The Holiday Curse: Halloween

A couple of years ago, on October 31st, I was on my second day of taking  a new medicine my doctor had prescribed at my annual check-up.  I had taken the pills at about 4:00 PM, and was relaxing in the living room with my wife.

My skin began to tingle lightly and my face flushed, which had happened the first few times I took the medicine.

"I'm tingling again," I said.  She looked over at me with a bemused smile, and returned to her book.

Then the tingling became stronger, like needles all over my skin.  I turned to mention this new feeling to Karen.

The next thing I knew, my eyes opened and she was in my face, shouting my name.  Apparently I had begun to shake and then slumped in the chair, my mouth hanging open to one side.

Understandably, she was frightened.  She told me later she thought I was having a stroke.  She somehow got me to walk to the car and drove me to the Emergency Room. (My son asked her later why she didn't call 9-1-1).

We sat at the front desk while the registrar started on her list of questions.  I slowly began to slump and then slide down the chair toward the floor, like a melting man.  Someone finally came and transported me to an examining room.

About half an hour after we arrived, my adult son came walking in.

"Are you OK?" he asked.  I assured him I was going to be fine and explained what had happened.  They confirmed it was a reaction to the new medicine, nothing overly serious.  Needless to say, I'm not taking that particular drug any longer.

Having settled that matter, he asked another question, the one I knew was coming next.

"Dad?  Do you realize what day this is?"  And he started to laugh.

Anyone else would have thought him rude and unfeeling.  Me?  I began to laugh along with him.

You see, our family has a curse.  A holiday curse.

We have learned to approach holidays with caution.  We tend to stay at home.

We have found ourselves stranded with major car problems in distant cities on our way to visit relatives for holidays.  More than once. 

On a single Thanksgiving weekend a couple of years ago, we managed to get into separate wrecks with both of the family cars.  

We have been sick with an impressive variety of illnesses and maladies during various holidays.  The local emergency room staff has learned to expect us during the holidays – and not just to wish them a happy holiday.
 

This “holiday curse” is not limited to just Thanksgiving and Christmas, but strikes on Memorial Day, Labor Day, Easter, Valentine's Day and more.  Any time the mall stores have special holiday sales, we get ready for the worst.

The sad part of this story is that it took us so many years to realize that hidden somewhere in each of these holiday mishaps was a Divine Appointment created by God.

A sign you're growing in grace:  You've learned to see the inevitable holiday debacles as God-created opportunities for mission. #asygig

Not giving back evil for evil, 

or curse for curse, 

but in place of cursing, blessing; 

because this is the purpose of God for you

that you may have a heritage of blessing.

I Peter 3

By the way, Halloween this year falls on a Monday night.  So we're laughing in the face of the curse and celebrating the holiday by doing what we always do on Mondays.

We're going to prison.

That's What HE Said

"Magic," the man in the grey suit repeats, turning the word into a laugh. "This is not magic.  This is the way the world is, only very few people take the time to stop and note it.  Look around you," he says, waving a hand at the surrounding tables.  "Not a one of them even has an inkling of the things that are possible in the world, and what's worse is that none of them would listen if you attempted to enlighten them.  They want to believe that magic is nothing but clever deception, because to think it is real would keep them up at night, afraid of their own existence."

from The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

from John 1

A prayer asking God to do stuff beyond our power

♦ A Prayer Asking God to Do Stuff Beyond Our Power (Heavenward by Scotty Smith)

It’s always been about your great faithfulness, not our great faith. The only real hero in your story is Jesus—in whom all your promises find their “Yes!” (2 Cor. 1:20) And so we come to you today asking you to do things well beyond our power—looking to Jesus, not to ourselves.

There are things many of us are facing which, on the surface, seem just as unlikely, just as daunting, just as impossible as Sarah giving birth to Isaac. Bring much glory to yourself as you hear and answer the cries of our hearts, Father.

Read more HERE

Radical Christianity

I know a lot of people think the life of a Christian must be very boring.  Actually, I'm pretty sure that a lot of Christians think the life of a Christian is pretty tame and boring.

Don't do this.  Don't do that.  Can't participate in that.  Avoid this at all costs.

If only they knew.

If only they knew that a person who gets to the "root" of being a Christian, the radical-root of opening yourself and your life up to whatever Divine Appointments God puts in front of you every day - that sort of radical Christianity is anything but boring.

That small nudging that God gave us over 25 years ago to say "yes" to foster parenting - that has continued to make our lives very interesting, very non-boring.

That quiet but insistent invitation God sent through his servant Roy Weece 6 or 7 years ago - "I need you to help out with the prison ministry" - has not only made our Monday nights an endless source of surprise and adventure, but continues to provide ample opportunities for non-boring involvement in the lives of struggling ex-offenders.

Every day He puts people in our paths, opportunities in our laps and suggestions in our minds - small seeds that grow into grand adventures for Him.

Get to the root of righteousness and keep the eyes of your heart open for those Divine Appointments.

radical: late 14c. (adj.), in a medieval philosophical sense, from L.L. radicalis "of or having roots," from L. radix (gen. radicis) "root" (see radish). Meaning "going to the origin, essential" is from 1650s.
(Online Etymology Dictionary)

I Declare

I declare the glory of God; I am his handiwork, always on display. Day after day I pour forth words that will either glorify or horrify my God; night after night God gives me opportunities to share with others the knowledge he has given me.

There is no time or place where serious discussion takes place when God’s voice cannot be heard through me. My voice goes out into all the earth, wherever his commission sends me.

From I Declare, by TR Robertson in The Lookout

The World is a Classroom that Teaches us about God

♦ God is No Drunkard; or What's With Psalm 78? (The Gospel Coalition)

Third, we should see the world as a classroom that teaches us about God. He is the author of all creation, which reflects upon him. God the Father is reflected in the way a father loves and instructs his children. Husbands mirror the kind of relationship Christ has with the church. When mothers rejoice over their babies with singing, or wives remain faithful to their unfaithful husband, they reflect God.

Fourth, Scripture can use images and actions that by themselves are perceived negatively, even sinfully, to give meaning. . .

Word on the Tweet

"Some of us need a sighting of the occupied throne of heaven right about now". (@scottywardsmith)

"Goodwin: "The gospel contains two depths in it, one to fill your understanding, the other to fill your will and affections forever.". (@tonyreinke)

"God’s silences are actually His answers. bit.ly/mu1011 " (@oschambers)

Meditation Metaphor: Give Us This Day Our Daily Oatmeal

1934 Quaker Oats ad

I've been eating oatmeal for breakfast every day since 1993.  On average I miss maybe once morning per month in pursuing the Oat.

I remember the beginning of my oatmeal marathon because 1993 was when I started going to a new doctor, who told me I needed to do something to control my cholesterol level, and asked me, "Do you like oatmeal?"

Let me tell you:  My "yes" answer to that question was really put to test by the subsequent 6,685 servings of oatmeal.

I quickly became a student of all the different ways oatmeal can be made, and all the various ingredients that can be added to a bowl of oats.  I read somewhere that the way to find new and unique ideas for oatmeal is to look for oatmeal cookie recipes.  If it can be put into an oatmeal cookie, it can be put into oatmeal.

In theory.  Peanut butter didn't work well.  Chocolate (syrup, chips, powder, etc) also just didn't taste right in a bowl of oatmeal - although white chocolate chips mixed with dried cranberries was surprisingly good.

Some suggestions I've not yet been brave enough to try include parmesan cheese and a mixture of cottage cheese, pears, Splenda and ginger.

But many things were a success:  Raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla, walnuts, almonds, pecans, peaches, coconut, apples, applesauce, wheat bran, maple syrup, pumpkin pie mix, blueberries, mashed up over-ripe bananas, crumbled up banana bread (or date nut bread, zucchini bread, gingerbread, etcetera-bread), yogurt (various flavors), honey, coffee (liquid), coffee creamer (various flavors), apple butter, granola, and all sorts of crumbled up cold cereals.

But on most mornings I'm not energetic enough to get that creative, so I settle for the basic daily additives:  raisins (I put raisins in my oatmeal no matter what else I'm adding), cinnamon and Splenda.

Truth be told, though, real trick to good oatmeal is the making of the oatmeal itself.  There are some basic non-negotiable rules I live by for oatmeal preparation:

• Always use the old-fashioned whole oats.  Not the "quick" oats, that are tiny little parts of the oats.  And most definitely not microwave oats, which are made from tiny little parts of construction paper.  I used to insist on genuine Quaker brand old-fashioned oats, but I've learned that the cheaper store brands are just as good, as long as it's whole oats.
  
• Measure out the appropriate amount of oats and water into a pan and set to slowly heat to a boil.  I set  my stove burner between 5 and 6, on a scale of 10.  I also add a splash of milk for a more creamy texture.
  
• While it's building up toward boiling, I add whatever ingredients I'm tossing in - raisins plus whatever else I've decided on that day.
  
• When it begins to boil I turn off the burner control and let it continue to cook for about a minute, and then dump it into a bowl sometime after it moves from mostly liquid consistency and begins to set up, and before it sets up so much that I'll have to throw the pan away.
  
• Once it's in the bowl, add a little milk to cool it down and slightly thin it out.

The slowness of the cooking is the most important part of the process.  As the oats soak slowly in the warming water and milk, the grain transforms into a palatable texture and absorbs the flavors of the spices and other added ingredients.  Cook it too fast (or too slow) and the consistency will be wrong and the blending of the add-ons will be wrong.

Meditation Metaphor

Cooking oatmeal is like meditating on the Word.

• Meditate on the whole Word, not just bits and pieces and by-products.  Reading your daily devotional or just a verse here or there is like trying to make oatmeal out of Quick Oats.  It's sort of like meditating on the Word, but not nearly as satisfying or nutritious.  And reading books or blogs  about the Bible is like eating mass-produced oatmeal-flavored cookies
  
  
• Just like the oats have to be cooked slowly (but not too slowly), speed-reading through the Bible has some benefit, but its not as beneficial as taking your time, reading it slowly enough to let it soak in, to contemplate what it means, to let it become part of you.
  
  
• And just like you don't want to overcook your oats into a gelatinous mass, always remember that God has a mission for you beyond the written Word.  Once you've let it simmer in your pot awhile, you need to go out and Be the Word in the world.
  
  
• Find a version to read that delivers the maximum amount and flavor of the Biblical author's original intended message.  Study Bibles and paraphrases (The Message, New Living Translation) have their purpose, but they're akin to letting the cottage cheese, pears, Splenda and ginger overwhelm the great flavor of God's good oats.

Reflected Glory

Gracious words are a honeycomb,
tweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 16

Imagine yourself at a baseball game, but you can't see or hear the action on the field.  The only way you know what's going on in the game is by the reactions and conversations of the fans in the stands.

That's pretty much what I did last night.  The New York Yankees were playing the Detroit Tigers in a playoff game.  I wanted to be watching the game, because former Mizzou Tiger pitcher Max Scherzer plays for Detroit.

But the first two rounds of the MLB post-season are on TV only on TBS, a cable/satellite channel, which I don't have.  And this first round of games is not even on national radio.

So, I "watched" last night's game on Twitter.  By alternating between search terms of #NYY and #DET and #Scherzer, I followed the progress of the game for several innings by reading the comments and reactions of tweeters all over the world (some of them were in Spanish - interestingly most of those were fans of the Yanquis).

@JulieAnnDobbs: Tiger Max Scherzer he has 2 diff colored eyes which is kinda cool?” Just like David Bowie. 

@TylerKnepper: That strike three from Scherzer to Martin was one of the nastiest pitches I've seen. Absolutely vicious movement. 

@beckjason: Posada and Cabrera looked like they were battling for position on the low post before Scherzer struck out Russell Martin. #Tigers up 3-1 

@beckjason: Scherzer back out for bottom 7th. Gardner leading off. 

@JayScott1914: Good Grief Scherzer! He twisted Jeter in a knot on that fastball. 

@MzFuller8: When Scherzer throws, it's like his whole body whips it in there. It's a crazy when you watch him! 

@The1Tab: ARod clearly only drives automatic cars #CantHandleTheClutch 

@DJJordanV: Woooooo! Detroit wins! #MLB 

Obviously, it took a lot more than some sample tweets to keep up with the game.  But keep up I did.  On twitter there's always someone at the game, in front of a TV, listening to the radio that want sto tell the world what's going on and what they think about it.

And for the broadcast-blind like me, they're the only link to what's going on.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

  Romans 9

There are people around you and me every day who are blind to the excitement of what's really going on around them. It's up to us to tell them about it.

But often they aren't tuned in to spiritual things enough to want to pay attention or to even comprehend the truth if we try to tell it to them directly.

For many, the only way they're going hear the good news is by seeing the reflected glory in our lives. As we walk through our lives, showing in small ways and large ways that we are walking to the beat of a higher drummer, they notice. As our conversation is full of grace and seasoned with salt, their lives will be blessed by the overflow our God in our lives.

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception,
nor do we distort the word of God. 

On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ who is the image of God.  

For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in our hearts
to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.  

So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

II Corinthians 4

Tearing Up the Bible

Lowell McCoy

One of the key people in my life who taught me to love the Word of God was Lowell McCoy. He was the preacher at Westside Christian Church in Columbia, MO, in the '60s. He was my preacher during the formative years from 10 to 12.

Back in those days I seldom actually listened to sermons. (Some who know me will wonder if anything has changed in that regard). But I do remember one particular sermon he preached.

It was during a Sunday evening service, back when churches had Sunday evening services.

On this particular Sunday evening, Mr. McCoy held a small black Bible in his hand and began to preach about people who want to remove parts of the scriptures.

I don't remember the details. Knowing Mr. McCoy and knowing the 60s in a conservative "non-denominational" Restoration Movement church, I have a pretty good idea.

He most likely button-holed the liberals who want to say Isaiah wasn't really written by Isaiah, the prophecies weren't really written hundreds of years before the fulfillment of those prophecies, and such stories as the virgin birth, the raising of Lazarus, and Jesus' death and resurrection never happened.

Mr. McCoy, a veteran of the wars fought over ownership of church properties between autonomous congregations and a denominational hierarchy, was not a fan of the "liberals".

What made the sermon memorable, though, was not the specifics targets of his attack.

As he detailed the various critics and criticisms of the Bible, he methodically ripped pages out of the Bible and let them drop to the floor. He talked about evolutionists questioning the story of creation and ripped several pages out of the front of the book and tossed them aside. He talked about accusations that Paul created an entire theology that Jesus never intended, while he ripped out the middle of the New Testament.

My friends and I watched in shock as our strait-laced preacher ripped the Holy Bible to shreds in front of us.

I mentioned this sermon on Facebook a few months ago, and a couple of my friends from back then said they too have never forgotten this spectacle.

And while I don't remember all the details, I did listen to that sermon. And what I remember is that I was struck by the fact that Mr. McCoy, who loved the Bible dearly, was willing to rip a Bible into tatters in order to demonstrate how horrible it is to disrespect the Word of God.

Some 45 years later, I feel just as strongly about it as did Mr. McCoy. As strongly as I'm sure he still does.

If I were to put on the same show, I'd point my aim at some of my own pet peeves about more current attacks on the integrity of the scriptures.

• Celebrity preachers and authors who start with their own prejudices and doubts rather than letting the Word speak for itself, and then famously choose to ignore the scriptures on the existence of Hell or invent imaginary revelations about gender roles.
  
  
• Christians who let their political obsessions drive their speech and their interaction with non-believers, ignoring the heart and mission of God revealed in the scriptures.
  
  
• Consumer Christians who spend more time reading Christian books, Christian novels, Christian blogs and listening to Christian radio celebrities than they do meditating on the Word of God

Seems I've become someone not so different than Mr. McCoy.  A love for God's Word has a flip side - an exasperation with people who disrespect the God-breathed scriptures.

Back then, as soon as Mr. McCoy finished the sermon, extended the invitation, and pronounced the closing prayer, I made a bee-line for the podium. I was joined by a couple of my friends, and we picked up the pieces of the shredded Bible.

No, it wasn't a Bible. He had put a black cover on a paperback novel. I don't remember the title.

But I do remember the lesson.

Thank you, Mr. McCoy.

The Finger of God

Melissa: "Is there an F5? . . . What would that be like?"

'Preacher' Rowe: "The Finger of God."

That quote, from the movie "Twister", echoes a phrase used by some storm chasers to describe the the most destructive of tornadoes. Insurance companies sometimes refer to damage like what happened in Joplin on May 22nd, 2011, as an "Act of God".

The storm, though, reflects the presence of God only in that He is the creator of the world and of weather. He blessed the earth with a complex climate system that provides the regularity of seasonal change, bringing life-giving rain, snows that blanket the slumbering winter ecosystem, and sunshiny days for baseball games. That same climate can turn against itself, spawning blizzards and floods and even a history-making tornado season like the Spring of 2011.

But I saw God's presence in other ways in the wake of that storm.

♦ When news of the Joplin destruction came on that early Sunday evening, my son, Cody, along with thousands of other emergency workers throughout the Midwest, responded instinctively with one determined thought: I need to be there and help.

As Cody wrote later, "I can still remember the feeling. I lost all desire for chasing. All I wanted to do was push the pedal to the floor and drive south and not stop until I got to Joplin." (http://midweststormchaser.tumblr.com/)

By the time Cody and his friends had finished their first day of recovery work in Joplin, there were so many firefighters, EMTs, police officers, medical workers and other first responders in the town, all of them having dropped everything and headed for Joplin, that they were told to go on back to their jobs if they needed to.  the response to the need was overwhelming.

For Cody and many other trained emergency responders, the urge to act, the urge to help people in trouble, comes from something deep inside that has been there since they were born. Many of them are not at all aware of it, but they are working out what God worked in when He created them in His image. The God who saves revealed Himself that week in the actions and lives of the many rescuers who dropped everything and headed to Joplin.

♦ On that same evening, in the town of Joplin itself, another friend of mine dropped everything and moved to respond. Jay St. Clair, Community Outreach Minister at College Heights Christian Church in Joplin, heard the news and immediately headed out to the damaged part of the city. For the next week and more, he rarely slept, spending his time organizing recovery efforts, recruiting help, arranging for emergency shelter and food and water. Jay and the other volunteers from his church were the hands and feet and heart of God in the midst of the devastation - and they continue to do so still.  (Read more HERE)

♦ At my home church in Columbia, MO, the response was also quick.  Blue Ridge Christian Church includes some members who are former residents of Joplin and who have friends and relatives living in Joplin.  By the morning after the tornado, plans were in motion to collect needed water and food and other supplies being requested by our contacts in Joplin.  By mid-week the church building looked more like a garage sale than a church building.  People from the neighborhood who were not even affiliated with the congregation dropped off supplies and volunteered help.  A crew from the church drove to Joplin toward the end of the week to deliver supplies and offer assistance.  They were eager to go, eager to do what Jesus would do, to let Jesus shine through them.  (See more HERE)

♦ This coming weekend Mizzou Baseball is hosting a pair of exhibition games against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Taylor Stadium in Columbia.  All proceeds will go toward the Joplin Little League, to help rebuild and resupply their program.   (Details about the Mizzou-Iowa Joplin Relief Game HERE)

Raising money for kids to play ball may seem like a small thing compared to lives lost and entire neighborhoods destroyed.  But for those kids, the people who buy tickets and otherwise contribute to MU's recovery efforts are burden-lifters. It's an opportunity for those kids and their community to return to something approaching life as it was before the storm.

It's just a game, just a fund-raiser, no religious trappings at all.  But those who know the heart of God see His compassion and mercy displayed in the efforts of Tim Jamieson and his team, and in every 5-dollar bill spent on a ticket to help the needy.

God reveals himself in the most unlikely of people and places, even if those people don't even know it.

That's the finger of God you feel touching your heart, giving you a gentle shove in the back to lend a hand.

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

Isaiah 61

Surprised by the Seasons

Autumn on the Seine, by Monet

"I wonder how long it would take you to notice the regular recurrence of the seasons if you were the first man on earth.  What would it be like to live in open-ended time broken only by days and nights?  you could say. "it's cold again; it was cold before," but you couldn't make the key connection and say, "it was cold this time last year," because the notion of "year" is precisely the one you lack.  Assuming you hadn't yet noticed any orderly progression of heavenly bodies, how long would you have to live on earth before you could feel any assurance that one one long particular long period of cold would, in fact, end?  "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease":  God makes this guarantee very early in Genesis to a people whose fears on this point had perhaps not been completely allayed."

Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek