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

Born In A Treehouse

If I haven’t mentioned it lately let me be clear in stating that all my grandchildren (including Miles Stephen Ford, number 12, who arrives February) are geniuses! Now, I don’t mean that in the typical bragging grandfatherly way… they ARE bonnie lads and lasses of copious cleverness and insatiable acumen that would leave Solomon scratching his head. Let me illustrate with a recent snippet from a facebook entry by Leah. “Payden says to Mary (I assume a playmate), ‘My sister was born in the city. I was born in Oregon, in a treehouse.’” O, did I mention that my estimation of genius is the ability to bring creative insights to the mundane and common everydayness of life? Payden decided to embellish and bring hints of legend into his humble Oregonian birthday arrival. I was there and though shooed out of the room as the time drew nigh I’m pretty sure that it was a hospital room and not a treehouse… but man O man would it have been cool if it was! And hey, it’s not like they don’t have a lot trees in Oregon –now is it?

Some wonder as they read through the Bible if some of the stories have not been embellished a little here and a little there. Others would be quick to say if the Bible says it then it happened just that way for all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). And then others might interject that we have four gospels because there is more than one way to view or tell the story. And then again there a cynics that out right reject the stories because of seeming contradictions in the Bible. And if you want to add another layer to the pie you have biblical scholars who maintain that Scripture is a conglomerate of editors, redactors and scribal mishaps that have given local color and cultural shaping to the text. And therefore, you might have a couple births in a treehouse that didn’t actually happen that way!

Well, just as I think my grandkids are genius so too I think Scripture is God-breathed and rings with glorious clarity that it is Holy Spirit moved and God orchestrated genius. And so I believe that if the story has been retold with a treehouse view that God intended it to be so. The Bible is not a static lifeless newspaper account of events that chronicle history. It is the living active sharper than a two-edged sword telling of faith in action that penetrates our imaginations to draw us closer to our Creator and Sustainer! It’s insight into possibility and ultimate probability of a God shaped world because after all there are a lot trees in Oregon! -DAN

BALLOONING

I don’t consider myself particularly nosey or by any means a closet eavesdropper but I must confess that from time to time I zoom in on a conversation I haven’t been invited to share. Recently, I overheard one individual say to another, “So, have you been ballooning lately?” For some reason (could it be my own girth?), I took offense in behalf of my anonymous friend and silently implored him to retort, “Why no, Ms. Skinny… have you been deflating?” You’ve probably have guessed by now that as I listened further into the conversation I discovered that one friend was curious about another’s high flying hobby of hot air ballooning. As I laughed at my misunderstanding and measured my record breaking jumping to a conclusion, I seriously thought about the challenge this brought to my faith.

You see, the greatest eavesdropping that we ever engage in is reading the New Testament letters. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that Paul, Peter, James, John and whoever wrote Hebrews were engaged in obtuse dialogue or insider conversations that were so personalized that others would be unable to know fully what they were talking about. The letters are certainly full of purposed instruction fully intended to teach the body of Christ as a whole, as well as theological discussion designed to clarify, instruct and elucidate the Christian faith. However, there are times it would be nice to know what exactly was the context of the discussion and the motivation to publically air the issue. Do I think scholarship has done well in their educated guesses about enigmatic texts… yes, but with this qualification: We must always confess that we’re eavesdropping and so we have to be careful to what height we take our balloon.

Now, with that said, it seems to me that studying to show ourselves approved requires first for us to get on our knees and ask for wisdom from above and spiritual discernment void of misunderstanding. That implies to me that Bible study is not a pool party (you know where we all pool our ignorance and spout our opinions) but rather a challenge to be patient to hear all the conversation we can, keeping in mind who is saying what and where they saying it and to whom they are saying it to and then prayerfully measuring the meaning of it the light of eternity. David Wilcox, one of my favorite musicians has a song entitled, “Hold it Up to the Light.” It’s a song about trusting decisions by holding it up to the light of God, truth and faith. So it is with God’s Word… we “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this (2 Timothy 2:7).” So… hold it up to the Light and happy ballooning! -DAN

No To No

I personally think that irony is one of life’s greatest teachers. One has to scratch their head when you consider that we park on our driveways and drive on our parkways. And then there’s the Oxymorons who live next door who eat jumbo shrimp and just ordered clean dirt for their garden. Jesus seems to enjoy the merits of paradox in the upside down theology of the first will be last and the last will be first. What all this ordered chaos has in common is that it reminds us that we live in a conflicted world. Jesus is right that the one who thinks only of himself, will be the last person you want to be around while the person who has a servant’s heart and puts others first will be the first person you want around. That is, in this fallen world motivated by greed, self-centered pleasures and pride it seems dog eat dog is the rule of the day. So, God had to stand tall on a cross to reorient the world to forgiveness, love and sacrifice. Rebellious mankind ironically killed it’s greatest citizen thinking it would stop his mission but unwittingly secured their only hope of salvation. Death brought life and open the door to eternity. And maybe just as importantly opened the door to see how upside down this world has become.

Now, here’s the sacred dilemma in its day to day reality. I swat my grandchild on the backside after she hits me, sternly saying, "We don’t hit!" And I muster all my Pappy Pomposity to affirm, "We don’t say, ‘No!’" In this swirl of irony I pray, "Lord, help me let my yes be yes and my no be no!" That is, in this conflicted world where I hit to teach that we don’t hit and I say no to no, let there be some wisdom from above that makes sense out of the nonsense.

And here’s the voice of God that I think whispers to me in a still small voice… Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5,6). That is, our paradoxical lives will only find wisdom by trusting God enough to supply insight to a balanced life that knows how to stand firm on both sides when it’s yes and when it’s no. I have no doubt that God continues to teach us through our grandchildren that we live in a ironic and chaotic world whose only hope is God! -DAN

Book Burning 101

Senior Pastor Dr. Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida has declared September 11, 2010 as a date to burn copies of the Quran. This protest rides on the back of the recent debate over whether a mosque should be permitted to be built near the hallowed site of ground zero where so many lost their lives to Muslim terrorist. Dr. Jones is the author of a book entitled, "Islam is of the Devil." Though warned that his protest might endanger military and civilian personnel in Afghanistan Jones is adamant that we must fight the surging effects of Islam here and abroad. So… let’s burn their holy book asserting our right to demonstrate our rejection of their maniacal Muslim meddling mission to dominate the world. And as that was too much alliteration the very thought that burning books could demonstrate the Spirit of Christ is as abominable as it is immature. And the alert student in the back row raises his hand and defiantly blurts out, "What about Acts 19:19 when they burned their sorcery books publicly?" I’m glad you brought that up…

The public burning of expensive sorcery scrolls by their owners was an act of contrition evoked by the realization that the name of Jesus was not only powerful but Jesus was Lord. Burning books that you don’t agree with as protest does little to change the hearts of those who do believe. In fact, it does the opposite and incites them to reject your beliefs and entrench themselves in their own. If the Spirit of Christ is to impact the world around us it will do it not by the light of protest fires but by the light of truth that burns brightly in the heart of disciples who value and love all mankind. The Quran will only loose its effectiveness when it pales in the light of Holy Scripture demonstrated in the loving hearts and vibrant faith of the redeemed. Soldiers of Christ are not armed with torches but rather "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17)." The radical and awesome army of God is victorious by faith not playground retaliation tactics or barbed rhetoric designed to incite religious or political battles. If you want to lock and load like Jesus then pray for your enemies!

Here is what this all means to me –or in other words, this is what is burning in my heart: Standing up for my faith means that the only fire I’m concerned with is hearts set on fire by the Spirit of God. And I hope and pray that they all come to a knowledge of Jesus as Lord and embrace Him alone in salvation. We don’t need the Crusades again (or ever) what we need is revival sparked by the movement of the Spirit’s call to salvation. -DAN