02.01.10
Wise Words for Today
Earth’s unlimited resource is the gifts, talents, passions, imagination, and ingenuity of its citizens. You would think we would know this by now, but we often seem to miss the gift right in front of us. The world needs you to find the hero within you. The real battle is not between good and evil but between less and more. Most of us don’t choose the worst life; we just don’t choose the best. We can’t afford for you to sleep through your dreams…..The world needs you at your best. This planet is made better or worse by the people we choose to become. If you live a diminished life, it is not only you who loses, but the world loses, and humanity loses. There is a story to be written by your life and though it may never inspire a graphic novel, it is a heroic tale nonetheless. Though you may not recognize it, there is greatness in you. ….only you can choose to rise up and embrace your destiny. Very few are meant for a life of notoriety, yet all of us are meant for a life of significance. We should never confuse fame with greatness. The former is about what you do for yourself; the latter is about what you do for others. It is in this way that all of us have heroic lives to live. We are all called to serve the greater good.
Erwin Raphael McManus
(from Wide Awake)
01.29.10
There Are More Things In Heaven And Earth…
L. Dwight Turner
I am not in any way ashamed to say that I am a firm believer in the supernatural. I suspect there are many aspects of our existence that we humans, in all our intellectual arrogance and pseudo-sophistication, are totally unaware of. This lack of cognizance, however, has nothing to do with whether or not these uncharted realities exist.
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Thus says Hamlet in Act One, Scene Five. I suspect Shakespeare was on to something here.
I mention all of this because this morning I have supernatural encounters on my mind. As is the custom it seems with both chronic insomnia and Congestive Heart Failure, sleep is a fleeting commodity. Years ago I read Stephen King’s novel Insomnia and even then I could relate to the main character in the story, a man who due to an ever-advancing inability to sleep, began to be in contact with another dimensional reality. Those issues, however, are only indirectly related to the subject at hand.
I am rarely in bed past 3 am and get my short amount of sleep in stretches of 45 minutes to an hour. I wake up, finally go back to sleep, only to wake up again. Today, I finally gave up the ghost and got up at 2:50 am. Flipping through the television stations, I happened upon a program that was just beginning. I ended up watching the program in its entirety as it was only about 20 minutes long. It was this program that got me to thinking about the supernatural.
A young black boy, we’ll call him Jim, was living in a large urban area with his parents and grandmother. The two spend much time together as Jim’s parents were busy earning a living for the family. They often read books, played games, and together, imagined all sorts of things. One game they mentioned had to do with a light, rose-colored ring that the grandmother wore. It was her “magic ring” that opened up many doors to many adventures. Jim was especially close to his grandma and when she died, it was devastating.
After showing a brief scene where Jim saw his grandmother’s body in the casket before her funeral, the film moved forward to Jim’s life as a middle aged man. He now worked as a lead building inspector for the southern part of the city and was quite successful. One day he discovered that among his tasks for the day involved inspecting the dilapidated buildings of his old neighborhood, including the building where he grew up.
While inspecting the building, which would obviously have to be condemned, he visited the apartment where his family lived during his childhood. The building was covered with graffiti and falling apart. When Jim entered his old apartment it was as if he was transported back in time as he vividly recalled the happy, carefree days he spent there. He saw his parent sitting in the dining room, looking at the newspaper and he saw himself, a small boy, laughing and playing games with his grandmother.
As he walked across the room to where he imagined he and his grandmother were playing, his nostalgic reverie was quickly broken. The floor under his feet, long ago gone to rot, gave way. Jim fell through the floor and the floor below that, crashing with full force into the basement floor. Unconscious, his life was slowly fading away.
Meanwhile, four blocks away, Officer Mark Walton had just turned on to 8th Street when an attractive young woman ran into the street flagging him down. Hitting the brakes, Officer Walton stopped and climbed out of his patrol car. The woman was calm but very direct.
“Quick, “ she said. “My grandson is hurt and needs help.”
Looking at the young woman, Officer Walton said, “You mean your son?”
“No, my grandson,” she said as she climbed into the cruiser. “Hurry, there isn’t much time.”
Officer Walton sped toward the address the woman had given him, thinking all the while that she was far too young to have a grandson.
Arriving at the location, Officer Walton got out of the car and instructed the woman to stay put.
“He is in the basement,” she called to him as he walked up the steps.
Officer Walton found Jim lying face down on the basement floor, unresponsive and barely breathing. He quickly called for an ambulance.
Paramedics arrived on the scene and were able to stabilize Jim and he was taken to the hospital, where he experienced a slow but steady recovery.
Upon returning to his patrol car, Officer Walton discovered that the young woman was no longer there. He did notice, however, something lying on the passenger seat: a light rose-colored ring. Picking up the ring, the officer looked around to see if her could locate the young woman, but she was nowhere to be found.
A few days later Officer Walton went to visit Jim in the hospital. Jim was pleased to see the man who had saved his life and he genuinely thanked Officer Walton.
“Don’t thank me,” responded the policeman. “Thank your grandmother.” Officer Walton went on to tell Jim the story of the young woman who had flagged him down, claiming to be Jim’s grandmother. The officer also mentioned how young the woman appeared and that he felt she was much too young to be a grandmother.
Jim listened with interest as Officer Walton related the events that had led to his rescue. He then told the policeman that it could not have possibly been his grandmother.
“My grandmother died 30 years ago,” said Jim.
“Well, there are a lot of strange people out there,” quipped Officer Walton.
Just prior to leaving, Officer Walton reached in h is uniform pocket and fished out something and handed it to Jim.
“I found this on the seat where she was sitting,” said Officer Walton. “She must have lost it.”
It was the light, rose-colored ring.
Jim was in shock as his eyes filled with tears. He explained to Officer Walton that this was the very ring worn by his grandmother so many years ago.
You may think this story is made up or make believe or you may discount it in other ways. I, for one, however, do not. I have heard far too many stories like this to ever discount the miraculous in the context of our daily lives. I have also been a part of too many stories like this, stories where events take place that are far beyond our capacity to explain or comprehend.
(c) L.D. Turner 2010/ All Rights Reserved
01.28.10
Wise Words For Today
Misunderstanding Jesus has caused Muslims to reject Him, Hindus to suspect Him, Buddhists to ignore Him, atheists to hate Him, and agnostics to deny Him. But it just may be those who claim to represent Him the most – Christians – who have in fact misunderstood and, therefore, misrepresented Him the most…..Christians have misunderstood Him as the founder of a religion and have transformed His teachings and His methods into customs and His activities into rituals. Many even have reduced His message to nothing more than an escapist plan for getting to heaven and His promises as a mere fire insurance policy for escaping the pains of a tormenting hell…..And yet a simple study and review of His message and priority reveals that Jesus had only one message, one mandate, and one mission – the return of the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.
Dr. Myles Munroe
Wise Words for Today
These are the churches I feel most at home in now and in which I see the future – congregations full of liberals and conservatives, old and young, many formerly unchurched but now committed Christians, suburban but involved in their cities, urban who make the city their “parish,” evangelical, mainline Protestant and Catholic, but comfortably ecumenical, full of families and kids, crowds of teenagers in the youth group, traditional and contemporary in worship, intellectual but warm-hearted, successful but humble, Democrats and Republicans who believe God is neither, becoming as colorful as the rich diversity of all God’s children, and most of all, fervently committed to a gospel that is both personal and social and refusing to divide the word of God or the Body of Christ. And they are churches who now want to reach out to their neighbors from all the other faith traditions in their communities and those of no faith at all for projects of “the common good.” It is a future for which I have been hoping and waiting – for a long time.
Jim Wallis
(from The Great Awakening)
01.19.10
United Methodist Church Aims At Relevance And Global Service: Part One
L. D. Turner
If you are a regular visitor to this site, you know that I often write about the major changes that are changing the face of institutional Christianity across the board. You will also recall that I have a sincere love and passion for the church, despite its many shortcomings, and genuinely believe that Christianity, when rightly practiced, has much to offer our hurting world. With its inherent creativity, its heart of compassion, and its depth of resources, the church universal is strategically positioned to become a positive force in helping shape our culture as this turbulent century progresses. The key to bringing these positive contributions to fruition is a willingness on the part of the church to be creative, progressive, flexible, open, and proactive.
I have been a member of the United Methodist Church for many years and am proud to say that our church is moving forward in an attempt to make itself a positive and beneficial force in the world and, in keeping with its mantra of “open hearts, open minds, and open doors, is doing so in a creative and exciting way. The UMC “Rethink Church” programs, along with the Ten Thousand Doors initiative, are but two examples of this.
Most recently, however, I came across a document that reminded me why, early on in my adult life, I chose to become a Methodist. The document I am referring to explains the rationale behind the UMC initiative entitled, God’s Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action. It is the “Foundation Document” for the initiative and is authored by the UMC Council of Bishops. After reading this “Call to Hope and Action” my Wesleyan fires were blazing to say the least. And while I am sincere in my belief that denominational differences in this country are far too overblown, this document illustrates the social principles of the UMC.
“God’s Renewed Creation” maintains the firm commitment of the 1986 Council , namely that “nuclear deterrence is a position that cannot receive the church’s blessing. These documents, generated in 2009, also build on the observations of the earlier Council, that the nuclear crisis threatens “planet earth itself,” that the arms race “destroys millions of lives in conventional wars, repressive violence, and massive poverty,” and that the “arms race is a social justice issue, not only a war and peace issue.”
The 2009 Council of Bishops expanded its focus to include three interrelated threats:
Pandemic poverty and disease;
- Environmental degradation and climate change, and
- A world awash with weapons and violence.
“God’s Renewed Creation” gives me both hope and a sense of loyal pride at being a part of the United Methodist Church as well as the Wesleyan tradition of social ministry. Recognizing that the world as we know it has become an interrelated, interdependent global entity, the UMC leadership is taking a proactive stance in terms of addressing some of humanity’s most critical issues. Also recognizing that the church has historically been part of the problems in our world, the Council of Bishops now seeks to become a creative and transformative part of the solution.
The United Methodist Church has the vision to see that God is doing a “new work” in the world and is taking positive measures to be an integral part of God’s work at this critical point in our planet’s history. Rather than taking a myopic, “what’s in it for us” approach to humankind’s crucial problems, the Council of Bishops has given voice to a vision that is much broader in scope and, in keeping with the Wesleyan heritage of befriending the hurting and the marginalized, seeks to bring God’s healing grace to those who suffer the most in this time of rapid change.
The “Call to Hope and Action” reflects the United Methodist Church’s mission to “Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World.” Additionally, the vision of God’s Renewed Creation clearly reflects the denomination’s “Four Areas of Focus.” The Foundation Document states:
We know the world is being transformed and we seek to cooperate with God’s renewing Spirit, especially through our denominations Four Areas of Focus: (1) developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world, (2) creating new places for new people and renewing existing congregations, (3) engaging in ministry with the poor, and (4) stamping out the killer diseases of poverty. Focusing on these four areas will shape our discipleship such that those who seek God will see an image in our behavior that is inviting, encouraging, healing, and inspiring.
As a United Methodist, I clearly see the personal implications of these four areas of focus and, along with the biblical teachings of the Master, use them as a matrix through which I organize my personal spiritual disciplines. I especially find the principles of inviting, encouraging, healing, and inspiring helpful reminders for putting into practice what I have come to call proactive hospitality. This type of hospitality is not only sensitive to the everyday, routine ways of being open and hospitable in our homes and churches, but also actively looks for ways we can practice hospitality to others, even if it is nothing more than smiling and saying hello.
Personally, I seek to practice proactive hospitality by holding doors open for people and allowing them to enter before I do. This may seem like a very small thing and perhaps it is. However, I have found this to be a simple practice that has enormous benefit when carried out over a period of time.
The Foundation Document takes great care to show how the various problems facing humankind in this age are interrelated. For example, the issue of climate change is examined from an angle somewhat different than the norm. Rather than focusing on whether or not climate change is man-made or part of a natural cycle, the Council of Bishops views this vital issue in terms of its impact on those living under the thumb of oppressive poverty. In addition, climate change and poverty are seen as interconnected with violence and the sale of arms.
Climate change poses a particular threat to the world’s poor because it increases the spread of diseases like malaria and causes conflicts over dwindling natural resources. Easy access to small arms ensures that such conflicts turn deadly, and the specter of a nuclear war that would destroy the world continues to loom over us.
The Foundation Document was created out of the Council of Bishops being “called to speak a word of hope and action.” The document is also a product of the church’s sensing of God doing a new things, as described in Isaiah 43:19:
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
As I read over the document the first time I was able to experience that sense of calling – that blessed sense of God’s love in action in the world. I understood at a deeper level that we, indeed, are living in a critical era in the world’s history – an age in which the matrix of the future is beginning to take shape. The Foundation Document, which came into being in reaction to the critical nature of our time, addresses the needs of our age – an age the document calls “a hinge of history. In terms of its contents, the Foundation Document of God’s Renewed Creation:
Describes the interconnected nature of poverty and disease, environmental degradation and weapons and violence through stories of those most affected;
- Shares information about Christian scriptures and beliefs, and our Wesleyan heritage in order to provide a foundation for our response.
- Recommends a variety of actions; and
- Reminds us of the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the great sources of encouragement and hope all around us.
To be continued
01.18.10
Random Reflections On The Walk Of Faith – #1
Mick Turner
For many people the search for faith is a simple process. A clear path is set out before them and they follow it with little hesitation or uncertainty. For people like this, the journey of faith, while not without problems or challenges from time to time, is a precious gift that is freely embraced with openness and gratitude.
Yet for others, people like myself, the journey to and with God is a bit more problematic. The source of the difficulties, of course, is not God but us. We think too much, worry over matters too trivial to mention, and avoid simple answers like we would a coiled rattlesnake. Folks of our ilk could complicate a postage stamp.
Speaking for myself, I can certainly relate to the following words by Brian McLaren, candidly speaking about the travails he has experienced along the way of his spiritual sojourn:
Looking back over the subsequent years, I would say that “crisis management” described my faith experience. It was a cyclical story of hope followed by disillusionment, elation at finding “the answer” or the ultimate faith formula followed by depression when the easy answers and formulas didn’t work. At several junctures I imagined that I would live the rest of my life without faith – finding and keeping faith was just too hard.
But somehow, in the process of seeking a faith that is real and makes sense, I ended up with a faith that has sustained me. That faith still involves crises from time to time. It hasn’t provided me with an exemption from life’s ups and downs, nor has it given me a “get out of doubt free” card. But somehow, my faith has evolved from being a part of the problem of my life, something I was always trying to resolve, to part of the solution for my life, something that most often sustains me and gives me resources to face life’s challenges.
I especially relate to the words about faith evolving from part of the problem in life to part of the solution. Resolving issues of faith has probably burned no less than 75 percent of my mental energy over the years and, as I reflect on this, it is a real shame. I can’t say it was a waste of time, because I don’t think dealing with these sorts of spiritual/existential questions is ever a waste of time. However, there can be situations where ruminating on spiritual conundrums, tossing them about in our minds over and over like a cow chewing its cud, are less than productive. After an extended period of engaging in this sort of mental mastication, my brain begins to feel like it is made out of molasses.
Later on, McLaren discusses the fact that for the truly committed, the search for a transformational faith is often a difficult undertaking, necessitating the involvement of all aspects of our functioning.
To begin with, you are going to have to think harder and bigger than you ever have, because although good faith isn’t limited to the mind, it requires the mind to be fully engaged…..It forces us to face some ugliness in ourselves, some hard facts about life and our world, requiring courage, honesty, and determination.
McLaren’s point is that a consecrated walk of faith is no stroll through the park. We are called upon to encounter ourselves and the world we live in at a level that is most likely deeper than our comfort zone. No one likes looking at the seedier side of their character – I know I don’t. I would prefer to see myself as that nice Christian man who loves God and his neighbor and his church and even the occasional panhandler, drunk, or street urchin. You know him – that generous fellow that is frequently seen putting a buck or two in the Salvation Army bucket outside Wal-Mart and who always, without fail or fanfare, opens the door for his wife. I would prefer not to see the guy who is selfish, lazy, and who has a marked tendency to live by the law: “Why do today what can be put off until tomorrow?” And at all cost, I don’t want to stand at my mirror in the morning and look into the eyes of the guy that can’t help thinking about the shapely legs on the Japanese woman who lives just up the street. Yet it is just this sort of self-examination that a deeper discipleship calls for. McLaren continues:
Faith involves admitting with humility and boldness that we need to change, to go against the flow, to be different, to shine the harsh light of scrutiny on our cherished illusions and prejudices and face them with candor, and to discover new truths that can be liberating even though they may be difficult for the ego, painful to the pride. To search for a faith that makes sense has been the most challenging and life-changing quest of my life. Nobody should expect something this important to be easy.
The veracity of those last words, “nobody should expect something this important to be easy,” is so obvious that many of us miss it altogether. Perhaps the most important decision any of us will ever make is what we are going to do with Jesus Christ, once we encounter his name and his place in history. Beyond that, if we decide that Jesus was indeed exactly who and what he said he was (and is), then we should full well know that being a disciple of a being so radically different from the status quo is going to be a difficult.
Yes, Christ told us his yoke was easy and his burden light, but I don’t think he meant it was going to be a cake walk, either. Just ask the rich young man how easy the yoke of the wandering Galilean was. Jesus doesn’t ask for a portion of us, he asks for the whole package.
I fully recall a time in my spiritual journey when I was at a point of desperation – true desperation – and a significant part of me screamed from every pore of my being to just chuck this whole faith thing and go on a blazing bender that would have even the most hard-core hedonist green with envy. Another part of me, equal in intensity, wanted nothing more than for the Lord to reveal to my over-taxed brain the solution to the intangible but all-too-real existential puzzle that had me spiritually paralyzed and stone cold stuck.
“Lord,” I cried in absolute earnestness. “What in the world is it that you want from me?”
“Surrender,” came the answer, not on the loud rumble of a thunderous voice, but in a soft, gentle whisper barely audible but all too clear.
(c) L.D. Turner 2010/All Rights Reserved
01.16.10
Our Kingdom Calling: Radical Compassion
Mick Turner
After my tireless and at times seemingly disjointed efforts at spiritual study and practice over the past 40 years or so, I have come to several salient and universally applicable realizations:
- The flows beneath the seemingly different surfaces, a common experience among all religious traditions. This is not to say that all religions are the same – because they are not. What it does say is that deep down in that space where it really counts – deep down in that part of our being that intrinsically knows the truth – lies the same experience and it is an experience of mystical unity. The only other common thread that I see running through almost all religions is less savory – all religions eventually seem to reach a point where they become the major impediment in the path of their followers finding truth and enlightenment.
- Even in the newer, more non-religious spiritual groups, there is a marked tendency toward self-absorption and this, in turn, tends to foster the problem of ego domination rather than solve it. Although the path of spiritual growth and personal development requires a significant amount of focus on oneself, this self-reflection must always be balanced with service to a cause larger in scope than one’s own petty concerns, however significant they may seem. As a result of these realities, many New Age groups devote little time and or energy to community service. Much lip service is offered but little legwork is proffered. For a degree of validation of this point, next time you are browsing the spirituality section of your favorite bookstore, see how many books you find on “service” or “community enhancement.” Also, look at the table of contents in most spiritual books. Normally, there may be at most a section on something like “Creating a Better World” tucked in at the back of the book. Even some of our most cherished spiritual writers are guilty of this. I say this not in a spirit of condemnation, but just of non-judgmental observation.
I must admit that I find this trend somewhat disturbing. I guess part of my reaction stems from the fact that I was so radically guilty of the same crime. It took more than a few personal crises and at least one divine pummeling to bring me to my senses, at least marginally. Fortunately, as time passed I began to see things from a broader and more global perspective, coming eventually to the cosmic realization that everyone and everything in the universe, in fact, did not orbit my being.
This personal epiphany eventually led me to see that in an overall grander scheme of things, I was, in reality, fairly small potatoes. Over time, thanks to coming in contact with several significant spiritual teachers in ways that can only described as divine synchronicity, I came to view a few of the more important issues we all face in life in a decidedly different light.
In retrospect, one of the most enlightening insights that I came to was that no matter how we may choose to frame the reality, the ultimate goal of working with any system of spiritual growth is to awaken in ourselves the desire to make a positive contribution to the world beyond ourselves. Ideally, each of us should strive to find ways in which we can bring light, joy, and relief to others. It is no overstatement to say that the entire framework of my spiritual odyssey has since been to place myself in a state of being where I can not only be good – but good for something.
As Christians, we need look no farther than Jesus to locate a perfect example of this kind of life of compassionate service. As scripture so plainly tells us: He went about doing good. Even the most superficial reading of the gospels will verify this reality beyond any question.
Jesus Christ was not a man of compassion; he was a man of radical compassion. From his voluntary mission to this broken world, to his mysterious ascension back into the heavenly realm, there was no theme he stressed more in both word and deed. From his opening salvo quoting Isaiah about bringing release to the captives and good news to the poor, to his words of grace uttered on the cross, “forgive them for they know not what they do,” Jesus exemplified a compassion far beyond what the world had seen before. Indeed, it was and is a radical compassion.
Radical compassion is compassion with legs; radical compassion is a verb. Just as the Bible tells us in the Letter of James that faith without works is dead, also, compassion without concomitant action is a lifeless phenomenon. Many sincere aspirants have the mistaken notion that the ultimate goal of the spiritual path is enlightenment. Although a sincere desire for motivation is one of our most treasured possessions, it is actually penultimate. The real aim of the spiritual journey is simply this – Sacred Service. All that we do is dedicated to the greatest good of all beings in all parts of our global society. Our gain is their gain, our loss is their loss, our advancement is their advancement, and it is to this sacred reality that those that would be so bold as to take up the title of Christian world must offer their hands, their hearts, and their prayers.
In order for compassion to become more than just a nice idea or a sentimental feeling, it must flow out of the internalized wisdom of the ages, particularly as related to the reality of “interconnectivity.” The idea of interconnectivity, now confirmed by the field of quantum physics, has been around for many centuries and is at the core of interspiritual mysticism, that one aspect of world religion that seems to transcend culture, time, and especially theology. It is a mystical connectedness that promotes compassion and engaged action to make the world a better place for all who dwell here. In essence, it is a deep wisdom that gives flesh to grace. The great spiritual writer Kahil Gibran spoke of this interconnected reality when he said:
Your neighbor is your other self dwelling behind a wall. In understanding, all walls shall fall down. Who knows but that your neighbor is your better self wearing another body? See that you love him as you would yourself. He too is a manifestation of the Most High.
At its most fundamental level, proactive service, motivated by love and compassion, is what incarnational Christianity is all about. No matter what setting in which we find a need to be addressed, we are to obey and go. No matter how filthy, grimy, or smelly, we are to take up our towel and basin and hit the ground running. This is our calling and this is our duty. This is what Christ did and we are to do no less.
Even as sincere believers with a genuine desire to manifest active Christian love to our hurting world, we often complicate this issue of service to an extreme. “What is my true mission?” we often ask ourselves. “Is helping with this situation something I am gifted to do?” Other times we vacillate by comparing ourselves to others. “Are there other people far more skilled than I to help with this?” Moses tried this approach and God didn’t buy it. Although there is nothing wrong with assessing our talents and gifts, we need to realize in any situation, there is some type of service we can provide. There is at least some need we can meet. Just about anyone can fold chairs, clean a kitchen, drive a van, or deliver food.
At the end of the day, this issue of Christian service boils down to one word: availability.
We must each look into our hearts and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, ask ourselves: Am I available to be used by God? We need to be rigorously honest with ourselves in answering this all-important question. If we answer in the negative, then we need to explore the reasons why we feel we cannot currently follow Christ’s call to service. If we answer in the affirmative, then we need to find a place to serve, a way to serve, and get on with it. It is of vital importance that we keep in mind that we are Christ’s representatives here in this broken world. We are his hands, his feet, and his heart. And, we are his agents no matter where we are. Gary Thomas explains how this has come to work in his life:
“Once I begin surrendering my body to be transformed, I become a living and breathing center of possibility. I become a force that God can use to impact the world. This truth teaches me to see my life as a call to represent Christ wherever I go, whether it is at a high school basketball game, a family get-together, the dreaded Department of Motor Vehicles office, a local Starbucks, or my own home. Regardless of my location, I can live with a sense of offering myself up to God so that he can encourage his children and reach out to the lost.”
Individual Christians are not alone in over-thinking the issue of service. Entire congregations can do the same thing. Instead of diving in and providing immediate relief or help to those in need, churches often choose to conduct exhaustive investigations and hold endless committee meetings, trying to design a program that will address a community need. Again, research and planning are essential, but not at the expense of allowing people to suffer while we weigh our options. Jerry Cook, in his informative book The Monday Morning Church, strikes at the heart of the issue:
“I am convinced that as Christians we are not about programs. We’re not about bigger or better blessings. We’re about responding to people who call for help because their world is falling apart. These individuals aren’t looking to be converted – they’re looking for help! Being their help – by being the presence of Christ in their lives – is the only thing we’re about. Everything else we do is secondary and can even detour us from carrying out the true purpose of the church…You are filled with the Spirit of God. You are living in this window in time called the last days. You are where you are because God has strategically placed you there. The question is, are you open for business?”
Cook makes a poignant statement here and asks the pivotal question, a question that each of us must answer with truth and honesty: Am I open for business?
Each of us must find somewhere to begin his or her own unique mission, in whatever setting God has placed us. So, again, where do we begin? Why not start where Christ himself began? As he picked up the Holy Scriptures in the synagogue at Nazareth he spoke clearly and without reservation, echoing his Father’s words from the 61st chapter of Isaiah. Christ said he had left his comfort zone in the spiritual realm and incarnated on this fallen planet in order:
To bind up the broken hearted
To proclaim liberty to the captives
To comfort all who mourn
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
Surely, these words pertain to someone or some situation you are aware of. Are you aware of anyone who is broken hearted or held captive by some form of addiction or behavior? Do you know someone who is in dire need of comfort at this time? Is there anyone in your family, your church or your neighborhood who is in need of a little beauty and joy in life; maybe someone who needs help with depression or some other type of spiritual heaviness?
As stated earlier, the first salient question is not so much “How shall I go about doing good?” No, the question is, “Are you open for business?”
Are you ready to become someone God can use? Are you ready to become, in the words of Gary Thomas, a living and breathing center of possibility?
(c) L.D. Turner 2010/ All Rights Reserved
01.13.10
Prayers for People of Haiti
Let us ever be mindful of our obligations to intercede for those in dire need. Just as in May 2008, when we prayed in earnest for the victims of the tragic earthquake in China, let us now do the same for those in Haiti and on the entire island of Hispanola. Often it is in the days, weeks, and months after a natural disaster that times are the hardest. Please pray for a quick recovery.
01.10.10
Christian Optimism: Now More Than Ever
* There have been numerous requests to post the article below once again as, for reasons best understood by the Holy Spirit, it seems to provide positive encouragement for believers. I took the matter to the throne room in prayer and came to understand that the Body of Christ needs optimism now more than ever. We live in a challenging age and the church finds itself in the throes of great change and hopefully, positive transformation. So once again, here is my take on Christian optimism…
I am often asked why I believe so strongly that Christians should be among the world’s most ardent optimists. I normally respond by saying that it is, more than anything else, due to the nature and the character of the God I worship. Most folks leave it at that. On occasion, however, an inquirer might want a bit more detail.
The reasons that I have adopted Christian optimism as my foundational philosophy of life are too many to mention in any short conversation and certainly within the framework of this article. Suffice it to say that once I began to take my walk with Christ seriously and put into practice as best I could a sincere desire to live according to his teachings, the Holy Spirit gradually revealed to me why optimism was the Christian’s inherent approach to life.
As I began to explore scripture through this frame of reference, it is as if the Bible became a living organism, consistently revealing its truths in relation to the nature and character of God. These revelations of God’s love, his faithfulness, and his integrity brought about a positive response in my being and this response flowered into an optimistic approach to life. Over time I came to understand that the optimal way to live is as a Christian optimist. Even our language reflects this reality as optimal and optimism have the same prefix and the same root.
As I said earlier, the confines of this article does not allow for a detailed list of the reasons why I am a Christian optimist. I do, however, want to list a few of the reasons below. Should you desire a more in depth study of the subject, I suggest that you study the Bible, focusing of the nature and character of the Father as revealed in scripture in general and in the persons of Christ and the Holy Spirit in particular.
I am a Christian optimist because:
The Biblical God is a God of love. Further, he loves me.
The God of Scripture loves me with a proactive love, not a passive, indifferent, and conditional type of love. The Bible reveals that God loves me enough to send his only Son to die for me so that I might have life to the fullest and, on top of that, have life eternally.
The God of the Bible further exhibits his proactive love by pursuing me. He chased me down when I ran from him. Consistently acting as the “Hound of Heaven,” the God I worship continues to come and find me when I have strayed from the sheepfold and, wonder of wonders, loves me still.
If ever there was a prodigal on this earth, it is I. Still, my God not only accepts me back after I wander here and there, he comes out on the path to meet me and, in spite of my faithlessness, he celebrates my return. Even though I am undeserving of his love and his grace, he gives it freely.
My God is a God of mercy, not justice. I shudder to think what life would be if I got what I actually deserve.
The Biblical God gave up a part of himself so that I might be forgiven; and he sent another part of himself so that I might live the kind of life he wants me to live. I am optimistic because I am forgiven and I am empowered.
God allows me to partake of his divine nature.
The Christian God has already blessed me with all that I need to live a holy life and has further blessed me by indwelling me with the power to make that life manifest on a daily basis.
The Biblical God has placed within me the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.
he God I worship has made me a New Creation and has promised that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
My God has said that he has prepared even greater things for me in the next world.
The God revealed in Scripture has told me that Christ will, indeed, come again.
Obviously, I could go on and on here but by now I hope you get the picture. As a Christian I have every right to be an optimist. In fact, I could be nothing other than an optimist. Sure, life has problems and will always have problems. The Christian life is not a pleasure cruise. Far from it. Yet in spite of this, I am an optimist because I know that I have the power within me to handle any situation that may arise. God has promised me that he will never make me face more than I can handle.
I am a Christian optimist because he that is within me is greater than he who is in the world.
© L.D. Turner 2010/All Rights Reserved
