Pathways

In an old song, Dan Fogelberg writes, "Gone are the pathways, a child follows home.  Gone, like the sand and the foam."  As parents and Church leaders, we are in the business of making sure this doesn't happen.  So how?

I can think of several Scriptures that speak to this.  The first is, "Train up a child in the way he/she should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6)."  When I rehearse a wedding, I have a specific way I do it.  I place everyone in the wedding party in the position they will occupy during the real wedding ceremony.  That is where we begin the rehearsal.  Why?  Because I want them to know where they are going when they enter the wedding.  I then ask them to practice the recessional.  And, lastly, we practice the entrance, made easier because they know exactly where they are going.  The same is true for children.  We train them up, telling them where we, and those in our household, stand.  We don't leave them to their wits, the wiles of the world, their peers, or the enemy to teach them where to stand.  That is our job!

The second Scripture that leads me in teaching children is, "I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in the truth (3 John 1:4)."  Do you get the nuance here?  In Western thought, we are all caught up in information.  The words of teaching are our greatest focus.  In Middle Eastern thought from Jesus' day, the idea was not just information ... it was application.  Knowing the truth is one thing.  Walking in the truth is another.  For our children, I pray they will learn to walk in the truth.

So standing and walking are both important for our teaching and leading children.  But there is another important part to making sure our children become all they can be.  And this one is very simple.  It is expressed in the words of an old Carolyn Arends song.  "We grow up so innocent and wise, till we cut the world down to our size.  We still have that wonder in our eyes.  Maybe that's why Jesus said to come, with the faith we had when we were young.  Letting our imaginations run."  The Scripture is from Matthew 18:3, and is a reminder that childhood faith is both desirable and endorsed by Jesus.  This morning I had a chance to watch one of our older children ring the Sanctuary bell.  The child might have balked at this because we have somehow conveyed the idea one can "grow out" of this fun activity.  It was such a blessing to see the joy in those eyes as the bell tolled.  

Standing in the truth, walking in the truth and living in the joy of the truth seems like a great recipe for entering a messed-up world.  I have to admit ... I had to ring that bell a couple of times myself.  It seemed to clear my head and send the demons of a crazy morning packing.  Try it sometime.  Don't let the world or the expectations of so-called "adults" downsize your faith.  Faith has been given to you to be boundless and filled with the dreams of God's kingdom on earth, just as it is in heaven.  AMEN

Decline the Invitation

Every so often someone tells me about getting an invitation to be included in a "Who's Who" publication.  The invitation is congratulatory and complimentary.  It can be flattering.  It can also be expensive since getting your name published involves sending them a fee for that service.  My advice?  Decline the invitation.

As Christians, we hear blustery and flowery expressions of God's sufficiency.  We sing them, say them at times of stress, and we proclaim them as oft-repeated cliches.  But do we mean them?  The Sanctuary Carillon is currently playing "A Mighty Fortress," a musical expression of the importance and sufficiency of God.  "That word (Jesus) above all earthly powers!" we sing.  Then, we get the invitation from our will and our feelings.  And earthly powers are given more power and traction than they should ever deserve. My advice? Decline the invitation ... but how?

It is really a very simple, but profound, decision to decline the invitation to negativity.  Negativity, self-sufficiency and self-loathing are all bedfellows.  They hang out together, and they are close kin to Satan's desire to tempt and deceive us.  "Jesus ... you are hungry.  Turn these stones into bread!  Jesus ... you are the Son of God!  Throw yourself down and I (Satan) will give you power over your little domain!"  You can read all about it in Matthew 4.  We have heard this before!

Here is my "go to" Scripture for those times when Satan is buffeting me with negative vibes.  "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is commendable ... if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Philippians 4:8)," is where I rest my heart.  Try it!  Read it!  Sift your day through it!  Start seeing life, people, and events through the eyes and heart of God.

As I read this passage this morning, I reflected.  How do I assess each Sunday morning?  Do I see the 30-40 different moving parts, questions, issues, problems, and people as a mish-mash of things that either go well or not-so-well?  Or do I watch for the beauty in the people and experiences of each Sabbath?  Yesterday, I watched our handbell team present 2 songs, both wonderful and better-than-expected from the short time they had been together.  But something was happening, beyond the music and beyond my tunnel vision.  Did you notice the almost 80-year age gap between the performers?  Have you ever seen anything, except worship itself, that invites that multi-generational cooperation?  Was the performance true, honorable, pure and worthy of praise?  Did we all pitch in, moving the tables and giving real commendations to each person who was part of the group?  Did we, as the bells rang, sing in our heads ... "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty ... early in the morning my song will rise to thee!"?

Affirmation or Information?

Which of the words above attracts your attention?  And, as you are thinking, I will admit to a bias here.  When I read something on Facebook, see something on TV, hear something in a conversation, and (especially) hear a political ad making a claim, I want to know the facts.  My "go-to" position on all of these sources is to not believe them until I see evidence.  What about you?

So ... I have a pet peeve about the title of this blog.  My annoyance is that we, too often, want affirmation, not information.  The Jews in Acts 18 (Paul is verbally attacked and accused of teaching what was contrary to the Jewish Law) seek affirmation of what they have always done.  Paul teaches from the Scripture and the words of the Jewish Prophets, but the religious leaders will not listen.  They have no desire to examine and debate the information Paul is providing.  Instead, they want Paul to affirm them and their tradition.  But don't be too harsh ... the same thing happens in 2024 America!

First, we live in a world that worships affirmation.  Our children are affirmed by getting a trophy for participation.  I am always astounded when I see statistics on reading levels.  Quora states that 54% of American adults between the ages of 16 and 74 read below 6th-grade reading standards.  Have we educationally affirmed (passed people up the line) our children and adults into this deplorable situation?  Do we affirm behaviors that actually make those behaviors worse?  San Francisco has a $5 million program to provide "managed-alcohol" to the homeless to "stabilize" drinking patterns (Newsnation).  If you have ever been in an addiction, you realize the tragic end of this affirmation.

Second, we live in a world that is reluctant to hear the truth.  The Jews in Paul's day didn't want to hear his expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and actively tried to suppress it (Acts 18:12-13).  I have a friend, in the Global Methodist Church, who was told not to speak at a funeral (held in a United Methodist Church) because they feared what he "might" say.  There is a famous quote at the end of the movie, A Few Good Men, where Jack Nicholson's character shouts "You can't handle the truth."  I had a dialogue with one of our classes about their embarking on the study of The Revelation.  I am excited by this because they are desiring to go Higher Up and Deeper In."  My only caveat, in advising them on materials, is ... "Be willing to look at the actual truth regarding eschatological literature."  Our Southern-influenced view of The Revelation has been off-base for many years, and information, not affirmation, can result in truth, understanding, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, we live in a world that is being "blown about by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14)."  Paul said this happens when we "walk in the vanity of our mind (Ephesians 4:17)!"  And there it is ... our mind supplanting the mind of Christ.  Our mind supplanting Scripture.  Our mind affirming our own understanding and rejecting God's good plan.  Our mind sending us toward our purpose rather than God's will.

Biblical judgment isn't about receiving a participation trophy.  It is about a very just and holy God seeing straight into our hearts.  That is the God of Matthew 25, where Jesus provides one of 2 answers.  The first is directed to proud people who have ignored God's priorities.  Jesus says, "I never knew you."  The second is, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father."  Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those with pure hearts, those who make peace, and those who are persecuted because they love righteousness.  People, I pray, like you!  AMEN

Drawn

I have been watching the Olympics off and on.  Having grown up running track and field and being taught swimming lessons by an Olympic swimmer, it is only natural.  But this year I have especially noticed which athletes draw me in.  So I ask ... what draws you in?

The question, above, is really not about the Olympics.  It is more about life.  What is compelling to you?  What captures you so that you want more?  And are the things that "draw" you cultural or spiritual?

In Acts, we find the stark reactions of people who are either cultural or spiritual.  Paul, In Acts 18, leads Crispus, a synagogue leader, and his entire household to the Lord.  In the same chapter, Paul is attacked by other Jews and is accused of "persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law (Acts 18:13)."  He (Paul) experiences two vastly different responses by people who are supposedly devout Jews.  One group is drawn to the law and the other is drawn by the Holy Spirit.  Both groups claim the moral "high ground."

As I read this account, I can't help but look at the culture in which we live.  I can almost hear the voices of cultural Christians who would say, "Let them believe what they want.  I can't tell other people how to believe or follow God. It's all good!"  Let's let that sink in for a moment!  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6),"  but we are willing to say, "It's all good!?"

Is "IT" all good for our children?  One writer said, "We raise our kids in an aquarium, but release them into the ocean!"  I wonder if this modern idea of allowing our kids to decide what they will believe for themselves has created a generation that has huge mental health issues and a myriad of substance abuse problems.  If we (parents, teachers, Christians) fail to teach them about God, faith, values, and right, what will "draw" them?  Maybe self, substances, and their emotions?  Where will they be when self, substances and emotions leave them spent?  They will be empty and lost in an ocean filled with unfriendly and unhealthy beasts.  It isn't ALL good for our children.

Is "IT" all good for us?  I watch the sports announcers of our generation and see a vast emptiness.  They seek the brash, the boisterous, and the "out there."  That stuff sells, because it is part of life's meaningless soap opera.  And people are drawn to all of this.  And Paul, in his wonderful way (and amid persecution) says, "fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely and admirable (Philippians 4:8)."  It isn't ALL good for our adults.

I love the quote from one of our Olympic athletes ... one that I am drawn to ... Sydney McLaughlin.  In the midst of brash victory demonstrations, me-focused histrionics, and prideful pompousness, I see a young woman who seems to have her head on straight.  Here are her words ... "I don't deserve anything.  But through grace and faith, Jesus has given me everything.  Records come and go, but the glory of God is eternal."

Maybe, as our kids go off to school, college, or into the workforce, we teach them what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable."  And, maybe we express the value of being drawn to these things that will breathe substance and life into an otherwise empty world.  And, maybe the ocean of the world will become more beautiful and less dangerous!  Randy