A Christmas Tree's Journey

It was a typical December day in Lancaster with steel gray skies, penetrating cold, and a sifting of powdery snowflakes. The family rolled out of the car as we arrived at the spot where a friend from church said we could select and cut down a fir tree from his lot for our Christmas tree. With chainsaw in hand we walked through the snow keeping a sharp eye out for a tree that would please the majority – a unanimous decision was unlikely with two elementary children, a discerning Mom, and a “bigger-is-better” Dad. Finally we spied a likely candidate. Since the trees were on a steep slope, the tree was not the straightest. However, the majority did agree it was a good candidate to be in our house. I imagined it adorned with a variety of decorations ranging from ornaments from my childhood to a collection of handmade creations fashioned over a number of years by our elementary children. With a pull on the chain saw cord, the engine fired to life and easily felled the tree. We loaded it into the car and headed home.
     The tree sat in the garage for a day to defrost and get ready for the tree stand. It was then I realized the tree was really crooked and would require guide wires to keep it standing. The tree was brought in the house, placed in a corner, anchored with fishing line, and duly decorated. In the decorating process we discovered an abandoned bird’s nest which later became for many years a decoration for subsequent Christmas trees. The tree looked magnificent and we were proud to display it for a special guest who was coming the following night. That night our daughter’s school teacher was coming for desert. Our daughter was in a new school and we wanted to get to know her teacher and honestly hoped to make a good impression.
     My wife put out our Irish tea set, prepared delicious goodies, and put on Christmas music. Glancing over the living room just before the teacher’s arrival I was admiring how good the Christmas tree looked in the darkened room with only the illumination of the lights from the tree. Finally the teacher arrived and we sat down in the dining room to enjoy delicious refreshments and hopefully make a good impression on this new teacher.
     Part way through the gathering a crash sounded from the living room. Jumping up from the table and making a dash for the living room, I was horrified to see that the Christmas tree had fallen over. Ornaments were scattered over the floor. The illuminated star, once on the top of the tree, was dangling from the tree now lying sideways on the floor. Everyone followed me into the room and stood there in silence. I remember saying to myself, “Well, I bet we left an impression on that teacher!”
     Later the tree was uprighted, extra fishing line was attached to secure the crooked tree, and we had a lot of good laughs the rest of the Christmas holidays telling about our wayward tree. After New Year’s we took the tree out to the edge of the lawn and decorated the tree with a variety of treats for the birds to enjoy throughout the winter. Each day we saw that the tree had become a haven for our feathered friends.
     As spring approached an idea came to mind to make the tree into a visual to show the connection of Christmas to Easter. I cut off all the branches and then cut off the top third of the tree’s trunk. I took a nail and some wire and made the Christmas tree into an Easter tree. I reminded our children that Christmas is just half the story. Jesus came to earth not just as a baby at Christmas but to fulfill a great mission. He came to grow up, live a perfect life, and become what John the Baptist announced, “The Lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). I told my children they needed to see Christmas as the time when Jesus was born among lambs in a manger so that years later at Easter he could be the Lamb that the world desperately needed. That was why I turned the Christmas tree into an Easter cross. Both events fit together, were equally important, and told the whole story of Jesus’ life.
     How sad that people too often forget the connection between Jesus’ arrival and his final accomplishment. Many of the Christmas carols make the connection. In the popular “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” Felix Mendelssohn wrote:
          Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
          Hail the Son of Righteousness!
          Light and life to all He brings
          Ris'n with healing in His wings
          Mild He lays His glory by
          Born that man no more may die
          Born to raise the sons of earth
          Born to give them second birth
          Hark! The herald angels sing
          "Glory to the newborn King!"
That year our Christmas tree took our family on a journey to recall the journey of Jesus Christ that began at Christmas – from a cradle to a cross and to an empty tomb. Who would have thought that crooked old Christmas tree would be such a vivid reminder!

Arrogant or Confident Humility?

Tis the season where arrogance is on display! The political ads are filled with boastful politicians promising what they can do, and boasting about achievements. Sports figures dance in end zones to celebrate a touchdown, while linemen and blockers struggle back to their feet after making the achievement possible. Celebrities strut down a red carpet as the spotlight focuses on their acting made possible by creative directors, makeup artists, and stunt-doubles. Celebrity preachers promote their books and conferences by highlighting what they have achieved. Such preachers often eclipse the reality that God and spiritually gifted members God gave to the church were the key to the church’s success.

     Is humility an endangered character trait in this age of arrogance? When such a question is asked, one may postulate that people are not arrogant, just confident. While it is true that there is a fine line between arrogance and confidence, one must be careful not to confuse these character qualities. There is a distinction. Arrogance is misplaced confidence in how and why we achieve things. Arrogance trusts that what is about to be accomplished will be achieved by the individual’s efforts alone. It presumes that past achievements were due solely to one’s innate abilities. It assumes that one therefore deserves accolades from others and merits appreciation for one’s achievements. In the end arrogance focuses more upon oneself than it does upon the benefit one’s actions have on behalf of others.

     Confidence on the other hand trusts the gifts and abilities that one has been given to accomplish one’s purpose in life. Confidence understands that such enablement was given to be used wisely to fulfill a specific mission and to be used to accomplish a common good. Confidence is not concerned about self–advancement as much as it is about doing what needs to be done.

     Two characters in the Old Testament illustrate the contrast between these two attributes. The battle scene in 1 Samuel 17 provides a backdrop where these two individuals with vastly different traits are on display. Goliath parades out onto a battle field boasting about what he assumed he could do because of his size, strength, military training, military equipment, championship status, and how he compared to his opponents. He was arrogant and defiant as he faced down the army of Israel and later encountered a young shepherd boy, David. On the other hand there was David – unskilled in warfare, unequipped for a traditional battle, and aware that his only credentials were how God enabled him to be a successful shepherd in dealing with a lion and a bear. Goliath was confident in himself. David was confident in His God (17:37).

     Goliath’s arrogance was expressed in threating words, “Come here and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field” (17:44). David’s words of confidence were in what God could do through him, saying, “You come against me with sword and spear, but I come out against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (17:45). The one arrogantly embracing his abilities fell before the one confidently trusting in what God could do through him. He saw God enabling him to fulfill his life’s mission for the good of his nation. Goliath lost his arrogant head, and David conquered in the confident power of His God.

     Humility is the antidote to the arsenic of arrogance. What does that humility look like?  Chris Tiegreen notes, “Having godly humility means being unassuming – resisting the urge to seek every advantage for ourselves, promote our interests, or defend our rights. We have to choose whether to be our own advocates or let God advocate for us; to defend ourselves or let God defend us; to force doors open or let God open them in His way and in His time.” He wisely added, “The kingdom of God doesn’t have a ladder of success that we can climb. It only has a floor on which we can kneel. In order to be lifted up, we must descend into a position of complete dependence. Such humility is an affront to our pride, but it is the only way to be lifted up.” There is a big difference between arrogance and humility.

      James, the oldest half-brother of Jesus, gave this challenge: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10). He had seen firsthand the power of confident humility in Jesus, who “humbled himself and became obedient unto death – even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). Jesus conquered by an act of humility, not arrogance. What would happen in this age of arrogance if our culture was dominated by people of confident humility?         

“To Everything There Is a Season”

Another season is coming. I could be signifying the season as determined by the solstice (Summer/ Winter) or the equinox (Fall/Spring) – September 23 being Fall this year. Or I could be referring to some other marker in life i.e. season of youth or old age; season of health or pain; etc.  The season of life I have in mind for me is that which is introduced with a birthday that ends in a zero! It seems that there is a lot of hype when a person’s birthday ends in a zero, as if it is different from any other birthday that ends in a number. I recall when I hit the big five-zero, I received all of these over-the-hill birthday cards accompanied by lots of gag gifts almost universally colored in a black motif!  Frankly, that decade wasn’t so bad! Then again, even the Psalmist seems to emphasize years that end in a zero – “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty” (90:10).

     As I enter into this next season launched by a birthday that ends in a zero, I reflected on other seasons in my life associated with a birthday ending in zero. When I was 10, it was a season when I was a student and thought school would never end. At 20 I had met my life-long love and was excited about our life together as husband and wife. When the BIG 30, arrived I was a Dad and was trying to figure out how to be one without making too many mistakes! As four-zero landed I hit a mid-life crisis and considered after 10 years as a Senior Pastor, if this is what I would be the rest of my life. At 50 I looked at an empty nest and watched a son and daughter begin to establish their families. When 60 arrived, I was now a grandfather, grinning from ear to ear, and wondering what these children would be like when their future birthdays ended in a zero. Now I hit another birthday with a zero on the end. I wonder now how many more birthdays there may be for me with a zero on the end! Seven decades now doesn’t seem that long and I am filled with gratitude for God’s blessing in each one.

     Pondering the seasons of life brought to mind verses in Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” The chapter continues talking about various seasons of life (verses 2-8). The verses became the words for a 1965 number one Billboard folk rock hit by the Byrds they entitled "Turn! Turn! Turn!" They only added to the biblical passage the closing line, "A time for peace, I swear it's not too late,” and the repeated phrase "Turn! Turn! Turn!" I wonder if they shared their royalties with God!

     There are two questions that come to mind as I read those verses in Ecclesiastes. First, in what season of life am I? Second, what is the “God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied” (3:10) in this season of life? It is overwhelming at times to look at life as a whole and try and figure it all out. A better perspective is to see the season of life in which we currently live and then by faith take action courageously and appropriately. Too often we look ahead through the corridors of an unknown future and arrive at a fear-filled conclusion. Such a gaze into an assumed future may paralyze us. Instead of moving out in life by faith, we shelter in place. In such cases, opportunities we could have had and contributions we could have made are often lost.

     Each season of life requires of us an appropriate action. In the Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life” we see George Bailey enter into a difficult season of life. He had been a man who in earlier seasons of life had dedicated himself to helping others. Then on Christmas Eve he faces a financial crisis in which he sees no way out. He decides the only way out is to commit suicide, and he expresses that he wished he had never been born. Clarence, George’s guardian angel, honors that wish by allowing George to see a world in which he never existed. Through this he realizes all the lives he has touched and how different life in his community was because he was willing to courageously go through the various seasons of his life – both the good and the bad. He goes back to his community to courageously face the difficult season of life before him. Spoiler alert if you have not seen the movie; he gets though this season successfully.

     Maybe the season of life you are in has nothing to do with a birthday ending in a zero. Maybe your season is a difficulty like George’s. Maybe it is a medical crisis. Perhaps it is some family trial. Could it be just adjusting to an uncomfortable new normal? Whatever it is; it is a season.

     A story is told of a lady who graciously endured a difficult life. Someone asked her what verse encouraged her in life. She replied, “And it came to pass.” The inquirer asked, “Why?’ She replied, “I like to remember that what happens to me does not come to stay! It comes to pass.”

     Remember, “To everything there is a season.” Determine what the season is and respond positively.

A Titanic Lesson

Several weeks ago while visiting family in Northern Ireland, I spent an afternoon in a museum that was dedicated to a disaster. The maritime disaster depicted was the sinking of the Titanic. The sinking is of such historical interest that there are at least five major museums worldwide dedicated to the event including one in the unusual location of the inland Branson, Missouri. We spent almost four hours exploring the museum in Belfast where the Titanic was designed, built, and launched. This massive museum vividly portrays the tragedy from the ship’s design to its ultimate demise in the icy waters of the North Atlantic in the early morning of April 15, 1912. The ship collided with an iceberg just four days into its maiden trans-Atlantic voyage from Southampton to New York City. In 160 minutes the ship sank, and tragically more than 1,500 died.

     The ship was a sensation in the city of Belfast. The White Star Line, the shipping company that built the Titanic and its sister ship the Olympic, claimed in a promotional piece that "as far as it is possible to do so, these two wonderful vessels are designed to be unsinkable." However, an iceberg, first sighted 30 seconds before impact by a lookout, proved to be the undoing of the assumptions of the designers, owners, and the ship’s captain. The Titanic could sink and indeed did so quickly.

     How could such a disaster occur? When the ship’s construction began in March 1909, the talents and energy of some 15,000 men labored with pride on the Titanic and its smaller sister ship the Olympic. All of Belfast could see the progress as the massive ships loomed over the city. Lead designers at the Harland and Wolff shipyards had been given a liberal budget and were authorized to spend what they needed to on the ships. Finally on May 31, 1911, the ship was launched. It was then berthed and fitted out with its engines, upper decks, and all the interior features and furnishings. After sea trials a year later it was declared seaworthy and the Titanic prepared to receive passengers and begin its maiden trans-Atlantic voyage on April 10, 1912. It was designed for safety with its double hulled design. In fact one White Star employee reportedly said, “Not even God himself could sink this ship.”

     With that popular assumption in mind, Captain Earl Smith set his course for New York Harbor. He received warnings of icebergs in the area of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland but maintained his course and continued at full speed in keeping prevailing maritime practices. It was believed at that time that icebergs posed little danger to a large vessel. Captain Smith himself declared in 1907 that he "could not imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that” (Barczewski, Stephanie, Titanic: A Night Remembered)   His assumption was wrong and it became a pathway for arrogance and ultimately led to catastrophe.

     As I looked through the museum’s rain streaked windows at the slipways from which the Titanic was launched, I wondered if the builders and captain were seduced by the assumption that the ship was too grand to fail. After all, this ship represented the cumulative wisdom and design abilities of modern humanity. Builders had access to vast wealth and unlimited resources to do the construction. Craftsmen had invested vast amounts of their skill and energy in this endeavor. Perhaps those assumptions led to arrogance. Maybe this minimized the necessity of carrying sufficient lifeboats. Maybe diligence was diminished as the prospect of peril was reduced. Could a delusion of invincibility have anesthetized the passengers to danger when they refused to enter the available lifeboats after the ship had struck the iceberg? Assumptions too easily can lead to arrogance and disaster.

     Perhaps humans are prone to such disastrous pathways. We live with the notion that what has happened to others would certainly not happen to us. We are too wise to become addicted to some substance or practice. We are too powerful to succumb to a temptation with which we may be dallying. We are too resourceful and intelligent to worry about some dalliance that has ruined other lesser beings. How easily it is for arrogance to flourish in our deluded assumptions.

     Perhaps this is the reason the Bible gives a number of warnings to humanity about attitudes and choices they make as a result. The writer of Proverbs warns, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death” (14:12). Perhaps that is why he earlier observed, “Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others” (12:15). Humility is the antidote to arrogance. Peter advises people to, “Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6).

     Perhaps we should be careful about the assumptions we make and the arrogance they may develop in our lives. Such attitudes may just sink our ship!

A Remarkable Rescue

In the recent rescue of the youth soccer team in northern Thailand, it was refreshing to see people actually work together to fulfill this amazing mission. The rescuers were focused more upon the mission than other issues that are often emphasized in our culture’s response to human crises. One did not hear anyone criticize the trapped youth and their coach for their actions. No labels were used saying their actions were careless or foolish and therefore it was their own responsibility to get themselves out of the mess they had gotten into. Neither did one hear that the rescue was too risky to attempt. The danger was acknowledged as a fact, not as a determinant.

     The rescue was not measured in financial outlay. One can only assume that millions of dollars were invested in the rescue of 12 youth and their coach. Nor was there undue focus upon the sacrifice that rescuers were making on behalf of those trapped – even possible death for the divers. Their action was based upon the value of the lives of the youth and the peril they faced.

     The resources that were invested and the personnel that gather from around the world came together rapidly. Nations cooperated and looked beyond cultural, religious, and language differences that may have been hindrances in other circumstances. Technology and human ingenuity were coupled with millions of prayers for divine wisdom and intervention. There was no hesitancy to become engaged in a mission that may have been labeled as foolhardy or useless. Even without knowing all that they might face and setbacks they would probably encounter, rescuers surged to that remote cave intent on rescue.  

     Difficulties and dangers became secondary to the mission of releasing a small group of boys huddled in cold and darkness, facing certain death. The expenditures were made and the result was an outcome beyond what people could hardly imagine. Twelve boys and their coach emerged from the cave of potential death to breathe air they had not experienced during their 18-day ordeal. Can you imagine the gratitude of these young boys? These young eyes that had been shrouded in darkness were now able to see and walk in the light above ground. Young lives were again able to connect to their families, and to satisfy their insatiable teenage appetites. There was rejoicing outside of that cave when that last person emerged. The New York Times headline read, “The Watery Trap is Now Empty.” The only bitter element attached to the rescue was the realization that former Thai navy SEAL, Saman Gunan, died as he participated in the rescue. Attempts at recue always carry a cost.

     What would happen in our world if people would be united around other rescues that are needed? How many lives would be spared if a similar spirit was present as our world addressed the various crises existing around us? People so often cry out for solutions to injustices they see and then fail to help people ensnared in them. Pick a crisis: drug abuse, human trafficking, oppression of people, physical and sexual abuse, social inequities, spiritual despair, suicide, bullying, etc. The list seems endless because life in a sin-filled world is bursting with multitudes of dysfunctions. This is a byproduct of humanity not living in a proper relationship with both God and people. Pick a necessary rescue and respond as did these rescuers in Thailand.

     When Jesus was pressed by a critic about the most important commandment in living successfully in this sin-scared world that needed rescue, he responded, "'You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and first commandment. A second likewise is this, 'You are to love your neighbor as yourself.' The whole Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). He essentially was saying one must be properly related to God and then he can be properly related to needy humanity around them.

     When one is properly related to God, he looks at humans around them in a different way. People have value regardless of their status, heritage, gender, or other features that cause people to make distinctions. People all have the same problem – sin – and that can only be rectified by a holy God who offers to all forgiveness by His grace (Ephesians 2:1-9). People are to be served not used. People are therefore worth rescuing from their human dilemma. That is exactly what Jesus did in coming to the darkness of our world to bring humans out into the light.

     Our world needs people to engage in some serious rescue operations!      

Stay Under the Influence

The cover story for the Spring 2018 issue of Christianity Today was entitled “When Church Gets Sidelined by Youth Sports.” The feature article was asking the question, “What should pastors do when families choose youth athletics over church services?” There were a number of church leaders answering the question with all kinds of suggestions and offering diverse opinions as to how culture has changed and how churches should respond. In the article a survey of readers revealed that 86% of those surveyed responded, “Yes,” to the question, “Has your church struggled with families choosing sports over church?” The article indicates this is an issue for those who are interested church services.

     How attitudes and perspectives have changed over the recent decades. It dawned on me that many in our Christian culture would not understand or appreciate the Academy Award winning historical drama film, “Chariots of Fire” released in 1981. Contemporary viewers possibly would consider one of the major characters, Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian, as an out of touch relic of a bygone era. His conviction of honoring the Christian Sabbath by allowing it to be fully focused on the Lord appears to many to be irrelevant to modern thought and Christian mores. The movie depicts Liddell as refusing to run the 100 meters race in the 1924 Olympics because it was to be run on Sunday. He does not cave to the strong pressure to abandon his convictions by the British Olympic Committee and even the Prince of Wales. Instead he chooses to run the 400 meter race held on another day. He chose to run a race that he was not expected to win. Just before the 400 meters final he gets the following note from the members of the British Olympic team, "It says in the good Book, 'He that honors me, I will honor.' Good luck." The team did not look upon him with distain or disgust, but with respect. Incidentally, he won the race! Others observed that Liddell was committed to be guided by the words of Jesus, “Seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33).

    Why do changes occur in a person’s or a culture’s convictions? Certainly there are a host of reasons. One factor seems to come to the forefront. What influence are we willing to operate under? In the history of Israel there is a record of a king that had a collapse of conviction when the influence he was under changed. King Joash, who ruled in Judah for forty years (see 2 Chronicles 23-24), lived a paradoxical life. His life began in a most dysfunctional time for the nation. He escaped being slaughtered by an evil grandmother, Athaliah, by being raised in secret by a priest named Jehoiada. Later Joash becomes king under the positive influence of that priest that both protected and promoted him. The influence of this priest yielded national reforms and spiritual revival. When this priest died, King Joash came under the influence of leaders of Judah that did not have a heart for the things of God (24:17-18). The reforms and the revival ceased and were reversed as King Joash ignores the warnings of God. He even overlooks the way God had blessed him under the influence of the godly priest, Jehoiada. In fact the King was so impacted by evil influence, that he even put to death the son of the very priest that had sacrificially spared and positively influenced him (24:22). Coming under the wrong influences quickly changes one’s perspective and practices.

     Reflecting on the way changes can rapidly occur in our convictions should give us reason to pause and evaluate. What are the chief influences or influencers in our lives? Do they reflect what we believe are the directions God would have us follow for our lives? Do we have the courage of our God-given convictions to pursue a direction that may be counter-cultural? Are we willing to sacrifice the approval of others while pursuing the approval of God? How are we strengthening our spiritual stamina so that when difficult decisions need to be made we are prepared to make them? These are just a sampling of questions one might consider in such an evaluation.

     When Eric Liddell’s younger sister, Jennie, quizzed him about his involvement in running, the movie records his response. He wants to honor God with his running and says, "I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure." When we live to honor and love God first in our lives we are choosing to live under His influence. Living under His influence is not a burden, it is a blessing. Jesus told his disciples shortly before his crucifixion, “Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:9-11). Let’s stay under the influence – the right influence!  

Calling All Heroes

     Pilot Tammie Jo Shults, after a catastrophic engine failure on April 17, successfully made an emergency landing of Southwest Flight 1380 with 195 on board. She was given a hero’s welcome at the White House on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. She along with the first officer, three flight attendants, and five passengers of the ill-fated flight were publicly commended by President Trump for their actions. He commented, "Tammie really did an incredible job." He joined the praise that has been heaped upon her by passengers on the plane as well as others amazed at her actions and skills that led them to declare her a hero.
     Heroes are not so much created as much as they just show up and rise up to address a crisis. Having said this we also realize that much of their lives have been preparing for the particular event that demands heroism. Tammy grew up in a New Mexico ranch near Holloman Air Force Base where jets constantly flew overhead. This coupled with reading about missionary pilot, Nate Saint, fueled her inspiration to become a pilot. In high school her interest was further ignited.  After graduating from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Kansas, she applied to the Navy, attended Officer Candidate School, was commissioned into the Navy in 1985, and earned her pilot’s wings. Shults then reached the rank of lieutenant commander becoming one of the first female fighter pilots in the U.S. military. In 1993 she became one of a small percentage of female pilots in the commercial airline industry where just 6.33% of commercial pilots are women. All of that background molded her to become the person she was on that fateful day at 30,000 ft. in the skies between New York and Philadelphia. That day in a crisis she was an aviation hero.     What was her initial response to what had happened? Tammie joined her copilot and the flight's other three crew members issuing a statement that they "feel we were simply doing our jobs." As the media reported on her heroism, Christianity Today interviewed Staci Thompson, a longtime friend and administrative assistant in the church office of the First Baptist Church in Boerne where Tammie worships and serves. Staci said, “She wants people to know that God was there with her” on Flight 1380, “that He helped her in getting control of that plane and landing that plane.” Thompson added, “It was because of Him, not her. She was just a teammate and a co-captain. He was the captain.” Tammie’s text to a fellow pilot several hours after landing the plane, “God is good.”     In many respects she was already a hero in many other ways. The Dallas Morning News wrote, “It seems that nearly everyone in Boerne has a Tammie Jo story, and taken together, they paint a picture of a woman almost too impossibly caring, too impossibly devoted to her community. But, they say, that’s why she was a role model long before she landed that damaged jetliner.” Her Christian faith guides her and her family. The newspaper reported, “Shults has taught nearly every grade level of Sunday school at their church. She’s volunteered at a school for at-risk kids and turned a cottage on her family’s property into a temporary home for victims of Hurricane Rita and widows.”     The Bible is filled with women that became heroes as they stepped into the messes and crises of life in a sin- marred world. One such woman that comes to mind is Esther. Esther was called upon to enter into the lives of the Jewish people who faced extermination at the hands of a religious bigot who hated the Jews for their religion and cultural differences (Esther 3:8-9). The challenge to intervene in this crisis was issued by her Uncle Mordecai. Esther had been divinely placed in a favored position as the queen of King Ahasuerus, the Persian king who ruled a vast empire from India to Ethiopia. Her first response was hesitant. She receives further urging from her Uncle Mordecai (4:8,13,14). He challenges her to act courageously by saying, “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” As we live our lives we must consider that all of the experiences we have had in life may be leading us to act in the crisis that we are currently facing. Esther did act. The king reversed the evil intentions of Haman the bigot (Esther Ch. 7-8). The extermination of the Jews was averted.     Heroes are manifested when people act as they should to intervene in a crisis. It may mean using a divinely given talent. It may mean speaking up to address an injustice. It may mean placing oneself in harm’s way for the life of another. It may mean ignoring personal cost while focusing more on the other person’s need. One thing is for sure, a hero shows up by their action not their indifference.     The greatest hero to me is Jesus Christ. The Scripture describes his action this way, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8). Christ saw us in crisis and acted to intervene in the crisis. He is definitely a hero!     Our world is desperately in need of more heroes. They will show up as people rise up to enter a world in crisis.

Mimicking the Mediocre

After the NCAA basketball tournament, which athlete do the kids on the basketball court emulate? Was it the player who could not buy a basket if their life depended upon it, or the player who seemed to effortlessly shoot three pointers from beyond the arc consistently? Which piece of art work is held up before a class by an art instructor as a model to be emulated? Was it the one that displayed the proper use of the technique being taught, or the piece that seemed to be at best a feeble or perhaps failed attempt at implementing the skill that was the focus of the instruction? What company is held up as the industry standard for which other companies are to aspire? The one that went bankrupt, or the company that has been successfully growing and developing a quality product or service? What person do we hold up as a   model citizen? The individual who selfishly uses people and lacks character traits that are deemed essential to positively contribute to society, or a person who sacrifices themselves for others regardless of the benefits or rewards they may receive from such actions? What military leader would one feel comfortable in following or seeing engage in a battle on their behalf? The leader who had repeatedly been defeated, or the one who had successfully commanded in battles and was highly regarded by the forces he led? Perhaps one may respond to these questions, “Isn’t it obvious?”

     One may assume it should be obvious. However life seems to indicate that at times the obvious answer is frequently ignored. Even when the choice is clearly between the good and the evil, sometimes the evil is chosen. Why is that? Perhaps it boils down to how we feel or what circumstances seem to indicate the best situation at the moment. More often than not, we make poor choices when we fail to carefully evaluate the options and consequences that are really before us. Do we really understand the realities that face us or are we quick to make an emotional and sometimes illogical decision?

     In the news there are numerous reports of tragedies occurring when a person engages in texting while driving. Yet, rather than mimic the person who pulls to the side of the road to receive or send a text, frequently one sees individuals (maybe even us) texting with one hand while holding onto the steering wheel with the other. Are they unaware of the danger? It is unlikely that one is oblivious to the potential catastrophe associated with texting while driving in light of public service announcements, warnings issued by police, and reports of tragic accidents related to texting. So why this poor choice? Perhaps one feels they are more able than others to multitask, or maybe one simply chooses to mimic people around them that are engaging in the risky endeavors. Somehow they have convinced themselves that they are immune to tragic results. This is only one example of poor choices we make when we ignore the obvious consequences for life decisions.

     The Bible is filled with examples of people who ignored the obvious and it led to tragic consequences. In the history of the nation of Israel we read of the poor choices they made. God warned the children of Israel to not follow the false gods of the people around them (Joshua 24). Attached with that warning were consequences clearly spelled out if they did. Supporting evidence given indicated that the true God   (Jehovah) whom they followed had been victorious over all the false gods of the surrounding nations. He had also chosen them to be unique people that He would protect and bless if they followed Him only. However the nation of Israel failed to listen to what they were told and made an emotional and illogical decision to mimic the mediocre gods of the people surrounding them. The results were catastrophic, just as God had revealed to them. Rather than condemn their poor decision, we must consider if we are prone to also mimic the mediocre gods surrounding us. Perhaps our mediocre gods are not idols or images. Maybe they are in the form of materialism, hedonism, egotism, rationalism, or a multitude of forces or philosophies that we worship and place over the true God of the universe. Such poor choices are just as catastrophic for us as they were for the nation of Israel.

     Rather than mimic the mediocre gods that surround us, let us mimic the magnificent Creator and Sovereign of the Universe. He alone is worthy of our worship. Joshua made a bold decision and announced it to the nation, “Chose this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (24:15). He chose to mimic the magnificent God who had been revealed to him and not the mediocre gods that surrounded him. A wise and logical choice for anyone!                     

Does Anyone Listen?

People in this age dispense masses of verbiage through multiple means of technology. Why then does there seem to be so little communication? The famous line from the classic Paul Newman movie, Cool Hand Luke, comes to mind to summarize our current communication dysfunctions, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.” Such a failure may lead to minor misunderstandings yielding hurt feelings or to horrendous consequences resulting in the loss of life. One of the most tragic examples of the breakdown in communication is seen in the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Early reports indicate that multiple sources reported to numerous authorities including the FBI, social workers, mental health professionals, and others that there was a dangerous situation developing as a teenager threatened to do bodily harm to others. The communication of this information was not processed properly and the result was catastrophic as young people were slaughtered, a community was shattered, and national sorrow again filled our culture.    

     The reality is that communication is not about technology; it is about people connecting their thoughts with another. Communication at its most basic level involves two groups, the sender and the receiver engaging successfully in specific responsibilities. Those responsibilities may be summarized as clearly expressing and transmitting a thought and carefully receiving and processing that thought. If communicating groups or the responsibilities go awry, the communication short-circuits, the connection is not made, and there is a “failure to communicate.”

     Dr. Tim Elmore in his book Habitudes writes, “Without question, the greatest emotional need of people today is the need to be understood. And to understand we must listen.” Too often our culture displays massive communication failures because no one is listening. People have become so absorbed in their emotional antagonism toward an issue that they invest little or no processing-energy to listen to another’s thoughts on a matter. One can be so fixed on an opinion or position, that one becomes deaf to any other communication. Some people act as if they are saying, “I have already made up my mind; don’t confuse me with the facts.” This is not to say that we do not have opinions or embrace absolutes. One can have those and still engage in hearing what another is thinking. Such an attitude helps one appreciate how or what another thinks, and may even sharpen one’s own perspective on a matter as Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Elmore further states one needs “to seek to understand the perspective of others before they communicate their own points… show empathy and ask good questions. As a result, they earn the right to be heard.”

     One of the areas in our culture where this communication breakdown is seen is in our national government. We have political parties saying they want to resolve issues yet they appear to not listen to what another party is describing they believe is the issue. This year a local TV news broadcast panned politicians as they sat “listening” to the State of the Union address the president was giving to a joint session of the United States Congress. There were multiple officials thumbing their “smart” phones instead of being engaged listeners – regardless of their approval or disapproval of president’s thoughts. One might assume they were tweeting a thought they wanted to share. However, a camera zoomed upon one legislator and they were actually playing an electronic game! People have not elected officials to play games in government but to find potential solutions to the challenges facing the nation. Regardless of what one thinks of a speaker, there is merit in listening even if to better understand the specifics of what one opposes.

     The issue of listening is important in the spiritual realm too. God chose to communicate to His creation in a variety of ways over the centuries. The author of Hebrews indicates how intent God was in communicating by saying, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (1:1-2). The biblical text records also a breakdown in communication. The problem was not the sender, God. It was the receiver, humanity. The Apostle Paul summarized the breakdown in Romans 1:18-23. The truth was revealed clearly, but it was suppressed completely because people would not listen even though “God has made it plain to them.” Failure to listen does not excuse one from accountability. The passage indicates that humanity listened more to their wickedness than they did to God’s message of righteousness and grace. Refusing to listen to God’s clear communication resulted in a human disaster.

     Jesus shares a parable in Matthew 7:24-27 that indicates how important it is to listen to his words. He talks about two men. One listened and could survive the storms that came his way (24-25). The other did not listen and his life ended in disaster (26-27). The principle is clear; the one who refuses to listen to God and respond to his word in obedience faces disaster in life. That is a high price to pay for refusing to listen.

     One person wisely observed, “God gave us two ears and one mouth, thus we should listen twice as much as we talk.” Good advice for operating in a world where we wonder, “Does anyone listen?”     

Plans or Principles?

February in some ways is where the resolutions and great intentions made on New Year’s Day come to die. In February the resolve to lose those extra pounds amassed in previous Fall holidays is swallowed up by Valentine’s Day and gorging sweet chocolate treats. In February one might imagine the Fitbit purchased in January beginning to send alerts, “Are you alive?” The lack of physical activity has activated an automated message system! In February the gym membership card misplaced in early January is found under a crumpled potato chip bag beside an empty two liter bottle of Mountain Dew. In February the intention of being more disciplined about time spent on information and communication technology has been sabotaged by a new collection of apps and more connections made on Facebook or “Words with Friends.” February, upon reflection, confronts us with the reality that positive plans hatched in early January have somehow ended in dismal defeat in just one month.

     Numerous individuals have shared their thoughts about the importance of planning. Benjamin Franklin warns, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” On the other hand former President Dwight D. Eisenhower rightly observes, “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” In other words planning carries no guarantees, so it is wise to plan while realizing there may be different outcomes to your plans. Perhaps cartoonist and writer, Alan Sauders is correct when he concludes, “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”

     A Pakistani writer and teacher concludes, “The intelligent have plans; the wise have principles.” Perhaps he has uncovered a valuable ingredient to success in achieving our plans – principles. Principles energize and focus our plans so that they can stay on course and have endurance in the face of obstacles that would thwart them. It is impressive to scan the Bible and see how God used people who were committed to principles that guided their plans. Those principles enabled them to be people who could carry out the plans God had for their lives. Joseph in Genesis 37 – 50 is one such person. God gave him two dreams revealing a great future for him. Soon after these revelations, life became bleak for him. During a period of thirteen years he was hated by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused of rape by a master’s wife, imprisoned, and then to add insult to his agony he was overlooked in prison for several years. One would think that this dark period of life would certainly squelch any plans one might have had. Yet we find certain principles still alive in Joseph’s life.

     A key principle that guided him was that he was answerable to God. When tempted to engage in sexual immorality he responded, “How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (39:9). He saw that in order to enjoy God’s plan for him he needed be a person of purity no matter what opportunity may arise. Essentially what God thinks of us is more important that what others do.

     Another principle that kept him focused was he knew that current circumstances were not where God ultimately planned him to be. Servitude and prison were not where he belonged (40:15). God had revealed a different plan for his life. Too often God’s plan for a person’s life is shattered by current events. One stops living by hope for the future and cower in despair at our present realities. The Apostle Paul reminds God’s people that present sufferings “are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Honestly, life can be painfully hard. One must realize that what one currently faces is not the ultimate plan God has for those who are His children.

     A final principle that aided Joseph in his life is to recognize that God’s plan is bigger than we can imagine. When Joseph is finally released from prison and elevated in the kingdom of Egypt, he encounters his brothers – the very brothers who sold him into slavery! How he responded to his brothers reveals a principle-driven life. The brothers assumed that they would receive retaliation from their mistreated brother. Instead they heard a brother saying that even their evil actions had been used by God to accomplish His purposes. They heard words of explanation, not retribution. Joseph says, “Do not be angry with yourselves for selling me to here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you… it was not you who sent me here, but God… You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (45:5,8; 50:20). Seeing a bigger picture of one’s life allows us to see plans and outcomes through a different perspective.

     Joseph had a great plan that God had revealed for his life. Associated with those plans were great principles that carried him through the twists and turns of his life. Other children of God experience a similar reality as they live by principle not just plans. Carson Wentz, quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, on December 10 was planning on scoring a touchdown as he ran for the goal line. He was not planning on tearing his ACL ligament and ending his exceptional season. He tweeted after the injury, “I greatly appreciate all the prayers! I know my God is a powerful one with a perfect plan. Time to just lean in to him and trust whatever the circumstances! #Proverbs3:5-6” Here is a man who had great plans but is guided and focused upon even greater principles. People who live life this way will have a great impact upon the world around them, even when their plans don’t go as planned. Are we people guided merely by plans or mainly by principles?