Call it what you want, it means the one who has the authority to forgive and say "go ahead, try again" has done so. That can apply to something as small as I forgot to give you a call as promised, to I lost my temper and said things I didn't mean. It can be an act of dishonesty that requires amends and forgiveness. It can be a big thing like wronging another person and hurting them so bad you know you have to make it right. You feel it. You know it. YOU NEED A SECOND CHANCE. It's the day after Resurrection Day and I'm thinking about the numberless second chances God has given me. First and foremost, the forgiveness that restored me to Him. Let me say that in un-theological terms. I am part of a fallen world and I CAN NOT find my way back to my Maker without His help. Jesus provided that bridge when He extended His arms on the cross and said, "Forgive them Father." That statement went beyond the immediate sin of the cross and out through time to all sin. But I need SECOND CHANCES for other things, like taking things for granted. Like forgetting God's faithfulness at different times of my life. When I think of how willing He is to give Second Chances I get a glimpse of His true affection for His creation. Yesterday was the "holiday" but today—without the food, family, decorations and traditions—is a good day to stop and think about the Greatest Second Chance Ever Given. It will never be matched and never surpassed. I know our society compartmentalizes everything, so yesterday is over and we're on to the next thing. But once in awhile it's wise to look back, without all the noise, and say Thank You for the SECOND CHANCE.

THE MYSTERY OF "GOOD" FRIDAY

In a country that devours mystery novels every day, makes shows like CSI the number one show on television and has become more and more comfortable with some of the wieirdest theories about life ever imagined—many still struggle with the mystery of a supernatural Creator God. The funny thing is, it takes more imagination to believe the wacky stuff than it does to believe that we are the product of an intelligent plan and purpose. I recently heard a scientist talk about his faith...and this is no every day scientist. He is the director of the National Human Genome Research Project. His name is Francis Collins. He just released a book called: The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. And he's not the first very intelligent person to believe in God. C.S. Lewis, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln are just a few on the long, long, very long list of intelligent, accomplished people who believed in God. So, when people say "weak minded" people believe to explain away the pain of life...they are just not looking at the facts. Faith is not the product of a weak mind. It's the product of an OPEN mind. I'm not advocating that anyone believe because someone else does, I'm just saying the biblical invitation is personal...to the individual. Seek and YOU shall find...TASTE and see that the Lord is good. And many other invitations are sprinkled abundantly throughout scripture. Some people say, "I got burned by a pastor." Or, "I got burned by a church or a phoney christian." That may be true, but we're not invited to examine anything other than the truth of who Jesus Christ was, what He did, and what He is still doing. The older I get, the less comfortable I am with accepting things without checking them out for myself. Even well intentioned people can say some pretty off-base things. And, frankly, I hear some strange things coming out of churches today. But the mystery we're invited to examine is centered on the one and only man who ever died, was buried and rose again. TODAY IS GOOD FRIDAY. I remember as a kid looking for the sky to darken around three in the afternoon because I thought it would be a sign that God was mourning THE MOMENT. Now I think that's just meterological...but the great mystery of the love of God demonstrated in Jesus Christ is a mystery I continue to pursue. This mystery is not about plot twists, or sophisticated criminology—it's about the examination of my soul and the essence of life. In my opinion, it's the deepest mystery that holds the greatest reward. Even in the bit by bit, piece by piece discoveries along the way—there is illumination and inspiration that can be found no where else but at the cross.

TIME

The Rolling Stones used to sing about time being on their side. Take a look at them now. I hope they don't still include that song in their tours. The truth is that time is always on the move. I just celebrated a birthday that put me on the other side of the half way mark of the fifties. It's funny—I don't feel that much older "in my mind." (My body is another story) But I remember a quarter century ago saying, " I'll get more serious with my search for God's truth tomorrow." And "I am not going to waste another day." And a whole bunch of good intentions like that. The truth is, I have made an effort to search out God's truth but I could have done more. And I have not wasted as many days, but I have wasted plenty. Sometimes I pray, "Lord, pull me away from myself and draw me toward you." Peter called us "sojourners" which means those who are just passing through. We, in truth, have "another" home. I'm not against relaxing, enjoying downtime and just plain having fun. But when I get serious for a minute...I realize that time is a limited comodity. When the sand runs out of the hourglass...it's over. So, maybe today would be a good day to do at least one of the good things I have on my list. Maybe today is the day to experience God by helping someone else. "Give and you shall receive..." That's a "TIMELESS" principle.