The World Of Miss

In the world of political shell games, Hillary decides that her inaccurate accounting of former events is best understood as simply a misspeaking. While paving the way for slight of speech manipulation, Baseball’s Roger Clemens is just positive that Andy Petit misremembered former events. And I categorically affirm that all this misbehaving mystifies me! That is, to say, I am confounded by public figures willing to look foolish just to maintain previous statements or actions. The media reveals that they have their hand in the proverbial cookie jar and they maintain they simply were making an inventory of the current cookie stock! In the process they use the “miss” defense: I misspoke, He misremembered, this a matter of mistaken identity and misrepresentation. Who are all these Misses? What ever happened to it’s easier to tell the truth than a lie?

Jesus told those Jews who had believed on him that if they held on to his teachings they would be disciples and the benefit of discipleship was to know the truth that sets one free (John 8:31,32). I believe that a significant part of that freedom is truth’s ability to let us humbly accept the truth of any moment. That is, truth allows us to see things as they are not as we want them to be or as we believe others expect them to be. Thus, we are able from that moment to either correct what is lacking or build on what has been strengthened. Truth benefits us all. Since part of the truth is that we all fall short of the glory of God then our common quest for truth allows us to own our common weaknesses and failures. Every one of us will miss… but we can stay on target by recognizing the truth of our failures.

So here is my proposal: If we misspeak? –Take the opportunity to correct or apologize and to speak the truth in love; if we misbehave? –take the opportunity to correct or apologize and offer a cup of cold water in His name. Whatever you do… don’t cover up, explain away or parse words! Let your conversation be always full of grace…(Colossians 4:6). -DAN

One Flu Over The Cuckoo Rest

This past week I have been battling the flu and by battling I do mean out and out warfare! I’ll spare the sorted details but let it suffice to say that a rampant fever followed by chills, deep chest coughing and lack of appetite where I ate little to nothing for three days. When Pam returned from Wednesday night services and reported that several of the flock had faced the same fate I didn’t feel any comfort in our shared misery but rather felt great empathy for our common fate. I also felt sorry for my dear wife who puts up with my pathetic sad faced please pity me antics. It will always amaze me that such small germs and viruses are able to take down the mighty and the small alike. The flu takes its toll every year and unfortunately often takes the lives of many. God has given us a marvelous body that when working at its optimum best manufactures antibodies to fight off infection and invaders. The best medicine is a healthy immune system.

On this weekend commemorating the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord we are reminded that the power of the resurrection is much like our spiritual immune system. That is, in the resurrection we have the antidote… the antibody that overcomes sin. The first of these sins is the personal sin of pride and self-reliance. Then the battle to be in harmony with Jesus as the suffering servant that leads us on to perseverance and hope. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz who identifies herself to the Great and Powerful Oz as the Small and Meek Dorothy… we know that blessed are the meek. And then finally, we have come to know through Christ Jesus our Lord that it is in His death that we find life! Paul puts it this way, I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death (Philippians 3:10).

I hate the flu… but I’m secure in the hope of the resurrection that has allowed me to know my Savior and long for the great day of resurrection when there will be no more sorrow, pain or sickness! Now that’s powerful! –DAN

Communication

Communication, i.e. the lack of, seems to be the water cooler discussion for a sundry of folks who feel uninformed, by-passed or simply forgotten. In the infamous words of the warden in Cool Hand Luke, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” I love quality control’s assessment… it wasn’t in the bulletin, they didn’t have it on the auditorium screen, it wasn’t announced, nobody told me… and wafting over the crowd the shrill voice of the Queen of Hearts bellowing, “Off with their heads! Off with their heads!” We just don’t put up with poor communication! What we need is a communication specialist –wait, that sounds like a government response and we know where that road ends up. Maybe, what we need is a more specific identification of the problem. Poor communication often is the symptom of several problems or combination of breakdowns. So, how do we do a better job? I know… maybe we should turn to Scripture for insight.

Remember that Moses felt his communication skills lacked something to be desired (O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant, I am slow of speech and tongue Exodus 3:10). God’s response to Moses’ pessimism was to remind him that God made him and God would provide! God initially provided by Aaron speaking for him but as Moses’ confidence grew he spoke for himself. Communication that relies on God and is filled with His Spirit (Paul calls it full of grace Colossians 4:6) is not only articulate but also spiritually motivated. And here is my point (and I hope God’s point)… Moses was misunderstood, and so was Aaron… and Paul, Peter, John and Jesus our Lord. Communication is not just about conveying information… it is also about building and lifting others in the Lord! Communication begins with common union. So, both listener (bulletin reader, screen watcher, oblivious observer, etc.) and speaker share the message. Thus, we all are in this together.

And I said all that to say this… Listen to one another in the Spirit of Christ and come to the table with open arms and gentle spirits that share the joy of the Lord and the challenge of walking in the footsteps of Christ our Lord! -DAN

Equal Time

I received a call this past week from Annie Nonomous inquiring as to whether I was willing to give the Women’s Seminar equal time since last week’s article addressed the Men’s Seminar. This was not an egalitarian plea fueled by a feminist spirit of equal rights but rather a desire to share the spiritual feast that Jeanette Rodriguez had passionately shared. Annie was particularly moved by the story of John and Hope Chen of Nandong China. This couple developed an evangelism strategy (Training for Trainers) where they taught a simple farming community to share their faith. They recognized that this handful of hard working common folk didn’t know what to say so they had them write out the answer to three questions: 1) what you were like before Jesus, 2) how you met Jesus, and 3) what your life has been like since Jesus. John instructed them to tell “their story” out loud five times until it was comfortable. Reportedly this resulted in an evangelism explosion that developed into one of the largest churches in China.

I think Annie not only felt challenged to tell her story but realized that the good news of Jesus is not a stagnate dusty tale confined to the ancient text but a living, growing story of people connected by the cross. Jesus body is a living church! We have a story to tell… we have our stories to tell. So Annie meet Arabella…

Arabella Katherine Hankey was the daughter of a prosperous London banker. She belonged to a group who sought to apply the ethics of Christ to personal, social, political and national affairs, and, showed great interest in people who were less fortunate than herself, she devoted much time to Bible teaching, especially among the factory girls of that day, and her efforts were rewarded in that many of her students became leaders in Christian work. In 1866 Katherine, or Kate as she was better known, suffered a serious illness that required a lengthy convalescence. As she laid thinking of the story of redemption, she longed for someone to come in and tell her the old, old story. As a result she wrote a two-part, 50-verse poem on the life and work of our Lord. Part One was called "The Story Wanted" and contained the words of the hymn "Tell Me The Old, Old Story." Part Two entitled "The Story Told" included a companion song, "I Love To Tell The Story."

Listen to Kate’s words Rita (oops! I mean Annie): “I love to tell the story: It did so much for me; and that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.” Preach on Sisters! -DAN