The Christmas story starts with angelic visits to Mary and Joseph. To each of them the angel said, "Do not be afraid" (LK 1:30 & MT 1:20). Indeed, it can be scary to have God work in and through your life. I know that experientially. It can put you in places where you do not understand what is going on or how things will work out. People around you (family, friends, and associates) typically understand even less.
Let's embrace this Christmas message: We don't have to give in to fear. We can trust God and His plans. In the chaos of this world, God is working. Let’s join Him without fear.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
October 2009 - A Test!
This has been an unusually stressful month for me and my wife. Both of our mothers have not been in good health for quite awhile. Downturns in either could hardly be unexpected.
Kathy’s mom has been struggling for months with declining health. We had, therefore, planned a long weekend trip to see her Mom on October 16th through the 19th. On Wednesday, the 7th, however, we received a call from the care center that Mom Hebner had been taken to the ER; she was not responding well to staff. We headed for Iowa the next morning.
Kathy’s brothers and their wives all came to the care center, too. The eldest brother arrived on Saturday around 1 p.m.. Mom had been kind of in and out of consciousness and was somewhat communicative when conscious. She was able to be roused when Kathy’s brother and sister-in-law arrived Saturday afternoon. Around 4 p.m. that afternoon, she went into a state somewhere between conscious and unconscious. She could not open her eyes or speak, but would often have facial expressions or head nods that let you know that she was hearing things said to her. We spent precious family time huddled together in her little room.
Kathy spent the night with her mom Saturday. On Sunday, her oldest brother and his wife spent the night with her. We all knew she could slip away anytime. At about 1 a.m. that night, she did. Kathy’s brother called us as soon as she passed. We got up, got dressed, and drove to the care center. We stayed until the funeral home guy came to get her body. Somewhere around 3 a.m. we were back in bed.
I had planned to return to Tulsa on Monday. We had car trouble near Kansas City on our trip to Iowa and had to rent a car. I needed to return the rental and pick ours up from the repair shop. I also had appointments I felt I needed to keep at work. So, I came home and worked Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Through this week, Kathy and her brothers made funeral plans and took care of things like clearing Mom’s belongings out of her care center room. Friday, I drove back to Iowa. That evening we had the visitation at the funeral home.
The graveside service was in the morning and the memorial service in the afternoon on Saturday. Our children headed back home on Sunday afternoon. We returned on Monday.
We had just arrived home, had not even unpacked our car, when we received a phone call from a care center in our area. It was about a long-time elderly friend. Hospice had just informed the family that they expected her to pass within 24-36 hours. We hurriedly unpacked our car and rushed over to the care center. Our friend was barely responsive. She hung on until late Friday night.
I passed over another hugely significant experience in this week. Tuesday evening just after finishing my last appointment at 6:30, I received a call from a dear friend of ours. She was crying uncontrollably; I could hardly understand what she was saying. In fact, had it not been for caller ID, I might not have known who was crying out to me. I did hear this, “please come over; Kevin has hung himself.” Kevin was Sherry’s 41 year old son.
Kathy and I rushed to the home. As we approached the house, we saw the emergency vehicle lights. Wow! This must have just happened, I thought. It had happened sometime that afternoon. Sherry had just heard about it when she called me. She was rushing home from work as she called me, and only beat us there by minutes.
Sherry’s sister-in-law who lives with them found Kevin not long before this frantic phone call. He had hung himself in a shed in the back yard. It is hard to describe the scene of this devastated family. I was in shock myself. Investigators were all over the place. They did not remove the body for a long time. Kathy and I prayed for people. We hugged people. I made calls for the family to notify other family members.
Through the rest of this week, besides taking care of regular work responsibilities, we were going back and forth between the care center where our elderly friend was dying and our friends who were already devastated by death.
I was asked to perform both of these funeral services. It was an honor to serve. Both funerals were on Monday, October 26th. Two funerals could hardly be more different. The morning one involved such anguish. An untimely death is always difficult; suicide magnifies the pain considerably. The afternoon funeral was for a dear old lady who had outlived her only child and most of her friends at 93. It was a fun time of remembrance, mixed with the natural sadness of loss. This was a loss for which everyone had had years to prepare.
One more disturbing thing was stuck in the middle of all this drama. My own mother, as I indicated in my opening paragraph, had not been well for some time. On October 15th, the day before I headed to Iowa for my mother-in-laws funeral, Mom was taken to the ER with a heart rate of 134. She was admitted and many tests were run. Talk with the nurses over the next few days was not encouraging. She was mentally out of it much of the time. Sometimes she was her normal sweet self, expressing appreciation for the help of the hospital staff. Then, they said, she had times of “being mean to them”.
They got her stabilized and discharged her to a nursing home on the 20th. She will not return to her home, which upsets her greatly when she is mentally aware of the fact. We decided that we needed to go see her a.s.a.p., so we went to Indiana the last weekend of October.
That was a mixed-bag. For the most part, she was pleasant and mentally with us. I took my guitar, sang and played for her. She enjoyed it and expressed it.
There were disturbing things about the visit. For instance, when we first arrived, she was so happy to see us. She was in her wheelchair by the nurses’ station with a male resident sitting in front of her; they were sitting face-to-face. A nurse was standing nearby. Mom proudly and loudly introduced me to the nurse as her “#2 son.” That was cool.
But then, she pointed to the old fellow in front of her and said, “and THIS is my #1 son.” I tried to make light of it by saying, “So, Mom, did you adopt him?” She was not humored. She sternly ordered me to “go give your brother a hug and a kiss.” When I went to the old gentleman and extended my hand to introduce myself, Mom let it be known, in no uncertain terms, that “that’s no way to greet your brother.” Again, she ordered me to give him a hug and a kiss. Kathy rescued me by saying something like, “let’s go see your room, Mom.” I had nothing against the old gent, but I really wasn’t looking forward to hugging and kissing him. I don’t think he was looking forward to it either.
Well, we had some other disturbing experiences with her over the weekend. She was sometimes very confused and disoriented. It is hard to see my mother so mentally messed up. And it is getting visibly worse by the week. I expect to experience relief when I hear that she has slipped into Jesus’ everlasting arms.
It is out of our tests that we develop a testimony. I will conclude by telling you that through this month I have experienced God in a precious way. I have had strength to serve others that I knew was not my own. I have felt carried by the Spirit through several days. This is the grace of God at work. Grace is, fundamentally, Heaven’s resources to meet our earthly needs. You have heard that, “it is by grace that we are saved”; and I tell you that it is also by God’s grace that we live this Christian life.
Kathy’s mom has been struggling for months with declining health. We had, therefore, planned a long weekend trip to see her Mom on October 16th through the 19th. On Wednesday, the 7th, however, we received a call from the care center that Mom Hebner had been taken to the ER; she was not responding well to staff. We headed for Iowa the next morning.
Kathy’s brothers and their wives all came to the care center, too. The eldest brother arrived on Saturday around 1 p.m.. Mom had been kind of in and out of consciousness and was somewhat communicative when conscious. She was able to be roused when Kathy’s brother and sister-in-law arrived Saturday afternoon. Around 4 p.m. that afternoon, she went into a state somewhere between conscious and unconscious. She could not open her eyes or speak, but would often have facial expressions or head nods that let you know that she was hearing things said to her. We spent precious family time huddled together in her little room.
Kathy spent the night with her mom Saturday. On Sunday, her oldest brother and his wife spent the night with her. We all knew she could slip away anytime. At about 1 a.m. that night, she did. Kathy’s brother called us as soon as she passed. We got up, got dressed, and drove to the care center. We stayed until the funeral home guy came to get her body. Somewhere around 3 a.m. we were back in bed.
I had planned to return to Tulsa on Monday. We had car trouble near Kansas City on our trip to Iowa and had to rent a car. I needed to return the rental and pick ours up from the repair shop. I also had appointments I felt I needed to keep at work. So, I came home and worked Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Through this week, Kathy and her brothers made funeral plans and took care of things like clearing Mom’s belongings out of her care center room. Friday, I drove back to Iowa. That evening we had the visitation at the funeral home.
The graveside service was in the morning and the memorial service in the afternoon on Saturday. Our children headed back home on Sunday afternoon. We returned on Monday.
We had just arrived home, had not even unpacked our car, when we received a phone call from a care center in our area. It was about a long-time elderly friend. Hospice had just informed the family that they expected her to pass within 24-36 hours. We hurriedly unpacked our car and rushed over to the care center. Our friend was barely responsive. She hung on until late Friday night.
I passed over another hugely significant experience in this week. Tuesday evening just after finishing my last appointment at 6:30, I received a call from a dear friend of ours. She was crying uncontrollably; I could hardly understand what she was saying. In fact, had it not been for caller ID, I might not have known who was crying out to me. I did hear this, “please come over; Kevin has hung himself.” Kevin was Sherry’s 41 year old son.
Kathy and I rushed to the home. As we approached the house, we saw the emergency vehicle lights. Wow! This must have just happened, I thought. It had happened sometime that afternoon. Sherry had just heard about it when she called me. She was rushing home from work as she called me, and only beat us there by minutes.
Sherry’s sister-in-law who lives with them found Kevin not long before this frantic phone call. He had hung himself in a shed in the back yard. It is hard to describe the scene of this devastated family. I was in shock myself. Investigators were all over the place. They did not remove the body for a long time. Kathy and I prayed for people. We hugged people. I made calls for the family to notify other family members.
Through the rest of this week, besides taking care of regular work responsibilities, we were going back and forth between the care center where our elderly friend was dying and our friends who were already devastated by death.
I was asked to perform both of these funeral services. It was an honor to serve. Both funerals were on Monday, October 26th. Two funerals could hardly be more different. The morning one involved such anguish. An untimely death is always difficult; suicide magnifies the pain considerably. The afternoon funeral was for a dear old lady who had outlived her only child and most of her friends at 93. It was a fun time of remembrance, mixed with the natural sadness of loss. This was a loss for which everyone had had years to prepare.
One more disturbing thing was stuck in the middle of all this drama. My own mother, as I indicated in my opening paragraph, had not been well for some time. On October 15th, the day before I headed to Iowa for my mother-in-laws funeral, Mom was taken to the ER with a heart rate of 134. She was admitted and many tests were run. Talk with the nurses over the next few days was not encouraging. She was mentally out of it much of the time. Sometimes she was her normal sweet self, expressing appreciation for the help of the hospital staff. Then, they said, she had times of “being mean to them”.
They got her stabilized and discharged her to a nursing home on the 20th. She will not return to her home, which upsets her greatly when she is mentally aware of the fact. We decided that we needed to go see her a.s.a.p., so we went to Indiana the last weekend of October.
That was a mixed-bag. For the most part, she was pleasant and mentally with us. I took my guitar, sang and played for her. She enjoyed it and expressed it.
There were disturbing things about the visit. For instance, when we first arrived, she was so happy to see us. She was in her wheelchair by the nurses’ station with a male resident sitting in front of her; they were sitting face-to-face. A nurse was standing nearby. Mom proudly and loudly introduced me to the nurse as her “#2 son.” That was cool.
But then, she pointed to the old fellow in front of her and said, “and THIS is my #1 son.” I tried to make light of it by saying, “So, Mom, did you adopt him?” She was not humored. She sternly ordered me to “go give your brother a hug and a kiss.” When I went to the old gentleman and extended my hand to introduce myself, Mom let it be known, in no uncertain terms, that “that’s no way to greet your brother.” Again, she ordered me to give him a hug and a kiss. Kathy rescued me by saying something like, “let’s go see your room, Mom.” I had nothing against the old gent, but I really wasn’t looking forward to hugging and kissing him. I don’t think he was looking forward to it either.
Well, we had some other disturbing experiences with her over the weekend. She was sometimes very confused and disoriented. It is hard to see my mother so mentally messed up. And it is getting visibly worse by the week. I expect to experience relief when I hear that she has slipped into Jesus’ everlasting arms.
It is out of our tests that we develop a testimony. I will conclude by telling you that through this month I have experienced God in a precious way. I have had strength to serve others that I knew was not my own. I have felt carried by the Spirit through several days. This is the grace of God at work. Grace is, fundamentally, Heaven’s resources to meet our earthly needs. You have heard that, “it is by grace that we are saved”; and I tell you that it is also by God’s grace that we live this Christian life.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Freedom From Religion
A few days ago I parked next to a red car with a bumper sticker that espoused love for “Freedom from religion.” For years, I have heard about the official organization of atheists by this name.
Here is what I would like to say to the owner of that car and everyone who would be inclined to purchase such a bumper sticker for their car: You do have freedom from religion in America. No one forces you to be Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or anything in America. You are, in fact, free to be an atheist and even free to be evangelical in your atheism as your stupid bumper sticker indicates.
The framers of our Constitution, however, DID NOT guarantee “freedom from religion”, but rather “freedom of religion.” No nation can equally guarantee both. If you were to have your way, it would mean require our government to restrict my ability to express my religious convictions to ensure your freedom.
Since you don't seem to know much about our Constitution and don't appear to think very deeply on these matters, you may not know this: There are countries that offer you “freedom from religion”. Therefore, I respectfully suggest that you consider moving there. Perhaps you would be happier. But I doubt it.
Here is what I would like to say to the owner of that car and everyone who would be inclined to purchase such a bumper sticker for their car: You do have freedom from religion in America. No one forces you to be Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or anything in America. You are, in fact, free to be an atheist and even free to be evangelical in your atheism as your stupid bumper sticker indicates.
The framers of our Constitution, however, DID NOT guarantee “freedom from religion”, but rather “freedom of religion.” No nation can equally guarantee both. If you were to have your way, it would mean require our government to restrict my ability to express my religious convictions to ensure your freedom.
Since you don't seem to know much about our Constitution and don't appear to think very deeply on these matters, you may not know this: There are countries that offer you “freedom from religion”. Therefore, I respectfully suggest that you consider moving there. Perhaps you would be happier. But I doubt it.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Devil's Schemes
In the little letter to the Ephesian believers, the Apostle Paul spoke of the “armor of God.” There he encouraged us to put it all on in order to be prepared to "stand against the devil’s schemes.”
Jesus identified the devil as “a liar”, in fact, “the father of lies.” The devil was the thief Jesus was thinking about as He said, “the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you might have life . . .”
This week, I found myself thinking about that lying thief and his sinster schemes. Here is what came to me: “The true thief, Satan, works in us to cause us to view the Creator – the Giver of ever good and perfect gift – as a thief. Thus, when he is successful, we resist full surrender to God out of fear of what He will take from us.” God is not denying things in my life because He wants to TAKE from me. He is not denying things in your life because He wants to TAKE from you. He wants to give us the best. Lord, You are my truth; deliver me from that liar.
Jesus identified the devil as “a liar”, in fact, “the father of lies.” The devil was the thief Jesus was thinking about as He said, “the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you might have life . . .”
This week, I found myself thinking about that lying thief and his sinster schemes. Here is what came to me: “The true thief, Satan, works in us to cause us to view the Creator – the Giver of ever good and perfect gift – as a thief. Thus, when he is successful, we resist full surrender to God out of fear of what He will take from us.” God is not denying things in my life because He wants to TAKE from me. He is not denying things in your life because He wants to TAKE from you. He wants to give us the best. Lord, You are my truth; deliver me from that liar.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
My New Philosophy of Life
Thanks to an e-mail from an old high school friend (make that, former high school friend), I have adopted a new philosophy of life. Here is my adaptation of the philosophy she sent: Drink, Steal, Swear & Lie.
DRINK - Every day I will drink from the everlasting cup of truth and grace.
STEAL - I will steal a moment to help someone in worse shape than I.
SWEAR - I will swear to be more like Jesus today than I was yesterday.
LIE - And, I will lie down at night, thanking God for the many blessings that I enjoy.”
Actually, this philosophy is not new to me; it's just a new way of expressing the one I attempt to live by, one day at a time. If you think this philosophy is good, I invite you to join me today.
DRINK - Every day I will drink from the everlasting cup of truth and grace.
STEAL - I will steal a moment to help someone in worse shape than I.
SWEAR - I will swear to be more like Jesus today than I was yesterday.
LIE - And, I will lie down at night, thanking God for the many blessings that I enjoy.”
Actually, this philosophy is not new to me; it's just a new way of expressing the one I attempt to live by, one day at a time. If you think this philosophy is good, I invite you to join me today.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sunday Morning Going Up
Back in 1970, Johnny Cash recorded a Kris Kristofferson song about a hung-over guy experiencing Sunday morning. It was titled, Sunday Morning Coming Down. In 1970 I was neither in church nor in Christ. (If you don’t know the difference, I would be happy to explain.) So, I could relate to those lyrics, especially these from the chorus: “I’m wishing, Lord, that I was stoned, ‘cause there’s something in a Sunday that makes a body feel alone . . .”
But then, I got saved. I came to Jesus. I came to church. Now, on Sunday mornings I am typically going up.
For over 35 years, I have been an active participant in church life. Unless I am sick or something really unusual is going on in my life that prevents it, you would find me in church somewhere each Lord’s Day. It is not religious devotion. It is relational devotion. My highest priority is to know, love & serve the God who made me and my Lord who saved me.
I will admit, every Sunday is not a fantastic experience for me. In fact, I have experienced Sundays in which I am inclined to feel that I would have been better off to have slept in. I have resisted the temptation to give into that line of thought.
You see, the church life is life maintenance to me. It is a spiritual discipline that has helped me mature, find and live-out my purpose, and build strength to face and overcome destructive temptations. Because church attendance is habitual for me, I didn’t miss church this week. I am so glad.
First, the worship team led us to exalt our God, the One who created this magnificent world in which we live, the One who created me, the One who loved me and brought me back to Himself. There I experienced moments of genuine connection with the Creator.
At communion time, one of our elders gave a meditation inspired by a leadership conference he had attended last week. He spoke about repentance. He first mentioned our typical thinking about repentance – repenting of the wrong things we have done. Then he called us to think of something else. How often have I repented for my motives when doing right things? Do I ever do right things with motives that are less than pure? Oh yes. It was an excellent reminder. It provided a moment of needed honesty between this creature and his Creator.
The preacher spoke about the compatibility of Scripture and science. It was an excellent message, excellently presented. It created no great shifts in my belief system; but my belief system certainly received some solid structural support. I am sure I need this regular stimulation. It helps keep my thinking sane and sober as I live in a world that is not.
Thank you, God, for the gift of The Church. Thank you, God, for my church.
But then, I got saved. I came to Jesus. I came to church. Now, on Sunday mornings I am typically going up.
For over 35 years, I have been an active participant in church life. Unless I am sick or something really unusual is going on in my life that prevents it, you would find me in church somewhere each Lord’s Day. It is not religious devotion. It is relational devotion. My highest priority is to know, love & serve the God who made me and my Lord who saved me.
I will admit, every Sunday is not a fantastic experience for me. In fact, I have experienced Sundays in which I am inclined to feel that I would have been better off to have slept in. I have resisted the temptation to give into that line of thought.
You see, the church life is life maintenance to me. It is a spiritual discipline that has helped me mature, find and live-out my purpose, and build strength to face and overcome destructive temptations. Because church attendance is habitual for me, I didn’t miss church this week. I am so glad.
First, the worship team led us to exalt our God, the One who created this magnificent world in which we live, the One who created me, the One who loved me and brought me back to Himself. There I experienced moments of genuine connection with the Creator.
At communion time, one of our elders gave a meditation inspired by a leadership conference he had attended last week. He spoke about repentance. He first mentioned our typical thinking about repentance – repenting of the wrong things we have done. Then he called us to think of something else. How often have I repented for my motives when doing right things? Do I ever do right things with motives that are less than pure? Oh yes. It was an excellent reminder. It provided a moment of needed honesty between this creature and his Creator.
The preacher spoke about the compatibility of Scripture and science. It was an excellent message, excellently presented. It created no great shifts in my belief system; but my belief system certainly received some solid structural support. I am sure I need this regular stimulation. It helps keep my thinking sane and sober as I live in a world that is not.
Thank you, God, for the gift of The Church. Thank you, God, for my church.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Kudos to President Obama
I don’t agree with President Obama very often. His idea that it is the federal government’s job to provide healthcare for everyone is certainly a point of disagreement. His idea that it is government’s job to “spread the wealth around” is another point of disagreement. In spite of strong, serious disagreements with the man, I recently read a quotation of our president that made me want to give him a standing ovation.
In a recent article on Time.com, entitled Is there Hope for the American Marriage?, author Caitlin Flanagan quoted our president. She stated that Obama, like Bush and Clinton before him, holds strong views of supporting marriage. This is likely due to mounting evidence that divorce generally harms children. Divorce always disrupts the relationship of children with their parents to some degree. It often disrupts the relationship of fathers with their children profoundly. Here is what she said Barack Obama said regarding the need of fathers in the lives of children: "We need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one."
It is true that many fathers choose not to be involved in their children’s lives after divorce. Sometimes that diminished involvement is chosen for them. That is, many mothers do not want anything to do with the father of their children, and therefore, assume that their children feel the same or will come to feel the same in time. We really need mothers and fathers that will work at being husbands and wives. We need couples who realize that their real task begins after the wedding, after the honeymoon. And they must have the courage and skills to build a strong marriage. Sometimes, they need the humility to admit that they don’t have the skills necessary to do this.
In a recent article on Time.com, entitled Is there Hope for the American Marriage?, author Caitlin Flanagan quoted our president. She stated that Obama, like Bush and Clinton before him, holds strong views of supporting marriage. This is likely due to mounting evidence that divorce generally harms children. Divorce always disrupts the relationship of children with their parents to some degree. It often disrupts the relationship of fathers with their children profoundly. Here is what she said Barack Obama said regarding the need of fathers in the lives of children: "We need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one."
It is true that many fathers choose not to be involved in their children’s lives after divorce. Sometimes that diminished involvement is chosen for them. That is, many mothers do not want anything to do with the father of their children, and therefore, assume that their children feel the same or will come to feel the same in time. We really need mothers and fathers that will work at being husbands and wives. We need couples who realize that their real task begins after the wedding, after the honeymoon. And they must have the courage and skills to build a strong marriage. Sometimes, they need the humility to admit that they don’t have the skills necessary to do this.
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