THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER

This classic movie, from the work of Stephen Vincent Benet, begins with a farmer not having much luck. Crops are bad, hailstorm hits his wheat crop, he loses precious seed he was going to help out a neighbor with. In the meantime, he and all his fellow farmers are being threatened with eviction because they cannot pay the mortgages. In a fit of frustration he says without thinking, “For two cents I would sell my soul to the devil for a bit of good luck!”

The devil immediately shows up in the person of “Scratch.” A bargain is struck where this farmer is promised 7 years of good luck, but it may take a couple of years for t hings to start rolling for him. During the 7 years he becomes a ruthless tyrant who began with a good heart, lending money to his fellow farmers. But at the end of the time allotted, he is driven by greed and money.

Almost too late he learns of the terrible price he paid to have 7 years of good luck. His wife and child leave him, and his friends forsake him. He has a huge mansion but no one to share it with him.

He renounces his hasty bargain. But Daniel Webster has to defend him to a jury of famous criminals (now deceased) but whose ghosts now comprise the jury. The likes of Simon Girty and Benedict Arnold make up the jury. With powerful persuasive words, Webster convinces the jury to give his client another chance at an honorable life, which they themselves chose not to take. After a long and arduous process, to Scratch’s surprise, the jury acquits the farmer of the bargain and he is free to go!

The final scene has Scratch looking in his ledger for another family in the area to strike a bargain with. Then with a sinister, toothy grin he looks at the TV screen and points a finger straight at the viewer with a wink. Though the question is never asked, it is left implicit and loud and clear: “What bargain can I strike with you today?” is what Scratch is asking.

We must run from the devil like the devil! We cannot entertain any thoughts of gaining advantage over others for our own “good luck and fortune.” That is not what life is about. Have we struck bargains with the devil in the past? Nothing is worth such a venture. Using Paul’s words: there should not even be a hint of such a bargain in our lives!

In Christian love, Curtis

PLENTY OF PROVERBS

As I begin preparation for teaching an adult Bible Class in June on the Proverbs, I am forced to go back and look at the basics. To begin with, the first question that comes to mind is, “What is a proverb?”

The Hebrew word that is translated “proverb’ is mashal. The text of Proverbs literally begins with “The Proverbs of…” So at the outset, as we approach this biblical book, we see that it is a collection of proverbs. But, what is a proverb?

In a broad sense mashal can refer to a “saying” of any variety of categories. Sometimes someone or something becomes a slogan for a warning. At other times it can be a blessing pronounced or a mocking song, with the object being a person or nation, and the purpose being to teach what one is not to do. It can also mean riddle, a maxim, a teaching parable.

In other places in the Old Testament a mashal can also be a lengthy discourse. Lessons about life, character and justice are included. Especially in Proverbs these are composed as instruction units, often where the author addresses “my son.” This raises the question as to what proverbs about life would we want to write down and pass on to our children?

Another perspective on what a mashal is might be helpful here. Think in terms of generally recognized truths about life that have been handed down. These are no less authoritative in our lives than, say for example, the commands of Jesus we deem applicable to ourselves. However, it would be safe to say, that we have not accorded the Proverbs nor proverbial sayings the status that we have other sections of Scripture in our lives. Think how often the Psalms are used for worship and devotional literature and practice. Compare this to the proverbs.

We all have plenty of operative proverbs in our lives that seem to daily guide us, but we have not usually named them and brought them the surface of our awareness. For example, “time spent sharpening a tool is not wasted.” We apply this to all sorts of situations, and truth of it has been tested time and again in our lives. We apply it to education, Sabbath-rest, research, training, etc.

This body of literature, the wisdom genre, helps us develop and recognize the truths about life. Sometimes, we do not have to learn lessons the hard way. If we honor the wise sayings that have been handed down, and recognize the wisdom and spiritual discernment contained in them, it will both equip and protect us. We do not have to repeat the mistakes of others. I would suspect that many of the wise sayings of the Proverbs were recognized after much blood, sweat and tears. May we appropriate this rich heritage to our faith!

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RESOURCES


Brown, Francis; Driver, S. R.; Briggs, Charles A. 1981. The New Brown, Driver, and Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Lafayette, IN: Associated Publishers and Authors, Inc.

Brueggemann, Walter. 1972. In Man We Trust: The Neglected Side of Biblical Faith. Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press.

Farmer, Kathleen A. 1996. Who Knows What is Good? A Commentary on the books of Proverbs & Ecclesiastes. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Holladay, William L., editor. 1980. A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Murphy, Roland E. 1992. The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature. New York, NY: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group.

WHO GETS THE CREDIT?

In our small group study Sunday night from Isaiah 26, we came across a concept that sparked a lot of vigorous and wonderful discussion. Here is verse 12 from that chapter:

“Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.”

The prophet articulates what Israel has been so reluctant to see and acknowledge. But only after Judah has experienced desolation and ruin is she as a people ready to see the hand of the Lord.

Isn’t it amazing that the same seems to still be true today! Often we have to hit our heads up against a brick wall, have no where else to turn, and only then are we ready to see the hand of the Lord. Two things particularly are mentioned by Isaiah here: peace and accomplishment.

True, lasting, inner peace is a work that only God can establish. During my lifetime I have heard about so many peace talks, peace movements, peace marches, peace accords, and the list goes on. But the reason that none of this ever has a lasting effect is because it is not peace that God has established. True, lasting, inner peace is the work and hand of God. God alone gets the credit.

Accomplishment…it tends to be the soil for the seeds of human pride to sprout and take root. Even when Israel and Judah rebuilt after the exile, it was only because God was in the project. It was not something that was dreamed up by some savvy leaders and ingeniously orchestrated. My, how this realization convicts all of us relative to the church, the kingdom of God! God’s kingdom is divine work, in which we choose to participate. There are no grounds whatsoever for boasting and pride in what we have done.

So, who gets the credit? The work of peace and the accomplishment of kingdom ventures are all divine work. We collaborate and cooperate with God’s will and the movement of the Spirit. If we are experiencing inner and congregational peace, and enjoying the fruit of our labors…God gets the credit! Praise God for divine peace and accomplishment among us!

In Christian love, Curtis

I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU

What wonderful words of assurance Joshua receives as he takes over the leadership of Israel following Moses’ death! Going from the position of Moses’ aide to the leader of Israel is a big promotion. Will Joshua be equal to the task?
The Lord reassures Joshua with these comforting words:

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).

Death often forces changes of leadership roles upon us. Whether it be in a family, a work situation, or the church—death has a way of forcing issues of leadership crisis upon us. In Joshua’s case, Moses has died and now a younger generation of leadership must take his place. God reassures Joshua that His divine presence will always be with him to sustain him.

As I reflect on this significant change in Joshua’s life, I see spiritual leadership and the Divine presence coming together for the following purposes.

First, God will sustain us during times of transition.

Second, God is a God of the generations and continues to work with and through succeeding transitions of leadership in the kingdom.

Third, a constant sense of His abiding presence is essential to strong and courageous leadership.

Fourth, the power of such leadership is founded upon God’s promise of never leaving nor forsaking us.

Through Joshua’s faithful leadership Israel is given an
possess the land and inherit the blessings God has been promising Israel for many years. Finally, this fledgling nation will see the mighty hand of God offering such divine benefits. The same is true today. Faithful spiritual leadership allows God’s people to reap the divine blessings promised!
In Christian love, Curtis

Lord, Speak to Me

This is the title of an old hymn that speaks powerfully to us today. Below are the words to the first verse:

Lord, speak to me that I may speak
In living echoes of thy tone
As Thou hast sought so let me seek
Thine erring children, lost and lone.

These words say much to us. I see at least the following powerful connections to make with our daily life as a Christian:

>Intimate conversation with the Lord provides the basis for our conversations with others.

>Being in such conversations helps us recognize the tone of the divine voice speaking within us, and we echo that language in our conversations with others.

>God’s initiative of seeking lost sheep provides our initiative.

>God’s care for lost and lonely people motivates us to reach out to them also.

This song originally written in 1872 by Frances Havergal is just as eloquent in its fervent message today as it was then. It speaks profoundly to our lack of interest in others’ spiritual warfare, and perhaps provides a reason for why we often do not reach out to others who are struggling.

All of us are deeply sinful, erring, lost and lonely. But when we meet God in that place deep within, invite God in for conversation and listen quietly for His healing balm, then we can turn around and share with others what has been so restorative for us.

When we prayerfully and wistfully sing, “Lord, speak to me,” then we need to be ready for what follows! Be ready for “echoes of his tone” to reverberate in the chambers of our hearts with an urgent message of seeking the lost and lonely. Are we up for the challenge?

In Christian love, Curtis

GOD AND DOORS

Friends,

Today I am talking about opportunities; good ones, not so good ones and just plain bad ones.
It is pointless to say we are “waiting for God to open or close doors.” Jesus said “it is finished.” He is our King, not our doorman. We must learn which doors to open and which to shut from our study of the Bible, by seeking the council of wise and capable people and by properly applying our own experience.

Learning to do such things makes us more like Christ. Becoming more like Christ brings glory to God. [e-mail sent to me]

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Reply from Curtis:

My friend, good thoughts. However, let me pose a little twist on your perspective. "Waiting" can be the most active thing to do. Henri J. M. Nouwen, the Christian writer, once wrote a journal article for Weavings entitled "Active-Waiting." In this particular article he pointed out that Jesus' ministry was very active up until the time he was betrayed. After he was betrayed ("handed over") to the religious officials, his ministry went from active to passive.

Often God does his greatest work when we are in the passive mode of waiting. It is a waiting characterized by humility, agony, inner angst, no clear or discernible action by God, a commitment to mission, willingness to forgive those who have hurt us, and courageous faith in the face of death. It is this kind of waiting that comes out of a desire to please God and see His will done on the earth through us.

I would say that yes, "we must learn which doors to open and which to shut," as well as to spend some quiet time refraining from opening and closing doors ourselves. Out of this quietness comes a calm assurance that God will indeed open and close doors, perhaps not in our timing, but our prayer is for discernment for two things: to be the answer to someone else's prayers for doors to be opened, and to allow God to open doors for us that are impossible for us to open ourselves! Yours in Jesus, Curtis

Atlanta Trip

I am grateful for the opportunity last week to participate in the ElderLink Conference in Atlanta. Elders from various congregations across our country attended this event. The focus was on spiritual formation and leadership.
So many good speakers presented very challenging and insightful lessons. But here is one main theme that seemed to come through:

“We need to grow more like Jesus in the context of being with our brothers and sisters. The Sunday morning assembly, along with the practice of other spiritual disciplines, positions us to be in an open and submissive posture to receive the love and power of God’s grace to be Jesus for others. Genuine, open, authentic leadership is steeped in the aroma of Jesus.”

As you can see from the above, it would take a life-time of articles and conversation to fully draw out the implications of this summary. However, I believe that church leaders, and the other couples who went, were challenged to go deeper in their relationship with God. This is so that their spiritual resources and personal motivation to walk with others in their spiritual journey can define who they truly are. Ask those who went and get their impressions of what they experienced.

As is normally the case when I am in Atlanta, I got lost coming home! I went north on highway 400 assuming it would cross and let me on to I-285. If it was supposed to, I never saw the entrance ramp. After enjoying a ride of about 45 minutes going northeast (when I should have been going northwest toward Chattanooga!) I realized my mistake and had to cut over west to hit I-75. I was in a part of Georgia that most Tennesseans probably never get to see!

Interestingly, the trip back gave me time to think about, pray, reflect, enter into conversation with myself and other imaginary conversation partners, and rest in God’s presence to soak up the weekend. Trying to be sensitive to the impressions and guidance of God after such a rich and rewarding weekend is a demanding task indeed.

One speaker, Earl Lavender of Lipscomb University, challenged us to see where our own life story is a continuation of God’s ongoing story in the world. This is not easy to do. It encompasses a willingness to see the world through the eyes of God, be near God enough to know the divine heartbeat, and discover the nuanced stories of others as they too are searching for God’s will and direction in their lives.
This week as you go about your own tasks of duties assigned, deadlines imposed, projects needing completion, and individuals encouraged to get on board with you, just remember that you and I are privileged to see God working in the lives of others as we, like Paul, are in agony like a woman in childbirth until Christ is formed in them (Galatians 4:19).

In Christian love, Curtis

SPIRITUALITY & MATERIALITY

I have been intrigued as of late regarding the connection between materiality and spirituality. I find it fascinating that God, who is Spirit, would have the desire, or even the need, to create a material world. Why did He not create a spiritual world and leave it at that? This biblical view of the world, where spirit and material are woven together, has profound implications for the Christian life.

Meredith McGuire maintains, “our material bodies come to be linked with spirituality through social senses and the ritual restructuring of our sense of space and time. Bodies matter, because humans are not disembodied spirits. Individuals’ religions become lived only through involving their bodies, as well as minds, and their emotions, as well as their cognitions. Spirituality is developed by just such embodied practices” [McGuire, Meredith. (Spring 2003). ”Why Bodies Matter: A Sociological Reflection on Spirituality and Materiality.” Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality. 3.1: 1-15]

If McGuire is correct, this may explain why our grandparents knelt in prayer in the assembly. It may explain the kinesthetic movement regarding drama in worship. It may also explain the explosion of material and practictioners pursuing holistic health, where body, mind and emotions, along with the soul and heart are all brought together for the healing process.

Also, I believe this is why Christianity proposes that there is, indeed must be, a redemptive aspect to suffering. Christ suffered in his body. The pain was real. The agony was felt deeply. The misery was palpable.

We are body/spirit linked in fellowship with other bodies/spirits and through that fellowship there is a “ritual restructuring of our sense of space and time.” Just think how the rhythms of the year in the Christian calendar, the rhythms of the week and the first day of the week, Sunday, are experienced in such a way as to reframe our perspective of space and time.

Often we find ourselves thinking about this when we notice other people and other families do not experience fellowship and Sunday the way we do. That is when it dawns on us how powerfully our material world and experience of it is shaped by the church, the activities we bodily engage in, and how we actually live out our faith in a human body.

I am not sure that our traditional view of the body has served us well. The apostle Paul says, “For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling”(2 Cor. 5:4). Our desire is not to get rid of the body; rather in our bodily existence, we desire to be clothed with a heavenly body. Could this heavenly body include a glorified material body? For instance, like Jesus when he arose from the dead and appeared to the Eleven disciples in the closed room before his ascension?

Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and our spirit. May we honor the material as a way of glorifying the God who is Spirit and created the human body in the first place!

In Christian love, Curtis

MAINTENANCE REQUIRED

Orange. Not red. So nothing to worry about. But the more I told myself not to worry, the more I worried!

MAIN
REQU

“Maintenance Required.” The words in orange on my dashboard would not go away. I thought perhaps if I ignored them they would disappear. No such luck!

So, after a couple of days I was forced to reach in the glove compartment and pull out my Owners Manual. It was not the nightmare I was dreading. It only indicated that my oil needed changing. But I had just changed it, so perhaps there is an internal mechanism that automatically comes on at certain miles no matter when you get it changed.

This reminded me of spiritual maintenance. My heart, mind, soul and body need maintenance. It would be nice if we all had an orange light on us to light up when attention was needed spiritually. Paul’s prayer wish for his readers in Thessalonica was: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (1 Thess. 5:23, 24).

Allowing God himself to sanctify us through and through is an ongoing maintenance issue. But how do I know my inner being and body need attention?
Fair enough question. Answer: Spiritual laziness & lethargy. Tensions and conflict in all my relationships. A sour attitude. Finding fault constantly. Fear replacing a joyful outlook on life. Neglect of Bible reading, meditation, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines. Giving in to temptations. Thinking that stinks and is evil at its core. We have to constantly ask God to help us monitor and maintain ourselves.

There is a purpose for all this—that we will be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not know when Jesus will return. But we keep ourselves tuned and maintained by the power and faithfulness of God who is vitally interested in our present state and our eternal destiny. We must never forget how much God has at stake in our daily condition and our ultimate state.
Remember: “God is faithful and He will do it!”

Sweet Will of God

This expression “sweet will of God” is part of our hymn tradition. I think it speaks well of how we are to view the will of God. Eighteen (18) of the twenty-seven (27) books in the New Testament contain the expression “will of God.” In Ephesians this concept plays prominently in Paul’s theology. He sees himself as an apostle “through the will of God”(1:1). It is through the agency and means of God’s will that Paul becomes an apostle to the Gentiles.
In accordance with God’s good pleasure and will, we are adopted as his sons and daughters in Jesus Christ (1:5). Being part of God’s family is His ultimate will for our lives.
God has made known to us the mystery of his will (1:9). That mystery was purposed and revealed in Jesus Christ. The purpose is to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
We were predestined and chosen according to God’s plan who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will (1:11). This is all to God’s glory. As Christians our purpose and identity is shaped/ molded by being in conformity to the purpose of God’s will. Our life’s ambition is to know that will and reflect in our lives.
God’s will is starkly contrasted with the human will in Ephesians. Paul reminds his readers (and includes himself!) that “All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires (will) and thoughts”(2:3). But God in his rich mercy saved us from such a disobedient and sinful life.
Paul reminds us that we need to be wise, seeing how our days and opportunities are short, “therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (5:17). We need to be careful how we live, and make it our goal to daily seek the Lord’s will.
As Paul closes out his letter, he addresses slaves. He wants them to serve their masters with a whole and sincere heart, knowing that they are really slaves of Christ, “doing the will of God from your heart” (6:6). Even in difficult daily circumstances of doing our job we need to understand that our faithfulness on the job is motivated by the fact that we are really serving the Lord.
Sweet will of God…it is sweet to know that our identity, our purpose, our daily life, our salvation, and our work are all made possible “through the will of God!” Are we trying to understand what that will is daily and be guided by it?
In Christian love, Curtis

RESULTS AND PURPOSE OF QUIET TIME WITH GOD

I want to recommend for your reading the classic, The Inner Life, by Andrew Murray. In his opening Preface he makes the following observation:

“The daily need for a time of solitude and quiet to pray and read God’s Word is of utmost importance. This time is spent in fellowship with God will bring a blessing, strengthen our spiritual life, and prepare us to meet the world. Then, we will be equipped for service in God’s kingdom in soul-winning and intercession” [p.5].

Three results flow out of this quiet time, contributing to one main purpose. Time spent with God will bring a blessing. This is the first result. Actually, in my quiet time with God I seek four blessings for each new day: inner peace, joy, humility, and a constant sense of His abiding presence.

The second result is to strengthen our spiritual life. Plugging into the power of God and the Spirit is essential to daily living. Living an unplugged life for God is impossible. Human strength wanes. It has no sustaining power and cannot energize God’s people for God-sized ministries!

The third result is to prepare us to meet the world. None of us knows in the morning exactly what our day will be like. We are constantly surprised when we look back at the day’s activities how God intervened, guided, disciplined, and brought about His sovereign will. We can only be prepared to be a part of this process by waiting for the Lord in expectation.

These three results of quiet time with God equip us for service in God’s kingdom. God’s desire is to equip us and prepare us for the day’s activities for the kingdom. God wants us to be ready to meet the world in all of its brokenness, sinfulness, despair and pain. Without such preparation we are sucked into the world’s condition of hopelessness with nothing to offer. However, with intentional quiet time with God, He will provide and equip us to meet the world with wholeness, forgiveness, hope and healing.

All of this creates the context for sharing the Good News of Jesus and praying on behalf of others. I cannot imagine trying to live for God and others without this kind of preparation. Can you?
In Christian love, Curtis

STICKS AND DIRT

Both boys were vigorously engaged in digging into the huge mountain of dirt. Perhaps they were digging for gold, perhaps they were pretending to be earthmovers, making ready to lay pipeline. Perhaps they were archeaologists looking for the lost treasure of Indiana Jones. There is no telling where their world of imagination had captured them when I saw them working together against what looked like an insurmountable odds.

Several thoughts went through my mind. What were the sticks?
Shovels? Gold-digger picks? Parts of a huge earth-mover? By some strange coincidence I was listening to the radio just at that moment and heard what the latest addition to the Toy Museum was. Do you know what it was? Incidentally, in this museum are things like the slinky, play-do, etc. You can imagine all of the famous and well-known toys that occupy this museum. But guess what the latest addition was? A “stick!”

I believe that a panel of experts have to vote in an object to be included. Their rationale for a “stick” to end up in the museum was that a child’s world comes alive with a stick! Just think of all things that a stick turns into: a spear, a rifle, a magic wand, a baseball bat, a baton, etc. The imagination knows no bounds with a stick.

I saw this magic at work with both adolescent boys digging to make headway against the humongous pile of dirt. What struck me most was not their energy, not their commitment to digging into it, not that they relied on sticks to do their work…rather, both boys, working side by side were of different races.

In my mind the insurmountable mountain of dirt represented a world that both of these boys did not know they were digging against. They were working side by side, trying to accomplish a common task, barely knowing the kind of adult world that awaits them. Perhaps they were best friends. I would like to think so. But the high school and the adult world that one day will beckon them to join, is filled with racial prejudice, hatred, bigotry and favoritism. In my mind these boys were courageously tackling the mountain of racial disharmony and prejudice. From my perspective it looked impossible.

Harmony and reconciliation are the hallmarks of a community of faith shaped by the Spirit of God. Only the church is given the power and mandate to address disharmony, prejudice, hatred, bigotry and favoritism. Only the church is given the model to even know how to proceed. Only the church is given the task as part of her reason to exist to show the world that harmony and reconciliation are possible.

If this is the case, why is it then that the church seems the last place where both are practiced? Only one answer… Satan does his best work where it counts the most. If he can cause disharmony and bitterness in the body of Christ, he can destroy her witness in the world.
I remember one church that was proud of its diversity. But it was expressed in terms of tolerance. And after some digging around, I found out that the members actually felt that it was tolerance, with suspicion underneath the surface. Needless to say, that church split and Satan claimed a group of believers for his own. As long as the issues of diversity are ones that I have overcome, then I can convince myself that harmony and reconciliation are easy to come by and I don’t have to worry very much.

But let someone say something about me behind my back, let someone misunderstand my motives, let someone ask me to step aside so someone else can do my job, let someone mistreat my spouse, let someone take my parking spot, let someone else’s kids mistreat my kids, let someone try to take advantage of me financially, let someone reject me in a thousand and one ways…it doesn’t take much for me to respond in negative and disharmonous ways.

This is Paul’s advice to a church that was embroiled in law suits sounds so contemporary: in 1 Corinthians 6:1-11. Perhaps, in order to beat Satan at his own game, we need to listen in from time to time, and overhear this conversation of long ago. If we could think of it as a blog posting, where people began to complain about how they were being mistreated and Paul posts this response. Let us read and take to heart 1 Corinthians 6:1-11.

SEEDS OF THE REFLECTIVE LIFE

Ken Gire in his book, Seeing What is Sacred, has an entire chapter on the topic of “seeds of the reflective life.” At the beginning of this chapter he includes the following excerpt from Thomas Merton…


Every moment and every event of every man’s
life on earth plants something in his soul. For
just as the wind carries thousands of invisible
and visible winged seeds, so the stream of time
brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come
to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men.
Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost,
because men are not prepared to receive them.


In order to live the reflective life that responds to the divine imperative, “Be still and know that I am God,” we must be prepared to receive such seeds of reflection. Every moment and every event carries seeds of eternity that desire to be planted in our hearts and souls. But it all comes down to receptivity.

When I was growing up, springtime was one of great anticipation. The tractor plow turned over the dark, rich earth. Ground was prepared to receive the seeds. I always thought that it was rather strange and odd that things sprouted we did not plant. This was all because the earth was prepared to receive whatever seed happened to fall and be planted.

Maple tree seeds and morning glory seeds seemed to take over and sprout like crazy. Merton’s quote invites us to think of the wind as the “Spirit.” If we are receptive, the Spirit of God will plant in our hearts seeds that will germinate with “spiritual vitality.” Our greatest challenge is to be ready when those seeds are dropped imperceptibly in our minds and wills.

I was grabbed by the thought that “every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.” Are we prepared and receptive enough to know what that “something” is on a daily basis? What are we learning and how are we growing?

In Christian love, Curtis

WHAT IS AT STAKE?

The Jewish scholar Abraham Heschel once wrote: “Something sacred is at stake in every event” (Ken Gire, Seeing What is Sacred, page 11).

The sacredness of every moment is a concept, a reality and a perspective that I was not taught growing up. But for the Christian there cannot be the secular/sacred dichotomy and split. God is present and accounted for every moment. It is amazing to me the immediate and profound implications this has for Christian living.

First, if God is present every moment and something sacred is going on, then life itself is sacred. Life and death issues, as far as ethical demands and decisions are concerned, all of a sudden become much more simple. Beginning of life and ending of life realizes the sacredness of the event. How is one born in a sacred way? How does one die in a sacred way?

Second, if God is present every moment and something sacred is going on, then spontaneous praise and worship is the proper response. If our thinking restricts sacredness to a building and worship services, then we cheat ourselves of sacred moments in which our hearts are allowed freedom and spontaneity to praise God.

Third, if God is present every moment and something sacred is going on, then I need to have a stewardship theology that accounts for how I approach each single event, each single moment and each single experience in a responsible way. This responsibility recognizes that each conversation, each personal interaction, each decision, each occurrence, each moment, etc. is an opportunity for me to respond with eternity in mind.

Fourth, if God is present every moment and something sacred is going on, then the Sovereignty of God is real for me. It is His world and I am his child. This dependence creates a humility that drinks in the divine presence to fill the human soul. This is how I empty self and become more like Jesus.

What is at stake with this sacramental view of life? Everything to the glory of God!
In Christian love, Curtis

The Reflective Life

I am currently reading a book by Ken Gire with the title, Seeing What is Sacred: Becoming More Sensitive to the Everyday Moments of Life. At the heart of this book is his contention that the “reflective life” is the Christian life lived in a moment by moment awareness of God’s divine presence.

In his introduction I was particularly struck with the following statement:

“We’re starved for a life that not only senses the sacred in the world around us but savors it. We’re famished for experiences that are real, relationships that are deep, work that is meaningful” [page 4].

This statement seems to encapsulate lately my experiences as a minister in the Lord. At the Lipscomb preaching conference these three things seemed to wrapped up in the theme of Exodus and deliverance. Real experiences of deliverance in our lives from the bondages of addiction, depression, etc. testify to the “pillar of smoke by day and the pillar of fire by night” presence of God daily in our lives. Deep relationships are hard to come by. Blessed is the person who has a few of them. And, we want Monday through Friday’s work experience to count for something. After all, we are putting in 40-60 hours a week. A third of our waking hours, or even more, are poured into our work. Can it possibly have meaning other than a paycheck at the end of two weeks?

If we do not live the reflective life, I see a malnourished soul, shallow relationships, and work that is drudgery. This kind of existence dulls the heart’s ability to savor the moment, remembering the purpose of it all.

Pausing to reflect on a mountain ledge at 4500 feet above sea level, listening to a contemplative CD, reflecting on the body of Christ during communion, writing a Haiku after hiking on the trail around the lake at Penuel Ridge, praying with a person who has been called to shoulder the pain of others, etc.—these are just a few of the ways that I have paused to savor, taste and reflect on God’s movement in my life.

Let us all see what is sacred by becoming more sensitive to the presence of God in everyday moments of life!
In Christian love, Curtis

Ananias and Sapphira

In our small groups we are focusing on the life of integrity. The business and work world is crying out for men and women of integrity. Business deals gone sour; financial ruin run amuck; double-speak where no one’s word means anything; moral issues no longer grounded in a theological center; personal and instant gratification allowed to dominate—all of this, and more, is evident of our culture “coming apart at the seams.”

You may recall that our last two articles centered on the idea that culture matters. It does matter because that is the context in which we live. It is easy to dismiss others in their state of lack-of-integrity and assume that all is a lost cause. But the sad thing is that often the people who exhibit the least amount of integrity are Christians!

Take the case of Ananias and Sapphira. A husband and wife team that conspired to lie and take credit for something they did not do. Speculation abounds as to what the exact nature of their motivation was. They did see the attention that Barnabas got for laying his proceeds at the apostles feet. Personal pride and a desire to be in the limelight attacks all of us. The scary thing is that at one time or another we have played out the Ananias and Sapphira in our hearts and in our decisions.

Integrity is a matter of the heart. It shows in the ways we make decisions, tell the truth and really care about others. I have come to the conclusion in watching this phenomenon occur (where Christians sometimes exhibit the least integrity) over the years that Satan knows if he can attack our integrity, then he has us in the palm of his hand.

I feel sorry for this couple. It is sad that they go down in biblical history as the couple who blew it big time and were made an example of. I don’t suppose they were an “evil” couple. No murders, no robbing, no stealing, no adultery, no worshipping other gods, none of this was on their resume. But Luke records this incident very early in the life of the infant church so that Theophilus would understand how critical personal and moral integrity is. Do we?

In Christian love, Curtis

The Morph-ing of the Local Church

Gems from Greek: The Morph-ing of the Local Church
By Dr. Curtis D. McClane
Chair, Religious Studies Department
Professor of Religion & Spiritual Formation
Global Christian University

Adjunct Professor of Bible
Johnson Bible College
Knoxville, Tennessee

Minister of the Word, Prayer & Outreach
Highland View Church of Christ
Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Recent research has sought to define the church in terms of metaphors and illustrations. Something as mysterious and transcendent as the church is hard to get our arms around and define. Two important works have been seminal in my thinking about the nature of the local congregation, showing both the New Testament images used (2004 Minear) and the process of transformation at the heart of Paul’s concept of ministry within that context (2006 Thompson).
Based on this, allow me to suggest that the work and the presence of the local church is constantly “morph-ing.” Too often we have static views of the nature and essence of the church and wonder why we get frustrated when things keep changing. But I want to make a case for the amorphous nature of the body of Christ. The process of change and transformation is more fundamental to the nature of the church than its polity, tradition of worship practices, etc.
This is emphasized by Paul’s choice of language in his letters. It is highlighted in the New Testament by the morph root words he uses. Look at the passages below:

Philippians 2:6-7 Jesus originally was in the form (morph) of God but humbled himself to the form (morph) of a servant.

Galatians 4:19 Paul expresses his personal agony and inner angst like that of the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed (morph) in his readers.

Romans 12:2 Paul admonishes his reader not to live conformed to the pattern of this world, rather they are to be transformed (morph) by the renewing of their minds.

2 Corinthians 3:8 Turning to the Lord lifts the veil on the heart so that believers can reflect the Lord’s glory. In this process Paul’s readers are being transformed (morph) into the likeness of Jesus with ever-increasing glory.

As we can see from the above Scriptures, Paul envisioned spiritual formation, transformation and renewal to be at the heart of community life in Christ. Rigid concepts of how people ought to behave and how programs ought to function and how budgets out to be spent all run counter to this notion. Instead of seeing the church as a business to run, people to manipulate and programs to put on we need to be counter-cultural in our perspective of the local congregation. Since Jesus is the greatest example of “morph-ing” we have, it makes sense to think that his followers would be living examples of “morph-ing” also. But practically, what does this mean for ministers, elders, deacons, teachers, ministry leaders, and members of the local church?

Allow me to suggest the following:

· Servanthood itself takes on a diversity of shapes
· We do not allow the world to squeeze us into its mold
· As faithful Christians and disciples we are changed from the inside out: heart and mind
· We are daily being changed into the likeness of Jesus

No wonder the local church seems to be constantly changing! It is inherent in the DNA of congregational life. Lives are constantly changing because of circumstances. But on a deeper level we are changing because we are in the process of being “morph-ed” daily. This prepares us for the amorphous nature of relationships, problems, life situations, etc.
This helps us take on more ownership of the changing of our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is why Paul could agonize like a woman in childbirth. Instead of pulling our hair out because the organizational, institutional aspect of church life is not happening, we trade that for agonizing over lack of change (morph) in the lives of our fellow believers.
At the very core this means we believe that only God can change the human heart and transform it by the working of his Spirit. The Spirit of God takes the raw material of clay and molds into the image of Christ. This takes on a lovely diversity of appearance as each one is gifted differently. We try to encourage one another not to be fashioned like the culture around us. Ultimately, the inside “morph-ing” process will show itself on the outside. Changed hearts and minds slowly morph into the likeness of Jesus.
Remembering all of this frees us from two fears: the fear that things will change and the fear that they will not. “Morph-ing”—praise God for his work of transformation in our congregations!

Resources:
Minear, Paul S. 2004. 2nd ed. Images of the Church in the New Testament.
Philadelphia, PA: Westminster/John Knox Press.

Thompson, James W. 2006. Pastoral Ministry According to Paul: A Biblical
Vision. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

Tornadoes, Towers and Tragedies

This spring is quickly approaching one of the deadliest on record in our country. So far over 100 people have lost their lives to twisters meandering through the Midwest and heartland of our nation. In addition to the metereological questions arising as to the cause, ontological questions arise when people ask, “What did they do to deserve this?”

There has been since nearly the beginning of time the thought that pain, suffering and tragedy are just recompense for a life misspent. If you encounter bad things, you must have done something to deserve it.

Yesterday in our small group discussion we discovered the same kind of thinking that was around in Jesus’ day. He referred to a contemporary event that most of his audience knew about: “Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no!”(Luke 13:4,5).

Tragedy has nothing to do with guilt. It may cause guilt, especially what we call “survivors’ guilt.” But, tornadoes leveling neighborhoods and towers crushing people have nothing to do with recompense or somehow people getting paid back what they are owed.

We live in world where senseless, needless and irrational tragedies abound. The cyclone in Myanmar, and now more lives are being lost because of authorities keeping a tight control on relief efforts. I do not claim to know the answer to all of this. It is a crazy world we live in.

Here is the only thing I do know: what makes sense, and what is needful and what is most rational is this—I live a repentant life, guilt-free because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Then no matter the tragedies that surround me, I know that I am in the hands of a loving Father whose heart breaks too when these things happen.

In Christian love, Curtis

Don't Scramble, Prioritize!

Opportunities for Spiritual Growth and Engagement:
Don’t Scramble, Prioritize!


I left the pepper plant in the garage too long. It is hanging down its head and crying. In desperation I dug an extra big hole, deposited an extra amount of enriched soil, watered it with a copious amount of fertilized water—too much, too late.
As I ponder on this little vignette of my gardening catastrophe, I am struck with how this describes so much of our life efforts. Only when we see the heart, the relationship, the value, the priority nearly dead do we shift into what I call “the scramble mode.” We run around, scrambling here and there, grasping for anything and everything as a last straw of hope.
This entire approach to God is neither healthy nor glorifying to God. Waiting too late has its own consequence—no more opportunities. Our daily lives are filled with opportunities to attend to the priorities. But if we shove them back on the shelf, the time will come when they will present themselves no more.
I love hot peppers. Only a hot-pepper-lover would understand this statement. But if I love hot peppers so much, why did I leave this one special plant in the garage too long?

+I got too busy
+I forgot
+I kept putting it off
+Every time I saw it I kept reassuring myself, I will do it tomorrow
+Pepper plants are hardy and resilient
+I still have time left

You know the excuses. We have all made them. The rationalizations muffle the sound of the screaming priorities. Busyness, self-preoccupation, procrastination, rationalization, false sense of security—we have relied on all of them at one time or another.

Some one in the hospital—why did I not go by and give them a word of comfort and prayer before they died? I intented to…

+I got too busy
+I forgot
+I kept putting it off
+Every time I remembered I kept reassuring myself, I will do it tomorrow
+People are hardy and resilient, they will get better
+I still have time left

Remember, don’t scramble, prioritize! You’ll never regret it. To God be the glory!
In Christian love, Curtis

Spiritual Maturity & Self-Consciousness

“Maturity: among other things, a new lack of self-consciousness—the kind you can only attain when you have become entirely indifferent to yourself through an absolute assent to your fate.
He who has placed himself in God’s hands stands free vis-à-vis men: he is entirely at his ease with them, because he has granted them the right to judge.”[page 75]
Hammarskjold, Dag. 1993. Markings. New York, NY: Random House Publishers.

I would say more than just maturity: I would call this “Mature surrender of self.” How does one get to the point of lack of self-consciousness? This is difficult because we know we have to be self-aware in order to function normally. There is a thin line between self-awareness and self-consciousness. Spiritual maturity is getting to that place in our inner self where the distinction is clear. Self-awareness and self concept are developed in a healthy way, rooted in the image of Christ. Self-consciousness focuses on the limitations and the lack of worthiness to be one’s self and to be a work of God in Christ.

The only way to do this is to place one-self in the hands of God. As the clay we are made into His image and through Christ re-shaped and molded for His divine purposes. It is so easy to live our inner life stifled because we forget that we do not stand or fall before other human beings. Rather, our stability and maturity rests in the willingness of our will, desire and readiness to be vulnerable and pliable and waiting in the hands of the Almighty.

Even if others judge us, and they will because they are human beings and we have no way of controlling that freedom, there is an inner freedom in knowing that we are judged by God and we stand or fall before the divine presence.

Perhaps the hardest thing is to realize that our self-worth and self-concept are not tied to our performance or worthiness. God does not judge us worthy. We were initially judged unworthy by God and found wanting in our own ability to fix the human predicament of sin and sorrow. That is why, out of Divine Love, our own unworthiness was replaced with the worthy sacrifice of Jesus. We cling to him for our worth. We go to the cross for the paradox of flinging the unworthy self at the feet of our Savior and then unworthily picking up the cross and with a renewed sense of worth and freedom carrying that cross. It is our own sinfulness that keeps us carrying the cross, the unworthiness that thinks that by carrying the cross with Jesus still on it, somehow our super-human attempt at such a feat will merit our new standing before God.

Spiritual maturity and the inner self—a never ending journey that seems to present ever-changing landscapes of potential destination. Just when we think we have arrived, just around the next corner is a new vista to be traversed, a new challenge to be accepted, a new day to dawn upon us.

I love the image of being placed in God’s hands. This is the position of protection, security and safety. It is complete trust and reliance upon God to supply the inner worth and strength and value as we negotiate the terrain of life with relational challenges lurking behind every new bend in the road. Sometimes those challenges can leave us reeling and wondering if we truly are in the hands of God. But faith and inner assurance granted by the Holy Spirit gives us confirmation that all is well, and all shall be well. This is the ground of our being in relationship with God. The One who made us will shade us. The One before whom we kneel and pray everyday is Our Heavenly Father. It is to this Heavenly Father that our inner work in entrusted and that we live with a new resurgence of freedom and joy before others who really do not know us, and will never take the time to encourage us in our travels with God.

More than anything, O Lord, help me to become more and more like Christ. Help me to be more spiritually mature, and enjoy the freedom and inner peace that only You, Jesus and the Spirit can offer. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.