faith

Light and Life

Those familiar with forest ecology will tell you of the miracle of renewal that a forest experiences following a fire. Many plant species require fire to germinate and flourish. People whose communities have been devastated by earthquake or storm gather together, and neighbors who may have never communicated bond to demonstrate true unity in the face of loss. Whether a particular tragedy is suffered by one or many, the ripple effect touches us all, first with sorrow, then with hope. Hope brings light to places we would never expect the darkness to leave once it has spread its cloak.

Lord, when the walls close in on me
and I think that I’m alone
when all I feel is despair
help me remember the life you’ve designed
to emerge from the ashes
remind me of those who have gone before
with your Son’s example to guide them
what might seem so fragile a breath could break
through a wasteland of fear still passes
the hands that tightly hold a flame
that fades and flickers and gutters
will once more grasp hands of hope
leading the way through foreboding passes
never alone on the journey
never alone on the journey
never alone on the journey

The Big Red Chair

Today I’m going to do something which I probably should have done at the outset of this little blog, that is explain why I’m writing it and what I hope to accomplish. What should you expect? I started it around Christmas and one of the things blog writers will often do is challenge ourselves to keep a certain schedule, i.e. once a week or even once a day. I’ve taken on the challenge of writing every day in 2013. I have several goals in mind besides just getting something published every 24 hours. First, I’d like it to mean something. As a Christian, I certainly make no bones about having a particular point of view. I believe there is a prescription for the pain we all inevitably go through, and that is through the healing power provided through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But Christians are in a continual state of change, like anyone. We deal with doubt and sickness and all the other challenges life throws at us, sometimes well, sometimes poorly. Through poetry, humor, and just my general outlook on life, I would like you to take this journey with me. Normally I’ll publish in the morning. Although a couple of times already I’ve looked back at something I put out earlier and wondered just what I was thinking, I’ll try to avoid having to edit myself too much after the fact.

Our family occasionally watches “The Graham Norton Show.” It’s a British talk show, along the lines of something like Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show.” I mention it because Norton features a bit at the end of each show called “The Big Red Chair.” Audience members are selected to sit in the chair and tell a personal story. While they’re telling the story, Norton has his hand on a lever and if the story isn’t entertaining, he pulls the lever, and the chair and its occupant are thrown backward. If the story is deemed engaging enough, the person actually gets to stand up and walk away.
I tell that story to illustrate what I believe is true for writers, as well. As the reader, you hold the power of the lever; At any point you may simply stop reading and, in a virtual sense anyway, I will find myself on the floor with my feet in the air; I guess that’s just the risk I’ll have to take. In the meantime, please be patient with me and stick around if you are so inclined.

See you tomorrow, Write Here.

Holy

Just bring up the word “holy,” even among Christians striving to escape society’s race to the bottom, and you’re likely to get feedback ranging from doubt to despair. I wish. You’ve got to be kidding. Me? You? But there it is, in 1 Peter 1:16. Peter, referencing passages in the Old Testament, says: “because it is written “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” Unlike the animal sacrifices of the past, which had to be done again and again, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was done once. Once to cover our sin. Once to allow us to enter into the presence of God. Once to give us the power, with the arm of our Lord over our shoulder, to walk in holiness. We fall, over and over again. We get up, over and over again… until we rest.

God, look with me. See in the mirror there. How can that man there be holy? He falls and he fails and his clumsy attempts are so laughable. Really? But you’ve still called us to be…

Holy
just as our Savior is
Holy
written in your word
why God, can’t I just be good?
Holy
it’s a word meant for better folks
people with clean sheets and shiny floors
and a conscience not full of shame
Jesus, I’m desperate for your name.

Thank goodness we don’t have to do this alone.
Thank God

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

I’m a Christian. A reasonable response to that statement might be, “So what?” After all, what does the world outside the Christian church see as examples? Consider the Protestant church. There are so many to choose from. We’re protesting, all right. The problem is, everyone has a different idea about what it is we should protest. Even if you only consider the major players, there are a lot of choices. It’s almost as though every time someone got ticked off with the pastor, he got the rest of the pew to get up and start another church. “Let’s have our services on Thursdays. There’s gotta be a scripture that says Sundays aren’t right.” And just like that, The Church of Let’s All Watch Football On Sundays and Go to Church on Thursdays is born. 

So what’s the current status of the Christian church? Living in the time and country I live in, there certainly isn’t much risk. When Christianity was born, believers were hunted down and were tortured or killed. What about now? You still need to make sure you’re in the right country before you admit to following Christ. In China, unless your church is state sanctioned, you can be arrested. Recently an American pastor with duel citizenship was arrested in Iran. Apparently Iran was okay with him having dual citizenship, but being a Christian pastor was beyond the pale. Those are just a few of the many examples we could cite. I think the Jewish leadership mentioned in the Bible’s book of Acts was onto something when they first considered how they should handle what was at the time the fledgling Christian church. After considering several instances where other movements had fallen by the wayside, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel said, “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” Acts 5:38-39. Smart man, that Pharisee. So here we are, somewhere around 2,000 years later. With all its arguing, schisms, and imperfections, the Christian church remains, even where governments insist on trying to stamp it out.  

So what is a Christian? Certainly, we must accept the whole of the Bible, in context. The fact that the Bible has survived virtually unchanged for so long and has been reprinted in so many languages is unprecedented. The many prophesies concerning Jesus Christ and the development of His lineage are amazing in their accuracy. Recently we celebrated Christmas, the miraculous introduction of our savior to the world.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16.   God sent His son to be a sacrifice for mankind’s disobedience, inherited from the first man. Jesus himself was never one to mince words. He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” John 14:6. This was no timid statement. Note that He didn’t say He was only a way, a truth, or a life. In order to accept Christ’s sacrifice, we must first admit we have fallen short. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. We must then make a personal declaration… “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:9-10 


I believe the bold, unvarnished message of salvation should be the foundation of every Christian church. Also high on the list in my estimation should be the care and growth of those seeking to follow and imitate Christ. We, of all people should be most humble, knowing the cost paid to redeem us. As Christians, we need to understand that each person we meet has a unique path to walk, a unique history, and a unique burden. Abigail Van Buren put it well when she said, “A church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.”

“I’m writing a book. I’ve got the page numbers done.”
Steven Wright

Faith

What does faith mean to you? For many, it may denote your religion, which box you check on the questionnaire. For some the issue is not something you want to share, so you might check the box which says, “refuse to state.” For others, faith is worn on the sleeve, something so powerful and all encompassing that it leaks out everywhere, as though the individual is unwilling or unable to keep it inside. For some faith is more a matter of action. Take Gandhi, for instance; He clearly acted out his faith by combining his words with a very active, though non-violent approach. For each of the major world religions, a prescribed life and method define their specific approach to faith.

For Christians, faith is defined by the way of life and belief both demonstrated and taught by Jesus Christ. The bible addresses faith many times in both the old and new testaments. Faith or a lack of faith in God and His plan for mankind seems to be the hinge which swings those many figures in the bible toward a successful or unsuccessful outcome. My favorite scripture defining faith is Hebrews 11:1, which says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

In following posts I’ll illustrate what my faith means to me.

Heavy Hearts

Heavy hearts. Loads we cannot seem to carry and don’t know exactly how to put away.  Heavy hearts.  Grief so infinite, our very bones begin to groan while our bodies start to sway.  What do we do with the weight?

And there are times to weep with those who are weeping just as we would rejoice with those who rejoice. Times we join hands with strangers and are there for those so crushed with sadness that they have lost their voice.

Heavy hearts. Bending our knees and asking God for answers to answerless questions as we look to the sky.  How do you measure, the tears that could fill an ocean? Could they wash away the pain? It’s so hard to stand by.

There are times to weep with those who are weeping just as we would rejoice with those who rejoice. Times we join hands with strangers and are there for those so crushed with sadness that they have lost their voice.

Heavy hearts. Our shoulders are not big enough to carry that much weight; It was never part of our design. There is only one we know who could outshine that much evil and carry us through such dark days. Pray for comfort for those left here on earth, the ones who must wait to rejoin those who fell. Give away some love to someone you don’t know. As darkness threatens to overtake them, share the light.

There are times to weep with those who are weeping just as we would rejoice with those who rejoice. Times we join hands with strangers and are there for those so crushed with sadness that they have lost their voice.