Devotion 11.3.22

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." Exodus 20:17

What do we covet? God points out in the Ten Commandments a series of commands, codifying our relationship with Him officially (since "sin" existed from the Fall of Man forward) into ten commands that cement our relationship with Him as God's people. The first few deal with our relationship with Him, the next few deal with actions we take (murder, steal, adultery) and the last deals with a condition of the heart (covet).

In a healthy way, this desire can make us take action to obtain the "want" in an ethical and legal manner. We can work harder to achieve the goal. We can seek a job that pays enough to live the life style we desire for our families.  In an unhealthy and sinful way, it can cause us to lie, cheat, steal or even murder (Cain killing Abel for having the more acceptable offering offended Cain's sense of desiring God's favor for example).

When is that line crossed? Interestingly enough, we see it almost daily. In large dramatic ways, we see sports franchises endorse cheating by their actions. My Astros as a most familiar way violating the directives from MLB to not use the electronic equipment for learning what pitch the pitcher is going to deliver. In other cases, we have two fishermen accused of adding weights to their fish to win the bass boat in a contest recently. We see Tom Brady in "deflate-gate" a few years ago, and even in marathons, people seeking to get a certain time to qualify for "the Boston" or some other event have been known to cut a course and shave a few miles off to better their time (marathon races have electronic mats used at the main points of a run, but all marathons add a mat or two in places unannounced to catch potential cheaters looking to shorten the course).

In a more sensitive vein, accounting firms don't make a ton of money on audits just because people want to see how well the books balance. We've even seen locally that Enron isn't the only game in town when it comes to attempting to present a false front and "cook the books." But corporations are made up of people, and as Promise Keepers once noted, the car doesn't break down over night. Our slide into they abyss of a heinous act is a slow boat to China as my dad used to say, usually starting small and then growing larger with each act.

What drives this behavior of willingness to live on the edge of danger to gain something illegally or unethically? It could be laziness. Worse, it could be a complete loss of perspective that blurs our vision between the right way to achieve and the wrong way to. That vision blurring condition is also known as sin, and as we confess from 1^st John, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." So, it's likely that what becomes a big sin started in a small way. 

The capacity is in all of us. The cure is available to confess that sin and to seek forgiveness. Our "repentance" is a turning away then. 

We seek God's counsel when we sin, in this case covet, and we seek His forgiveness, given freely through His Son Jesus Christ's suffering, death and resurrection.

Devotion 10.17.22

"You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings.... But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:10 - 11; 14 - 16 

This weekend did not disappoint when it came to sports at the college or professional level. You may have had a dog in a hunt of any of the marquee matchups, but in terms of sheer quality, the games did not disappoint. From upsets to a really long baseball game and all points in between, there was greatness on the field of play.

How can we account for all the great play? I'd like to think leadership has a great deal to do with it. We see in teams that bring on board the best of talent that talent can only get you so far. There are those intangibles in any organization or team that bring out the best in its members.The Philadelphia Phillies were greatly underperforming at the start of the season and now find themselves in the championship series this year. The difference? They fired their manager and brought on an interim. Did a baseball skipper make that much difference? The answer is apparently.

One thing any leader does is to teach and to learn. A leader adapts but doesn't do so absent of information and knowledge to make a decision which means he or she is constantly surveilling the horizon in terms of competition, best practices and how staff or team members best respond to the latest strategies. Paul says as much in his letter to Timothy:  You know my teaching - things I taught on purpose and things you saw me do as an example. Continue in your learning, and know that the scripture you have known since birth and continued to learn daily is great for many things.

We all lead whether or not we believe that. Paul notes in early in the passage. People are watching us, not just as Christians, but they do watch us because our actions speak volumes about who we are, what we believe, how we practice living. By professing our faith, we have an opportunity to lead others to Christ in fact, but we profess that faith by our actions. As Paul notes, we learn scripture to be prepared for every good work, not for salvation purposes, but because we are leaders in our own right.

Paul was the consummate leader. He led by example and by his teaching, writings and visitation to places to see how they were doing in terms of their faith and to resolve conflict. We pray God use us and our skills to lead where we are planted - in our families, with our sphere of people around us and with those we may encounter who have yet to know Christ.

Devotion 10.12.22

 "Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28

If you cannot follow, you cannot lead.

Michael Lombardi (no relation to Vince but an NFL exec himself) writes a column called "The Daily Coach," and in it is example after example of failure to follow that creates doubt in one's self to your team to your coach simply because "my will be done." His writings apply to life using sport as an example.

That applies to life, from the family to organizations to government to you name it. I know in my personal experience to lead, problems arose when I failed to listen, to clarify, to make clear our mission and goals, to express our hopes and aspirations...basically when I failed to speak in terms followers desire to hear and understand or act in ways that drew out the best in people.

Christ is addressing a mom in Matthew 20 who wanted her two sons to be at His right and left side when He triumphed. His response was, "Do you even know what you are asking?" You want the glory? Here is what that will look like. We eventually see who is at Christ's right and left side at the day of crucifixion.

When we are placed in leadership, the key ingredient is humility and the ability to serve. We pray for that in all of our leaders, especially for our families and in the church.

Devotion 9.15.22

"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the say, and when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between our eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of our house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:6 - 9

"...teach them diligently..." at the start of v 7 has some interesting notes in my bible. The phrase comes from "Hebrew 'shanan;' verb for sharpening by repeatedly running the blade over a whetstone. Parents are to teach God's Word faithfully and repeatedly to their offspring so that God will continually dwell with His people." (Lutheran Study Bible notes, pg 288) So, what do we take from this?

Parents are noted as the primary source of instruction in this passage. In many places in scripture, it notes a father's role in discipline.  This goes beyond "punishment" as we so often define it, but rather in teaching, guiding and leading a child. What's interesting in this is the motion given by the Hebrew word "shanan" in terms of sharpening. My dad was a meat-cutter who could sharpen a knife blade to a razor's point. The motion mentioned in the definition of the Hebrew word, "repeatedly running the blade over a whetstone," indicates a rhythmic approach, made clear in v 7, "...shall talk of them when you sit...walk...lie...and rise." That doesn't "imply," it states directly to talk of God in every available moment.

So, why do we forget? Forget what you ask? Forget history? I have a love for history and taught it in school for six years before moving to administration. My observation was that kids would retain history better if you could link it to the here and now. How do you do that? You can start by teaching that there is literally nothing new under the sun in terms of what happens today. It is linked to our story of how we arrived to where we are today. It's found in every day life, not just in the headlines, but in many aspects of what we do, why we do it, and how we do it.

What about your family? My observation as a teacher is that it was good to link issues of the day to the everyday life of people in our community. The family unit being the most significant part of a community, each family has a story about how it got there and what brought them there. Not separate from that is the church (or churches) in that community. So, you have a basis under your own roof to talk about your family in the context of its history, how you got here to this point today, and faith's role in your family. What do we talk about around our dinner tables, in the car, as we pray and as we have time to talk/teach our families about their past and the faith that is a significant part of that?

That makes history and faith active in our lives. Rather than say, "Never forget," we say, "Always remember." Remember who we are, where we've come from and how God has a plan for us in our past and in our present (Jeremiah 29:11). We pray that our parents are taking an active role in the development of our children, and we pray that we, as members of a larger faith community, the church, take our role in helping shape those children when opportunities arise.

Retreat Devotion 9.12.22

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

(This will be part of our devotion at the retreat, but since some won't be there, we will share in advance for all to benefit and prepare.)

What is your purpose? Why am I here on this earth? Am I significant and do I make a difference?

These are all questions we ask ourselves at some time in our lives. If you do a simple scan of my life, let's say look at my calendar and see what my schedule looked like from 22 years of age until now, you'd come to the conclusion my purpose was to be in meetings. In fact, it is almost a steady march each day, especially in my education years, of meetings. Even in retirement, I meet. Don't try to draw a distinction between being an educator and the "real world," because when I retired and went to the private sector, the meetings increased.

Surely I am meant to do more than to convene around the table or in a room with others, and I bet you feel the same. We all seek significance or meaning in our lives, but where do we turn for this?

Scripture tells us in passages like Ephesians that we were created with a purpose. In fact, our being means that we were put here to do "good works," which God prepared with us in mind. That means that God is intimately aware of us and what our time on earth is for (Psalm 139), as He "knit us in our mother's womb." My task, then, is to seek God's Will in my life, to open those doors maybe I haven't been, to make that call I haven't made or to seek out that visit with someone I have been putting off. 

We pray for insight into God's will for us and to open those doors of opportunity that we may have walked past many times. We ask for God's Spirit to guide us to help us see those opportunities and to equip us for service as needed.

Retreat Topic 1 - Devotion 9.5.22

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41 - 42

(These next several devotions will be part of our conversation at the retreat, but not everyone can go, so we can share and prepare in advance.)

Which is more important? Leadership or management? I wrestle with this from time to time because of my former role in education leadership.  I'm not alone though because I know for a fact the military wrestles with this as well.  None other than one General (then later President) Dwight D. Eisenhower left us a management tool that to this day still bears his name:  The Eisenhower Matrix. It's divided into four quadrants. Across the top it says "Urgent" over one quadrant, and "Not Urgent" over the one to its right. Then on the descending left side of it at the side of it reads "Important," and the one below it is "Not Important." (Like me and need to see these things? A link is at the bottom of the email to a site that explains it fully.)

Martha, the subject of the occasion, finds herself worked into a frenzy. She is in the "Urgent"  and "Important" quadrant (Q1). This is not a good place to be. Eisenhower realized that being in the Army and leading the Army in Europe could mean everything is urgent and important all at once (generally crisis management 24/7). The problem is that requires too much energy because much of what some people think is urgent and important is really a crisis caused by poor planning.  General Eisenhower knew that to be effective, he needed to focus on "Important, Not Urgent." Strategy, reflection, sharing leadership thoughts, teaching, and planning can go into that quadrant two (Q2). It's important, not urgent.

Mary is at the feet of Q2: Christ. Christ all but tells an exasperated Martha that when she interrupts his teaching and presence by protesting Mary's lack of help. "Mary has chosen the good portion."

I realized in administration that if I was going to lead, I had to manage effectively. So when a mentor of mine showed me this and a corresponding folder system, I went back and implemented it immediately. Want something signed? It goes in the "Signature" folder. Why? Because if I signed based on employee need, that is all I would do because people arrive a decisions independently and bring things to you individually. The staff soon learned I review and sign every day during lunch. Get it in before noon. (There were two other folders, but save that for another day.)

Why is this important? Because one area of focus for all of us is "Reflection." How and when do I give myself time to reflect? Where am I and how am I doing in my four pillars in life - faith, family, learning and giving/sharing. What are your "big areas" in your life that drive your activity? How much time do you give them in reflection daily, weekly, monthly and yearly? It's important, as Christ notes, and if it can make the difference in winning and losing a war, think about what it can do with your life.

How and when do we reflect on God's Word and will in our lives? How do we become men of action, not activity?

Pray to God for time to reflect on what is important in our lives as He sees it and pray for the ability to act when we begin seeing these things more clearly.

https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/eisenhower-matrix

Devotion 9.2.22

"And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay." Daniel 2:41

You've probably heard the phrase "feet of clay" used when it comes to describe the state of man. We hope to be iron, as in the passage "iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27)," but in reality we are in a constant state of being. That means we move forward, and we slide back. Much like the kingdom described in the dream Daniel interprets, we are a combination of iron and clay. Both will decay, but one is stronger than the other. One is less fragile than the other.

"Only what's done for Him will last" is the refrain penciled in a print my wife and I bought at the start of our marriage at an art show. Of course, it's at the bottom of an old church somewhere in everyday America. It's a wood frame church that is deteriorating. That line comes from a poem by the same title. Rather than focus on being feet of clay, we'd rather focus on the source of our faith, salvation and strength - Christ.

"I can do all things through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13) As we seek to be more Christ like in our walk, we focus on Christ, His Word, his sacrificial and sacramental acts that saved us and give us faith, which give us strength and hope.

The theme for the retreat this is from this brief devotion:  "From Feet of Clay to Feats of Strength." We will have devotion time, activity time, and meal time. What we hope it all adds up to is an enjoyable time for everyone who participates. Please consider joining us Sept 30 - Oct 2 in Mason, TX at the Schwede Ranch where there will be abundant opportunities for learning, fellowship and fun.

Devotion 8.29.22

"...I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul,...." Psalm 131:1 - 2

The Psalms of Ascents, 120 - 134, is a psalmist, including David at times, describing the pilgrimage to the temple and entering the temple to worship. In 131, as the psalmist has drawn near in previous psalms, David writes that he is lowering himself as he approaches God, and that he has "calmed and quieted" his soul.

We had an incident near our house on Friday that brought out SWAT from Lubbock Police. I know the people who live at the house, so naturally my curiosity went to a higher level (like SWAT coming into the community is a normal, daily event - that alone made my curiosity high). However, having taken the Lubbock Law Enforcements' Citizen's Academy (no, I didn't get a badge), I noted a person there from a small unit that works with people who have mental disabilities or psychological disorders. I saw her in a squad car, so I thought she was brought in to disarm the person (figuratively) while SWAT disarmed the person (literally). LPD was successful as they brought the young man out that was at the center of the issue, and he was placed in a squad car. "He's had a bad day," one of the policemen said to me.

LPD had successfully "calmed his soul." I don't know what caused his distress, but I learned from the news the family had a restraining order on him. With the presence of the special unit I mentioned who deal with people who have mental or psychological disorders, I felt like he had something that posed a threat to his family in some way. I may never know, but my thought was with his family immediately. Now their souls were not quiet or calm.

What upsets our souls? David lays it out in the other psalms. He has enemies. He has people he doesn't trust, including his own sons who will try to take the throne from him in a coup attempt. He has himself in that he inflates his ego and thinks highly of himself, to the point he's willing to steal the wife of a general who is faithful to him and Israel (not laid out in a psalm but his prayer for forgiveness is - 51). What upsets our souls? What distracts us from God? What causes us to think about anything but worship when we enter church?

Psalm 131 gives us the words to help us focus on God, lowering our heads, not thinking of things too high, and seek to calm and quiet our souls. We pray for God's guidance to help us calm and quiet our souls in the midst of the storms we have in our lives.

Devotion 8.23.22

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" Psalm 139:23 - 24

There was a man, once a member at Hope Lutheran, who was talking to me about David's psalms. To know this guy was to know a classic West Texan, self-made, very confident in himself but not in a sinful way (that I could tell because he was also humble in many ways), and a great sense of humor. He had held a high position in a global company and had been a Marine in service to his country, so I hope I'm accurately painting a picture of a guy you'd like to hang around.

Anyway, to David's psalms, he asked, "Do you ever just read those and think David is one whiny guy? Of course, he asked 42 or 43-year-old me back when I was full of self-confidence and self-assured as well, so I said I'd never really looked at David as "whiny." Yet, as I read his psalms more in-depth, I can see how he might hear that because David is very much a modern man. By that I mean David is certainly willing to be vulnerable. That was a word my dad's generation never uttered.

David, however, is different. He's king. He is a man after God's own heart. He's been saved by God on several occasions, including the big one when he murdered a faithful servant general in Israel's own army at war for his king, David. Yet, as David writes (on many occasions), he asks God to search his heart.

What's powerful about that for us to read is that David is confessing another modern aspect here: cognitive bias. I am blind to my own biases and should be open to the idea they exist. David isn't taunting God in this passage (the entire psalm is a confession to a God who knows us intimately with familiar passages like, "You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (139:13 - 14) David is inviting God for a close and personal examination to not only search his heart, but to see where he is erring and to lead him in the way of the ever lasting.

As we confess on Sundays (and sometime during the week), do we invite God into our own hearts to show us where we stumble? Do we say to Him, "You know what I don't know - my blindness to my own sin - show me those errors and reveal them to me. Correct me, so I can seek forgiveness and have you lead and guide me to a more excellent way through your Son Jesus Christ."?

David's psalms are powerful prayers for us to use to open our eyes and our hearts to God and His Word. They are a "lamp to our feet and a light to our path." (109:105)

Masculinity - Winner

 "Again, if the trumpet makes an unclear call, who can get ready for battle?" 1 Corinthians 14:8

The leader decides and sends his troops to battle with the call of the trumpet in ancient times through the 20th century (maybe still in the Navy). Garry Wills, historian and author of the book that bore a title based on Paul's imagery, "Certain Trumpets (1995)," highlights historical figures who exemplified certain leadership traits and those who were the antithesis.

In his chapter on sports, he writes about Carl Stotz. It's timely given the fact that we watched the Litle League World Series recently. Carl founded the Little League. Wills writes, "Being the imitator of a hero is not the same thing as following a leader." Stotz envisioned a league that would allow boys to play and eventually end up in a World Series all its own. The rules he used to set it up avoided many pitfalls he saw in pro baseball. He developed a point system that would allow teams to draft but not be able to draft the "all stars." He made sure the kids played in the boundaries of their school zone and played in age brackets reflective of their peer groups in school. He put extra players on the field to encourage more kids getting playing time. The kids were to be coached by men who were committed to development of character using sports. 

To read the chapter is enjoyable to see a man with a vision to shape young boys into men with positive role models, but it is interesting to note the emphasis isn't on "winning." Given today's rhetoric of "we are just creating a nation of people who've done nothing but get participation trophies," it's interesting to note that the origins of youth sports, like Little League, were designed to focus on character development by giving kids structured activities to engage in play and learn in the process. When did the objective change to become a point of contention that made "winning" the objective, to the point that it stirs anger in some who comment that "these kids are spoiled by always getting participation trophies." Let's leave those analyses to the experts and focus on another aspect of this.

Paul writes about this interestingly enough, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?... but we receive an imperishable wreath." (1 Corinthians 9) Ironically in this discussion, we are the recipients of a participation trophy in our faith. It isn't merit based. It has no complex training schedule. Our imperishable wreath is based on nothing we do. It is all there as a gift. 

We all caught the video clip of the young man beaned by a pitch from a pitcher in Texas in the current Little League World Series. The young lad from Oklahoma, after getting on his feet and being okay'ed to play, trotted down to first base. He looked at the mound and noted the pitcher couldn't compose himself. He trotted to the mound and embraced the pitcher in an effort to calm him down. The Texas coach and team came out at that point and did the same to the pitcher as the boy trotted back over to first.

Masculinity isn't about "winning." Masculinity is about creating the attitude of a winner, but what does that look like? If we read Paul further, we read that Christ didn't see equality with God as something to be used to His own advantage (Philippians 2:6). In faith, masculinity is about complete humility in the sense that we are given a gift of faith based on nothing we can or will do. Our actions do not please God to the point of merit. We are forgiven and given grace based on our faith in Christ. In turn, we extend that forgiveness and grace to others. 

We pray we can exhibit the grace needed when we get "beaned" in life. We pray we can exhibit the same humility Christ did when He followed His Father's will. 

Devotion 8.15.22

 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:10 - 11

We said goodbye to our faithful servant Pastor Dan Borkenhagen yesterday at Hope Lutheran Church and School. Dan is returning to his roots in Minnesota, land of my own forefathers. My dad moved to Houston in 1954 from Minnesota, so I've claimed Minnesota as part of my heritage equal to my claim on Texas (Mom is a fourth generation Texan). I have a love of both.

Dan's final sermon was based on Ephesians 6 and included the passage above. I listened intently to his final words, and he said something significant during the course of his sermon. We may not align with our deeply divided culture in this world (as Christ referred to "this world" in our gospel lesson from John 17), but our opposition to our brethren on the other side of the debate doesn't identify them as "evil." Rather, we oppose the evil that may lurk behind them.

I once heard a speaker that said the biggest obstacle in our lives isn't those who oppose us, it is the person on your driver's license. I'm my biggest obstacle to my own progress for many reasons.  Oh sure, there may be a person who represents a different view in life that I may not agree with that may be contrary to God's Word, but I can only control my own reaction, the potential evil within me. As we get tested by God and tempted by Satan (James 1), we turn to God and ask for strength to live up to the test He's put before us, and to turn away from the temptation, the trap that Satan has set to lure us into a sin.

Dan has given us five great years of his own story, his own highs and lows. We, too, though, have the same kind of story. Successes and failure. 

We move on in Ephesians 6 to ask God to put on the gospel armor Paul describes in his epistle. We ask for strength and for God to protect us from evil, mainly our own weaknesses and temptations. We ask for God to guide us in "this world" and to keep us from being "of this world" while we live "in this world." We ask for God to help us be lights in a world of darkness.

Masculinity - Strength

 

^"38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’^[a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well." Matthew 5:38 - 40

Okay, so when, exactly, is it manly to fight? When I was a kid, I was on the receiving end and I was on the giving end. My neighbor, a professional boxer, once heard I backed down from a fight and said, "You need to come fight at my gym." So for about a year, I went to workout at the local boxing gym where he and others trained.

It didn't change my perspective on who I was, or what my capabilities were when it came to "street fighting," but rumors persisted at school that now that I boxed, I thought I was a tough kid, so they said. So it did increase my opportunities to fight. To that end, I guess it worked, giving me opportunities to use the skills I learned to fight more, or to learn to back down from a fight in a more dignified way so the boxer wouldn't hear I "chickened out."

As we look at masculinity, strength and toughness come to mind, and in our culture, which ultimately defines masculinity, we gauge the strength of an individual in many ways - mostly by feats of strength or exhibition of toughness. Christ, however, has a final word on it as delivered in the "Sermon on the Mount."

Turn the other cheek is almost as foreign to our concept of being a man now as it was then, in spite of much of what you may read or hear. I'm almost certain King David, our warrior king who faced Goliath, may have turned to Christ and said, "Are you kidding me?" in the same way a West Texan teaching his boy the ways of manhood might. If I  turn the other cheek, my enemy (or enemies) will smell weakness and that is all they need to come after me and take me down.

I have to admit that as a principal at a school, there were times after a boy got in a fight that my impulse thought was, "If you keep acting like this, every boy in school will be in line waiting to beat your tail after school." I might have even uttered that a time or two. I know for a fact that after a school failed to intervene in a boy's continued bullying, I told the dad that sometimes suspension is worth it as long as he gets the first punch in (and make sure you land it firmly), but don't go starting a fight just to get the opportunity. His son did and the bullying ended. That's another devotion or series of devotions entirely though.

So where does Christ draw the line? The footnotes draw upon the Old Testament language and explanation that said that God intended on preventing evil from among His people. That authorities were the arbiter and dispenser of punishment (government, soldiers, etc). It notes that individuals should resist taking on punishment themselves as they see fit.

That makes sense because. our sin-filled eyes have such poor eyesight when it comes to God's righteousness that we confuse what is evil and worth righteous judgement with our own. So, Christ is telling us not to return evil with evil (an unjust act with unjust anger). Christ is telling us to strive to take the high road, and we know that our own actions, even if we believe we are righteous in our response, will face judgement. But God, who is faithful and just, forgives our sins as we confess from 1 John 1 because His Son suffered and died for our lack of ability to see the world in any way other than through the lens of sin.

A real man doesn't have to be a fighter to be masculine, A real man doesn't have to seek ways to exhibit strength to be strong. Christ was a sheep led to slaughter on our behalf and is ultimately our strongest advocate with God for our forgiveness and redemption.

Devotion 8.7.22

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² 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. (Heb. 12:1-3)

 

This Scripture comes after a tour de force of examples of Biblical faith in Hebrews 11. The writer has talked with some depth about Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and Moses.  He realizes he’s going to go on forever so then he just piles the list up by mentioning Gideon, David, Samuel, and more.  He talks about how they’ve conquered kingdoms and endured persecution, seen miracles and endured heartbreak, but they’ve done it all through faith. 

If those kinds of examples are sitting out there, he reasons, then why can’t we too run with endurance through whatever is in front of us.  And ultimately, each of those examples points us to Jesus because it was he who strengthened them. 

 

In the five years I’ve been with Hope, I’ve been blessed by the examples of the faith I’ve seen here.  I hesitate to name names, but since this Scripture does, I think it’s only right to remember some of those that are now cheering us on from heaven.  I’ll never forget how many times I’d be teaching a Bible study and Ernie Kiesling would quietly raise his hand and ask a question that blew me away.  The product of a lifetime of following Jesus and reading his Word.  I’ll never forget my last visit with Brian Barnell when I brought him communion. He wasn’t eating anymore, but when he saw my box, he said, “there’s the food I really need.”  Yes, the examples of faith here at Hope, not just in those men, but in all of you has built me up.  The words we shared on 2^nd Saturdays.  Some overnight brisket cooks and crawfish boils.  And with so many of you, moments of conversation talking about life and how God was carrying you.

 

The hard thing is that sometimes after being built up, God calls us on to another task.  It would probably be easier to stay, but I’m seeing another leg in the race set before me.  And so we’re going to keep running and looking to Jesus for the strength to do it. I do, however, ask that you all continue to be part of my cloud of witnesses.  Pray for me and my family. Pray for our ministry. Pray that we successfully bring a little of Texas with us to Minnesota!  Know that I’m praying for you as well.  Your names are all over my prayer journal and I’ll keep those prayers coming.

 

May God bless you each as you cast aside whatever is hanging on you.  Keep running the race with Jesus!

Dan

Masculinity - Discipline/Mentorship

"'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, not be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.' It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons." Hebrews 12:5 - 10

Discipline is most often the most misused word I know. In my personal experience as an assistant principal and principal, people equated "discipline" with "punishment," but discipline is far more than punishment. Discipline has multiple meanings, and if you look it up, you will see it can mean to teach, train, and admonish/correct a child, apprentice, friend and the like who are under your influence or control (voluntarily or involuntarily) or to learn a formal field of study (his discipline he studied in college was architecture). 

We always seem to go to the base meaning of the word, to punish, but my desire as a principal and parent was that every moment in a student's or child's day is a teachable moment which forms habits. Desirable routines and habits facilitate discipline which in turn improves the student of person in the goals he or she has set in life. Discipline is as internally driven as it is externally. In fact, we know that people are primarily driven by internal desires and drive more than external. If you've had the privilege to meet an Olympian, you've had the privilege of meeting someone who was driven by the idea of being great and a love of what they did.

As men of faith in a church setting, we are here to be a part of that body, as we confess during an infant's baptism, that will pray for, attend to and be a part of that child's faith life. We are here to instruct, teach, correct and see to it that the child learns the discipline of his or her faith. If we search scripture, fathers are mentioned more often than mothers are in terms of the development of faith, but men in general play a big role. 

Our next set of devotions on masculinity will provide helpful scripture and ideas that may motivate of help in these areas. We pray that as men of God, our example via words and actions speak to those we see and that these help grow and develop the faith of those we contact.

Masculinity - Mentorship

 "'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, not be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.' It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons." Hebrews 12:5 - 10

Discipline is most often the most misused word I know. In my personal experience as an assistant principal and principal, people equated "discipline" with "punishment," but discipline is far more than punishment. Discipline has multiple meanings, and if you look it up, you will see it can mean to teach, train, and admonish/correct a child, apprentice, friend and the like who are under your influence or control (voluntarily or involuntarily) or to learn a formal field of study (his discipline he studied in college was architecture). 

We always seem to go to the base meaning of the word, to punish, but my desire as a principal and parent was that every moment in a student's or child's day is a teachable moment which forms habits. Desirable routines and habits facilitate discipline which in turn improves the student of person in the goals he or she has set in life. Discipline is as internally driven as it is externally. In fact, we know that people are primarily driven by internal desires and drive more than external. If you've had the privilege to meet an Olympian, you've had the privilege of meeting someone who was driven by the idea of being great and a love of what they did.

As men of faith in a church setting, we are here to be a part of that body, as we confess during an infant's baptism, that will pray for, attend to and be a part of that child's faith life. We are here to instruct, teach, correct and see to it that the child learns the discipline of his or her faith. If we search scripture, fathers are mentioned more often than mothers are in terms of the development of faith, but men in general play a big role. 

Our next set of devotions on masculinity will provide helpful scripture and ideas that may motivate of help in these areas. We pray that as men of God, our example via words and actions speak to those we see and that these help grow and develop the faith of those we contact.

Masculinity - Wisdom Pt 2

 "...we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:9-10

Is wisdom one of those qualities best defined by, "I know it when I see it," or "I know it when I hear it/read it"? Dr. Michael Ziegler, speaker of the Lutheran Hour, has been focusing on the book of "Ecclesiastes" these past few weeks. "Ecclesiastes," as he noted on his broadcast on Sunday, July 10, was summarized by saying that Solomon's preaching in "Ecclesiastes" was the ultimate, "Meh." In case you don't know what "meh" means, it is the way of saying "it's okay" sarcastically, as though "okay" isn't all that great. It was "meh."

Solomon, at the end of his earthly life, seems to say life is just that, okay...maybe. Worse, it is all vanity (vapor). When speaking in chapter one of wisdom, Solomon says, "I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under they sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind." (v. 13-14) I can see a person with a smile on his face going to Solomon asking, "What is life all about?" and getting that answer as his smile falls to a flat line look.

Yet Ziegler notes at the end that while the book is a sobering reminder of what pursuing the earthly good life can ultimately be, it is also a reminder of what our mindset needs to be when approaching God daily. It reminds us of exactly what Paul is saying, that we be "filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding...." We cannot do it if our posture is anything but humility, on bent knee, asking God to grant us knowledge, understanding, and wisdom (discernment) for each day as we go about life seeking to do His will and His will alone.

So as we noted in the last devotion, we seek God's Spirit to provide us with strength and wisdom each day which come from Christ and God the Father (1 Corinthians 2). God's Spirit will search God's wisdom and give us our daily provision as we seek to truly live under the theme, "Give us this day our daily bread" and "Thy will be done."

Masculinity - Wisdom

 "Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?... O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense. Hear for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips." Proverbs 8:1; 5&7

One of the funniest memes (pictures with a message on social media) I saw was of Dean Martin, holding a glass of his favorite drink, smiling his signature smile, while holding a cigarette with the caption, "Wisdom comes from experience. How did I gain experience? From a lack of wisdom." 

(Click here if you don't know who Dean Martin is and focus on the caption for the sake of the devotion.)

Certainly, in life on earth and with it earthly wisdom, trial and error over years should provide us with wisdom, the kind Dean was referring to earlier. You either get it over your lifetime or you don't. The same characteristics that interfere with spiritual wisdom interfere with earthly wisdom: pride and arrogance rank right up there. While age isn't a guarantee of wisdom, we do have the benefit of age to give us enough trial and error to break down that pride and arrogance.

Solomon, though, talks bluntly to the prideful and boasters in verse five when he says "simple ones" and even more bluntly "fools." He does note, however, that it can be learned because he says, "...learn prudence" and "...learn sense."

He's talking to me directly with that comment, and I am guessing to others reading this. If I'd get it through my thick skull to listen every now and then to someone who is trying to help me out, I might learn a thing or two, but no, let me do it my way. Paul talks to those of us who never learn in the New Testament as he speaks about wisdom in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31: "And because of him (God), you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

God has a plan for the weak and prideful/arrogant sinners who cannot learn wisdom, like me. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to become wisdom for me. We receive our wisdom through the Spirit as Paul continues to write in chapter 2 of 1 Corinthians, "...these things God has revealed through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches even the depths of God... and we impart this in words no taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual." (1 Cor 2:10 and 13).

Part of our "masculinity" is wisdom, gained from no longer fighting God and His Spirit, but yielding to Him as we pray, "Thy will be done." We seek humility to gain these insights and lessons only God can reveal to us, so that we may share them with others not as wise men of God, but as servants obedient to Him, out of the same love He showed us through His mercy and grace.

Devotion July 4, 2022

Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” 1 Samuel 8:10-18

I don't remember the first time I read this, but I remember the impact it had on me. Israel wants a king, like other nations they've watched. Until this point, God has led them. Israel, though, wants the tangible, visible, ever-present king. In fact, after Samuel points all of this out to them (the truth), they answer, "No! But there shall be a king over us!" God tells Samuel to give them what they are asking for.

What struck me about the list of things a king will do is it read like Thomas Jefferson's list of "facts be submitted to a candid world" (Declaration of Independence). Much of what we remember in the document are the poetic words at the beginning of the document, reflective of the political thinker John Locke. Locke set out in his "Treatise of Government, Parts One and Two," to dismantle the argument that a king ruled by "divine right" and moved those rights to the people themselves as part of "natural law." We turn over rule via consent of the governed. Much of what Jefferson lists in the Declaration of Independence is what has been done without "consent of the governed," his case for separation from the crown and England.

As Pastor Eric noted last Thursday in the weekly "Table Talk," speaking on two court cases that were recently released (go to Hope Lutheran Church and School Lubbock on Facebook if you'd like to listen to the discussion), he said as Christians we live in two kingdoms (a concept started by St. Augustine's "City of God" and further developed by Luther himself). We serve God in the "Heavenly Kingdom," and we answer to and respect authority "established by God" (Paul in Romans emphasized in the Small Catechism regarding "Governing Authorities") So, we are citizens in both realms, heavenly and earthly, and as such, we declare God's grace through His gospel in both realms. Yet, we have a duty to be active as citizens in the earthly realm. 

To conclude, we are thankful for our rights spelled out in our constitution, and we are thankful that the wheels were set in motion for that eventual document on this day in 1776. We pray that we enjoy our rights as citizens in the earthly kingdom and use the gifts God has given us to share the gospel to our world. We also pray for those who live in countries that are hostile to people of faith, and we pray that their mission as citizens in the heavenly kingdom, to serve God and share His gospel message, takes root and spreads as well in spite of those hostilities. 

Have a great 4th of July with friends and loved ones.

Masculinity - Loyalty Pt 2

 "Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?' e said to him, 'Yes Lord; you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Feed my lambs.'" John 21:15

"You stand up for your teammates. Your loyalty is to them. You protect them through good and bad, because they'd do the same for you." Yogi Berra

Yes, you read that correctly, a quote from the great Yogi Berra that actually makes incredible sense. You know the kind, like, " Little League is a good thing because it keeps the parents off the street," or "90% of the game is half mental." Did you know, though, that Yogi was part of the landing force in Normandy? Yogi was part of the naval support in that invasion, and he was wounded in his efforts to pilot his boat to give cover fire for the troops in the landing. He received the Purple Heart. Yogi, it seems, understands loyalty from the John 15 passage, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone should lay down his life for his friends." That sums up faithfulness and loyalty well. Click here for more information on Yogi's service in the war.

So, loyalty on the team means being part of something greater than yourself. We see Jesus asking this of Jesus. Peter, you insist on following me, do you love me more than these? If so, take care of my sheep (people). This is part of the healing process Christ offers Peter after his denial of Christ during his arrest. Peter denied him three times, and in John 21, Christ will press the question three times to confirm Peter's love for Christ. Christ is ultimately showing us loyalty in that His love for us gives us the forgiveness needed for salvation. He forgave as we are to forgive.

So, loyalty means being in service with others for something greater than ourselves. A team that strives for excellence. An organization committed to public good. A church committed to sharing the Good News of Christ and the difference He makes in our lives and the love between the fellowship as a result. So much so that even the great Yogi Berra got it straight, we pray that we do as well as followers of Christ.

Masculinity - Loyalty

 "...For where you go I will go,, and where you lodge I will lodge Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried." Ruth 1:16 - 17

Loyalty is an aspect of masculinity in our culture we seem to value. We love the loyalty of a good pet like my dog Hank, and that extends itself into relationships. He's a loyal friend, we may hear of a person. He's loyal to his church or organization, to his group and to his team.

The "loyal to the team" notion perplexes me because in my life, more often than not, teams have no loyalty to anyone but themselves. Teams move (my Houston Oilers and the then-hated owner Bud Adams moving to Tennessee for example). Don't understand that? Let me drop a name for the Lubbock folks: Chris Beard. How dare he! we heard. Where was the loyalty there? Teams decide to shed payroll and be lousy for a period of time, like the Cincinnati Reds, and the owner recently told the fans angered by years of being bad who considered boycotting the game, "Where are you going to go?" Not to the Cincinnati ballpark apparently.

As we've noted, masculinity is generally a culturally defined aspect of manhood, so to look in scripture for a common definition of that is not easy. Loyalty is equally difficult in many aspects. We can certainly find disloyalty. Adam and Eve with God in the fall. David and Uriah after Bathsheba. Peter and Christ. Judas and Christ. All betrayed God. Disloyal to the person. 

So it is ironic that perhaps one of the best definitions of loyalty occurs in the book of Ruth between Ruth and Naomi. Ruth, a daughter-in-law, is all the family that Naomi has left after losing her husband and two sons. According to Jewish law, nothing bound Ruth to Naomi, and Naomi has asked Ruth to return to her land (Moab). Yet Ruth makes the declaration above to  Naomi that basically declares a bond of loyalty, a love between the two that nothing will break, not law or tradition. The story only gets better for Ruth and Naomi as their relationship grows until at the end of the short book when Ruth has a son, and as Naomi holds the son, we read, "A son has been born to Naomi. They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David." (4:17)

What we know about loyalty in faith is that God has always been faithful and loyal to his people, after the fall in fact. God has always had a plan of salvation that began after the fall and found its way in the unlikeliest of characters, like Ruth and Naomi. That plan of loyalty between God and His people continues today, and like God with us, we are to be with each other. Forgiving, loving, and merciful people of God sharing the gospel with others. As God has done for us, so we do for others.

Masculinity - The Fall of Man

 "Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked." Genesis 3:7

The immediate response from eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was separation from a union of God we cannot understand, but the first physical sign of that separation was awareness and shame. Because of that shame, "...they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths." (3:7b)

The Fall of Man in the garden is one that provides a keen insight on our state in the fallen world: We are now separated from God because of our sinful nature. We are now foreign to God, with whom we were created in His image. The order of creation was also greatly upset: We were created in His image to tend to His creation, and man was created first, then woman.

Men were given the ultimate responsibility to tend to and work the garden with women as a "suitable helper." Today, this kind of conversation gets interfered with by several things: our pride interferes with allowing God to be God; our sin interferes with true masculinity as designed by God in creation; and our relationship with women changed immediately.

The fact is Adam failed when Eve came to him with the fruit. He had simply failed to be there, tending God's creation, including Eve, when Satan came into the Garden. Then he led the charge to hide, go into denial and make excuses. We still fail today on many fronts as men of God. God responds quickly with a promise to resolve our now-foreign nature with Him: "I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel." (3:15)

Ultimately, God will reconcile us through the suffering, death and resurrection of His Son, who overcomes sin, Satan and death. Until that time that Christ returns, we live in His grace and forgiveness for our failures and we receive strength to work toward a better relationship with God through His Spirit.  The problems we see today, and generations before and after us too have or will experience, are because of the fall.  God, however, has redeemed us and those generations before and who have yet to be who believe in His Son Jesus Christ.

We pray that as we focus on our true masculinity, we seek to put that into the perspective of a relationship with God, our Father, through our faith in His Son Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith.