Got Change?

Last Sunday our pastor shared a famous quote from Mark Twain: “The only person that seems to enjoy change is a baby with a wet diaper.” I’ve noticed that my son doesn’t always enjoy a diaper change, even when he needs it! Sometimes it means disrupting a game of nerfball or play with another toy. He doesn’t seem to enjoy leaving our arms for the harder surface of the changing table. Often he doesn’t seem to appreciate it at all until the dry diaper is on.

I’m smiling as I think how like many of us that is. In order to change us God sometimes has to disrupt the games we're playing, put us on a hard surface, and change us! The process is difficult, and sometimes, we don’t even like the change! But we can trust that as we allow God room to lead us in our lives, and live according to God’s Word, we can believe that all things – even change – are somehow working out for our good (Romans 8:28).

The UMC I serve follows a lectionary cycle, and one of the Scriptures for this Sunday is the 23rd Psalm. We will certainly be celebrating that theme in worship this Sunday. One of my favorite hymns that speaks to God’s guidance and care is the wonderful Swedish hymn “Day By Day”.

“At the age of 26, Lina Sandell had an experience that greatly influenced her life. She was accompanying her father aboard ship to the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, across Lake Vattern. The ship gave a sudden lurch and Lina’s father, a devout Lutheran minister, fell overboard and drowned before the eyes of his devoted daughter.” (p. 20, Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck.)

Out of this horrible tragedy, in days of profound sorrow, these tender words were written:

Day by day, and with each passing moment
Strength I find to meet my trials here.
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best.
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Ev’ry day the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares, He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He whose Name is Counselor and Pow’r!
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid:
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

In these days of palpable uncertainty, may we find strength in God our Rock and Jesus our Good Shepherd, who leads us – albeit through change – from glory to glory to a wondrous place of grace.

Beauty Within

Maybe by now you've heard of Miss California, in the Miss USA pageant, giving a response to the question of whether or not every state in the union should follow the lead of VT and allow same-sex marriage. I have the following observations:

1. She answered the question. Isn't it refreshing to hear people answer questions and not dance around them?
2. Gee, in a pageant, don't you think the pageant officials and handlers would know what a girl's response would be to a question like that? I know that she drew the number of the judge who asked the question out of a glass bowl, but I can't help but think that she was set up with that question. A little "gotcha moment" for the religious girl?
3. It seems like that question, like many pageant questions, was framed to promote a political agenda.
4. I was surprised by the audience's response - I was expecting lots of boo's. There may have been a few, but all I heard was pretty loud applause in response to her answer. Whether the audience applauds or not does not validate one's convictions, but I was surprised, nonetheless.
5. Hopefully, vlogging about a pageant contestant and calling her a dumb b.... disqualifies one from serving as a judge in the future. What would happen if her answer had been the opposite and she were treated in the same way as she's being treated now? What kind of hot water would the vlogging judge be in then?

I'm sure Miss CA is not perfect. I appreciate the fact that she stood by her convictions and she answered graciously. True beauty emanates from within. Surely integrity is one of the keys to this kind of beauty.

Wow - seeing God heal is amazing

I wasn't going to blog on this at first, but as I have reflected on this, I think I can blog on this without giving anyone's identity away. I hope this will encourage you as much as it has and is encouraging me.

My friend's email subject caught my eye as it entered my inbox ... something like, "I need your prayers NOW." My good friend has a pretty steady, sunny personality, so I knew something was up. In her email she explained that her best friend was in the hospital, having bled in her brain after a bad fall in which she basically landed on the back side of her head. At that moment she was noncommunicative, paralyzed, and not breathing on her own.

I felt like the Lord wanted me to get over there as quickly as I could. I'm no hero, I just know when God is talking to me - and for a change I decided I'd better do what I heard Him telling me to do. So later that day my friend and I met by her friend's bedside (let's call her friend Mary) in the ICU to pray.

One of the men in our church works as an ICU nurse, and he happened to be on duty. I invited him to stay and pray with us. There were four of us (including Mary's Mom), with hands joined around the bed. Mary's Mom and I held Mary's hands. I prayed and sang a couple verses of "Amazing Grace" to her. She seemed restless before I began to sing and calmer as I sang. This, again, is just due to God. I can take NO credit.

The next day I emailed my friend and asked if I could meet her to pray with Mary again. She said sure, and said, "Yesterday, you prayed on her right side, and today, she has movement on her right side. Do you think we could pray on her left side today?" At first I though, "I'm no faith healer!" but I knew to keep my mouth shut. I might not be a faith healer, but Jesus is the Great Physician, and the Father wants us to bring our requests and petitions to Him. So I prayed on her right side. It was a couple days, but her right side began to show some promise.

The doctors were concerned about inner organs shutting down, and the next day I saw her, Mary was having a bad day. Her breathing was fast and labored, even on the machine, and the hospital staff was clearly concerned. I prayed with her and sang to her anyway, but it seemed to have no effect. Mary's Mom was with her the majority of every day. She looked very tired and discouraged that day. Her kids came every day after work - her daughter was there when I came that day and she looked equally discouraged.

I left the hospital with a sinking feeling that I may not return to pray for and sing with Mary again.

I returned the next day in time to offer a quick word of prayer before surgery, and talk briefly with Mary's Mom and son.

I heard from my friend that Mary had made it through surgery. We visited her together shortly afterward. She wasn't in ICU any more! She was in a regular room. As we came to the room, nurses and doctors were in and out, clearly trying to solve a problem that had come up. Mary's daughter was there, and came out in the hall to talk with us. She said something about Mary making a list of items to get for her from home!

Four weeks ago, Mary was lying on her bed in a semi-coma (that's my analysis, not medical). She was badly bruised all over her face. Her eyes were pretty much shut, or else her eyelids fluttered. She was restless, but seeminly unconscious and unable to communicate. Now she was making lists, clearly thinking.

Three weeks ago, during surgery, the doctors put in a "trach" (spelling?) so they could take the breathing tubes out of her nose, but keep her breathing.

Two weeks ago I visited and she was breathing through the trach ON HER OWN. Her eyes were open - I was struck by how beautiful her eyes were, and the joyous sparkle she had when her friend and I walked into her room. And she was mouthing words!

After a little bit of small talk around the room, I asked if I could pray for her. Mary suddenly dropped my friend's hand and reached out for mine. We all joined hands around the bed and prayed again for Mary's continued mending and healing. I got to sing a verse of "How Great Thou Art," and afterward Mary clapped and mouthed the words, "I'm so happy."

When I got home I shared all of this with my wife. "Of course," she beamed, "the prayer of a righteous man availeth much." I knew what had gone through my mind that day. I knew the temptations I had entertained, given into, the thoughts I had - the bad attitudes I harbor and sometimes display. I'm not righteous, but thank God - through His grace, by faith I am made righteous through the blood of Christ!

I stopped by to see Mary last week - as it turns out it was her last full day in the hospital. Her eyes were bright and she was able to whisper enough for me to get the essence of what she was saying. She's now in a medical rehabilitation facility. I don't know what might happen to Mary in the long-run, but I know God is able to heal if that's what will bring Him the most glory. And I also have had a tremendous reminder of a favorite promise,

"Nothing is impossible with God."

As we pray, we can pray with expectation. We should pray and ask God for what we want, believing that if He will, He can give it to us. I'm not talking about a new Porsche... but a new life, healing, provision, spiritual growth, blessings for others, discipline for ourselves, spiritual victory, a second chance... these are wonderful things to ask of God. May He be praised!

just a few personal notes

A PARADOX: I didn't stop and stare, I just noticed out of the corner of my eye, a bright blue car pull up next to me at a stoplight this morning. And out of the corner of my eye I noticed that the driver looked right over at me as she came to a stop. She was probably in her late 20's, driving a hybrid car. She had her window partially rolled down because she was... SMOKING. I laughed at the irony... so which spilled out more pollutants into the environment this morning - my big, beautiful Park Ave., or her Prius and cigarette smoke? I don't know.

I'M WEARING RED TOMORROW. Many of my CA friends who know I'm from the Midwest will probably be surprised that I'm not rooting for the Superbowl team from back East. Well - I'm from Ohio. Just as I would never root for the Maize and Blue in any contest, so I will never root for that team from the Pitts. Rooting for either team for me would almost be like voting for a Democrat in our family, which I did... in the last Illinois gubernatorial election. Let that be a lesson to me!!!

SPEAKING OF THE NEWS FROM ILLINOIS THIS WEEK: If ex-Gov. Blago were entitled to a jury of his peers, he got one last week... I'm not sure who's dirtier than who, but I guarantee you that at least 98% of all the polticians from the great state of Chicago - I mean Illinois - is up to their eyebrows in corruption. That's just how the game is played "over by dere". (that's a "d" instead of a "th" for you non-Chicagoans)

ON TO THE NATIONAL SCENE: Of course, there are some pretty serious implications to the last two sentences above. Well, "By their fruits you shall know them", right?

As the fruit is born, please promise me you won't look at rotten fruit and call it fresh, OK? And I promise not to look at fresh, healthy fruit and call it rotten.

Thanks for reading my ranting. I was going to write a nice piece about Sizi's high school formal and how I felt as her dad and post a pretty picture of her in her dress, but I think I accidentally hit delete - at any rate, no pretty pictures! Hopefully, you'll stick around to see if I write something about it next time. We'll see...

Take care, everyone.

Thanks, I needed that

"So, how are you doing?" my friend asked me. We were past the small talk phase of our conversation, and we were talking about God stuff.

I stared uncomfortably down at my plate of chicken teriyaki. Did he know how long it had been since somebody asked me that?

I am grateful for his question, because the truth is... not as well as I'd like, which means... not really all that well. I could make all kinds of excuses. I have a lot of work to do and a lot of it is time-consuming administrative stuff that I haven't had to do in a while (thanks to past secretaries!) and I'm still not doing them very efficiently. I have a new baby boy who is also taking up a lot of time. I have pre-teen/early teen girls who are giving me some gray hair. I have many meetings to attend. I have lots of... lots of excuses.

In the midst of caring for my family, keeping the church worship and music ministry moving, serving as a team member on a church staff, etc., etc., etc., I have allowed my walk with God to move from first place to second place to third place to...

So my friend's question was a wakeup call. And I'm grateful.

Here's the kicker: my friend who asked me this question is a teenager. He is heavily involved in church youth groups, he has a regular quiet time and he's on fire for God. As I talk with him, I hear myself at his age. He is passionate for God - for righteousness - for the real deal.

That was then -- shouldn't that be now, too? Lately I've realized that I've been doing a lot of stuff... on my own, not in the power of the Holy Spirit.

A few weeks ago I felt a burden to start reading a book I haven't read since high school... Isaiah. I think I've blogged on it once or twice. The Word of God is living and active! Isaiah is as relevant today as it was when it was written thousands of years ago. I am so thankful that God is faithful to woo His wandering children back to Him. My desire is to keep my first love burning brightly in my spirit... abiding in the vine.

So, to my friend who asked me, "How are you doing?" this week, let me say,

"Thanks! I needed that!"

Rebuilding without repenting

I think the economy has all of us on the edges of our seats. What's wrong? Will there be anything left? What's going to happen?

"This might be bad now," we seem to hear from our current and future leaders, "but we can retool and create something even better."

Really?

I'm not saying that it CAN'T be done, but in order for them to be READY to do it, don't responsible parties have to at least accept responsibility and honestly admit that (a) there was/is a problem, (b) this is how the problem was created, and(c) this is how the problem is being perpetuated?

Instead we have a bunch of blustery self-righteous lawmakers scolding private sector people (like the auto industry exec's) for not recognizing problems in their industry that lawmakers should have recognized when similar things were happening under their purviews!

There is no admission of guilt, there is no acceptance of "Yes, this is what we have done wrong," there is no declaration that it was perpetuated one way or another by the system. There are no resignations, and there seems to be no justice.

In Isaiah 9, after the great prophecy about the birth of the One who we call Wonderful, the Lord states reason for His anger against Israel.

The Lord has sent a message against Jacob...all the people will know it... who say with pride and arrogance of heart, "The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been feeled, but we will replace them with cedars." (9:8-10)

In chapter 10, God declares His anger against those who seek their own riches while unjustly keeping the poor down. He promises destruction at the hands of Assyria for those who have turned against His law. Then God describes a small portion of Israel who will be kept through this time of judgement (10:20-22).

In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down (you know, the ones who said they would rebuild with better stuff?) but will truly rely on the Lord, the holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to Mighty God.

(parantheses mine)

Wouldn't it be amazing if the people responsible for our economic turmoil acutally admitted their responsibility instead of trying to shift the blame? Wouldn't it be incredible if there was repentance on Capitol Hill, Wall Street, and Main Street? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could put down our pride, self-reliance and/or reliance on other humans and human institutions and came to rely on Mighty God?

Is God calling us to do that? Could that be part of the economic problems we're facing? To realize that even well-intentioned people are just people and money is just money and I am just me - a person - and God alone is God? To put our emphasis where it belongs, to put less value in things that are rapidly losing value and treasuring what lasts for eternity?

May we be part of the small portion of God's people who return to Might God, and who will rely on Him.

Are you ready?

It pays to be ready!