Parental Agenda

Throughout the summer on Wednesday nights we have been considering those in need, thus far the orphans and the widows. We will consider the sick, the bereaved, the prisoners, the homeless, the alien, and others. The response required to each of these is no less the "heart of God." We might debate how to best serve each group and each individual within these groups, but it is demanded by God that we do serve those in these circumstances. Wisdom demands we understand the circumstance we walk into and understand our personal ability and responsibility in each situation, but each case demands we try to leave the person(s) better off than when we found them.

Parents have a great opportunity here. As parents do you insulate your children from the hardness of life, the messy folks, the needs, the difficult matters, or do you exposed them under your guidance and care to interact and understand? Do your kids know any orphans? Do they know a widow (or know that a person they know is a widow)? Do they know someone who is grieving over the loss of a loved one? Do they know a homeless person? Do they know sick people? Do they know aliens (the people kind)? Do they know a prisoner? Do they know poor people? And, have been instructed on how to understand each of these? Do they have a desire in their hearts to serve the unfortunate?

A huge part of a parent's curriculum should be in this area. Do you have a plan to train your children in the area of compassion? What they learn early will be put into practice later. Parents can make it easier for their kids to "die to self" throughout life if they teach them to serve those in need at a young age. Pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, and self-centeredness can be attacked early as we model compassion before our children and as we give them opportunities to serve.

Rod

Eye On

Perspective is very important. The angle from which you look at something can make all the difference in what you actually see. Ever had someone look at something some distance away and they want you to see it. They may say, "stand here." Or, point and say "look where my finger is pointing." They believe if you can orient yourself to the object by standing where they are standing and looking where they are looking you will see it. Casuals seems to have a more difficult time locating the "object" to be seen-the spiritual object or objective.

When Jesus states his objective and urges us to accept it as our objective it is first important for us to actually to see his objective the way he seens it. If we do not stand in the right place we might miss it by a mile, or at least by yards. When we see a person, do we see them as Christ does? When we see a statement made by Jesus in Scripture do we see it as he intended it? When we see and idea or concept do we view it as Jesus does or do we just see it the way we see it. We are so accustommed to thinking that "my perspective" is just as good as "your perspective" we risk miss seeing things from the "right perspective." Of course, that would be Jesus' perspective.

Captive Christians are always trying to stand so close to Jesus that we can better see what he sees. Ever hear someone say, "I know this is probably not the right way to look at this, but..." You know what is coming. The person is going to look at it the way they want to look at it regardless of whether it is the right way. Are they being arrogant, thinking they are "allowed to have their own perspective even if it is wrong?" Or are they too lazy to move from where they are standing to take another look from where Jesus is standing? Or perhaps they are saying that even though they know their view is probably not right they do not know how to get to a place where they can embrace another view. I do know that this is a very fundamental problem in making the journey from being a casual Christian to being a captive Christian.

He's 92

I am up early with some "Georgia on my mind." I just spent a few hours with dad. He's 92. I keep saying that like I just can't believe it. When mother died at age 50 I just never thought of dad living for almost another half century-he might make it! Compared to mom he has lived two lifetimes. Why does one person get one and another get two? But, most of the stories he tells are from the first lifetime. Like the time he worked 176 hours in two weeks at the post office, a record, and made more than the post master. It was a badge of honor. Or, the story about coming to Georgia from Kentucky when he was 16 with a box of chicken and $3 in his pocket, and today being a proud landowner with three times more money in the bank than he paid for the land. He wears these stories like badges of honor. And, as we stood on his rickity back porch he was planning how he was going to make some repairs as soon as the weather warmed up.

The word "work" was drilled into me as a child. It was what we did. I know it can be done for the wrong reasons, i.e. to try to earn your way to heaven, but it is not a dirty word. Jesus did not commend the lazy servant who would not invest his master's money. He cast him out. It seems to me that one reason we have so many casual Christians is because being captive is a lot of work. There may be long two week shifts where you sleep on the postal sacks for a couple of hours and get up and go back to work. There may be times when you are called on to turn a box of chicken and $3 into 40 acres and a batch of memories. Captives do not know how many lifetimes they have. But, they work while they are here and then go home to their rest. Thanks dad for the example.

I Miss 24

I need a dose of Jack Bauer. What is it about a character like Bauer? He is tough, smart, committed, and indestructable! But, what I like about him the most is that no one could break him. You know the scene. He is in a small 10/10 room, with one light hanging from the ceiling, a barred-window about 15 feet above him, tied to a chair that is bolted to the floor, with a table nearby with every concievable instrument of torture on it. He has been beaten, burned, shocked, slapped, cut, shot, water-boarded, and threatened with every unearthly horrow invented by man. Through it all he keeps his head, plans his escape, makes notes of his enemy's weaknesses, plants a few lies to throw them off, and looks them straight in the eye with that look of defiance that would make a NFL right tackle buckle.

Bauer is like Jesus in some ways (not so in a few others-I know). Jesus was constantly having to fend off the temptations of sin and defeat. Jesus was under profound pressure to not stumble or fail. The entire world's salvation was dependent on Jesus staying true, pure, right, good, and focused. Satan and his demons threw everything at Jesus. But still he stood. He looked the demons in the eye and backed them down. The demons were afraid of Jesus. They feared that he would torture them before their time. They feared he would throw them into the abyss.

Oh for the heart of the captive Christian who like his teacher stands firm without bending to temptations and trials. Toughen us Father!

Many Voices/One Voice

Jesus had experienced a long day of healing and exorcism. After casting out a demon in the synagogue in Capernaum and healing an apostle's mother-in-law at a Saturday afternoon luncheon, Jesus had a couple of hours of peace, hanging with his new disciples until the sun went down. With the Sabbath over, the people came out and lined up at Jesus' door. Every ailment in this small village was there-broken bones, flu, cancer, low-blood sugar, undiagnosed pains of every kind, and toothaches-all were in line waiting their turn for a touch of the master's hand. And, he touched every one. He passed out individual attention. With the miracle clinic closed he went to sleep.

As the roosters began to crow Jesus was up and out to spend some time in a lonely land with no lines and no expectations. He needed to hear the One Voice that mattered. His head was filled with the Many Voices. The scenes from the night before scrolled through his mind, a little crippled boy jumping up and down with glee; an old lady snapping out of a diabetic coma; a deaf mute's first sound was Jesus' voice. He heard the thanks and the pleas to heal one more. He heard the praise and the sobs of joy. And, he knew that this was only the first wave of sick folks he would encounter. He knew he would be chased and pressed and proded and begged like a "blanc" in a Haitien airport terminal. So before the roar rose again in his ears he needed to be quiet and listen to the One Voice that mattered, who could remind him of why he was sent, what his main purpose was, and what really counted.

Captives learn to hear the One Voice and to put the Many Voices in perspective.

Half On/Half Off

This image was in my head when I awoke this morning. A bull rider half on and half off the bull really gets beat up. This is when he is in the greatest danger. He is closer to the deadly horns and the hooves. Now, don't get me wrong. A bull rider gets beat up pretty good when he is on, cinched up, and bounching around. And, even when he is all the way off, the bull can sometime alude the clowns and come back around and gore him. But, half on and half off looks like the worst to me. And, do you ever see the cowboy who is in that position and just can't get his hand out of the rope to let go? Now he is stuck half on and half off. How do you tell the bull, "Could you just stand still for a couple of minutes while we untie this cowboy dangling from your side?"

Life doesn't stand still either. It keeps bucking along, turning in circles, like it wants us off it's back. Doesn't it seem that the world thinks it is it's job to throw us off and leave us in the dust?

Jesus came to show us how to ride the bull. He doesn't want us in the dust or flopping around on the side. He wants us atop the bull, holding on, free hand in the air, focused on every hop and turn, being cheered on by an encouraging crowd, seemingly at the mercy of an angry, crazed bovine, but really held in place by the unseen hand of a loving Father. For all who are getting beat up because you can't decide if you will follow Jesus all the way, get back on top of the bull, please, hollar "pull" and pray for eight!

The Deep

Here is Simon. He is tired. He is smelly. He is discouraged. He just wants to sleep. He still has to wash his nets and go home to his wife's list of honey-dos(you have to know Greek to see that in the text). He knows he will not get a pay check that day (The wife won't like that either). On top of all of this Jesus uses his boat for a pulpit. Then, Jesus tells him to put out into the deep and let his nets down again. This is streching Simon. You know that feeling inside when you know you need to listen to Jesus and do what he says but you are tired and you just don't want to do it. It is the struggle of flesh and spirit-remember one is willing and the other is weak. Grab that feeling. That is where the human and divine intersect. That is the point between casual and captive.

But to Simon's credit he says, "because you say so I will do it." The captive Christian often does the right thing only because Jesus says so. Jesus is Lord. You know the rest of the story. It worked out for Simon and his partners. So many fish were caught that the nets were breaking and it took two boats to haul them in. Simon was so humbled that he fell at Jesus' knees (check it out-its not feet) and told Jesus to "Depart from me for I am a sinful man." That's what happens when we are held captive by Jesus-we realize we have no business in his presence. But, Jesus tells him "Don't be afraid." But still Simon does not get to go home and rest. Jesus is not done.

"Come after me and I will make you a fisher of men." And Simon went.