So Many Books!

An Inkling

So many books – so little time!  How do you choose what to read? 

We read for many reasons – entertainment, keeping current, and education being among them.  As Christians, some of our reading is intentionally spiritual.  That is, we engage in the discipline of study to fortify our faith with a growing understanding.  God can certainly use Time magazine or a popular novel to inform us.  But given the “so little time” reality, it makes sense to be intentional about one’s spiritual study.  How do you do that?

I would offer three suggestions.  Start with the Bible.  It is totally unique in its authority, reliability, depth, and relevance.  Find some patterns of daily reading that work for you.  It’s absolutely crucial for Christian formation.

Second, make a plan.  Rather than just picking up the latest best seller – Christian or otherwise – make a list of books or authors that you would like to cover in the next ten years.  It’s fine to read some at random, but again, given “so little time,” it’s well to make a plan.  You’ll be surprised by how many you can cover in ten years.  As you plan, get some counsel on authors who are worthy of your time.  Ask the well-formed Christians you know what authors have shaped them.  Then form your list according to your own passions and hunger to learn.  You’ll read more of what you really want to read than you will read of what you think you ought to read.

Third, give special attention to those authors that you find most deeply nurturing.  It’s well to read broadly, but it’s also well to read several worthy authors deeply.  When you read virtually everything by a single author, you are shaped not just by the topic of a particular book, but by his or her whole frame of thought.  As I survey my shelves I realize that I’ve done this not so much by design, as I have by naturally returning to those authors who most deeply fed me through the years:  Eugene Peterson, Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, John Wimber, C.S. Lewis, John Claypool, and Tom Smail.  Many other authors have shaped me with a book or two, but these are the authors to which I’ve eagerly returned time and again, and thus through whom large parts of my thought patterns have been formed.  Who is that for you?

What a feast of possibilities!  Where will you start?

Happy reading,

Keith

Faithing It Together

An Inkling

Once I was leading the Apostles’ Creed in worship, and got lost in the middle somewhere.  Suddenly I was “descending into hell” while everyone else was “rising on the third day!”  And since my voice was the one on the microphone it caused a bit of confusion.  Gratefully the congregation regained its verbal stride and kept right on going.  At the creed’s conclusion I apologized for misleading them, and expressed my gratitude that at least they knew what they believed!

We all have times when we stumble, and not just in the creed, but in our faith and in life itself.  It may be one of those times when an imponderable question gets the best of us – “why would this good person have to suffer?”  Or it may be a time when our feelings have been hurt, or we have allowed our relationship with the Lord to grow cold, or we find God not answering a heart-felt prayer in the way we asked.  The possibilities for stumbling are many.

Thank God for partners in the faith!  When I stutter another speaks clearly; when I stumble another takes hold of my arm and keeps walking, and eventually I regain my stride.  Each of us speaks the creed in the first person singular, “I believe in God the Father Almighty…”  But along side of us another speaks the same creed, and another, and another.  So it’s not just “I believe,” but “we believe.”  Such is the gift of God:  faith to believe, and believers with whom we “faith” our stumbling times.

And now let us affirm our faith…

Together!

Keith

Found in Contempt

An Inkling

We’ve all been horrified by the violent outburst in Tucson.  God bless the survivors with healing and the grieving with comfort.

It’s amazing how quickly horror morphed into accusations, as political pontificators blame the violence on their opponents’ strident rhetoric.  However tenuous the connection in any particular instance, it’s hard to argue against a reasoned call to tone down the stridency.  Yet that won’t get to the root of the problem.  At best it treats a symptom, and just for a season.

Jesus went deeper.  You’ll find him diagnosing our malady in Matthew 5:21-22.  You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder,” and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.”  But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you say “you fool” you will be liable to the hell of fire. 

As they say, with Jesus the heart of the matter is always a matter of the heart.  And he diagnoses the underlying cause of both verbal and physical violence as a heart condition, namely the contempt we have for each other.  The shooter held Rep. Giffords in contempt, and the various voices now casting blame obviously hold each other in contempt.  And since I was holding both the shooter and the blame casters in contempt, I realized that Jesus’ words had found me in contempt as well.  It must be contagious!

Jesus matches his in-depth diagnosis with an in-depth cure.  He doesn’t just tell us to play nicely.  Rather he took our contempt upon himself, both literally and effectively.  The contempt of the religious leaders and crowds that screamed “crucify him” led to just that – he was crucified.  He thereby bore their contempt (and ours) on the cross.  And therein lies the hope of our cure.  Having found us in contempt he saves us from contempt by taking our contempt upon himself.

Which means that for the first time in a long, long time – since Adam and Eve! – we can actually live without contempt.  But only through Jesus.  Though he finds us in contempt, he doesn’t hold us in contempt.  Indeed he frees us!

Blessings,

Keith

We'll See

An Inkling

Have you heard?  Jesus is returning in 2011.  A radio preacher named Harold Camping and his followers have determined a specific day for the return, May 11, along with a  date for the world’s end, October 21.  So says their website, wecanknow.com.  And just to make sure that the news gets out, they’re buying billboards and issuing press releases.

To which I believe the best answer is, “We’ll see.”  The easy thing to do is mock them, as many already are.  Leno and Letterman will have a comedic feeding frenzy.  The repeated failures of such predictions across the centuries make Camping and crew an easy mark.  Indeed, Mr. Camping predicted 1994 the last time around. 

In addition to the secular snickers, most Christian people are also rolling their eyes, and hope to distance themselves from the contrived biblical interpretations that lead to such calendaring.  That’s understandable.  We try to present our faith with intellectual clarity and credibility.  Thus we draw back from biblical interpretations which lack both, and pray that Christ’s claims will be taken seriously even when many who use his name cannot be.

Back to the best answer to such claims:  “we’ll see.”  That is actually one of the Bible’s clear promises about Christ’s return:  when he returns we’ll see him (Mt. 24:30, etc).  We won’t miss it.  We will see!  The other clear promise (despite the claims of  wecanknow.com) is that we won’t know ahead of time when he is coming (Mt. 24:36, etc).  So when someone claims to know a date, knowing full well that we don’t know the date ourselves, our best answer is, “we’ll see.”

And in the meantime, we will live as those who know that Mr. Camping and company may well have put the day too far off!  What if Jesus comes today?  How will you live for him knowing that he might?  That’s the pursuit which brings both clarity and credibility to our faith.

We’ll see,

Keith

Christmas Greetings From the Hills

Merry Christmas?

An Inkling

My goodness – life in America can be complicated!  With no religion established, and every religion (including atheism) having freedom of expression, we sure can get into some snarls.  This month’s case in point:  how we wish each other well in December.

Even “Merry Christmas” has become controversial.  Once we just said it, and didn’t think twice about it.  But then people began to ask, “Isn’t that favoring Christianity’s celebration over other celebrations?  Maybe we’d better be generic, just to be even-handed.”  Thus the mandates to the employees of many stores, schools, and municipalities to wish people “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” and to declare days off to be “Winter break” instead of “Christmas break.” 

Even presuming the best of motives in such directives (making room for everyone), something is lost in generic language.  “Merry Christmas” has a warmth that “Happy Holidays” simply does not.

The controversy has heated up in recent years, with conservative political and/or religious voices saying this is secularism gone too far.  The more strident voices have called on Christians to boycott stores that wish us “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” and have cited all of this as evidence of the collapse of our national character, the coming persecution of Christians, etc.

Like I said, life in America can be complicated.  And in an already-too-long blog I’m not going to try to resolve all of the issues involved in expressing our Christian identity in a land where that is no longer assumed.  Courts will continue to split hairs, political forces will continue using such issues to rally support, and churches will continue searching for winsome ways to present our faith in public settings.

Let me offer a few suggestions for this latter pursuit during December:

§       Get over your defensiveness.  It’s okay to be a Christian in America – if not with your secular neighbor, at least with God.  And we simply cannot serve Christ well with chips on our shoulders.

§       Offer “Merry Christmas” as what it is: a prayer of blessing.  Listen to the words!  It’s not a litmus test for their response, nor is it a way to make a point.  Offer it for what it is:  a genuine Christian well-wishing.  There is a time and place for making a point, but co-opting the language of prayer and blessing is not the way to do it.

§       If you’re speaking to people you know to be of another religion, try to tailor your wish to them.  As followers of Jesus we can be kind and other-focused, something that is lost entirely when we’re trying to prove something.  Tell your Jewish friends, “Happy Hanukah.”  For other religions, it may not be so simple.  So ask them what sort of greetings they offer each other during December.  And conclude with “I hope you enjoy your ____ as much as we enjoy celebrating Jesus at Christmas.”

§       And if someone takes offense even when you don’t mean to give it, apologize.  “I’m sorry to offend.  I’m just excited about Christmas, and I wish you well.”  Hopefully they can receive it in the spirit you offer it.  And if not, know that it’s not about you.  The offense is toward Christ.  Don’t take it for yourself.  It doesn’t belong to you.

May God give us the grace simply to honor our Savior in a complicated land!  And my prayer for you is…

Merry Christmas!

Keith

The Lord of Little and Lots

An Inkling

Friday night Sarah and I had the privilege of celebrating our anniversary with a night at the Jefferson Hotel, thanks to the kindness of one of the small groups here who knew that this was our 35^th Anniversary.  Actually, each day of a marriage is a gift, but the milestones provide an occasion for celebration.

The setting for this celebration was especially fun for us, as we had never stayed in a five star hotel.  If you’ve been to the Jefferson, then you know its marble-columned lobby and sweeping staircase.  We roamed around, taking in all of the art and lavish Christmas decorations.  We worked out in the fancy exercise room.  Friday night’s crab cake dinner was sumptuous, as was the room service breakfast the next morning.  Our suite had three rooms, three TVs, a luxurious bed, a huge shower, and a Jacuzzi.  If I weren’t already corrupt, that would have done it! 

We got home mid-day Saturday, still aglow from our extravagant celebration.  A few hours later we were up at the church helping to welcome the homeless women who are staying with us this week through the Caritas Ministry.  Thirty-five cots fill our Patterson Hall.  The women share two bathrooms, and ride in our carpool over to the Y for showers.  Our team feeds them well, and seeks to bless them with everything from haircuts to medical care to prayer.  We do all we can to make the week a good one for our guests.  Even so, thirty-five cots in a big room is not exactly the Jefferson.

It was the contrast between the two in the same day that made me think of Paul’s word to the Philippians: I have learned to be content with whatever I have.  I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty (Phil. 4:11b-12a).  In a culture that presses us to be anything but content (lest this year’s “shopping season” not top last year’s!), it is no small thing to be content.

Simplicity is a discipline that I’ve valued for some years, so I’ve found it a challenge to enjoy the abundance that comes with Jefferson-like gifts without feeling awkward.  For others the growing edge faces the other way.  It’s that growing edge of contentment with a little or a lot which Paul described, one of the Lord’s many ongoing projects in our lives.  The Savior who could both feast and fast to God’s glory wants to free us to do the same.  May his kind of contentment mark your Advent and Christmas seasons.

Blessings,

Keith

WikiLeaks and the Light

An Inkling

What if people knew what you really thought?  What if WikiLeaks got hold of all the “cables” that flit through the channels of your mind and published them on the internet?  What if they posted what you really believe about God, your spouse, your in-laws, your boss, your neighbors, and the folks at church?  What would happen?

I guess we’d have a smaller version of what we’re seeing play out internationally with the WikiLeaks of U.S. diplomatic cables.  Actually, when you stop to think about it, there are no huge surprises.  We’ve long since known that we were suspicious of them, and they were suspicious of us.  We already knew that we see them as unpredictable goofballs, and that our making nice with them was a calculated means of making order in a chaotic world.  What’s surprising?  Only that we’ve been shown as unpredictable goofballs too.  And honestly that’s no surprise either.

T.M.I. (too much information) applies not only to bodily functions, but also to relationships.  Otherwise chaos mounts ever higher.

The only way full disclosure can finally bring good is when it happens in the company of the One who has no darkness within.  So he is described in 1 John.  As the WikiLeaks story has unfolded, I’ve been pondering on 1 John 1:5-10.  I commend it to your own reflection.

The One who is light welcomes us into the light ourselves.  That would be terrifying, except for this assurance:  if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin (v. 7).  So rather than him withdrawing in horror at the exposure of what we’re really like, he takes all of our unseemliness upon himself, and takes it to the cross.  Wow!  Thus we really can live in the light with each other.  How’s that for good news?

Pray for Mr. WikiLeaks.  He thinks exposure is the same thing as living in the light.  Not so.  In hell everything is exposed, and yet there is still no light.  That takes the love of the One who cleanses us from the darkness within.

Living in his light,

Keith

Next Steps in an Acquired Skill

An Inkling

Have you ever seen a child who is naturally grateful?  I haven’t.  Gratitude is something we learn – and not just once. 

Mom says to Junior, “What do you tell Daddy for this new ball?”  And Junior stares blankly.  “Say, ‘Thank you, Daddy.’”  So he echoes, “Thank you, Daddy.”  It takes a while, but usually it becomes more than parroting.  Most of us have acquired the happy habit of saying “Thank you” when someone does something nice, and usually we mean it.

But I’m not sure we go much further.  Ask a child what she’s grateful for, and she’ll typically answer, “Mommy, Daddy, Max (the dog), and my new dolly.”  A child’s emerging gratitude is focused on special people, critters, and toys.  Ask an adult what she’s grateful for, and she’ll probably include more relationships and fewer “toys.”  That’s a good step, but there’s more.

The more comes as we bring the whole of life, including the hard parts, into view as the starting place for gratitude.  The One to whom we direct our thanks truly is more than a celestial Santa Claus, lavishing us with gifts.  We know that.  And yet stunted gratitude reveals a heart that is not much beyond that vision of God.

If the One we thank is indeed guiding the whole of our lives, directing a story line that is joyful beyond our imagining, unfolding the full import of our salvation in Jesus, and turning even the lousy parts of our stories toward blessing, then our gratitude needs to move beyond a bullet point list of obvious gifts. 

It was that broader, deeper gratitude in the Pilgrims’ hearts that launched our Thanksgiving tradition.  They didn’t have much in the way of tangible gifts, especially compared to us.  But they had an eye for the Lord at work in the whole of their lives, and thus their gratitude grew.

May the Giver of all good things also give us eyes to see his hand at work in all things.  Growth in gratitude follows.  And this week is a great time to give that growing gratitude new voice.

With gratitude for you,

Keith

Non-Random Acts of Kindness

An Inkling

“Uh oh.”  That’s the first thought that comes to mind when I arrive at my office in the morning and find the red message light blinking on my phone.  A need of sufficient urgency prompted an overnight call – is someone in the hospital?  Does someone have a family emergency?  Or is this a message about some fault in the church program or schedule or pastor (pick one or more!)?  Such are my “Uh oh” thoughts as I punch the message button and listen.

But this morning the message was from a friend with a passion for encouragement.  He has found a creative way to encourage by calling long before anyone is in the office, and leaving a message with a kind word, a scripture, and an assurance of prayer support.  Such a simple thing, but what a big lift!

My friend has a special zeal for encouraging pastors, and I’m just one of several that he blesses with these out of the blue encouragements.  But obviously it need not just be pastors.  Everyone benefits from a kind word.

Who might benefit from a word of encouragement from you?  And how can you engage your creativity to make it a happy surprise?  The surprise multiplies the effect – kind of like giving flowers on a random day.  In contrast to the “Practice Acts of Random Kindness” bumper stickers, for those of us who serve Jesus, it’s anything but random.  It’s who we are in him. 

You’ve got a message…

Keith

With an Eye for Blazes

An Inkling

Every two or three months I take an afternoon apart for what I call a “silent retreat.”  I go somewhere quiet, usually an isolated section of a park, and hang out with the Lord for an afternoon.  I’ve discovered that some kinds of interactions can happen with the Lord in a morning prayer time, but other kinds need more time.  Thus the silent retreat.

Typically I take my journal, a Bible, and some water.  I hike, sit and ponder, and take time to notice what’s around me.  After about an hour the busyness in my head slows, and I can focus and listen better.  That’s one big advantage over my morning prayer time.  And the Lord always has some means of speaking to me, making use of whatever scenes I’ve encountered.  Sometimes he tells me a lot, and sometimes just a little.  And I almost always have a lot to tell him – if not in substance, at least in length, for my journal grows by a couple of pages or more. 

I have discovered two consistent realities about these times.  First it’s always hard to find the time.  Something has to be sacrificed in order to get apart with the Lord.  (Actually, I think he has some intention in this.)  And secondly, I am always grateful when I’ve made the time.  He always has some surprising treasure in store.

Usually it’s not earth shaking, just edifying, and timely.  For example, two weeks ago I was at Montreat for several days of study leave.  I decided to use one of the afternoons for a silent retreat.  I hiked the Rainbow Trail, up to Lookout Point, and back down.  The leaves were at their peak, so it was a visual feast – blazing reds, oranges, and yellows.

I had not taken this trail before, but had a general idea of where it led.  A number of other trails intersected it, so I had to make a lot of “fork in the road” decisions.  The trail narrowed at points, but was always visible if I paid attention.  Even so, I was grateful for the trail blazes that marked the way every quarter mile or so.  Even though I could see the trail, I found the blazes reassuring.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to connect the dots between that hike and the walk of faith – the attentiveness needed to stay on the path, forks that force decisions, and the gift of timely trail blazes.  I wrote a good bit in reflection on both what I was seeing and what God was showing me.

How do you get apart to be with the Lord?  There are lots of ways to do it, and it’s more than worth the effort.  And whether you’re taking your retreat via hiking or not, there will be blazes.  The Trail Master assures it.

Happy Trails!

Keith

Until We Meet Again...

An Inkling

Life’s course forces us at points to part from those dear to us, which means it’s well to learn to hold lightly the people we love.  Often this is the pattern:

§       The challenge comes simply at first, as we send our little ones off to school for the first time. 

§       Then we discover that our busy teens actually prefer other company to their parents! 

§       Soon enough we’re sending our almost adult children off to the military or to college. 

§       Then we become extended family to our “child,” who now has an immediate family of his or her own. 

§       That often comes with a move across the country or even across the globe. 

§       This series of partings continues until, at the other end of life, we let go of everyone at once as the Lord welcomes us to himself.

I say we’re “forced” into such partings.  We often try to thwart them, but that never seems to work out very well.

I was reminded of this last week when Sarah and I returned to First Presbyterian Church in Douglasville, Georgia, for their 50^th Anniversary celebration.  It was fun to see the people with whom our hearts had been closely knit for ten years.  When the Lord directed us to St. Giles in 2007, that of necessity meant letting go of the particular ways we had held those good folks through our time there.

It was a joy to see that the ones I had let go of were still being held in the hand of the One who has the capacity to hold us securely through the whole course of life.  So Jesus promised:  My sheep hear my voice.  I know them and they follow me… No one will snatch them out of my hand.  (John 10:27-28)  And he can bring it off!  No turn in our lives can thwart him in holding us securely through the whole course of life.

As much as I love the Douglasville saints, I don’t have what it takes to hold them finally.  And though it is harder to acknowledge, the same is true of those knit most deeply into my heart – my own wife and daughters.  Even with them I must hold loosely, which is more do-able knowing that the same One who holds me securely holds them.

Reunions give us a taste of the time to come, when being in the Lord’s grip will mean that we’re together in that grip, never again to part.  We’ll anticipate that grand reunion this coming Sunday as we celebrate All Saints Sunday.

Blessings,

Keith

How We Use Our Treasure

An Inkling

Anyone who has ever tried to line up stewardship speakers knows how hard it is to find someone who believes she or he has something worthwhile to say about stewardship.  So this year we’re conducting an experiment:  I’m doing some “man on the street” interviews (actually, interviews of anyone who drops by my office!), and I’m asking them to reflect on what they have learned along the way about stewardship.  I’ve found that what people say off the tops of their heads often reflects what’s in the bottom of their hearts.  And as you’ll see, most folks know more about stewardship than they give themselves credit for.

This is the video we showed in worship this week for the Stewardship of Treasure.

Enjoy!

Keith

How We Use Our Talents

An Inkling

Anyone who has ever tried to line up stewardship speakers knows how hard it is to find someone who believes she or he has something worthwhile to say about stewardship.  So this year we’re conducting an experiment:  I’m doing some “man on the street” interviews (actually, interviews of anyone who drops by my office!), and I’m asking them to reflect on what they have learned along the way about stewardship.  I’ve found that what people say off the tops of their heads often reflects what’s in the bottom of their hearts.  And as you’ll see, most folks know more about stewardship than they give themselves credit for.

This is the video we showed in worship this week for the Stewardship of Talents.

Enjoy!

Keith

How We Use Our Time

An Inkling

Anyone who has ever tried to line up stewardship speakers knows how hard it is to find someone who believes she or he has something worthwhile to say about stewardship.  So this year we’re conducting an experiment:  I’m doing some “man on the street” interviews (actually, interviews of anyone who drops by my office!), and I’m asking them to reflect on what they have learned along the way about stewardship.  I’ve found that what people say off the tops of their heads often reflects what’s in the bottom of their hearts.  And as you’ll see, most folks know more about stewardship than they give themselves credit for.

This is the video we showed in worship this week for Stewardship of Time.

Enjoy!

Keith