Devotion 4.1.20

"Feed your faith; Starve your fears." John Maxwell

A reminder that we are nearing the end of Lent.  COVID 19 distracted me from Lent (remember that Maxwell did say a crisis is a distraction).  After all, my devotion life and prayer life focused on the crisis in front of us, not Lent.  Yet in today's Lutheran Hour devotion, Kari Vo, the author, reminded us that Lent is exactly where our minds should be as we navigate this crisis.

Hear her words:

"Then those who had seized Jesus led Him to Caiphus the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.  And Peter was following Him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside, he sat with the guards to see the end." (Matthew 26)

"I've often wondered why hope is considered to be a virtue.  They call faith, hope, and love the three theological virtues, and I can see the point for faith and love.  But hope? I'm use to thinking of that as something that just happens to me, depending on my life circumstances.  I don't usually think of myself as responsible for having hope!

....What's going on in Peter's head (in this story)? Whatever it is, it doesn't include hope at all...." (Lutheran Hour Devotion, March 31, Dr. Kari Vo)

What is going on inside Peter's head?  Exactly!  Peter's denial goes beyond words, it includes action!  He's hanging with the guards during the crisis that would ultimately see Christ's crucifixion!  What is he thinking? 

Peter is in the moment, Vo reminds us, thinking of the here and now and not about what Christ had promised:  His death and resurrection.  Peter is in the here and now, distracted by his own thoughts and not allowing Christ to be his focus.

So, in Lent, are we distracted by the virus, or are we putting our hope in the promise of Christ?  We are observing the season that ultimately celebrates his suffering, death, and resurrection.  Everything else is a distraction. 

We pray that we turn our eyes to Christ, His suffering, death and resurrection. 

Devotion 3.31.20

I sometimes think I was born in the wrong time period.  Growing up in a house with my parents born in 1923 and 1931 (Dad and Mom), I tended to think older.  Listened to Big Band music every day because that is what my dad played.  Listened to a guy named Paul Harvey because he came on twice a day in my dad's car.  Part of that generation also recognized baseball as the only sport in the nation. Football existed, but in terms of popularity, baseball was the National Pastime.  It certainly was in our house.

So, I find myself, at times, thinking more about that game that was rather than the one that is.  Needless to say, in our extended confinement due to the virus, I found myself watching Ken Burns' baseball documentary which I've watched before, and I chanced on it with my favorite player to discuss, Babe Ruth.  The Babe.  Bambino.   If you read about baseball, its history, it always starts from New York and grows outward from there. 

I recently read a book on Babe which was excellent because it covered his life on and off the field.  Babe was (no debate) the first celebrity in every sense of the word.  He was known outside the game of baseball and capitalized on that popularity.  Babe became the bridge between the innocent and somewhat ill-informed celebrity, whose name was not his to use but open to anyone who wanted to make money off his or her popularity (he had no claim to the candy bar "Baby Ruth" which came about during his rise - it's an interesting read in the legality of what they pulled off at the candy company) to the more sophisticated celebrity who knew to trademark his or her name.

Interestingly enough, Babe was as good a pitcher as he was a hitter, and he was, many say, the best pure hitter in the game - ever.  Why did he leave the mound?  Because fans loved his homeruns.  Babe could play outfield and hit every game and not pitch and possibly miss a game after.  I enjoy reading the history of the game with people like Babe, Gehrig who complimented Babe, and other players down the line like Dimaggio and others.  It was a different place, different time, and I think I understood it better than I do modern times.  I always enjoy the opportunity to visit that time period.

What about you?  As you find time to sit and do things you may not have ever done because we were consumed with the present, work, children's activities pulling us to and fro, outside commitments, engagements that competed with our time....  Where do you find yourself?  How is the silence sitting with you?  How is the lack of activity because of "stay in place" working out?

Perhaps one place we can turn during out time is to God's Word, to hear the wisdom He has for us, for the direction we seek.  A key passage in the bible for me comes from Jeremiah 29, a familiar passage to all of us:  "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Perhaps God has us exactly where he wants us.

We pray for God to guide us through this.  We pray that God hear our prayers, our prayers for ourselves, our neighbors, our nation and our world, His world.  We know He sent His Son to be our resurrection and life, and we know of the promise of eternal life through faith in His Son.  We lift a prayer of thanksgiving for the greatest gift we have in Christ.

Hope Men's Ministry

Devotion 3.30.20

So the service readings for Sunday were from Ezekiel 37 and from John 11.  The valley of dry bones and Christ raising Lazarus from the dead.  Both seemingly two separate readings having little to do with each other.  A desolate valley of dead animal bones seems like an apocalyptic movie set, and Jesus visits Martha and Mary to have them mourn the loss of their brother and think, wishfully, that Christ had been there to prevent the death.

Pastor asked, "What was Lazarus' life like after Christ raised him from the dead?"  He speculated about the various scenarios that might have been after he came back to life, but he linked it to the question:  How will our lives be impacted by this COVID-19 virus, when all returns to normal?

One of my favorite tv shows is MASH, and a classic episode involves Harry Morgan (who would go on to be in the cast after this season as Colonel Potter) who is doing a guest spot as a crazy general named General Hamilton Steele.  When he meets Father Francis Mulcahy, he gets two inches from his face and yells, "There are no atheists in foxholes!" to which Mulcahy replies, "I've heard that."

Sure, when the bullets are flying, God, our Father and Creator, and His Son, Christ, are front and center, hearing many promises that may never be fulfilled.  This corona virus is a slow-motion battle, which confronts two aspects of our lives:  Our fears and our conveniences.  We fear the unknown, the virus and the impact it may have on us, including the possibility of death, and the conveniences, plenty of toilet paper in my life, enough to wrap a house with as a prank.  Fear is present and conveniences are put on hold indefinitely.  So we turn to God in our slow motion battle because "there are no atheists in foxholes."

But look back at the two passages again.  In Ezekiel, Ezekiel is told to "prophecy to these bones..." and when he does, bones arise, sinew attaches, flesh comes next, then skin.  Then Ezekiel is asked to prophecy again, and when he does, God breathes life into the desolate, lifeless bones that have become bodies.  In John, Christ gives life to a dead (four days dead) and lifeless Lazarus.

We feed our faith and starve our fears, John Maxwell said on more than one occasion.  During our time of retreat and reflection afforded us by this hiccup in our conveniences, perhaps that should be our focus.  Taking the life-giving promise from Christ, who tells Martha as she mourns, "I am the resurrection and the life." (11:25). Indeed, Christ is the author of our faith, and it is Him to whom we turn in all times, good and bad.

We pray that we use this time to "Be still and know that I am God" by focusing on our faith.  We ask for God to send His Spirit to us to help strengthen our faith.  We take our petitions to God, including our fears, and ask that He handle them for us.  We are thankful that He is the resurrection and the life.

Devotion 3.26.20

If I use the word "leader" what comes to your mind?  What's a leader look like?  What does a leader sound like in his or her own words, his or her voice?  How do you choose or recognize someone in a position of leadership?  How is the person elevated to that status in your mind?

John Maxwell notes that in a crisis a leader(s) show up.  That makes it sound like they aren't necessarily chosen, but it sounds more like that rise up from the midst of the chaos that surrounds us.

On a separate but related note, I've always wondered about the war hero.  The man (most often in our history) who was at the right place at the right time, or inserted himself into the situation to resolve, rescue, or sacrifice himself to save the lives of or end the situation of many.  Have you ever met one face-to-face?  I have had that privilege.  In a funny way, I always pictured a John Wayne figure, or maybe a Sylvester Stallone-esque type.  Chiseled, jaw that pushed out to form a strong appearance of confidence.  You get the idea.  This guy?  Nope.  Average height, mild-mannered, slight build.

During our conversation he told me of his days in battle, and he told me his assignment.  The astonishment in my voice was not mistaken.  "Really?" I asked. "No way.  Wow, I can't believe that I'm talking to someone who did that." (He did reconnaissance in Vietnam behind enemy lines.  Sat in trees as troops from the north went by, gathering troop positions.  Literally ate off the land and went for days or more gathering the information). 

Think of the people in Christ's time, then, looking for the Messiah.  Another David, a king of kings.  A man after God's own heart.  Clearly a strong and charismatic leader, capable of uniting a troubled nation under Roman rule.  Yet they forgot David's beginnings, the "youngest of Jesse's eight sons."  The one, who when assigned to confront Goliath, caused Saul, the king, to doubt and "dress David in his own tunic and...armor...and a bronze helmet...  David fastened his (Saul's) sword over the tunic and tried to walk because he wasn't used to them."  David eventually convinces them he needs to shed the armor and meet Goliath on his own (and with God).  (1 Samuel 16)

Isaiah 11 had told the Hebrews "a little child will lead them," but they, and we, miss that in our time of need.  A baby had been born in Bethlehem to fulfill the scripture in humble beginnings (Luke 2).  Christ would grow and become the fulfillment of the promise, and yet many missed and miss it.  He's not the leader we were looking for.  Not a powerful earthly ruler, but a humble servant who came to earth to deliver us.

We pray for our leaders among us in the crises of our lives.  We ask for humility and wisdom from our leaders as they are among us, and we ask for God to guide them and for us to exhibit humility in following them.  We pray that we all turn to Christ, the humble servant leader, to guide us in our time of trouble.

Devotion 3.25.20

During the leadership seminars John Maxwell has been holding, he came to the point to define what a crisis is.  He used a definition I was familiar with, based on the Greek definition of a crisis.  The Greeks would say a crisis is a "turning point."

A crisis forces you to do things you wouldn't do without the crisis.  It forces change.  A crisis increases our focus and limits what had been competing or conflicting priorities.  As Maxwell noted, "A crisis disrupts and distracts us.  It ultimately is a time of difficulty requiring a decision that will be a turning point."

I think back to my own life.  My dad had a full-time job until the "packing plant" (a reference to a meat production and packaging plant) shut down.  That certainly disrupted things and priorities changed.  I was very young. The focus was making a limited amount of money stretch to provide food and clothing and pay the bills. Dad drew part-time jobs while looking for full-time work.  The decisions were made and each one was a turning point in survival.  He finally drew enough credits from part-time work with the Post Office to add to his naval service in World War II to apply for and get accepted to the USDA Food Inspection program.  That became his career until he retired when I was active in my career as an educator.

It was clearly a time of difficulty requiring decisions that eventually provided turning points.  Each of us have our own turning points in our lives.  As Maxwell notes in discussing turning adversity into advantage, the person who takes a crisis and makes it an advantage does so from perspective.  We know there is a pattern of good and bad in our lives.  How do we use both to grow (perspective)?  One thing Maxwell notes is, "There is always an answer."

As Christians, we should know that to change our perspective is a matter of to whom shall we go?  Psalm 121 says, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." (v 1 - 2) The psalmist goes on to detail how intimate God is with us by consistently saying "watches over us."  In the Gospel of John, Peter answers, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."  (6:68)

We pray we turn to God in the good and the bad times.  We pray that God watch over us, to not let us stumble and to keep us safe from all harm.  We pray that God's will be done and that in time of need, we learn what that will is in our lives.  We turn to Christ, who has the words of eternal life, to gain that perspective needed to make the decisions in our lives that will be that turning point.

Devotion 3.24.20

John Maxwell is a well-known author of all things leadership.  He has written many books on various aspects of leading and learning, has a bible he put out that focuses on the 21 "irrefutable" characteristics of leadership in various chapters of the bible, is a speaker, and a thinker.  I signed up to become Maxwell certified and our certification event was of course scheduled for March 20 - 25.  I'm guessing by now you realize I am not in attendance, nor is anyone else, because it has been cancelled.

That said, Maxwell and his team made a decision to offer, free of charge, a leadership summit on leading in a time of crisis.  Clearly he is speaking to an online audience, and the topic is timely.  Today's presentation was interesting because it involves "perspective."  Maxwell noted there are two responses to adversity:  "Seek advantage or see adversity."  As we delve deeper into the crisis, do we see things we might not possibly have been able to see in our status quo existence before the event?

This is where Maxwell's faith life takes us because he once was a pastor who still falls back on scriptural concepts in his writings.  Scripture is full of crises that God allows to put his people exactly where they need to be.  The question becomes are we asking God where He wants us to be at this time?

Look at the book of Mark, chapter 4.  In it the disciples and Jesus are at sea and a terrible storm erupts (having been on the bay before when a storm arises, I know they can literally come out of nowhere).  The disciples are terrified and cry to Jesus, "...don't you care that we are perishing?"  I know, sounds somewhat pathetic.  Jesus arises and "rebukes the wind" telling it, "Silence! Be still!"

Is he talking to the wind, or to the disciples?  I always thought mostly to the wind, but also to the disciples.  That an easy assumption because we've heard God tell us to listen to Him, to turn to Him before. We hear God tell the psalmist, and us, to "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." (Psalm 46:10)

As we sit in the midst of a crisis, what are you seeking?  Advantage or adversity?  What is your perspective?

Together, let's pray that it is seeking God in the midst of need, seeking to have His will be done through us, as people of God.  Pray that we be still and listen to God.  Seek his direction as we seek refuge in our fortress.  Let's pray that is the advantage we gain in this.

Devotion 3.23.20

Greetings to all who are reading this.  I hope this finds you well during this time in all of our lives.  This is, to say the least, a very interesting time indeed.

COVID-19 - We've probably all heard about it and read about it.  We may even know people impacted by the virus.  Friends of ours who have family.  Friends with associates or others in their lives who have it.  When the virus eventually runs its course, we can certainly say we knew people who were impacted directly or indirectly by it.

The question is, how does a virus that can be survived with better than average odds have us in such a panic?  I'm not certain, but somewhere in some psychologist's vault is a study that is being written about our behavior at this time.  We've stripped stores clean of goods.  We've taken to social media to proclaim our fears, expertise, or opinions on this and that from a political nature, an economic nature, a matter of social behavior and a host of other stuff.  And, only in America, we have managed to create humor about the issue too with memes and jokes - one such example was a post from a friend of mine that read, "Since sports are no longer on television, I've gotten to know this person I've been living with for a few years.  I've learned we are married and that she is a doctor at a local clinic.  Apparently her name is Betty."

The answer to the question asked above comes to us through scripture. In Psalm 23, we find David seeking comfort and refuge in the living God.  We use this psalm at funerals, but in this case, we learn the psalm is not really about death, but about living.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff , they comfort me."

God cares for us, and we lack for nothing.  He makes us to lie down, leading us near still waters.  He restores us.  And when we walk (not if, but when) through the shadow of death, and not death itself, we fear no evil, because he is with us.  Christ says it this way in Matthew 28:20 - "... and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

In truth, we pray that we know God is with us in times of crisis, panic and fear.  We pray that we put our trust in the living God, one who assures us He is with us.  We pray we use this time of quiet to still our souls and fear no evil, because He sent His Son to be with us always.  Amen