Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) was a Scottish pastor whose teachings on the Christian's journey of faith still impact people today. He is best known as the author of the popular devotional, My Utmost for His Highest (first published in 1935). Among his many quotable quotes are these words concerning faith:
A team of German and Czech researchers who have studied satellite photos of thousands of cows around the world, believe that cattle have some sort of built-in compass. The reason for their conclusion: approximately 2/3 of all the cattle examined had their bodies aligned in a north-south orientation. They point out that this would not be the expected norm if cattle were totally random in their body's directional orientation. I am still trying to figure the "so what!" about this research (perhaps it shows that researchers have too much time on their hands and they should mooooooooooove on to other more pressing research!).
In yesterday's post, I promised to list some practical suggestions for you on how to obey Jesus' command to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's." I have gleaned and adapted these suggestions from a list in Jay Dennis' book, The Jesus Habits (the book is worth a read!). Here are four for you to "chew on!"
Well, the first of the two political conventions has arrived. Democrats are meeting even as I write these words out in the mile high city. And just around the corner, the Republicans will be gathering for their big hour in prime time. I thought I would take this time in light of these two political extravaganzas to remind all of us who follow Jesus about our responsibility to the government. Jesus put it plainly when he said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Luke 20:25). We see from these words that Jesus was not anti-government. He saw human government as an institution that should be obeyed and respected.
Our society seems to know one speed: FAST! My day often runs from one meeting to the next, one phone call to the next, one email to the next. As I write this, I am tired. And I know I am not alone! "HURRY UP!" is what our world screams at us day in and day out, 24/7/365. If I could only wear ear plugs!
When I had just turned 13, I went through what proved to be a very difficult time. My parents moved my family from the city of Harrisburg to a rural area of northern York County near the town of Lewisberry. Since I had grown up in Harrisburg, it was, to that point, all I had known. I loved my neighborhood, my school...but most of all I loved my friends. In fact, I had many, many friends. In my new home I had very few friends. Everything was different. And I had great difficulty adjusting. Going from hero to zero was not easy.
In 1972, Eddie Hart was a man on a mission. His mission? To win Olympic gold in the 100 meter race to be held in Munich, Germany. At the 1972 Olympic Trials, he tied the world record of 9.9 seconds in the 100-meter dash. And that set the stage for a showdown with the the top-ranked sprinter in the world, the Bionic Man, Valeri Borzov of the Soviet Union. It was a showdown that never happened. After easily winning his qualifying heat in the morning (the 100-meter final was to be run that afternoon) - the U.S. sprint coach gave Hart and two other sprinters the wrong start time for the race. So when they arrived back at the stadium for their warm ups - they realized the race was already over and Borzov the gold medalist! I cannot imagine how gut-wrenching that must have been for Hart! To be present - but not competing!
Every Thursday morning at 6:15, I meet with a group of guys I have chosen to call "The Brothers of Aaron and Hur" (as to why that name, pull out your Bible and read Exodus 17:8-16). The primary reason for our meeting is to pray for our church - its people and its ministry - and our world, both locally and globally. After our prayer time, those who have the time, head out for a quick breakfast together. It is one of my favorite weekly activities. I love my brothers!
Every time the Olympics rolls around ... either the Summer or Winter Games ... I thoroughly enjoy watching them. This year has been no exception (which is the reason I've been feeling tired this week .... too much "Late Night with Michael Phelps!). I have been amazed as I have watched Phelps and others. There speed, endurance, and skills have been so very cool to watch (like how you do a flip and land on your feet on the balance beam - that takes an awful lot of practice!!!). And that it indeed the key to these athletes. They have taken their God-given talents and with hours and hours and hours over years -- have sharpened and honed that talent to the level where they can "go for the gold."
Even though I subscribe to the local evening paper and the local Sunday paper, I don't often read the comics. However, that does not mean I don't enjoy reading them on occasion. One of my favorites is the comic strip by Bill Keane, The Family Circus. One reason I enjoy it so much is because it is so true to family life and raising kids. Often through the years I could find myself smiling in agreement with Keane's take on family life. In addition, I have enjoyed it because the creator manifested such a "keane" sense of humor! I could almost always count on a good chuckle as I read the latest exploits of this comic strip family.
Yesterday, I had to stop by someone's house. After knocking at the door, the lady of the house opened the door. After a quick exchange of "hellos," this huge animal head appeared from behind the door. At first I was unsure as to just exactly what I was looking at. I mean the head had the look of a dog's head -- but the size of a horse's head. I took a fast step back. The woman, noticing the look of fear (no, better said, HORROR!) on my face, quickly assured me that the dog was a very friendly dog. Now - I have NEVER seen a dog as big as this dog. It was a Great Dane. Great Dane's average about 130 lbs ... and from what I understand larger males can easily top 175 pounds. This dog tipped the scales at over 210 pounds. It was a giant of a dog ... and fortunately a very gentle giant! So as it turns out ... I had nothing to fear!
Today is the day that the Olympic games officially open in Beijing, China. With that in mind, consider the following quote by Joe Stowell, former president of Moody Bible Institute. The quote is rooted in the history of the Olympics.
Again I am pulling a blog posting from the past (summer of 2007). I am posting this again because all of us need to be reminded that being a servant is something God calls us all to be - everyone of us without exception! But far too often, we are looking for others to serve us vs. looking for opportunities to serve others. Remember Jesus said, if we want to be great in His kingdom, then the path of servanthood is the path we must travel.
when playing ping pong. A former pastor of mine (way back when I was in high school) taught me how to put all kinds of "english" (a.k.a. "spin") on the ball which causes it to fly off the opponents paddle in a lot of weird directions. So serving while playing ping pong is FUN!
Recently, a few people I know have suffered broken bones. In the fifty plus years of my life I am glad I can say I have never broken a bone. Broken bones are rarely a good thing. And if we talk about other things that can break, like washer machines or computers or lawn mowers or cars - broken things are rarely if ever a good thing. So while most brokenness cannot be said to be good - there is one kind of brokenness that I see as being good and profitable. It is spiritual brokenness.
In a similar way, we human beings must be "broken." We must get to the point where we are willing to submit ourselves to another and the "another" in this case is God. We all are born into this world as "independent spirits." As Isaiah the prophet reminds us, "All we like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his OWN way" (Isaiah 53:6). We must admit to our independent streak rooted in pride and arrogance and turn from it and turn to God, willing to say to Him, "Here I am Lord, use me!"
This year has brought a lot of satisfaction to me as a parent. My oldest daughter will be married in October and is now in her third year working as an R.N. at Lancaster General Hospital. My son started his masters program and was just hired by the university to work as a Graduate Assistant. He and his wife just celebrated their second wedding anniversary. My youngest daughter finished up her first year of teaching 9th grade history at Milton Hershey school and just celebrated her first month wedding anniversary yesterday. So it is quite gratifying to see my children grown and establishing their own vocations and homes. Now all these changes did not come as a surprise. My wife and I raised them to one day be off "on their own." It is part of the goal of parenting. We want to see our children "grow up!"
So if you want to grow in your journey of grace -- you can't "grow it alone!" You need to be involved in biblical community. A community of growing Christians who are striving to practice the various "one another" commands spelled out for us in the New Testament epistles. Practicing accountable relationships is one of the "means of grace" that we must employ if we want to "grow up!"Recently, my wife and I took a few days off and headed to Ocean City, Maryland. On the way home, we stopped at Rehoboth Beach. There we enc...
