Peace on Earth…for you and me

“Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!”

In the last verse of the last chapter in the last book of the Old Testament, these words are spoken of the Messiah:

And He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. (Malachi 4:6)

Reflecting on these words, Russ Ramsey writes in his wonderful new Christmas devotional book, Behold, the Lamb of God:

Where there was despair, there would be hope…Where there was brokenness, there would be healing…Where there was sadness, there would be joy…Where there was bondage, there would freedom…How high would be the hope?  How deep the healing?  How long the joy?  How wide the freedom? 

For every father consumed with his own prosperity that he never noticed the slow turning of his daughter’s heart away from him, for every mother so committed to her own glory that she never tended to her own son’s need to know he was lovable, or for every child who fled for the illusion of freedom in a land of strangers, there would be healing.

The effects of the Fall are deep and ruinous.  Our idols deceive us, betray us, and leave us with all forms of relational wreckage.  Oh, that someone would break these chains!  Oh, that some champion would release us from our fetters and bonds!

Christmas signals the coming of the One who has done these very things.  He is the Word of Life, the Dayspring, the Horn of Salvation, the Prince of Peace.  And that’s good news.  Merry Christmas!

Reading List – 2011 (Part 5)

Trinity College Library, Dublin

And now, the final installment of these (very) brief reflections on this year’s readings…

The Essential Edwards Collection (Owen Strachan and Douglas Allen Sweeney) – This one is a little different than the others.  The title above is actually for a set of five books, each by these same two authors, organizing some of Jonathan Edwards writings according to various topics.  The goal is to make Edwards a bit more accessible to the average reader.  I would venture to say they succeeded.  The titles listed are Jonathan Edwards Lover of God, Jonathan Edwards On Beauty, Jonathan Edwards On Heaven and Hell, Jonathan Edwards On the Good Life, and Jonathan Edwards on True Christianity.

Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands (Paul David Tripp) – This was required reading for one of the courses I took this past year through Peacemaker Ministries.  The premise is that God intends to work through His people to equip and encourage His people.  This book is meant to articulate that conviction and make it extremely practical in guiding the reader through the process of genuine helping.  The sections on listening and asking good questions are worth the price of the book by themselves.

Me, Myself, and Bob (Phil Vischer) – Yes, that’s Bob the Tomato of VeggieTales fame.  Vischer is the creator of VeggieTales and this is the story of the rise of his empire and its fall.  But, more than that, it’s also the story of a gifted man with great ambition to serve God…humbled and broken so that he could become more the servant God intends him to be.  Which makes it applicable to all of us.

1000 Gifts (Ann Voskamp) – I may be cheating on this one because I’m not finished reading it just yet.  But I still have a couple of weeks.  For those unfamiliar with Voskcamp’s work, she writes beautifully and with great gospel freedom (i.e., joy in her Savior and honest candor about herself ).  Her main intent with this collection of reflections is to encourage the reader towards a life of gratitude before the Lord.  And thinking through the implications of such a calling.

From Rebellion to Redemption (Randal Working) – A great introduction to and devotional guide based on the Heidelberg Catechism.  The author effectively integrates his own meditations on the sets of questions/answers and then lists pertinent quotes from a wide range of sources.

Rumors of Another World (Philip Yancey) – I started reading this some months ago in preparation for the sermon series on Ecclesiastes.  And it was somewhat helpful in that initially.  But its value and audience goes way beyond a sort of project like that.  Yancey is trying to come alongside the spiritual seeker in a sympathetic way, engaging in a conversation (as best as a book can) as to the cause of and solution for the search.

Well, that’s it.  Another year and another list.  I likely forgot a few entries.  But this is definitely the majority of my reading for 2011.  Like last year, you can see some themes.  But, on the whole, I was glad to see some balance.  Although I’ll have to admit I was short on romance novels and cookbooks.

Reading List – 2011 (Part 4)

Trinity College Library, Long Room

Moving right along in this series as I look back on the books of the past year…

Admission Matters (Sally P. Springer, Jon Reider and Marion R. Franck) – The process of college searching just ain’t what it used to be.  And I want my kids to be more intentional about the process than I was.  This is a great resource towards that end – both for the parent and the child.

Civil War! America Becomes One Nation (James I. Robertson) – Dr. Robertson was my Civil War History professor at Virginia Tech.  When I decided to seize the 150th anniversary of that great conflict by reading on the topic (and touring the sites) as much as I could , I couldn’t think of anyone better to go to.  And this is his introduction to the topic in a broad overview form, targetted for high school students.

The Confederate Spirit (James I. Robertson and Mort Kunstler) – a great combination of Kunstler’s beautiful paintings and Robertson’s wise instruction.  Describing this as a “coffee table book” would do it a horrible injustice.

An American Iliad:  The Story of the Civil War (Charles Roland) – When I was a student at Virginia Tech taking “Civil War History,” I asked Dr. Robertson what would be a good introductory book to the topic of this great war that forever changed our nation’s history.  This is the book he steered me towards.  Twenty-three years later, I finally got around to reading it.

Finding Your Prince in a Sea of Toads:  How to Find a Quality Guy without Getting Your Heart Shredded (Kenneth Ryan) – Good sound (even Proverbs-like in places) wisdom from a father to his girls whom he treasures and wants to prepare.  I’d recommend and urge it on any man who shares that calling and sentiment.

Stikky Night Skies (Laurence Holt) – The subtitle says it well, “Learn 6 Constellations, 4 Stars, a planet, a galaxy and how to navigate at night – in one hour, guaranteed.”  This was the second time I’d read through this.  What a great approach to learning how to identify those lights in the sky that show the glory of God.

Reading List – 2011 (Part 3)

New York Public Library

After some delay, I’m continuing with this year’s list of literary discoveries…

A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards (George Marsden) – Marsden wrote a much longer work just a few years ago that was well received.  This one is but 152 pages.  That said, it’s not really an abridgement.  It’s more another (and briefer) look at Edwards’ life, especially at the cultural changes of the times and how that influenced Edwards through the years.

Jonathan Edwards:  A New Biography (Ian Murray) – Murray begins with a simple but profound assumption which is that we cannot understand Jonathan Edwards unless we understand his faith.  This work is more the traditional biography (and much longer) than the one described above but well worth the time.

Total Truth (Nancy Pearcey) – I wouldn’t say this is an easy read.  But it is insightful.  One might even say Pearcey takes up where Francis Schaeffer left off in her analysis of world views and American culture.  I had our oldest read it this summer prior to her senior year of high school.  It took her a while but she enjoyed it.

Monster in the Hollows (Andrew Peterson) – This is the third and the latest in the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson.  Our family absolutely loves this series.  You might say it’s part Narnia Chronicles and part Princess Bride.  What’s not to like?

Behold the Lamb of God (Russ Ramsey) – “Gather round, ye children, come listen to the old, old story.”  So begins Andrew Peterson’s wonderful Christmas album by the same name as this book.  And that well summarizes the focus of this book as well.  Russ Ramsey has written a great devotional book for the Advent season, drawing the reader into the true tall tale of the coming of the Christ.

Reading List – 2011 (Part 2)

Joanina Library, University of Coimbra, Portugal

Pressing on with the second part in this year’s reading list…

 

Robert E. Lee on Leadership (H. W. Crocker) – The subtitle sums it up well:  “Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision.”  Winston Churchill once described Lee as “one of the noblest Americans who ever lived.”  Each chapter covers a major period of Lee’s life and ends with some applications for leaders today.

Why We Love the Church (Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck) – I’m reminded of a line from one of Derek Webb’s songs, “I haven’t come for only you but for my people to pursue.  You cannot care for me with no regard for her.  If you love me, you will love the church.”  It’s not hip to insult a man’s bride.  Especially when that man is Jesus.  This book bucks the trends in evangelicalism by calling out those with presumptous “It’s just Jesus and me” tendencies.

The Good News We Almost Forgot (Kevin DeYoung) – What can a 16th century document like the Heidelberg Catechism possibly say to people today?  Plenty, if we’ll let it speak.  Great commentary for both the head and the heart on the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer.  Three themes echo throughout, along the lines of the outline of Romans - man’s guilt, God’s grace, and our gratitude.

Crazy-U:  One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid into College (Andrew Ferguson) – We have a high school senior in the house and much energy over the last few months has been expended in the college search.  Ferguson is a man who has recently been there and chronicles such events in his own family in a candid and often comical manner.  I found it to be both informative and enjoyable at the same time.

Douglas Southall Freeman on Leadership (Douglas Southall Freeman, ed. Stuart Smith) – Freeman (1886-1953) was an historian, biographer, and newspaper editor.  He is best known for his multi-volume biographies of George Washington and Robert E. Lee for which he was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes.  Over the course of his career, he gave several addresses at both the Army and Navy War Colleges.  This book is a collection of the transcripts.

How to Be Your Own Self Pig (Susan Schaeffer MacCauley) – The author is one of the daughters of the late Francis Schaeffer.  This book is a great introduction to his approach to apologetics and worldviews.  I’ve had our older two children read it early in their high school years and it has proved quite helpful in preparing them for things down the road.  And each time they read it I make sure to pick up my copy as well.

Reading List – 2011 (Part 1)

Biltmore House Library – Asheville, NC

Well, I had so much fun doing this last year that I thought I’d take another crack at a year-in-review reading list.  It’s interesting (at least to the author) to trace where I’ve been with my reading time outside of sermon preparation.  In many cases, these were books that I targetted at the beginning of the year.  In several other cases, they came from urgent recommendations from others.  Themes related to my interests can be easily traced.  But there is definitely an eclectic element to this as well.  Perhaps it will prove useful to you if you’re looking for a gift for that bibliophile on your list.  The order is simply alphabetical according to the author’s last name.  Here goes…

Traveller (Richard Adams) – You may recognize the author as the source behind Watership Down.  Traveller, you may know, was Robert E. Lee’s great war horse and the storyline is told from his equine perspective.  I started reading this as part of family “read aloud” time at home – partially for the pleasure, partially to stimulate the interest of our kids in the sesquecentennial of the Civil War.  It seems to be working.

The Collects of Thomas Cranmer (C. Frederick Barbee and Paul F. M. Zahl) – Cranmer’s prayers were a major component of the original Book of Common Prayer.  They are soaked in Scripture, reflective of the traditional church calendar year, and a real aid to personal devotions.  In addition, the editors do the reader a service through the brief histories behind the wording and their own reflections as well.

Heaven Is for Real (Todd Burpo) – One of the few books on the list read by every member of my family.  It’s the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about who and what he saw.  I won’t say anymore than that except that it’s quite a conversation starter.  And cause to consider who and what lies ahead.

Common Prayer:  A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro) – I learned of this through a Steve Brown, Etc. podcast.  Crossing over the lines of many denominations, the authors have consulted experts in several liturgical traditions and done a great service in introducing the reader to what each has to offer.  Useful both for private, couple, or family devotions.

Hokie Football Annual 2011 (Chris Colston) – What can I say?  I’m a fanatic.  If you’re a Virginia Tech football fan, it’s a great resource to have by your side as you get your game on.

Part two coming soon…

The Gospel and the Farewell Sermon (Part 2)

Not the whole collection but a good place to start

Jonathan Edwards served the church of Northampton, MA for twenty-three years.  He began in 1726 as the assistant to his grandfather who had been there since 1672.  It ended in 1750 with Edwards being ingloriously dismissed for various reasons – partly because of some mistakes he had made, mostly because of the hard hearts of his people.

Whenever he preached, the text was the Scriptures.  Whatever the topic, the theme was the glory of God as manifested in the gospel of Christ.  It was his priority week by week.  This is what occupied his thoughts and affections.  And it showed itself as he stood before his congregation on July 1, 1750 as he preached his Farewell Sermon.  Consider what he is saying here, especially in its context.

I now take leave of you and bid you all, farewell; wishing and praying for your best prosperity.  I would now commend your immortal souls to him, who formerly committed them to me, expecting the day when I must meet you again before him, who is the Judge of the quick and the dead.  I desire that I may never forget this people, who have been so long my special charge, and that I may never cease fervently to pray for your prosperity.  May God bless you with a faithful pastor, one that is well acquainted with his mind and will, thoroughly warning sinners, wisely and skillfully searching professors and conducting you in the way to eternal blessedness.  May you have truly a burning and shining light set up in this candlestick; and may you, not only for a season, but during this whole life, be willing to rejoice in that light.

And let me be remembered in the prayers of all God’s people that are of a calm spirit, and are peaceable and faithful in Israel…And let us remember, and never forget our future solemn meeting on that great day of the Lord; the day of infallible decision, and of the everlasting and unalterable sentence.  Amen.

Yes, it is serious.  But note how it is without any personal rancor.  These are words of graceful yearning.  How can this be?  Again, as was alluded to in the last post, the gospel not only demands that we seek peace.  It does impel us.  But it also enables and frees us to do so.

The Gospel and the Farewell Sermon (Part 1)

Jonathan Edwards, 48, painting attr. to Joseph Badger

To the church in Collossae, Paul wrote, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Colossians 3:12-13)

The implications of this speak directly to our interpersonal conflicts.  Because of the work of Christ on our behalf – His living the life we should have lived and dying the death we deserved to die – we must seek peace and we can seek peace.  We must seek peace as a response to what He has done for us.  We are the child sought and welcomed back by the Father.  We are the servant who owed the Master 10,000 talents.

So we must seek peace.  That said, it is equally true that we can seek peace because of the effect of what He has done for us.  Because of this gospel message, we are now free.  We are free from being enslaved to the need to defend and justify ourselves.  We are free from the shackles of grudges and bitterness.  We are now secure with the approval and acceptance of God Himself.  And so we are free to seek peace.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was no stranger to the gospel and its implications.  He strove to both understand and live it out.  Like us, he fell far short in this.  But we can learn much from him – including how this bears itself out in our interpersonal conflicts.

I’ll explain that in the next post…

Our Joy-Taking God

Surprising as it may be to us, God takes joy and pleasure in things.  His perpetual expression is not a scowl or frown.  The Scriptures testify to His delighting, His smiling over His people (Psalm 147:11; Psalm 149:4), over true worship (Genesis 8:21), over His creation (Genesis 1 refrain “it is good”‘; Psalm 104:31), and His doing good to His people (Jeremiah 32:41; Deuteronomy 30:9-10; Isaiah 62:4-5).  Clearly, God is a joy and pleasure taking God.

That’s really surprising to many of us.  Even worse, when we hear that God is a “joy-taking” God, we immediately assume that means He takes joy from us.  Our instinct is most decidely not that He desires to give joy to us.  Where did that come from?  How did we get things so wrong?  Undoubtedly, others have indeed steered us wrong.  And we’ve bought into the lie too readily.

But the roots go further back than our own individual lifespans.  This is traced all the way back to the Fall (Genesis 3) where Satan sowed the bitter seeds of doubting the goodness of God into the hearts of Adam and Eve.  And those seeds have flourished into life choking weeds within our own hearts ever since.

Praise God that’s not the end of the story.  He is so intent on our joy (and it being in Him) that He has come in the flesh to begin a work of renewal.  And He’s coming again to bring it full circle.

My Own Personal Insanity

Feeling the sting of a VT loss

As far as definitions go, a “fan” is said to be ”an aficionado or a supporter,” “a person with a liking and an enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team.”  This is, of course, also an abbreviated form of the word “fanatic.”

Fans of sports teams may well justify this linkage to fanaticism.  Fans will cheer their team and jeer the opponent.  They will attend the games when they can and watch them by any other means when they cannot.  They will gather and dress in all the appropriate garb.  They will read about the game beforehand and analyze it thoroughly afterwards.  Why?  Because they are fans.

I am a fan, in particular, of the Virginia Tech football team (now 4 and…1).  And it is my own personal insanity.  How so?  I allow the athletic performance of teenagers, kids who just months ago were playing in a high school homecoming game, often for the first time under high-pressure situations, to affect my mood for days – for good when they win and for bad when they lose.  It is my own personal insanity.

It is a low-grade form of idolatry.  Or at the very least a reminder of my idolatrous heart.  I am too often too easily wooed by the creation rather than my Creator.  I trust, serve, and sacrifice for good things that have become ultimate things.  And I am all the less for it (see Psalm 115).  My heart, as John Calvin said of us all, is an “idol factory.”  I place my hopes, my security, my very self in the hands of things no more stable than predictability of those young athletes on the field.  And it is my own personal insanity.

The Often Hidden But Truly Present Enemy

The likely predator

Our family has joined the growing movement of backyard chicken farmers.  But let me be clear.  It is not for the meat but for the eggs.  And these little ladies are far more like pets than livestock.  Each have been named for English queens.  And we delight to watch and care for them.

But chickens are vulnerable animals.  We may not be interested in their meat but there are other creatures around that are.  That was impressed upon us in a dramatic way recently.

A terrible squawking was heard in the backyard.  The “girls” had gotten out of the run.  Only four of the five could be seen.  All that could be found of Drina was a pile of her beautiful feathers down near the edge of the woods.  And that was all.  All but the tracks.

Reflecting on this, my wife said something to this effect, “I know there are fox that live in our back woods.  But we hardly ever see them.  So I guess we let our guard down.  It’s made me think about an even worse enemy, Satan, and how we might be doing the same with him.”

She made a very valid point.  The Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.“

The fox in our woods is symbolic of a larger reality.  We have an often hidden but truly present enemy.  And we must not let ourselves be lulled into complacency.  Especially not in the care we are charged to keep over those looking to us for protection – in this case, not so much chickens but our children and younger siblings in the faith.

Everybody Loves You Now. Big Deal.

Surely one of the strongest and perennial pulls upon the human heart is the desire for approval and acceptance.  That pull can be so strong that this desire often mutates into an idolatrous demand, a false god.  We tell ourselves we need it in order for our lives to have meaning, in order for us to be satisfied and content.  It’s a poor substitute for the real God in whom – because of the finished work of Christ - we have more approval and acceptance than we can imagine.  That in itself should give us pause.

But there’s something else.  Let’s assume everybody does love you.  What do your really have?  I was reminded of this in a quote I came across recently from General William Tecumseh Sherman.  (NOTE TO ANY READERS IN ATLANTA:  You get a pass here) It’s found in a letter to his brother, Senator John Sherman of Ohio, on August 3, 1863:

As to the press of America, it is a shame and a reproach to civilized people…I begin to feel a high opinion of myself that I am their butt; I shall begin to suspect myself of being in decline when a compliment appears in type.

Sherman was on to something here.  In fact, it reflects something of what we read in John 2:23-25.  The Apostle writes:

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs that He was doing.  But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

Or, to put it another way, so everybody loves you now.  Big deal.

The Power of the Gospel and the Peace It Brings

The Berlin Wall, 1989

Two quotes to consider.  The first has to do with the ugly potential for human division.  Describing the attitudes of the 1st century Jewish believer towards the Gentiles, William Barclay wrote:

The Jew had an immense contempt for the Gentile. The Gentiles, said the Jews, were created by God to be fuel for the fires of hell. God, they said, loves only Israel of all the nations that he had made … It was not even lawful to render help to a Gentile mother in her hour of sorest need, for that would simply be to bring another Gentile into the world. Until Christ came, the Gentiles were an object of contempt to the Jews. The barrier between them was absolute. If a Jewish boy married a Gentile girl, or if a Jewish girl married a Gentile boy, the funeral of that Jewish boy or girl was carried out. Such contact with a Gentile was the equivalent of death.

The second quote comes from the Apostle Paul, a man who was very well aware of those divisions (both in terms of his history as a Pharisee and his experience as an apostle of Jesus).  He wrote in his letter to the church at Galatia:

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)

Bringing these two things together, what do we see?  One the one hand, the awful tendency of the human heart to move away from others, rooted in our foolish pride.  On the other hand, the astonishing power of the gospel to humble, heal, and bring peace.  Put another way, this astonishing power is the only thing that can overcome that awful tendency.

More Going on Than We Think

At Lizzie Jackson’s (Cherokee, NC)

On a recent mission trip to Cherokee, NC with Mission to the World (MTW), our team was given the task of building a handicap ramp onto the home of Lizzie Jackson.  It was a challenge but well worth the effort.

But why were we there?  Well, Lizzie herself is getting up in years and receives dialysis three days a week.  So, at one level, we were there for her.

But that’s not the only reason.  It turns out that many of Lizzie’s friends are getting up in years as well and, in order to visit her, would greatly benefit from an easier (and safer) means of entry into the home.  So, at another level, we were there for them.

But that’s not the only reason.  God, in His beautiful providence, had Henry in mind as well.  Let me explain.  Our job foreman, Lee, had been introduced to Henry just a few weeks before.  Henry is Cherokee, evidently with some struggles in his past and present.  But spiritually hungry.  Lee had asked Henry come out to assist us on the job site.  Which he did more than once.  And, to our surprise and delight, Henry also came out to the closing program at the end of our week.

As the evening was winding down, Lee made a point of connecting with every member of my team.  And, in every case, said something to this effect, “You guys were a pleasure to work with and I’m glad you came.  But let me tell you why you were here.  It was for Henry.“

For Henry?  I thought we were there for Lizzie.  I thought we were there for her friends.  Ah, we were.  But sometimes, in God’s mysterious ways, there’s more going on than we think.

Knowing What You’re There For

General George McClellan (“The Little Napolean”)

It helps to know what you’re there for.  By “there,” I mean in a position of some responsibility.  An obvious example would be a parent.  Why has God placed you in the life of that child as their mother or father?  What are you there for?  To the degree we are confused at that level will have great (and perhaps dire) consequences in how effectively we carry out our responsibility.

Case in point, Union General George McClellan.  President Lincoln placed him in charge of the Army of the Potomac in July 1861.  He was a man of impeccable credentials and reputation, known as a great organizer.  And organize he did – staffing, training, and administering his troops.  But he tended to overanalyze and simply would not fight.

McClellan had, in Lincoln’s words, “the slows.”  He referred to the Army of the Potomac as “McClellan’s bodyguard.”  After one period of stalling, the general complained that his horses were worn out.  To which Lincoln replied, “I have just read your dispatch about sore tongued and fatigued horses.  Will you pardon me for asking what the horses of your army have done since the battle of Antietam that fatigue anything?“

I’ve always wondered if there was anything else behind McClellan’s hesitation to take his army into battle.  I recently came across a quote that may shed some light on the question.  In a March 1862 speech to his troops, he said, “I am to watch over you as a parent over his children; and you know that your general loves you from the depths of his heart.”  I think it’s safe to say that, at least to some degree, George McClellan had lost sight of what he was there for.

How might this play itself out for a parent?  Too many of us want to be the friends of our children and not their God-ordained shepherds.  We crave their approval and affection instead of their growth in Christ.  Which twists and contorts our thoughts of and interactions with them.  All of which is to say that we’ve forgotten what we’re there for.

Great expectations

“Dignity and Valor” (Mort Kunstler)

Of Gen. Robert E. Lee, it has been said by such notable figures as Winston Churchill, “(He) was one of the noblest Americans who ever lived, and one of the greatest captains known to the annals of war.”  President Theodore Roosevelt thought Lee was “without any exception the very greatest of all the great captains that the English-speaking peoples have brought forth.”  Pulitzer Prize-winning James McPherson, author of the best-selling Battle Cry of Freedom, has called Lee the “greatest tactician and most charismatic commander” of the Civil War.

What made this man so deserving of such praise by such minds in the years since?  Perhaps this quote from one of his men captures it best.  Sergeant John H. Worsham, 21st Virginia Infantry, said that Lee “believed in his men and thought they could do anything that mortals could do.  His men worshipped him, and I think the greatest man the world ever saw was Robert E. Lee.”  High praise indeed.  And it stems from the great expectations Lee had of his men.  Which is something we could all stand to learn from today in whatever role of leadership we have – employers, superior officers, elders, parents.  Dignify the folks you lead by setting the bar high.

That said, we need to be careful.  As Lee himself told his most reliable corps commander, James Longstreet, the day after the defeat at Gettysburg, “It’s all my fault.  I thought my men were invincible.”

Which points us to the delicate balance always needed to be kept by a leader – again, of any form – between great expectations and the realization that we are all finite and fallen.  And the wisdom needed for such balance.

Now that’s devotion to a cause

This year marking the sesquecentennial of the American Civil War, I’m going to start an ongoing series related to reflections from that great nation-making conflict.  Not to say other topics and ruminations won’t come up.  They certainly will.  It’s just that this is something I’m doing quite a bit of reading on these days and, well, I need an outlet for it. 

"Keep to Your Sabers, Men" (Mort Kunstler)

“‘Thank God,” said a man with his leg amputated, “that it was not my right arm, for then I could never have fought again; soon as this stump is well I shall join Stuart’s cavalry; I can ride with a wooden leg as well as a real one.’” – Judith Brockenbrough McGuire, written on June 9, 1862

This shames me.  Completely apart from any thoughts you may have about the Southern Cause and all the tangled conversation into which that can lead (which I really have no intention of getting into on this blog), think with me here.  Right or wrong, is this not devotion to a cause?  Should it not show itself in our lives as Christians?  Ah, but how easily blown off course, off topic, off target we can be moved by distraction, discouragement, fatigue, or even a mild headache or hunger pang.

And who said we can learn nothing from history?

The Stupid, the Irrational, and the Foolish – My Day at the Waterpark

I spent the day recently with my son and one of his cousins at a water park .  And, in addition to a low-grade sunburn, it produced the following observations.

First – The Stupid.  This applies to myself.  Just why would someone cheerfully decide to go down the “Dueling Demon Speed Slide” (see picture) a couple more times after said slide had proved to have a rather bruising effect on your posterior?  That made for a less-than-comfortable drive back home.

Second – The Irrational.  This applies to all those (including myself at times) who yell and scream while going down those steep descents.  As if these rides weren’t designed by professional engineers.  As if the inspection stickers at the top of each had been forged.  Although some of the notices don’t help.  “This is an extreme ride.  Do not attempt this if you have back pains, seizures, pregnancy, allergies, or if anyone in your family has ever been ill.”

Third – The Foolish.  This applies to all those young ladies walking around the park nearly naked.  Think with me.  Ladies’ underwear is more modest than some of those outfits.  If you saw somone dressed in such a fashion in the grocery store, charges of indecent exposure could be lodged.  What exactly is going through the mind when these scraps with straps are purchased?

Which takes me to the next thing.  What exactly is going through the mind of the parents – especially the fathers – when these scraps with straps are purchased?  Has the man suffered some grievous head injury, rendering him incapable of considering what it would be like to be a teenage boy and to have this low-grade porn paraded in front of his face?  What are the thoughts sure to come to the boy’s mind?  How will that boy then view her?  Does a father actually show love to his daughter when he allows her to wear this?

Hmmm.  I take it back.  The fool here is not so much the girl.  It’s her father.

But what happened to Kanmani?

This past Sunday, in the course of a sermon series through Ecclesiastes, we were considering “the vanity of justice” as described by the Qohelet.  Along those lines, I began by describing the life and misery of a 10-year-old girl, Kanmani, as relayed by Gary Haugen, President of International Justice Mission (IJM).  Kanmani has spent the second half of her short life on this earth in bonded servitude, rolling 2,000 cigarettes a day, 10 hours a day, six days a week.  But, praise God, through the efforts of IJM, that is no longer the case.

As Haugen relayed in an interview,

The last time I saw Kanmani, she wasn’t rolling cigarettes any more.  She was coming home from school.  She proudly showed me how she had learned to write her own name.

A few months before, an investigative team from the IJM had conducted an investigation of bonded laborers in her village.  They prepared affidavits of bonded servitude from the children and captured the moneylenders on videotape bragging about all the children they had in bonded labor.  The investigation exposed a larger sydicate of bonded servitude.  Through the intervention of a district magistrate, almost five hundred bonded laborers were released (including Kanmani) and more than a hundred moneylenders were arrested.

Of course, Kanmani and her family will need ongoing assistance from the local Christian relief and development agency that works in her village…But these faithful efforts by my IJM colleagues shatter the paralyzing lie that there is “nothing we can do” to help those who suffer abuse in our world.  God does not give us a ministry that He won’t empower.  Christ Himself promised when He departed this earth that He would grant us “power” to be His witnesses “even to the uttermost parts of the earth” – witnesses to His salvation, His love, His mercy and His justice.  Let others lose hope – but let God’s people trust in the God of justice.

This sounds like the Servant at work, through the labors of His people.  “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.  I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”  (Isaiah 42:1)

All of Life an Illustration

Jesus told stories.  It’s often (and wisely) noted that the one of the reasons He told such stories was because of the way they slide under our radar, pull us in, grab the imagination, and move us to understanding deeper truths.  They point to the same truths He has taught in a more “traditional” form that are then illustrated in ways that connect.

But have you ever considered how it is He is able to do this?  What is it about life in this world that makes it such so rich in illustrative material?  Donald Grey Barnhouse (1895-1960), the pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for 33 years, a teacher well known for his skill in illustrating his points, said in his book Timeless Illustrations in Preaching and Teaching:

As an introduction let me tell the story of the time I meditated on the fact that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.  Suddenly I realized that in the plan and thought of God, I was older than the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the trees, the garden and everything else.

“Since God planned me before He planned trees and lakes and mountains, and storms and sunsets,” I said, “everything that there is was created in order to illustrate spiritual truth.  Everything.  I don’t care what it is – the way the echo sounds if you clap your hands, the way light gleams off metal, the way paper tears, you name it – you can find a sermon illustration in it.  A sermon illustration is in the things right around you.”

Well, that begs a question, doesn’t it?  What do you see around you?