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!

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!

 

Journey Toward Eternity

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Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:1b-3 NIV

The iconic engineering masterpiece, The Golden Gate Bridge, spans the one-mile-wide strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The American Society of Civil Engineers recognizes it as one of the Wonders of the Modern World. The bridge is an internationally recognized symbol and is described in Frommer’s travel guide as “possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world.” (Wikipedia)

Millions of cars, trucks, bikes, and walkers have traveled across the bridge since it opened in 1937. Though famous internationally, it is also famous for the number of people who have committed suicide on the bridge.  Harold B. Wobber became the first person to commit suicide by jumping over the four-foot rail less than three months after its opening. Since then, over 1,600 people have committed suicide with an additional unknown number whose bodies were not found.

Former California highway patrol officer Kevin Briggs has become known as the Guardian of the Golden Gate. When Briggs finds someone preparing to jump to their death, he engages the person in conversation with some simple questions about their plans for the following day. He has been able to talk more than two hundred people from taking their lives. (article in Denison Forum)

The Golden Gate Bridge is easily identifiable for its beauty, but it becomes a symbol of death to those without hope. The Cross of Jesus is even more easily recognizable throughout the world. The cross designed as an instrument of death became a symbol of hope and life because of Easter.

Lent has provided us time to slow down in our spiritual journey to refocus upon the coming days of Easter. It has provided opportunities to sit and reflect upon our hope in Jesus. It is a hope not built on shifting opinions but on the rock-solid promises of God.

Jesus’ journey toward the cross would bring life to us but not without great cost to him. The pain and bodily suffering of the cross had to be indescribable for him yet just as horrendous was the pain of rejection and betrayal that he had to endure.

The pain of a kiss. Judas had sat under his teachings, watched the healings, and fellowshipped with Jesus yet rejected the kind of Messiah that Jesus would become. “And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus.” (Luke 22:4). The pain of that midnight kiss must have weighed heavily upon Jesus. “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48)

The pain of a rooster’s crowing. Peter had become one of Jesus’s trusted inner circle members. Peter had pulled the net onto the boat overflowing with fish, stood on the mountaintop with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, and watched as a little girl was raised from the dead yet that morning spoke the words, “I don’t know him!” Can you imagine the pain of these words to Jesus? Also, the pain in Peter’s heart as he heard  “the rooster crowed” and then seeing as “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.” (Luke 22:61)

The pain of a yelling crowd, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” The crowd! Men and women who had listened intently to his words, many had eaten fish and bread with him on the mountainside and just days before, had been willing to cry out, Hosanna! Only now to hear, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”

Yet the greatest pain of all is the silence of His Father. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The gaping wounds, the nail-punctured hands and feet, the humiliation or the mocking words couldn’t compare to the darkness and emptiness of his Father’s silence.  “The more painful our suffering and thus the less we understand why God allows it, the more we need to trust it to his compassionate care.” (Jim Denison)

The lament of Psalm 22 would minister to Jesus’ soul that dark and godless afternoon. The words of this holy Psalm would express his desolation of God being far away and yet the consolation of feeling God’s presence, even on the cross.

Charles Spurgeon beautifully captured the richness of this Psalm on the cross. “Psalm 22 may have been actually repeated word by word by our Lord when hanging on the tree; it would be too bold to say that it was so, but even a casual reader may see that it might have been. It begins with, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And ends, according to some, in the original with It is finished.

Before us, we have a description of both the darkness and the glory of the cross, the sufferings of Christ, and the glory which shall follow. Oh, for grace to draw near and see this incredible sight! We should read reverently, putting off our shoes from our feet, as Moses did at the burning bush, for if there be holy ground anywhere in Scripture, it is in this psalm.”

The cruelty of the cross has been transformed into a symbol of living hope with the words, “It is finished.” The cold isolation of a grave has been transformed into living life with the words, “He is not here; he has risen.” These symbols of death have been transformed into a living faith with the climax of this powerful prayer, “Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.  (Ps 22:30-31 NLT)

“Christ breaks through to you, not in those places where you are strong, where your skills are well-honed and developed, but precisely in those areas in your life where you know failure or weakness. For it is there that you come close to the power of the Cross. It is precisely there that God is waiting to meet you, long to offer you forgiveness, strength, and renewal, to live and work not in your own strength, but in the strength of Christ.” (Geoffrey Tristam)

Easter!  He is Risen! This is the reason why I can end my blogs each week with the words,

God is great!

Go Quickly and Tell His Disciples by Hanna-Cheriyan Varghese

Journey Toward Destiny

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As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. Luke 19:41 NIV

The countdown to the Eclipse 2024 is underway. On April 8, the “Great North American Eclipse” will move across the United States. The path of totality will start in Mexico and move across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine before heading out over the North Atlantic. For a few minutes, the moon gets to overshadow the sun.

April 8 would not have been a good day if you were the king of Mesopotamia in 763 B.C. You could have easily related to the Shakespearian quote, “Uneasy is the head that wears a crown” because a total solar eclipse was seen as an omen of death for rulers of the Assyrian Empire. They were uncertain of what would happen, but since the Assyrians worshiped the Sun God, the Moon God, and other sky deities, a total eclipse of the Sun held tremendous spiritual and political power. To avoid such an untimely death, the king would name a substitute king for the day who would become the reigning monarch for the day and take on the curse of the omen and be sacrificed. “The substitute king would enjoy all the trappings of regency before being ritualistically killed to fulfill the prophecy.” (article by Rebecca Boyle)

Lent has been a season of preparation preparing us for the arrival of the true King and the fulfillment of prophecy – a King that would become the substitute instead of having a fake king to be his substitute.

The climax of the Journey Toward Destiny began as the people crowded the streets of Jerusalem preparing for the entry of Jesus. Whether you fasted during Lent or used these 40 days to prepare your heart for Easter, the time has come. This season of preparation has prepared us for the event far greater and vastly more important than any total eclipse.

Palm Sunday marks the church’s celebration of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event that each Gospel writer captured in their own unique style. Even reading the narratives you can feel the excitement mounting, the pressure building, and hope intensifying. The people are pushing and shoving to get a place on the street to welcome the King. Is this finally the fulfillment of centuries of anticipation coming true? Finally, will Jesus be the one to restore their rightful place as a nation and break the bondage of the oppressor?

“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matt 21:8-9)

“What comes into your mind when you think about God?” A.W. Tozer asked this penetrating question in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy. The question could have been asked on that day when Jesus entered Jerusalem on His Journey Toward Destiny. The same question is appropriate to ask of ourselves as we enter into this final week of Easter.

The crowds wanted a political hero, a military strategist, but most importantly a powerful commander to restore their nation. What they got that day was the Son of God riding on a donkey heading for a cross that would open the doors for redemption and salvation.  The crowds would return home at the end of the day. Some would go home disappointed that he hadn’t entered on a white horse. Some would go home disillusioned that the revolution didn’t start overthrowing the Roman occupation. Some would go home that evening angry that Jesus didn’t meet their expectation of a Messiah.

However, among the palm-waving crowds that day, there were a few that would go home that evening having experienced the coming of the Messiah as prophesied generations before. They would become what they worshipped and would come to Jesus, the true Messiah. “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Zechariah 9: 9-10 (NIV)

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God.” (Tozer)

The crowds cheering for Jesus that morning upon his entry into Jerusalem were also part of the crowds that would be yelling again in a few days for Jesus. However, instead of yelling Hosanna to the Son of David, they would be yelling crucify him, crucify him. What changed? They became what they worshipped which shaped their destiny and their beliefs. Tozer went on to write, “We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God…Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, ‘What comes to mind when you think about God?’ we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man.”

What comes to your mind when you think of God? As you enter this time called Holy Week, I trust there will be an opportunity to drown out the crowd noise, find time to step away from the busy week and simply let your thoughts focus on Jesus. Try reading a different Gospel account each day of the events related to Holy Week.  Let Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John guide you in a time of reflection and worship preparing your heart, soul, and mind for Easter.

Jesus, as we approach Easter, let our hearts and minds be filled with praise and thanksgiving for all that you endured for us. Let us never forget your sacrifice so that we might have life. Thank you for the amazing gift of salvation.

God is great!

Hosanna in the Highest! by Hanna-Cheriyan Varghese

Journey Through Generations

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Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.  Luke 24:26-27 NIV

Do you know where you came from? I have always been fascinated by the Ancestry.com ads and the stories of people finding their roots. This last Christmas Connie gave me an ancestry DNA kit and though I didn’t expect to be in line for the royal throne, I thought it would be fun to see how far my Oklahoma roots spread.

I finally got my results back this last week and learned my ethnicity numbers. Most of the percentages came from England & Northwestern Europe (49%) and Scotland (37%) as expected with a name like Burton. I had some smaller percentages from Wales and Ireland (10%), Sweden & Denmark (2%) and Germanic Europe (1%). However, I did learn I also have Nigerian roots, 1%!  I could find out more about my ancestry, but I will probably not pay the $99 every quarter.  However, it was still an interesting experiment.

What it does tell me is that I probably have a lot of interesting relatives around the world, and I will never get to meet them this side of eternity. It also tells me of the vastness of God’s creation and being connected to generations past. During this time of Lent, as we journey toward the cross and resurrection, I am also reminded of the vast family I belong to as part of God’s family that follows Jesus.

Shauna Pilgreen in her book, Translating Jesus, writes; “We keep each other close because we are made to be close—this human race God created.” She goes on to write, “One very interesting probability model created by a demographer for genealogists suggests that a child born in 1947 in England, tracing back to 1492, would have sixty thousand ancestors. Going back further, to 1215, this child would find 80 percent of the entire population of England at that time on his or her family tree.” That is one big family tree!

This season of Lent allows us to reflect as a family on the power of the cross and the hope of Easter. We are connected from one generation to the next through the life we live today but also within the future context of who we are in Jesus. “Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will proclaim your praise.” Psalm 79:13

You wouldn’t normally spend time reflecting on a list of names nor start as the opening of your book, but this was what Matthew did as he began his account of the Gospel. He began his story with the words,” This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.”  Then for the next 15 verses gave us a long list of “begats” or KJV talk for “the father of.”

Patrick Schreiner writes, “From the beginning, God was in the business of establishing his people in his place by his power. It began with Adam and Eve, and it continued in the covenants given to Abraham and David. These are finally fulfilled in Jesus; the Davidic king who will establish Israel’s kingdom.”

Each name in Matthew’s account represented a link in fulfilling God’s promise of a Savior. One generation passed on to the next generation the story of a coming Savior who would someday redeem the nation and the people.  “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? Isaiah 53:7-8

Matthew’s list contained some All-Star names such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon. His genealogy included some great men of faith such as Boaz, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah but it also listed some faith failures such as Amon, Ahaz, and Manasseh among others. Matthew didn’t just include those names that any family would be proud to have in their lineage but also a few that any family would rather overlook and not claim.

Matthew would also break from tradition and include several women, including those not of the Jewish faith to be part of the Jesus ancestry family tree. Tamar and Rahab were from the Canaanite community, Ruth was a Moab, Bathsheba was likely a Hittite and Mary was Jewish. Each woman brought a messy background to the story yet God would place them into the very heart of His salvation plan. Each woman would play a significant part in God’s story even without a perfect past and outside religious expectations.

Family trees are not always pretty nor well-kept even though there will be some beautiful branches you will find a few branches that you wish would have been pruned before they grew. It is the same way with our faith family trees, we will have some awesome, healthy branches where we swell with pride but a few limbs that we drop our heads and would rather not claim.

Can you imagine the percentage results if Heaven offered a DNA ancestry kit? The Biblical Canon may be closed and no names will be added to Matthew’s genealogy. However, spend some time this week reflecting upon the impact of verse 16: “And Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.”

Jesus set in place a spiritual genealogy that is adding names daily and just like a great oak tree, spreads its branches across the generations. This heavenly recorded genealogy now includes a multitude of brothers and sisters from “every nation, tribe, language and people.” (Rev 14:6)

A list of names may not be captivating reading unless you think of all the stories that will be shared someday as the family of Jesus. “One generation will declare your works to the next and will proclaim your mighty acts. I will speak of your splendor and glorious majesty and your wondrous works.” Psalm 145:4-5

God is great!

 

Love Takes The Day

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Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. I Cor 13:4-8a CSB

What are Americans willing to spend on love? According to USA Today, Americans spent $26 Billion in 2023 on Valentine’s Day. The average amount spent on gifts came to roughly $131 for their significant others and $53 on others such as friends, co-workers, teachers, and most importantly, their pets. The number one gift was candy, followed by greeting cards and flowers.

However, you would be hard-pressed to beat the gift that you can buy at The San Antonio Zoo. People make an online donation to the zoo and they get to name a roach, rodent, or veggie after someone, normally an ex. “You may find help on your healing journey with a dash of humor (and pettiness) by naming a cockroach after your ex, which will later be fed to a San Antonio Zoo animal.”

Zoo spokesperson Cyle Perez said, “There were more than 7,700 donations from all 50 states and over 30 countries in 2023. People named David, Chris, Michael, Sarah, Amanda, and Emily must be some real heartbreakers. Those were the most-requested names last year. The fundraiser has brought in more than $225,000 since its inception in 2020.” (Madalyn Mendoza, Axios)

A cockroach for your Valentine probably will not be the most endearing present but it will be rememberable. I can see why the focus is on the ex-part since giving a cockroach as a gift will probably get you into the ex-category.

Valentine’s Day is celebrated in at least 30 countries around the world and this is not surprising since the need to say, “I love you,” is a global gesture that every person wants to hear. Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as Valentine’s Day at the end of the 5th century, though the romance part of the holiday came later. There are a multitude of reasons why February has long been associated with romance and love. The English Poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration. (History.com)

Hallmark cards, a dozen red roses, and a box of Godiva Dark Chocolate are all nice on Valentine’s Day and highly recommended. However, flowers fade, and chocolate is eaten, but real Valentine’s love that flows from God is the 24-7, 365-day, never-ending type and is the greatest gift. Kallistos Katafygiotis said, “The most important thing that happens between God and the human soul is to love and to be loved.” Jesus’ disciple and friend, John said, “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” I John 4:7-8

“Marjorie Thompson tells the story of a conversation between an eighteenth-century priest and an elderly peasant who would sit alone for long hours in the quiet of the church. When the priest asked what he was doing, the old man simply replied, “I look at Him, He looks at me, and we are happy.” (Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer)

Wednesday is a unique Valentine’s Day this year since it falls on Ash Wednesday. This rare calendar occurrence happens only a few times each century. In this century, the three years are 2018, 2024, and 2029. Valentine’s Day on Ash Wednesday gives us the unique opportunity to remember the ultimate expression of love as the church moves into Lent, preparing for Easter.

Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day can reflect love as a mushy, sentimental feeling worthy of a good Hallmark movie. However, falling on Ash Wednesday can be a great reminder of a love that is rich, powerful, and eternal. Ash Wednesday allows us to see love in the fullness of God’s love for us.

It is a love that looks more like forgiveness than faded flowers. “Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses.” (Prov 10:12).  There is a powerful scene in the latest Chosen season as Peter struggles to forgive Matthew. He counts out the offenses against him until the words of Jesus take root, “I tell you, not as many as seven, but seventy times seven.” Matt 18:22

It is a love that looks more like commitment than rhyming words on a card. John Mark Comer writes of commitment, “in both marriage and life with God, it’s the constraint of commitment that will create space for love to mature and real transformation to occur. We often chafe against it, but in the end, like caterpillars in the constraints of pupae, it is where we are transformed into butterflies—entirely new creatures of beauty.”  “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20)

It is a love that looks more like acceptance than an empty box of chocolates. Jesus walked with those lost and in darkness, reaching out to them in love. “Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing.” I Peter 3:8-9

I will leave it up to you as to whether you should fast or eat your chocolates on Wednesday, but I can leave you a beautiful gift of promise on Valentine’s Day that will outlast the box of chocolates:

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7

Be blessed on this Ash Wednesday as we begin the journey towards Easter.

God is great!

 

God Knows Our True Value

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Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 NKJV

 

There is nothing like a good safari through an antique store, estate sale, or good old-fashioned garage sale. One person’s junk is another person’s treasure. Jessica Vincent could tattoo that saying on her arm. Vincent was rummaging around a Goodwill store in Virginia and came across a pretty little glass vase with swirling translucent red and seafoam green pattern in perfect condition for $3.99. Vincent is no stranger to thrifting and thought it might be worth $1,000 maybe $2,000 tops. Little did she know that she bought a vase that would eventually bring $100,000 at an art auction.

“For me, it’s like winning the lottery really. It’s just an incredible thing,” she said. “It’s super, super surreal. Even now, I’m still pinching myself.” “While the vase’s beauty was undeniable, she needed the income more than an ornament and described the sale as a “life-changing amount of money.”

“You think about everything like an earthquake, a fire, whatever. Just all of the scenarios go through your head and it’s a lot of responsibility to have such an important and expensive object in your home when you’re not independently wealthy,” she said. “I’m so happy that the piece is also back where it belongs really. It’s in a safe collection where it’s known now.” (Anthony Robledo, USA Today)

Renowned Italian artist Carlo Scarpa invented the technique of applying brush strokes of color to create a painted-like surface during the billowing process. You can’t help but wonder how a valuable vase could end up in a Richmond area Goodwill store. Over the years did this work of art sit on someone’s mantel as a pretty but worthless decoration? Did some little boy give his mother flowers in the vase? Did someone finally clean out the attic and cart off their junk? Whatever the reason, something of value ended up in a Goodwill thrift store.

Life has found a lot of people who somehow ended up with a reduced price. A well-meaning Goodwill employee can look at a glass vase and price it at $3.99 but then along comes an expert who sees the true value of the same glass vase. The difference in the vase’s value is knowing the story of the vase. One values the vase at $3.99 but only one knows the real story of the vase and values it at $100,000. Thankfully God knows the true value of a person and he never gives us a discounted sticker price. Jesus, the master storyteller, tells the real story of the value of a poor woman and her two coins.

Jesus, who was ever observant, watched the spectacle of people coming and going into the temple. Luke tells the story (Luke 21:1-4) as Jesus watches the wealthy, influential members putting in their offerings to the sounds of adoration from the crowd. At about the same time, a poor and disenfranchised woman stealthily moves to the collection box and drops in her meager two coins. She doesn’t make any fanfare about her giving because she doesn’t see any value in her life. Unfortunately, she doesn’t receive any affirmation from the clergy and most definitely no whispers among the crowd about her generosity. Only Jesus sees her true value.

“Sometimes to refute a single sentence it is necessary to tell a life story.” (John Berger)

Jesus made sure the woman’s life story was told. “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”  That day a poor woman heard her real value and left the temple with a different step in her walk. The world had placed a reduced price on her value but not God. Jesus reminded the world of her true value and more importantly, to the woman. Jesus poured grace over the life of this precious soul that day and continues to pour out grace on each of us today.

“I can see why the evaluative world does not “get” grace—it all came clear—and, in turn, why grace cannot, does not, will not, conform to such human standards. You cannot “come up” for grace. You cannot qualify for it, earn it, or do enough paperwork for it. No one can bestow or veto it. You can’t even get it through conformity, diversity, or seniority. It doesn’t fit into a file, it won’t tuck nicely into a page protector. It won’t be laminated or promoted, bought or sold. It is a gift between God and me, and it is always here for the taking.” (Carolyn Weber, holy is the day)

The Goodwill employee correctly valued the vase for a Goodwill store but the art auction house knew the real value of the vase. The same can be said of the temple accountants who correctly valued the gift but didn’t know the full story. Jesus understood the real value of the gift and placed an extravagant amount on the exchange.

We can easily get the wrong value placed on our lives when we go to the wrong appraiser. The art dealer saw the intricate designs of the vase, knew the artist’s work, and how to market the vase for top price. In the same way, the world’s standard will look only at the externals of our lives, and base our value on performance, salary, or some other preconceived ideas.

Jesus sees the extravagant value of our lives today as he looks at us through the lens of grace, love, and redemption. Jesus knew the true value of the woman in the temple. Her value wasn’t based on worldly acquisitions but upon an intimate relationship.

Jesus is the master artist whose work is beyond description.  “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.”  (Psalm 139:13-15 NLT)

Our family was blessed this last week with the birth of our 6th grandchild, Jakobi David Shanklin. I am thankful for this beautiful, healthy baby boy. All glory to God.

God is great!

 

 

God of Justice

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Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18-19

What do you give someone who has everything? I’m sure that was the question organizers of this year’s Golden Globes awards were thinking as they were putting together the gift bags for the presenters and winners this year. What’s in the 83 bags? “All of the night’s presenters and winners will receive multiple travel experiences, including a five-day luxury yacht charter in Indonesia aboard the Celestia Phinisi Yacht valued at $50,000, and a five-day “luxury experience” at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, valued at $20,000. If they want, they can receive a $2,500 tattoo from Atelier Eva.” (article by Gina Vivinetto)

The awards were given out, the speeches given and the participants left with their goody bags containing more than 35 luxury products, valued at $500,000! I don’t have anything against gift bags but I usually got coffee mugs, cookies, pens, and occasionally t-shirts, never received a Golden Globe-type gift bag. The dollar number is what got me, not the bags. You can do the math on 83 bags at $500,000 each!

I’m sure the folks who received these bags will enjoy them but would a refugee enjoy the Rose Gold Radiance Face Mask? Would a poor family prefer a Tomato Filling Serum or a bunch of tomatoes in their bag? What would the widows and orphans want?

“Jose is a successful college graduate who has to work for a full month in Venezuela, his home country, to be able to afford a single can of beans from the grocery store…Unable to afford the food, medicine, and other essentials needed to survive, Jose was losing hope when a Send Relief partner gave him some emergency food boxes to last him through the month.” (Send Relief Agency) The same $35 that bought a Rose Gold Radiance Face Mask for the gift bag would give Jose food for the month.

Embrace Relief Organization reports that 1 out of every 9 people in the world face chronic hunger with 148 million children under the age of 5 who are malnourished worldwide. In addition, more than 3 million children die each year worldwide from hunger.

Today marks the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day honoring the legacy of this Baptist pastor who sought to eliminate racial division and promote justice within the United States. “We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice. Not in love with publicity but in love with humanity.” (MLK, Jr)

Unfortunately, justice has often been overshadowed by political and cultural division, opinions, and selfishness, creating rifts, anger, and greater injustice. Dr. King challenged people that “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”

Justice is a message that didn’t start with Martin Luther King, Jr but has been at the heart of God from the beginning. Tim Keller wrote in a series of lectures on justice, “Biblical justice is not first of all a set of bullet points or a set of rules and guidelines. It is rooted in the very character of God and it is the outworking of that character, which is never less than just.” As I looked up verses related to justice in my Strong’s Concordance, I was reminded of God’s heart for treating others justly and with respect.

“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great but judge your neighbor fairly.” Leviticus 19:15
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17
“This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ Zechariah 7:9-10
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9

Martin Luther King, Jr Day will be marked by various speeches made by politicians, stories retold of his legacy and mission and many churches will gather to commemorate the day. The day can also be a good day to personally reflect upon what justice looks like and could look like from God’s perspective.

What would justice look like for the hungry without adequate food or means to obtain it?
What would justice look like for those who are discriminated against because of race or color of skin?
What would justice look like for the refugees who have been forced out of their homes because of war?
What would justice look like for the brokenhearted, the homeless, the orphans, the widows?
What would justice look like for the voiceless and vulnerable in society?
What would justice look like if we the church felt the same passion for others that God does?

“The gospel shows us a Savior who does indeed exercise authority over us, but who uses that authority and power only to serve us, and who was willing to lose it and suffer in order to save us. Christians have intellectual and heart resources to use power in a way that does not exploit. We must never stop struggling to walk in our Savior’s steps.” (Tim Keller)

“The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. Psalm 33:5

LORD, the world needs us to be your voice and heart today. Amid confusion, help us to be the voice of clarity. Amid violence, help us to be the bearers of peace. Amid hatred, help us to be reconcilers. Amid lostness, help us be the messengers of hope.

God is great!

A Beautiful Portrait

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The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. Revelation 1:14-15

I am thankful Jesus chose a time in history when his disciples couldn’t pull out their iPhones and snap a selfie with him. The Bible doesn’t say a lot about Jesus’ physical description. However, his good friend John wrote this compelling description of Jesus in Revelation. Equally powerful is John’s follow-up description of Jesus. “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:17-18

We now live in a very ego-centric age that is totally self-absorbed with ourselves. We have at our fingertips information about anything and everyone. We have access to more books, more pictures, more video clips than all the combined generations who lived before us. We are information-saturated but drowning in self-righteous indignation over the events of the past.

Jesus tells his followers in Matthew 7 to take the plank out of their own eyes instead of focusing on the tiny speck in their brother’s eye. Jesus was aware of how easy it is to focus on other’s failures because they look at the world through filters of unconscious biases and unexamined judgments that cloud their perception. “The unwounded life bears no resemblance to the Rabbi.” (Brennan Manning)

How would I have pictured Jesus if I had been an artist living in a bygone age without access to the internet, TV, or modern printing capabilities? How would you? In our modern era of travel and instant communication, we have the beauty of seeing and living among the rich interrelationships of other cultures, ethnic groups, and languages. How would you picture Jesus if you had never had the opportunity to leave your hometown?  How would you capture a picture of Jesus to show to your community and family that reflected him for others to see? Somehow the finished picture of Jesus would most likely resemble the characteristics of the people in your world.

Connie and I have a fairly extensive collection of nativity sets from around the world. They are sets collected from the Maasai, Kikuyu, Shona, Batswana, Thai, European, Chilean, Peruvian, and countless other people groups. A most interesting feature common to each Nativity Set is that they picture the baby Jesus looking just like them. As I take each set and unwrap each piece at Christmas I never get tired of marveling at the beauty and variety of the cultures of the world that call Jesus their Savior.

Billy Graham once shared a story from Cecil B. De Mille, a movie producer from an earlier era.  Graham wrote that “Cecil B. DeMille once told me that his picture “The King of Kings” made during the silent-movie era, was seen by an estimated 800,000,000 people. I asked him why he did not reproduce “The King of Kings” with sound and color. He replied, “I will never be able to do it, because if I gave Jesus a southern accent, the northerners would not think of him as their Christ. If I gave him a foreign accent, the Americans and the British would not think of him as their Christ.” He said, “As it is, people of all nations, from every race, creed, clan, can accept him as their Christ.”

The writers of scripture didn’t concern themselves with describing the physical qualities of Jesus. They only focused on his character, his nature, and his message to the world.  The problem comes when we expect every Jesus to look like us instead of us looking like Jesus.

C.S. Lewis writes, “Putting on Christ…is not one among many jobs a Christian has to do; and it is not a sort of special exercise for the top class. It is the whole of Christianity. Christianity offers nothing else at all.” How do we begin to look like Jesus?

We look like Jesus when we wash the feet of others who are struggling, broken, and defeated.

We look like Jesus when we bring peace into the midst of conflict.

We look like Jesus when we take a loaf of bread to our neighbor.

We look like Jesus when we care for the sick and offer comfort to the dying.

We look like Jesus when we tuck our children into bed at night and pray over them.

We look like Jesus when we share His love with a lost world.

Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life says, “Christlikeness is not produced by imitation, but by inhabitation.” Therefore, we look most like Jesus when we let Jesus take the brush from our hands, and he paints the picture of us so that the world can see him through us. A portrait where “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

God is great!

A Radical Way of Life

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Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD. Romans 12:19 (NLT)

How do two of the world’s richest men settle a dispute? Probable answers include dispatching a legion of lawyers to battle it out in court, creating a PR blitz, or calling each other names. Any of the options would be pretty accurate if you were tech billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg who dominate the social media world. However, what about a good old fashion “cage match?” Twitter owner Elon Musk challenged Meta (Facebook) Mark Zuckerberg via a tweet to a modern-day duel in an MMA “cage match” face-off, possibly in the Vegas Octagon.

If the “cage match” takes place in the Vegas Octagon, UFC President Dana White “believes that throwing the two coders into the Octagon could be the most successful fight of all time, bringing in $1 billion.” (from Jane Wells Dumb & Dumber). “The Octagon is the competition mat and fenced-in area used for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts.” (Peter Hoskins BBC news) Maybe a cage fight between the two titans of social media would be appropriate since their platforms have become the modern versions of dueling as people seek to reclaim their honor or opinion but with words.

Dueling was considered the gentleman’s way to settle grievances and regain honor. The practice of dueling traces its origin to Renaissance Italy. It was a concept that was eagerly picked up by European nobles and eventually transported to America as a way to resolve disagreements.

One of the most famous duels accorded between Alexander Hamilton and Vice President Aaron Burr on July 11, 1804. These two powerhouses of early American politics decided a duel was the best way to solve their conflict with each other. Hamilton detested Burr and regarded him as an opportunist and Burr resolved to restore his reputation through a duel or as dueling was better known, as an “affair of honor.”  Hamilton was fatally shot on the dueling grounds near Weehawken, New Jersey.

Two decades before Andrew Jackson became the 7th President of the United States, he challenged Charles Dickinson to a duel for insulting his wife. Pistols in hand on May 30, 1806, Dickinson fired first but Jackson maintained his stance and fired back, fatally wounding his opponent.

Whether a Musk/Zuckerberg cage fight ever takes place, the concept of settling differences through violence hasn’t changed, only the methods. “Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? …Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” (Gen 4:6,8 NIV)

Then, one day on a windswept hill in Galilee, a radical new concept was introduced that could forever change how differences are settled. I use the word could instead of would as each generation must seek to implement and live out Jesus’ teachings, commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount.

As Jesus climbed up the mountainside, sat down among the crowd, and began to speak, they and the disciples heard a new way to live life. Jesus’ message was one of the most powerful discourses on living life in His way, no longer under the law but through grace. You can almost hear the murmurs of amazement and hope as he began with a series of” Blessed are you” (Matthew 5) and challenged their normal way of thinking and behaving.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, pastor, theologian, and martyr, often spoke and wrote about costly grace. He wrote that the Sermon on the Mount, “is not a statement to be treated in cavalier fashion—by saying that this or that isn’t right or that here we find an inconsistency. Its validity depends on it being obeyed. This is not a statement we freely choose to take or leave. It is a compelling, lordly statement.” (The Cost of Discipleship)

Bonhoeffer contrasted cheap grace with the costly grace that Jesus taught as “preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Cheap grace has been masked with social etiquette, cultural bias, and codified actions as a way to live life. Dueling often resulted in the death of another person yet it was masked with acceptability through the Clonmel Code by issuing 27 precepts on what and how a duel should take place. Compare that with Jesus’ teaching, “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”

Cheap grace will find a way to justify its action against another person. 2023 is on pace to be the deadliest ever with over 300 mass shootings in the United States. What a difference it would make if Jesus’ teaching on murder became a living reality. The 10 Commandments said,  “You shall not murder” but Jesus said in the New Testament, “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”

Cheap grace will find a way to justify neglecting the needy, finding fault with others, failing to defend the sanctity of marriage and family, letting fear and anxiety overwhelm you, and building a personal kingdom instead of seeking God’s kingdom.

Matthew records that “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” (Matt7:28,29 NIV)

Allan R. Bevere writes of Bonhoeffer that he would dismiss “the demands of Jesus’ Sermon as a private ethic only, an impossible ideal or as first-century teaching that can only be obeyed by a community without power on the margins of influence. The Sermon is to be obeyed by individuals who follow Jesus and the church community that claims to be the Body of Christ.”

Costly grace is a radical invitation on how to live. Picture yourself on that hillside as Jesus taught about a new way of life. What would be your response when you heard those words? Today, have we found ways to cover these life-changing words with a layer of cheap, easy grace? What would happen in our world today if we became the “blessed are you” in living life?

God is great!