Who Hit the Self-Destruct Button?

You've heard the frantic and/or depressed declarations, haven't you?

"The world has gone crazy."

"These are the end times."

"I don't feel safe driving to the store anymore."

First of all, as heartfelt and desperate as some of these kind of statements may be, 2016 is not the first time they've been said. Every time some faction strikes out against another in the Middle East, 12 new books are published about end-time prophecy (boldly flying in the face of Jesus' words in Matthew 24:6, "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come."). Every new generation seems to throw away the values of the old one. Each election cycle stirs up fears of how the country will be ruined if The Other Guy (or Gal) gets more votes. I'm old enough to remember how "the whole world [was] watching" as 10,000 protesters and 23,000 Chicago police and National Guardsmen violently interacted at the 1968 Democratic convention.

Second of all, there is a distinct possibility of good coming from all this bad. Yes, I'm serious. If nothing else, isn't it possible for the current unrest to break through the personal barriers to faith that some people have erected and lead them to see that, left to our own devices, we will surely destroy ourselves? Won't some be enabled to open their eyes and see that, indeed, the world needs Jesus?

When we share the love of Jesus

See each other as He sees us

Then His love will see us through 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UZVMv37K0s

Truth is...Some will look at current events and see the absence of God. Some will see the retaliation of God. Some will predict the soon return of God's Son. Me? I see our need for God. In any case, could there be a better time to do some reflecting on how a person ought to live and who a person ought to follow?

Yes I Can!

When you get to thinking the challenges you're facing are too much to overcome...

When the thought of taking a step overwhelms you; let alone needing to run...

When predictions of failure pile up in your head and "You Can't" is stamped on your plan...

Just watch this video one more time and scream out, "YES I CAN!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocLkk3aYlk

Truth is...The real kicker of this video for me is in the closing seconds. Inserted into the midst of a soaring, jaw-dropping, daredevil ski jump of a stunt is the simple image of brushing one's teeth. The realization hits hard that even the mundane is a huge challenge to some of us on Planet Earth.

Does Your Defense Give Offense?

See Jerry.

See Jerry proclaim that Jesus is Lord of all and his personal Savior.

See Jerry jump into online conversations about politics, abortion, sexual preferences, and gun control.

See Jerry call people who don't agree with him idiots...and worse.

See Jerry assume that anybody who calls themselves a Christian agrees 100% with his views and his arrogant way of espousing those views.

See Jerry freely give any atheist within earshot unlimited ammunition against considering the claims of Christ.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...Peter does indeed tell us to be ready to give a defense when someone asks us about the hope we have within us (I Peter 3:15), but living a life of hope and being asked about what makes us different from the naysayers and doom-and-gloom proclaimers is vastly different from trying to equate religious faith with a specific view of the 2nd Amendment or a particular political party's platform.

And let us not forget HOW Peter told us to give our answer to those who ask: "with gentleness and respect".  

I Learned the Truth at Seventeen

Janis Ian wrote the song, "At Seventeen", when she was 22...still relatively young, but apparently wise enough to be able to comment on society's standards of beauty, the cruelty of adolescents, and whether physical beauty is all it's cracked up to be in the long run.

It became a huge hit in the late summer of 1975, just as I was turning 18 and trying to figure out what I should be doing with my life. I remember buying the album "At Seventeen" was on, looking at the cover photo, and thinking, "Yeah, she's kinda cute now, but I can see that she probably WAS an "ugly duckling girl."

To those of us who knew the pain

Of valentines that never came

And those whose names were never called

When choosing sides for basketball

It was long ago and far away

The world was younger than today

When dreams were all they gave for free
To ugly duckling girls like me

https://youtu.be/VMUz2TNMvL0

Truth is...things haven't changed all that much from 1975. We still struggle to feel good about ourselves when those around us don't. Well...keep your chin up. It's not about what THEY say, it's about what your creator says...and he thinks you're to die for.

Dancing Through Pain

Tim Hansel was considered a lucky, nay, a blessed man to have survived his fall off a glacier. It's just that it resulted in fractured vertebrae, crushed discs, bone fragments in his neck, and a life of constant pain.

The real miracle is that it also resulted in a life of constant demand as a speaker, writer, and leader of adventure trips (Click here to read more about Tim Hansel).

Hansel's book that specifically deals with his climbing accident and its aftermath has a title that would seem flippant if you didn't know how he had earned the right to say it: You Gotta Keep Dancin'  -  In the Midst of Life's Hurts, You Can Choose Joy!

Some highlights:

All of our lives are terminal. Only time and quality differ. The choice for all of us is not if we will accept pain, but how.

You don't truly discover your roots until you are at the bottom of the pit.

If you can't change circumstances, change the way you respond to them.

Learning patience...takes a lot of patience.

Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional.... God has given us such immense freedom that he will allow us to be as miserable as we want to be.

The damage has been done. The worst is over. You will have to live with pain, but that's a small price to pay for life.

I know full well that I would rather make my days count than merely count my days.

Most of the Epistles were written in prisons.

The Scriptures say that the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree  -  but we need to remember that palm trees don't grow in beautiful forests, but in the desert.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...this isn't as simple as saying "Chin up, buckaroo!" One last quote (and how Hansel ends the book): In his marvelous and mysterious way, God keeps shaping us until he can see himself in our lives. The process is long, arduous, complex, and certainly not painless, but it's worth it. And we need not wait until the conclusion to celebrate. We can, if we choose, genuinely celebrate the process.

There is no box
   made by God
   nor us
but that the sides can be flattened out
   and the top blown off
   to make a dance floor
   on which to celebrate life.
                   -Kenneth Caraway

We Used To Be Inseparable, But Now We've Grown Apart

Way, way back in March of 1965, on the Monday night of a week-long series of church services(formerly known as a "revival"), I was not yet eight years old...but I was aware of my need for a savior.

I knew I was not perfect and that I preferred things my way instead of God's. I knew that no amount of "I'm sorry"s or helping little old ladies across the street could make up for my sins  -  even as tame as they seem now, compared to what I've done since then.

On that night, in that little church in Northeast Indiana, I declared my utter dependence on Jesus and was baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Joining me in taking the plunge that night were two of my friends, Kevin and Kim. Kim was a deacon's kid, like me, but Kevin was the son of our preacher.

A lot of calendar pages have bit the dust since then, and all three of us have grown older than we'd care to admit. All three of our fathers have died. Kim's was first, and far too soon. Kevin's came later...mine, last.

Kim and I lost track of each other, but my path has crossed with Kevin's a few times.

When I was attending Bible college to prepare for vocational ministry (which was a delayed decision for me...6 years after high school), Beloved and I and our growing family attended the church where Kevin was serving as Youth Minister.

In 1984, I graduated from college and became the youth minister at a congregation close to my stomping grounds in Northeast Indiana. Kevin moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to help start a church there.

And now, having spent 14 years as a youth minister in four different congregations, and several more years as a proofreader and technical writer, I am on the board of elders and help lead worship at the church where my final stint as youth minister was.

Kevin? He's now the Lead Pastor at that church in Las Vegas, and it is the 9th-largest congregation in our "fellowship of churches" (which is what we Independent Christian Church people prefer to call ourselves, rather than a "denomination"). Almost 7,000 people hear him preach every week.

I think about how we started at the same place at the same time and how different our situations are now and I'm not sure I can put into words how weird that feels.

But it reminds me of the scene at the end of John's gospel where Jesus is talking to Peter and telling him that he will die a martyr's death. "Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them...When Peter saw him, he asked, 'Lord, what about him?' Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me'." (John 21:20-22)

Truth is...no two people ever walk the exact same path through life. Comparing yourself to anyone else will either result in unproductive pride or unwarranted self-loathing. What does anyone else's accomplishments or lack thereof have to do with your particular faithfulness to God?

Chaos and Truth

I do not know what goes on in a person's mind that could possibly lead them to open fire in an Orlando club, killing 49 individuals and shattering the lives of hundreds.

I do not know what societal forces or religious interpretations or particular balance of personal rights and Federal regulations to start blaming.

I do not know an awful lot.

But there are a few things of which I am most assuredly certain.

I know Jesus loves each patron of Orlando's Pulse club and gave His life for their sin.

I know Jesus loves the shooter and gave His life for his sin.

I know Jesus loves each member of the LGBT community and gave His life for their sin.

I know Jesus loves each homophobe and gave His life for their sin.

I know Jesus loves each pervert, prostitute, preacher, pacifist, NRA enthusiast, Islamic extremist, Christian fundamentalist, racist, terrorist, and any other "ist" you can conjure.

Jesus loves them all...and died for them all...and weeps for them all...

...and calls each to repentance and a life of holiness.

• Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin. (John 8:11 NIV)
• If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15 NASB)

Truth is...I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him. (2 Timothy 1:12 NIV)

P.S.
The song featured in this previous post is particularly poignant right now. http://deweytruth.blogspot.com/2012/05/breathe-deep.html