Posts in Category: down to earth believer
“On Making Oatmeal and a Mess”
So, I put oatmeal on the stove this morning. However, I realized that I had a little time before it cooked, so I went out to get the trash cans and recycling bin, and set them beside the garage.
Then I walked back in the house, and there was my server’s apron on the counter right beside the door. “Oh, I should go ahead and put this in my car,” I said to myself.
While I was in the garage, I decided to put my bike in the trunk, and . . . well, you can see where this is going, can’t you?
By the time I remembered the oatmeal, it was nice and creamy—or, at least, it was creamy on top. On the bottom of the saucepan was a substance that was roughly the color and consistency of tartar on teeth that have not been cleaned for five years.
Attention Deficit Disorder is such an interesting disease! Sometimes, I think it should be called A.E.D: “Attention Excess Disorder.” I try to pay attention to too much.
Some recent studies have suggested that “multitasking” is not really possible. I know it isn’t possible for me. I try to pack too much living into life, and end up with a saucepan that is not easy to clean.
I am a big fan of M*A*S*H reruns. I can’t say that I like Charles Emerson Winchester III (who is as pompous as his name suggests), but I do think he occasionally makes a good point. Early in his tenure at the 4077, Winchester said, “I do one thing, I do it very well, and then I move on.”
The Apostle Paul, a person who accomplished a lot, said something similar about his desire to know Christ. “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
When you’re running a race, you don’t have more than one goal. What race are you running? Don’t try to do too many other things and let your oatmeal burn!
PETALS OF JOY
ON HAVING THROWING PETALS OF JOY THROWN AT US
“If you are saved, why hasn’t your face been informed?” (Source unknown.)
My wife and I were visiting family in Kentucky, a lively bunch of boys and one little girl who was obviously able to hold her own.
When we were about to leave for home, the two oldest boys (ages seven and five) began pulling petals off the likely last roses of summer, and throwing them on us. “We’re throwing petals of joy on you!” they exclaimed.
Their mom eventually put the kibosh on them, fortunately before there was no joy left on the rose bushes themselves.
The rose petals, now pretty well shriveled—but still pretty—are still lying on our dining room table. Memory is sometimes the loveliest form of joy. As long as my mind is alive, I will remember the gift of joy those boys gave to my wife and me.
Do you and I throw petals of joy at other people? Do we cherish the petals of joy that others throw at us? Why should little kids have all the fun?
The life of Christians is (or at least should be) characterized by joy. That is not to say that we Christians don’t have our share of grief and problems. We do. No human is exempt from grief and problems.
However, our default position should involve petals of joy? Why?
Well, for one thing, we are commanded to rejoice. Grumpiness is always an option for anyone, including believers in Christ. However, chronic grumpiness that is chosen is a not-so-subtle form of disobedience. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” So says Paul, who was a prisoner of Rome at the time of writing his letter to the Philippians. In fact, Paul says that he himself was rejoicing (Philippians 1:4, 25; 2:2,17f,29; 4:1; 1:18; 2:17f,28; 3:1; 4:4,10). Of course, if Paul has to say something—and even repeat himself—it is probably because at least some of the believers in Philippi were acting as if they had been baptized in vinegar.
The Old Testament also commands joy. Our worship leader read Psalm 96 this past Sunday. Even nature (all creation) is to rejoice in the LORD!
Then too, throwing petals of joy makes both the thrower and “throwee” happier.
Of course, there are people who enjoy misery. I used to often be one of those people myself. However, perhaps you could try making people like I used to be more miserable by throwing some joy their way. That way, you’ll be helping them, one way or the other.
However, one caution: Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). In fact it is the second aspect kind of the nine-fold fruit, mentioned right after love and right before peace. Joy is nestled between love and peace, and if we are pursuing love and peace, then joy will be right at home in our hearts, our lives, and our relationships.
Be on the lookout for petals of joy today. Be on the lookout, too, for opportunities to throw some petals at others.
I am . . .
“A big, tough samurai once went to see a little monk.
“Monk!”
He barked, in a voice accustomed to instant obedience.
“Teach me about heaven and hell!”
The monk looked up at the mighty warrior and replied with utter disdain,
“Teach you about heaven and hell? I couldn’t teach you about anything. You’re dumb. You’re dirty. You’re a disgrace, an embarrassment to the samurai class. Get out of my sight. I can’t stand you.”
The samurai got furious. He shook, red in the face, speechless with rage. He pulled out his sword, and prepared to slay the monk.
Looking straight into the samurai’s eyes, the monk said softly,
“That’s hell.”
The samurai froze, realizing the compassion of the monk who had risked his life to show him hell! He put down his sword and fell to his knees, filled with gratitude.
The monk said softly,
“And that’s heaven.”
Excerpted from Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values.”
(The preceding quote is from the site http://www.onbeing.org/blog/the-little-monk-and-the-samurai-a-zen-parable/5496, accessed 10-31-2016.)
Of course, the truth is that we are not what we do or feel at any given moment. And the truth is that we are what we do or feel at any given moment. We are more than what we do, but we are not less than what we do.
I have been trying a trick suggested by some Buddhist writers. When I am feeling gluttonous, for example, I say, “I am gluttony.” For some reason, this seems to help me not be quite so gluttonous. I’m not sure why.
Of course, I follow up such statements as, “I am gluttony,” with the statement, “I am the awareness of gluttony.”
This approach sometimes has some strangely amusing effects. For example, I was inclined to engage in sexual fantasy, so I promptly said, “I am sexual fantasy.” I then said, “I am awareness of sexual fantasy.”
Then, I felt pride that I had arrested my sexual fantasy in mid-lust, so I said, “I am pride.”
That felt rather foolish, so I said, “I am awareness of pride.”
At this point, I laughed, and forgot to say, “I am laughter.”
In any case, this simple trick seems to be helping me not to yield to evil as much as I usually do.
As is often the case, there is an even deeper truth, I believe: I am ultimately not primarily what I think, or feel, or do. Rather, I am what and who God thinks I am. And I believe that God thinks of me as his deeply flawed, but also deeply loved and forgiven child of his. As helpful as I find this Buddhist koan, I find the doctrine of God’s love and Christ’s sacrificial death even more helpful.
Breaking on Through to the Other Side
I was reading 1 Chronicles 11:15-19 (//2 Samuel 23:13-17) just now. What degree of loyalty David commanded—or, better, inspired! Three men break through the Philistine garrison, just because David expresses a longing for the water from the well in Bethlehem! No doubt, they had to fight their way in, and then fight their way out. And while they were at the well, one man drew the water, while the other two kept the Philistines at bay.
I can picture the scene: The land crawling with Philistines. They even have a garrison in Bethlehem. Were they hoping that they may catch David trying to enter his hometown? Was Bethlehem strategically important to the Philistines?
In any case, David was remembering . . . remembering when he was a boy . . . remembering coming in from the fields, worn out and thirsty . . . remembering how good the well water tasted after a long, dusty day chasing sheep.
He had thought that he had problems then. Yeah! His dad was demanding. He was always getting into fights with his brothers. (They always won.)
He had thought he had problems then. He had thought . . . . But now, he was between Saul and the Philistines. He was a man on the run. If only he could go back. If only life could be simple again. If only . . . If only . . .
He thought how nice it would be to taste water from the well in Bethlehem. He didn’t realize that he had spoken his thought. He didn’t think anyone was even listening. He didn’t see three of his men quietly make eye contact, and just as quietly nod. They gathered their weapons, tightened their belts and went out into the darkness.
Two of the Philistine guards died before they even realized they were under attack. A few others resisted, calling for help. However, the main body of the garrison were asleep, and when they heard that there was some minor fracas at the gate near the well, they didn’t think much about it. Clearly, there was no major assault from the Israelites. Of course, no one could believe that the Israelites were going to send a raiding party of three men against the Philistine position in Bethlehem.
It was such a stupid thing for the three to do! So stupid! Two of them held the Philistines at bay, while one of them calmly lowered the jug into the well, and just as calmly poured it into their water skin. Then, they fought their way back out. And now, some of the Philistines who had gathered around were laughing. The Israelites had raided, for what? Water! How dumb can you be!
“Are you Israelite dogs running low on water, as well as food?” one of the Philistine soldiers shouted with a sneer.
“No,” shouted one of the three. “Our commander wanted a drink from the well, and we figured that with only a few dozen of you sissies guarding it, it wouldn’t be too difficult. We’ll come for the whole well soon! Have a nice evening!”
And with that, they vanished into the night.
. . .
“What is this?” asked David with a laugh. “You three have been holding out on the wine. You shall be flogged for this!”
“Oh, no, not wine—something much better: water from the well in Bethlehem! Drink and be whole again, beyond confusion!”
David looked at the water jug, which a grimy, bloody hand held out to him. He looked into the faces of the three.
“You could have been killed. It was foolish—brave, but foolish. What were you thinking! Do you think that I can afford to lose men like you?!”
“We were not thinking anything,” said one. “We were obeying your desire.”
And now, there is this Greater Son of David, whom I say I serve. He does not long for a drink from any well, but he does long to give the water of life to those who desperately need it. And who doesn’t need it?
What have I done to break through to give that water to anyone? Less than nothing. My actions have caused some people to doubt that such water even exists. Indeed, I’ve poisoned the well.
No! No amount of human sin can poison this well. The poison itself is neutralized by this lively water.
I’ve been afraid, afraid of the Philistines, afraid of my own self, afraid of my own shadow. I also need this water. This well exists for me, too. And so, old man that I am, sinner that I am, I will gather my weapons, cut through the fear, reach the well, drink and be well, offer this water to others. Along with a few friends, I will bring this water from the One, the Son of David, to the many.
THE UNDERCOVER KING
DTEB: THE UNDERCOVER KING
“Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is, Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)
Have you ever watched the TV show “Undercover Boss?” I haven’t, but I’ve occasionally watched snippets of it while channel surfing.
The premise is simple and intriguing. An owner or other highly placed corporate person assumes an identity and goes to work in his/her own company, in an entry-level position.
This is not an entirely new approach. Think, for example, of Ulysses posing as an old beggar in his own home.
The story (supposedly true) is told of the king of Jordan who used to disguise himself in order to mingle freely among his subjects. He assumed various disguises, including as cab driver. The purpose? Publicity? To find out what people are really thinking? Fun? I suppose that you could interpret it in a number of ways.
What I find most intriguing is the fact that I believe this has already happened on a grand scale. I believe that the King of the universe has indeed come down to mingle with his subjects.
This matter of God identifying with his subjects very closely was at least hinted at in the Old Testament. “In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9).
In the case of Jesus Christ, he declared his purpose for becoming an undercover king: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). What this seeking and saving cost this undercover king would only become clear on a cloudy day on a hill outside of Jerusalem.
The Gospel of John sets forth, in stark terms, how drastically thorough this undercover operation was. “In the beginning was the Word, . . . and the Word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1, 14).
I believe that grace and truth were both poured out at the cross of Christ, the undercover King with a capital “K!” The truth was that we were all sinners, with no way to save ourselves. The grace is the love and compassion of the King. Both grace and truth were poured out in the death of this undercover King who died for all of us, his rebellious subjects.
Undercover bosses don’t usually go quite that far. This One, I believe, did.
ABSOLUTE MONARCHY
“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.. . . .” (The quote is from Winston Churchill, but note the words “it has been said,” which are in bold print. This seems to indicate that he was quoting an as yet unknown source.)
Some friends and I were talking politics over breakfast. We don’t usually do that. We find that it can compromise both our friendships and our digestion.
After several people had made comments on our two major party candidates there was a lull in the conversation. Of course, I couldn’t allow that!
So, I piped up and said, “I think we’re missing the main point: Our whole way of being governed is wrong.”
Fortunately, we had a fairly new guy in our circle of friends, and he unwisely asked me, “What do you mean?”
Ignoring the rolling eyeballs and raised eyebrows around the table, I continued.
“Our problem is that what we have a representative democracy. What we need is an absolute monarchy.”
Dead silence.
More dead silence.
Finally, someone said, “With you as king, I suppose?”
“No!” I replied with some force. “Most definitely not me!” I felt like a poker player who had already wagered more than he could afford to lose, so I plowed ahead. Go for broke, I said to myself.
“No, we would need a very special kind of person to be king. He would have to have all power and authority. He would also have to be absolutely humble. He would have to really and truly love his subjects, always having their best interests in mind. He would have to know everything. He would also have to live forever, since another king would not be able to do as well.”
“You do have someone in mind, don’t you?” said another friend, with a wry smile.
“Yes—yes I do,” I said.
We finished our breakfast, and left to live in the next best form of government, until our true King returns from the exile we imposed by our sinfulness.
(More about the true King’s first visit in my next blog.)
On Having Some New Letters after My Name
I just received word this morning that my absolutely final revisions of the PhD thesis had passed muster. I am approved for the PhD!
So, am I happy? Yes! Am I relieved? Yes!
However, . . .
. . . several thoughts come to mind.
- Accomplishments, even major accomplishments, in one area of our life are no substitute for a life well-lived for Christ.
- Accomplishments, even major accomplishments, in one area of our life are no substitute for being a good dad (which I was not), or a good husband (which I am trying to become).
- Accomplishments are never individual triumphs. So many people, especially my wife and my two PhD advisers—but also many others who told me I could do this when I did not believe it—played crucial parts in this degree. And of course there is also God!
- Just because I now have a PhD does not mean that I know God or the Bible all that much better. God and the Bible are too big for that, and a PhD is ultimately very small indeed. Humility, love, faith, and obedience are the basic tools for understanding the Bible, God, or, most likely, anything else in the universe.
- Floors still need to be mopped, grass cut, and customers at the restaurants where I work still need to be waited upon. Life has a wonderful way of keeping us humble, if we’re paying any attention at all.
DTEB, S.S. (Saved Sinner)
Forgiveness: A Gift that God Gives Himself
“Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.”
Have you ever heard that saying? I can’t tell where it comes from. I’m also not clear on what it means.
Does it mean that I should forgive myself when I’ve done something wrong? If so, it is both true and false.
The true aspect is that I should forgive myself if I am sorry for what I’ve done, if I have done my best to make confession and restitution to the person I’ve harmed, and if I have a plan for how to avoid similar wrongs in the future.
But if any of the big IFS mentioned above are not true, then I’m most certainly not in a position to forgive myself.
But the way I’ve always taken this saying is that, when someone else wrongs me, if I forgive that person, I am giving myself a gift. It is an expensive gift, and I seldom am willing to lay out the emotional capital to purchase such a gift.
I hang on to past hurts. I remember them. I think about them. I talk about them. I do not forgive easily. I don’t know many people who do forgive easily.
However, what if I thought of my resentments as being emotional garbage that I have to drag around with me everywhere I go? It is heavy, it stinks, there are flies buzzing around, it is loaded with maggots.
I think I’m going to stop there. I’m making myself sick. I’m probably making you sick, too. (Please forgive me!)
Furthermore, every new wrong against me—real or perceived—is added daily to the mess I am carrying. I become a mobile city dump.
But there is good news: God, in Christ, has already forgiven the other person, me, the whole world.
This morning, it occurred to me that forgiveness of all of us sinners is a gift God gives to Himself. Think about it: God loves us more than anyone does or can. Therefore, God is the one who is most offended when I do wrong to anyone, or when anyone does wrong to me. What if God carried around all those wrongs, and let Himself be embittered by them? An infinitely bitter, resentful God: now there’s a picture! But it isn’t a pretty picture.
Here is what God’s Word says: “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25). It would seem that God blots out the sins of His people for God’s own sake! (I looked it up in Hebrew, and it is very clear. That is what the verse says.)
So, forgiveness of our sins is a gift that God gives to Himself. Perhaps I should think about bestowing a similar gift on myself. It isn’t every day that I get to give myself a gift that is not only fit for a king, but one that is fit for The King.
GRACE AND DISCIPLINE
“GRACE AND DISCIPLINE”
Most mornings, I begin my day with an e mail report or a phone call to my 12-step sponsor. He has encouraged me to include a personal affirmation, and I’ve been doing that most days for some time now.
Here is our e mail exchange this morning.
“Dear Sponsor,
No violations.
AFFIRMATION: Today, by God’s grace, I will not be timid, fighting off my back foot. I will be aggressive when it comes to living a good, holy, loving life.
I hope that you have a wonderful day.
Me”
My sponsor replied to my report and affirmation as follows:
“I hope ‘fighting’ is minimal and enjoyment maximum.”
I replied to his reply as follows:
“Dear Sponsor,
The battle to live an enjoyable life is mostly (for me, at least) a battle to live a disciplined and graced life. When I live as a person who knows that he has received huge grace from God and many people, and when I live a disciplined life, joy is a natural fruit of that way of living.
Me”
I’ve noticed that people who live a disciplined life are not necessarily happy people. They often are like one definition of perfectionists: “Perfectionists are people who take great pains, and give them to others.” Some people turn self-discipline into rigor—or even, into rigor mortis!
I’ve also noticed that people who are very well aware of grace are not always happy people. If they lack discipline, they always have at least a vague awareness that they are not living up to grace. They have a sneaking feeling that they are somehow betraying the grace they have been given. This is because that is what they are doing.
I have been (and am still, sometimes) both kinds of people. I have abused both grace and discipline.
Nowadays, I’m trying to recognize them as twin companions on my journey. They are both important. No, that’s not right. They are both essential!
In a little-known passage in a not-generally-popular book of the New Testament, the Apostle Paul points out in a wonderful way how grace and self-discipline go together. Apparently, Grace runs a school of self-discipline. I close with these verses from Titus 2:11-14:
“11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”
DTEB
DO I TRUST GOD?
Am I trust-worthy?
This is question I have been asking myself here of late. There is evidence for a tentative “Yes!” There is also evidence for a decisive “No!”
However, it occurred to me today that this is not even the right question. The right question is, “Am I trusting God right now?” Paul says that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is about faith from beginning to end (Romans 1:17). At least, that is one possible understanding of the Greek phrase which may be literally translated “from faith to faith.”
Perhaps even clearer is what Paul writes to the Galatians.
“1 You foolish Galatians! Who has hypnotized you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified?
2 I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith?
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh?”
Paul is saying here that the life of the believer started with the Holy Spirit, and that the life of the believer continues and is completed by the work of that same Holy Spirit. However, note that faith is also involved. We received the Spirit “by the hearing with faith.” Presumably, we continue to live in the Spirit in the same manner—by hearing accompanied by faith.
I am called to trust God moment by moment by moment. Faith is to the soul what breathing is to the body. No breath, no physical life. No faith, no spiritual life.
Perhaps faith is also a muscle. I develop my muscles little by little. You can make instant oatmeal, but not instant muscle.
I develop better muscle tone and strength by regular, increasingly strenuous exercise. And so it is with the muscle of faith: I trust God with little things, then with slightly bigger things. Eventually, I will discover that God can all kinds of things I had never believed possible.
But then, muscles can atrophy, can’t they? I remember being in a hospital many years ago. I was shocked at how quickly my leg and arm muscles became weaker, and how long it took to get back to where I had been before the accident.
So, today is the day that the LORD has made. Today is also the day the LORD has made for me to trust Him. Each moment—by my attitudes, thoughts, words, and deeds—I am answering the question “Do I trust God?”.
And that is the question for all of us, isn’t it?
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- God’s Specific Likes about Us April 25, 2025God pulled off a surprise love attack on me this morning. God lured me into the trap in a quite trivial way. I thought I would start my day, not by grading students’ assignments, but by reading and meditating on some Scripture. By the way, I am not saying that reading Scripture is trivial. The […]
- “Strange and Wonderful Creatures” March 28, 2025I did not sleep enough last night. Five hours of sleep may be enough for some, but not for me. However, when I tried for a while to go back to sleep after waking up at 1:00 a.m., I realized that it was not going to happen. I might as well get up and work […]
- “Even Computers Need a Rest Sometimes!” February 11, 2025Jumpy cursor! I was trying to grade student assignments, and my cursor was jumping around like a Mexican jumping bean. I would start typing something, and then I would be on a different line. Here is the sort of non-sentences I was ending up with: be Please see my respolownse video. Of course, what I […]
- “Lives as Well as Lips” February 5, 2025“Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise? Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!” (Psalm 106:1-3, English Standard Version) […]
- DTEB, “The Wanna-Wanna Method” January 29, 2025“. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, Phil. 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12b-13, English Standard Version) In a text exchange with a friend, he confessed that he really, really wants to make some bad […]
- “Fun, Cat Videos, and Transformation” December 9, 2024“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, English Standard Version) One of my twelve-step sponsors suggested that I need more fun in my life. He knows me well, but on this one, I was determined to prove him wrong. […]
- “The Enemy is Perfectionism” December 6, 2024“The good is the enemy of the best.” (A common saying.) “The best is the enemy of doing anything at all that is good.” (My take on the saying and my reality.) Some of you have been wondering why I haven’t been posting any of my musings in the past way-too-long. I am tempted to […]
- DTEB, “Getting Christ and Ourselves Back in Focus” November 11, 2024“Col. 3:1 ¶ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Col. 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden […]
- “Search Me!” October 27, 2024“Psa. 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24, English Standard Version) I am participating in a Bible study, and this is a prayer […]
- “Christian Speech” October 26, 2024“Eph. 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Foulkes, in his excellent commentary on the Book of Ephesians, writes the following, which I quote at some length: “29. Now the […]
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