Wise Words for Today

The Good Samaritan by Rembrandt (1630) shows the Good Samaritan making arrangements with the innkeeper. A later (1633) print by Rembrandt has a reversed and somewhat expanded version of the scene. Roland E. Fleischer and Susan C. Scott, Rembrandt, Rubens, and the Art of their Time: Recent perspectives, Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997, ISBN 0915773104, pp. 68-69. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“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?”

Jerry Cooke

(from The Monday Morning Church)

Christian Service in an Age of Change

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Mick Turner

When I take time to sit back and reflect on the times in which we live, I am often filled with awe and wonder. Although the church in Europe is gasping its last trembling breaths and our church here in America shows all the signs of following suit, the Christian faith is exploding in other parts of the world. In Africa the Body of Christ is growing at an unprecedented pace and in Asia the same thing is happening. Living and serving in China for five years, I was able to witness firsthand the phenomenal gains the faith was making despite over fifty years of Communist oppression.

Everywhere the faith is exploding we see an accompanying display of Holy Spirit fireworks – especially in Asia and Africa. Signs and wonders, much like those witnessed in the early church, are commonplace. People are being healed, demons are being sent back to their dark abodes, and countless lives, once seemingly destined for society’s slagheap, are being restored and renewed. Everywhere one looks one sees God doing a vital and mighty new work.

As the current century unfolds, I think it will become readily apparent that the West in general and America in particular will no longer be the “leader” when it comes to global Christianity. In fact, we can already see this shift taking place as numerous denominations struggle to give equal weight to the rising voice of its new global membership. Here on the home front, we are undergoing our own shake up as long-accepted, traditional forms of the faith are rapidly dying out. The problem is, new forms, although many are taking shape, have yet to find any widespread cohesion, and, as a result, many Christians find themselves in a sort of “spiritual limbo.”

In many ways I think we can liken our current situation to that of the original disciples as they found themselves in the Upper Room after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. As they awaited further instruction I am sure they reflected on and discussed many of the things the Master had told them over the preceding three years. Jesus had told them to expect the birth of new wineskins as the old forms could not possibly begin to hold this new wine that he was bringing. As his Ascension drew near, he commissioned them to go and make new disciples in all the earth and breathed into them the Holy Spirit.

After the coming of the Spirit in power at Pentecost, the apostles went forth to launch this new faith. Still uncertain and unaware of what the form and structure of the fledgling church would take, the early church leaders employed a proactive strategy. Rather than sitting back and waiting to see how things would unfold, they went forth into the streets and preached the gospel to anyone who would listen. In addition, they healed the sick, fed the poor, and did all manner of service work, all in the name of the Master they loved and served.

Our calling in the 21^st Century is no different. Just like the early church, we find ourselves living in an age of rapid change and cultural transition. And as our old church structures continue to crumble, we have yet to give birth to any solid, faith-sustaining alternative. This, too, is much like the situation the early followers of the Master faced.

I think we can profit greatly by looking to those first Christians as a prototype for how we should move forward in this time of transition. Although the early church structure was still very fluid and most likely varied from place to place, the first Christians understood and applied two fundamental principles. They understood that they were primarily called to two foundational activities: disciple-making and service to others.

Twenty-first century Christians would do well to emulate them.

© L.D. Turner 2012/All Rights Reserved

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Forgetting About God’s Will Long Enough To Do It

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Mick Turner

 “If only I could really discover God’s will for my life, it would make all the difference in the world.” How many times have you heard sincere Christians make statements like this? I’ll wager that you have heard it quite a few times. I know I have. And if the truth be known, I can recall making that same statement myself, especially during times of spiritual floundering.

I mention this because I have come to understand that this sort of statement reveals a misunderstanding of the nature of God’s purpose for our lives and how he goes about communicating that purpose so we can grasp it. Granted, I believe that God has a unique, overriding purpose for each of us, has gifted us with certain talents and abilities that help us to become successful in carrying out that purpose, and has empowered us, through the Holy Spirit, to bring that mission to a successful conclusion. I have also come to believe, however, that God also given each of us daily tasks to perform – tasks normally associated with the environment we have been planted in. It is his will that we identify and carry out these daily callings with dedication and consistency.

Unfortunately, many of us are so busy trying to figure out that one great calling God has placed on our lives that we miss his will for us in the divine present, in the holy moment that exists right under our noses. He communicates those callings in ways we can all recognize – sudden insights, little hunches, or sudden feelings or memories that may come over us. I know in my own experience, I frequently have these sorts of impulses to take certain actions when I am reflecting on passages of scripture. All too often we fail to pay sufficient attention to these callings and, as a result, frequently miss discovering God’s will for us for that one divine moment. If we do this over a long period of time, we run the risk of losing vital contact with the Holy Spirit. A.W. Tozer tells us:

…….to expose our hearts to truth and consistently refuse or neglect to obey the impulses it arouses is to stymie the motions of life within us and, if persisted in, to grieve the Holy Spirit into silence.

Don’t keep reading as if the profundity of Tozer’s statement somehow escaped your attention. Pause and reflect for a few moments of what he just said. If we repeatedly ignore of disobey those nudging from the Holy Spirit he may just stop communicating with us.

It is understandable, really.

If you had a close friend, a person you care for deeply, consistently ignore or refuse to listen to your suggestions for how he might improve his life or solve a particular problem, would you continue to make those suggestions indefinitely? No, I doubt you would. I know I would eventually reach a point where I would just keep quiet.

Although I firmly believe that God has a unique mission for each of us, all too often I have seen deeply committed, sincere Christians get so distracted in the search for this calling that they consistently overlook clear service opportunities right in front of their noses. More often than not, the will of God can be found in those small, seemingly mundane task that cross our paths each day. Perhaps it is something as simple as opening a door for someone, picking up a bit of litter on the ground, or helping someone carry their groceries to the car. Perhaps it is something as routine visiting a sick friend in the hospital, giving a person a ride to the pharmacy or a medical appointment, or simply providing a listening ear to a friend who needs to unload what is on his or her heart.

It is in these everyday situations where we find the true epicenter of God’s activity and where we find consistent fulfillment of God’s will for our lives. Yes, it is also true that each of us has a unique and important calling and for some of us, that mission may be a great one. For all of us, however, these little everyday encounters are where we most often can give flesh to grace by answering the call of the moment.

It is precisely that consistent practice of paying attention to the small duties of our daily round that makes a life of excellence possible. Moreover, no one ever slouched his or her way to greatness. Let’s listen to the wisdom of James Allen:

The great man has become such by the scrupulous and unselfish attention which he has given to small duties. He has become wise and powerful by sacrificing ambition and pride in the doing of those necessary things which evoke no applause and promise no reward. He never sought greatness; he sought faithfulness, unselfishness, integrity, truth; and in finding these in the common round of small tasks and duties he unconsciously ascended to the level of greatness.

Let me share a brief story from my childhood that points out how attention to the small can lead to the unfolding of God’s greater will. The story also illustrates how attending to the small and mundane can have unforeseen, far-reaching impact.  I recall a conversation a middle-aged man had with my parents in a picnic area just across the road from Casey Key Beach in Nokomis, Florida, where I grew up. I was about 11 years old at the time and my hand was in a cast (I had broken it a few weeks before playing baseball).

 I vividly remember the gentlemen telling my parents that he was walking off the beach, heading to his car when he saw a pair of empty trash bags blowing down the beach near the water. He related that he started to leave, but felt that he should go and retrieve those bags and put them in a trash receptacle. “I think all of us who live down here should take responsibility to keep our beaches clean,” I recall him saying. Rather than leaving, he returned to the water’s edge to retrieve the garbage bags.

The man went on to relate than as he was reaching for the garbage bags he heard a distant cry for help. He looked up but did not initially see anything but then heard the cry again. Scanning the water he spotted an empty beach float and saw two arms frantically waving above the water’s surface. Racing into the surf the man swam out just beyond the float and found a small boy going under the water. He grabbed the boy and brought him back to shore. Panic-stricken, the boy took the man to his parents, who were just across the road from the beach.

If you haven’t guessed by now, that small boy was me. I was leisurely floating on my rubber raft when a wave knocked me off. The water was about two feet over my head and, with my hand in a heavy cast, swimming was impossible. I had gone under for the third time when the man reached me.

I tell this story because I am personally aware of how fortunate I am to be alive. Had that man not taken the time to return to the water’s edge and pick up the garbage bags, I would in all likelihood have drowned. I would not be writing this blog, which is part of God’s will for my life, nor would you be reading it right now. Yes, my friends, this gentleman’s decision to take responsibility for a small thing, litter on the beach, has had far-reaching effects, indeed.

Attention to the small is really God’s will for our lives. And in so many ways, the small is no different from the great in God’s eyes. James Allen continues:

Neglect of the small is confusion of the great. The snowflake is as perfect as the star; the dew drop is as symmetrical as the planet; the microbe is not less mathematically proportioned than the man. By laying stone upon stone, plumbing and fitting each with perfect adjustment, the temple at last stands forth in all its architectural beauty. The small precedes the great. The small is not merely the apologetic attendant of the great, it is its master and informing genius.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to do great things. Yet this calling should never become an obsession that causes us to miss the opportunities that are presented to us in each “divine moment.” It is in the context of these moments that we discover God’s will for us in the here and now. It is also in the fabric of these sublime moments, the “holy present,” where we connect with the “Holy Presence,” the unshakable power that enables us to carry out that calling with confidence and compassion.

© L.D. Turner 2012/All Rights Reserved

Wise Words for Today

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You and I are not meant to act like preresurrection disciples, racked with fear, doubt, and timidity. We are postresurrection  disciples, and if we are to live like postresurrection disciples, everything in our lives must change. The question for us is whether we are willing to make that commitment – to live and act differently, and to repair the hole in our own gospel. If we are, then God will use us as parts of His amazing plan to change our world. But becoming this kind of disciple, one who is determined to be the gospel to the world around him, involves an intentional decision. It doesn’t just happen.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .We really won’t become change agents for Christ just by going to church every Sunday. We will have to make some “on purpose” life choices and then change our priorities and behavior. Only then can God transform us and use us to change the world.

Richard Stearns

(from The Hole in Our Gospel)

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Wise Words for Today

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What really happens inside you when you respond to someone in need? Why do some people jump out of their seats to help another person, while others look the other way? No doubt, some people have been taught to be kind and others may be naturally thoughtful. But I think something greater than compassion or good manners is at work, something beyond the motivation of the strong to help the weak or the wealthy to help the poor. I think it is the invisible power of grace, moving between the open hearts of give and receiver. The action itself, the lifting of a heavy piece of luggage or the drink of water offered to the thirsty man, may be small. But the energy that is channeled through that action is the high-voltage current of grace. It contains the power to renew someone’s faith in himself. It even has the power to save a life.

Carolyn Myss

(from Invisible Acts of Power)

A Franciscan Benediction (With Addendum)

 

Cover of Prayer: does It make any difference?

Mick Turner

*** This post was originally published on LifeBrook several years ago and has had many views over the time it has been available. I am posting it again, with a new addendum included that presents a more detailed version of the originally published benediction.

I felt led by the Spirit this morning to share with you this “Franciscan Benediction,” quoted by Phillip Yancey in his book, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? When I find that I drift for days or sometimes weeks without paying attention to Christ’s call for us to be compassionate citizens of his Kingdom, I often go back to this prayer, just as a reminder. We are called to be the hands, feet, and especially the embrace of Jesus in our hurting world. This benediction speaks to this reality.

May God bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,

So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and

To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

To believe that you can make a difference in the world,

So that you can do what others claim cannot be done

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

I don’t know about you, but I rarely think to pray for things like discomfort, anger, tears, and foolishness. Yet this sublime prayer truly captures the compassionate heart of Jesus, feeling the pain and suffering of the world and responding to it with healing love. The words of this benediction remind me so much of the scripture read by Jesus in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth and recorded in Luke 4:18-19:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see,

That the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.

I think there is no need to wax eloquent here, nor is there a reason to belabor the point. Jesus’ message was crystal clear and so are the words of the Franciscan benediction. Permit me, however, to share one more highly relevant passage of scripture from Isaiah. These verses, Isaiah 58:6-12 speak to the same theme and to the same calling; a calling that goes forth to each of us who claim the title “Christian.”

…this is the kind of fasting that I want:

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you.

Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry and give shelter to the homeless.

Give clothes to those who need them and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

Then your salvation will come like the dawn and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.

Then when you call, the Lord will answer. “Yes, I am here,” he will quickly reply.

Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!

Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.

You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever flowing spring.

Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. You will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.

The words of this passage hold a special significance for me. Space in this article does not give me room to tell the whole story. Suffice to say that, in 1996, I had major cardiac surgery and an extended period of recovery. While still in the hospital after the operation, these words seemed to leap off the page at me. Over the next few months I prayed for God to reveal to me what he wanted me to do. I vowed that, since I had been given extended life, I would dedicate it to his service. Although I would have never predicted it, I ended up on the mission field in China, where I remained for over five years. These years were, without reservation, the most rewarding years of my life.

I have been home now for five years and God has continued to guide me into areas of service where I can be of use. Further, he has surprised me in some very significant ways, including, in 2004, the birth of my wonderful daughter, Salina. She was both a gift and a miracle. I suppose I should also mention that, at the time of her birth, I was 55-years-old. As I said, the Lord is full of surprises.

I didn’t mean to digress, but my point here is that, as Christians, we are to serve God through selfless service to others. Just as Jesus set us an example by washing his disciples’ feet, we have to get our hands dirty as well. But there is a wonderful promise in this. Our wounds, and we all have them, will quickly heal. Further, our light will shine out from us and God will continually guide us.

I know from my own life experience, my testimony if you will, these words ring loudly with truth. If possible, and it probably is, spend some time this week reflecting on the words from this Franciscan benediction, as well as the passage from Luke and the one from Isaiah. Pray about these words and these principles, and wait for God to make his move. A word of caution: Don’t be surprised if you are ambushed by the Spirit. I have found that he is a sublime master of the unexpected.

© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved

Addendum

The “Franciscan Benediction” quoted in the above article was taken from Phillip Yancey’s excellent book, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference. A few months back, I discovered a more detailed version of the benediction in Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel. I would like to share that with you as well:

 

May God bless you with a restless discomfort

About easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,

So that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

 

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression,

And exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for

Justice, freedom, and peace among people.

 

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer

From pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you

May reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

 

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that

You really can make a difference in this world, so that you are able,

with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

 

And the blessings of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator,

Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word Who is our Brother and Savior,

And the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you

And remain with you, this day and forevermore.

Amen.

© L.D. Turner 2011/All Rights Reserved

Intercessory Prayer and the Alleviation of Poverty

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Mick Turner

Crippling poverty has been a daily reality for far too many people for as long as history has been recorded. In spite of the great advances in agriculture and other life sciences, for countless people around the globe each day is a struggle for survival, a never-ending search for food and clean drinking water. It is estimated that 25,000 children die each day from starvation and illness directly related to poverty. If we lay claim to the mantle of Christian, we cannot ignore these realities.

Many of us feel there is nothing that we can do to make a dent in the problem of global poverty. We cite lack of money, lack of time, and countless others “lacks” when called upon to take positive steps of Christian love to address chronic poverty, even in our own neighborhoods and cities. I have little doubt that tears flow in the heavenly realms each time we hide behind our “lacks.”

There is one thing that we all can do, however: We can pray. If we truly believe in the effectiveness of prayer, and as followers of Jesus we have plenty of reason to believe, then we surely understand that by praying for those in poverty we can accomplish great things. Further, we can all find the time to offer up intentional intercession on behalf of those in dire need. In his book A Hole in Our Gospel, World Vision director Richard Stearns shares these words, penned by his colleague John Robb:

Wherever in the world there is significant development – people coming to Christ, health improvements, economic opportunities, adoption of kingdom values – it is the direct result of Christians praying.

I strongly believe what Robb is saying. During the years I spent working with AIDS patients, veterans, and the homeless in Dade County, Florida, I personally witnessed the miracles that can be brought about through prayer. The same is true for the five years of front line service in China. Without a strong foundation of prayer, little could have been accomplished.

Intentional intercessory prayer on behalf of those mired in poverty can be done in your private devotion time, or it can be done as a group project. Another way to make this kind of prayer a part of your daily living is to follow the seven steps suggested by Richard Stearns:

v When you take your morning shower, pray for families in poor countries who do not have access to clean water, forcing mothers to spend hours collecting inadequate water and causing children suffer and even die from water-related diseases.

v When you pack your lunch, or your child’s lunch, pray for the one billion people who are chronically hungry in the world today.

v As you commute to your job, pray for the adults around the world who can’t find consistent work to feed their families, or pray for the millions of children forced into harmful or exploitative labor.

v When you drop your child off at school, pray for children around the world who cannot get an education because of poverty or discrimination.

v As you take a vitamin, pray for the families without adequate health care, leaving them and especially their children vulnerable to preventable diseases.

v When you arrive home after work, pray for the children and families who are homeless due to poverty, conflict, or natural disasters.

v As you tuck your children into bed, guide them to pray for the millions of children who have lost their parents around the world – especially the fifteen million AIDS orphans around the world, many of whom must survive without guardians.

Stearns suggestions are just that, suggestions. However, if you make a committed and diligent effort to make these prayers a part of your daily round for the next thirty days or so, you may very well have a significant impact on someone in need. Never discount or minimize the power of committed prayer. Time and time again it has been shown to work wonders.

I would also suggest that you pick up a copy of Stearns’ book, The Hole in Our Gospel. Spend quality time with this book, slowly imbibing the practical wisdom contained in its pages and the inspiration gleaned from the author’s candid revelations regarding his own journey from corporate president to a front line, leadership role with World Vision. It will be time well spent.

© L.D. Turner 2011/ All Rights Reserved

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Wise Words for Today

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The greatest sign of hope…..is the emergence of a new generation of Christians eager and ready to take their faith into the world. The Christianity of private piety, affluent conformity and “God Bless (only) America” has compromised the witness of the church while putting a new generation of Christians to sleep. Defining faith by the things you won’t do doesn’t create a compelling style of life. And young people are hungry for an agenda worthy of their commitment, their energy, and their gifts. . . . . . . . . . . .This new generation of believers are waking up and catching fire with the gospel again. Theirs in an emerging Christianity that could change the face of American religion and politics. Their vision cannot easily be put into categories of liberal and conservative, left and right, but rather has the capacity to challenge the categories themselves. I’ve met these new Christians across the country and have worked with an extraordinary group of them at Sojourners. Their faith is intended to change this world, not just prepare them for the next.

Jim Wallis

(from The Great Awakening)

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Wise Words for Today

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Jesus forms a movement of people who trust him and believe his message. They believe they don’t have to wait for this or that to happen, but rather that they can begin living in a new and better way now, a way of life Jesus conveys by the pregnant phrase, kingdom of God. Life for them now is about an interactive relationship – reconciled to God, reconciled to one another – and so they see their entire lives as an opportunity to make the beautiful music of God’s kingdom so that more and more people will be drawn into it, and so that the world will be changed by their growing influence. Everyone can have a role in this expanding kingdom – women and men, masters and servants, powerful and powerless, old and young, urban and rural, white collar and blue collar, previously religious and previously irreligious. Each life can add beauty to the secret message of Jesus.

Brian McLaren

(from The Secret Message of Jesus)

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Wise Words for Today

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…….religion, even the religion we are committed to and in which we have found God and purpose and meaning and truth, can become captive to a colossal distortion. It can become a benign and passive chaplaincy to a failing and dysfunctional culture, the religious public relations department for an inadequate and destructive ideology. It can forego being a force of liberation and transformation and instead become a source of domestication, resignation, pacification, and distraction…..A right understanding of God and faith can train people to hold their heads high, to doubt the lies of a dysfunctional society and to work for its transformation. But a misguided understanding can be an opiate that keeps their heads down in submission or desperation so they continue to serve the societal system that is destroying them, believing its lies, performing according to its self-destructive script.

Brian McLaren

(from Everything Must Change)

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