Journal-Review
May 27, 2010
When you think about homelessness, Crawfordsville is probably the last place that comes to mind. Few would consider that Montgomery County would be included in a conversation about homelessness. Yet, I have had the homeless come to my study door seeking assistance. Each time, I had to refer them (and in some cases transport them) to facilities in Lafayette, Greencastle or Indianapolis.
A working family, after losing their home, lived in tents under a county bridge. Others find temporary shelter on a couch of a friend or relative. Eventually, the stress of such living arrangements becomes too much to bear.
No, we don’t have the homeless living on the streets. But we do have a homeless problem. Thanks to the work of Trinity Mission, there is hope that something can be done. On Wednesday, June 2, at 10 a.m., in room “C” of the Crawfordsville District Public Library, a public meeting is scheduled to inspire, inform and invite the community to come along side Trinity in this important work. Volunteers are needed to staff the temporary homeless shelter, serve on a local advisory council and provide financial support. Such an effort needs to be saturated in prayer. Trinity hopes to get the homeless shelter operational by late summer in the former county home on Whitlock Street.
Why is this effort to help the homeless important? A section of our church’s mission statement says “we seek to relate people to Christ, connect people to the Body of Christ and reach out in love and concern for the world.” With the guidance of Trinity Mission, our church’s involvement with the shelter will help us to complete our mission. Each resident of the shelter will have the opportunity to grow in their faith and to take steps to improve their lives. By supporting the shelter, local churches will be able to reach out with the love of Christ to a hurting segment of our community.
Homelessness is often a spiritual problem in addition to being a physical one. The loss of a place to call “home” often unleashes various mental and emotional issues. Trinity Mission promises more than a hot meal and a warm bed. With our help, persons in need of temporary housing will find a place to find healing because the Lord’s presence will be experienced there.
The Bible identifies with the homeless. The Apostle Paul, one of the Bible’s most prolific writers, compared the Christian life to being homeless. In a letter to Christians in Corinth, (1 Corinthians 4:11) he writes “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.” In quelling a controversy in the church, he makes an appeal for the church to act with humility, even when it seems foolish to the world. I ask you, dear reader, to join in this foolish cause for Christ!
Words associated with meeting the need of others appear everywhere in the Bible. When an expert in Jewish law asked Jesus “who is my neighbor,” the Lord tells the story of a man who is helped by a Samaritan. This story, known as the “Good Samaritan,” is our marching orders. “‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”
One of the most striking references to helping our neighbors comes from the Great Commandment in Matthew 22. “‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbors as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments.’”
When it comes to meeting the needs of our neighbors, the Bible convinces us that giving to the needy must continue until the needs are met – not until desires are satisfied. This is why it is my policy, when it comes to helping the needy, to never give cash. The temptation to fulfill desires is just too great.
The June 2 meeting is just a beginning. Please consider attending and getting involved. It is an honor to be a fool for Christ in this community.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Don't Throw Your Faith Under the Bus
Journal-Review
February 5, 2010
I threw them under the bus.
My team, the Indianapolis Colts, fell behind to the New York Jets 17-6 in the American Football Conference championship game. “It’s over,” is all I could utter as I watched in disgust the green and white clad Jets run around, over and through the Colts defense. It was as if the defensive coordinator for Indianapolis had no idea that on nearly every third series this season the Jets throw the ball long.
Sure enough, during the third time the Jets had the ball, New York scored on an 80-yard touchdown strike. To make matters worse, the Colts were on a successful drive to the end zone when they decided to kick a field goal instead of going for the touchdown.
Right at the end of the half, though, quarterback Peyton Manning and the offense must have figured some things out. A touchdown strike in the closing minutes of the first half made the score 17-13. “Wouldn’t it be great,” I said to my wife Jenny, “if that was all the points the Jets would score in the game?”
Well, I wish I could take credit for having complete confidence in the men in blue and white. My off-hand comment was more of a wish, a that-is-never-going-to-happen sarcastic comment.
For those of you who are football fans, you know the rest of the story. The Colts negated the No. 1 defense in the National Football League by outscoring the Jets 17-0 in the second half, to walk away with a 30-17 victory and a trip to the Super Bowl.
My theory about my negativity toward the Colts is this: it helps me to deal with the heartbreak of disappointment. This way, by predicting defeat when the first few obstacles arrive, I theorize the hurt will not be so devastating should defeat occur.
Of course, along the way, I make people around me miserable. I can’t enjoy the good things (like seeing the football sail through uprights) that might occur even though the team makes mistakes. Instead of enjoying the spirit of competition I am too busy dreading the agony of defeat.
I have been thinking about that pressure-packed Sunday afternoon. I believe there are parallels to our walk with Jesus Christ. When problems occur, we often spend our time spinning our wheels complaining about the problems. We spend so much time analyzing them we become paralyzed. We refuse to let ourselves even think victory is possible. Any ray of sunshine is overcome by our dark clouds of negativity.
Of course, life is far more valuable than a football game. Instead of despair, we need to practice some trust. We need more than an intelligent, strong-armed, quarterback to lead us through life. We need Jesus. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Jesus said.
So whatever deficit you are facing in this life, do not give up. Instead, put your energies in trusting Christ to see you through. Keep praying and keep believing. The ancient proverb remains true:
“Trust 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)
Take it from experience – the halftime score of the Super Bowl has little or no bearing on the final outcome. Go Colts!
February 5, 2010
I threw them under the bus.
My team, the Indianapolis Colts, fell behind to the New York Jets 17-6 in the American Football Conference championship game. “It’s over,” is all I could utter as I watched in disgust the green and white clad Jets run around, over and through the Colts defense. It was as if the defensive coordinator for Indianapolis had no idea that on nearly every third series this season the Jets throw the ball long.
Sure enough, during the third time the Jets had the ball, New York scored on an 80-yard touchdown strike. To make matters worse, the Colts were on a successful drive to the end zone when they decided to kick a field goal instead of going for the touchdown.
Right at the end of the half, though, quarterback Peyton Manning and the offense must have figured some things out. A touchdown strike in the closing minutes of the first half made the score 17-13. “Wouldn’t it be great,” I said to my wife Jenny, “if that was all the points the Jets would score in the game?”
Well, I wish I could take credit for having complete confidence in the men in blue and white. My off-hand comment was more of a wish, a that-is-never-going-to-happen sarcastic comment.
For those of you who are football fans, you know the rest of the story. The Colts negated the No. 1 defense in the National Football League by outscoring the Jets 17-0 in the second half, to walk away with a 30-17 victory and a trip to the Super Bowl.
My theory about my negativity toward the Colts is this: it helps me to deal with the heartbreak of disappointment. This way, by predicting defeat when the first few obstacles arrive, I theorize the hurt will not be so devastating should defeat occur.
Of course, along the way, I make people around me miserable. I can’t enjoy the good things (like seeing the football sail through uprights) that might occur even though the team makes mistakes. Instead of enjoying the spirit of competition I am too busy dreading the agony of defeat.
I have been thinking about that pressure-packed Sunday afternoon. I believe there are parallels to our walk with Jesus Christ. When problems occur, we often spend our time spinning our wheels complaining about the problems. We spend so much time analyzing them we become paralyzed. We refuse to let ourselves even think victory is possible. Any ray of sunshine is overcome by our dark clouds of negativity.
Of course, life is far more valuable than a football game. Instead of despair, we need to practice some trust. We need more than an intelligent, strong-armed, quarterback to lead us through life. We need Jesus. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Jesus said.
So whatever deficit you are facing in this life, do not give up. Instead, put your energies in trusting Christ to see you through. Keep praying and keep believing. The ancient proverb remains true:
“Trust 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)
Take it from experience – the halftime score of the Super Bowl has little or no bearing on the final outcome. Go Colts!
What the Bible says about Failure and You
September 19, 2009
For the Journal-Review
When the Crawfordsville High School football team lost its fifth-straight game on a beautiful Homecoming night, my heart ached for those young men. It seemed this might be the night the Athenians would make that extra play, make that extra tackle, swat that ball away one more time to help secure a victory. You could feel the frustration on the sidelines among both the coaches and players. It is tough to lose when you know you were so close to making the right plays.
I have a lot of experience in losing. I have been a Cubs fan for the past 25 years, giving up on my childhood team the Dodgers for no good logical reason. This season, the Cubs simply ran out of steam in August, squandering a slight lead and disappearing from the standings. A playoff run will not happen this year. The team with the longest record of never winning a World Series fails yet again.
What is it about sports fans, like me, who actually feel the loss of their favorite team when we have absolutely no bearing on the result? I remember the wonderful run the Indianapolis Colts made in reaching and winning the Super Bowl in 2006. I was living in Logansport and a group of us got together most every week to watch the games.
The homeowner where we gathered had a tradition of flying the Colts flag at each game. During one game, the Colts started out sluggish. Something was amiss. It seemed the team was not hitting on all cylinders. Then, someone notice there was no flag! Immediately, Jim got out of his chair, went outside, and hoisted the Colts flag in a hurry. Now, with that deed done, we returned to the action and the Colts rallied and won the game.
I remember thinking in 2006 that I was privileged to witness one of my teams winning a championship. At the time, I said this was such an exciting year that it wouldn’t matter to me if the Colts never won another Super Bowl. Of course, that is now a distant memory. I can’t stand those Patriots, so this has got to be our year.
They say “everyone loves a winner,” but the hard reality of life is that not everyone wins. Before Payton Manning helped his team win a Super Bowl, the big story about the Colts is how close they would get before someone would beat them. The only remaining item Manning needed in his storybook career was a victory in the championship game. So many regular season games seemed unimportant. I’ll never forget his reply: “You have to enjoy the journey. We are talking about guys’ careers.”
You see, there is a difference between failing and being a failure. Peyton Manning was never a failure before he led his team to a Super Bowl win. Yes, he and the team failed to win. But they were never a failure.
And when I looked out on that field the other night, I saw a young Athenian team failing to execute at times. But I didn’t see a team full of failures.
This is an important message in life – you have got to enjoy the journey. Whether or not your dreams come true, enjoy the journey. This is what life is about. Learning from our mistakes; trying to show improvement next time.
Of course, sports are just a reflection about the real needs in our world and in our lives. Our changing economy has made many people feeling like a failure. Losing your job is, without a doubt, one of the most stressful experiences in life. Losing a job you have had for many years is extremely difficult.
Sometimes, it is due to some sort of artificial circumstance beyond our control. My wife has worked as an administrative assistant for 15 years in our denominational headquarters. Her position ends on Dec. 31 and she has had to re-apply for a similar position. We have no guarantee she will even be called in for an interview.
The Bible is full of people who, from the world’s perspective, were failures. Probably the most influential human in the world next to Jesus Christ was the Apostle Paul. Paul was never one of the original 12 disciples. His special mission was to the Gentiles. Yet, his journey was not something we would want to experience.
Take a look with me how Paul could have seen himself as a failure. He admitted “I am the chief of all sinners….” (1 Timothy 1:15); “Five times I received … 39 lashes, three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked … I have been in dangers from rivers ….robbers …my countrymen…Gentiles…in the city…in the wilderness…on the sea…among false brethren…” (2 Corinthians 11:24-30) Three times he prayed for God to remove his “thorn in the flesh.” God chose not to. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
You know, if I were Paul’s friend, I think I would have told him to simply stay home. In fact, I would have told him to not even get out of bed. It is too risky. Thankfully, Paul didn’t follow such advice. He carried on.
This is how he described our life as it relates to God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)
The reason we can endure the setbacks and failures along our journey in life is because God’s love is made perfect in our weakness. Paul knew that the worse he looked, the better God looked. He refused to believe that failures were final. He could enjoy the journey without knowing all the answers.
In fact, he states we are often “perplexed, but not in despair.” In other words, we don’t have to give into the pressure caused by our failures. Because of Christ, the stuff that happens to us on the outside does not have to change us on the inside.
A long time ago, I had a goal of becoming a reporter for the Journal-Review. I had just completed my degree in journalism from Franklin College. I wanted to work for my hometown newspaper in order to be closer to my mother. I got an interview, but I didn’t get the job offer. In fact, five opportunities in the surrounding area fell through all at once.
I was deeply hurt. I felt like a failure.
Well, guess what? I have returned to my hometown in a different capacity I could never had imagined 27 years ago. And I’m writing an article for the newspaper that had once rejected me. Perhaps, this is an example of God love’s being made perfect in my weakness. God loves you, dear reader. Don’t give up. You are never a failure in God’s eyes. This is the reality that matters the most.
For the Journal-Review
When the Crawfordsville High School football team lost its fifth-straight game on a beautiful Homecoming night, my heart ached for those young men. It seemed this might be the night the Athenians would make that extra play, make that extra tackle, swat that ball away one more time to help secure a victory. You could feel the frustration on the sidelines among both the coaches and players. It is tough to lose when you know you were so close to making the right plays.
I have a lot of experience in losing. I have been a Cubs fan for the past 25 years, giving up on my childhood team the Dodgers for no good logical reason. This season, the Cubs simply ran out of steam in August, squandering a slight lead and disappearing from the standings. A playoff run will not happen this year. The team with the longest record of never winning a World Series fails yet again.
What is it about sports fans, like me, who actually feel the loss of their favorite team when we have absolutely no bearing on the result? I remember the wonderful run the Indianapolis Colts made in reaching and winning the Super Bowl in 2006. I was living in Logansport and a group of us got together most every week to watch the games.
The homeowner where we gathered had a tradition of flying the Colts flag at each game. During one game, the Colts started out sluggish. Something was amiss. It seemed the team was not hitting on all cylinders. Then, someone notice there was no flag! Immediately, Jim got out of his chair, went outside, and hoisted the Colts flag in a hurry. Now, with that deed done, we returned to the action and the Colts rallied and won the game.
I remember thinking in 2006 that I was privileged to witness one of my teams winning a championship. At the time, I said this was such an exciting year that it wouldn’t matter to me if the Colts never won another Super Bowl. Of course, that is now a distant memory. I can’t stand those Patriots, so this has got to be our year.
They say “everyone loves a winner,” but the hard reality of life is that not everyone wins. Before Payton Manning helped his team win a Super Bowl, the big story about the Colts is how close they would get before someone would beat them. The only remaining item Manning needed in his storybook career was a victory in the championship game. So many regular season games seemed unimportant. I’ll never forget his reply: “You have to enjoy the journey. We are talking about guys’ careers.”
You see, there is a difference between failing and being a failure. Peyton Manning was never a failure before he led his team to a Super Bowl win. Yes, he and the team failed to win. But they were never a failure.
And when I looked out on that field the other night, I saw a young Athenian team failing to execute at times. But I didn’t see a team full of failures.
This is an important message in life – you have got to enjoy the journey. Whether or not your dreams come true, enjoy the journey. This is what life is about. Learning from our mistakes; trying to show improvement next time.
Of course, sports are just a reflection about the real needs in our world and in our lives. Our changing economy has made many people feeling like a failure. Losing your job is, without a doubt, one of the most stressful experiences in life. Losing a job you have had for many years is extremely difficult.
Sometimes, it is due to some sort of artificial circumstance beyond our control. My wife has worked as an administrative assistant for 15 years in our denominational headquarters. Her position ends on Dec. 31 and she has had to re-apply for a similar position. We have no guarantee she will even be called in for an interview.
The Bible is full of people who, from the world’s perspective, were failures. Probably the most influential human in the world next to Jesus Christ was the Apostle Paul. Paul was never one of the original 12 disciples. His special mission was to the Gentiles. Yet, his journey was not something we would want to experience.
Take a look with me how Paul could have seen himself as a failure. He admitted “I am the chief of all sinners….” (1 Timothy 1:15); “Five times I received … 39 lashes, three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked … I have been in dangers from rivers ….robbers …my countrymen…Gentiles…in the city…in the wilderness…on the sea…among false brethren…” (2 Corinthians 11:24-30) Three times he prayed for God to remove his “thorn in the flesh.” God chose not to. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
You know, if I were Paul’s friend, I think I would have told him to simply stay home. In fact, I would have told him to not even get out of bed. It is too risky. Thankfully, Paul didn’t follow such advice. He carried on.
This is how he described our life as it relates to God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)
The reason we can endure the setbacks and failures along our journey in life is because God’s love is made perfect in our weakness. Paul knew that the worse he looked, the better God looked. He refused to believe that failures were final. He could enjoy the journey without knowing all the answers.
In fact, he states we are often “perplexed, but not in despair.” In other words, we don’t have to give into the pressure caused by our failures. Because of Christ, the stuff that happens to us on the outside does not have to change us on the inside.
A long time ago, I had a goal of becoming a reporter for the Journal-Review. I had just completed my degree in journalism from Franklin College. I wanted to work for my hometown newspaper in order to be closer to my mother. I got an interview, but I didn’t get the job offer. In fact, five opportunities in the surrounding area fell through all at once.
I was deeply hurt. I felt like a failure.
Well, guess what? I have returned to my hometown in a different capacity I could never had imagined 27 years ago. And I’m writing an article for the newspaper that had once rejected me. Perhaps, this is an example of God love’s being made perfect in my weakness. God loves you, dear reader. Don’t give up. You are never a failure in God’s eyes. This is the reality that matters the most.
A Miracle Prescription for your New Year
Journal-Review
December 31, 2010
By now, you’ve probably read all the predictions about 2010. You know the top news stories, the top sports stories and the top trends of 2009. All of this information is supposed to help us figure out the future.
I want you to consider another source when considering your future. I have been reading about the miracles of Jesus in the Bible. I found that each of Jesus’ miracles point to the power of God. There is something there for each of us to learn.
I have always been thrilled with miracles. I think there are more miracles right now, today, than we realize. Many times, they get buried in our technological culture. When it comes to your future, though, there is something we can learn from these miracles of Jesus.
The most important thing I have learned is each of us has something in common with all the people who were healed by Jesus. Each one of these persons who were healed had significant shame in their life. That’s true for each of us, too.
If we were to have a conversation it would not be long before we could smell the residue of shame in our lives. When I have conversations with people, when I talk with friends, shame often becomes part of our life script.
Embarrassment is another form of shame. Some people are very vocal about their shame. Especially when it comes to their bodies, people always want something to be bigger or smaller. “I’m so embarrassed, I wish I had …” And so the shame continues.
While some shame is easy to talk about, other kinds of shame is not so easy. The residue of shame has a big impact on the way we think, feel, and view the world. It changes the way we react to relationships. Many times it can paralyze us.
For me, when I think about shame in my life there are many times when I simply don’t feel good enough. I remember each rejection as if it were yesterday. I feel like I don’t measure up to others or to expectations.
Sometimes, there are times when I go into the dark and I don’t feel good enough for God. I realize such feelings are not true. I have a Master’s of Divinity degree. I’m educated way beyond my own intelligence. So I know that such thinking is not true. Yet, there are times when I do not feel worthy.
What do I have to offer? I’m not good enough. I’m teaching the Bible to 200 people this Sunday. Who am I? What can I possibly offer them?
Where does such thinking come from? Well, it certainly doesn’t come from God. Shame is the result of the scars produced by pain and rejection in our life. I realize many people can point to their home environment for the shame they experience in life.
I realize how lucky I am to be in the minority. My home life did not produce a lot of shame in my life. A lot of my shame points back to bad decisions I have made. Those decisions did not honor God. Even though I have been forgiven, I still remember them.
I am guessing if I can easily identify some shame in my life so can you. Everyone has been cut from a team or has been the last one picked. You know what I mean: “I’m out of choices; I might as well take you.” Or, maybe, when you were a kid, you would play hide-and-go-seek and your friends don’t go looking for you. So you stay hidden through dinner until it gets dark and you’re scared. Didn’t that happen to you?
For 2010, I encourage you to read the miracles of Jesus. Every person who was healed was dealing with some shame. Make Colossians 1:15 be your verse for the New Year. When we study about Jesus, we really have a snapshot into the character of God. That Jesus, the Bible says in Colossians 1, “is the visible image of the invisible God.” So when we read the miracles of Jesus, we can know what is true about God.
Jesus is powerful. But His power was not limited to 2,000 years ago. His power is available to us today. God’s power is still accessible.
The power of God made the blind see. The power of God also made the deaf hear. The power of God also raised the dead back to life. The power of God also healed a paralyzed person. The power of God went beyond the physical to the natural. It was the power of God that calmed the waves; it was the power of God that walked on water. It was the power of God that fed 5,000 people with a few fish and loaves of bread.
The power of God can overcome the shame in your life, too. When you read that God is powerful in a personal way – each of Jesus’ miracles had a personal impact. How does that make you want to respond?
Maybe for some, it means you will become more loving. It might mean you will become forgiving and responsive to the need of others. Perhaps you will become more thankful. Maybe it will give you more passion for Jesus.
May the power of God working in your life grant you a great New Year.
December 31, 2010
By now, you’ve probably read all the predictions about 2010. You know the top news stories, the top sports stories and the top trends of 2009. All of this information is supposed to help us figure out the future.
I want you to consider another source when considering your future. I have been reading about the miracles of Jesus in the Bible. I found that each of Jesus’ miracles point to the power of God. There is something there for each of us to learn.
I have always been thrilled with miracles. I think there are more miracles right now, today, than we realize. Many times, they get buried in our technological culture. When it comes to your future, though, there is something we can learn from these miracles of Jesus.
The most important thing I have learned is each of us has something in common with all the people who were healed by Jesus. Each one of these persons who were healed had significant shame in their life. That’s true for each of us, too.
If we were to have a conversation it would not be long before we could smell the residue of shame in our lives. When I have conversations with people, when I talk with friends, shame often becomes part of our life script.
Embarrassment is another form of shame. Some people are very vocal about their shame. Especially when it comes to their bodies, people always want something to be bigger or smaller. “I’m so embarrassed, I wish I had …” And so the shame continues.
While some shame is easy to talk about, other kinds of shame is not so easy. The residue of shame has a big impact on the way we think, feel, and view the world. It changes the way we react to relationships. Many times it can paralyze us.
For me, when I think about shame in my life there are many times when I simply don’t feel good enough. I remember each rejection as if it were yesterday. I feel like I don’t measure up to others or to expectations.
Sometimes, there are times when I go into the dark and I don’t feel good enough for God. I realize such feelings are not true. I have a Master’s of Divinity degree. I’m educated way beyond my own intelligence. So I know that such thinking is not true. Yet, there are times when I do not feel worthy.
What do I have to offer? I’m not good enough. I’m teaching the Bible to 200 people this Sunday. Who am I? What can I possibly offer them?
Where does such thinking come from? Well, it certainly doesn’t come from God. Shame is the result of the scars produced by pain and rejection in our life. I realize many people can point to their home environment for the shame they experience in life.
I realize how lucky I am to be in the minority. My home life did not produce a lot of shame in my life. A lot of my shame points back to bad decisions I have made. Those decisions did not honor God. Even though I have been forgiven, I still remember them.
I am guessing if I can easily identify some shame in my life so can you. Everyone has been cut from a team or has been the last one picked. You know what I mean: “I’m out of choices; I might as well take you.” Or, maybe, when you were a kid, you would play hide-and-go-seek and your friends don’t go looking for you. So you stay hidden through dinner until it gets dark and you’re scared. Didn’t that happen to you?
For 2010, I encourage you to read the miracles of Jesus. Every person who was healed was dealing with some shame. Make Colossians 1:15 be your verse for the New Year. When we study about Jesus, we really have a snapshot into the character of God. That Jesus, the Bible says in Colossians 1, “is the visible image of the invisible God.” So when we read the miracles of Jesus, we can know what is true about God.
Jesus is powerful. But His power was not limited to 2,000 years ago. His power is available to us today. God’s power is still accessible.
The power of God made the blind see. The power of God also made the deaf hear. The power of God also raised the dead back to life. The power of God also healed a paralyzed person. The power of God went beyond the physical to the natural. It was the power of God that calmed the waves; it was the power of God that walked on water. It was the power of God that fed 5,000 people with a few fish and loaves of bread.
The power of God can overcome the shame in your life, too. When you read that God is powerful in a personal way – each of Jesus’ miracles had a personal impact. How does that make you want to respond?
Maybe for some, it means you will become more loving. It might mean you will become forgiving and responsive to the need of others. Perhaps you will become more thankful. Maybe it will give you more passion for Jesus.
May the power of God working in your life grant you a great New Year.
Is it time for you to do the 'Gideon Jig'?
Journal-Review
Crawfordsville, IN
October 22, 2009
Have you ever found yourself in one of those places in life where nothing seems to be going right? When your inbox is overflowing with work? And it seems the world keeps dumping more and more in your lap? Do you sometimes feel like your life is a complete failure?
If so, then maybe what you need is the “Gideon Jig.” The Gideon Jig is not a new dance move, but it does require a new attitude. Gideon is one in a long list of Old Testament characters who can bring hope when we’re facing some hopeless situations.
We need to do the Gideon Jig when hope is fading. We need this ancient text to speak to each of us when we’re down in the dumps and down on our faith. No one promised that life would be easy. The pressures can mount on us when we get out of alignment. Perhaps our prayer life slips. Perhaps we allow our busyness to keep us away from the fellowship of other Christians.
Some Christians believe that faith in Jesus Christ is a technique for smooth sailing in life. Jesus calls us not only to get along with one another but to love one another, to forgive enemies, to love the truth which is Jesus Christ more than we love comfort and security, and be faithful to a living, loving God. That’s tough.
Gideon became a man of faith in a world that was literally crashing down around him. Known to the Israelites as a judge, he came through when it counted the most. He was one of the people the Apostle Paul, many years later, would write about in a letter to one of the churches he helped to establish.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29: “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise: God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”
You see, God takes weak, humble, sometimes fearful people and uses them to do wonderful things. God enjoys doing this! There are many examples of this throughout Scripture. If you are down in the dumps, it is time to do the “Gideon Jig.”
Found in Judges 6, we have the story of this defeated, humiliated and reluctant leader being called by God. Gideon’s people, the Israelites, were not enjoying their time in the Promised Land. Instead of thriving in a land flowing with milk and honey, they were forced to live in caves and clefts in the rock, huddled and too afraid to face their enemy.
In Gideon’s day, nationalism was dead. All that mattered was survival. One Bible translation renders the Hebrew text this way: “So Israel was brought very low because of Midian.” This was probably the lowest they had ever been. The Israelites could not plant their crops because the people inhabiting the land would invade the land, ruining the crops and destroying livestock.
Amid all these defeats and struggles, a prophet is raised among the people. This prophet does two things – first, he convicts them some more about their sins and their need of God, and second, shows them where they have gone wrong. The Israelites had again forgotten God. (Judges 6:6-10)
Finally, deliverance begins when an angel of the Lord appears to Gideon. He says these impossible words: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” No one could see Gideon being a warrior, or, even coming close to being mighty. Gideon gets it off his chest, he replies: “But sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? But now the Lord has abandoned us, and put us into the hand of Midian.” (Judges 6:11-13)
How many of us, right here, in Montgomery County and beyond feel like we’re in the land of Midian? This story of Gideon has been repeated (in various ways) through the lives of millions throughout history. It is being repeated today.
Maybe this is the day you need to do the “Gideon Jig.”
Maybe you might be one of those “mighty warriors” God is calling to greater faithfulness? In effect, Gideon is saying, “If the Lord is really with us, why are we in this mess?” The implication is that, if the Lord were really behind us, we wouldn’t be failing.
But when the Lord promised to give Hebrews land, the Lord did not promise it would be easy. When Jesus promised us salvation, he did not promise it would be painless.
A local church leader stands to his feet at a meeting and declares, “If this were truly a Christian church, we wouldn’t be having these problems.” The assumption is that the problems in the church were due to the congregation not being real Christians.
While that may sometimes be true, we need to remember it is not always true in every case. Sometimes we find ourselves in a painful, conflicted and difficult mess not because we’re not faithful to Jesus but because we are following Jesus!
It is time for a Gideon Jig.
Crawfordsville, IN
October 22, 2009
Have you ever found yourself in one of those places in life where nothing seems to be going right? When your inbox is overflowing with work? And it seems the world keeps dumping more and more in your lap? Do you sometimes feel like your life is a complete failure?
If so, then maybe what you need is the “Gideon Jig.” The Gideon Jig is not a new dance move, but it does require a new attitude. Gideon is one in a long list of Old Testament characters who can bring hope when we’re facing some hopeless situations.
We need to do the Gideon Jig when hope is fading. We need this ancient text to speak to each of us when we’re down in the dumps and down on our faith. No one promised that life would be easy. The pressures can mount on us when we get out of alignment. Perhaps our prayer life slips. Perhaps we allow our busyness to keep us away from the fellowship of other Christians.
Some Christians believe that faith in Jesus Christ is a technique for smooth sailing in life. Jesus calls us not only to get along with one another but to love one another, to forgive enemies, to love the truth which is Jesus Christ more than we love comfort and security, and be faithful to a living, loving God. That’s tough.
Gideon became a man of faith in a world that was literally crashing down around him. Known to the Israelites as a judge, he came through when it counted the most. He was one of the people the Apostle Paul, many years later, would write about in a letter to one of the churches he helped to establish.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29: “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise: God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”
You see, God takes weak, humble, sometimes fearful people and uses them to do wonderful things. God enjoys doing this! There are many examples of this throughout Scripture. If you are down in the dumps, it is time to do the “Gideon Jig.”
Found in Judges 6, we have the story of this defeated, humiliated and reluctant leader being called by God. Gideon’s people, the Israelites, were not enjoying their time in the Promised Land. Instead of thriving in a land flowing with milk and honey, they were forced to live in caves and clefts in the rock, huddled and too afraid to face their enemy.
In Gideon’s day, nationalism was dead. All that mattered was survival. One Bible translation renders the Hebrew text this way: “So Israel was brought very low because of Midian.” This was probably the lowest they had ever been. The Israelites could not plant their crops because the people inhabiting the land would invade the land, ruining the crops and destroying livestock.
Amid all these defeats and struggles, a prophet is raised among the people. This prophet does two things – first, he convicts them some more about their sins and their need of God, and second, shows them where they have gone wrong. The Israelites had again forgotten God. (Judges 6:6-10)
Finally, deliverance begins when an angel of the Lord appears to Gideon. He says these impossible words: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” No one could see Gideon being a warrior, or, even coming close to being mighty. Gideon gets it off his chest, he replies: “But sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? But now the Lord has abandoned us, and put us into the hand of Midian.” (Judges 6:11-13)
How many of us, right here, in Montgomery County and beyond feel like we’re in the land of Midian? This story of Gideon has been repeated (in various ways) through the lives of millions throughout history. It is being repeated today.
Maybe this is the day you need to do the “Gideon Jig.”
Maybe you might be one of those “mighty warriors” God is calling to greater faithfulness? In effect, Gideon is saying, “If the Lord is really with us, why are we in this mess?” The implication is that, if the Lord were really behind us, we wouldn’t be failing.
But when the Lord promised to give Hebrews land, the Lord did not promise it would be easy. When Jesus promised us salvation, he did not promise it would be painless.
A local church leader stands to his feet at a meeting and declares, “If this were truly a Christian church, we wouldn’t be having these problems.” The assumption is that the problems in the church were due to the congregation not being real Christians.
While that may sometimes be true, we need to remember it is not always true in every case. Sometimes we find ourselves in a painful, conflicted and difficult mess not because we’re not faithful to Jesus but because we are following Jesus!
It is time for a Gideon Jig.
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