Standing Firm in the Truth

At this point in my life, I refuse to blog about politics.  I would certainly alienate many of my friends no matter what I said; and any message of ultimate truth would be lost in the fray.  So, I will instead blog about not blogging about politics. 

 

I am currently addicted to the news.  I fall asleep in front of cable news and wake up in the middle of the night watching reruns of the major commentators’ shows.  I watch along with the nation as investments wither and debt continues to soar.  I think of my own financial mistakes and become disgusted—first with myself, and then with those who expect the government to divest them of any risk.  I think of those who are losing jobs and those who are hopelessly underwater and realize how blessed I am.  Today I bought a bottle of hope (overpriced lemon cleaner) from an inner city “salesman in training” who is trying to escape the cycle of poverty and most likely is being exploited by the company to whom I wrote the check.  I can’t help but wonder what the current economic outlook means for him.

 

The political season is in hyper drive; and both candidates purport to have our best interest at heart.  Followers on both sides present their version of the truth.  Sound byte solutions and personal attacks fill the airwaves.  I have my own view of that truth; but—again—I refuse to blog about politics. J 

 

Then I think about my day.  Opportunities abound to witness to the students and friends I have at school.  I have limits on what I may say, but no limits on the way I live.  Where are my energies spent?  How do I convey the relevance of the issues of today in my social studies classes while demonstrating that the real solutions are not political? 

 

On Wednesday night, we looked at I Timothy 6:3-21.  This passage addresses the issues of my world of today.   Our focus is so often on “controversies and quarrels” that may be of importance in the world, but that stir up malice and discontent that can jeopardize our eternal future.  We have not learned to be content with food and clothing.  Instead, we demand a healthy 401k.  How we need to heed the words of Paul in vs. 17-19: 

 

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

 

We indeed are all rich if we have “the life that is truly life”.  No politician can endanger that wealth, and no risk is involved if we continue to invest our faith.  

 

Yet, if this is truly the case, then why do I get so angry when I get a political e-mail?  Why do I yell at the TV when they refuse to address the real causes of the economic crisis as I see them?  Perhaps it because I stay up too late watching the world grapple with its problems instead of recognizing that Christ solved the most important ones already.  Perhaps it is because I don’t feel as comfortable talking salvation as I do talking politics.  Or maybe I am just so caught up in the world that I can’t stand it when God makes it clear we can’t serve two masters. 

 

Agape—or at least the best I can do,

 

Chris

Worth at Least a Hill of Beans.

 It’s probably not the most effective use of my time.  After reading an article yesterday about bioengineered crops, I could help but throw in my thoughts about gardening.  Last year I finally started a garden in my backyard.  I had done some concrete work and had a lot of topsoil needing a good home.  The result was a raised bed about 16′x30′ in size.  Samantha and I planted about fourteen short rows of green beans and some cucumbers in early August, as well as some potatoes that never broke the surface.  The beans were a bumper crop, filling a five gallon bucket each of about four pickings.  It is hard to beat fresh beans for dinner; and we had them enough to share with my folks. 

Samantha had never planted anything but flowers, and I relished the opportunity to teach her about planting and tending the crop.  My father had given me part of the backyard garden to work myself when I was about ten, and I want to do the same for my daughter.  She listens to me better when we are working than at any other time.  She planted about a third of the seeds, helped me weed the garden, and picked beans at my side whenever it was time.  She took pride in telling our friends and family about “our garden”.  Today she helped me turn the soil so that it could aerate and accept moisture better before planting time. 

I won’t save any money gardening.  I already spent more on the railroad ties and rabbit fence than I could save in a lifetime of eating home grown beans (though with the price of tomatoes, I’ll fare better).  I have too many commitments already-and a garden certainly is a commitment if it is done right.  It’s a waste of water, an unnecessary expense, and a needless physical burden.  But, Lord willing, I will garden until I am too old to eat. 

I like to fry fresh picked okra, eat tomatoes right off the vine, and enjoy a pot of beans and new potatoes after smelling them for hours.  I love watering the garden in the morning, eagerly anticipating the “first fruits”, and running the occasional rabbit off the premises.  And I really enjoy it when Samantha helps. 

Today in Human Geography, we read an article about the demise of the small farmer.  I am very concerned about the economic and social consequences of this as an American, but I am also interested as a Christian.  When Samantha learns about the Parable of the Sower, or any of the countless agricultural images in the Bible, what will they mean to her?  When I say “it is God that gives the increase“, will she relate when her work seems fruitless?  And, besides all that, will she be afraid to get her hands dirty in the Kingdom, having been separated from the soil her whole life?  Not if I can help it. 

So, we garden.  I want it to be a part of who she is.  We aren’t farmers, we aren’t even green thumbs.  But we can sow, water, tend, and reap.  And that’s great practice for life. 

Agape-or at least the best I can do,

Chris

Be a Blue Cat, Not a Flathead.

If you’ve lost all respect for me because I like to noodle, I’m sorry.  Noodling, however, is not without its object lessons.  One which I shared years ago in my first session of camp involved how we confront sin. 

Noodling, of course, is when you jump in the water, find the crevices and holes which hold big catfish, investigate the area with a stick; and if you feel a fish, stick your hand in and pull the fish out by the mouth.  This can occasionally result in a moderate amount of pain.  But, it is incredibly fun-and it is hard to beat flathead catfish¹ for taste. 

Blue cats are considered game fish, so they can not be kept when caught in this manner.  That makes them a disappointment when you find them; and once you know that you have encountered a blue cat, you generally move on quickly elsewhere.  How can you tell?  There in lies the object lesson. 

When a stick or your hand is placed in a hole, a flathead will generally take little or no action.  These fish are used to being the top of the food chain, and are not concerned.  Sometimes, a big flathead will actually open its mouth slowly to let you grab hold.  Only rarely does a big flathead act out aggressively until it is too late. 

In contrast, when a stick or your hand is placed in a hole occupied by a blue cat, regardless of the size, it will invariably attack and either rattle the stick out of your hand or the skin off your fingers².  Blue cats “lay up”³ in the holes early, and have to defend their eggs much more aggressively.  They realize their vulnerable position and confront any threat with immediate and decisive action.  Many times, if they have not yet laid their eggs, they will bolt from their holes and seek shelter elsewhere.  Therefore, they are much harder to catch, and a wise noodler⁴ will seek easier prey elsewhere.

So what about you?  Are you a flathead or a blue cat?  Do you confront sin, and if necessary flee the situation, or do you feel so confident that you allow the devil to gain a foothold?  Often it may be complacency that allows us to fall into the devil’s traps. 

So…there it is-a spiritual application of noodling. 

Notes: 

1.  Flathead must be cleaned properly, cubed, and always fried. 

2.  Cotton gloves are recommended.

3. “lay up” : to occupy a hole, generally for spawning purposes.

4.  Be nice; that’s not an oxymoron. 

Agape, or at least the best I can do,

Chris

“Right” or “Righteous”

 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

                                                                                    James 1:27 (NIV)

A few years back, there was a big fuss over the presentation of a nativity scene at the end of a holiday program at one of our elementary schools.  Based on what I knew of the situation, the district was in a “no win” situation.  Although many would have strong opinions on all sides of the specific issue, I want to mention an example of irony that still amazes me today.  Our district secretary at the time, Nancy, recounted to me a few of the calls from patrons that week.  In her account, the common theme was, “Don’t mess with the @#(%&) nativity!”  The hatred she felt firsthand was difficult for her to dismiss-and it seemed to be aimed at her. 

My uncle once found himself at the center of a controversy at Abilene Christian University over the issue of evolution.  He was a biology professor whose views did not set well with many of the brotherhood, and that much is understandable.  What is not understandable to me is how the issue became a catapult for the career of another man who peddled vitriol as his primary ware and used his position in the brotherhood as a gateway for personal immorality.  A dispute over biblical interpretation and intellectual freedom turned into personal attack and professional homicide.  All was carried out by those who claimed to be seeking sound doctrine. 

Daily, I am amazed at how believing students treat their peers at school who assert that they are either atheist or agnostic.  In their desire to be right, they argue and attack, seemingly caring little about exhibiting the “fruits of the spirit” or the grace of Christ at the well.  I wonder how they expect to convict someone with their words-other than themselves.  I see students who try to stand out as Christian fill their lives with profanity and obscenity, and these are ones who believe. 

Finally, I look at my daughter as she grows, and wonder whether I am teaching her to be “right” or “righteous”.  The former comes from her own efforts, and her own understanding at this point in her life, but the latter must come from God.  I pray daily that I will show her the difference; that she will neglect neither; but that when forced to choose between the two in any quarrel, she will be able to find peace in choosing the righteousness of God over her own desire to prevail. 

Merry Christmas!  May this time be one that affords us opportunities to reach out with the gospel, “producing fruits in keeping with repentance.”

Agape-or at least the best I can do,

Chris

The Evidence in Plain Sight

 I suppose that the hardest thing for me to explain to a non-believer is that true faith in God is not blind belief.   Hebrews 11: 1 presents faith as certainty and assurance.  James tells us that it is shown through action.  I believe that God’s action is not invisible to people of faith, and throughout my life I have seen evidence of God’s providence.  I haven’t stumbled into a burning bush or had the voice of the Lord tell me to raise a million dollars; but I have seen God at work in many people’s lives, and-through his grace-in my own. The wife I married, the child we adopted, the job I have, the love I feel, the church I attend-all are evidence to me of the grace of God and his work in my life.  That is just the beginning.  Is that blind belief? Is it simply my own paradigm?  I don’t buy it.  So what about the failures in life?  What about prayers not answered to my satisfaction or continued struggles I have with sin?  God’s “grace is sufficient” for me. 

Without faith, I suppose His Story is simply “a stumbling block” or “foolishness”.   With faith, the evidence is in plain sight. 

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

                         1 Corinthians 1:20-25 (New International Version)

Agape-or at least the best I can do,

Chris

Simple Christianity

As we have been studying so many world religions in Human Geography, I am reminded constantly of my own faith and commission.  I believe as a public school teacher that I am to imitate the apostle Paul to the best of my ability. I Corinthians 2: 1-5: 

 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (NIV) 

The issue for me is how I can best do that.  I do not have the right to impose my view on anyone in my class, and I would not wish to do that if it were permitted.  I instead am trying to “demonstrate the Spirit’s power” through the way I work with students, the love I share, and the example I set.  I have had several questions about my personal beliefs, and would like to start with these:  I am a sinner and I need a Savior.  No other world religion offers me a solution to my sin problem.  God solved it by sending His Son to conquer it for me.  Submission to His will, as shown by my obedient response to his call, puts me in contact with that sacrifice and frees me from the bondage of my sin.   

I am far from the example I would like to be, and I’m sure Jesus would get your papers graded faster, but I am thankful for the opportunity to share my faith any way I can.   

Agape—or at least the best I can do,

Chris