Hi. Throughout my ministry, I’ve at times used the line, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” Imagine my surprise this morning when I discovered it’s from a poem by William Ross Wallace, “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” (1865). Since it is in the public domain, I’ll just include the full text at the end. It is short and it rhymes; so, it’s the best kind of poem.

Now, even though it’s from an old poem, is it true? Within a certain window of poetic license, I say it is. Every generation is formed, to a large degree, by mothers (specifically, the caregivers of early childhood, but generally, moms). But I don’t have it in me just now to draw out long lines of thoughtful reasoning. I do, however, have it in me to make a list of examples.

Abraham Lincoln said of his mother, Nancy Lincoln, “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” He credited her for the moral influence on his own character. She died when he was nine.

Monica of Hippo is known for her unconditional love for her son, praying relentlessly for him to return to God while he lived another lifestyle. He did return, and became one of the most significant Christian leaders, St. Augustine.

Jochebed defied the Pharaoh and preserved her infant son from watery death. That boy, Moses, defied the Pharaoh whose army was defeated in watery death.

Before Hannah ever bore a child, she committed him to the Lord’s service. Samuel was a prophet, priest, and Judge of Israel, and the one whom God used to anoint their first two kings.

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Mary did not ask to become the mother of Jesus. But when God chose her, she became known for her humble acceptance of God’s plans to provide a rescuer.

And when Paul said that there were at least some things the women of Ephesus could not do for the church, he made sure to affirm their godly maternal influence was needed before other discussions of leadership (1 Tim. 2:15).

Note: Neither Paul, nor I, nor anyone else you should trust, is suggesting that motherhood is the total value of anyone, or that its influence is always positive for everyone, but that it is immensely influential in every generation.

And I’ll just drop this here.

To my own mother, mother-in-law, and wife, I’ll add this. You’re all fantastic and I believe with my whole heart that, after the transformation wrought by God Himself, the best parts of who I am, I owe to your words and prayers. (Fathers are great, too! But that’s a different discussion.)

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Hi. I’ve been unhappy with my writing ideas this week and I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to get something out. Even now, I’m not entirely sure where this is going. But I decided I would just draw upon the weekend’s experience and see what comes out.

So, I’m going to write about two things I know nothing about: prison and architecture. On Saturday my family visited the Ohio State Reformatory, a prison which opened in 1896 and closed in 1990. Today, it is a historic site (with ongoing restorations), museum, and event center. Even if you’ve never heard of OSR, you might be familiar with it from movies like The Shawshank Redemption, Tango and Cash, Air Force One, and Escape Plan: The Extractors. You should visit. It’s incredible.

Approaching from the front, you realize it’s not the sort of place you’d recognize as a prison. It looks more like a castle. Once inside the administration areas, you’re taken by the beautiful and ornate office space, all wood, tile and stained glass. It’s warm and inviting. But when you get to the cell blocks, it’s, well, a prison. Prisons are metal, concrete, and block. They’re cold and harsh.

Surroundings Matter

Like I said, I don’t know anything about architecture, and I cannot speak for the motives of the designer. But I think I can make some observations about things I do know about: people and their surroundings. Inmates were incarcerated because they did something wrong. They messed up. Accordingly, a prison experience can be depressing, dehumanizing, and ugly. And a cell block could easily look miserable and hopeless, boring and brutal.

But there was much more to the design of this place. From the outside, the observer is struck by columns, tall windows, and peaked roofs with spires. Lines pointing the eye up. On the inside, the cell blocks were huge, five and six tiers tall. Opposite the cells are long vertical windows, allowing light into the darkness. And between the blocks and the central area are massive gothic arches, pointed up. There’s an incredible chapel which could hold 1,900 people (religious services were originally required). Again, tall, with columns and at one time, stained glass bearing spiritual messages. I could go on but this is what I’m getting at: The place is surprisingly inspirational. While the design is serious and intimidating, it is also uplifting and hopeful. It’s not called prison; it’s called a reformatory. From the moment you see it, the architecture seems to declare, “Your reformation starts here.”

What is reformation but a second chance? It surrounds personal sin, transgression, and imprisonment with inspiration, awe, and creativity, and it tells us there is still hope for something better. It accepts that the situation is bad, but it does not leave you there. It demands you look up, find hope, and aim higher.

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Should prisoners be surrounded by an environment that says the world is cruel, ugly, boring, and hopeless? Should our sins condemn us to depressing negativity? Perhaps they should. Maybe we should all get what we deserve. That’s terrifying.

Or maybe we could grab onto greater truths. Yes, the world is broken and can be awful sometimes. But it is also beautiful, inspiring, elevating, and hopeful. We’re all trapped sometimes, stuck sometimes, suffering the ugly consequences of our actions sometimes. With what shall we surround ourselves then? Darkness and negativity? Or acceptance, inspiration, and hope? The good news of Jesus Christ is that even though we have debts to pay in this world, our debt to God was paid on the cross. You’ve sinned but you get to start again. Look up. Your reformation starts here.

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Hi. The following is an excerpt from the new commentary, Revelation: The Consummation of All Things. The section here is a part of my contribution, “THE DRAGON WARS: Revelation 12:1-17.” If you’re from my church or local to me, can get you a copy here, for a little while. But if I don’t often see you, the book will soon be available on Amazon. I’ll post that link when I get it. (Update: It’s there now.)

A word about timing: Discussion of the chronology of Revelation 12 is not included in this excerpt. I will, however, add some extra thoughts at the end.

The Dragon War in Heaven (7-12)

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon (v7).* While it is indeed spiritual warfare, this war in heaven is fought between the Archangel Michael with his angels and Satan with his. It is the direct fighting of angelic beings; it is not the indirect warfare of believing saints (v11). The presence of Michael is further support for the Israel-centric nature of the passage. Michael is the patron angel of Israel (Dan. 10:13, 12:1; Jude 9) and his fight against Satan here suggests a fight for Israel’s survival during the latter half of the tribulation. “Apparently, the devil’s hatred of Israel will spur him to make one final assault against the throne of God, but he will be defeated by Michael and a heavenly host” (Wiersbe, p. 603).

Since Satan’s power cannot rival God’s, Satan was defeated. He only has dominion over what God permits, when God permits it. What is more, he also only has access to where God permits, when God permits it. And his time in heaven was up. Verse 9 presents the seriousness of this judgment. Three times the verse says that Satan and his angels were cast out from heaven to earth (see notes on v4).

The dragon is named or described here in five ways: the great dragon…that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world (v9). The use of dragon in the OT as a threat to Israel has already been discussed. The old serpent is that same creature who used words to confuse, deceive, and tempt Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen. 3). Devil means “slanderer,” and Satan means “adversary” (c.f. Job 1, also in heaven). Fifth, as if John has not put too fine a point on it, Satan is the deceiver of the world. If the Devil makes war, then these are five ways to describe his tactics. He terrorizes, twists the truth, slanders, opposes, and attempts to deceive everyone he can, both in heaven and on earth. Important is Satan’s critical use of words in these descriptions (see also “accuse” in v10). Indeed, words are his primary weapon, at least as he is presented here, and—to preview the message to come in v11—the word will be the defense of believers against him.

The rest of the section, verses 10-12, are an announcement from a loud voice saying in heaven. The loud voice is common in Revelation, typically denoting an announcement or command coming with divine authority (1:10, 5:12, 10:3, 11:12). The voice proclaims the era of salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ. “The work of Christ on the cross provided the basis for salvation in Christ’s atoning death, but salvation is not ultimately finished until Satan and evil are destroyed, the saints are glorified, and the heavenly state in its purity is established” (Patterson, p. 267-268). This triumph is brought into sharper focus with each progressive step in Revelation toward the second coming of Christ, this step being when the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. Again, Satan’s use of words is the key to understanding his tactics. “From his portrayal in the book of Job on, Satan is presented as an accuser of the righteous, a prosecuting attorney before God’s court. In later texts, his role of tempter (gaining incriminating evidence) became more prominent, but he always retained his role as accuser; later rabbinic texts declared that he accused Israel day and night before God, except on the Day of Atonement” (Keener, p. Re 12:10). Here, with his being “disbarred,” as it were, no longer given the opportunity to accuse believers at God’s court, he has lost the war in heaven. He will still make war on the earth, but before moving the reader’s attention there, the loud voice in heaven still has something to say about believers, the heavens, and the earth.

Regarding the brethren of verse 10, or tribulation believers, they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony (v11). This verb “to overcome” or “to conquer” is used 17 times in Revelation. It is used seven times in chapter 2-3 of church age Christians, but it is also used twice for Tribulation saints who overcome Satan (12:11) and the Antichrist (15:2). It is also used for believers of all time in the new heaven and earth (21:7). So, this verse is both a divine preview of the dragon war which will come to the earth (12:13-17) and a fair restatement of Christian spiritual warfare today, standing firm in the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-17).

Christians are not called to directly fight Satan and his angels the same way Michael does (v7). Whereas much has been made of Satan’s use of words in this passage, much must be made of Christians’ use of words to overcome him. The believer’s weapon, or defense, against the slanderous attacks of the Devil is the atoning death and resurrection of Christ. “However, that weapon must be appropriated, and so the author observes that they overcame Satan ‘by the blood of the Lamb’—the effective means of redemption—and by the word of their testimony (i.e., each of the brethren confessed Christ and his atonement alone as sufficient for his salvation). On the basis of Christ’s work on the cross and their personal confession of that, the brethren overcome the accusations of Satan” (Patterson, p. 269). When facing the lies, confusion, slander, and deceit that come from the mouth of the Evil One, God’s people stand securely on the sacrifice of Christ and the word of their own confession of salvation. Further, overcoming the words of Satan with the word of God is no new idea (Mt. 4:1-10).

This fight of the saints against Satan is described from the divine perspective. From the earthly perspective, some of them will taste death, but from heaven’s view they have overcome and eternal reward awaits.

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The only command of the chapter is found in the next verse. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them (v12). The cause for rejoicing is not the death of the faithful in the preceding verse but the expulsion of Satan and his resulting absence from heaven. This, however, would have the opposite effect on the earth. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Since the Devil is aware of the timeline, and since he will have no place else to go, he will explode in anger upon the earth. This will be the subject of the final section of the chapter (12:13-17). But while some anger may come from Satan, the woe is a part of God’s wrath revealed throughout the book (6:16-17, 11:18). “The term … ‘woe,’ in the NT occurs primarily in the synoptic Gospels (twelve times in Matthew; two in Mark; fifteen in Luke), always in sayings of Jesus. The term occurs fourteen times in Revelation. In both contexts it conveys a prophetic gravity that calls to mind the great prophetic speeches of denunciation in the OT, particularly in Isaiah and Jeremiah” (Aune, p. 704). This is the third of three woes announced earlier (8:13, 9:12), and these three woes correspond with the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets. The three are announced in 8:13, and then the fifth trumpet is blown (9:1). After the demonic torment of that judgment, John states, One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter (9:12). The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of mankind were killed, and among other judgments, the ministry of the two witnesses was described. After this is written, The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly (11:14). Then the seventh trumpet sounds, there is more announcement phenomena in heaven, and attention turns to the dragon as he is cast down from heaven to wage war on earth, and the great tribulation begins. This, and all that comes with it, including the revelation of the beast and false prophet, the seven vials, the fall of Babylon the great, and the second coming of Christ, is the third woe.

You may have noticed I didn’t say anything about the timing or chronology of the end times in the excerpt above. I did write about it earlier in the chapter, specifically in my introduction and in my notes on verse 6. Briefly, the three and a half year period mentioned five times in this section (Rev. 11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5) is meant to correlate with Daniel 7:25 and 12:7, to indicate the final three and a half years prior to the second coming of Christ, a period Jesus called “great tribulation” (Matt. 24:21). So in Revelation 12, everything that happens after verse 6 is within this period.

(*The editorial choice of the Hebron Commentary Series was to start from the KJV, which explains why my Scripture usage there is different from what I usually use.)

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Hi. In 1923, when asked his reason for attempting to climb Mount Everest, British mountaineer George Mallory answered, “Because it’s there.” I’ve thought of that lately with NASA’s Artemis II mission. Let me back up a bit. I have always loved space missions. I’m fascinated by all the science and engineering, the numerous teams that have to work together to accomplish both the travel and the mission that requires the travel, and of course, the experiences of the actual astronauts. I think it’s all very cool. Last Friday, I sat on the couch for two hours, with a big cheesy grin on my face, joyfully watching the re-entry, splashdown, and recovery of the crew. I was fascinated. I loved it!

At these times it’s never very long before someone asks some questions like, “But why go to space? Why go to the moon? Is it worth it? What does accomplish?” Are these good questions? I don’t know. Maybe. But I’m over here like, “Why go!? Because it’s there!” That’s good enough for me. Research, exploration, and discovery are worth it for their own sake. (I acknowledge that I’m not the most adventuresome person, and that I did nothing in this enterprise but watch it. But that’s not my point. I get to appreciate it by virtue of sharing in both the humanity of it all and the communicated learning and discovery.) But I suppose I could say some more.

The heavens declare the glory of God and reveal His knowledge to us (Psalm 19:1-4); they should be studied because creation itself helps us know God. Portions of God’s power and nature are known by observing creation (Romans 1:19-20). Scripture encourages the study of the natural world for knowledge, wisdom, and truth. But more than that, we’re humans! Enough said, right? No?

Imago Dei

We’re God’s image. Aside from other implications, like being designed to live in meaningful community relationships, being the image of God suggests it’s not enough to just make a living, or to accomplish tasks. We learn, discover, create, appreciate beauty, laugh, invent, and take dominion of our world and resources. It’s built into us. We often do these things without even thinking about it. But we’re in a dangerous time. If we’re not careful, we could think the average life is comprised of ticking off to-do lists at work or home, and buying and consuming stuff. That’s not good enough for image bearers. We’re meant for more than that.

I’ll pause here to say that I am not saying everything about space exploration is good or efficient, or that I agree with every policy and expenditure. Of course, it should have good oversight like every other area of spending. I do take exception to the idea that we should spend that money on (insert needed spending area here) instead. We’re probably already spending money on that thing, and a lot more. NASA is 0.4% of budget; it’s not a significant driver of spending. And to think its budget will make the difference in any other area is not a serious consideration to me. Governments have always played a role in research and exploration, just not exclusively, and it’s fine with me if they continue to invest there. But—and this is important—this post is not really about government spending, so I’m fine with disagreement on that. I’m really thinking about humanity’s need to boldly go where no one has gone before, or to put it another way, to break out of what we know and dare to step into the unknown.

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We cannot allow this world (including AI, which I think I like but it’s too soon to tell) to turn us into machines, checking off tasks to make money or to be productive but not human, creative, spiritual, and philosophical. We cannot justify exploration by declaring what’s there before we get there. We cannot justify research by declaring the outcome before it’s learned. We don’t know what we don’t know. We just have to be curious and, ethically and morally, go where that takes us. To deny that is to deny our humanity. Sometimes that’s good enough.

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Hi. This is going out in the week following Easter Sunday. That means most people who will come across this have recently been meditating on the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. That’s good. Me too. Belief in a future bodily resurrection is great! It changes everything. It gives us confidence in our faith and hope for the future. But it can be hard to apply in a way that we can feel today.

This has been a hard year in the Puff house. Not bad, but hard. We’ve had unexpected but non-negotiable expenses. You know, the kinds of expenses that don’t break you one at a time but can cause some trouble when they pile up. But more to the point, the past 12 months or so have included loss, grief, and other changes that have been hard on the family. Easter speaks primarily to the salvation of souls and the resurrection to come, but what does it say about the practical troubles of this life? The resurrection is a guarantee of a future, but can it help me through the present? The answer to that question, no doubt, is yes.

Easter promises hope for the next life, but it also changes everything about this life. That is, the literal, physical events of death and resurrection might also be applied spiritually to the growth cycles of the inner life of the believer. Our spirits may, from time to time, mirror the experience of Christ’s physical death and resurrection, through our own suffering and subsequent recovery. Jesus died, was buried, and raised to an even greater position than the one from which he started. So, we must endure suffering that leads to the death of the present self, from which God will raise a more godly, more experienced, and more useful person. It could be said that the knowledge of our Lord and his resurrection come through our own suffering (Phil. 3:10-11). And while the death and resurrection of our physical bodies will happen once, and our spirits are “born again” once, the cycle of “suffering and redemption” will occur as often as our good Lord deems appropriate for each of us.

Death Must Come Before Resurrection

We’d like to believe our personal growth could continue to steadily move up and to the right throughout our lives. I don’t deny that is a part of our experience. It’s just not all of it. Sometimes we just have to fall a bit in order to grow some more. The “fall” could include hard events, loss, failure, suffering, and even personal sin (I mention sin as a concession, not to encourage it so that grace may abound). To put it another way: We love the idea of the new self; it’s the crucifixion of the old self that’s a little harder to accept (Rom. 6:4-6). Yet it’s clear that the renewal of the inner self must be connected to the cycle of death and resurrection, picturing the interplay of momentary affliction and eternal glory (2 Cor. 4:14-18).

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The resurrection of Christ repurposes his suffering and yours. The glory of Easter could only be accomplished through the suffering of Good Friday. The empty tomb only has meaning when it follows the cross. As the crucifixion becomes the frame for the resurrection, so your pain, sadness, sin, and failure become the frame for the new man or woman God is creating of you.

If you believe God causes all things to work together for good, will you further believe He not only uses, but requires us to experience suffering to fulfill that? What past or present hardship in your life can you recast, no longer as pointless suffering, but as a vital step in the renewal of your life, for the blessing of the world, and to His glory?

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Hi. You know what one frog said to the other? He said, “Time’s sure fun when you’re having flies.” In fact, whether you’re frog or human, time flies. This seems never truer than when raising kids. One moment they’re running into things with toy cars. The next moment they’re running into things with actual cars. Eh, practice makes perfect.

But this is about respect and there are different kinds of respect. When your children are young, you’re happy if they show respect. That is, if they respect your wishes, defer to your immense wisdom and experience, or just demonstrate they understand you’re bigger than they are, you’re in good shape. Then suddenly, they are grown and deep down, you hope for so much more. You’re not happy if they just show respect; you want them to actually respect you. You want them, of their own determination, to consider you worthy of high regard. So instead of writing about how to ensure that happens, I decided to write about a few things they have taught me.

1. They might show respect better than I do!

Unless you’ve spent a lot of time around Aretha Franklin music, we don’t live in a world that shows a lot of respect. Oh, people demand it. We talk about it. We say we respect certain people. But that’s the thing, certain people. It sort of depends on how we feel about them at the moment that determines our level of respect. As children, we’re taught to show respect to parents and grandparents, teachers, youth leaders, police, supervisors, and grown-ups in general. Then, we all grow up and there’s no one to require it of us when someone cuts us off in traffic, tells us “No,” or just does something we think is dumb. Are we as careful when we speak as kids and teens who might be reprimanded for disrespect? Do we measure our behavior like someone who could lose privileges? Think about it. As we demand respectful behavior from our children, do they actually show it better than we do?

2. Sometimes it’s respect and sometimes it’s just being respectful.

This is really the idea I’ve been writing about. As they have grown up, I realize that sometimes our kids will demonstrate authentic respect for us. And other times, they are just being respectful, that is, keeping the peace by not arguing with mom and dad or doing something that would risk disappointment. Don’t get me wrong; there’s a place for both concepts. That’s what I’m talking about. But we don’t really want our older kids to stop communicating and simply comply when they have real questions or disagreements. When kids are young, “because I said so” is enough. Yes, I actually believe that because they need to learn the place of safety and blessing is not in irrational childish arguments with mom and dad, but in obedience. It’s not long, however, before concrete thinking and inexperience give way to abstract questions and adventure. At that point, they’re taking their questions and young belief systems somewhere where they are encouraged to speak up. You want to be included in that, right? I could have done better here. Carrie was better with our kids at this transition than I was.

3. They might not know how to deal with you, so you need to show them.

My family was recently discussing a certain fashion trend. It was fine, no arguments, just some back and forth. A few days later, I wondered if one of the kids had more to say at the time, but you know, I might have spoken in a too-matter-of-fact tone (and possibly judgmental, if other people’s perceptions mean anything). So I asked and it turned out, yep, there was disagreement. It was no big deal but there were feelings that were not expressed just to keep the peace or prevent disappointment. So, I’m still learning to show them how to deal with me because just being respectful isn’t good enough. I want more, and that will require more respect shown back toward them.

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Of course, it’s no surprise that Scripture teaches these ideas, too. Children must obey their parents. Both parents and children need to learn this in relation to their roles in the family. But as we age out of childhood and obedience is less required, what takes its place? Adults are told to honor their father and mother. (Yes, that command in Exodus 20 is part of the 10 Commandments, which I have written about here. Christians are not legally bound to obey them but are expected to spiritually apply them.) We don’t expect adults to have to obey their parents. But what parents would not wish to enjoy their kids’ respect and honor?

These years go so quickly. If you’re not paying attention, you can walk a long way down the path of least resistance. That path might lead to compliance, but it might not lead to honor.

You might disagree, and I can respect that.

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Hi. The thing I’ve been banging my spoon on my highchair about for a couple years is the need to make choices. Everyone has to make choices, of course, but I’m not talking about Wheaties vs. Little Chocolate Donuts for breakfast. I’m talking about the need to return to the normal expectation that we cannot have or do everything we’d like to have or do. We’ve told little Johnny and Janey a tall tale when we said they could have it all. No. You can’t have it all. And that’s a good thing.

I’ve been watching not just adults, but teens and children suffering from anxiety when faced with a simple idea: you can have (or do) x or y, but not both; both are great, but you must pick one. And our grown-ups are teaching our kids that it’s better to run ourselves ragged trying to get both than to thrive with one. They feel like they must have, do, or experience it all in order to have a successful and happy life. It’s not true.

Just stick with me here.

Listen, this is a short post. I’m not going to get into all the particular cases we can think of, and I’m not suggesting that kids and adults shouldn’t aim for a well-rounded life. I’m just going to leave you with the point to mull over.

Everyone has a different tolerance for busyness, but this isn’t about how busy we are. Really, this is about living with limitations. Once upon a time, I had a supervisor who said, “You can have anything you want. But you can’t have everything you want.” Accurate. Living with limitations can be frustrating indeed, but in most cases, it is a fact of life that should not cause anxiety. What if at least a portion of this anxiety was just a refusal to choose? You can’t have it all, and at this point I’ll add that you can’t please everybody, either.

If you live in the good ol’ U.S. of A., congratulations! You won the lottery. We have options, lots of them. You can pick your schools, your sports, your specialty food (all kinds of “junk” and “health” varieties), jobs, spouses, vacation spots, and even the number and timing of children. We’re blessed. Options are good. Variety is great! And we want it all: all the people, activities, experiences, information, leisure, and entertainment. But the truth remains. We are not unlimited.

OK, here’s the good part.

Humans are limited in time and space. In other words, since we’re not God, we can’t be in two different places at the same time. We certainly can’t give our full attention to multiple tasks at the same time. But let’s go further. Do you live under external rules or internal convictions? Those are limitations on the things you can or will do. Have you made commitments to God, others, and yourself? Those are limitations. Have you agreed to financial contracts or other agreements, including debts? Those are limitations. Have you made promises in your job, church, or volunteer group? Those are limitations. This is what I’m saying. Since your choices create limitations, that means your choices matter. And if your choices matter then your life matters. Let’s put it the other way. You could choose to make no commitments to God, your spouse, others, your job, finances, and church. You could live with as few commitments as possible, but would that make your life better, more purposeful, or more enriched? I don’t think so. A life of meaning and purpose starts with the acknowledgment that you can’t have it all. Since you make your own choices, you are uniquely prepared to impact the world, for better or worse.

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Each of us is a steward of a special life and a special set of resources that our choices have curated, or I should say, are curating. Acknowledging your limitations is a step toward understanding that you matter more than you thought. If everyone was unlimited, then our choices would not matter because there would be no real consequences. The blessing of your limitations is the impact of what you do with them.

So the next time you can’t do something, just remember this: What you can’t do makes what you can do matter that much more!

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Hi. I preached today at my church. I don’t preach a lot. So of course, when I do, I want to do my best. I would want to do my best no matter how much I preached, so that’s not unique. I’m just setting up the situation. The point is, as a pastor, when I stand before God’s people I want to look like a professional, prepared, like I know what I’m doing. Further, when charged with preaching God’s word to His people, I don’t want anything I do to distract from the message.

So, about my Bible. I’ve used an electronic tablet in church for years. I’ve used one for reading scripture, and for taking notes. Most tablets I’ve used have also handled my preaching assignments as well. They hold both my Bible and preaching notes. My current tablet gives me no trouble whatsoever in any area of use, except when I preach. Seriously! No problems all week long, but when I get up front, problems. This time I was smart (I thought) and decided to print my notes and only use the tablet for reading scripture during the message. That should be fine, you know, with no back and forth between open programs or windows. Wrong. The moment I laid it on the pulpit, crash. I was forced to ask for someone else’s Bible. That’s embarrassing, unprofessional, and distracting from the message.

Everything worked out. But there can be a fine line between wanting to be prepared and professional, and wanting to impress people. One is a totally legitimate desire to do a good job and present God’s word in a helpful way. The other makes the message about yourself. One is showing off your confidence in the message God has given you. The other is pride.

The Apostle Paul was a well educated and experienced speaker. I’m convinced that he could be impressive if he wanted to be. I think he had to remind himself not to make the message about him, but Jesus. The church at Corinth had problems, divisions, and a bunch of people who wanted to be the most impressive. Paul reminded them how he acted.

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

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Church is a community of people who follow Jesus; it’s not a performance to spotlight how impressive Jesus’ followers are. I’m grateful for the grace shown by God and His people when things don’t go to plan. Furthermore, this is true for everyone in the community whether standing in front or sitting in the congregation. We’re not performing for each other; we’re sharing our lives with each other. That takes heart and head preparation, and it also takes a lot of grace.

Do you ever feel like people put on a show for their church? Do you think that’s really necessary?

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Hi. You know what people say about leadership, right? Exactly. We’ve all heard different things about it, but everyone has heard something about leadership. Leading sports teams. Leading families. Leading departments or companies. Whatever. I’ve been told a few things about it myself: Leadership is influence. Leadership is guiding people toward a shared goal. It is getting someone to do what they don’t want to do, to get where they ought to be. In church settings I’ve learned that we should lead like Jesus, like a good shepherd. But I’ve also heard that we should delegate like Moses. Don’t get me wrong. Every one of these is good and helpful. I’m not dismissing any of it when I take this opportunity to bring some more to the table. This is just a little about what I wish someone had drilled into me a long time ago.

It isn’t about accomplishing tasks. It’s about developing people.
If leadership were easy everyone would do it. Well, about that. It’s not exactly difficult to be the boss of a few helpers. “OK, you, please do this. And you, please do that. And then we need to do that other thing.” All you need to know is what tasks need to be done. There’s a place for leading helpers who are only there to serve in the moment. But that’s entirely task driven, and this isn’t about leading tasks. It’s about leading people who will then lead people.

This is where things get a little tricky for me. I mean, I’m not sure how to put it. Maybe it’s my own thick skull, but I’ve had the impression from many leaders—who would agree that leadership is about leading people who will then lead other people—that leadership is about leading other people to do our things, our way, who will then perpetuate that for generations. That, my friends, is not leadership. It’s programming robots. I guess the question is, do we want people to do something or become something?

Yes, we lead people by developing skills, whether it’s working on cars or teaching a Sunday School class. And of course we want people to accomplish something with those skills. But times change, jobs change, tasks change, ministries change, and churches change. Leaders won’t be lost when things change because they became leaders of people, not just leaders of skill sets.

Things change.
In many ways, church ministry looks different than when I was in school. Some church people (and some church leaders) seem to do what they can to keep things looking the same—styles, methods, songs, Bible translations, dress codes, and so on. If we lived in a culture with one church per town, they might, might, get away with that. And in that world, they could get away with repeating the same tasks in the same ways, over and over again, until Jesus returns. But we do not live in that world.

Further, as things change and the skills needed to do those things change, other people (and often younger people) will come along who are better at those new skills. But, I think, leaders won’t sweat it because they develop their leadership skills and reach. That is, they learned to lead themselves, to lead others, to lead leaders, and to lead organizations. And, they help others learn it, too. Am I there yet? Not even close! But at least I can see it out here.

Near the end of his life, Paul told Timothy, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2). He was thinking in terms of four generations of leaders: Paul, Timothy, the men Timothy would lead, and the ones they would lead. You can’t do that simply by a checklist of tasks and skills. You do that by preparing people to lead others in their own times.

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Taking responsibility for more…
So this is what I’m working on, what I wish I worked through sooner. Leading helpers is easy (easier). Turning helpers into leaders is hard. Sometimes, probably most of the time, I’m not even thinking about it. But I need to be challenged to do it because this is the impact we have that lasts in the future, not our tasks and systems, but our people.

Exit question: How do leadership and mentoring relate to each other?

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Hi. Carrie and I have been parents for 25 years. I think we’re starting to get the hang of it. Most of you know we have four children, three adults and one teenager. One is in the early stages of his career, two are in college, and one is in high school. If you’re wondering when you start to feel proficient, it’s not at 25 years. I’ll let those of you with 26 years of experience or more tell me when you do. That’s not to say I’m not proud of my kids or excited about what they’re up to. I am. I am just saying that my confidence as a parent is still lacking.

It’s a privilege.
I do want to share that I consider it a privilege to have raised (or helped Carrie, as she raised) four kiddos in a post-9/11, introduction of the smartphone, social media, and COVID-19 world. The glorious 1980s, it wasn’t. Still, raising a family is a noble and sanctifying experience and I highly recommend it if possible. You can neither recreate your childhood experience, nor totally break from it, and you’re not supposed to. We’re just out here supporting each other through today’s challenges, preparing for the next opportunities, parents and children alike.

You know what else is a privilege? In my role as a pastor, I’ve been able to be around so many great Christian families. But I’ve been noticing something. I don’t know what happened, but young families used to be made up of people the same ages as my family. Not anymore. They’re getting younger. Did you know they let people with zero years of experience have kids!? Yep, just like always. Hey, at least everyone is older than their kids, so that’s something.

I don’t feel older, but I am.
And that’s OK, even good. I’ll confess that sometimes I’d rather be unseen in this world, just minding my own business, left alone and leaving others alone. Who am I, after all, to consider myself “experienced” at anything? What have I proven with my life, especially as a parent? (Again, I’ll emphasize how proud I am of my wife and children. I’m grateful. I just don’t take much credit for their accomplishments. I don’t think I’m unique in this.) But, like it or not, there’s no hiding it. I don’t feel old, not on the inside anyway, but I am an experienced parent. Oh, I know plenty of parents with much more experience, but that’s the point. We’re all somewhere on the experience continuum. Most of us are not in the “brand new” or “great-great-grandparent” stage; we’re somewhere in between, less experienced than some, more experienced than others.

People need people.
We’re all we’ve got. After God’s word, and Spirit living in us, we all need other people to watch, talk to, be a model for, and learn from. When Paul told Titus to teach what accords with sound doctrine, he followed it up with instructions for older men, older women, younger women, and younger men. What was true then is true today. We all need clear instruction from God’s word, paired with models of how to live it out. When we’re younger, whatever that means, we’re mostly in the position to learn from others. When we’re older, again, however you define it, we’re more in a position to model for others. This is the way of things. I could also put it like this. The older you get, the more you’re modeling for others whether you know it or not, like it or not.

Jesus didn’t have children.
If Jesus had children, he would have been the perfect parent. But he didn’t. And that means we have no earthly examples of perfect parents—even if we did, we wouldn’t be able to repeat it. Whatever was modeled for you was flawed. Whatever you model for others, flawed. Give your parents, their parents, the rest of the folks you’ve observed, and yourself, a break. This stuff can be hard, and hard in different ways for everyone. By God’s grace, our children grow up to be their own people who make their own choices. They will struggle in their own ways, and they will excel in their own ways, too. Parents are there to guide, not guarantee. And the same goes for the way we model for those with a little less experience.

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We’re all in there somewhere.
I’m not even close to “old.” But 25 years of experience and countless hours of practice has to mean something. If you’ve parented longer than me, thank you for the encouragement along the way. I’m sure we’ll continue to talk more. If you’re a little less experienced, Carrie and I hope to be a decent example, and we’re here for you. Maybe you have young children, older children, adult children, or grandchildren. Maybe you have “kids” who aren’t really yours, but who look up to you like a parent. Everyone is a model for someone. We’re all we’ve got. And that means you matter. Broken? Little confidence? Regrets? You still matter to someone who needs to learn from your experience.

What’s one unexpected way that more experienced parents (your own or others) encouraged you? What’s one way you can share your experience with younger parents?

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Before I get started, Louisiana recently adopted a law that would require school classrooms to post the Ten Commandments. Since I have stated that I don’t think that is a good idea, I guess I should explain myself a little more.  

Hi. Why did the chicken cross the road? Who cares? But what if your chicken crossed the road and your neighbor called the sheriff? Upon inquiring why such a call was made, your neighbor would answer, “Because it’s against the law for your chicken to cross the road in Quitman, Georgia!” That makes sense, except for one thing. You don’t live in Quitman, Georgia. That’s a little how I think about the Ten Commandments. They’re the law (or, kind of a summary of it, or actually, kind of a prelude to a legal covenant) for another nation in another time, but not for Christians today.

Now, before you hurt someone with that knee jerk reaction, let me give the disclaimer. The Ten Commandments are a codification of moral principles that were not only the foundation of the Mosaic Covenant, but which also reflect wisdom of the ages that have guided various cultures for thousands of years. They are inspired scripture, which means they are useful for helping believers become godly believers. But should Christians obey them?

This is where I think the issue gets confusing. I think it gets confusing because, since they have been held in such high regard (rightly so), and since they are customary artistic fixtures (value debatable), Christians have been conditioned to think, “Of course, we’re supposed to obey them. They’re the Ten Commandments!” Except we don’t. “OK,” you might say, “but we ought to at least try. They’re the ideal we should aspire to.” Except we don’t. As I write this paragraph, I have been engaged in flagrant violation of the command not to work on the seventh day and I don’t even feel bad about it. I can hear some people spitting and sputtering about this now. They’re objecting to my supposed transgression by reassuring me that Christians ought to obey they principle of the Sabbath day commandment in one way or another—the spirit, not the letter, of the law. And this argument, of course, would be making my point for me. Look, it’s the law. It’s meant to be obeyed. If you want more explanation, read the context, Exodus 19-23, to see how the Ten Commandments were meant to be obeyed in real life. I don’t recall anything in there suggesting we can pick and choose which ones to obey and which ones to fudge.

Interpretation and Application
This is the difference between the interpretation of the Bible and the application of it, i.e., what it meant for them then vs. how it applies to us now. When it comes to legal literature, we apply Exodus 20 by the same process we apply Leviticus 11:7-8. Since it is OT law, it is not binding upon Christians, and we are not subject to penalties for violation of the mosaic law. We are, however, expected to glean spiritual principles that correlate with the rest of scripture, which we can apply to help us build character and live lives that please God. It might, might, be easier to apply a command to not murder (see Matt. 5:21-26), than to not eat pigs, but the process is the same. (FWIW, the principles at play in the laws about pork products might be about health, safety, and sanitation, and/or they might be about being separate and distinct from the people around them, and/or something else. I’m not really sure. But I eat pigs.) So, about my Sabbath violation. The principle isn’t about going to church on Sunday. We should do that for reasons not having to do with the Sabbath. It’s about the work-rest cycle established by God at creation. I work plenty of Saturdays, but we should do our best to rest from our vocational work on a regular basis, maybe even one day per week. For me, it’s usually Mondays. After all, it is God who provides for us, and taking a day off acknowledges our reliance on Him and not ourselves.

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A Matter of Emphasis
But the issue of singling out the Ten Commandments goes beyond understanding how to apply the principles that we can pull from them. Now I’m talking about the practice of posting the Ten Commandments in prominent places in our homes, churches, and other institutions. Hey, you can hang reminders of any scripture you want. You have your reasons. I don’t necessarily want them to come down from everywhere they have been posted (though I don’t like the idea of demanding they be posted in such places). But we communicate something when we highlight the Ten Commandments for Christian living more than, say, walking in the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit, or priority of love in 1 Corinthians 13, or the greatest commandments according to Jesus himself, to love God and love your neighbor. While God has always been more concerned for the heart than for external rules—think: Commandment #10—there is something about emphasizing the Ten Commandments that externalizes our faith. Don’t get me wrong. Our faith should show up externally, but it doesn’t start there. Visible religion ought to be an outworking of an inward relationship with God. Personally, I don’t get that message from hanging the Ten Commandments, but I won’t argue with you too much if you do.

In Reaching Hearts
Are the Ten Commandments useful for reaching people for Jesus? They are useful for bringing salvation to lost souls, but not the way some might think. Their value in this regard has more to do with convincing people of their lostness than with actually saving them. The commandments cannot be kept, not perfectly. Did I mention Commandment #10? The holiness of God’s law served to drive people to God’s mercy and forgiveness. Since people are unable to achieve holiness by themselves, and since the law demonstrates the severity of this inability, we are forced to acquire it another way. God has provided a holy sacrifice. Through the sacrifice—through Jesus—our sin was given to him and punished, and his holiness was given to us to be practiced. God has only had one requirement for salvation for all people of all time: faith. The spiritual value of any obedience to the law, or its principles, or the teaching of the New Testament comes after faith, not before. Indeed, teaching the Ten Commandments will surely help direct people to the gospel of faith and forgiveness in Christ. But I’m not sure that isolating them and posting them apart from the gospel will get you there.

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If you have made it this far, congratulations! Seriously, I am honored to have your attention. But if you’re thinking that there are LOTS of other issues to consider about the Ten Commandments, I’m sure you’re right. Feel free to comment about your thoughts. But these are mine for now.

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Hi. It doesn’t bother me that Pastor X said he thinks that Grandma should go to her granddaughter’s same-sex wedding. It doesn’t bother me that Pastor Y said he would give the opposite counsel. What’s upsetting is that people demand separation over the difference of opinion.

Let me back up. Maybe you’re aware of recent controversial remarks made by a noteworthy pastor in my area. When this pastor (long sentence alert!), whose traditional, biblical, one-man-one-woman views on marriage are known, was asked for advice about attending the same-sex wedding of a grandchild, by a woman who agreed with his views on marriage, and whose family understood her objections to the wedding, he suggested, after stipulating all of the reality above, that she should surprise the family and go. For the sake of love and compassion, she might, he thought, be more effective in bringing light to the situation by her presence (with a gift) than by her absence. Of course, he added, in another time, place and context, he might give different advice. He reminded listeners of the need to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). That doesn’t bother me.

Well, you might imagine that some other Christians and pastors took exception to this. When asked about those remarks, another noteworthy pastor, and longtime friend of the first, suggested going to the wedding was not at all loving because a believer must never support stepping into God’s judgment. Instead, he insisted, one must draw the line, remind the family of the biblical model and meaning of marriage, oppose the wedding which celebrates a sinful turning away from God, and sit it out. That doesn’t bother me either.

(I understand that my summaries of both positions above are incomplete, but they are good enough for what follows.)

 “What?” you ask. “You can’t be OK with both. You have to agree with one or the other. You have to decide!” Yep. I do. And so do you. Sort of. But that’s just not my point here. It’s not upsetting to me that respectable pastors think differently about some issues. I can live with that; it makes me think. It’s better to have smart, spiritual people whom I respect take different positions sometimes. That forces us to do a better job of supporting our own positions.

What’s upsetting is the fallout. Pastor X was dropped by a radio network. He had to cancel a conference appearance with the other pastor, to avoid distraction, I guess. The internet did what the internet does and people went crazy taking sides and saying dumb unhelpful things. Christians separated themselves from other Christians over this. This!

To be clear, these leaders agree that the Bible is absolutely God’s Word. They agree that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to forgiveness of sin and eternal life in relationship with God. They agree on the need for Christians to engage the people around them with the reality of sin and an invitation to know God through repentance and faith. And they agree on their theology of marriage, i.e., neither supports gay, or otherwise non-traditional, marriage. The disagreement is on how to apply all the things they agree on. So, to everyone who demands separation from (and even discipline of) those who disagree, I say this. Give me a break, will ya?

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Where are the elder statesmen? Where are the courageous? The church needs people who say, yeah, we disagree about what to do in a tough situation. And we’re still friends. Live with it. Get over yourselves and show a little humility. No one is denying the faith, here. If you want to protest our conference over this, we’ll usher you out. If you want to stop giving to our radio network, we’ll live. But if you can’t handle a difference of opinion on what simple, faithful, churchgoing, God-fearing, and family-loving people ought to do when faced with no-win situations, the problem is not some pastor out there. The problem is much closer.

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Update: I’m not sure why I left out names. I think there’s something in me that doesn’t want to appear improper toward these other leaders, at least not directly. But if you don’t know who they are, let me say they’re not part of my church or association of churches.

Hi. I can’t remember the exact conversations. But I’ve recently had some that returned to those reliable Christian themes that, a. God has a plan, and b. one day, in heaven, He’ll tell you what His was for you. What do you think of that? Personally, I totally believe the first one. God has a plan for what’s going on in your life. But I’m only a little sold on the second one, that one day He’ll tell you, specifically, what it was.

Let me back up. Usually, these conversations happen when people are going through hard, or at least confusing, times in their lives. People don’t usually ask why God lets pleasant things happen. He’s God; that’s enough reason for the things we like. (Mental note that I probably won’t follow up on: If we want to know God’s greater purpose for bad things in our lives, we ought also to want to know His greater purpose for the good things.) But for painful losses, suffering, or even plain old uncertainties, we really wish we knew why God does what He does—or allows what He allows. What’s the reason? What’s the meaning behind trials?  

So we take comfort that God knows what is best and is working it out in the world around us for good. And we should. I don’t question that. I question how He might reveal His reasons to us. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that God is trying to hide His plan from you. I am suggesting that the mental image of someone standing before the Almighty in heaven, getting explanations for what happened in this life is, well, amiss. Will Jesus still be the good shepherd who is gentle with his own? Of course. Will God wipe away every tear, along with all mourning and pain? Certainly. Will He simply tell you His reasons for letting things happen? I don’t know about that.

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It seems to me God is more creative than that, and so are we. What are the best stories? The ones that draw you in and make you think about the point. What are the worst stories? The ones that just tell you what they mean with a lot of boring and heavy-handed exposition. And who likes it when someone just tells you how a story ends before you get the chance to read it or see it—to figure it out—for yourself? We don’t want spoilers for the stories we’re most interested in. We want to discover the meaning for ourselves.

What if one day in eternity, God offers not a solution but a story? What if His answers were not explanations but examples? What if His answers were questions? What if He’s less interested in us knowing what He knows than us seeing what He sees?

There’s a joy in discovery and I think God will grant us that joy one day. Rather than just telling us His purposes, He might just give us that chance to see our stories again, from other perspectives. “Look again,” the Father may say. “Did you notice this part? Do you remember when she said that? Here’s something you didn’t see before. Look again. Watch this. See what happened when you said this? See that happened when they did that? Look again.”    

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God has always been a storyteller. Perhaps one day we’ll see the story of our lives again, and again, from new perspectives. Yes, we’ll probably get that chance in heaven, but what about now? What stops us from trying to see our stories from different angles today? Look, we have hope because we believe one day God will tell us, or show us, why our lives had meaning. If that’s true, then our lives have meaning now. It’s in the details. Look again. You might not see it now but it still matters. Don’t fall into the trap of acting like it does not matter just because you can’t see how yet. You’ll discover the meaning one day. The story will come together. Make the details count today.

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Hi. I’m going to share something with you that I have not said much about before, as long as you promise not to hold it against me. In 1992, I voted for Ross Perot for President. It’s not something I’m proud of. I mean, he was a capable businessman of Electronic Data Systems fame, probably a pretty decent fellow, and someone who seemed to have acted in a noble manner before. Looking back, however, he had no business being the President of the United States. I made a bad choice.

I share this because it’s ancient history (I was still a teen) and not controversial (he actually gained a lot of support for an independent candidate). More importantly, I want to illustrate and resist a part of human nature I see in all areas of life. Rather than admit a wrong, we not only continue to defend the decision of the time, we furthermore commit to doing it again. We can rigidly stick to our guns as if to say, “Hey, I wasn’t wrong at the time, and I am also incapable of being wrong. So, I’m going to keep doing it even with the information I have now.” Like I said, I brought up 1992 as an illustration. I’m not going to discuss old elections or current ones. What I am going to discuss is our need to ruthlessly deny the desire to be right all the time.

Well, now that I see that in writing, it doesn’t make sense. Of course, we want to be right all the time, and that’s fine—a good thing really. Who wants to be wrong? So to clarify, I mean we need to deny the desire to prove we’re always right, even when faced with evidence to the contrary.

You’re Not Always Right (or always wrong)

No. There are other possibilities. All of us are sometimes right and sometimes wrong, a trait that should help us be more humble. And many times, we will not know the quality of our opinions until some time has passed to demonstrate it. Why is this hard to admit when we know it’s obviously true?

There’s another explanation that’s also common. Ready for it? Here it is: Things change. Let’s say you like “x” and dislike “y.” Let’s also stipulate that you have good reason for those opinions and your opinion is settled. Yes on x and no on y. Easy. But what happens when, over time, x and y change? Do you continue to support one and not the other out of tradition? You like so-and-so’s movies because you decided you liked them 20 years ago. But you dislike what’s-her-face’s movies because you didn’t like the only one you saw. Things change. There’s no need to double down. Just move on with what’s in front of you now.

We might see it at work or in our families. People are convinced of a course of action because “it works,” or “it’s right.” And because they cannot be wrong, they commit to stick with it, even if it doesn’t work, or even if it’s not right.

I see it in churches. Someone remembers a preference their pastor mentioned when they were 21 years old, and they accepted it as gospel truth. But then things changed. Styles changed. Circumstances changed. Culture changed. In fact, that pastor might have changed his opinion, too. But that preference is still engrained and immovable for some. Why?

The Apostle Paul famously changed his tune about the usefulness of Mark in ministry. Does that mean he was wrong years earlier when he split with Barnabas over the issue of bringing Mark with them to visit the churches? Maybe. Maybe not. He doesn’t say. He simply acknowledges that the situation has changed in the intervening years. There was no need for him to double down on his earlier opinion of Mark. It was time to move on.

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Never Admit You Were Wrong or People Will Walk All Over You

No. Here’s another obvious error. Do you want to follow, or work with people who can never admit they were wrong? I think our experience shows that when someone with the best interests of others in mind admits that their way didn’t work out as planned and makes adjustments, we’re probably more likely to support them. Think about it. Would you rather work for that person, or for the person who either continues on a bad path, or does change but still claims they were right all along? We support the one who admits an error, recalculates, and moves on.

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I was talking with a friend the other night and we were mutually bemoaning how, when time flies, we can become disappointed about the things have not accomplished. While this is not really about being right or wrong, it does remind me that life doesn’t go as expected or planned. That’s OK. It shows that we didn’t have the whole picture when we made plans in the past and we almost certainly don’t have it now. But to be the best version of ourselves, we have to learn to accept that we were right about some things, wrong about others, learn lessons from all of the above, and move on. It’s hard to learn lessons if we cannot admit a mistake. But I’m sure that greater growth happens when we can.

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Hi. On Sunday, I taught a lesson called “Never Enough.” A man asked Jesus to demand that his brother give him more of the family inheritance. Jesus was not too interested in the family dispute, but instead he addressed the man’s greedy heart. So, Jesus told a story about a man whose fields produced too much food to store in his barns. The solution? Build bigger barns, of course! If he was going to eat, drink, and be merry, then he would have to look out for number one. Unfortunately, the man didn’t live long enough to enjoy his reward. Then, to make matters worse, taking care of only himself didn’t earn much reward from God either. The bottom line: All that food should have been put to better use. Perhaps he could have shared it with others who were less fortunate that year. Maybe he could have sold it cheap and kept the wheels of commerce turning. Jesus’ warning was this. “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15, NIV).

So there I was, teaching kids to share what they have. That’s nice. Then, on the way home, guess how many storage facilities I passed. It was a lot. Since I don’t rent storage space, I was in the clear. (I mean, never mind the basement, attic, garage, and two sheds.) Now, I’m not here to condemn storage rental. There are lots of non-hoarding, non-greedy reasons to do it. But it still hit me, we keep a lot of stuff.

Then, this Monday morning I decided to rearrange the office/spare bedroom at my house to make it a more comfortable workspace. It wasn’t easy. Want to know why it wasn’t easy? So much stuff. As I looked around at what was in the room, I thought about where else in the house I might put some of the stuff. Alas, the other places have other stuff in them. You probably know the routine. “Do I need that? Well, I’m not using it now, but I might need it, someday. It could definitely be used…someday.”

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Someday

I wonder, what does it say about us when we cannot part with things? It could be that taking care of things now—things that required work and money to purchase in the past—should be considered good stewardship. But is taking care of stuff our greatest stewardship? What else, or who else, are we meant to steward? If taking care of people is what matters most, then a lot of us, myself included, have to reconsider the stockpiling of stuff. No, I did not say to go minimalist. I didn’t say to sell everything you have and give away the proceeds. And I didn’t say that savings accounts and retirement plans are bad. They’re not. But we all know, eventually our stuff can stop serving us and we can start serving it. Building bigger storage barns, or committing more space to stuff we’re not actually using, may be a sign that we’re serving our stuff.

Perhaps that thing that “could be used someday,” could actually be used today, but by somebody else. My friend recently gave me some equipment, for which I am very grateful. I have used it eight of the last eleven days. Since it was not getting much use at his house, he graciously put it to use at mine! Now, as I rearrange my stuff, I wonder what I could put to better use somewhere else. Would there be greater satisfaction, contentment even, knowing that objects, supplies, tools, equipment, and even food, are being used for their intended purposes, by real people, even if not by me? According to Jesus, the answer is yes. 

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Hi. Just 7 days until Christmas now. I want to think about the idea of joy. Christmas is a good time to consider joy because the season is always a mixture of feelings in the moment and reflections on the bigger picture of life. From moment to moment, our feelings change. And even now, you might be feeling happy or sad, enthused or depressed, lively or weary. The list goes on. But the result of reflection on the bigger picture is less of an emotion and more a state of being. This is why someone can experience joy in both good times and bad times, easy times and hard times, because they believe the moments have meaning.

We might think of it like this. Happiness is a snapshot. So are all the other feelings. These snapshots represent a moment in time. Something happened and you felt something about it. Snapshot. Our lives have lots of them. But a stack of pictures isn’t a photo album. Usually, photo albums are carefully laid out by someone who wants to tell a story with specially chosen pictures from the stack. When you lay out the snapshots of your life, do you tell a story of joy? Nobody would expect a story of joy to be only snapshots of happiness, but a variety of pictures—recording a full range of experiences and full of meaning—that tell a story of joy. I want to encourage you to tell a story of joy with all your snapshots. Even if you are only telling the story to yourself.

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Happiness That’s Been Tested

But how can difficult, challenging, and sometimes sad snapshots tell a story of joy? Because you believe that each of these moments serves a greater purpose. Your life will be one of endurance, learning, growing ability to help others, some setbacks, and then recovery. It could be said that joy is happiness that has been tested. While going through trials is no guarantee of joy, happiness will be fleeting unless it’s built up a resiliency. You could easily become embittered by the difficulties that have happened in your life. But you could also look at how they have shaped you and prepared you for new challenges. You could be discouraged when things don’t go as planned. But you could also accept that you can’t plan out the universe and learn happy improvisation. I understand weakness and disappointment are real parts of our lives. They are a part of mine! But I’m often reminded that strength and encouragement are often just around the corner, too. And if you believe in Jesus, you believe in a guarantee of ultimate victory in your story.

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6–9, ESV)

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More Snapshots Are Coming

We don’t know what the next snapshots of our lives will be. But there will be more. I’m not sure we can totally control what they will look like. But we do have a say in how to tell their story. At Christmas we think about joy because a baby was born who would become the blessed redeemer and good king. We don’t deserve him, but he came anyway because of God’s own love, mercy, and grace. So whatever way your story goes, you must be pretty special. And that’s a reason for joy.   

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10–11, ESV)

Merry Christmas!

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Hi. Just 14 days until Christmas now. So I want to remind you of that ever-so-elusive, yet always Christmassy, idea of peace. Peace means different things to different people at different times. Sometimes it’s a greeting, like shalom. Other times, it means the absence of fighting. Sometimes it means a person’s relationships are healthy. And then, it could also mean a sense of overall wellness. I’m sure we could go on.

The attractiveness of peace is kind of funny. Everyone seems to like the idea of peace, but do we work very hard to get it? Seriously, do you? I mean, do you fill up your life with activities and expenses and then talk about a lack of peace as if there’s just nothing you can do about it? Do you always have to get in the last word with people and then wonder why your relationships are less than peaceful? Do you watch doomsayer news all the time and then can’t help but feel suspicious of everyone? Or maybe you’re the kind of person who is so insistent about what’s best that you’re willing to riot to force others into peace. I guess that last one’s a bit over the top. But my point is, with at least some forms of peace, there is something you can do about it.

Last week, I wrote about hope as belief that waits. That is, waiting is built into hope; it’s a part of it. You don’t hope for something you already have. But what about peace? Peace is something you can enjoy now, even while aspiring to greater peace in the future. Again, different things at different times. Some peace depends on you. Some depends on others. All peace depends on God.  

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In Your Relationships

The Bible acknowledges that you can’t always have peaceful relationships with others. But it also gives us the responsibility to try. If we want to build a better, more blessed world to live in, then one way is to seek peaceful relationships.

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18, ESV)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9, ESV)

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:19, ESV)

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31–32, ESV)

“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11, ESV)

In Your Personal Life

Personal peace comes from the knowledge that you have relationship with God through the work of Jesus. Where there was once hostility between us and God, Jesus has reconciled us through his death and resurrection.

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2, ESV)

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Then, once our eternal standing before God is settled, we can experience peace as often as we want. Prayer, thanksgiving, the right focus and practice will result in greater personal peace. At least, it seems that way when I read this:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:6–9, ESV, emphasis mine)

Christmas Peace

As I said, all peace depends on God because Jesus came to become peace for us. He’s not just a good example for us, and he’s not just a good teacher. He is the one—the messiah—through whom peace is possible. And Christmas is a celebration of the peace made possible in human lives because Jesus came as one of us. The baby of peace was born to make a way of peace that we could experience peace now in part, and forever in full.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”” (Luke 2:11–14, ESV)

Merry Christmas!

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Hi. I’m trying to get into the Christmas spirit a little sooner this year than I usually do. That’s a pretty low bar since it usually takes me until about, oh, December 21 or so. But yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent, if you’re keeping score on those things, so here we go.

Is It Here Yet?

You know, there’s a lot of talk from Christians about building the kingdom of God, working in Christ’s kingdom, adding people to the kingdom, and such. Kingdom language is the kind of talk that is filled with all sorts of presuppositions that the speaker assumes the listener shares, but probably doesn’t. As a member of a church and a participant in other Christian activities, I’ve long ago given up expectations of a speaker clarifying what they mean by “kingdom” of God or Christ. I just try to figure it out from the rest of what they say.

I can only imagine how terrifying this kingdom language sounds these days to someone who is not a part of a Christian church. “You want to build a Christian kingdom? What?” “You’re trying to make me part of what kingdom now?” Don’t get me wrong, kingdom talk is biblical so it cannot really be avoided in church teaching and preaching. But I am concerned about some confusion—on the part of both non-Christians AND Christians—of the idea of the present spiritual kingdom of which Christians derive our values and purpose, with the idea of a future kingdom of Jesus, wherein he will make things right in the world. One of those is here, we believe, because of Jesus’ coming (literally, “advent”) in history. For the other, we must wait for another arrival. In the meantime, spreading the kingdom means trusting Jesus for forgiveness, living like Jesus in the world, making it a more blessed place if you can, and inviting others to find new life in him. To put it another way, I think Jesus would have us more concerned for the health of the present church than the establishment of a future kingdom. Again, for that we wait.

Belief That Waits

The end of Psalm 33 references the idea of hope as it connects to the experience of waiting. “The war horse is a false hope for salvation” (v. 17). “The eye of the Lord is on…those who hope in his steadfast love” (18). “Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you” (22). In the midst of all this hope, another word, “wait,” is used to expand the idea. “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield” (20). Hope and waiting go together. We can be convinced that God will bless as He has promised, but sometimes we have to wait.

That’s where hope comes in. Hope is belief that waits.

In the season of Advent, we often go to passages like Isaiah 9:6-7 to restore our hope, while we wait. The characteristics, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” do not sound like rulers of the world that I’ve ever seen or expect to see among those who are trying to get there. And, “with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore” is another reminder that human government, even at its best, cannot make such guarantees. For all this we hope in Jesus. But we wait. The time will come but it is not here yet. This is what makes hope beautiful. It restores and elevates the soul while we long for that which we cannot have…yet.  

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Hope Deferred

Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Of course, this rings true in our personal experience. There’s probably something you have been waiting for, hoping for, in your life that you just can’t make happen on your own. It’s disheartening. The season of Advent is an annual hope check. When we say, “it’s going to be OK,” we’re not living in denial of reality but in acknowledgment of it. We’re living in acceptance of our limitations, awaiting the one who will make life in this world the way it ought to be.

Ultimately, the true anchor for our souls must be a hope that is both secure and worth waiting for. It cannot be taken from us, and it cannot let us down. It is the knowledge of one who goes directly to God the Father on our behalf, whom the Father will never turn away. Our hope is Jesus who came once as a baby at Christmas to provide salvation, and who is coming again to set the world right.

Merry Christmas!

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Hi. Today I’m going to reflect a bit on my family. I’ve been tremendously blessed with a family that I don’t deserve but truly enjoy. It is good to reflect on such things all the time, but it’s properly expected this week. I do not need to think very hard, however, to come up with recent examples of such blessings. Like Friday night, when six of us squeezed into the family van and headed to church to take the family portrait for the upcoming directory. Or later that night, when we sat at the table, playing games and eating candy. Or Saturday, when I came home to find two of the kids hanging Christmas lights on the roof. Or, just yesterday morning, when I made my way upstairs to change and found just about everyone in the parents’ bedroom, helping Carrie pick my Sunday clothes. OK, “helping” is a strong word. “Helping and/or distracting” is a better description. Oh, all these examples are kind of mundane, regular life episodes. But that is the point. They were great.

If you don’t know, Carrie and I have been married 25 years and have four children, equal parts boys and girls, ranging from 14 to 22 years old. And here’s the thing: Sometime, when I wasn’t looking, they grew up. They didn’t ask, and I didn’t agree to it, but they did it anyway. So when, for instance, that family picture was taken, we asked, “Is this the last pic of all six of us for a church directory?” Probably. And when we all totally table-talked to get one kid to make the next kid draw four because they already have Uno, well that’s just expected behavior (you have to remind people what’s going on in the game when they’ve been busy acquiring candy). And when I chased everyone out of my room because I had to get ready for church, I had no doubt they’d be getting ready soon as well—they all serve, too!

I’m both proud and terrified. I mean, I’m proud of, and blessed by, my family. But I am terrified about how quickly the time has passed, indeed, is passing. Have I prepared them enough? Taught them enough? Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” To number our days is to count them as one would count money. Of course, our days are given to us, not earned. And we only assume how many we might have because we never really know. But a heart of wisdom knows and understands their value. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). Apparently, left to ourselves, we don’t make the best use of time, but handle it foolishly. In order to navigate our use of time wisely, we need God’s help.

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I’m grateful for the family I’ve been given and the time God has given us to be together. And even now, I’m considering how to make better use of the time as a father, while each member is at a different stage of being sent into the world to follow the path God sets before them. Honestly, I imagine I’ll still be considering this even after they’re out of the house.

God, let each member of this crew find great fulfillment in using their gifts, abilities, and time, to extend your blessings into their world, that they and others would know you better through their pursuits. And let me keep learning to guide them, to coach them, as a father should, whatever their goals and whatever life brings. Help us, six of us now and perhaps more if You grant it in the future, not to settle for evil in our days, but to use those days well, wisely, for good in the world. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

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Hi. I was absent last week because of a different writing project, and even now I’m short on time. But I wanted to get something out there this week, so I’ll work with something I’ve been thinking about for a while.

What are you so mad at?

I’ve always loved the scene in Seabiscuit when Red Pollard gets so angry that he was willing to lose the race just to chase after the jockey that fouled him and give him a piece of his mind. “What am I supposed to do,” he asks his trainer, “let him get away with that?” The trainer’s response, “Well yeah, when he’s 40-to-1.” The point is, he was supposed to stick to the plan and win the race, not get distracted by personal offenses. In the movie, and in our lives, it’s not about that one horse race. It’s an illustration of the corrupting influence of anger, when we choose to live in an offended state.

So here are some ways to let go of four different personal offenses. As always, it’s not a complete list! It’s just some stuff I thought of, but you can add more in the comments.

1. Drive-By Offense

This might be best illustrated by literal driving examples. Someone cut you off in traffic, or took that parking spot you wanted, or didn’t signal like civilized people. In the case of this kind of offense, you have no relationship with them, it did not do any harm, and it probably will not be repeated because you may never see them again. What are you going to do, fume about it for the rest of the day? Curse them out from the safety of your car? Chase them down and correct them? (Do you really want to be that person?) My recommendation: Forget about it. It is a part of life. Just move on. And don’t forget, sometimes you cut someone off, or don’t signal, or whatever, because you zone out too. Be careful out there.

2. Oops Offense

You live with people. At home. At work. At church. They’re everywhere! They mess up a lot, too. And when they do, what do they say to beg forgiveness and reconciliation? “Oops.” And then they just move along with whatever it was they were doing, even though they know you hate it when they do that thing. In this case, unlike the Drive-By Offense, you do have a relationship with the offender. But like the previous, there was no serious harm, and they might not have even realized they committed the offending act. Let’s say they generally have good intent and try to live by the customary courtesies, personal preferences, and other social niceties that make for good relationships. My recommendation: Forgive without a word. 1 Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” Someone of good sense and patience will learn to overlook an offense (Prov. 19:11).

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3. Hurtful Offense

This one gets a little harder. For whatever reason, in this offense someone has actually been hurt in a way that does not fit in the first two categories. You believe you cannot just let it go without more work. Here you have a relationship with the other person that you want to keep. But they have put the relationship in jeopardy, often by repeated behavior patterns which will harm themselves, you, or others. These behaviors will include disrespect, abuse, unrepentant sin, and more. My recommendation: Pray for humble boldness and direction and discuss with wise counsel. Then humbly confront the offender with questions (not accusations), try to secure a commitment to a better way forward, and forgive if applicable. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).

4. Ghost Offense

This one’s a bit different because, while there may be an offense, you’re not really reacting to it. In this situation, you’re bothered way more than you ought to be at whatever is going on in the moment. Instead, what you’re really upset about is a past hurt that was—dare I say?—triggered by whatever someone said or did in the present. Have you ever seen someone totally lose it, like go nuts, over something that everyone else in the room thought was no big deal? Yeah, their offense lies someplace else. Back in that almost certainly embellished movie scene, Seabiscuit’s owner, Charles Howard asked Red a question that was more probing than it seemed. “Son, what are you so mad at?” The foul on the track was not worth all that anger. It was something else, an offense from long ago that Red still had not dealt with. My recommendation: Read the Bible. Pray. Meditate. And talk to someone, a trusted friend, or counselor. Sometimes the ghost offense was, like, literally yesterday and you just need to deal with it. But sometimes the problem is a bit deeper and more hidden by time. You may need to get help to work through it. But if you’re always more upset than the moment deserves, you may need to consider this.

OK, like I said, there are more ways to look at offenses and I’d love to have you add your thoughts in the comments. In the end, we want healthy lives that are free from unnecessary burdens. I hope these thoughts can help us let them go when we need to.

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