Monthly Archives: April 2019
“Speaking the Truth in Love”
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” (Ephesians 4:15, English Standard Version)
Yesterday, our pastor spoke about “little” lies. I think that his sermon could probably be boiled down to three words: There aren’t any! There aren’t any little lies, that is. Of course, there are lots of lies.
In our community group last night, we talked about lies and about how difficult it is to tell the truth. It is also difficult to hear the truth.
I pointed out that, in Ephesians 4:15, Paul tells the church that they/we are to “speak the truth in love.” I really wish that he hadn’t said that. Speaking the truth is really hard. Loving is really hard. When you put the two together, you are challenging people to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, while walking a tight rope blindfolded over a lake full of hungry alligators.
So how do I speak the truth in love? I don’t know, but I will share a few suspicions with you.
In the first place, I need to be sure that I am speaking the truth. I have a tendency to say that I am speaking the truth, when in reality, I am simply spewing my opinion.
Second, I need to make sure that my “truth” is really truth, and not simply facts.
But aren’t truth and facts the same thing?
Nope! At least, not always.
Truths are always deep and important. Indeed, truths are vital. They are a matter of life and death.
Facts may be important, but often they are pretty trivial. If my wife is telling me about something that happened on Wednesday, but she says that it happened on Thursday, I don’t need to tell her “the truth.” Who cares?!
Now, of course, in a court of law, that fact (Wednesday or Thursday) could be the difference between a guilty verdict or an acquittal. Facts do matter in some situations. But in most cases, truth and facts are not the same thing. If I get confused about that, both love and truth go out the window.
Third, if I am to speak the truth in love, I need to ask and answer several questions:
- What is my motivation? Do I really value the other person, and that is why I need to tell them the truth?
- Do I have a close enough and good enough relationship with this person to speak the truth to him/her in such a way that they may be receptive to that truth? (Note that I said “. . . may be receptive . . . . There are no guarantees.)
- Is this the best time and are these the best circumstances to speak this truth to this person? A person has to be somewhat ready to hear the truth. We may or may not be able to discern timing. We need to lean heavily on the wisdom of God with regard to the matter of timing.
A final thought: Perhaps, before we don our armor, jump on our steed, and join in the battle for truth, we need to practice on ourselves. Maybe we should tell ourselves the truth, but do so in a loving manner. But that is a subject for another day, perhaps for tomorrow’s blog post.
“UNBELIEVING JOY”
A friend of mine suggested the topic of “unbelieving joy” for a blog post. Thanks, Mark! It was a wonderful suggestion. The topic is based on a story from the ending of Luke’s Gospel.
‘Luke 24:36 “As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them.
Luke 24:44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”’ (Luke 24:36-49, English Standard Version)
The context is this: Jesus had been crucified and buried. The disciples were confused, sad, and terrified. In fact, they were devastated.
Several people had claimed that they had seen Jesus alive, but most of his disciples found this somewhere between difficult to believe and absolutely impossible to believe. They were still confused, sad, and terrified.
Then Jesus—initially incognito—walked to the village of Emmaus, talking with two of his disciples who were going that way. They didn’t know who this Guy was, but they did know that a blaze had been ignited in their hearts by his words. He had linked the tragic events of Jesus’ sufferings with the Words of their Scriptures, which we call the Old Testament.
This Stranger acted like he was going to travel beyond Emmaus, but the two disciples urged him to stay with them. He consented. And while they were having dinner, the Stranger had taken the bread, given thanks, broke the bread, and started to pass it around. And suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they knew that this was no stranger. This was Jesus!
He disappeared, and so did they. They hustled back to Jerusalem as best they could in the gathering gloom of night. They went to the place where the eleven disciples and others were hiding out, and said, “We have seen the Lord!” This was apparently what the disciples were talking about when Jesus himself showed up.
They thought they were seeing a ghost. Of course they did! “Dead men tell no tales.” When you’ve bought the ranch, the sale is final. No refunds. Right?
It is so much easier to believe in ghosts than that a dead man can be raised from the dead. It is easier, much easier to believe in ghosts or in another explanation, than it is to believe in resurrection. We can believe in anything else, or nothing at all. But resurrection?? Come on now!
The disciples were as much unbelieving believers as you and I are. In fact, one of the things that lends credibility to the gospel accounts is how the disciples are portrayed. If I had made up the story, I would not have had the disciples be this clueless. And tradition tells us that at least two of the Gospels were written by two of the original twelve apostles. I flat out would not have painted a picture of myself as these apostles paint. And even if the accounts were not written by the apostles themselves (Luke clearly was not one of the twelve), I would not have portrayed the early heroes of the faith as such bumbling fools.
But I want you to notice in particular that one of the reasons they couldn’t (or didn’t?) believe was because of their joy. According to verse 41, even after Jesus had spoken to them, even after he had shown them the nasty scars in his hands and feet, they still didn’t believe. And Luke gives a rather surprising reason for this.
Luke says that it was because they were too amazed to believe. I can believe that. Sometimes, things are simply too strange, too amazing to take in all at once. I can’t wrap my mind around certain things, so a thick fog rolls into my mind. I can’t understand and I can’t believe. Often people will say, “If I saw a miracle, I would believe.” No you wouldn’t! You’d be totally disoriented.
So the not-believing-because-of-amazement—that I can believe.
But Luke also says that the disciples couldn’t believe because of their joy. That has always struck me as odd. Until now, that is.
Some things are just too good to be true. And so, we opt for truth, rather than for joy. At least, we opt for what we take to be true, over joy.
Paul Simon has a wonderful song called “Something So Right.” Here are some of the lyrics:
“When
something goes wrong
I’m the first to admit it
I’m the first to admit it
But the last one to know
When something goes right
Well it’s likely to lose me
It’s apt to confuse me
It’s such an unusual sight
I can’t get used to something so right
Something so right.”
Maybe joy is like “something so right.” It is apt to confuse us.
But it’s deeper than that, isn’t it? The truth is that most of us don’t think we deserve joy. We’ve done screwy, wrong things. We’ve messed up our own and other people’s lives to the point where we are messes. No, most of us are scared to death of joy, because deep in our hearts, we know we don’t deserve it.
We are not simply surprised by joy, as C. S. Lewis said in his spiritual autobiography. (To the surprise of no one it is entitled “Surprised by Joy.”) We are not surprised; we are shocked by joy—so much so that we can’t even function or believe.
But is joy really about our deserving it? Or is joy about grace—especially the grace of God? What if joy is a gift?
I write these thoughts as questions because I too have a difficult time believing in joy. And when joy ambushes me, I have a difficult time believing because of joy.
I think I’ll choose belief and joy, as well as belief in joy today. How about you?
“Regaining the Outward Focus and the Upward Focus”
“Today, by God’s grace, I am not focused on my weaknesses, but on the strengths God gives me for His glory and the well-being of everyone. I will be upwardly-focused and outwardly-focused today.”
I tend to beat myself up for my weaknesses. This, of course, makes my weaknesses much stronger.
So, because my weaknesses are becoming stronger, I focus on them even more intensely. Round and round the mulberry bush I go.
If a strategy or habit isn’t working, it might be best to try something else. If a strategy or habit is making the problem worse, it would definitely be best to try something else.
My mom used to get after me sometimes when I was growing up for being too concerned about myself. She even thought my attempts at improving myself were sometimes too selfish. I have long since realized that she was right.
But how to get out of this hellish echo chamber? Is there a twelve-step group called “Self-involved So-and-Sos Anonymous”? Perhaps there should be. Or, perhaps, such a group would only be perpetuating the problem?
Two things might help my preoccupation with my weaknesses, faults, and failures. One is outward focus. Be grateful for things that are not me. Be interested in other people. Do some kind things for people every day. It doesn’t have to be anything big. Little kindnesses are often all that is needed to brighten someone’s day.
And then, there is the upward focus. I find that, when I look around in an appreciative and kindly manner, I am more about to look upward toward God. The converse is also true. Sometimes, I have to look up, even when I’m not sure that God is even there. Faith is not the absence of doubts. Faith is trusting God even when you have profound doubts.
Don’t get me wrong. It is sometimes necessary to look inward, and is not always an easy thing to do. However, if that is all that I do, if I never look around or up, I am going to get terribly cross-eyed.
I need to remember what Mrs. Whatsit said to Meg in A Wrinkle in Time: “Meg, I give you your faults.” Accepting my weaknesses, my faults, is absolutely vital to looking upward and outward.
“Vulnerable Courage”
Here is my journal entry from this morning:
Friday, April 26, 2019
I listened to Brenè Brown on Netflix yesterday evening. A bit salty in her language, but very good. (Also, she is very funny, which doesn’t hurt her talk at all.) Based on her talk, two good questions to ask myself are these: Am I showing up in the arena? Am I throwing my entire self into this?
Here is my 12-step affirmation for today: “Today, by God’s grace, I am entering the arena. I don’t have to win. I do have to (and get to) throw my entire heart, soul, and mind into the battle. And I am doing precisely that.”
I teach my final exegesis of Isaiah face-to-face class today, from 9:00 until 5:00. I am not as prepared as I would like to be. Or, at least, I don’t feel as prepared as I should be. However, I need to show up, whatever my state of preparation. Perhaps showing up is the name of the game. Perhaps showing up is the game.
Brown says that being vulnerable is one of the central characteristics of courage. She almost equates the two. I agree.
So, today I will be vulnerably courageous and courageously vulnerable.
Arena, here I come!
“NOT ENOUGH TIME”
Here is my journal entry from yesterday.
“Thursday, April 25, 2019
I am feeling guilty because I am not as prepared to teach tomorrow’s Exegesis of Isaiah class I should be. This is nothing unusual. I live with a low-grade guilt about such things. Students think they have a monopoly on this feeling. They are mistaken.
In fact, I never, ever, have enough time to do everything I want to do. But is that necessarily a bad thing?
Perhaps not, though it often feels bad.
A friend of mine who spent several years in prison said that the worst part of prison was the boredom. Lots of time, and nothing to do.
So, I can’t do everything I want. I can’t prepare as much as I would like for the classes I teach. I can’t spend as much time with my wife as I would like. I can’t ride the Little Miami Bike Trail as often as I would like. I can’t read as many books as I would like. I can’t write as many blogs as I would like. I can’t spend as much time weeding the flower beds as I would . . . O, wait! That may be overstating my frustration with time constraints.
Perhaps that too-much-to-do-and-not-enough-time feeling should be celebrated, rather than mourned. Maybe it is only when I chafe against my time constraints, that they handcuff me and cut into my wrists. If I wear these time limitations loosely, as a reminder of my humanity and of my zest for life, then these limits may cease to be a curse. Who knows? They may even become a blessing.”
“Stingy People Make me Wanna Puke!”
Gary Burbank was a local Cincinnati radio celebrity who used to do hilarious routines. One of his characters was “Earl Pitts, American.” Apparently, a lot of things made Earl sick. In fact a lot of things made Earl “wanna puke.”
Well, the Bible talks about puking quite a lot. You didn’t know that? Well, it does!
For example, Proverbs 23:6-8 warns people against a certain brand of hostile hospitality.
“Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;
do not desire his delicacies,
7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
and waste your pleasant words.” (English Standard Version)
I read this, and thought to myself, “Yeah, there are people like that! They wanna make me puke too!”
Lindsay Wilson makes some excellent observations about this passage:
This section echoes verses 1-3, but broadens the concept out to one who offers food begrudgingly. The precise character of this person is not immediately clear. Some versions opt for stingy (ESV, NRSV, HCSB), others for “begrudging” (NIV 1984), while some older versions pick up the more literal sense of ‘him who hath an evil eye’ (KJV). It refers to someone who is the opposite of one who has a good eye, which in 22:9 describes a generous person. . . . Verse 7 indicates that such a person has a façade of being generous, but is not like that on the inside. The only other place where the expression is used in the OT is in 28:22, where it refers to one who chases after wealth. So it describes someone who is greedy and not wanting to share, yet still wanting to have a name for being generous. . . . The meaning of verse 8 is clear (you will vomit up what you have eaten and waste your kind words), but the reason for this is not set out. There may have been something bad about the food, but more likely it is a vivid expression for being revolted when you realize the hypocrisy of the host.[1]
Before I read Wilson’s good comments, I had thought to myself, “Hey! Maybe this stingy guy was serving his poor guest food that had gone way beyond its expiration date.” So, Wilson’s appropriately tentative comment, “There may have been something bad about the food . . .” might be along the same line as my suspicion. (I just love it when other scholars’ suspicions support my own!)
I was, of course, identifying myself with the guest.
And then, the merest bit of doubt intruded: What if I was a little like the stingy host? Perhaps, reading the Scripture is a relatively benign activity. But letting the Scripture read me is another matter altogether. Allowing the Scripture to speak to me is an exceedingly subversive activity. It is likely to reveal my soft underbelly. (For further information, I refer you to The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Smaug, the dragon, had a vulnerable place underneath him, near his heart.)
Now, my first reaction to this unwelcome thought was, “Why, of course, I’m not stingy!”
And then I remembered the Girl Scout cookies that I bought from our neighbors. They have two girls in the Girl Scouts, so I had to buy four boxes of Tagalogs. I thought of hiding them in my room, and not sharing them with my sweetheart, my wife. I didn’t, but I thought about it.
Oh my!
Now, don’t get me wrong: I can be very generous with some things. You want the last helping of broccoli? No problem! You don’t want to share your green beans? You can have them all!
So, I am very generous with things that I don’t like.
We Christians just came through the Lenten season. We are often challenged to think of how much God gave up for us, and how much Jesus sacrificed for us. We are also encouraged to give up something during Lent.
And now, we are in the season known as Eastertide, when we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, the surprising sequel to Jesus’ death. Celebrating what God has done for me is also celebrating what God has done for the entire world.
How can I share my Savior with others, when I struggle to share my Tagalogs? Sometimes, vomiting is self-induced.
[1] Lindsay Wilson, Proverbs, TOTC 17 (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2018), 252.
“OBEYING WITH ALACRITY”
I love words. They are no substitute for reality, but they can become a wonderful compost in which real deeds can thrive.
Take the word “alacrity”, for example. I used it today in my journal entry.
“God, you have given me so much! I am not sufficiently grateful, loving, or obedient. Please help me to become more so in all those ways. Help me to love you more today, to be more grateful, to obey with alacrity.”
I love words, but I often forget their precise meaning. However, because my friends think I’m smart (and because many of the words I love have Greek or Roman bases), I can get by with using words that I don’t really understand. So, after using the word “alacrity”, I had to go back and look up the durned thing.
My first hit was “brisk and cheerful readiness.”
Well, that sounds pretty good, doesn’t it!?
Of course, like every other human on the planet, I sometimes struggle with alacrity. Oh yes, I will obey—eventually. But I don’t have to like it.
By the way, do you know what the opposite of alacrity is? Apathy. And apathy is so rampant, so prevalent, that it is mistaken these days for the norm.
Unfortunately, people who do things with alacrity often irritate me. Their enthusiasm their zest for life and living, casts a dreary light on my own apathy. And when I strive for alacrity, I often irritate others as well.
In my google sleuthing, I noticed that the usage of alacrity has radically declined since 1800. I am not surprised. We have elevated apathy to an art form. It isn’t particularly good art form, but we shouldn’t let that stop us, should we? Well, maybe we should stop.
So, Self, what is it going to be today? Are you going to do things with brisk and cheerful readiness, or not?
Your choice! My slogan for today: “Bring back alacrity!”
“Easter: From Cold and Grey, to Warm and Sunny”
Easter weather is all over the map. At least, it is in our part of the map in southern Ohio. Grey clouds and rain are often the reality of our area. Sometimes, there is snow. Sometimes so-called “Sunrise Services” (which churches often try to have outside) end up inside. This move inside often disappoints only very hardy souls. March and April in Jerusalem are often much more pleasant than the same times here.
Today started out cold and grey. I took our little dog for a two-mile walk. She seemed okay with that. I was more than a bit down. I was not feeling all that well physically. The cold and grey seemed to have seeped into my soul.
However, my wife had gotten me some new clothes. I have to admit it: The clothes may not make the man; but they can sometimes make the man feel better. Then too, as worship time neared, a few shards of blue began to poke through the clouds.
The worship was wonderful, as was the sermon. And the Easter bunny was in the lobby on the way out. I’ve never been a big fan of the Easter bunny, but I must admit that I smiled and went over to say “Hi!” I couldn’t find my wife to head on home anyway, so I thought, why not?
And there was my wife chatting with the Easter bunny! I had to practically drag her away. (Well, not really.)
And then, we walked outside. It was much warmer, the sky was a bright blue with only a few fluffy clouds.
I am a Christian, and I do believe that Jesus was raised from the dead. I don’t always act as if I believed that, but I do believe it, nevertheless. Decades ago, when I became an atheist, the first thing to go was the resurrection. I realized that, if the resurrection was true, then atheism wasn’t very tenable. So, I simply said that the disciples just made it all up.
I gradually (and rather reluctantly) came to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus was the best explanation for how a bunch of bumbling idiots (the disciples, as they are portrayed in the Gospel accounts) could suddenly begin changing the world. It was also the best explanation for how a man who hated Christians and their faith and persecuted them to the death (Saul of Tarsus) could become the leading proponent of the faith he had tried to destroy.
So, what has this got to do with Easter weather in southern Ohio and with my own proneness to foul moods triggered by foul weather? Nothing, really—except for this: If Jesus really did die for the sins of the entire world (which quite likely includes me), and if Jesus really did come out of the tomb, then perhaps my internal weather is not necessarily dependent upon the outside weather.
Crowded House did a song that I like a lot. Here are the lyrics:
“Walking ’round the room singing Stormy Weather
At Fifty Seven Mount Pleasant Street
Well it’s the same room, but everything’s different
You can fight the sleep, but not the dream
Things ain’t cookin’ in my kitchen
Strange affliction wash over me
Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire
Couldn’t conquer the blue sky
Well, there’s a small boat made of china
It’s going nowhere on the mantlepiece
Well, do I lie like a loungeroom lizard
Or do I sing like a bird released?
Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you
[etc.] . . . .”
Perhaps, in light of Jesus’ resurrection, I can sing like a bird released. Maybe I can take good weather with me.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
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- “The Power of Encouragement—Even for Old People” March 10, 2024“But encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’ Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” (Hebrews 3:13, New Century Version) Yesterday, I was walking at a nearby park. There was a large group of young people some of whom were running while other young people […]
- “Endurance” March 10, 2024“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, English Standard Version) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us […]
- “The Limits of Non-Judgmentalism” February 24, 2024“Matt. 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. Matt. 7:2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, English Standard Version) This morning, in my virtual 12-step meeting, we discussed the topic of judgmentalism. There were many wise […]
- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
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