A Lesson from a Christmas Excursion

 The memory is deeply etched in my mind as the Christmas season comes into focus. The event took place seventy years ago and yet many of the details are as clear as if they took place yesterday. I recall as a young boy my mother and I embarked on our annual Christmas excursion to Philadelphia. Even though the city was just nine miles east of our suburban home, it seemed like we were traveling to a foreign country. The trip was necessitated because we were in search of Christmas presents and wanted to enjoy the elaborate Christmas decorations which merchandizers had bedecked their stores to entice the seasonal shoppers. In that era, the major department stores were in the cities and not “anchor stores” in shopping centers and malls that would later spring up in the suburbs. In fact, I do not even remember the word “mall” being a part of our vocabulary as a child. The most exotic shopping alternative other than downtown department stores was the Sears catalogue that arrived in our mailbox several weeks before Thanksgiving. That catalogue to young children was the catalyst of major cravings for gifts that likely would never materialize but nonetheless stoked fantasies.

     Mom and I walked to the trolley station to take us to 69^th street where we would catch the subway to center city Philadelphia. The only time we traveled on the subway was when we visited my Grandmother in north Philadelphia. That journey would bypass the stops of center city. For this excursion we would exit the subway at one of those stops, climb the steps, and emerge in the land of tall buildings and crowds of bustling people. It was a world unlike the place that I called home. The first treat of the day was to stop at the Horn & Hardart Automat. It was a rather novel arrangement for the time – sort of like a variation of today’s fast-food establishments. Mom gave me coins to put in the slot to get prepared foods displayed behind small coin operated glass-doored windows giving me access to my selections. Mom’s careful eye made sure my selections were not all the dessert variety!

  

   Next, we walked along Market Street and looked at the storefront windows. Many had mechanical figurines depicting Christmas themes like Santa’s workshop, nativity scenes with mangers and shepherds, and other wintery depictions of ice-skaters and snowmen builders. Alternate windows would display enticing suggestions for Christmas gifts. What I wanted to see the most was inside the stores where toys were on display, large electric train layouts, and of course a line to see the jolly man in the red suit! I still have in an old trunk faded photos that a photographer took for my mother to remember the special occasion! If it gave me an edge with Santa, I would be willing to sit still for the photo even though it was against my nature to do so. At Wanamaker’s department we stood amazed at the light show and organ recital that filled the grand marble court soaring several stories high. Not something you see back home!

     Then came the boring part. My mother went through rack after rack of clothes looking for just the right gifts for people that were both appropriate and affordable. The crowds of people, the hot environment, and the lack of interest, sapped away my excitement for our excursion. Soon the whine, “Are we soon done?” was repeated over and over again. Finally, when my mother had heard enough, she somewhat briskly sat me in a vacant chair and told me not to dare move. After fidgeting in the chair for a while, another boy caught my eye. We decided it would be fun to play hide and seek in the circular racks of coats, dresses and assorted finery that had no appeal to us except for the fine hiding places they provided. The game continued until suddenly we realized we had wandered from our original perches and now were thoroughly lost. The other boy a bit older than me ran off looking for his mother, and I was in a panic as to what to do. I realized I was in trouble like usual and was not too sure if I even wanted to find my mother. I walked around and tried to figure out where I was, where the chair I abandoned was, and ultimately where Mom was. I did realize I was far away from the chair where I was to “not dare move.” After a third trip around the salesclerk’s desk, a pleasant looking lady asked me, “Are you lost?” To that question my quiet and sheepish reply was, “I think so.” I didn’t realize I was lost until I was.

     She took me by the hand and led me to a bigger desk and announced to a man behind the counter, “This boy is lost.” Fear settled in and I wondered, “What would happen to me.” “How would I find Mom?” “How will I get home?” Then the bigger question arose, “How much trouble am I in with Mom?” That last question was the one that bothered me most!” They sat me down and asked me my name, where I lived, and where my Mom was when I last saw her. I was able to give them my name, but the other questions were as much a mystery to me as to the inquisitors.

     Suddenly from the corner of my eye, I saw a sales lady leading another lady. It was my Mom! I was found. Now I was sure the scolding would come swiftly and sternly. Instead, she ran to me, scooped me up in her arms, and hugged the life out of me! She thanked everyone for their help, got a firm grip on my hand, and out the door we headed toward the subway. She seemed relieved, not mad. Her silence was killing me. I could take a tongue lashing, but the pain I had caused her broke my heart. Even the snow flurries falling outside did not brighten my troubled spirit.

     I have often thought at Christmas time about the way God’s love sent his son, Jesus, to look for his lost children. Afterall, that is why Jesus came at Christmas. Jesus said, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). The process started in a manger, finished on a cross and an empty tomb, and eternally impacts those he came to find. Jesus dealt with lost children the way my mother dealt with me. Jesus said on another occasion, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John3:17).

     I was glad my mother found me in that department store. I am eternally grateful Jesus found me, loved me, and made a way for me, a lost child, to find my way home to be with Him. Thank God for His search mission of love.

Don't Forget God in Our Thanksgiving

The rancorous election season has probably not ended even though the national elections have taken place. The politicians have stirred up the muck on whatever side of the political divide you can imagine, and it will likely take some time for the murky mess to begin to settle. Each political side will be declaring that the election was not fair depending upon which side of the outcome they find themselves. The loser will voice their objections of the voting process, and the winner will declare their approval of the results saying, “The people have spoken.” The problem is that the whole process was inoculated with a divisive spirit in which distrust was injected. Division escalated by inflamed speech and rancorous words seemed designed to attack, accuse, and alienate one another’s platform and political party. In this environment there was often more heat than light in public discourse.

     What was the cause of such nastiness? By now the political strategists and media manipulators are waxing eloquent with their insights for all this turmoil. They are at best offering opinions and at worst supplying accelerants to ignite further agitation that may generate more headline news which they can report. Some have decided to appeal to God to sort out the political, spiritual, economic, and moral mess the nation is in. This is not a bad idea. However, those same people may wonder what right they have to turn to God now when they rarely appeal to Him at any other time. While not endorsing all the words of a country singer, Jelly Roll’s, song, he observes, “I only talk to God when I need a favor, And I only pray when I ain't got a prayer.” Then he asks, “… who am I to expect a savior, … oh, If I only talk to God when I need a favor? But, God, I need a favor.” Specifically, he is praying and asking God that he not lose a girlfriend. People around us may be praying that we do not lose a nation.

     How did we get into such a state? Perhaps the 1863 Thanksgiving proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln gives us a hint. He wanted to establish the last Thursday in November as a national holiday. Remember, this occurred during the 3^rd year of the Civil War. A war in our nation where a half million died – one out of 20 American males over the age of 14 perished in battle or the ravages of war.

     In the proclamation Lincoln wrote, “The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God...” 

     Months earlier Lincoln had issued a warning on March 30, 1863, when he had issued a Day of Fasting and Prayer: “The awful calamity of civil war... may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people... We have forgotten God... We have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become... too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins.” Among the national sins was presumption, pride, and a perspective that dismissed God from the nation’s consciousness and dependence.

     Lincoln ended his first Thanksgiving proclamation writing, “No human counsel hath devised [these blessings], nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.  It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States… to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

     In this season it would be well for us to look up to God and see the blessings God has showered upon us in the midst of the storms of international wars, natural disasters, personal tragedies, social turmoils, moral upheavals, emotional anxieties, family crises, financial stresses, and the immense pressures of daily living. That kind of perspective can alter even our view in the worst of our circumstances and release us to give thanksgiving to God from whom all blessings flow.  

     It Acts 16:20-25 two men, Paul and Silas, were falsely accused, fiercely abused, and chained in a prison. What comes out of their mouths? Praise! Prayer! How could this occur? Other prisoners could not see God in these two men’s circumstances, but they could see God in the men as they gave thanksgiving and praise to God. Paul and Silas had not forgotten God and they knew God had not forgotten them. Paul was practicing what he preached.

He wrote to a church, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”  (1Thess. 5:16-18 NLT). As Thanksgiving approaches, don’t forget God in your thanksgiving. It may dramatically alter your perspectives and the way you face the challenges in life!

Reflections at Thirty-three Thousand Feet

The clouds below flashed past as the plane reached its cruising altitude. The trip was a quick one but not unexpected. Several weeks ago, we flew west to Spokane, WA and drove three hours east to Yaak, Montana There my friend had lived for the past twenty years. Vietnam’s Agent Orange cancer had taken another vet, and my friend was now at home with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The departure had been anticipated for the last eight years, but still the end seemed sudden. His body could no longer endure the ravages of the disease. I officiated his funeral as I had promised I would. Now on the long trip back East on Monday after just five short days with his family and friends I did some reflecting at 33,000 feet.

     My traveling partners and I reminisced about our friend. We both had lots of adventures with him and his wife both in Pennsylvania and Montana. On the long journey to and from Montana we had many stories to tell of a life well lived and one fully invested in what God had called him to be and do. He lived in two Paradises in a way. One embedded in the remote Rocky mountains that he loved, and one planted in the Amish country of Lancaster County that he also loved. In his eastern Paradise he was a man who loved and raised his family.  In that Paradise he was also a successful businessman who was always involved in worldwide travel, intense negotiations, and plenty of jetlag. In his western “Paradise,” Yaak, he was a man fully devoted to his family, but also connecting with a new family in that small rural community as well as a church he wanted to see flourish. He settled into that western “Paradise” built his home and was involved with folks in the community in building a parsonage and church. But most of all he built relationships with the people of Yaak that many might describe as rugged, independent individualists. He entered that community as if he would never leave. And He didn’t.

     He believed that a church should be firmly established in this community, and he also believed that the Lord put him there to see it happen. He fell in love with all kinds of people, the down and outers and the up and outers, that called Yaak their home. He hunted with them, was part of the emergency services in the community, and established HAM operations in that communication sparce area. He invested untold hours of leadership, labor, and love in the local church that was moving from a Sunday gathering of people in a community building owned by the Forest Service into a fellowship that wanted to serve people in the community and thus glorify Christ. What he was really all about was relationships with people – people he loved and people who loved and related to this “easterner.”

     On the day of the funeral, it was cloudy, and rain was forecasted. People began to gather and soon the church was full to overflowing. Windows were opened so the people outside could hear what was being said in the service. Even when it started to rain, many of his neighbors and community members remained outside listening to the testimony of a life well lived. Many in the service shared how this man had ministered in their community and made a difference. He did exactly what God had designed him to be. He was salt and light (Cp. Matthew 5:13-16). When someone is like that, lives are impacted, and people take notice. People know when someone loves them enough to serve them. There were even a few tears seen in eyes that day.

     Now flying at 33,000 ft. over the great span of the United States, I wondered how many people below had a passion like my friend. Do they care for people more than programs? Do they focus upon the prestige of a work – or on the positive impact the service can have on people’s lives? Do they want to see the needs in their community met? Do they highlight people’s differences or are they concerned about them as individuals? Do they have the attitude the Apostle Paul wrote about, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). The nation would be vastly different if my friend’s attitude was multiplied in many others.

     Was my friend perfect? No, just as I am not. But he was being transformed into the image of his Savior (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Christian life is a process that begins with faith in what Jesus has done to give them new life. Once the process starts it continues until God has done His work in a person. Paul wrote, “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished…” (Philippians 1:6).

     At 33,000 feet I had a lot to reflect upon. Not only upon my friend, but also what God had done in his life. I also had a lot to reflect upon in my own life. Am I finishing well? Am I someone who endures suffering not in one hopeless whine, but in a hope-filled anticipation of what God has prepared for me. I have not lost a friend; I know where he is. He is in another “Paradise” that Jesus said he was preparing for him (Cp. John 14:1-6). Not in Pennsylvania. Not in Yaak. But in heaven.          

So How Is Your Memory?

In this season of politics, it seems to me that memories are a bit selective. Politicians want voters to remember all the good things they have supposedly done and forget all the questionable things they have perpetrated. They are hoping for forgetful voters or at least hope people will be willing to accept the spin that was given on what has happened or been said. Politicians are intent on meeting voters’ aspirations or preferred wishes. So, words and actions are twisted to transform facts as they exist into what they believe the voters want to be a reality they can embrace.

     Lest we assume that this methodology is owned only by the political establishment, there is ample evidence to see this methodology spread throughout other facets of our culture. How many manufacturers are hoping consumers will forget the recalls that have been issued on their products? How many producers of certain products are counting on a consumer’s short memory when it comes to the newly released studies uncovering defects in their merchandise? How many spouses are counting on a short memory of a mate for an infraction they committed in their relationship? How many youthful drivers are hoping their parents have forgotten the dent for which they were responsible on the back left corner panel of the car? They are hoping for an attack of amnesia as they ask to borrow the family car. Ah memories! They can be problematic at times. In those moments, we want them to be forgotten.

     On the other hand, how thankful we are for memories that are necessary to allow our lives to go along smoothly. Memories can allow us to avoid embarrassment. How foolish we feel when we can’t recall “what’s his name!” Memory can make us productive. How much time have we lost because we forgot where we put the car keys? Memory can help us to process life smoothly. How often have we said to ourselves, “If I could only remember my password!”? Memory can also keep us out of trouble. The unpleasant outcome of a past action when remembered may keep us from making the same mistake again. Certainly you can think of many more values of having a good memory.

     Oscar Wilde one time wrote, “Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us.” My problem is that there are many times in life I fail to make necessary diary entries! The consequences can be traumatic as forgetfulness steals joy and triumph in my life. Forgetfulness can squelch my gratitude, distort reality, and shatter the protective walls of “lessons-learned” that surround my life. Forgetfulness can be the robber of past achievements, and the crippler of future accomplishments.

     In some respects when we look at the history of the nation of Israel, we see the damage that can occur when forgetfulness anesthetizes our memories, and we fail to remember essential truths. The Psalmist gives a mini-history lesson for the nation in Psalm 106 to alert them of the danger of forgetting who God is and what he had done. The writer starts by saying who God is, “The Lord is good, and His faithful love endures forever!” (106:1). Then throughout this song of praise he shares the evidence of this and sadly reveals how repeatedly the nation forgot this. They saw God do miracles on their behalf in Egypt and then “promptly forgot his many acts of kindness to them” (7). The product of their forgetfulness was rebellion. When the nation experienced their deliverance from bondage in Egypt they “quickly forgot what he had done” (13). The verses following reveal repeated discipline by God as they continued to rebel. Again they “forgot God their savior” (21). The amnesia caused them to not “believe his promise to care for them” and then they “refused to obey the Lord” (24, 25). Their forgetfulness caused God to be angry with them (29, 32, 40) and discipline them for their sin (41). Even with the forgetfulness of the nation, He did not forget them (44-45). Why? Because God remembered his covenant and relented in disciplining the nation because of His “unfailing love.” We have poor memories, but God does not! He does what he promises to do even when our forgetfulness of Him creates a catastrophe in our lives. How gracious God can be to the creation that forgets Him.

     Corrie Ten Boom, a woman who endured horrible atrocities at the hands of the Nazis, had ghastly memories of what happened to her and her family. But she remembered the faithfulness of God during it all. The memories of what God did amid the horrors she experienced formed her life. She wrote, “Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.” Her future was molded by memories of who God was and what God did in the darkest times of her life. Later she faithfully ministered with love to others, even those who authored her painful experiences. She remembered God’s love for her and she desired to share such love with others. So, how is your memory? Is it tempered with God’s unfailing love?

What Voices Are We Listening To?

Voices and messages bombard us each day with the desired intention of getting our attention, modifying our thinking, shaping our opinions, and altering our decisions. The voices have exploded in the last few years. Our culture has steadily moved beyond airwaves and print options into a variety of electronic media sources that are expanding at an amazing rate. For example, the first text message was sent on December 3, 1992. Twenty-five years later according to Charlotte Beale, “The world now sends 23 billion text messages every day - or 16 million every minute. We type 156 million emails, 452,000 tweets and 3.5 million queries into Google every 60 seconds.” Those findings reflect what was occurring in 2017. What would the data reflect today? These voices bombard us each day and likely influence us more than we can imagine. In fact, there are individuals who make their career and livelihood by being social media influencers. Their goal it is to elbow their way into people’s lives intent on being noticed and impacting the way people think and act. What is troubling is that many of these voices often are espousing trivia or are lacking truth.

     With all these voices we need to ask ourselves, “What voices are we listening to?” This is essentially a source question. Do we listen to the tumultuous cacophony of messages that swirl around us in our culture? Or are we carefully discerning who is launching their message and evaluating whether they are a voice to which we should be listening. Just because a message is proclaimed and is noted does not mean that the message should be received and listened to. Many of us have caller ID on our phones and it provides a great aid to protect us from unwanted contacts. Perhaps we need to develop a “discernment ID” that provides a similar service for our lives. This does not mean we are not aware of what is happening in our world. It does mean that we do not allow all that is happening to impact our lives in such a way that our thinking processes are distorted by trivialities and falsehoods.

     The alternative to listening to the wrong voices is to seek to listen to the right voices. The Psalmist David refers 7 times to “the voice of the Lord” (Psalm 29:3-9) that got His attention – very likely a poetic description of a thundering storm. When the Lord got his attention, David listened. C. S. Lewis points out that, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” In a world filled with turmoil and troubles we need to listen to whatever God uses to speak into our lives. God speaks. Do we listen to Him or is He being drowned out by voices and messages from our culture that yield little direction, consolation, or perception?

     There is a young boy named Samuel (1 Samuel 3) who heard a voice of the Lord but did not know what it meant. He was confused and assumed the source of the voice was from a priest, Eli, with whom he lived. Three times he heard a voice but did not perceive from whom the voice was coming. His problem was that he lived in a culture that was not used to hearing from the Lord (3:1). Eli finally realized the Lord was speaking and told this young man to respond if he heard the voice again, “Speak, for your servant hears.” That is what Samuel did the next time he heard the voice from the Lord. The Lord spoke and Samuel received and communicated the message the Lord gave him. Perhaps that is a similar problem in our culture today. There are lots of voices surrounding us, but we are not listening to the voice that matters most. We lack perception and therefore miss the most important messages from God.

     There was a famous commercial years ago produced by Verizon Wireless. The commercial ran for nine years and the was composed of the same question with just five words, “Can you hear me now?” The commercial showed a “test man” on a cell phone speaking those five words in a variety of settings to see if people were receiving his message. Perhaps those same words could be asked of us as we live in a world flooded with a tumultuous cacophony of voices. Might God ask us, “Can you hear me now?” Do we need to respond like Samuel, “Speak, for your servant hears.” God’s voice is one worth listening to! He can give the right direction in these confusing days. We need to listen up!   

A Special Day

Have you ever looked at the list of “special days” that pop up each day on your calendars? It appears there is a “special day” for just about everything imaginable. Since our wedding anniversary was June 6th, I just checked to see if our anniversary made the calendar of “special days” along with: D-Day; National Applesauce Cake Day; National Drive-In Movie Day; National Eyewear Day; National Gardening Exercise Day; National Higher Education Day; and of course, National Yo-Yo Day. It didn’t. But to me it was special and made my personal list of “special days.” That was the day 54 years ago my wife and I established a new branch on the Reid/Shenk family tree. That day we made vows that we intended to keep regardless of circumstances that would enter our personal lives. The words of the vows stated our commitment, “For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thus, I pledge you my faith.” That was our intention, and the vows were made with great honesty and perhaps a bit of naivety shrouded in our romantic passions. But as the years lay before us, we felt we would do these things because they were unconditional commitments for life. Little did we know what lay ahead the next 54 years probably required many more vows than those few. Maybe it would have been wiser to add “etcetera” after that short list of vows. Perhaps the last few words of the vows we exchanged was our “etcetera” – “I pledge you my faith.”

     Faith as the author of Hebrews writes, “Is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1 ESV). Little can we know on a wedding day where life will take us. However, we were and are committed to be involved in the journey ahead while maintaining assurance in God’s enablement and leading fused with a conviction that God can and will take us to the destination that is best for us. The vows did not specifically mention financial struggles where our funds were shorter than our week was long. There was no mention of professional pressures where time was at a premium and people’s expectations and demands presumed that they were the first duty in our lives. No hint arose that when children came along there would be challenges that seemed overwhelming and the accompanying strain that everyone else knew what was best for our home. As we weighed advice that was offered, it seemed the children did not fit into the “right way to handle your kids,” and we did not always agree with the course to take. When doubts arose about the future, what to do sometimes landed in the “pending pile” of indecision creating the tension of differing opinions. When old age showed up, health situations appeared, the empty nest arrived, and hundreds of changing circumstances emerged, the constat in all of this was the vow, “I pledge you my faith.”

     The Bible shares stories of many couples that moved through life with a vow-like-tenacity. The Bible shares those accounts with warts and all as we see biblical characters’ successes and failures. The one couple that stands out in my mind is Mary and Joseph. They were an extraordinary couple God chose to be parents to Jesus, His Son. This couple faced the most challenging circumstances in their relationship. The accounts in Luke 1:26-38 (announcement to Mary) and Matthew 1:18-25 (announcement to Joseph) display a life of faith – “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” This couple were “betrothed” to one another. In those days a Jewish betrothal was as binding as today’s marriage and the couple was considered legally husband and wife. The relationship could only be terminated by a divorce. Mary was told by an angel sent from God that she was chosen for a divine mission, to bear a son named Jesus, the Son of the Most High. Her reaction was that this was impossible for she was a virgin. After a brief explanation, Mary submits to God’s will saying, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to your word.” (1:38). She pledged her faith to God by her actions.

     Joseph also is given an amazing announcement. He was a man of sterling character and wanted to do the right thing. An angel reveals to him what has happened to Mary and tells him to proceed with the marriage ceremony. He too is told this was a special mission, producing a special child who would “save people from their sins.” Joseph submits, rises, and does as commanded. He pledged his faith to God by his actions.

     This young couple had no idea where their pledge would lead them. They only knew that they were obeying God by faith with an “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The circumstances in their life altered dramatically. Shepherds announced an amazing message. Older people in the Temple would announce tremendous truths concerning this son. They would flee to Egypt for safety. They watched a child grow in amazing ways. They saw Jesus operate as a miracle worker. Mary was heartbroken as Jesus was rejected and crucified. She was amazed as he rose from the dead. All this transpired because they pledged to God their faith.

     Life is not always clearly laid out before us. However, as we live by faith whether in a marriage or in many other areas of our life, we can be assured that the Lord can and will guide us in our life’s journey. Living life by faith makes every day with God a “special day.” Enjoy the adventure of living by faith and the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”       

An Age of Anger

Do you have the feeling we are in an age where people are becoming angrier and angrier with one another? People’s angry words fly around at various protest sites, on technology devices, and a myriad of sites where people post their opinions. Yet with all this verbiage there is likely less actual communication taking place. The reason? Communication has become a one-way street where people dump their opinions without hearing the perspectives of others. This only enhances or reinforces their positions and generates anger with others with whom they differ, or they assume may differ. Ironic that while the means of communication have advanced, the advances appear to have diminished actual communication.    

     Have you ever encountered an angry person and wondered, “Where did that come from?” So often when we are slapped in the face by another’s words of anger, we are prone to answer in kind – in anger. A wise mentor advised me to never immediately respond to an angry critic. Instead pray for them. Wait to be sure the Spirit of God is in control of my life and not a spirit of indignation. Then decide if a response is necessary at all. The times I heeded that advice I was spared a lot of needless and useless friction thus averting additional onslaughts from these angry critics.

     How Christ responded to his harshest critics in the turbulent times before his crucifixion is the model to follow, if I want to manifest His character. In Matthew 27:11-14. The response of Jesus to his angry critics was astounding to Pilate (14) because Jesus “made no answer” to the trumped-up charges of his accusers (12). He was not being belligerent by his silence. He had answered a question earlier in his interaction with Pilot when he asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus’ brief reply was, “It is as you say” (11). His responses reflected the advice of paradoxical Proverbs 26:4-5, 4 “Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are. 5 Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.” There is an appropriate time to be silent as well as to speak. The problem for me arises when my emotions are stirred by a critic’s harsh words, and I respond when I should be silent. Too often I have thrown proverbial gasoline on fiery emotions and generated an even more intense emotional explosion.

     The Apostle Paul instructed the church of Colosse how they needed to respond to heretical attacks and slander that they were encountering. Paul does not shy away from encouraging the church to stand for the truth and refute the various heresies. However, he challenges them to do this in such a way that they do not reflect the character of the ones who were attacking them. Instead, they were to display Christ’s character. The analogy Paul makes is one of being properly dressed – take some things off and put other things on. Now that Christ had changed them, it should be seen in the new way they react to people. He challenges them to, “put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.” (3:8 NASV). He further encourages them to “put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love… (3:12-14 NASV). Would the angry attitudes that are so prevalent in our world be dramatically altered if we “changed our clothes” before we interacted with one another?

     Ambrose Bierce once said, “Speak when you are angry, and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” This is as true today as when it was written several centuries ago. Sadly, many words flowing out of our mouths, written in letters, sent in emails, posted on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, are ones we long to take back or have them quickly forgotten. Children have been crushed. Mates have been hurt. People have become discouraged. Essentially our world has been diminished by those angry careless words, unthoughtful expressions, and damaging communications. One of the guardrails of our emotional life is found in the Psalm of David, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14 NLT). If our words pass this evaluation, then perhaps we have something profitable to say.

More Than a Motto

 Behind the store’s counter, on the wall above the cash register, there was a yellowed paper with these words, “In God we trust… all others pay cash.” While my first reaction was a smile, the more I thought about it the more I wondered if this was really the belief of the proprietor. Did he really trust God or was it just some clever saying he came across with a rather snarky edge to it? Some argue this reflects national faith because our nation’s currency has the motto, “In God we trust,” on our coins and paper bills – at least up to the twenty dollar bills. It may be on higher denominations, but my wallet doesn’t go any higher! For higher debts I revert to plastic credit cards – none of mine carry that motto.

     Wikipedia has some interesting data on the motto (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_God_We_Trust). They note that in early USA history Benjamin Franklin used the phrase. Later the words became a political moto during the American Civil War when the Union wanted to posture that God was on their side and this saying reflected this. A law was passed in July 1955 by Congress and approved by President Dwight Eisenhower stating that "In God We Trust" appear on all American currency. It seems that political forces were at work to promote a spiritual certitude to contrast with a cold war atheistic position of the USSR. Today there are varied perspectives on the motto, both pro and con on the use of the words.

     We live not by mottos but by core beliefs that modify our behavior and establish social principles. Words are mere sounds until they are cloaked in meaningful understanding of their implications in our life’s practices. Moving beyond the motto there arises the essential question, “Who do we trust in life?” The answer to this question really reflects how we will operate in life. Some will trust people. The snarky statement I saw on the wall implies the store owner looked at people as less trustworthy than God. Probably a wise conclusion in light of the fact that as Jeremiah observed, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (17:9).

     Some will trust in human power. Again, not the wisest of decisions when one considers the finiteness of humanity to address the problems that exist in the world whether it be societal, ecological, political, physical, or any number of life’s maladies. Perhaps that is why King David concluded, “May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you… Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:1,7).

     Others rely on human wisdom to arrive at solutions to the ultimate perplexities of life. If human wisdom is so great, why do people make such bad decisions and arrive at such weak solutions to answer what ails humanity? Perhaps the most educated man of his day, the Apostle Paul, with all his study and academic accomplishments, gives an insight in 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 “6 I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God… 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.” People may have great wisdom and still make foolish decisions, if not guided by God’s wisdom.

     In the Old Testament we see God developing a man he was going to use to accomplish His purposes. God wanted a man who did not just have a motto, “In God we trust.” He was to live life this way as he accomplished God’s will. His name was Gideon. Gideon concluded he was a man of weakness (Judges 6:15), while God saw him as a “Mighty hero” because the Lord was with him (6:12). He displays fear at first. But God worked in him and progressively changed his focus from trusting his position, power, and prowess, to trusting God. God took away the few resources people generally rely upon and left him trusting in God alone. God took away thousands of troops and left him with 300 (7:3, 7). God did this because God said, “There are too many of you! I can’t let all of you fight the Midianites, for then the people of Israel will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength!” (7:2). God wanted all the trust to be focused upon Him. Gideon would essentially conclude, “In God we trust.” Sadly, Gidon later diverted his trust from God and began to trust in man-made gods (8:22-27). How easy it is to lose our focus and begin to focus upon ourselves and the gods we make. Trouble arises in life when we transfer trust from God to ourselves.

   Is “In God we trust,” just a moto in your life and mine or is it the way we really live life? Leya Delray, rightly deduces, “Happiness doesn't come from being the one in control. It comes from trusting the One who is.” This is why Chuck Swindoll wisely concludes, “We must cease striving and trust God to provide what He thinks is best… But this kind of trusting doesn't come naturally. It's a spiritual crisis of the will in which we must choose to exercise faith.”

     “In God we trust,” must be more that a moto. As Scripture says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Romanticized Reality

Just to give the budding romances springing up in our midst a heads up, Valentines Day is coming up on February 14^th. The day holds a special significance for me for that was when I had my first date with a coed at college who would become my wife almost 54 years ago. Little did I realize at the time that a simple date at an inexpensive social event at college would blossom quickly into a proposal and a wedding seventeen months later. My Valentine that fateful day many years ago was someone I had known for 2 ½ years. I had been impressed with her but never attempted to ask her to go out on a date. Both of us had other interests and, frankly, I assumed I was out of her league. I was a class clown and she an academic, athletic, and serious-minded individual. I asked anyway and have been grateful ever since.

     I had a romantic notion about the evening at this social. It would be a time for us to get to know one another better while spending time together. The reality was that my duty of overseeing the social event kept us like the proverbial “ships passing in the night.” Topping it all off, the Dean of Women of the college asked me to escort her back to her car. The city of Philadelphia in the late 60’s was in a state of social upheaval and safety was on the minds of most women. So, my evening ended with my date and the college’s Dean of Women walking to her car and then hustling back to meet the college curfew. So much for any romanticized notions I might have had! They vaporized that night in a blur of interruptions. Fortunately, the evening was not our last encounter!

     How much of life has been less than what we expected? I have performed hundreds of weddings and warned couples during premarital counseling that romance often runs into the realities of life. Therefore, they need to be committed to their marriage despite unrealized expectations. Stary-eyed couples nodded their agreement, but reality had not yet arrived. Relationships grow even as people change and face the challenges of living with a person who, like them, is not perfect and not exactly who they expected them to be. Finances and family put interesting pressures into romanticized notions. Date nights occur, but not exactly as anticipated. The candlelight dinner may be replaced by a fast-food excursion or consuming a hotdog and soda special at a box store! Quiet conversation may now be interrupted by cranky children present with them because of an absent-minded babysitter. Health issues arise that place a relationship in the place where the vow “in sickness and health” takes on a totally different reality. The commitment now reaches beyond mere words and requires selfless compassion. Frankly, romanticized expectations need to be readjusted and new realities need to be embraced with steadfast love and enduring grace.

     Romantic relationships are not the only places where readjustments need to take place. How many people had a romanticized view of what their career would be like, only to become disenchanted with the hardships of their profession? How often has a dream of a future adventure been deflated by disappointment because the experience failed to deliver the anticipated exciting high. Why do we expect so much from things in life – like a new car or new residence – and find that they just don’t deliver what we expected? The car does not perform as advertised and the residence is just one more thing that one must manage. The fact is that life is too often romanticized and when reality confronts us, we cringe with discomfort and disappointment.

     I was challenged lately with this in the lives of the children of Israel. Moses announced to them that they were to be delivered by God from the slavery of Egypt. They saw God work on their behalf as divine plagues ravaged the Egyptians. They saw the way God protected them. They watched the destruction of the army that pursued them to enslave them again. The biblical record says, “When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord…” (Exodus 14:31). This resulted in a celebration as joy flooded their lives and song broke out. Amazement filled their lips saying to God, “Who is like you among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders” (15:11). Life became romanticized in their eyes. Great God! Great works! We are about to have a great life! Three days later they are in the wilderness. Finding no water, they are thirsty, and began to grumble, “What shall we drink? (15:22, 24). Reality sucked the romantic notion out of the nation. This is not an easy walk or a pleasant camping trip. This is a difficult journey they are facing. They needed to get a strong dose of reality and see that the same Lord who delivered them is the same God who was with them and guided them in the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire (13:21-22). He was there and still could do mighty wonders.

     God took away a romanticized reality from the children of Israel and gave them a realistic reality, one that revealed a tough journey but with a powerful and faithful God. Max Lucado writes about the life of the child of God, “God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.” Perhaps it is time to set aside our romantic notions about life and embrace the future realities God has for us. Life is not a cake walk, but it does lead to a celestial destination! Enjoy the journey regardless of the challenges! 

Set Aside the Crystal Ball

About this time each year prognosticators bring out their crystal balls, shine them up, and begin to pronounce their understanding of the coming misty, foggy future. They give you all the reasons their wisdom has led them to their conclusions and proudly announce, “This is what we can expect in the coming year.” They announce their conclusions in such firm terms that they often preface their prophecy with the term “obviously.” They leave you with the impression that if you think contrary to their pronouncements, you are not very wise. The problem with such declarations is they are based upon their wisdom, which is at best limited, and at worst tinged with arrogant presumption.

     For example, Economist Harry S. Dent warns of a market crash "of a lifetime" to the realm of the level of the great crash of 1929 to 1932. In contrast, another economic soothsayer, Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist at Invesco, pulls out her economic crystal ball and predicts what she calls a "bumpy landing” but eventually expects markets and the economy to bounce upward in 2024. What is the result of all of this? Financial advisors’ phones are ringing off the hook, their email boxes are filling, and anxious clients pop antacids trying to process such contrasting perspectives.

     Of course, in a more serious issue, crystal balls are being polished to discern who will win the College Football Playoff, or who will be in and win the Super Bowl. All this angst so that a fool and his money can be separated at a sport’s betting site willing to give odds that their crystal ball is better than yours. There are entire companies that make their livelihood by guessing the future to make a profit. Insurance companies devise actuary tables based on projections into the future as to a person’s longevity.  Other companies insure properties speculating if they can amass enough fees to cover the expenses associated with future natural disasters and still make a profit.

     If it appears to you that I am cynical of people trying to guess the future, you would be right. How often we gaze into the future and presume to know the outcome. The only One who knows and controls the future is God Himself.

Jesus shared a story about a man who thought that he had the wisdom to handle the future. The man in the parable dismissed acknowledging that God had brought material blessings into his life (Luke 12:16-21). As a result, he began to trust his own wisdom and gazed into the crystal ball of arrogance. He then determined a course of action without considering God’s will in the matter. His crystal ball guided him to plan to build bigger barns to store what he had amassed. He did not consider that God had been his source of blessing and therefore consult with God as to the future for his life. He was very self-satisfied with his plan and went about living his life without consulting God. He thought he was the controller of his own destiny. Tragically, his life ended with full barns and an empty life. God evaluated him as a fool and Jesus said, “So is the man who… is not rich toward God.”

     The oldest half-brother of Jesus, James, applied the teachings of Jesus to his world view. In a letter he wrote to fellow believers he shares how important it is to see life not from a crystal ball but from wisdom that God gives. He writes in James 4:13-17 to not be arrogant about the plans we devise for our life. He is not against wise planning. He is stressing planning that is theocentric – focused upon what God’s wants. He said in essence, make plans but say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (15). To leave God out of the plans of our life he says is to “boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil” (16). We must see our future as being in God’s hands. Additionally, we trust that God can carry out His plans in our lives. Therefore, we develop a submissive attitude to God and yield to God in all our planning for the future. Our supreme example of a proper view of life is seen in Jesus Christ. As he faced the horrors of the cross and his mission to die for the sins of the world he said, “Not my will but your will be done” (Luke 22:42). It is not a surprise that the writer of Hebrews challenges us to be “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews12:2). Jesus saw His Heavenly Father’s will as the best plan for his life, yielding a perfect outcome even while facing traumatic circumstances.

     What will 2024 bring your way? Who knows? Well… God does! We don’t rely upon the crystal ball. We rely upon something much greater. Corrie Ten Boom challenges us, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Such an attitude helps us to process and progress in the uncertain days in which we live. The late Pastor Tim Keller said, “How you experience your present is completely shaped by what you believe your ultimate future to be.” Let your future in 2024 be guided not by a crystal ball of uncertainty but by a confident relationship with a gracious God.

Perfect Gift

The Christmas gift buying frenzy is in full swing. It seems like this season starts earlier and earlier each year. As children were thinking of settling into the school season and no hint of leaves changing color, the marketing machine began promoting Black Friday. It was rather jolting to see Halloween candy and decorations displayed side by side with Christmas merchandise. One store making a rather humorous statement had a skeleton holding a Christmas wreath!

     Back when dinosaurs were roaming the earth and I was a child, the Christmas season officially kicked off after the Thanksgiving celebrations of a massive meal and department store sponsored parades. The Christmas merchandizing machine then kicked into high gear and catalogues began arriving in mailboxes with enticements to purchase must-have gifts. Children folded down corners of the catalogue’s pages and marked items with an “X” to drop subtle hints for appropriate gifts for parents to purchase for their little darlings. A parent may even have ventured to a local store to survey their children’s suggestions and to see about any layaway possibilities. Credit cards were not avaliable in those days so other purchase arrangements needed to be made.

     When Christmas morning arrived, children would rush to the tinsel bedecked tree. They would hover over brightly wrapped gifts to see which of the boxes had their names on attached tags. When the parental signal was given the wrapping paper was quickly shredded and a gift was uncovered. It was a delight sometimes, and a disappointment on other occasions. The disappointment arose because this was not what was expected. A child thought, “Did I mark this in the catalogue?” The letdown may have arisen because the expectation was bigger than the reality – the gift was not as spectacular as the catalogue portrayed it to be. In those cases, a gift garnered attention for a short amount of time, but then it was set aside almost as quickly as it had been unwrapped. On occasions the gift was enjoyed until it broke, or it became boring. Then it was set aside, too. Sometimes, even when the gift was delightful, it had to be returned because it was defective – something missing or broken that kept the gift from fulfilling its design. All the gift-hype was over quickly and sometimes a grand funk set in of “gift letdown.” All this expectation, but for what?

     Certainly, one would find this a grand opportunity for parental Lecture 101, “Be thankful for what you got.”  But somehow that speech just didn’t diminish the letdown. As far as the child was concerned the Christmas gift was a bust. All that expectation was for nothing. However, there were those times when the gift was perfect. Most amazingly, the child didn’t even know it was coming or that they needed it. It was a gift producing total satisfaction and was highly cherished.

     The first Christmas offered the best gift because it came from our Father Creator who knew perfectly what people needed. Humanity had leafed through the “world’s” catalogue of satisfying gifts and came up disappointed. The world’s catalogue suggested frail trinkets to satisfy a soul’s need. Each trinket looked tempting but was lacking in providing what was needed most. The first Christmas offered the gift that was perfect, met the greatest needs of people, and was cherished by those who accepted the gift as a divine provision fitting perfectly into the void in their lives. It was not defective, disappointing, or deficient in any way. The gift is described in the most familiar verse in the Bible, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John3:16 NLT). The gift was perfect, even though it was not what people thought they needed or even expected. It was a gift that arrived at the perfect time – “When the right time came, God sent his Son…” (Galatians 4:4 NLT). The gift came in a perfect way – “born of a woman” whom God chose (Ibid.). The gift provided a perfect plan, “To buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (Ibid.). Those who receive this gift find they have a gift that produces total satisfaction and is highly cherished.

     According to the National Retail Federation, 17.8% of merchandise sold in the Christmas season will be returned – $428 billion – 2 out of every 3 customers will return a gift (giftmeyourtime.com). The most returned item was clothing. The gift just didn’t fit – their body or taste. The gift that God gave at Christmas will not need to be returned. It is a perfect fit for all of humanity. It is a gift that will be considered precious by all who receive it. Have a great Christmas with a perfect gift!