Imbibe

To my emails, I have been attaching a thought I had the other day, "When we talk, we have to take a breath to utter words. When we read scripture, we pray to imbibe His word."

Someone just asked me about "imbibe."  Imbibe means to drink, take in, absorb. And thus to receive nourishment....  In a social  sense, when we're talking with a friend it feeds our soul to have our soul connect or touch his.  Giving and taking information, feelings, and dreams we learn more of the other and receive something back for our lives when we connect with that friend.  It helps us to move forward another day when we can make sense of what we're feeling and why that failed relationship so many years ago still hurts so much or why my relationship with my wife is so amazingly fresh after 13 years.  It is in those patterns of relationship that we learn more about ourselves and develop hopes and dreams for the future.

Prayer is one of those lost arts which we need to help us make sense of our spiritual lives.  And really not only of our spiritual lives but of the rest of our lives as well.  It is in prayer that breathe out and in of God's Spirit and come to know him better.  Ultimately, however, we learn about God through reading his word.  When we read God's word we must read it with a prayer on our lips so that our soul touches His.  In this connection we reframe our lives in terms of his and learn about ourselves in the process.  Yes, we learn we're failures and fall short.  Yes, we learn we're not all that we once were.  But we also learn of God's grace and his power to bring us from a position of stagnation to a place of movement toward eternity.  I wonder if one component of our sin is a human attempt to bring movement to a stagnated soul?  If we would but wait on God, we would learn that this is not stagnation.  God will provide for us a release that will propel us toward the ultimate focus of our souls: life in God.

So we drink deeply of God through breathing his word in and out of our soul: imbibe and live.

Ebbs and Flows

The world has not stopped spinning, a new degree was not award by a dean, nor was there even a flap of a butterfly wing at last night's events. But I believe God is smiling with head up and eyes closed this morning at the thanks I offer him now for a woman who is greater than any President, King, Dignitary, or Scholar.
My wife and I just wrote her resignation letter for her job. This marks a significant day in our lives because four years ago she went back to work so that I could complete seminary. At that point it was a very painful, shameful, and depressing thing for me. We had worked very hard to get her home with our children and I simply did not want to ask her to go back to work. I thought I was a failure because I couldn't do it all. But God had to teach me one more lesson.
We tried to do it with my working full-time and her working part-time but I didn't have enough time to do what I needed to do. So without my asking, she graciously offered to go full-time in her job. She did that and now she has worked seven-on-seven-off for four years. The stress and hours have taken a toll on her health, but she has not complained. The kids have had to be without their mom and put up with a dad that doesn't always handle things well but they have survived. I am truly honored to be her husband and to have benefitted from her life. She epitomizes what Proverbs 31 is about and she inspires me to continue in this thing of ministry. I really don't know how I would function without her. She keeps me sane, loves me when I'm wrong, finds new ways to help our kids, and elevates others above herself. She is simply incredible.
In the next few weeks she will quietly resign a post that she has poured her heart and soul into - as she does everything she does - and will give up any career aspirations or goals she might have so that she can stay home and raise godly little people. The pundits will grind on in their cynicism of Christianity, the atheists will whine in their crass accusations against Christians, and vile heathens will rail against God himself. But if they would just cast their eye on the quiet Saints like my Tracey, all their pustules would shrink and their profanity would become empty. Godliness, Christ-likeness, and Love are summed up in a brilliant woman stepping away from her accomplishments to pour herself into her children. This is the summation of the Gospel.
I know I cannot repay the love she has shown me and it would be a poor epitaph to try do so. My pedestrian thoughts or thanks cannot begin to attain the heights of the love and dedication to me and the Kingdom she has given. So I ask God to reward her for her deeds. His is a sure and lasting reward. But what I can do is say, "thank you" and "I love you." Tracey, you mean more to me than words can possibly say and I thank God for you. "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

Generation

My friend, David Freeman, and I went to The Generation last night at Gardendale's FBC.  Andy Heis did a great job bringing the word while Dave and I pumped at the worship and message!  Awesome job, Andy!  He challenged us to deal with our envy and work for the kingdom within the constraints (and abilities) that we have.  But to realize that anything we do we do it for GOD and that HE is the one who will bring about our success.  SO - it is GOD who deserves our praise.  What an awesome night.  Check out http://www.generation145.com/.  

David Freeman - aka DFREE - leads worship and can be found at www.davidfreemanworship.com.

David and I have a heart to reach the next generation of people who are coming up.  We are praying for a great work of God to begin in Trussville. 

God's Amazing Grace

I spoke to an old friend of mine last night.  I was amazed to hear from him and hear that God had invaded his world and brought him back to him.  I don't want to share any details out of fear that I will embarrass him.  But I have been rejoicing that God still chases us years into our rejection of him.

Supplemental Information on Jonah

Hi ya'll, if you're looking for more information from my class from Jonah, then you have come to the right place.

For additional information on Khesed or Sheol, see Allen Ross' word study at http://www.christianleadershipcenter.org/otws.htm. You will see a number of other word studies here as well. Dr. Ross teaches Hebrew, archeology, and OT Studies at Beeson Divinity School. Also be aware of his great books...a couple of examples include Recalling the Hope of Glory, and Holiness to the LORD. I read him often for background on my work. OOPS that's kind of spoiler. You will not come to my classes if you read all that!

I happened to be reading the Psalms this week and came across Psalm 136. The writer of this psalm repeats the phrase "his love endures forever" a number of times. The word translated "love" in this passage is khesed. Have a look at it; I think it is very illuminating.

An Amazing Christmas

Christmas conjures up thoughts of mistletoe, parties, snow, presents, Santa Claus, and oh yeah—Jesus. It is an idyllic time where we strive for “peace on earth, good will to men.” We want to see the turnaround in the lives of people at this time of year similar to what happened with Ebenezer Scrooge in Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. We want life to work the way it does in Carol or in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.

But of course most of the time, our lives are more like A Christmas Story (remember the little kid with Red Ranger Rifle with the compass in the stock) or perhaps more tragically like Nightmare before Christmas.

As a single young man, several years ago I found myself in search for the right episode or condition for Christmas Holidays. I began to plan it out so that everything would work just to my satisfaction. I arranged parties, scheduled dates to Christmas plays, went to see all the holiday movies at the Alabama Theatre, and on and on. And in many ways I succeeded. Those are wonderful memories. I highly encourage everyone to make the most of this season and get everything you can out of it.

But there was a certain emptiness which inevitably came upon every year. Here’s why: all of my activities involved only myself and how I could smooth over the loneliness and pain in my heart.

One year when I was about 25, I went through a breakup (one of many) with a girlfriend. I began to mope around the office and whine to my co­workers about this person when a woman I worked with challenged me to do something. Patsy suggested that I borrow a Santa suit that she had and go to the Children’s Hospital on Christmas Day. I wanted to argue but I felt rather exposed as to how selfish I was being so I agreed. Patsy arranged it with the hospital and on Christmas morning I got up early and put on the Santa suit – complete with pillow and beard - jumped in my little red Miata (yes I put the top down) and I drove to Children’s Hospital to see the kids there.

Please understand that they send home everyone they can at Christmas, so they are left with the sickest of the sick on Christmas day. Some of those children would not live to see another Christmas. One child in particular was the only one in the psychiatric ward. I asked about his condition and all the attendant would tell me is “he’s extremely violent and his parents abandoned him.” I sat with him for a while and prayed with him and talked with him. He was not mean or nasty to me. He just needed a friend. Every other per­son or child I met that day treated me like a king. They would hold onto me and ask me to pray for them. They asked me when I got in from the North Pole. There were so many parents who would light up when they saw that someone was willing to come on this day of all days to see their child.

I cannot remember every detail of that day because most of the day my eyes were filled with tears. But I can tell you this: I was changed man.

I did this several other times in other hospitals and over time it became more difficult to get in so I finally had to stop. It was always fun, however, to watch the reaction of people as they were on their way to grandma’s house for Christmas. People took pictures and waved and kids would shout “thanks Santa!” as I drove in the Miata.

It was truly an amazing Christmas.

As you think about this season, I cannot relieve your pain or make this time idyllic. I cannot take you out of your element and transport you into another time and place. God did not promise that either. God said to Isaiah that Immanuel would come. Immanuel means “God with us.” Jesus dressed up like us and visited those of us who were sick and reminded us that God indeed cares and loves and hurts for you as he did when he gave his son on the cross.

In fact, with that in mind, every Christmas is an amazing Christmas.office at 228-1014.

Why do you need to know?

One disclaimer: this is more of a rant than I am used to doing, but I hope you find it helpful.

Why do you need to know?

Someone asked me last week, “Is Obama the Anti-Christ?”  I am going to answer that question, but first I want to deal with the question itself.  It is a bad question.  Some say there are no bad questions, but I think there are.  This is a wrong question.  If you want to ask that question, then let me first ask a few….

Why do you need to know?  Will it help you in your walk with Jesus?  Will it make you lead one more to Him?  Will it make you want to love your family more?  If so, then let that be added motivation for these core things.  But the fact is, most Christians want to know who will be the Anti-Christ for the same reasons others read horoscopes, tarot cards, or Ouija boards.  Perhaps we want to know the future because it gives us a sense of power or control over our lives.  We cannot face the tension of thinking that America may actually be part of the engine of the Beast of Revelation, or that the United States will become part of the ten member organization that aligns itself against Jesus.  Some people try to say that America is not mentioned in scripture and will not be part of that organization.  Some say that something else will happen or that we’ll go down swinging against the other nations.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The truth is that the United States, in my opinion, will indeed be part of the ten member organization; that we will indeed align ourselves with the False Prophet and the Beast; that we will deny God and persecute Christians.  There is simply not another way to interpret the passages.  There of course will be a remnant and there will be the people of Israel who will stand against the beast, but honestly, truthfully, the United States will become a pawn in the hand of Satan.  Perhaps she already has.  People have labored long and hard over who the great harlot is in Scripture: is the Roman Catholic Church?  It is the Muslims?  Maybe the great harlot is the USA.  Maybe the nation who says “In God we trust,” who has sent more missionaries than any nation ever known, who has done more good, given more money, and defended more weak than anyone will become the first to fall when the Anti-Christ appears.  Maybe not.  But scripture does not leave us much to go on here and we have to be honest with ourselves that this could be the case.

But in case I have not offended already, here is another offense: Christians should not care where the USA fits into apocalyptic history.  When Jesus ascended into heaven in Acts 1, the disciples asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"  You see the early Christians had the same problem we do: we want to know things.  We want our team to win.  We want to be number one.  The Jews and believers of that day saw within the Old Testament passages these large passages describing how highways would be built to bring people from Egypt, Assyria, etc. to Jerusalem.  They envisioned a big kingdom.  And they wanted to be at the head of it.

But Jesus would not be swayed.  In verse 7, “He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’”  Basically, Jesus said, “not your job.  Get back to work of bringing people to me.”  The rest of the book of Acts details that effort.

Paul had to deal with this again.  In 1 Thessalonians he hits on this.  People in that city were quitting their jobs, sitting on roofs, and looking for Jesus to come.  Nero ruled and people were being persecuted: torn limb from limb, hot oil poured on them, thrown in jail, thrown on sticks and impaled, thrown to lions, thrown in the rivers, thrown out of cities.  Surely, this is the end of the world as we know it.

Paul did not even touch on these issues.  Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13 through the end of the book.  Paul talks about the end and that we need to have hope.  He talks about the end and that it will come suddenly.  He says that we are to be in the light and children of light – not of darkness.  That is, we need to be informed, be wise, be alert and self-controlled.  Verse 8 is the key here:

“But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Faith, love, and the hope of salvation is our focus and what we encourage one another with. 

Now look at the sections before 1 Thessalonians 4:13 and after 1 Thessalonians 5:11.  Paul emphasizes to work hard, mind your own business, live in peace, and win the favor of outsiders.

When I worked for a large corporation, I went through a time where I had a great deal of responsibility and I felt like I needed to know everything that was going on in the organization.  I needed to know a lot but not everything, of course.  But over time I tried to worm information out of people and finally I overstepped my bounds and got into trouble.  I was rebuked by a Senior VP – as I should have been – and told to get back to work and mind my own business.  You see the fact of the matter was that I was not doing what I should have been doing because I was getting into things that were not my responsibility.  When I reset my vision on my job and its goals, I functioned better.  I didn’t need to know everything.

Is Obama the Anti-Christ?  I really don’t know.  Could be, but probably not.  If so, then we have Revelation to tell us that God wins, Jesus cleans house, the permanent Kingdom is established, and we get to enjoy it.  If he is not, then we have a while to wait.  Some are going to try to use scripture to say that he is or isn’t.  I am not going to make that move because I think that if I put my mind to it I could convince a few people that he is the Beast.  But then again, I think I could demonstrate that Alexander Putin or the President after him is the beast and/or false prophet.  They fit more of the criteria: they are from Europe, they are possibly of Jewish origin, they are making moves again to take over large portions of land, they are largely anti-God, and on and on.  Many have done that with Hitler, Stalin, Nero, and on and on.  Obviously, none of them were the false prophet or the beast in terms of post-tribulation prophetic interpretation.

So you see, you read your tarot cards and I’ll read mine and we’ll be in Scotland in the morning.

God’s holy word is not a Ouija board to be used for telling fortunes.  God gives us his word for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.  It is not to be used as a horoscope.

 The Old Testament writers got it right when they called the last days the “day of the LORD.”  It is the LORD’s day when he brings to an end evil, Satan, and the flesh: not ours.  We try to make that day ours when we try to bring our questions to scripture and demand answers the way we want them answered.  The right question is not “is Obama the Anti-Christ” but “what am I doing to bring redemption to my world?”  If we focus on that and mind our own business then I think we will not only live in more peace and hope, but we’ll bring a lot more people with us.

The Dark Night of the Soul

I have been doing some reading in Devotional Classics, edited by Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith. This week's reading is by John of the Cross (1542-91). John wrote a book called "The Dark Night of the Soul." Many people today do not want to endure the drought times that God sends on our souls. He gives us sweet milk when we are young and we enjoy the milk. But to promote growth, God will separate us from others and place in a situation where we are not depressed, but where we are just going through a dry, dark time. Several years ago I read a book by Isobel Kuhn called Green Leaf in Drought Time. It is now out of print, but it is by a dear missionary who endured just such a time during China's turn to communism, but I digress slightly.

Part of the reason why God brings this dark time, according to John, concerns our emotions or feelings. Over time we develop a sort of spiritual greed where we want the next spiritual experience to outdo the previous. So we seek out "certain religious objects or holy places and begin to value visible things too highly." Hmm, I wonder if we do that in our worship styles, in our types of churches, in our worship venues, or in our Bible reading? When we do this, we put a demand on God instead of his having a demand on us. So God puts us in a place where the pleasure is removed so that the soul may be purified. "For a soul will never grow until it is able to let go of the tight grasp it has on God."

There are many of these spiritual sins. One of which he mentions is spiritual gluttony. "The sin of spiritual gluttony will prompt them to read more books and say more prayers, but God, in his wisdom, will deny them any consolation..." so that they will be removed from this sin.

I believe that spiritual sloth is where many are in our society. "They begin to lose interest in God for they measure God by themselves and not themselves by God." We approach God with our questions (and answers) and expect him to address us in our way and in our time. Even as Christians we do this, but God will not be made a toy in the hand of the child. He will take us through arid times to prove he is the oasis for which we search.

Read Psalm 42 and see David's response to the Dark Night.