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- Cost of Discipleship II - Cost of Discipleship, Part 2 of 3: Let’s put the Savior verse Lord question on hold for a moment. I’m in the process of writing a story, based on the man in the above passage of Luke. So, I have the rich man, Caleb, walking away from his encounter with Jesus. He is sad and has this conversation with Rachel, his wife/girlfriend/partner (yet to be determined): “Caleb and Rachel watched Jesus walk away. The discontent that he had felt before was still with him. He was disappointed that this man, this Jesus, did not help him get beyond his lack of peace. What he said was confusing and he wasn’t sure it made any sense at all for him. How could he follow him, as Jesus had said? What did that mean? He had responsibilities, he had family, he had duties to perform in the synagogue, and he had others relying on him, counting on him, trusting him. It made no sense! Follow him? Indeed! Continue reading
- Cost of Discipleship I - Cost of Discipleship, Part 1 of 3: Over the months, we have heard a great deal about polls and the census, and what they might reveal. George Gallup contends that fewer than 10% of evangelical Christians could be called deeply committed. Most of those who profess Christianity don’t know basic teachings and don’t act differently because of their Christian commitment. Fewer than 50% say they read their Bible once a week, or not at all. Being a disciple of Jesus can be hard. Salvation is both absolutely free and yet it costs you your very life. You receive it freely at no expense to you, but once you receive it, you have just committed everything you are to Jesus Christ. Absolutely free? I remember a story out of the sermon I heard years ago. The preacher was saying that a friend offered him a free ride in his airplane. He just got his pilot’s license and he was so proud of that accomplishment. If I accept his invitation for a free flight, I have just committed my very life to him. If he learned his lessons well and he flies safely, I’m safe. If he crashes, I die. Continue reading
- Slow Down - Welcome to July! Oh, I do not like the way these days, weeks, months move quickly through our lives. I want things to slow down, just a tad. Okay, having gotten that out of my system, on to the Meditation – The Pastor, sitting on the floor with a group of children, doing the children's message. He asks "What has 4 legs, scampers around on tree limbs, and has a big bushy tail?” No answer from the children. He offers a clue, "it likes nuts!" Finally, after a lengthy period of silence one small boy tentatively raises his hand and says -- "I know the answer is Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me." Continue reading
- Busy Lives - If yesterday’s meditation was Part #1, focused on worshiping in our own homes and not being in in the formal worship service in church, then this is Part #2: What has happened to us as we have concentrated on the presence of Christ in our lives, sitting in the familiar confines of our homes? Recently I was reading a devotional by Joyce Meyer where she alluded to the busy routine of daily lives clouding our deep relationship with our Lord. She wrote that too often the motions and schedules and commitments and calendar overloads proves to be a waste of time. When those things carry little weight, then we can get to the real work of following Christ: The revelation that Jesus is alive within us, and then we allow him to change us into new creatures in Christ. In my conversations with many family and friends, and in my own experience, as the days turned into weeks, and weeks into months of our isolation, many of those things that we should’ve gotten to before the virus hit, have been put into good order. Continue reading
- Hurting Our Churches? - This morning, in the midst of our devotionals, I had this thought: When this pandemic is passed and we are free to worship within the church, what will our numbers look like? Will some of our families not return, or will others join us? During this pandemic, many have drawn closer to our Lord and Savior without the benefit of lectionary, hymns or sermons delivered in the physical structure of our church buildings. Many found the comfort of in-home worship, finding it to have a special flavor, a special meaning. It’s more than just the informality, the comfort of pjs, a warm cup of tea or coffee as we pray and view previously recorded worship services. Continue reading
- Jesus Prayer - In an earlier Watchword, possibly a month or so ago, I mentioned classics in Christian literature that were important for the walk of a Christian. One of the books I listed is The Way of the Pilgrim. It was written by an unknown author, who tells the tale of a pilgrim wandering Russia sharing his beliefs and, in particular, the Jesus Prayer. As you read, you get the impression, that he is that pilgrim on his own odyssey of faith. Here is part of that book related to the Jesus Prayer: “As I noticed that he was always in prayer and versed in the inward prayer of the heart, and as he spoke Russian perfectly, I questioned him on this matter. He readily told me a great deal about it and I listened with care. I even wrote down many things that he said. Thus, for example, he taught me about the excellence and greatness of the Jesus Prayer in this way... Continue reading
- Familiar Hymns - I suspect that we each get so much more from a worship service when we can sing familiar praise songs and hymns. I would go so far as to say that members of this network lean more towards the old hymns, the ones we grew up with, the ones that we loved as we learned to love Jesus. Personally, I love to worship in my Lutheran Church where we follow some traditions, Many we have memorized we don’t need the bulletin in front of us to follow along. I like the predictability of the lectionary with specific scripture passages in the season. But, I don’t have that same affection for some of the hymn selections. Hymns that I may never heard before in my memory, and can’t get my faith-teeth into the singing. Many of us mumble through those hymns when we should be praising our Lord with a ‘joyful noise’. Out of curiosity, I pulled up the 100 best loved hymns of all time. Continue reading
- Safe - Safe, Part 3: (Based, in part, on the essay, Safe, and the song The Prayer) How about those times when you are not plummeting to the earth from 14,000 feet, or on the verge of a medical crisis, or on that roller coaster wishing you weren’t, and things are good and you’re not scared, confused or lost? You know, when things are going smoothly, and you’re enjoying life. Or, maybe you have a decision that you must make, A or B, two good choices, but simply cannot make up your mind. While either is good, which is better? One way seems colored with service for others, while the other is one you favor. What to do? Continue reading
- Thursday, June 25 - Safe, Part 2: (Based, in part, on the essay, Safe, I published six years ago) Fantasy #1 – You stand at the open hatch of the of the Cirrus SR20. You had packed your own parachute, under the watchful eye of your instructor, and you are ready for your first solo jump. You are confident that you are ready, but your mouth is dry and your heart is beating loud enough to be heard over the roar of the engines. The wind buffets you, there on the threshold, looking down at farmlands nearly 14,000 feet below. You wait for the tap on your shoulder, then, without another thought, launch yourself out into the void. You follow instructions, and throw your arms and legs out, spread Eagle, to slow your descent, you let out a cry of joy and excitement; “You’re doing it!” Continue reading
- Wednesday, June 24 - Safe, Part 1: (Based, in part, on the essay, Safe, I published six years ago.) Safe. Such a little word. We know what it means in baseball and in banks. When we use it to describe our sense of presence, it strongly implies physical safety. It is a little like security, but a bit closer to peace. Safe. David Foster and Carol Bayer Sager have written a beautiful, special song, “The Prayer“, which captures the meaning and importance of a spiritual presence, which, by its very nature, is part and parcel of being “safe”: I pray you’ll be our eyes, and watch us where we go, and help us to be wise, in times when we don’t know... Continue reading
- Tuesday, June 23 - Spiritual insight through the minds and the pens of Oswald Chambers and Dietrich Bonhoeffer -- From Oswald Chambers: “When Paul received his sight, he received spiritually an insight into the Person of Jesus Christ, and the whole of his subsequent life in preaching was nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. No attraction was ever allowed to hold the mind and soul of Paul, save the face of Jesus Christ. We have to learn to maintain an unimpaired state of character up to the last notch revealed in the vision of Jesus Christ. The abiding characteristic of a spiritual person is the interpretation of the Lord Jesus Christ within himself, and the interpretation to others of the purposes of God. This is the one concentrated passion of the life in Jesus Christ. Whenever you meet this characteristic in a person, you feel he/she is a person after God’s own heart. Continue reading
- Monday, June 22 - Think about that and about the gifts or talents given to each of us. Every person has the task of releasing angels by shaping and transfiguring all those raw materials that lie within into our life, artistic works, careers, etc. We chip, and scratch, and file away at our raw material to discover our gifts, and the transformational process begins. Beneath this shell of hard-headedness, stubbornness, self-importance, low self-esteem, etc., waits the angel of our worth. Because our gifts carry us into the world and makes us participants in life, the uncovering of them is one of the most important tasks confronting any one of us. When we talk about being ourselves -- being the person we are intended by God to be -- we are talking about gifts. We cannot be ourselves unless we are true to the gifts and graces that flow to us from His hands. Continue reading
- Sunday, June 21 - Our Heavenly Father has a love for us, His children, that is unmatched. All the heavens and earth were created with us in mind. He wanted a beautiful place for His family of mankind. He provides everything we need and much of what we want. He cares about every aspect of our lives: our health, our family, our life’s work, hobbies, dreams, and even our desires. Father God not only loves us in church, He loves us wherever we are. He loves what we do and what we become. He watches over us while we sleep and wakes us up every morning to start a new day in His love! He scrutinizes our every move, and every thought. The Bible says that we are so valuable to God, “even the hairs on your head are all counted.” Luke 12:7 Continue reading
- Saturday, June 20 - Do you remember the song from the 1950’s, “Little Things Mean a Lot”? A sweet, little love song: Give me your hand when I've lost the way [...] Sappy? Maybe. If you are a romantic, and most of us should be, then that little song carries some meaning…like that cup of water that you give, or the door you hold open, or the hand you reach out with, or “doing for the least of these…” Little things mean a lot. Do we realize that when we do what could be considered small acts of kindness for others, in the name of Jesus, we are glorifying his Holy Name? You express genuine concern for hurting people. You give to worthy causes. Your generosity and compassion are seen by the All-Seeing. “You did it unto me.” Continue reading
- Friday, June 19 - We know that quote from Jesus. We have discussed it in so many different forums and tried to slant it one way or another, applying secular morality or inclusionism (is that even a word?) to what Jesus said. But, Jesus did not say he would show the truth or teach the truth or model the truth. He is the truth. He is the source of truth. You and I can discover truth, but we cannot create it. Puddin’ Head Wilson tells us that “Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. Truth is a good example. What is truth? Truth, real truth, is a hard taskmaster. You know with truth, there is no wiggle room, no way to hedge the bet. No way to hide or duck it. As Steve Brown has said, “Truth is true because it’s…true.” Continue reading
- Thursday, June 18 - Have you ever seen a miracle? No? Are you sure? Maybe you were part of it, and you have no recollection of having been there, or seen it, or heard it. Maybe, without you knowing it, someone had observed you doing something for the Lord, and it caused them to think, to pray, to act. Just a little thing, a seedling. There are some that believe miracles happen all the time, all around us. Are you one of those? We hear about miracle drugs, miracle this, miracle that, and maybe that’s all just advertising. Or is it? Continue reading
- Wednesday, June 17 - Corrie ten Boom, from Clippings from My Notebook, “Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength.” Worry. We do, despite our Lord telling us “do not worry”, we just go right on worrying. Or do we? Some worry is not worry. Right? We look both ways, twice, before driving through an intersection. We use caution on stairs. Some of us check the ‘Use by date’ on foods, just to be safe. Is all that evidence of worry? In this age of covid19, we take great care to isolate ourselves, use masks, keep ‘social distance’, all in the interest of keeping healthy. To not take those steps, recommended by the scientists who know, is foolhardy. Yet, many of us, who venture out to the grocery store, or other places, see so many who ignore the best thinking of those who know. Continue reading
- Tuesday, June 16 - It’s been three months since the isolation began and some of us are still separated from our loved ones, even to the point of not having seen them except through the graces of Facetime, Zoom or our smart phones. A few of us have broken out of this quarantine, we balanced the risk against the reward of blessed fellowship. I hope you have discovered, as I have, through all of this, that our love relationships have not changed. Maybe you observe that absence makes the heart grow fonder. I can’t disagree with that, but, then, I also believe that love is an absolute. An absolute? Well, yes, I think it’s an absolute. I’m one of those romantics who believes that love never dies. Even death does not diminish it. Nor does it dim because of conflict. I also don’t believe there are differing shades love. I’ve never seen a movie where the protagonist might say, I have 47% love for you and I hope you share the same. Although that does sound a bit silly, and funny, or sad. Continue reading
- Monday, June 15 - Do we fear death? With some frequency, you may hear of people who, due to incurable illness, age, pain or loss of faculties, say they are “Ready to go.” They wish to leave this vale of tears. They may say they “long to be with Jesus”. I have a friend who is not in good health, has lost the spouse, and has expressed that very wish, to be with Jesus. This person has the will made out, funeral planned, all bills paid, insurance in place, and has said goodbye to those important in their life. I cannot walk in another’s shoes, or feel their pain, or know their thoughts. From our standpoint, it is hard to fully understand what is going on in their lives, or how their mind is working. The only gauge is our own, and the comparison is foggy, at best. Continue reading
- Sunday, June 14 – Let Me Clarify - Let Me Clarify: I offer a retraction. Well, maybe not a retraction, maybe a qualification. Well, maybe not a qualification, may be clarification. That’s it, let me clarify. Here it is: In Friday’s Meditation on Watchword, I made the argument that Joy was a choice, our choice. Then on Saturday, I was soundly informed differently by Jesus and Oswald Chambers. I confess, I misunderstood. Well, maybe not misunderstood so much as reflected on only a small part of joy. Nehemiah made it clear, but I did not read it for the full meaning. “The Joy of the Lord is your strength.” It is not my joy, but the Joy of the Lord that buoys me, lifts me up and makes my day. “Joy comes in the morning.” A joy that we treasure, that comes with the dawn of a new day, that is fresh and new in little moments throughout our day, in us and our loved ones, gifted by the Lord. Continue reading
