I'll Never Know

Last Sunday as we were driving down Douglas Boulevard we found ourselves behind a young lady driving and singing and obviously moved by what was silent to us but electric to her. Her body swayed with the rhythm and occasionally she would raise one hand in the air waving it side to side. I mused to Pam, “I wonder if she is praising God?” I quickly scanned her four wheeled church building looking for signs that would tip me off but I found not one bumper sticker or fish symbol to help me out. Now I’ll never know whether this was a child of God caught up in the ecstasy of praise or someone just bopping to the beat. It was Sunday… I think I’ll just assume that she was praising God!

Yes, I know… I’ll never know! But there is much in this life, in this world, in God’s world that I’ll never know. I’ll never know why Judas had to betray Jesus with a kiss… Michael Card is right, “That’s not what a kiss is for.” I’ll never know if God with a wry smile gave Adam a belly button just because He knew we would ask. I’ll never know why innocent little babies have to suffer with deformities, illnesses and handicaps. I’ll never know why the Bible seems silent about things that seem so important. I’ll never know why God thought flies was such a good idea. I’ll never know why the apostle Paul took a vow that ended with animal sacrifice when he was adamant that the ceremonial law was nailed to the cross. I’ll never know if the Holy Spirit is leading me or if I’ve just convinced myself that God would like things the way I would like them. And to be honest my “I’ll never know” list is an ever growing thing that sometimes leaves me sick with doubt and sometimes reaffirms my faith and sometimes sparks my imagination… but always leaves me with this doxology: “Now we see but a poor reflection; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12).”

So, “I’ll never know” should be corrected to “someday I’ll know.” For now… I’ll look on the bright side of life! So, praise away my young Douglas driver lady. -DAN

Thus Saith The Text

Sunday even before I got the chance to draw breath and expound with my usual mellifluous treasures of wisdom… a cell phone went off with a ring tone with a rather 60’s seedy vibe. You would think that one would have the decency to wait until I had sufficient time to homiletically anesthetized the congregation (i.e. bore them to sleep) before interrupting such sacred ground? I can’t tell you how tickled I was to find out from the recipient of this cellular faux pas the story behind their untimely ring. They were surprised because they had faithfully silenced their cell phone before services. In fact, they received this ring tone because they were policing a certain calloused pewster who was in violation of the time honored song leader’s instruction, “Now, let’s give our undivided attention to the preacher’s message.” The person next to them was texting and so they texted them to “stop texting!” And though they had silenced the ring tone for incoming calls they had not silenced the ring tone for receiving texts so when they received a text back to mind their own texting business… well, cheesy ring tone here we come. Ugh…. hoisted on their own petard (I can’t tell you how much I’ve longed to be able to use that phrase correctly)!

To text or not to text that is the question. Is one’s right to multi-task in church by both listening and texting as dangerous as texting and driving at the same time? And what does thus saith the text have to say about all this? I learned very early on in my preaching career that you don’t know how people listen and absorb a message so don’t make too much out of what you think you see. My first regular audience had a good sister who set up close to the front who continually nodded her head to what I thought was agreement to what I was saying but found out later it was her way of staying awake. Likewise there was a good brother who sat toward the back and had his eyes closed the entire sermon who was far from sleeping but seriously concentrating on the sermon. So… it is entirely possible that one could text, doodle, nod or close their eyes and be absorbing with the help of the Holy Spirit all the message God intended for them to hear!

So, here is my ring tone to this common problem of cell phones going off in church, funerals, libraries, meetings and the like… “Ring out, the word, o’er land and sea…” James Rowe’s 1911 lyrics remind us that the important thing is for the word to ring out! I’m not as worried about each generation’s distractions as I am worried about them getting the message of His “saving grace, Make it known in every place, Ring it out, ring it out!” So if your cell phone goes off during one of my sermons I’ll be assured that you would like for the message to “merrily ring!” -DAN

Dreams

Are you a vivid dreamer? My lovely wife maintains that she doesn’t dream or at least doesn’t recall any of her dreams. I’m fascinated by that, because my dreams are often so real that I awake sometimes worn out by their activity or upset by their events and occasionally enlightened by their instruction. Now, I’m not bold enough or foolish enough to make some kind of Joseph claims that touts divine given insight or heavenly revelation but I must say that occasionally I feel a God nudge. Let me quickly allay any fears you may have… I’m fully aware of how many times that my dreams are a garbled mess and make no earthly much less heavenly sense (Pam once woke me up because I was laughing at a “dream” joke and when I tried to tell the joke –well, suffice to say, “Not funny!”). So, what I’m saying is that my meager understanding of dreams is that it is a function of the subconscious that affords our imaginations an opportunity to help us vent frustration, attempt to resolve issues and take outlandish vacations from reality. But as the conscious is led by the Spirit of God… I assume so is the subconscious. Thus, occasionally a dream or two has helped or enlightened me spiritually.

Such was a snippet from a recent dream where a friend from the past told me in conversation that he was trying to put into practice the memo from upstairs to observe, conserve and then reserve. This odd triad kept ringing in my dream ears and I kept rehearsing them over and over until I carried the following insight into the waking hours: 1) Life is learned more by observation than any other learning process. As a kindergarten teacher, Pam often had five or more different language speakers in her class but this tower of Babel obstacle was easily overcome because most of her teaching was done by modeling. We learn much by observation. What I began to observe about this triad was that what the three words had in common was the root “serve.” The greatest observation in life is that I’m called to serve; 2) that observation is only effective if I am quickly reminded that to serve I must conserve. No, not go green but the literal sense of the word… to serve with. That is, to serve I must always be aware that I am in partnership with God and the apostle Paul adds, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13);” 3) to top this all off one must never forget that in serving God and his fellow man that all service is just a service already received from God. We reserve (re-serve) the blessings that God has given so freely to us!

Okay… I know at this point you’re thinking… This is no dream insight but the hyper imaginative powers of a preacher in search of a sermon! Maybe, you’re right –or maybe God sometimes gives us a nudge! -DAN

Beracah

I told Leah to count her blessings while Johnson Oates’ lyrics echoed in the back of my head, “…name them one by one.” My fatherly advice was not intended as corrective but rather a universal reminder of how we all dwell in the Valley of Beracah (2 Chronicles 20:26) and should never lose sight of the blessings that are not only abundant but tailored to our current needs. King Jehoshaphat and his army had been told by prophetic utterance that the battle was the Lord’s but stood in awe to see the vast coalition of armies that lay silent on the valley floor from destroying one another. They had resolved that the charge to go and face this formidable army would be a costly but victorious battle. They knew only Jehovah would enable them and so they had spent the night in worship singing at the top of their lungs, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” So, surprised and awed, they stand overlooking the enduring love of a God who delivers His people. The text reveals the depths of God’s blessing is not only deliverance from an enemy but Jehoshaphat’s troops spent three days collecting valuable articles from the fallen armies that had intended to route them. The divine irony of it is that they collect harps, lutes and trumpets that are taken to the Jerusalem temple and used not to rally troops against Jehovah’s people but to stir the hearts of God’s people in singing praise to the God who delivers!

So, how do you count your blessings? I’m not sure that it is a literal naming them one by one… even though that is a fun challenge. It is more of a call to recognize that like Jehoshaphat’s army we collect blessing after blessing over several days. That is, we are challenged each day to see the blessings that God has left in our path… some will be familiar and well-worn (give us this day our daily bread) and some will be unexpected and demanding (your will be done on earth as it is in heaven). But we resolve that we WILL be blessed because we are confident the Lord’s love endures forever! So, we will praise Him in the storm as well as the calm. We will seek to be still so we may know Him and hear His whispered presence. We will acknowledge Him in all our ways and let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly! We WILL be blessed!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:20,21). -DAN