Holy Bug Zappers

My Grandmother used to say, “Where there’s light, there’s bugs.” By that, she reminded me that if you start a good work, there will always be someone to criticize what you’re doing. So don’t get discouraged if people are complaining.

Let me tell you a story about my grandfather, “Papa.” Papa and Meemaw lived in Oklahoma City. They had a giant backyard (long but skinny) with a couple of magnificent cherry trees to play in and lots of horned toads for grandsons to catch. We loved playing in the backyard, but one-day Papa’s neighbor brought home a dozen beehives. He thought it would be great to raise them in his backyard. The bees might have been great for the cherry trees, but they weren’t great for barbecues or little boys.

Papa went and talked nicely with his neighbor who could have cared less. He was a greasy-haired young man who always had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He laughed and slammed his door in Papa’s face. My grandfather just shook his head sadly and checked with the city.

“You can’t keep cattle or goats, sir, but there is no regulation about bee hives. I’m sorry.” As strange as it sounds, Papa’s neighbor was entirely within his rights to keep the bees back there.

Time stretched on, and things only got worse. The gruff neighbor didn’t even share his honey! Then Papa had an idea. He went to the hardware store and bought several electric bug zappers and lined them up on the fence that divided their yards. I can still remember the little grin that use to cross Papa’s face every time we heard a “crack!” “Pop!” or “Sizzle.”

The church isn’t full of perfect people. In fact, we have a few that call for more grace than you might expect. There aren’t any “Holy Bug Zappers” so that tells me God expects us to act otherwise. Here are a few rules I’ve found helpful when I’m called on to show a little extra patience with people.

When dealing with problem people, don’t become a problem yourself. (See the Golden Rule for a further explanation.)

When you are being drawn into a conflict, draw closer to God!

Even though that person may annoyingly express himself, listen to what he has to say. He might be right!

The object is not to “squash the bug,” or run them away. The goal is always “transformation.” (See Romans 12:1, 2.)

God doesn’t call on us to only love the nice people. We are to love people – stingers and all!

Spiritually Fit

I am a great one for starting exercise programs. My basement is full of equipment: a treadmill and a Total Gym. Recently I read the fine print and discovered it is not enough to own these machines, to really benefit I actually have to use them! Imagine that. 

I gathered that equipment with the best of intentions. I needed to lose some weight. I needed to strengthen my heart, lower my blood pressure, lower my cholesterol, fight my diabetes and even look good at the beach. The real challenge was (is) getting up in the morning, putting on my sweats and getting to work. 

The same is true of our spiritual life. We all recognize the value of having a relationship with God and His family. We know the benefits and blessings of being a Christian. What we struggle with are motivation (what is driving me?) and maintenance (what keeps me going?). 

The fear of going to hell can be a powerful motivator, but the Apostle John wrote, “Perfect love casts out fear.” It is not the fear of hell that should motivate us, but the joy of being counted as God’s friend.

James, the brother of Jesus says, “‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’ — and he was called a friend of God,” (James 2:23). Are you God’s friend? 

If so, it’s time to dust off the spiritual exercise equipment:

  • Pray conversationally
  • Listen to God through -Bible Study and meditation
  • Simplicity
  • Solitude
  • Service
  • Confession
  • Celebration in Worship

It’s time to dust off the spiritual exercise equipment and get moving!

Walk, Run, Fly!

A powerful motivational preacher was addressing a congregation. This was a notoriously frugal church. It was packed with penny pinchers and tightwads. They weren’t going anywhere, and he was doing his best to get them motivated. He looked around the crowd and exclaimed, “The church is like the lame man Jesus healed. It’s got to get up and walk!”

The congregation agreed shouting, “That’s right! Let it walk!”

The preacher pulled out his handkerchief, mopped his brow and shouted, “This church, like -Elijah on Mt. Carmel has got to run!”

The people were with him and shouted in unison, “That’s right! Let it run preacher!”

Spurred by their enthusiasm, he lifted both hands high overhead and cried, “This church has got to mount up on eagle’s wings and FLY!”

Amens were mixed with chants of “Let it fly! Let it fly!” But when the preacher exclaimed, “If it flies, it takes money!” the congregation settled down and mumbled, “Let it walk!”

Bad Moms of the Bible

Every year on Mother’s Day, ministers typically choose one of the great moms of the Bible to talk about. This year I considered looking at the “Bad Moms of the Bible.” There are actually quite a few to choose from: Athaliah, the wife of King Jehoram, the daughter of King Ahab and the only queen of Judah, was certainly bad (2 Kings 11). After the death of her son, she killed all the members of the royal family and took the throne, but I guess we can’t count her since technically, she was the worst grandmother of all time. If only she had remembered the names of all of her grandchildren, she would have realized she missed one (who was crowned king a few years later, 2 Kings 11).

My nomination for the worst mom in the Bible is Herodias, Herod Antipas’ wife. She was responsible for the death of John the Baptist after her daughter’s famous dance (Mark 14:8). I don’t think we give Herodias credit though, for taking Salome to all those dance lessons and recitals. Why she may have even worn her fingers to the bone making those cute little costumes, although I doubt it. Apparently there wasn’t much to them.

On the other hand, I had a great mom and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t give to just have fifteen more minutes with her to tell her so. She died suddenly during a “routine procedure.” I took her to the hospital for the test and we told stories, laughed together and shared a hug I will always treasure. Then they wheeled her into the operating room.

Mom’s death was sad, but it wasn’t a tragedy. Dad died a few years before and I always had the feeling she couldn’t bear to be apart from him. In fact, when we buried dad, mom had her name written on the grave marker with her birthday and they left a place to fill in the date of her passing. It gives me great joy to know they are together again, and it fills me with great anticipation to look forward to the day when I will see them both once more.

Happy Mother’s Day!

The Fruit Inspector

Jesus warned us, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged,” (Matthew 7:1), but we are required to make judgments all the time. Based on what Jesus says just a few verses later (Matthew 7:16), the famous Los Angeles preacher, Marshall Keeble, use to quip, “I’m not a judge – I’m a fruit inspector!” So what’s the difference?

A judge makes a solemn pronouncement branding someone for all time: “Guilty!” and people who act like judges condemn people and don’t give them a chance to grow: “You’ll never amount to anything” or “You are such a disappointment!”

A fruit inspector, on the other hand, makes allowances, “It’s not quite ripe yet,” or “It’s past its prime. This apple is rotten.” A fruit inspector knows the difference between a peach and a mango. As Jesus said,

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them,” (Matthew 7:16-20).

Judges are harsh and their decisions are not easily reversed. A fruit inspector recognizes produce and knows how to care for it. Wouldn’t it be great if we were all fruit inspectors?

The Worst Host of All Time

Procrustes was very friendly, but he may have been the worst host of all time. He invited all passersby to stop and spend the night at his house. He even graciously offered them the use of his famous iron bed. There was only one problem: if the guest was too short, Procrustes would stretch them out until they fit his bed and if they were too long he would simply cut them down to size.

Of course, there truly is no such thing as “one size fits all” in clothing or in congregations. We are such a diverse lot, aren’t we? In our congregation, we have old and young, rich and poor, people with strings of degrees after their name and those without. We speak English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Texan. We love spicy food and bland. Our diversity is our strength, but it can also become our greatest vulnerability. I truly fear those who would, like Procrustes, insist we all fit the same mold.

In the Corinthian church, some people loved listening to Paul. He wasn’t a trained orator and often talked too long, but the depth of his understanding has never been equaled. Then there were those who loved the “Eloquent Alexandrian” Apollos. Others were entranced by the sincerity and first-hand knowledge of Peter. How did they ever get along? What advice would you give them? Rupertus Meldenius (circa 1627) wrote:

“In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”

Yawn

My grandkids have introduced me to the cartoon series, Phineas and Ferb. It’s about how they spend their “104 days of summer vacation.” They are always inventing and building things and having fantastic adventures. Those two are never bored.

Wouldn’t it be great if life was like that — never dull — but we can’t always have mountaintop experiences and, thankfully, we don’t always live in dark valleys. Sometimes life is boring: “same ol’, same ol’” and sometimes our faith goes through “dry places.” Bible study becomes meaningless, and prayers are repetitious. We find ourselves just going through the motions.

I wonder if, in the days before his public ministry, John the Baptist ever was bored in the desert? Did his diet of locusts and wild honey ever seem stale? Did he become tired of looking at sand, rocks and scrub brush? If he did, what advice would you give him?

“Just be faithful Brother Baptist! But we are not called to stagnation and “faithfulness” can even become a way of rationalizing complacency or outright negligence.

Someone else might encourage John the Baptist to, “Keep growing!” That isn’t necessarily biblical advice. Does it sound like something Oprah or Dear Abby would suggest and what if you lack the motivation to do even that?

“Persevere! Our preacher keeps talking about Christians persevering. Winston Churchill said, ‘Never, never, never, never, never, never, never give up!’” And while the Bible does call for perseverance, it doesn’t allow for hollow perseverance. Paul told the Romans, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord,” (Romans 12:11).

I think John the Baptist understood the need to maintain an internal faithfulness. We need a sense of duty and a sense of passion. That sense of passion comes from seeing faith at work. That means spending time with my brothers and sisters, sharing our passion and our energy. When I see the Spirit at work in others, I am more likely to sense his presence in my own life.

And finally, what is the difference between sitting at home on the couch – bored – and standing in line for an hour at Disneyland? Anticipation! So what are we waiting for? The Lord is coming, and that is exciting!

Positively Christian

“The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser — in case you thought optimism was dead.”  — Robert Brault

Somewhere along the way, Christians got a reputation for being negative people. Perhaps we inherited that label from our Jewish forefathers. The rabbis studied the first five books of the Bible and identified 613 commandments that cover nearly every aspect of life. It seems 365 of them are negative (“One for every day of the year”) and 248 of them are positive (“One for every bone in the human body”).

Of course, we do it to ourselves too. I once knew a preacher who always seemed so angry in his sermons. I asked him why and he announced, “The Apostle Paul told Timothy to ‘reprove, rebuke, and exhort’ (2 Timothy 4:2) and so I believe two out of three sermons ought to be angry!” I’m sad to say, I think he was serious, but I don’t think that’s right. Christians ought to be the most positive people on the planet. We have so much to live for and, what’s better, we have something to die for! After all, we’ve read the book and we know how the story ends.

I suppose I’ve always been an optimistic Christian. Along the way, I’ve collected some tidbits that reinforce that view:

  • “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill
  • “What day is it?”
  • “It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
  • “My favorite day,” said Pooh. 
  • — A. A. Milne
  • “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” — Marcus Aurelius
  • “You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down” — Charles Chaplin
  • “Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible.”  — Albert Einstein

Life isn’t a weary cycle that repeats itself over and over and over again. Jesus assured us, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). So, I’m positive – I’m a Christian!

Sparrows at Discount Prices

The first four books of the New Testament, are called “Gospels” because they tell the “Good News” of the coming of Christ (“Gospel” means “good news”). The first three are called the “Synoptic Gospels” because they are closely related.

Scholars endlessly argue about the relationship between the three: “Which one came first?” “Do Matthew and Luke quote from Mark or from Mark and another unknown source?” (Many scholars talk about this other source, often called “Q” – the first letter of the German word quella — “source.” Some believe Q was a collection of the sayings of Jesus, similar to the so-called “Gospel of Thomas,” an apocryphal book, while others say Q is just an oral collection of the sayings of Jesus.) We’ll leave that debate for the professors to argue about, but it is often interesting to compare the accounts in the four Gospels.

For example, do you ever feel like no one cares about you? Perhaps you are tempted to think, if you dropped off the face of the earth, no one would notice. Those feelings of worthlessness can be so depressing, but if you are tempted to think that way, imagine the plight of the poor sparrow!

My family loves to watch the endless variety of birds in our backyard. There are bright red cardinals, woodpeckers, finches, jays and soaring overhead are the Cooper’s Hawks.

With all that endless variety and magnificence, we hardly even notice the little, common house sparrows that chirp and hop around us.

It was the same way in biblical times. There are over 400 species of birds that inhabit Palestine and forty of them are mentioned in the Bible. Eagles, owls, vultures, doves, quail, seagulls, swan, even ostriches catch our attention, but the poor sparrow hardly noticed.

In those days, the little sparrow was poor man’s food. They were sold two for a penny (Matthew 10:29) and, if you read the parallel account in Luke, the “Beloved Physician” points out sparrows were so common they were sold at a discount. In Matthew, you could buy two for a penny, but in Luke, you could buy five for just a penny more (Luke 12:6)!

So, do you ever feel like your life, like that of the little sparrow, could be sold away at discounted prices? Then listen to Jesus:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows,” (Matthew 10:29-31).

Don’t despair. If God loves sparrows, surely He loves you more!

Friends for Eternity

Friendship and evangelism go together in a most wonderful way. To call someone “friend” is a beautiful epitaph and to call someone friend for all eternity is the sweetest of relationships.

Unfortunately both friendship and evangelism have fallen on hard times. We are overwhelmed with relationships and bombarded with demands. The frantic pace of life often prevents us from becoming close to anyone and nurturing friendships with the most precious of commodities, time. One of the great surprises of recent times involves online social networking. It has become far too easy to confuse knowing about someone with knowing someone!

To the ancients, friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human of all loves — the crown of life and the school of virtue. Moderns by comparison, ignore it. Why? Could it be that too few truly experience it?

Friendship arises out of companionship, but it blossoms when they discover something in common. It may be an insight or an interest that, until that moment, they believed was their special treasure. Hence, the picture of lovers is “face to face” but the image of friends is shoulder to shoulder.

Likewise, evangelism has often been cheapened into just another program. We often relate evangelism with sales, and the joy of sharing the good news becomes crass commercialism. We learn a “technique” or rely on “professionals” without ever realizing we are sharing a relationship with a friend.

Evangelism begins as we discover God for ourselves. It spills over as we introduce others to our eternal Friend. At its heart, evangelism is learning to love our friends in a way that even death cannot separate. The news we’re going to share is so good there is even a special name for it: Gospel.

When Cornelius was told Peter was coming to his house with the Gospel, he was so excited he invited all of his friends and all of his family to be there. Will you do the same?