Flourishing are the Poor in spirit

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Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? James 2:5 CSB

I can’t help but imagine that Jesus had people like Lalta in his thoughts when he began the first beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Lalta is from Alwar, India. Lalta was a human scavenger, her job was to clean human excrement out of dry latrines by hand, put it into a reed basket, carry it on her head to a dumping ground outside of the city, and deposit it. Lalta, similar to the other scavengers, had one thing in common, the loss of dignity. Lalta said, “There was no happiness in our lives. It actually had no meaning. All the time it was either people’s filth on the head or its thought in the heart.”

Lalta couldn’t solve her, problem but with the help of an international non-profit organization called Sulabh International, (www.Sulabhinternational.org) her life was changed forever. The organization is committed to addressing the need for safe, clean sanitation by replacing dry latrines with public and household toilets. What happened to the scavengers who lost their livelihood? The organization provides training in new careers and much more, giving these former outcasts a new dignity.

Lalta was trained as a beautician, as others were trained to work in food processing, office jobs, or given micro-credits to start small businesses. She can now say, “From a heap of humiliation to the heights of self-respect and self-confidence, I believe life has turned out miraculously for the good. I don’t ask for more, for today I can stand and face the world with respect.” (Michael Marmot, The Health Gap: The Challenge of an Unequal World)

Nothing says decadence like a $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae from Serendipity 3 in New York City. (www.serendipity3com). This Guinness World Record holder for “Most Expensive Sundae in the World” greets you with “layers of 23-carat gold, creamy Tahitian vanilla ice cream made with beans from Madagascar, truffles, caramelized fruits, chocolate sauce, and sweet caviar made with Grand Marnier and passion fruit.” (tastingtable.com) All of this decadence is served in a $350 Baccarat crystal goblet with an 18-carat gold spoon on the side. You do get the goblet for a take-home memory but you have to order in advance.

As I read Leonard Sweet’s book, Rings of Fire: Walking in Faith through a Volcanic Future, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus’ words in his first beatitude in Matthew 5:3. Sweet mentioned these two illustrations and as I researched each one of the stories, I was overwhelmed by the stark comparisons. Jesus’ words that morning to the crowd that gathered must have brought great encouragement to those who thought or rather knew that were poor. Their economic poverty added to their spiritual poverty yet here was a teacher telling them they were blessed even in their poverty.

“As much as the poor, the rich will always be with us. The fact that someone else has a better car or a bigger house is of no consequence, or shouldn’t be. If Jesus wants to pay some people more who do less, as long as everyone is given a generous wage, why should we be envious that life is more generous to some than to others? Wealth is not the problem. Poverty is.” (Leonard Sweet)

Jesus’ words that morning reminded them of God’s concern for the poor. Long before these words were spoken, God had set in motion concern for the poor and outcasts of society. Today the responsibility of the church has never been greater to live out the words of Jesus. “Those who cannot see Christ in the poor are atheists indeed.” (Dorothy Day)

God cares that we make provision for the poor. “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field…Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:9-10

God cares that all are treated fairly. “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” Leviticus 19:15

God cares that we help those in need. “If anyone is poor…do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Deut 15:7-8

God cares that we defend the poor. “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4

God cares that we show kindness to the poor. “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” Prov 19:17

God cares how we treat the poor. “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40

If God cares, then it becomes imperative that we care. Dorothy Wordsworth wrote in 1800 that “there would be only two ranks of people, the very rich and the very poor.” In 2019 Larry Elliott wrote, “Twenty-six people now own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population.”

Though Sulabh may not be a Christian-based non-profit, God is using it to change the lives of people. The challenge we each face is to hear the words, “Blessed are the poor” and how we can make a difference until they know they are blessed. “The world can no more keep out trouble of spirit than a paper shield a bullet. Earthly things are like a castle of snow under the heat of the sun. Sole enjoyments of the world become a curse in the end. How many have pulled down their souls to build up an estate!” (Thomas Watson)

It is easy to become discouraged at the widening gap in this new age of mega wealth and wonder how the poor can be blessed, how we can make a difference, and how we can live with contentment with what we have. However, it will never be the size of our bank account that makes the difference but the size of our God. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” 2 Cor 8:9

God is great!

Praying for those who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene

 

Changing Seasons, Refreshed View

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Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 CSB

Nothing says “autumn” better than weekend football. Since Rutgers and Princeton played the first college football game in 1869, football has dominated the months leading up to winter. Football is a benchmark of the cooler months and gives you something to do on Thanksgiving Day. You might be interested in knowing that the value of a touchdown started at four points, increased to five in 1898, and then six points in 1912. Field goals went the other direction starting at five points until it was reduced to the current three points in 1909. The NFL didn’t mandate helmets until 1943 and the longest NCAA Division 1 winning streak is still owned by the OU Sooners at 47!

In the other gardens

And all up in the vale,

From the autumn bonfires

See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over,

And all the summer flowers,

The red fire blazes,

The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of season!

Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

Fires in the fall!

Robert Louis Stevenson captured the changing season in his poem, Autumn Fires. Two little words on the calendar yesterday, Autumn Begins, marked the end of one season and the beginning of another. Some of you will be rejoicing as you pull out your sweaters and light a fire in the fireplace. Others will moan at the thought of brisk cool morning walks and dark evenings. “The heat of autumn is different from the heat of summer. One ripens apples, the other turns them to cider.” (Jane Hirshfield, The Heat of Autumn)

The changing of seasons may bring different reactions but one thing is certain, it doesn’t stop the change. “Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”— (Lauren DeStefano, Wither) I don’t know if you identify with Ms. DeStefano’s statement but the season changes can be a powerful reminder for us of God’s presence in the changing of life’s seasons.

Changing seasons reassure us of God’s control. “You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter.” –Psalm 74:17 There is a great assurance in knowing that if God can set the boundaries of the seasons, then he can set the boundaries of our life. You may feel like you are in the midst of uncontrollable circumstances but as you see the falling of summer leaves you know God is sufficient to take care of your problems.

Changing seasons reassure us of God’s provisions. “As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” Gen 8:22 Only in God do we ultimately find lasting fulfillment and satisfaction. Without God, no amount of worldly wealth can fill a person’s soul. George Swinnock, an old Puritan writer from yesteryear said it well, “God is a satisfying portion. This world may fill a man, but can never satisfy him….David tells us that if the Lord is your portion, this fountain runs freely to full contentment….If a man were crowned king of the world to enjoy the treasures, honours, and pleasures that all its kingdoms can yield; if he had the society of angels and glorified saints as friends, and could enjoy all this for the duration of the world, yet without God, he would be unsatisfied.”

Changing seasons reassure us that God is always with us. “but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.” Acts 14:17 “He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams.” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.” –Ecc 3:1-9

Solomon was a keen observer of life, the changing seasons of nature, and most importantly of people. He had been to the top of the mountain of wealth, success, and power but finally learned that life without God was meaningless. He wrapped up his discourse of life with the beautiful testimony that “God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (3;11) As the seasons change each year, we get to witness beautiful masterpieces to remind us that there is a time for everything. For everything, there is a season!

LORD, let us enjoy the changing landscape of autumn as trees drop their leaves, birds migrate south, and the mornings bring a chill in the air. Autumn reminds us that change is hard but there is beauty even in the changes. As we meditate upon the changing nature of the world around us, may it serve as a reminder of your unchanging presence and love for us in our lives.

God is great!

Planting Spiritual Trees

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He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.” Matt 13:31-32 (CSB)

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”  This well-known Greek proverb could easily describe Dr. William Leslie’s life as a medical missionary to a remote corner of the Congo in 1912. Dr. Leslie and his wife, Clara cleared land along the Kwilu River at Vanga for a new mission station but after 17 years of intense labor, they returned to the United States discouraged. Dr. Leslie believed he had failed to make an impact for Christ and died seven years later thinking his mission had failed.

A team led by Eric Ramsey in 2010 hiked into the jungle to where the Yansi people lived. Ramsey’s research led him to believe there was some exposure to the name of Jesus. What he discovered was a thriving network of reproducing churches throughout the area. They found a church in each of the eight villages they visited scattered across 34 miles. “Each village had its own gospel choir, although they wouldn’t call it that. They wrote their own songs and would have sing-offs from village to village.”

Ramsey was able to piece together the story of how Dr. Leslie would cross the Kwilu River from Vanga and spend a month traveling throughout the area teaching the Bible, teaching the children how to read and write, and telling Bible stories. Ramsey writes of Dr. Leslie, “His goal was to spread Christianity. He felt like he was there for 17 years and he never really made a big impact, but the legacy he left is huge.” (Mark Ellis, God Reports)

There is just something rewarding about planting seeds or small seedlings in the ground and watching them grow to maturity. Though I haven’t had much experience planting mustard seeds, I have planted trees wherever we lived, leaving a place for others to sit. The trees brought enjoyment but I always knew, those that followed would enjoy even more.

Jeremiah Lanphier planted a spiritual tree that would bear fruit for years to come. Lanphier, a New York City merchant, in 1857 gave up his trade position to accept a position with a dying church to visit people in the area. The work was slow, seeing very little success and he would return to his room in the evening and “spread out his sorrows before the Lord.”

The idea of a mid-day prayer meeting came to him and he invited people to come but the first day, he was the only one on hand. After thirty minutes another six businessmen did show up to pray. “That small meeting was in no way extraordinary. There was no great outpouring of the Spirit of God. Lanphier had no way of knowing that it was the beginning of a great national revival which would sweep an estimated one million persons into the kingdom of God.”

“Early in 1858, the revival power poured over the Appalachian Mountains and into the West. Every major town fell before it—Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Omaha—and on to the Pacific Coast.” “And everywhere, it was a revival of prayer. There was no hysteria, no unusual disturbances. Just prayer.” (from the C. S. Lewis Institute)

We may never get to know the full outcome of planting spiritual trees but often God gives us a peek at some of the green leaves. Our team returned last week from Kenya with full hearts and thankful souls. The spiritual tenderness of Kenyans was such a joy as we gathered in times of training, teaching, participating, and sharing. We had the privilege of walking with 85 different individuals in their spiritual journey as they said yes to Jesus’ invitation to life.

One young man living on the streets said yes to Jesus’ invitation of hope. Homelessness and discouragement marked the future of this young man until one of our team members took the time to talk with him. For the first time in a long time, he felt loved and accepted. After we had left Kenya, the pastor of the church we were working with wrote to tell us that he had taken the young man back home to his parents. The pastor wrote, “He had left home two and a half years ago. The family knew that he had died and even did a burial ritual for him. At the arrival of their son, it was just like that of the prodigal son in the Bible.” One “chance” encounter that changed a young man’s life and family.

Last week the United States marked the 23rd anniversary of 9-11 and most of us can remember that fateful day and probably even recall the very place you heard the news. Yet for a growing number of people, it is simply a page in a history book. The vast majority of recent college graduates were not even born when the attacks took place. For them, 9-11 will only be a historical occurrence, not a shared experience.

I wish I could tell them that we planted a spiritual tree for them to sit under. I remember going to our church that night and it was filled with people praying and worshipping. Across the nation, churches were filled to capacity for several weeks but then life returned to normal. Unfortunately, the passion and fervor of those days lost its glow and the hope for another national spiritual awakening soon vanished. What could have been a great awakening turned into multiple wars around the globe, a divided nation, social unrest, spiritual dryness, school shootings, and political disunity.

Yet we keep on praying! Planting physical trees definitely brings a lot of satisfaction but even more so are the spiritual trees we plant throughout our lifetime. We may go through life thinking, what have I done to make a difference, yet little do we know what impact these spiritual trees will have on others. We plant on this journey of life so that someday others will enjoy the shade.

“But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” –Psalm 1:2-3 NLT

God is great!

Planting Seeds of Grace with Our Words

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It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. James 3:5-6 The Message

Sticks and stones may break my bones

But words will never hurt me

Whoever came up with this children’s rhyme in the early 1800s could never have imagined the 2020s when someone using a couple of clicks on their computer could devastate another person.  This little ditty was never true even in the 1800s and now even less. I am also certain that most of us have been hurt with unintentional and a few intentional negative and hateful words in our lifetime. However, the rise of social media comment toxicity has created a whole new dimension in our digitally connected world. No longer are the words thrown at us from the kids we know on the playground but the vast majority of toxic comments come from people who hide behind a hedge of anonymity.

The stranger’s hateful comments hurt but the ones that carry the most sting are from Christians. Michael Hidalgo wrote an article in Relevant magazine called, “When Did Christians Get So Mean?” James Emery White shared a similar line of thought in his recent podcast called, “On Why Christians Are So Mean.” Hidalgo writes, “Few things embolden us to say unkind things more than a computer keyboard. Many men and women type mean slanderous emails and comments. They come out so fast their finger scan barely keep up with the toxic words that appear before them on the screen.”

The rise of toxicity among those outside the church is alarming but within the church family, I would call it scandalous. White said in his podcast, “A lack of grace is a significant contributor to this problem, which is ironic as grace is what makes the Christian faith so distinct from other world religions.”  Paul, of all people, understood the word, grace. In his letter to the believers in Colossae, he wrote, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6 NIV)

“If our words are to be filled with grace it demands we give a gift to others every time we speak or write words. And too many of us are not crazy about giving grace to others, because something in each of us knows grace is expensive. If we are to speak words full of grace it costs us something.” (Michael Hidalgo)

Christians are known as passionate people of faith which is a good thing. However, taken to the extreme, it is easy to take a 15-second video clip out of an hour’s presentation to pounce on another follower of Christ or speak before we have listened or sought to only win an argument. James reminded us and is very relevant in our instantaneous media culture, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-20 NIV)

Long before our digital world, Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave some helpful insight to ponder before we share our opinions or reply in the comment section. “Your life as a Christian should make non-Believers question their disbelief in God.” James somehow knew we would need to be reminded that “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” (James 3:9-10) I would be surprised if at some point you haven’t been upset over a story or an event that happened. Did your reply “make non-Believers question their disbelief in God?” Did you extend grace to someone you didn’t agree with?

Is your goal to win the argument or help plant seeds of truth? Just remember “The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction.” (Prov 16:21 NIV)

Is your goal to blast the other person’s idea or create dialogue? Just remember “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (Prov 16:24 NIV)

Is your goal to unload anger or recreate the story? Just remember “A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples in silver settings.” (Prov 25:11 CSB)

Dale Carnegie said it well “Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind of words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.” However, I think that Paul’s writing to Titus gives us even more insight into using words wisely, “to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.” (Titus 3:2 NIV)

Unfortunately, you can’t stop the mean-spirited comments on Social Media, blogs, or news stories but as followers of Jesus, hopefully, the unbelieving world will not find us the authors of the comments. Yes, we will passionately share ideas and opinions but we let our words “encourage one another and build each other up.” (I Thess 5:11))

Planting seeds of grace in every conversation!

God is great!

Connie and I are in Kenya for two weeks on a mission trip with our church. I am reposting a previous article. In this toxic period of political campaigning, I pray we will use our words wisely and with grace. Words have power, use them wisely.

 

The Gift of Work

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Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 NIV

Happy Labor Day!  One day a year the United States celebrates a national holiday called Labor Day. Signed into law by President Glover Cleveland in 1894, the day acknowledges the labor and economic achievements of the country. Traditionally you do not have to buy gifts for others, seldom do you send greeting cards and if you are in retail or fast food, it is a busy work day. Labor Day has become the semi-official end of summer and the best day to buy a new mattress!

Mark Twain is most often identified with the quote, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” However, others, from Confucius to a Princeton University professor, can claim the quote. The sentiment sounds good, but it still requires much effort like anything you value and enjoy doing. Benjamin Franklin would have had a slightly different way of saying it, “It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.”

This Labor Day finds the current labor force participation rate at 62.6% according to the U.S. Labor Department official statistics. It is a big change to realize I am no longer part of this percentage rate! Work has been an intricate part of my life since age 15 when I entered the paid labor force working on Saturdays and after school in a farm equipment manufacturing company.

I thought I had hit pay dirt earning a whopping $1.60 per hour.  I never considered work a dirty word, though I did get dirty at work. There was satisfaction and contentment in those hours of sweeping the floors and anything else I had to do. Work brought in money but its value was far greater than the $1.60 that I made. Theodore Roosevelt said it well, “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Though President Cleveland may have signed a law into effect creating Labor Day, it was God who created the very dignity and purpose of work.  Once God had finished the task of creating, He gave Adam the responsibility and gift of work to take care of his creation.  “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Gen 2:15 NIV) Adam would get to “work hard at work worth doing.”

Labor Day allows us a great opportunity to reflect upon the value of work. It is a value that is not limited to a monetary amount but to the soul’s dignity as a person. “All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today.” –Pope Paul VI

Work can be seen as a gift or a mundane burden of survival, depending upon perspective. The story of Three Bricklayers is a rich story that has been told in different forms over the years but is based upon a true event. Following the devasting 1666 fire that leveled London, one of the projects assigned to architect Christopher Wren was the rebuilding of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Visiting the site one day he observed three bricklayers on a scaffold working diligently. Wren asked the first one, what are you doing? The man responded, “I’m a bricklayer. I’m working hard laying bricks to feed my family.”

Wren asked the same question to the next man who responded, “I’m a builder. I’m building a wall.” Finally, Wren asked the third man, “What are you doing?” I’m a cathedral builder. I’m building a great cathedral to the Almighty.” Same wall, the same work but with three totally different perspectives.

Did Christopher Wren actually ask the bricklayers the question? I don’t know if the encounter is true or just one of the thousands of urban myths circulated online and by motivational speakers. The origin of the quote seems to come from a book published in 1927 by Bruce Barton.

What I do know is that Christopher Wren was a renowned architect in England, that the Great Fire of London reduced the city to a smoking desert, and that of the 52 churches that Wren designed, St. Paul’s was his crowning work.  I have walked through St. Paul’s Cathedral admiring this magnificent work.

I’m sure there were lots of bricklayers and builders who dug the ditches, built the walls, and painted the structure. No doubt some saw their work simply as a job that put food on the table for their families, which was a good thing. However, I can imagine a few who saw their work as Kingdom work. As they bent down to pick up a brick and then lay it upon the next brick, they were offering to God their work as an act of worship.

There was no doubt that Wren saw St. Paul’s as more than another construction job. Upon his death, Wren was buried at St. Paul’s and his eldest son wrote the inscription engraved upon the black granite stone over his grave. “Here in its foundations lies the architect of this church and city, Christopher Wren, who lived beyond ninety years, not for his own profit but for the public good. Reader, if you seek his monument—look around you. Died 25 Feb. 1723, age 91.”

I don’t know what season of life you find yourself in. For a few it may be starting in their first job, others gaining seniority, others having to find a new job, others looking to retire soon, and many already in retirement. Wherever you are in your work journey, whether past, present, or future, count it as a blessing. Enjoy God’s gift of work and “May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:16-17

God is great!

Re-posting article from Sept 3, 2023. Connie and I are in Kenya for the next two weeks with a group from our church working in the Eldoret area. I pray your Labor Day celebration will be a blessed and fun day.