Beloved, You've Got Mail

 

Beloved, You’ve Got Mail

I have a confession to make. I’ve read your mail, and what’s more, I don’t feel sorry, not in the least. My mom told me that it’s wrong to read mail addressed to others, and that’s why I feel the need to confess. Though I think by the end of this post, she may give me some heavenly forgiveness. She’s pretty good like that.

Paul, once known as Saul of Tarsus, wrote most of the letters to you that I read. When I think about it, though, all the epistles, and by extension, the Gospels and Revelation, were addressed to you as well. Aw, let’s face it, the entire Old Testament linked up with the New Testament is one big love letter from God, penned by others, driven by the Holy Spirit, and sent to you.

I know these writings are yours because, somewhere in many of them, there are salutations where you are named:

Romans 12:19, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves…”

I Corinthians 10:14, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”

Philippians 4:12, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed…

II Corinthians 7:1, “Since we have these promises, beloved…”

Hebrews 6:9, “Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things…”

James 1:19, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.”

I Peter 2:11, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners, and exiles…”

1 John 3:2, “Beloved, we are God’s children now…”

You are God’s beloved; these and more are addressed specifically to you. They are yours to open.

This part might get a little dicey, and you should convince yourselves not to use this information for personal gain of a lowbrow nature, especially teenagers who might be reading this post.

My friend Webster tells me that beloved means “dearly loved: dear to the heart”. Trust me on this, that ‘dearly’ part is no little thing. Jesus dearly paid the price for us to be in a condition to be beloved.

The Song of Solomon, considered by many as erotic poetry, is full of beloveds exchanging compliments and entreaties.

Married couples, think about the effect you would have on your spouse if you addressed them as ‘beloved’ when you started an apology with the assurance that the apology was genuine and that your path for atonement is true. Instant forgiveness. Need a hug? Making the apology with "beloved" and hugs wouldn’t be enough.

To dating couples who are about to propose marriage, address the object of your affection with ‘beloved’ if you want a near guarantee of a yes in response. The ring will be icing and the wedding planning will flow with a unity rarely seen on reality TV. Go for it.

God used the term beloved regarding His own Son, Jesus Christ, when he said in the Gospel of Mark 1:11, “And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.’” For the authors of the Bible to use beloved while addressing us is to place us in the most-loved-people category.

I am certain these letters, neatly packed into a big book, are addressed to you. Open them. Read them. Be beloved.

As for me? I believe Mom will be okay with me opening your mail as often as I like and every day that I can. And, I will.

In His grip,

jjwhite

Laura's Challenge

 

On Sunday May 5, 2024, Rev. Dr. Laura Harbert delivered a sermon from her heart titled “We Become What We Behold!” I have found that when I write from the heart, that is when I am at my best and I appreciate when others do the same. Laura brought God’s word to us through her cornerstone verse:

2 Corinthians 3: 17-18 – “¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (NIV)

We are being transformed from what are into something we are not now. This is always the case throughout life and the transformative power comes from that which we behold, what we consume, what we take into ourselves. If we consume hate and falsehood, we become the purveyors of hatred, loathing, and lies. If we come to the Lord’s Table with repentance in our hearts and consume the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5: 22) – then this is what we will become.

To achieve this, to become more like Christ, I need to humbly and in repentance, keep myself on the Potter’s Wheel so that he can continue to transform this lump of clay more clearly into his image.

Reverend Laura’s challenge to me is to make a list of where I behold God’s Glory and to reflect on those things. Okay, she didn’t phrase it as a challenge but instead said, “This would be one homework assignment I would love to give each one of you. Make a list of where you behold God’s Glory. Who are the people who show you God’s Glory? What are the places that stir up God’s Glory? What are the things, where do you behold God’s Glory?” Me, being a recovering jock, have taken this as a challenge and my reply follows this link to her sermon if you would like to be touched and transformed:

Sermon 5–5-2024 “We Become What We Behold!” by Rev. Laura Harbert (youtube.com)

These are some of the places, things, and people that allow me to behold God’s Glory:

V I see Jesus in the smile of my children and their children and in the trust in their eyes. That is the spiritual fruit of love.

V I see God’s hand in a failed project that touches someone’s heart despite my failure. This is God’s grace and the spiritual fruit of faithfulness.
V My Lord speaks to me when a young teen, covered in dust, concrete, paint, and sweat smiles and can’t wait to do it again. This is faithfulness and joy in His goodness.
V He whispers to me when I hear the symphony played by nature’s orchestra – the rustling of leaves, gurgling of the brook, calling birds, and solitude. This fruit of the spirit is peace.

V I sense his presence while being part of a well ridden series of ess-turns by a group of expert riders. That is the spiritual fruit of joy.
V I feel God near me when I see the bonds of an old grudge against man or God broken. This is the faithfulness of the Great Healer.
V Seeing someone deep into solitude touches my heart with Jesus’ kindness.
V I hear God’s voice in Cindy’s laughter as it drifts into the office or upstairs while she’s on the phone or with friends or family. This one thing is the fruit of joy, love, and goodness.
V My kids in love show me God’s love for us all, for God is love.
V Cynene. She is all the fruits of the Spirit…
V I am transformed by the flight of a red-tailed hawk, my every-man bird, and hearing its call of joy and exhilaration. When I look at the intarsia hawk my dad me and read his inscription, “Together in His grip”, I am reminded of God’s goodness and mercy.
V I see God presence in Jim’s laughter, Michael’s wit, and Doug’s indominable loyalty – the love of friends of the past, present, and future are all the fruits of the spirit.
V Any chance encounter with one of God’s creatures speaks of himself.

V The unsolicited ‘good morning’ from a fellow walker, hitherto unknown to each other, reminds me of Jesus oneness. Perhaps the response to the smile and look of wonder on my own face as I think on this list is what inspired them to offer up the ‘good morning’.
V The turn of a good phrase like, “Fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10) excites me to write. That is faithfulness.
V Seeing a scraped knee tended to by a parent, sibling, teacher, or even a stranger screams of Jesus’ gentleness and kindness.

For as long as I live, I won’t be able to list them all and, as you can see by my collage, there is room for more and blanks have been left in anticipation.

Make your own list, create your own collage, and dwell on those things where you behold His Glory.

In His grip,

jerry

Gear Up!

 

All-The-Gear-All-The-Time

Judging by the title of this post one might think I have put it up on the wrong blog and that it belongs on Iron Side Up rather than here at Calvary’s Thread. While I have posted about gear in my biker/travel blog, I have this post in its correct space.

As a motorcyclist, I subscribe to ATGATT – All-The-Gear-All-The-Time. For the bridge from biker reference to my Christian faith I refer to Ephesians 6:10-18:

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

My church, La Crescenta Presbyterian Church, adopted the following as part of our mission statement:

“We are a community of imperfect people, united by God’s Spirit, discovering new life in Christ. Our mission is to love God with all our heart, love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and grow as disciples of Jesus, as we make new disciples.”

There is an idiom that comes to mind, “Be careful what you wish for.”

One of my favorite westerns is “Tombstone” staring Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp. In a pivotal scene, Marshall Earp is standing over Ike Clanton with a double-barreled shotgun as he says, “All right, Clanton…you called down the thunder, well now you’ve got it!”

We have put up our mission statement on our website for billions of people with internet access to see and read. We have called down the thunder and we had best gear up.

I am a part of the Pastor Nominating Committee now searching for a new pastor for our church. Almost without exception of the dozens of pastors we have interviewed, they have pointed to our mission statement as something that attracts them to us. There is more to the mission statement than I quoted here but this is the piece they point out and tell us that this is what the church, any church, should be all about.

Invariably, the pastor God has called to us and for whom we search for will be passionate about growing disciples who will make new disciples and they will “call down the thunder” for us to rise to the challenge. Speaking for myself, I had better gear up and put aside any qualms I have about sharing my faith or teaching others and helping them grow in Christ. I cannot go out and buy this armor at my local Christian Book Store – it is ‘the full armor of God’. It’s His, and by grace, He offers it to me.

A pastor so ardent for the Gospel, for the deepening of discipleship in their church, and for making disciples in a broken world will want a community of faith which knows this requires a total commitment on a 24X7 basis; nothing half-hearted, half-lived, or half-baked. And because ‘we are a community of imperfect people’ we will need the great blessing of His Grace ‘in good measure, pressed down and overflowing’ (Luke 6:38, KJV).

Be alert and gear up people!

In His grip and in His armor,

jerry

 Note: On March 25, 2020 I posted on Iron Side Up “ATGATT”. Just so y’all know.

To Laugh or To Cry?

(courtesy of my storyblocks.com account)

Romans 12:15 “¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

Phil had me read a short, powerful scripture the other morning during our Zoom Men’s Meeting. The impact on me was immediate and many-faceted and continues to expand for me as I write this post. Let me lay the foundation that I would have hoped would have been known to me a bit more than twenty years ago but, as it turns out, was laid down in the beginning, as in ‘In the beginning was the Word…’

It was an earlyish Mission Arizona (MAZ) and when the senior high students were doing a project on one part of the reservation (Gila River Indian Community) and I was off with Julia, James, and the junior high students painting the interior of the Sacaton Presbyterian Church. Earlier in the week Julia and I were talking about things and a subject came up where she wanted to know what was in store for her and a tad frustrated at the progress in the area under discussion. In my hubris, I told her I would pray about it and come back to her with something. Nothing seemed forthcoming as the week rolled on.

Thursday is generally the last day of major work during MAZ with Friday the day we clean up and put the final wrappings on our projects so that we can enjoy a fun evening before trekking home on Saturday. Our painting wore on deep into the night while our paint supplies ran short. So we instructed the students that only an adult was to pour paint from the 5-gallon bucket into the individual cans and roller pans to make sure we didn’t waste any.

It was somewhere around one a.m. Friday morning when I went outside to pour paint for someone and found a good quart had been spilled on the sidewalk thus wasting the paint and making a mess that needed to be cleaned up. I probably said some inappropriate things as I went down on my knees to scrub the paint up as best I could. I know I mumbled things like, ‘those thrashers!’. I love those kids but junior boys and girls are thrashers. Everybody stayed clear of me while I worked out the week’s frustrations on the sidewalk.

A coyote jogged through the parking lot, stopped, and stared at me while cocking his head to the side to help him figure out what he was seeing. I sat up from my scrubbing and had to laugh with him and that is when I heard as clearly as I hear His voice, “It is not for you to know or determine. It is for you to laugh with her when she laughs and the cry with her when she cries.”

Reading that scripture on this Wednesday morning for me was like jumping off the rocks into a cold alpine lake. It was shocking and it awakened me to more of God's. When I was spoken to it was directly out of scripture and for twenty-three, twenty-four years, I had never realized it.

The implication is plain to me – if I want to hear God speak to me, I need to read the Bible. While I’m reading it, He will speak to me. While I’m praying or being silent, the Lord will speak to me from the Word. Homer Simpson said it very well for me, “D’oh!”

A more timely aspect of this passage from Romans is how much need the world has for us to pick it up this scripture and live it. We need to grab hold of this and in Christian empathy and concern weep with those who are in mourning for the loss of family and friends and their way of life. And we need to laugh and celebrate with those who overcome and persevere and find accomplishments in spite of a world gone sideways.

We must resist those who live in the ‘me-first’ moment. You know, the attitude that led to the ‘America First’ movement and the continued and ever deepening of America’s isolation from a world shrinking in on itself in misery and international effects? That is not of God and never will be. We are to be in the world. Not of it, no. But in it and among those who weep and laugh, celebrate and mourn. If we are to be Christ’s ambassadors in the world, we need to become really good at heeding this short verse.

Find someone and mourn or laugh with them as required.

In His grip

jerry

(images courtesy of my storyblocks.com account)

A Believer’s Quarantine Protocol

In our home we are easily five weeks into shelter-at-home as we adopted those initiatives early on so that we could be the safest possible when we went out to Ely, Nevada to help with our daughter’s family during the time she delivered her second child via C-section. I haven’t met friends in person with the exception of blessed happenstance and on provisioning runs in all that time. But I have attended several Zoom meetings with various committees of the church and held an online class for our communicants. I have listened and watched a few online bible studies and worship services. Today was the first live Zoom meeting with a group of believers in order to read scripture, pray, and share. I’ve missed the men of our Wednesday morning gatherings and this was a much-needed time for me; in fact, I’d say it was priceless and won’t go so far as to put a value to it.

Phil opened our time by calling for our traditional third man prayer and a reading of selected segments from the Gospel of John. Then we checked in with each other buy going around the Zoom and briefly talking about how we and our loved ones are fairing with the virus and its widespread impacts. Our central discussion was regarding how and what we, as Christians, need to be doing during this traumatic time. I’ll share some of what I gleaned from our talk in amplified bullet format.

My Believer’s Quarantine Protocol:

U  Remember that God is in control

V  Pray with that foremost in your mind.

V  Look for ways to express His control of things

V  Be wise in how, where, and when to express it – aka – be considerate of others

This one may be the hardest one to live by and project to a world that will shout back at us, “What God would visit covid-19 on people? If He is in control why is this happening?”

Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

U  Limit social media, news, and generally negative input and filter everything through a Kingdom Perspective

Colossians 3:1-4 – “¹So if you been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, ³for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.”

U  Connect with your brothers and sisters in the faith

V  Stay in tune with your families

V  Talk it out

V  Be open and genuine with both your faith and your fears

V  Let others help with your burdens

V  Do this in such a way as to be a responsible member of the community and don’t limit Jesus to meeting with us as believers only when we are physically together

Hebrew 10:24-25 – “²⁴And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

U  Stay in touch with your ministry area

V  If you lead, connect with those who you shepherd

V  If you serve under another’s leadership, connect with and pray for the leader

I believe the Hebrews verse above applies here but let’s try a little Ephesians 6:18-19 – “¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication for all the saints. ¹⁹Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel…”

U  Stretch – body, mind/soul, and spirit

V  This is how you will increase your talents, don’t burry them and expect that to suffice

V  Reach for something new, it’s likely you have more time for a new field – go for it

V  How and what you exercise with is what will grow and what you will end up doing better at the end of the day

Check out the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30

U  Worship. Find ways to lift praise and adoration to the Father

V  Find a source online to worship with. So many of the churches are embracing this, find some that work with you

V  Sing out loud God’s praises as you listen to songs on the radio or online

V  Be creative in your worship – take time to be quiet and let your love rise like incense to the Father

V  Be one whom the Father seeks

John 4:21-23 – “²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²²You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.”

U  Pray. It’s part of worship. Intercede on others behalf.

Phil left us this morning with a charge and I’ll extend it you anyone reading – reach out to one of the brothers or sisters that have been on your heart and mind and take action on what the Holy Spirit has placed within you.

In His grip,

jerry

Don’t Doddle, be Led

photo courtesy of my subscription to Storyblocks

Selected portions of versus from Psalm 23: “²…he leads me beside quiet waters, ³…he guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. ⁵You prepare a table before me…”

He leads – it is up to me to follow.

He guides – it is up to me to listen to his directions.

He prepares – it is up to me to sit down and eat.

Oliver, our most outstanding Labradoodle companion, and I walk between three and five times a week from two to four miles  at each outing depending on the route and the route depending on the day of the week and my to-do list.

For much of the time I lead Ollie on-leash. Company policy, as I think of it, requires that I keep him on leash in parks proper. On the various trails we walk that are found branching out of parks and off mainstream walkways I take him off leash as long as I am reasonably sure others aren’t nearby on the trail. If he is off leash and someone comes around he goes back on leash until we are clear again.

I keep Ollie on leash when we encounter people, with or without dogs, mainly so that I can control the encounter until I’m sure of the person and their dog. Unruly dogs we ignore. Mostly we see good people who have good dogs. There are some other reasons you might observe him on-leash and out on a trail and I’ll cover those in a bit.

Since these walks are more about getting Ollie out than me exercise I make sure to let him do dog stuff. This means that while he’s on-leash I end up with an interval workout – ten steps, stop, sniff, mark - move on. Once off his leash, he gets to stop as long as he wants while I keep moving, then sprints to catch up.

Now, once in a while he’ll get off trail. It happens and I’m not too upset unless when I call him back he doddles. Doddling doodles can be irritating. If it gets serious enough he goes back onto the leash and we walk for a little bit, no dog stops included until I feel he’s learned and then he gets off leash again as long as the coast is clear.

I have to admit, and hate doing so, but Ollie is better at this with me than I am with Jesus. I doddle. I go up a wrong path and take my own sweet time getting back on the trail where he is leading. Because Jesus is who he is and operates the way he does, it’s up to me to get back on the trail, he doesn’t clip a lead to my collar, though at times it may feel that way.

He guides me on the path of righteousness for his name’s sake. He is generally pretty quiet about it, but of late, let’s say over the last several months, he’s been rather intrusive about it and his guidance has me into things I wanted nothing to do with. I’m still straining at the leash to stop and diddle around or go my own way and it’s making the walk along the path I know to be of his choosing an unpleasant one. I fear that I won’t get to the place that it will all be for his righteousness sake. Grace here is a heavy requirement.

Sometimes I don’t feel like sitting down to eat when and where the table’s been prepared for me. There are people there and some of them are difficult to eat with. There is food there that is tough to swallow for a guy that likes fast food and copious amounts of chocolate. It’s a banquet table and requires certain manners and customs to be observed when I’d rather bolt down the food and be on my way when I’d be better off digesting the whole experience.

It is always up to us. You know, free will and all that stuff? We must make the choice to be lead, to follow our guide, and to sit and eat with our Host. Jesus would rather we do these things out of an abiding love for him rather than out of fear of reprisal.

So, let us be led by Jesus and walk alongside our Guide to sit at the banquet table with him and fill ourselves with a heavenly feast.

In His grip,

jerry

I Could Not Bring Myself to Write It

A Storyblocks Image

Malachi 3: 16-18:  

“¹⁶Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.

^“17They will be mine,” says the Lord Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. ¹⁶And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” (NIV)

I sat down this morning to write judgement on certain people who lead us on a path of destruction. Matthew quotes Jesus about them in his Gospel in the 24^th chapter, verse 4 and again in verses 10-11. I cannot even quote it. I cannot write the judgement. I am weak and I fear. I’m well aware of the hypocrisy strewn about within my person and I know that to write it is to bring the judgement upon myself. Even to think it now and avert my fingers from the task brings a level of conviction I can scarcely stand.

See how the font follows my line of thought? I love to write posts in Comic Sans because it has style and there is some part of me that enjoys the whimsy of using a font with such a name. I cannot do it here. Someone must pay.

I confess to praying judgement. I have a young friend I made at VBS who should be entering her middle school years carefree; free to be creative and funny, smart and witty, cute and sassy. She carries the burden of abuse. I’m pissed off that I didn’t see it happening and have castigated myself that I allowed it. I’ve prayed for judgement on the perpetrators and know that it will not rest upon solely one person. I remember Jesus quote in Luke 17: 1-3.

I confess to praying judgement when I read my own daughter’s ‘Me Too’ Facebook post. I railed at whomever it could have been. It was by the thinnest of margins that I held back from trashing the office where I sit to write this. I wanted my own hands round their necks, my own fists to pummel the ba-jesus out of them. I feared that I could have contributed in any way.

I am powerless in this but for one thing. Rereading our Men’s Group scripture from this past Wednesday, I was looking for one thing but found something else. A bit of hope. Some direction. And so it sits atop my post as the only scripture I’ve quoted though I’ve referred to a couple of others.

The children have it right. They gather in protest as victims of this latest mass shooting and they have it right, correct in thinking they must speak out so we’ll listen. The children brought to our country in the arms of their parents who thought it was an adventure, a trip to a better life, only to live in fear have it right and must speak up so we will listen.

And those of us who fear the Lord must listen to the children and talk with each other. The Lord will listen too. If we fear the Lord and honor his name, he will listen as we talk and wisdom will be found and we will be his.

And those who ‘listen’ and offer one thing to the children in exchange for their own hateful desires? Well, look back at Luke 17.

In fear and trembling at my own weakness but forever in His grip, 

jerry

Be a Lighthouse

“¹⁴Ye are the light of the world. A city set upon a mountain cannot be hid. ¹⁵Neither do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on the lampstand, and it gives light unto all that are in the house. ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.” Matthew 5:1416 (Jubilee Bible 2000)

I hear about churches in decline and what might work or even what seems to be working to maintain church numbers or perhaps to foster growth. I hear churches and the organizations that bind them talk about being poised and ready for growth. We ask ourselves ‘how do we bring them in?’ and then the burden is laid on the congregations to bring friends to church while the people whose only friends are the church wonder what they can do.

In case you’re wondering here; I don’t have a magic elixir to offer; no program to tout and no new mix of music and liturgy sure to bring them in.

I hear talk of numbers and see pie charts, bar charts, and line charts showing the trends toward zero. We pundits of recent church history provide color commentary on what’s wrong and what could be right while pointing to growth churches and what progressive programs they’ve got going to bring in the sheaves. Christian Analytics: How much do we gain if we do this? Do we get a good return on our investment if we do that? Sports are being driven to analytics to get more for less money, win enough to keep people buying tickets and maybe get deep into the playoffs or luck into a championship. Then sell off the high-priced emerging talent that got them there and start again. As long as fans buy tickets. Don’t fall for it in the church, our Chairman of the Board doesn’t care for that approach. And don’t forget that statistics are wielded by people, each with his or her own point of view.

Yes, I’m aware of the irony of providing commentary in my writing about folks providing color commentary.

I turned a little corner this morning and found myself doing what an elder in the church should be doing – prying for the church to focus on Christ – him resurrected for us as the former, present, and forever King of all Kings. I need to be praying for that and doing it from the heart while going to battle against distractions to His Lordship and against encumbrances to our glorifying Him in our worship and our fellowship, and in our service, programs, and vision for the church.

Doing battle does not mean my standing up with a big sign out front of the church as I rail against the shortcomings of each person as they enter the grounds. I’ll not be riding in on a white horse raising my Bible as a flaming sword. However, I will be immersing myself in God’s Word and finding my way to Calvary to take time to pray, and pray earnestly, that Christ be lifted up first in the heats of believers and thus on display as a beacon to those who seek.

We must not light our lamp only to hide it under a bushel. We light it, put it on a lampstand, and provide light for all in the house (the church). And the church, having her wicks trimmed and lit, provides a light to all around, as a lighthouse. The light will declare, “Here is landfall, a place of safe harbor, beware the rocks and waves as you enter.” Those that are now cast adrift and in trouble on the stormy ocean will be drawn to find rest, a place where their wicks will be dried out, trimmed, and relit.

In His grip,

jerry

Be One Whom He Seeks

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4: 23 (NIV)

There are times I mourn some for lost spaces, little nooks and crannies where I’ve found a moment or two of solitude for quiet reflection, even talks with others that began in hushed tones and, as often as not, broke out in laughter. There was the small memorial chapel complete with waterfall/fountain that even worked for a season or two that became a storage facility and then was removed.

There was the space with comfy couches arranged around a fireplace that really worked – or works still for all I know but it's become a multipurpose room now. With a fire going we’d gather around and talk about a Bible verse or story or some sort of personal train of thought and our discussions would range from here to there with tangents and such until a game of some kind would break out. Eventually the group would quiet down as the fire calmed to embers. On a New Year’s Eve some of us would nap there until the word went out that it was time to go and freeze our butts on Colorado Avenue for the Rose Parade.

There used to be a library with real books filling the shelves with Bibles, concordances, journals, expanded studies of all the books of the Bible. It's a craft center now. You could go in there and pull down a book on nearly any Christian topic of the day and study. There was always a current (and several earlier renditions as well) Book of Order. Groups could gather there for in-depth discussion and discovery.

Now reading the verse above I have to chastise myself. Solitude can be found anywhere you set your heart to look. Worship can take place along any pathway, in the midst of a shopping mall, on the beach, on the bike (pedal or otherwise), and in the trenches of everyday life. It’s up to me to find my spot, to make it the Lord’s for His purpose.

And there are still spots that can be found on the campus I refer to here if you find the right time and know where to look. The seekers can find them and there is always time for worship. We must leave space in our lives for quiet contemplation and worship, to make/take the time and find the location holy for His purpose. If we do this, worship while our bodies, even our souls, are busy doing other things, then we become the ones whom the Father seeks.

In His grip,

jerry

Training Diet and Exercise

Training Diet and Exercise

Hebrews 5:11-14 – “¹¹We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. ¹²In Fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Unless we are able to enter the Holy of Holies on our accord, every time we consume scripture we should feel at least the a pinprick of conviction, both that the Word is true and that we are falling short. I was pinched by verse eleven.

I am slow to learn and always have been, especially where academics are concerned. I read slowly and methodically but with high comprehension. This flummoxed certain teachers during my school years and they assumed I wasn’t learning because I wasn’t learning at their pace. There are times when I set aside texts meant to teach because I’m inching along and would like to race. The Bible is tough for me to be consistent in. It takes time for me to work through the verbiage and so my discipline here is weak.

I put up a self-deprecating post on FB a few minutes ago and was rewarded by the following comment from my best-friend Jim:

“I am a steadfast believer that it is the responsibility of the teacher to teach the student in the manner and delivery in which the student can best receive the instruction. This is to the teacher's ultimate advantage, in that the teacher then is afforded the opportunities from his or her students to learn (woo-hoo!) an endless number of manners and deliveries. Count it all joy.”

I do count it all joy. The most fulfilling times of my Christian walk have been when I’ve taught – scriptures, building, cooking, the fundamentals of basketball – all teaching leads to learning for both teacher and student.

In all areas of our life we need to progress from a diet of mother’s milk to protein rich foods. We do this by the process of maturation in both the physical and spiritual realms. The lamb in the field goes from taking mother’s milk to eating grasses. Our puppies are weaned and go onto puppy food and a progression of foods that dazzle most dog owners. Walk down the pet food aisle of any store and you’ll see a progression of foods designed for every stage of a dog’s life. Go into Petco and be overwhelmed at aisle after aisle of foods for every size, age, and dietary need for your dog.

While we consider this and what it means to us in our personal spiritual state we cannot escape verse fourteen, “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Our maturity as Christians is a training issue. We must have a training regimen that includes a specific diet if we are to excel. The best training regimens have a regular interval and opportunities to adapt as our conditioning improves. Distance runners carbo-load before a big race. Basketball players ease into maintenance mode in the weight room as the season nears and govern their diets according to the schedule of games. We pace the intake of scripture with our need to teach, worship, and pray.

We need to attach ourselves to a teacher/trainer that will encourage us, set up our personal regimen, and kick our butts when we need it. The Holy Spirit is just such a teacher. It is up to us to come to the table, it is up to the Holy Spirit to teach us, convict us, goad us, and confirm us.

We also need a place to exercise our maturity. To do that we need to identify our call and pursue it while teaching and feeding the spiritually young.

Find your level, work toward a pace, and come to the table to eat. Then ‘count it all joy’ as you lift a heavier burden or watch a student exceed your own skills.

In His grip,

jerry

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