Passing the Torch from One Generation to the Next

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His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. Luke 1:50

I am noticing a peculiar situation, lots of my friends seem to be getting old! I am finding it interesting that what I always thought was old, I now realize I am that person. I grew up when the saying, “Don’t trust anyone over 30” became a major buzzphrase. The phrase was coined by a then-youthful student organizer Jack Weinberg.

Weinberg who is now in his mid-eighties said of the quote, “I’ve done some things in my life I think are very important, and my one sentence in history turns out to be something I said off the top of my head which became completely distorted and misunderstood. But I’ve become more accepting of fate as I get older.”

The subject of age has been a major topic in the news and among political commentators over the last few weeks. In particular, there have been hours of discussion on whether a septuagenarian or an octogenarian is up to the task of being the president. The Founding Fathers gave a lot of thought to how young a president should be but not about how old. Georgia history professor Buckner Melton noted that “A minimum age limit was put into place because age was the best corollary they had for sound judgment, maturity and what we might refer to as wisdom.” (Natalie Escobar article in NPR)

Age limits weren’t considered necessary since very few people lived into their 60s in the 1700s. Most likely you have an opinion on whether age is a factor for the two major party candidates in the current United States election. However, I am more focused on the generational responsibility from one generation to the next.

Naming the generations is a fairly new, within the last 50 years or so, concept. Social historians, government agencies, and social media outlets have used the segmented population for their particular purposes. However, the biggest component of generational segmentation is in the advertising and marketing world. Demographic and consumer markets expert Peter Francese highlighted the fact that “The ad agencies have a mission and an imperative to bring to their clients news of what’s going on in the marketplace. And so, inevitably, they segment the American population into various groups. The necessity to do that means that they sit around and they come up with names.”

Generations are no longer defined just by your age alone but by your consumer value. Advertising that was once centered on Baby Boomers has moved to the millennials until Generation Z and Generation Alphas are of commercial value. The problem with segmenting people, you create stereotypes of what a category should do or be. Regardless of what category you find yourself in, you still have a responsibility for the generation that follows.

What does one generation owe the next?

Generations need to tell their stories. In a 1983 speech, retired Admiral Hyman G. Rickover said, “A cause of many of our mistakes and problems is ignorance—an overwhelming national ignorance of the facts about the rest of the world. It is necessary to learn from other’s mistakes, you will not live long enough to make them all yourself.” Scripture reminds us to record our stories for the next generation to learn and worship God. “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.” (Ps 102:18)

Generations need to pass on their faith. “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” Psalm 71:18 There is an abundance of research and articles on the rise of the Nones, those who have walked away from faith. The neglect of one generation to pass on their faith has generational significance. According to the Pew Research Center, “The growth in the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans—sometimes called the rise of the “nones”—is largely driven by generational replacement, the gradual supplanting of older generations by newer ones. “

Generations need to pass on a legacy of integrity and character. “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” (Ps 145:4) The last of one generation is fast coming to an end with less than 200,000 still living. Known as The Greatest Generation, they were born between 1901 and 1927. Integrity, hard work, and responsibility are just a few of the common identifiers. Tom Brokaw, in his New York Times bestseller called, The Greatest Generation, highlighted the courage and contribution of men and women who were forged in the depth of the Great Depression and the horrors of World War II. Brokaw writes in his book, “I began to reflect on the wonders of these ordinary people whose lives are laced with the markings of greatness. At every stage of their lives, they were part of historic challenges and achievements of a magnitude the world had never before witnessed.” A generation is usually identified as 20-30 years, making Warren Buffett’s warning very important. He writes “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”

Generations can change the narrative before passing it to the next generation. One generation fought wars to keep slavery from passing to the next generation. One generation fought legal battles to ensure the practice of segregation was ended. One generation fought against totalitarianism to enable the next generation to live in a free world. Each generation will have their evils to fight against but they can change the narrative for the next generation. We often overlook a beautiful part of the Second Commandment.  The sins of the parents are to the “third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Ex 20: 4b) Our generation can change the “sins” of their parents and not pass onto their children. A changed generation instead can pass on a life of hope, faith, and a new story.

What do we owe the next generation?

Hear, my child, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evildoers. Proverbs 4:10-14

God is great!

What’s in a Name?

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I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. Rev 2:17b NIV

What’s in a name? You listen for a particular name so you can pick up your pizza at the counter. When they hear their first and middle names, mischievous little boys and girls know it will not be a good day. The final rounds of graduations have been completed and each person waited eagerly to hear their name being called out so they could receive their diploma. We all like to hear our names called out, whether at the pizza shop or an elegant ceremony.

Through the years, parents have spent countless hours trying to come up with the perfect name. The problem is, you can’t count on your chosen name being popular in a few years. My mother’s name was Mildred, a name that was in the top 10 for over two decades in the early 1900s, then it vanished from the lists. When’s the last time you heard of a little Mildred? However, there is hope for the Mildreds, Normans, Gladys, and Doris of the world according to name expert Sophie Kihm but it will take about 100 years. The seemingly “old-fashioned” sounding names will become trendy again, which means someday there will be an increase of Mildreds in kindergarten classes.

There are a few of us who will patiently sit through the scrolling list of names at the end of a movie, acknowledging the countless list of people involved in the movie production. They deserve a little acknowledgment! Scrolling through movie credits is a little like scrolling through the list of names in the book of First Chronicles. You encounter name after name but then all of a sudden you stumble over Jabez. Maybe not a name in the top 20 since few parents want to stick, “he makes sorrow,” on their baby. You wonder if every time little Jabez heard his name being called it reminded him of the pain that he had caused his mother at birth. Playing outside had to be a challenge hearing all the boys shouting, here comes “he makes sorrow.” (I Chron 4:9-10)

Jabez didn’t have a choice on what his mother named him. He may not have liked the name, but he did have a choice on what he would do with the name in life. Instead of making others sorrowful, he asked God to bless him and expand his influence. I like the NKJV translation, “that I may not cause pain, And God granted his request.” That is taking your name and giving it a new meaning for life!

Mildred was a name that identified my mother among her family, friends, and community. However, the real part of her identity came out of her values, character, personality, and faith. Our true identity is not the label we call a name but the deep values that we come to know.

The world knew in the 1970s that the name, Charles Colson, reflected a power-hungry, ruthless hatchet man for Pres. Richard Nixon, and would eventually be convicted of his crimes and sentenced to prison. The name, Colson was tarnished, reputation destroyed, and politically finished. The story could have ended there, and his name would have gone down in history as a disgraced and ruthless man. Yet his story wasn’t over because of God’s work of redemption in his life. He left prison in 1975 having served his sentence but more importantly, he walked out of prison with a redeemed name because of Jesus Christ.

Jonathan Aitken was a broken and disgraced former Member of Parliament in the UK. It was through Colson reaching out to him in friendship and support that changed Aitken’s life. In a letter to Aitken, Colson wrote, “Your greatest test will be right now, Jonathan. You can let circumstances shatter you as I saw you quoted in the press or you can decide that adversity will be your greatest blessing…As you know, I have looked back on Watergate and thank God for it. Through that crucible I came to know Christ personally and discovered that in the darkest moments of my life, He was working to produce what I would later see as the greatest blessings of my life.”

Aitken in his biography on Charles Colson wrote, “For Colson’s footprints on the sands of time go predictably deep in the spiritual fields where he has worked since his Christian conversion.” “Colson has lived to see his reputation transformed and his life redeemed. By any standard it is a remarkable turnaround, which his admirers say could have been accomplished only by the hand of God.” (Jonathan Aitken, Charles W. Colson, A Life Redeemed)

What’s in a name? Without a doubt, it is far more than a picture on your driver’s license or even the name on your regular paycheck. Author Ann Spangler writes, “It helps to realize that names in the ancient world in which the Bible was written often functioned differently than they do today. In addition to distinguishing one person from another and linking people to their family heritage, names were thought to reveal the essential nature and character of a person.”

What’s in a name? Paul knew something about tarnished names since people would hear his name and go into hiding out of fear of him. That was until God took him and he became a work of art, a new creation. Paul would later write, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor 5:17).

What’s in a name?

Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me, O LORD God of hosts; do not let those who seek you be dishonored because of me.” Psalm 69:6

God is great!

What Does Freedom Look Like

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You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13 NIV

What does freedom look like? How would you define freedom? If I asked a dozen people, most likely I would get a dozen different answers but chances are the word free would be nestled in the answer. The dictionary answer for free is “At liberty; not bound or constrained. Discharged from arrest or detention. Not under obligation or necessity. Governed by consent and possessing civil liberties: a free society.” (American Heritage Dictionary)

Rajaa’s story of freedom was as a refugee fleeing Syria. Her story of freedom would tell how terrorists captured and tortured her husband Fouad for being a Christian. Rajaa’s story would include fleeing her homeland with her baby, her sister Samia, and their parents to a neighboring country. Her story would include being forced into a refugee camp living in a tent, rejected by the community because of their faith, and her father dying of a stroke. Yet in her story you find freedom but only as you hear it through her freedom that she found in faith. “Despite, and partly as a result of, their deep suffering and personal loss, the sisters long to share the hope of Christ with their countrymen who are in desperate need of reconciliation with one another and the God who loves them.”(from a Voice of the Martyrs article)

The free in freedom is seldom free. It takes years to gain freedom from paying off a car, house, or student loan. The free trial subscription to the network service is never free if you forget to cancel during the grace period. The person who is free from prison is only free if he follows the conditions of release. The problem with freedom it takes a lot of work to get and keep. “May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” –Peter Marshall

Thursday marks the 248th American Independence Day and will be celebrated with fireworks, parades, speeches, and cookouts. However, if you could go back in time to 1776, you would find freedom was just a dream. It would be years and the cost of lives, finances, and fighting before freedom would be a reality. Then it would be years later before Thomas Jefferson’s words, “All men are created equal” would become a reality for other Americans.

Freedom looks like sacrifice. As you fast forward through 248 years since 1776 you realize the free part of freedom continues to be a costly endeavor. The free part of freedom has been paid for through the thousands and thousands of men and women who have fought on battlefields, the staggering financial resources spent, and the ultimate sacrifice of those killed fighting for freedom. “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.” –Nelson Mandela

Freedom looks like commitment. It is always easier not to do something but the result of doing nothing leads to hopelessness and disaster. The old exercise proverb, “no pain, no gain” applies equally well in defining how freedom looks. Christians who take responsibility for a nation’s freedom can make a major impact. Dallas Willard wrote, “The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians, and business leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt. But this is an age for spiritual heroes—a time for men and women to be heroic in faith and in spiritual character and power.”

Freedom looks like courage. Christopher Goffos writes, “A man can’t exhibit courageousness without performing some action to which courage can be attached.” Freedom is celebrated because of courageous men and women. Independence Day allows us to reflect and celebrate the courageous actions of those men and women who were determined to lead the nation to freedom.  Patriot Nathan Hale, facing imminent death, was able to utter the words, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

The same courage that laid the foundation of freedom that will be celebrated on July 4th has been the benchmark of change that continues to undergird what freedom looks like. In 1960, little 6-year-old Ruby Bridges faced an angry mob to become the first black student at the William Frantz School. She entered school each day escorted by federal marshals for her safety. Child psychologist Robert Cole shared the story of one of the teachers at school. “I was standing in the classroom, looking out the window, and I saw Ruby coming down the street, with the federal marshals on both sides of her. The crowd was there, shouting, as usual. A woman spat at Ruby but missed, Ruby smiled at her. A man shook his fist at her, Ruby smiled at him. Then she walked up the stairs, and she stopped and turned around and smiled one more time! You know what she told one of the marshals? She told him she prays for those people, the ones in that mob, every night before she goes to sleep!” (Michael Wear, The Spirit of Our Politics)

July 4th reminds us that for 248 years nothing important has changed when it comes to defining freedom. It comes only with sacrifice, commitment, and courage. Freedom requires us to be an engaged citizenry, especially people of faith. Focus on the facts, not opinions. Read and listen deeply and widely. Pray intentionally and most importantly, trust God unwaveringly as God is sovereign.

President Ronald Reagan’s words serve as a fitting reminder. “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

God is great!

 

 

Life in the Wilderness

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Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV

What do you do when you find yourself in a wilderness? Lesly, Soleiny, Tien, and Cristin literally found themselves in a jungle wilderness. Along with their mother, they had fled warring factions in Colombia’s rural area who were forcibly recruiting children by threatening violence.  The children, ages 13, 9, 5, and 1 survived a five-week ordeal in the Amazon jungle after being the sole survivors of an airplane crash. The plane crashed killed their mother and two other adults and began their journey of survival in the wilderness.

A united search team of Colombian army personnel and volunteers from several indigenous tribes combed the dense jungle in search of the children. “Brig. Gen. Pedro Sanchez, who led Operation Hope, said that in the jungle, trees can grow 100 feet or taller, blocking light and making it hard to see someone just a few meters away.” Lesly and her siblings were found in a small clearing after 40 days, surviving on cassava flour, seeds, and the rainforest’s fruit. They were hungry but alive.  (from an AP news article and Julie Turkewitz and Genevieve Glatsky)

“The desert is not remote in southern tropics,

The desert is not only around the corner,

The desert is squeezed in the tube-train next to you.

The desert is in the heart of your brother.” (T.S. Eliot, Choruses from the Rock)

Life in the wilderness can be a frightening and challenging place. You may find yourself there through an accident, from a poor decision, or no fault of your own. It doesn’t matter how you get to the wilderness, you have to find a way to survive until you can find your way home.

“When in the wilderness you are one blink of an eye from being fully awake.” I have no idea the context in which nature photographer Robbie George said this quote, but I believe there is a spiritual lesson in it. When you find yourself in the wilderness, remember it can be a place of growth, change, and reflection.

Life in the wilderness can be a place of preparation. Moses was a future leader. He had been miraculously rescued as a baby, brought up among the elite of society, provided the best education possible, and yet failed to meet God’s standard. Moses escaped to the wilderness and ended up tending sheep. Life in the wilderness prepared him for God’s assignment. “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. “(Ex 3:10) Finally he was ready for leadership.

Life in the wilderness can be a place of testing. I don’t know too many people who enjoy times of testing, yet it is in this season that you can grow stronger. Jesus experienced the wilderness of testing before beginning his ministry. “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (tested) by the devil.” (Matt 4:1) “The devil tries to seduce him with instant power, authority, and wealth apart from the way of the cross…Jesus’s three temptations represent the three great potential vulnerabilities of those who would truly follow God: the need to be relevant; the need to be significant; the need to be powerful.” (Daniel McGregor) As we know, Jesus passed the wilderness test.

Life in the wilderness can be a holy place. The wilderness strips away all the comfort and ease of life, allowing you to see with clarity and understanding. It was in the wilderness that Abraham “called on the name of the LORD.” (Gen 13:4) It was in the wilderness that Moses was told, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (Gen 3:5). It was out of the wilderness that John the Baptist appeared, “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4) God’s presence changed the wilderness to holy ground.

Life in the wilderness can be a place of prayer and intimacy. “The silence of tranquility can be found in the sanctuary of the wilderness.” (Robbie George) In the wilderness, Jesus would escape the noise and pressures of ministry to be with God. “Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.” (Luke 5:16) “In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12)

In the early centuries of church history, groups of men and women left the cities to move into the wilderness, not to escape persecution but to avoid losing a deeper life with Jesus. When Roman Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity, elevating it to a favored status, there was a major shift among Christians. Though it made Christianity acceptable, it also opened the door to nominalism, accommodation, and compromise. It would be in the wilderness that this group of men and women would go to pray, witness, and encourage the church to stay strong for God.

David was a man who spent a lot of time in the wilderness. You find him in the wilderness as a shepherd protecting his flock, running from a king who wanted him dead, and ultimately running from God because of his sinful actions. Yet it was in the wilderness that he found forgiveness, restoration, and renewal. Only someone who has been in the wilderness can write, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) Frederick Tiffany writes, “God provides a way through the desert. The chaos of the wilderness poses no real threat; neither does it need to be the occasion of struggle. The Lord is in control, and a people has been formed. With the defeat of chaos comes the creation of a new people.”

Your wilderness experience will look totally different from my wilderness. Yet it is in the wilderness that each of us can find God’s grace to keep going, His mercy to endure, and His love that holds us tight.

God is great!

 

A Father’s Day Blessing

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Therefore, come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. And, I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 NIV

If you were not one of the popular kids in school, you can probably remember feeling isolated and overlooked. Nothing has changed, there are still thousands of kids who walk into school classrooms feeling just a little discouraged about themselves, and just wanting someone to notice them. That is exactly what a group of Dads did in the Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky. The Flash Dads program was launched seven years ago with the simple objective of making every kid feel special. High fives, fist bumps, and words of encouragement are the order of the day for these Flash Dads. Several dozen members go to different elementary schools across the Louisville area. They line up to “greet students, cheering them on and getting the day started on a positive note.”

Roger Collins said The Flash Dads are, “community members showing up for students who sometimes don’t have anybody showing up for them.” James Bogan, another Flash Dad, said they take their duties as role models and mentors to heart. Bogan said the students know “We’re not just there that day. We’re there whenever you need us. It’s not a one-day thing. It’s a lifetime thing.” (Catherine Garcia, “Flash Dads”)

It seems that every day somewhere in the world there is a celebration of something. On June 7, we celebrated National Donut Day, coming up is National Ice Cream Day on July 21 and the all-important International Coffee Day is Oct 1. However, two occasions get special recognition for the foundational role they play in society, Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day was celebrated yesterday. Antoine Francois Prevost writes, “The heart of a father is the masterpiece of nature.”

Thankfully there is no “one way to do it” model for fatherhood. Some dads are super athletic, others can’t kick a ball. Some dads are fishermen, others know how to order off the Red Lobster menu. Some dads are quiet, others loud. As Max Lucado writes, “My father didn’t do anything unusual. He only did what dads are supposed to do—be there.”

I didn’t grow up with a flashy dad. We lived below the poverty line before there was a poverty line. You didn’t need an intercom system to get your attention since my childhood home was only four rooms. Like most dads, my dad wasn’t perfect, but he was there.

Just being there was enough to share a lifetime of valuable lessons. I learned honesty by watching my Dad buy things with a handshake, without credit checks or lengthy paperwork simply because he had a reputation for honesty. I learned to trust people by watching him write the names of people on his black folding checkbook with the amount they owed him for the work he did for them believing they would pay him. I learned to give my best on any job I did because that was what he did. There was no menial task that didn’t deserve my best.

Scripture records the stories of numerous fathers but I think Luke in chapter 15 captures the most powerful model of fatherhood. The story is better known as The Prodigal Son but maybe it should be re-labeled, The Loving Father. “There was a man who had two sons.” The younger took his inheritance and squandered everything. The older son stayed home but only grudgingly. Sadly, neither son found happiness in their situation.

Yet the story is really about the father whose love for both sons kept him risking everything for them. He never stopped watching for his younger son to come home. He never stopped waiting for the older son to find contentment. In both, he took the initiative to love his sons, risk his reputation, show compassionate concern, and always welcome them home.

If there is a “one way to do it” for fatherhood this story gives us a beautiful model to follow. A father’s love reaches out to a selfish son and a self-absorbed son with faith, hope, and perseverance. “Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children, it will be a refuge.” Pr 14:26

Fathers know the role is tough, demanding, and occasionally frustrating but in the end, it is worth it all. I leave as a blessing and encouragement British pastor Pete Greig’s prayer for Father’s Day.

“Father God, at a time of so much pain, when so many dads are distant, absent or even abusive, we lean into your ever-present love and healing. You are faithful and kind, especially for those of us orphaned, abandoned and hurt. For, “Even if my father abandons me,” as the Psalmist writes, “the LORD will hold me close.” Ps. 27:10

Father of Mercy, heal our many hurts, and restore the dignity, integrity and centrality of fatherhood in our families, in our communities and in our nations. As the Apostle Paul says, “I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. And I pray that you may know love.”

And finally, Lord, for all those poor souls everywhere who forgot that this is Father’s Day, we ask that you would bless them, in your abundant grace and manifold mercy, with the discovery of chocolate and half-decent cards in surprisingly well-stocked convenience stores. Amen

God is great!

What a Banner Can Do

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But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered. Psalm 60:4-5 (NIV)

“A thoughtful mind, when it sees a nation’s flag, sees not the flag, but the nation itself.” These words of Henry Ward Beecher describe well the sentiment that led to creating Flag Day in the United States. Creating a national flag was birthed out of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. “That the flag of the United States shall be of thirteen stripes of alternate red and white, with a union of thirteen stars of white in a blue field, representing the new constellation.” This would be the flag that was carried onto the battlefields of the Revolutionary War.

Through the decades following, various attempts would be made to set aside a day to honor the flag. Presidents Wilson and Coolidge issued proclamations to observe a National Flag Day on June 14. However, it was not until 1949 that President Harry Truman signed into law recognizing June 14 as a national observance for Flag Day.

Bob Heft’s junior year history project in 1958 was to create a 50-star flag, even though there were only 48 states at the time. Bob had a hunch that Alaska and Hawaii would become states so he created a 50-star flag by cutting up an old 48-star flag. “I’d watch my mom sew, but I had never sewn. And since making the flag of our country, I’ve never sewn again.” However, his history teacher wasn’t overly impressed and gave him a B-. His teacher told him, “If you don’t like the grade, get it accepted in Washington then come back and see me.”

Heft went to work and after two years of perseverance, his efforts paid off when President Dwight Eisenhower invited him to Washington, D.C. for a ceremony adopting his 50-star flag, which is still flown as the National Flag. Heft did go back to his teacher who changed his grade to an A. (Story Corps)

Flags often become a nation’s rallying point, providing a symbol of hope and inspiring people to stay in the battle. The iconic picture of four marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima kept hope alive during World War II. A devasted nation rallied at the sight of the flag being hoisted at Ground Zero on 9/11. Armstrong and Aldrin planting the American flag on the moon in 1969 revived the spirit and dreams of a war-torn nation. “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Watching the flag-draped coffin of the assassinated President Kennedy being carried into the U.S. Capitol Building called the world into a season of reverence.

Flags signify identity, whether it is of a nation, corporation, social cause, or political perspective. In a few weeks, the Summer Olympics will begin in Paris. The opening ceremony is always a moving experience watching the athletes proudly march into the stadium behind their national banner. “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banners of their family.” (Numbers 2:1-2)

Flags signify celebration. Francis Scott Key looking out his prison window saw the flag being raised over Ft. McHenry to signal American victory. He would pen the poem that would later become the national anthem. David penned Psalm 20 knowing victory came through the LORD. “May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.” (20:5)

Flags signify survival. “Standing as I do, with my hand upon this staff, and under the folds of the American flag, I ask you to stand by me so long as I stand by it.” These words were spoken by Abraham Lincoln to a nation fighting for survival. David trusted that God would raise the banner as His people were under attack. “But you have raised a banner for those who fear you–rallying point in the fact of attack. Now rescue your beloved people. Answer and save us by your power.” (Psalm 60:4-5 NLT) A banner not made out of material, sewn together by human hands but a God-made banner to give hope to those who trusted in Him.

The greatest banner flown is that of God himself. When facing defeat, Moses with his co-laborers, Aaron and Hur climbed the mountain to intercede for Israel. As the battle raged through the day, Moses lifted his arms over the army and when they grew tired, Aaron and Hur stood at his side to hold them up until victory came at the end of the day. “Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the LORD is my banner”). (Exodus 17:15)

Most everyone will have those moments in life when hope seems dim, faith grows weak and the fruit of the Spirit looks like it has been on the shelf for weeks. It becomes a precious time when we can see the banner of God over us giving us strength, life, and a future.

Flag Day is not a national holiday but a national observance. Therefore, it is just another day, stores will be open, mail delivered and banks will transact business. We may not do anything special on Flag Day, but we could make it a history-changing day. As we go about our day with every sighting of an American flag, use it as an occasion to intercede for the nation. Can you imagine the impact of millions of breath prayers going up, LORD, have mercy on us? Maybe literally changing the course of a nation!

“In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.” (Isaiah 11:10 NLT)

God is great!

The Gift of Summer

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Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. Ecc 4:6

“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” (AI Bernstein)

Spring was anything but relaxing if you lived in the path of a busy tornado season or had kids in school. Memorial Day unofficially marked the beginning of summer when theoretically the pace of life slows down as kids are out of school, church activities get reduced and the days are longer. Theoretically was the word I used, reality tells a different story.  The days of yesterday, when you lazily stretched out on the grass to watch white, fluffy clouds move overhead seem to be a fairy tale or at best, the figment of someone’s imagination.

For those who live in the North American region, June famously welcomes the return of those mystical little creatures called Hummingbirds. These unique little birds return after a restful vacation in South America after a long winter. Flying thousands of miles, they return to the same geographical area each year, and being gifted with amazing memories, they remember every flower and feeder they’ve visited. They are true lovers of sugar as they go straight for the glucose. These little birds eat more than twice their body weight daily, so, they are not good role models if you want to lose weight.

Hummingbirds’ survival depends upon their staying in a nearly constant state of motion. These little “charmers,” (that is what a group of Hummingbirds is called), hover over their food with wings fluttering at 50 times per second and heartbeats racing at 1,260 times per minute. There is just something relaxing about watching hummingbirds dart in and out at their feeder.

God made the hummingbirds to be in a constant state of motion but he didn’t make you or me that way. God’s final stroke to his creative masterpiece called creation was simply “rest”. The other acts of creation have the description “And God saw that it was good” but on His final act of creation He didn’t call it good, He called it “holy.”

What a difference this one day of rest should make in our rhythm of life.  “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so, on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Gen 2:2-3) John Lubbock writes, “Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

You can name a lot of reasons but somehow we tend to live with a hummingbird mentality, always in constant motion. Instead, God offered a model or better yet, a God-given gift of rest. Somehow, we have been convinced that to survive we have to be in a constant state of motion. The Psalmist reminds us in Psalm 74, “But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth…The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon. It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.”

Living at full speed can be physically draining, emotionally taxing, and spiritually deadening. Slowing down opens our soul more fully to God’s presence. David understood how the soul needed rest and God’s desire to give his children. “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” (Psalm 23:2-3a)

“The reason speed does violence against our souls is because our souls were meant to be tended to. There’s a preciousness, a tenderness to our souls that requires a slow observation. And so, when we’re living at this chaotic pace, we don’t give our souls the opportunity to rest, to breathe, to receive the nutrients from God that we desperately need.” (Rich Villodas)

Summer months can be a reflective time to focus on God’s gift of rest. “So, they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”—Mark 6:32. Summer months can bring something magical if we simply slow life’s pace down to spend a little time reflecting, pondering, or meditating. “It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” (Maud Hart Lovelace)

The summer evening harmony of crickets, cicadas, and laughing children relaxes the soul and welcomes a place where you can “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” Psalm 37:7a

The warm balmy summer evenings give you a place to release your problems and anxiety as you are reminded, “The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” (Song of Songs 2:11-12)

The same summer months that bring the hummingbirds also bring the weeds in the garden and seemingly never-ending mowing. What you do with it becomes the question. Margaret Guenther reminds us, “Our waiting on God, then, requires ongoing attentiveness if it is to be more than an empty exercise in passivity. When we pay attention, our awareness is sharpened.”

Summer! What a great time to spread your blanket on top of the freshly mowed grass and spend a little time just pondering this beautiful creation of God. “A heart at peace gives life to the body,” (Pr 14:30a)

God is great!

 

 

America’s Sacred Holiday

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Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. Malachi 3:16

If parents were allowed to roll their eyes, I am sure the vast majority have done so or at least thought about it, if they had a young child sitting in a church service. Long before children’s church, I learned how to sit through many church services beside my mother. Hopefully, she didn’t have to roll her eyes very often!

Little boys and girls must do something to entertain themselves but not end up in trouble. You know you are bored if you enjoyed reading through the Baptist Hymnal. Drawing circles on the bulletins helped pass the time and with imagination, the bulletins could turn into a lot of different things.  However, the most entertaining exercise was always watching the people. There were a few funny moments such as the older gentleman in the choir who would fall asleep during the sermon and even once fell out of his seat. Yet, there was a comforting sense of familiarity in seeing the same people week after week, usually sitting in the same spot.

Thing-watching was always a good practice. Like most small Baptist churches, we had a table in front of the pulpit. Years later the words, “Do This in Remembrance of Me,” would impact my life greatly. It was carved into the blonde-finished table and captured my attention and forever changed my life. I would come to know the great sacrifice that Jesus paid that I might have life and it would be at this and future tables that the bread and cup would stir remembrance of what Jesus did in my life.

The disciples who were gathered in the upper room that evening didn’t fully grasp Jesus’ words about bread and the cup until much later. As they finished eating, Jesus took a piece of bread and a cup of wine offering thanks.  He then spoke the words, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me,” (Luke 22:19). Those simple words would become the remembrance of a costly sacrifice given for the following generations.

Whether it is a pile of stones, monuments, or specific days, history is filled with reminders to tell the next generation of a sacrifice that took place. “Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.” (Elie Wiesel)

Jacob set up a pillar to commemorate God’s vision to him in Genesis 28. Joshua had leaders of each tribe in Joshua 4 pick up a boulder from the dry river bed and erect a memorial to remind the next generation of God’s love and miraculous intervention. Samuel set aside a large stone and named it Ebenezer to remind the next generation of God’s goodness and grace in I Samuel 7.

Today marks the United States’ celebration of Memorial Day in remembrance of men and women killed in military conflicts. If a secular government could have a sacred holiday, Memorial Day would come close to that day. Though Memorial Day is a unique holiday in the United States, I found similar types of celebrations in other countries honoring their citizens killed in action. “Remembering the past plays a vital role in the identity of any nation. Sociologists claim that a society aspiring to endure must become a community of memory and hope.” (B.K. Waltke)

The concept of a Remembrance Day for those killed in war originated shortly after the Civil War. It was originally called Decoration Day as people decorated graves of veterans who lost their lives with flowers and wreaths. Memorial Day or Decoration Day was first celebrated on May 30th but Congress moved the date to the last Monday in May of 1968 and becoming a federal holiday in 1971.

Memorial Day is a perfect opportunity to stop and reflect on the cost of freedom. It is a cost paid through the blood and sacrifice willingly given for others to enjoy freedom. These men and women in the military who were killed in action paid for freedom with their lives. For the sake of others, they paid a heavy price.

Cultural commentator Jonah Goldberg writes, “Democracy’s greatness lies in the fact it is a hedge against bad things.” It took these men and women to build hedges against tyranny, injustice, and hatred. “This is the day we pay homage to all those who didn’t come home. This is not Veterans Day, it’s a day of solemn contemplation over the cost of freedom.” (Tamra Bolton)

Historians estimate that over 1,300,000 men and women have been killed in the various wars and conflicts the United States has been engaged in since the American Revolutionary War. Each number represents a son or daughter, husband or wife, grandchild or friend that never came home. Each number tells the story of a generation that ended that day. Each number tells the story of commitment and sacrifice. Memorial Day allows us to remember those stories of courage with a heart of gratitude.

We give thanks to these men and women who gave their lives and remember even now the enduring loss and pain that exists in thousands of households across this nation.  Former President Barack Obama said it well, “Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay.”

LORD, let us never forget the costly sacrifice of these men and women who died to build a hedge against evil which has allowed freedom to be celebrated. More importantly, thank you for the sacrifice of the cross that gave us freedom and life. “Your name, LORD, endures forever, your renown, LORD, through all generations.”

God is great!

 

Journey Toward Easter Promise

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But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. John 16:7 NIV
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 NIV
When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them. Acts 2:1-3 The Message

Do you still have your Beanie Baby collection? What was your favorite? Do you even still remember the Beanie Babies? Those cute, iconic stuffed little creatures marked their debut in 1993 such as Legs the Frog, Squealer the Pig, Chocolate the Moose, and Patti the Platypus. Though sales started at a slow pace, by the mid-90s they became a major collectible item, even moving into the arena of a financial investment.

The hype surrounding the $5 pellet-stuffed plush toys created speculation that the value would skyrocket from the $5 cost to as much as $1,000. “Forecasts like these were so enticing that one dad invested his kids’ college funds in Beanie Babies, thinking he’d resell them later for a meaty profit.” (Molly Liebergall). Unfortunately, The Beanie bubble burst, leaving the family in a $100,000 hole. The Dad was not alone as the false hope of astronomical appreciation estimates left many investors short of cash. “An asset bubble expert and market historian remarked, “that our tendency to fall for the overinflation of a product’s value is a flaw in the human character and that no one is immune, no matter how smart you are.” (Liebergall)

False hope in investment claims may leave people broke but far worse is the false hope of religion. Religious charlatans have been around forever, peddling their products of false gods, idols, and untruths. However, when Jesus made a promise, it proved powerful, true, and eternally impactful. Fifty days after Easter, His words became reality with the descent of the Holy Spirit that marked the beginning of the Church’s mission to the world. The late British theologian John Stott wrote, “At Babel, earth proudly tried to ascend to heaven but at Pentecost, heaven humbly descends to earth…” Nothing could have demonstrated more clearly than this the multi-racial, multi-national, multi-lingual nature of the kingdom of Christ.” When the day of Pentecost came, the world would never be the same.

Yesterday fulfilled what Jesus told his disciples which is still proving true 2,000 years later. Pentecost Sunday celebrates the promise of an Advocate that would spark the unleashing of the church locally, nationally, and to the very ends of the earth. A few dozen followers have grown to over 2.4 billion Christians worldwide today. So how did just a few dozen people literally impact the world?

Tyler Staton, National Director of 24-7 Prayer USA said it well, “The Early Church congregations where Jesus’ supernatural ministry became common were made up of mostly illiterate people filled with the power of God. They had little in terms of worldly credentials, but they were desperate for the power of God. Author Simon Ponsonby, summarizing Welsh minister Martyn Lloyd-Jones pointedly asked, ‘If we have what the first Christians had, why do we not do what they did? We must conclude that either God gave them more than He has given us, or we have failed to avail ourselves of what He has given us.’ To know the experience of Jesus’ promise, we must become desperate again. Desperate enough to take risks.”

Pentecost would shake the very foundation of these new believers and spur them into action. They were desperate enough for more because of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. They left their safe environment and took the risk to tell those gathered in Jerusalem. Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, Cretans, and Arabs heard the Good News of Jesus and about 3,000 were baptized that day. (Acts 2)

The church born would be unstoppable as “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42) Changed lives that would face ridicule, persecution, rejection, torture even death yet Pentecost gave them the power to take the risk. Transformed lives that transformed society.

Aristides launched his defense of the new Christian faith to Roman Emperor Hadrian in 125 with the early Christian’s moral lives as one of the primary proofs of the truth of the faith. Aristides wrote that “Christians…have the commands of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah himself, etched into their hearts. They keep these commands, looking forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come…For they call themselves brothers, not according to the flesh but according to the spirit. They are even prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the Messiah.”

There are countless articles and books about the declining state of the church. People are leaving in droves according to some experts, and the impact of the church is waning in America, Europe, and other places. We can agree that a lot of people have left the brick-and-mortar buildings but the church is as alive as ever. People ask how is that possible when the statistics show otherwise. I simply say, look at Pentecost! “The most powerful means that have been employed to destroy God’s people have been rendered ineffective.” (15th-century Puritan minister, John Flavel)

Church attendance may decline, church buildings left empty, denominations left bankrupt but the church born at Pentecost will endure forever. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (I Cor 3:16)

God is great!

 

Defining True Value

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She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her; Proverbs 31:25-28 (NIV)

Would you pay 718,750 Dollars for a piece of wood? It would depend upon the wood since that’s the price someone paid at a March auction. The wood wasn’t just any old piece of wood but it was the plank that kept Kate Winslet’s character Rose out of the icy waters in the movie Titanic while Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, hung onto the edge. “The door—which the auction notes reveal was in fact part of the door frame above the ship’s first-class lounge entrance—is clung on to by the central couple as the ship sinks.” (Catherine Shoard)

How do you determine what is valuable? For a movie trivia buff $718,750 apparently is worth the money. However, for me, that sounds extravagant. Yesterday marked the celebration of true extravagance as we set aside the day to honor and appreciate our mothers. In her book, holy is the day, Professor Carolyn Weber writes “When I grow up, I mean way, way up, I hope to be a wise old woman of God. Someone who has learned not merely to seize the day but to seize the Lord.”

Spiritual maturity sets people aside from others who simply live life today. Thomas Traherne noted, “We do not ignore maturity. Maturity consists in not losing the past while fully living in the present with a prudent awareness of the possibilities of the future.” Generations before Traherne’s quote, Paul commented on his young protégé’s faith that was grounded now in the third generation with the words, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” (2 Tim 1:5)

Timothy would go on to be an early leader of the church but it was the impact of his mother and grandmother’s investment into his life that made the difference in how he would impact others. Mother’s Day allows us to stop and reflect upon those women of character who poured life, hope, and ability into future generations.

There may not be a Mother’s Day observance mentioned in the Bible but scripture is filled with women of character who lived out their lives in love, sacrifice, and commitment. “It is okay to love deeply, the seen or the unseen even if this love comes with fear. For surely it will. I can’t think of a love that is worth its salt unaccompanied by any fear at all. But it is in the facing of the fear and loving still, and through it, that the loving becomes burnished to a precious seen and transformed into an ever-present gift.” (Dr. Carolyn Weber) These women of character can readily identify with the words of Dr. Weber as they faced the fears of the unknown, the uncertainty of what tomorrow might look like, yet that was what these women of faith did every day and what mothers still do every day

Love mixed with fear gave Jochebed the courage to risk her life for her infant son, Moses. Jochebed understood the requirements of the government that “every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile” (Ex. 1:22) but she chose to defy the order that saved her son who would lead Israel out of bondage.

Love, mixed with fear, gave Hannah the courage to risk ridicule to boldly ask God for a son. “In her deep anguish, Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly…LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and for forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life.” Out of her boldness to ask, “the LORD remembered her” and Samuel would be born who would become the prophet who anointed David as king. (ref story in I Sam 1)

Love mixed with fear gave Mary the courage to expose herself to being a social outcast to obey God. “You have favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.” Mary bravely faced the gossip and condescending looks when she said, “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.”

Mary’s words in Luke 1 capture the heart of one that understands fully love mixed with fear. “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant…His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”

How do you determine what is valuable? Charley Benetto said it well, “When you are looking at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.” A Mother’s Love is worth far more than a movie plank.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (I Cor 13:13)

God is great!