March 25, 2011
For the Journal-Review
The dew was still on the ground and my pants were wet from walking down the hillside to the spillway. A mist was coming from the water and you could hear the tiny rushing sound as the stream was full of bubbling water.
A glob of night crawlers was impaled to the hook and a red-and-white bobber was attached to the line. The rig kurplunked neatly on the water and the bobber stood tall. It floated gently downstream as my Dad adjusted himself on a rock.
It’s the anticipation that makes fishing so much fun. What’s going to happen? Will the bobber go down, detecting a bite? I remember the feeling in my throat as I looked at my Dad, hoping he would catch the first fish today.
I was talking to a friend about the joys of fishing. He didn’t get it. What happens when you catch one, he asked. What’s the big deal? What’s the point? I’m not going to reach my hand into that water. In fact, he witnessed a good-size catfish being caught right near his lakeside home. As a result, for him swimming has become a hazardous activity.
I realize not every reader is going to get it. Maybe I am a country boy at heart. For me, fishing is a concrete expression of fulfilling a dream. Years ago, a division of Paramount Studios would begin each movie with a half-moon in the sky and a Tom Sawyer figure sitting on the curved end, fishing pole in hand, and a bobber in the water.
I can’t think of a better description of dreams than the joy of fishing. Because it is the anticipation that counts – it is the hope of something biting that hook, playing it out, and reeling it in. For the past several years I have been a catch-and-release fisherman. I now prefer to release my catch. So I get the added bonus of watching that fish regain its strength and dash into the deep. Talk about a thrill!
You see, that’s what dreams do. It brings joy to our hearts. Every time I cast my line into the water I am committing an act of faith. I truly believe that my bait, my lure, my “presentation” as the experts call it, is going to trick a fish into biting. And when it happens, it brings joy.
Faith is a bit like fishing. All that God wants to do in your life, God does on the basis of faith. Someone once said, “Faith is to the Christian life what a mainspring is to a watch.” It is indispensable. Everybody has faith. Even an atheist has faith. The only difference is what you put it in and the amount you have.
Faith is such an important concept; you cannot describe it in simply one word or one definition. Faith is like a diamond. It has many different facets to it. It has many different shapes and sides.
Yet, it is important to have a working definition of faith. Why is faith important? What’s the point? What to do you do with it once you have it? How does it apply in my life?
Faith always begins with a picture, a mental image, a dream, a vision and an idea. God gave Abraham a picture. God came to Abraham one day and said, “Abraham, I’m going to make you the father of a great nation. You’re going to have a lot of children.” For Abraham, that was hard to believe.
So God gives Abraham a picture. He took him outside and said, “Look at the heavens. Count the stars, indeed, if you can count them! So shall your offspring be. That’s how may descendants you’re going to have.” God starts by stretching our imagination, by giving us a dream, a vision.
In Mark 5 there is a story about a woman who had been sick for 12 years. Her excessive bleeding made her ceremonially unclean in Jewish culture. That meant she had no social life. She couldn’t be out in a crowd.
One day she heard that Jesus Christ was coming to town. She said, “If I could just touch his robe I’ll be healed.” So she took the initiative and did something daring. She went out into the crowd and pushes her way through and comes up behind Jesus and touches the back of his robe. She is instantly healed.
Jesus recognizes the touch of faith. He says, “Who touched me?” People are pressing in all around him in the crowd. No one knew. But Jesus knew the difference in this touch. The woman comes in front and she says, “I did, Lord.” And he says, “Daughter, your faith has made you whole.”
She took the initiative. She broke the rules. She went beyond the boundaries. She pressed ahead, worked her way through the crowd, and because she took the initiative found the healing she so desperately needed. Faith is the solution to procrastination.
I know not everyone is going to get it. Just like fishing, people have different ideas on how to enjoy God’s gift of nature. I do believe though that God wants to give someone in Montgomery County a message of hope in tough times.
Don’t be afraid to stretch your imagination. Don’t be afraid to dream. This is what faith means. And, don’t be afraid to take the initiative. Don’t be afraid to make that first step even if seems unconventional in your world.
There is no greater thrill in life – even fishing pales in comparison – to a renewed life found in Jesus Christ. He beckons each one of us into a life full of anticipation, hope and fulfillment.
Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Saturday, March 26, 2011
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.
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