Persistent Nobility
By admin | July 30, 2010
Acts 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
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When I was young, I used to hear my predecessors tell the difficult stories of their youth. Still, occasionally, you hear someone tell horrendous stories from their youth. My secretary, Shirley, tells me that growing up in Niagara Falls, New York, in the winter, she had to walk through ten feet of snow, seven miles uphill - both ways - just to get to the Catholic school. When she got there, she was so terrified of the teachers that she didn’t open her mouth. (Do you believe that???) In actuality, the challenging experiences of our lives either make us or break us. We are defined by those difficult experiences.
School itself was challenging. I have spoken and written many times about how unprepared I was for seminary. I studied many hours a day and had to outline the books - sometimes paragraph by paragraph - to understand what was being taught. I don’t believe I slept any more than 5 hours a night and I would drink only one Coke going to West Point each week to celebrate that I had finished that week in seminary. To deal with the pressure, I ran about 100 miles a week.
When my mother would give me my Christmas presents, I would return them for cash. I sold most of my college clothes to other students or teenagers in youth groups. When my car broke down, I hitchhiked from Atlanta to West Point until I could afford to fix it. When I graduated from seminary, I had one suit and two pairs of jeans that were threadbare. Most of my running clothes were so washed out that, whatever patterns had been there, were long faded away.
Even though it was a difficult time, there was great nobility in seminary. I believed in the dream of being a minister. With no scholarship and very little help, God saw me through. I learned that I could persevere through anything. I learned that nobility has nothing to do with birth and everything to do with facing challenges. In the intervening years, I’m blessed by that seminary experience and I always cling to the call and the noble aspects of my life.
These are hard times for many. Yet, if we cling to our faith, through the nobility of our lives, God will see us through. Nowhere in the book of life are we ever promised it would be easy. I want to witness to the fact that, if we live with a noble God-given dream, no heartache or challenge can defeat us. It doesn’t matter how challenging life is or what people say or do to us, it only matters that we serve God. The Book of Acts is full of the stories of the apostles facing challenges. They triumphed because they never gave up the dream of serving God and the nobility of their lives.
Our lives can be persistently noble.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to persevere. Amen.
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When I went to seminary, it was a very difficult time, but those three years helped me to develop a perseverance that served me well in later years.Topics: ACTS Series | No Comments »
The Assigned Task
By admin | July 29, 2010
Acts 20:24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me.”
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There are times in life we can find great meaning in tasks we did not choose for ourselves. Many times people think that if someone else assigns them a task, then it won’t be significant.
About two months ago, she lowered the boom. “Darling, I love that you paint these nice oil paintings. Don’t start any more until you finish all those in the garage that you started previously and didn’t finish at the time.” Often I would start a painting and not know how to finish it. More than likely I would become bored with a particular painting and become enthusiastic about a new painting. I found nothing appealing about the idea of finishing the large number of canvases I started, but left unfinished. For the sake of peace, I decided I might attempt the assigned task.
I have now completed, or nearly completed, five of those canvases. There is the Brooklyn Bridge at night. I have spent at least one hundred hours on that painting. It is completely finished and does not appeal to me at all. I never want to see the Brooklyn Bridge and I have no idea what to do with this much-painted painting. I finished, however, a wave of the ocean that I really like; sunrise over a lake; a scene of the grasslands coming across the causeway into Pace using vivid color rather than subtle; and a very nice mountain landscape. I told Averette how much I have enjoyed finishing four of the five paintings and I thanked her for her persistent direction.
In actuality, some of the time God assigns tasks to us we would not choose for ourselves. Paul spent the last two-thirds of his life going from community to community speaking the story of his faith. In some communities, he was accepted and loved. In others, he was treated shamefully and rejected. God assigned Paul the important task of bringing Christianity to the Gentile Roman world. I’m sure there were days he became tired of God’s constant bidding. He said, in Acts 14.22, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” These were words Paul certainly lived out. His life became valuable to him only as he could share the faith. Acts 20:24 says, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus Christ has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”
The task of our testifying to the gospel of God’s grace is an assigned task for us as well. Some canvases are appealing to us and others are not. Yet, God’s grace is the true color of our lives - an assigned task worth doing.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the task of sharing our faith. Amen.
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My wife is a gentle, kind soul.Topics: ACTS Series | No Comments »
Faith Sharing
By admin | July 27, 2010
Acts 9:19-20 “…Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.”
 Paul evangelized most of the known world in his day. He went from place to place sharing the faith. Everything he did had its basis in the hope that the people he was with would come to Jesus. He tried, in all possible ways, to build up the faith of those about him. He lived an awesome life.
I wonder how Ananias felt when he discovered what Paul did with the gift of his faith. It is a huge blessing to contribute positively to people’s lives. The list of souls that Paul won for the Lord must have been overwhelming to discover in this life and the next. Sharing your faith can become second nature. John Wooten and I were running through his neighborhood. One of his neighbors either runs with his dogs or he rides a bike and puts the dogs in a little wagon attached to the bike. I have seen this man running or biking with his dogs many times. The other day, just as the man was passing us on his bike, the wheel of the wagon sheared off. The man stopped the bike and no one was hurt. The three of us examined the wheel for a moment. I immediately launched into a prayer and thanked God for the safety of the man and his two dogs. It was second nature. I don’t know if the prayer was appreciated or not - it didn’t matter. I was grateful that he and his pets were unhurt. Faith sharing or being a witness in our world can become second nature. Perhaps, at first, we become a little nervous. Eventually, it simply becomes a part of our DNA. Can you imagine the homecoming in heaven when someone comes through the gate, hugs us, and says, “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. I would have never heard if you hadn’t spoken the word.” And how would we feel if they brought with them other people and those people brought other people, and the chain of life goes on unbroken. The entire goal of my life is to bless God. God has abundantly blessed me. The deepest wish of my heart is that people in Pensacola come to know the Lord. Of all humans, I feel greatly blessed that sharing my faith is what God has called me to do. I hope we can all learn together how to be a witness for Jesus Christ in our own lives. In truth, we all witness for something. Sadly, some people witness only for self-centeredness or selfishness or selfish goals. How noble it is to witness only for God. If our lives have the purpose of witnessing for Jesus Christ, then regardless of what happens, the angels sing at the end of every day. May God be with us as we share in this precious commodity of life. Prayer: Dear God, help us to be a witness in this world so that we can see the harvest in the next. Amen.
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Sinner or Saint
By admin | July 27, 2010
Acts 9:16 “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
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Many years ago, there was a respected man in the church I was serving. He had been married for twenty years and had three wonderful children. This man and his wife had a nice life and were, by all appearances, happy. One day the wife made a tearful appointment with my secretary and this couple came in to talk with me. As the story unfolded, this man had fallen in love with his best friend’s twenty-one year old daughter. Using every conceivable argument, I appealed to him against leaving his wife. I told him if he left his wife for this young woman, it would be a terrible sin and the price he would pay would be too high. I passionately shared with him that he would lose his marriage to his high school sweetheart, he would lose the respect of his children and his community, he would lose the friendship of his best friend. Yet, the man’s only response was, “A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.”
As the years unfolded, all of my prophecies came true and some that I didn’t think of happened to this man. He lost every valuable relationship and thing in his life, and in the end, was discarded and broke - jobless, friendless, and alone.
In life, sometimes, we choose the hard way. I remember when I was in the second grade in elementary school; the principle told me if I didn’t stop talking, I would spend the rest of my elementary school years in the library. I eventually read every book in the library including the World Book Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia Britannica. When I was in junior high, the coach said, “If you don’t stop talking, you’re going to run every day in gym instead of playing football, basketball, and baseball with the other guys.” In those days, I became an excellent runner.
We all have a choice in our everyday life of following the authority over us or paying a price. If we are willful and disobedient, whether it is to earthly authorities or to God, there is always a price to be paid. The sin of disobedience is costly.
Following God’s will may be challenging. However, it is very rewarding. When God called me to go to seminary, I was ill-prepared. My first semester, I had to look up every word. I had absolutely zero money and I could only afford to eat vegetable soup and yogurt. I worked endless hours as a youth minister. I struggled to understand the theological language in the first few months at Emory. Yet, God called me to be a minister and I had to be prepared.
After Paul was called, he had trouble convincing people he was genuine. Finally, Barnabas, one of the apostles, took Paul under his wing and began to teach him. As Paul was used by God, the price tag was exacting. In Acts 9:15, as God speaks to Ananias, He says, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name to the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.” Verse 16 says, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” If we follow God, our lives will have great challenges. Yet the reward, even with the challenges and difficulties, is worth the price of acquiescence.
This is the truth…sin has a price tag. The following of God, too, has a price tag. In the end, the sinners and the saints both die. The sinners leave a life of stench and destruction. The saints, even with much of suffering, leave a life that is a pleasing aroma and memory to those they touched. The life of a saint is not always flowers in the spring. Yet it is truly substantive and more valuable than all the wealth the world can offer.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to choose the life of a saint. Amen.
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God, Are You Sure?
By admin | July 25, 2010
Acts 9:15 “But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go!”
 One of the challenges of understanding the Bible is the different names that have to be deciphered. I found in reading Russian literature how hard it was to decipher the names of another culture. For many, the names of the Bible are a challenge. There are at least five people named Ananias in the Scriptures. This Ananias is a godly man who lived in Damascus. He was a man of prayer and he always followed God’s will.
Three days after Saul had been knocked off his high horse and was blind and unable to eat or drink anything, this Ananias was praying. In a vision, the Lord called him by name. The Bible tells the story better than I ever could. “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go!” This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.” Can you imagine how frightened Ananias was? He must have thought that God had no idea what He was doing. “Why in the world,” Ananias must have wondered, “did God choose Saul?” However, Ananias was faithful. Regardless of his doubts, Ananias went to the house, found Saul, placed his hands on him and said, “To the stated enemy of the Christians, Brother Saul, the Lord - Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here - has sent me that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” The Bible says immediately Saul could see and Ananias baptized him and Saul regained his strength. One of the miracles in this story is the miracle of Ananias having faith and doing what must have seemed to him, ill-advised. Regardless of the doubts that filled Ananias’ heart, he did what God commanded. It could easily have meant his death. Saul had put many others in prison. He had the papers to put Ananias in prison. But, when God called Ananias to receive Saul in the faith, Ananias addressed him as “Brother Saul” indicating that, already, Saul was a member of the Christian community. When God calls us to face situations that seem ill-advised, we can be inspired by this Ananias who seemed serene and unafraid. He was resolved to do as God commanded even if it meant his life. Would we, as members of the Christian community, do the same thing that Ananias did for our enemies or those who hurt us? Prayer: Dear God, give us the same opportunity that Ananias had. Amen.
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A Completely Changed Life
By admin | July 24, 2010
Acts 9:1 “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.”
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When God demands our attention, one way or the other, we need to acquiesce. My Daddy used to say to me, “Son, there’s an easy way and a hard way.” In actuality, all the men who raised me were far from gentle. My dad, my grandfather, my uncle - all were far from coddling or babying me or any other young male they felt they were raising. It is surprising to the current generation at some of their methods of child-rearing. The truth is many times we choose the hard way. Paul chose the hard way. God has the power to knock us off our high horse and get our attention. As Saul rode to Damascus, a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound, but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So the men led Saul by the hand into Damascus. For three days, he was blind and had totally lost his ability to eat or drink anything. God had a completely different plan for Saul. Yet, Saul went off in his own direction. I have found in my own life that it is necessary to ask God about my decision before I take action. When I give God time to answer, there is usually a perspective I don’t have. The last thing Saul expected was to become involved in the Christian community. Yet, God wanted to use Saul’s unique gifts in converting the Gentile people. Saul was a rare combination of perspective. He understood Jewish theology and Hellenistic life. He could bridge the gap that took Christianity from a Jewish sect into the mainstream of Roman life. Saul had been chosen by God for this task. Isn’t it ironic that he went off to persecute Christians and then became one. The Holy Spirit took away even his Jewish name of Saul and gave him a completely Hellenistic persona and name - Paul - so he could appeal to the very people he hated. God is certainly full of surprises. Many times He moves people from one set of circumstances to the other because He has a better use for them than they would choose for themselves. Perhaps God has something completely unique for us…a mission we would not expect and a call that will re-light the direction of our lives. Prayer: Dear God, guide us to be open to Your direction for our lives. Amen.
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Pi Kappa Phi
By admin | July 23, 2010
John 14:28 “…I am going away and I am coming back to you.”
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In the immediate moments after reading that obituary, I remembered our time in college. He played football and was a pharmacy major. Physically, he was tall, handsome, and had a winning smile. The decades slipped away as I remembered those times in the fraternity house. The walls of my house seemed to change and I saw before me many of those guys I hadn’t thought of in years. We were all filled with potential and hope - a bunch of guys wearing the same Greek letters and dreaming about what our lives would become. I wondered how he died and if he had married and had children. I wondered if he stayed close to the other members of our fraternity who settled in Atlanta. I regretted not keeping in touch and yet, somehow, I knew that in the life to come there will be plenty of time to reminisce and celebrate. I appreciate many qualities and teachings of the Christian way. As I get older, I find great joy in the fact that this life is not all there is. Jesus provides the keys to eternity. For us, He saves all of our memories and the people whose paths diverge from ours. I know I will never be twenty years old again, but in God’s kingdom, my soul will be reunited with all those I loved along the way. Death is only a temporary separation. I’m sure that the disciples long remembered the smiles, movements, and awareness of Jesus. They knew the patterns of His voice as He told the parables. They saw the look in His eyes when He healed those with leprosy. They remembered the sparkle of humor when He talked about removing a speck from your brother’s eye when you have a plank in your own eye. It is the little things of life - the movements, the inflections as we speak, the quick smiles - that always remain with us. A fraternity brother I haven’t thought of in years was written about in an obituary in a college alumni publication. Even though he was far from my mind, I believe he was always in Jesus’ heart. Jesus teaches us how much God loves His children. In life and in death, He cares for us. We have waiting for us eternity, and as I look in the mirror at my no longer young face and my gray hair, I thank God for what He has given and for what He temporarily saves. Out there awaiting us all is perfect eternity. Prayer: Dear God, thank you for all of life - the living now and the living to come. Amen.
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Honoring Values
By admin | July 22, 2010
Proverbs 23:12 “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.”
 If we seek the worth of a piece of fine art, an expert will estimate its value. Everything in life has some estimate of its value. In living, we have qualities that are valuable to us. For me, personally, there are aspects of living that are valuable. I wanted to pass on my appreciation of those values to my children.
God and my relationship with the Deity are of huge value to me. I have tried to communicate that value throughout my adult life both professionally and personally. I wanted my children to come to value Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I tried to illustrate a life lived through my love, service, and allegiance to God. I value the opportunity to learn. I have always studied. As I was growing up, I read voraciously, especially about topics of interest to me. Averette and I dated primarily by studying together. My children have seen me study countless theology books and religious commentaries. My daughters have watched me add to my reading about God to include, for many years, exploring the classics of literature and history. In later years, they’ve watched me read endlessly about artists and oil painting. Recently, I have come to read some about antiques and old objects. I tried to set the value of study. There have been some periphery values that are important to me - the value of listening. I love to talk, but I also enjoy listening and learning about other human beings. I have a strong value for exercise and fitness. Granted, like most people, I have had some lapses, but, generally, I ran or swam or exercised in some way all of my life. My mother and Averette have taught me the value of a home being lovely and homey. In Averette’s absence, I purchased some plants and placed some outdoor furniture on my front porch at the Little White House. For the first time, I’m trying to grow bougainvillea. It is lovely. Averette always says how much she values that home because it reflects my personal taste. Perhaps in raising your children you did not have this experience, but there have been times in my life when, no matter how hard I tried, my children didn’t honor the values that Averette and I lived out before them. I found that it made me angry and disappointed when they didn’t honor my values. Please know my daughters are fine girls. I didn’t always honor my parents values…it’s the way of life. Yet it hurts when others don’t value what we do. From the time of Adam, God has tried to teach us how to value His ways. He tried countless means…most importantly, through the life of His only Son. I wonder how God feels when we don’t honor His values. Prayer: Dear God, teach us Your ways. Have patience when we don’t honor Your values. Amen.
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The Keys of the Kingdom
By admin | July 21, 2010
Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven.”
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Citizenship in ancient Rome had an essential requirement that those who were citizens were endowed with both privilege and responsibility. The expectation of a Roman citizen was that they must vote, pay taxes, serve in the military, and hold official positions. Citizenship in Rome came from birth. It could alsobe earned through some noble task or service, or could be bought. St. Paul, in his letters, spoke often of his Roman citizenship. For him in the first century, his citizenship was the equivalent of a passport. It also meant that a Roman citizen could not be jailed without certain preliminary procedures that were carried out through due process. It meant those who were citizens had a right to appeal and could choose either a Roman or a local trial. This became very important in the latter chapters of the Book of Acts. Paul often compared Roman citizenship with citizenship in the Christian community. In the Christian community, we have certain rights and responsibilities. We make commitments as we come to the community. These commitments gain privileges such as membership, leadership, and accessibility. Primarily, membership in the church community speaks of responsibility to the people of the church and the general community. Paul taught that, in addition to being a part of the Christian community or the church, we are citizens of heaven. Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven…” Jesus says to Peter in Matthew 16:19, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom…” Jesus further indicates that whoever is bound on earth will also be bound in heaven. We must share our faith. The Bible teaches that our citizenship ultimately is transferred from our church community to the heavenly community. The old preachers used to say, at every funeral, that the deceased “transferred their membership from church militant to church triumphant.” This, of course, meant they were no longer members of a local church. Their membership was struck from the roll of the church and they were citizens of heaven. Our culture is terribly consumer. We often focus on our privileges rather than our responsibilities. One of the main responsibilities of Christianity is to share our faith with others. We hold the keys of the life and death of other souls. God calls us to at least attempt to unlock their hearts with the message of Jesus. The truth is, as Christians, our future is secure but the future of those who don’t know Jesus is not secure. Our lives must strive to bridge that chasm and bring faith and eternal life to all we meet so that they, too, may be citizens of heaven. Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to be a good citizen of the church and loyal to my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. |
Philip felt the guidance of God to go to a specific place on a specific road from Jerusalem to Gaza. Along the way, he met an Ethiopian eunuch who was in charge of the treasury of the queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to seek the true God. Because he was a eunuch, he was considered unworthy. Perhaps he was treated differently because of his race. I’m sure a man of his standing in his own country was shocked at the Jewish authorities prejudice against him. Topics: ACTS Series | No Comments »
The Journey Continues
By admin | July 20, 2010
Acts 8:35 “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.”
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Philip felt the guidance of God to go to a specific place on a specific road from Jerusalem to Gaza. Along the way, he met an Ethiopian eunuch who was in charge of the treasury of the queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to seek the true God. Because he was a eunuch, he was considered unworthy. Perhaps he was treated differently because of his race. I’m sure a man of his standing in his own country was shocked at the Jewish authorities prejudice against him.
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As this Ethiopian was reading from the prophet Isaiah, the spirit of God called Philip, “…to go to the chariot and stand near it.” Which, of course, Philip did. Philip asked the Ethiopian, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The Ethiopian responded, “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” He invited Philip into his chariot and Philip explained the words from the prophet Isaiah. He then told him the Good News about Jesus Christ. While traveling down the road, they saw a body of water. The eunuch asked, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” And Philip baptized him.Topics: ACTS Series | No Comments »
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