God Does Windows!

Posted on by March 30, 2014
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Psalm 147:3 — He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

As I sat in the chapel with Myra this morning, for our Bible and Life Group, the beautiful stained glass window caught my eye. It reminded me of something from our past.
There was a time when I was asked to talk about the relationship between myself and Myra. And truly, it is a wonderful thing.
In our different ways, we both had broken lives. In my case it started with a broken childhood. My parents had separated before my teenage years, and other difficulties had frozen my ability to build proper relationships. Later I married a nice girl. For a while we worked hard to have a good marriage — but we didn’t know what we were doing. After about ten years it was clear that we wanted different things from our marriage and our lives, and didn’t know what to do about it. Like so many others, we divorced and, once again, I froze. Like a pane of glass, the life that I envisaged for myself lay shattered in sharp, dangerous pieces.
Myra’s story was different, but in the end the results were much the same. She left school young, worked hard, had fun and then made the mistake so many young women made — and married the wrong man. In less than two years she was on her own, with a young baby to take care of. A second marriage followed, to a man that Myra could love and make a life with. Sadly he was struck with terrible illness, and after Myra had nursed him for many years he died. There was Myra, her life in pieces around her — another shattered pane of glass.
It was a perfect setup! Myra, a lonely Christian woman praying for the right man. Me, a frozen confused man with a hunger for God hidden within me, afraid to show any real feelings. What would we do?
What we did was the most ridiculous thing in the world! We both signed up for a “teletext” dating service (think of it as what went before internet dating)! Somehow two wildly different people, living fifty miles apart, were matched up and met. Two lonely people, shy and slow to share, took one look at each other and fell completely (truly, madly, deeply!) in love.
It took Myra seven years to get me to propose. Then life was a whirlwind. Within two years we were married, moved to America, attending church regularly and growing together in faith. God was picking up those broken pieces of glass and building a new stained glass window — a relationship with many beautiful facets!
God is such an artist! He has an imagination and creativity that no human mind could aspire too!
In the last twelve years we have been through quite a few things. We hoped to join a ministry — it didn’t work out. My job has brought some special challenges. We have been grieved by an inability to sustain a loving family relationship with our children and grandchildren. Challenges abound. Each has built another piece into the beautiful stained glass window.
I don’t know why this came into my mind this morning — but it strikes me that so many couples nowadays are like me and my first wife. They don’t know what they’re doing, and when things go wrong the relationship shatters. If you know somebody like that, do you think you could tell them about God and stained glass windows?

Communication

Posted on by March 29, 2014
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1 Samuel 1:8 — Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

Joe is unhappy in his job. He’s decided it’s time to up-sticks and move to another state, where he thinks opportunities are better. Sally is quite happy where she is, thank you very much! She has friends around, likes the church and thinks the kids are well placed in the school they’re in. Each knows what the other wants. They throw out little hints now and then — but they don’t bring it out into the open. Neither one wants to argue. Things are cooling between them. They’re not doing as much together … Their sex life isn’t what is was … But “at least we’re not fighting”.
I think Elkanah was a great man. He knew what the sore point was, and he was willing to bring it out into the open. Sadly, he didn’t have an answer — fortunately The Lord did — but there is no doubt that Hannah knew he loved her.
I make no excuse for returning to this most critical of topics. Without communication, and a way to resolve conflict, marriages inevitably fail. When marriages fail, children are left with no more than one full time parent, society is damaged, the church is weakened …
Myra and I have long agreed that three things make our marriage work. They are a set of basic principles, a plan for communication, and a commitment to conflict resolution.
Here are our basic principles:
1) Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; (Romans 12:10) — in other words, don’t either one insist on having your own way.
2) submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:21) — “one to another” is the key. It goes both ways!
3) Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. (Ephesians 5:22-23) — This is tough for a lot of wives, but it is governed by the first two principles, and Myra asked especially that I would quote her as saying “it works!”
4) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (Ephesians 5:25) — In other words, be prepared to lay down your lives for them, day by day, every day!
.5) … the wife see that she reverence her husband. (Ephesians 5:33) — As her husbands love is a key requirement for the wife, so his wife’s request is a key requirement for the husband.

We trust that people who know us see us acting out these principles in our marriage.

Having these principles in mind, our communications plan is simple. We try to manage the small things every day, talking about them morning and evening. We set time aside every Saturday morning to discuss big issues. And there are no big issues that we will run away from. If it’s on my mind or Myra’s mind, we’re going to bring it out in to the open and air it! Lastly, as needed — but about every three months — we have “board meetings” and go through all the major areas of our relationship to make sure we’re on track.
Finally, there’s our commitment to conflict resolution. I don’t have room in a short piece like this to talk about styles of conflict resolution. There are three basic approaches, however — fight, flight, or collaboration. Myra and I believe in collaboration — working to understand each other’s perspective, and figuring out a way forward that is a “plus” for both of us. A key text for us is “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:” (Ephesians 4:26) We’ve had some late night “discussions” — but we’ve never laid awake seething with resentment!
I’m not sure what’s going to happen with Sally and Joe. But I do believe if they committed to resolve the issues that lie between them, plan to communicate, and base their planning on Biblical principles they would be more likely to line their wills up with God’s will, and do the right thing!

Silent

Posted on by March 28, 2014
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Habakkuk 2:20 — But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

I am an introvert. One of the odd things about people like me is that we get a lot of conversations go on in our heads! There’s a lot of other funny things, but this one actually affects my spiritual life. When I’m praying, or during my quiet time, I interrupt myself! I think the same is true of my lovely Myra. We were discussing this the other day, and it led to a discussion of what it meant to “Be still before The Lord”.
One thing to know is that there might be two attitudes of mind to think about. Consider, for instance, Psalm 46:10

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

What does that word “still” mean? It turns out that it has quite a few shades of meaning. The ones that seem most relevant are “to let drop, abandon, relax, refrain, forsake, to let go, to refrain, let alone to be quiet”.
Then there’s the verse from Habakkuk at the head of this piece. There the English text seems plain, and indeed the best senses of the word translated as “keep silent” are “keep silence, hold your peace, hold your tongue”.
I could take many other verses and look at the meaning of this expression, but as I started to contemplate it something started to sink in. There’s a reason that “be still” and “keep silent” occur in so many places with so many shades of meaning. As we sit before The Lord, we pass through many different facets of our relationship. There are times when we are before the awesome Lord of the universe. When The Lord is in His Holy temple no response but silence is appropriate.
When we are with our loving Father we can relax and be comfortable.
When we are Jehovah Jireh, our great provider, we can let go of all our problems and let Him take care of us.
You get the point, I’m sure. If we will let Him, God will always meet us at our point of greatest need. But how do we do that? How do I do that? It comes back to my starting point. I talk too much in my head!
In my business there’s a saying we use quite often — “God gave you two ears and one mouth, and wants you to use them in proportion”. I’d never really thought about applying it to my quiet time and prayer time, but I’m going to try to adopt it. I’m going to try and make that nagging voice in my head shut up for a good part of the time, so the still small voice can get a word in edge ways!

The Sins Of The Nation

Posted on by March 27, 2014
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Jeremiah 14:20 — We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.

We had a prayer meeting in our church last night. I can’t decide if it was well or poorly attended. I’ll explain what I mean by that later. But the Holy Spirit certainly showed up.
We used the Lord’s Prayer as a model, and when we got to “Forgive us our debts” one issue that was brought to our attention was that of the sins of the nation.
This is a dreadful and solemn thought. It is fearful enough to know that we will be judged for our own sins. We must know, also, that our nation is under judgment.
I know there are those who will disagree, but what baser national ingratitude can there be for a people to reject their God? How terrible it is to drive His word from public life, and step by step to expunge its influence from public and private morality and the law of the land.
It might be, though, that even the moral ills such as abortion and same-sex marriage are not the greatest of our “national” sins.
This great nation was founded to provide for the free exercise of religion, and has been so greatly blessed that it should be a shining light, a beacon to the world. Alexis de Tocqueville said of America, in the 1830’s, “The Americans combine the notions of religion and liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive of one without the other”.
If you accept my premises then, like me, you may see a shift from a focus on faith-based responsibility to a focus on an ever expanding catalog of rights as a great national sin.
If you accept my premises then, like me, you may see a conscious step away from exceptionalism — away from a leadership position in the world — as a great national sin.
These great sins are not new. For more than fifty years now the armies of secularism have marched across the land. Truly the wickedness is ours and the iniquity is our fathers!
Yet is it fair to ascribe the faults to the secular armies of the world. Are the national sins not, truly, the sins of the church?
I find I have become less fond of some scriptures than I should be, because they are often used as blunt instruments to beat believers with. One such is 2 Chronicles 7:14:

if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

At the root of the sins of the nation, are there sins that we, the church, need to repent of? Have we been indifferent, or lacking in courage, or too busy with the things of the world? There were 3-400 people at the prayer meeting last night. Not a bad number. Or is it. If we have 3000 attending services every week, is that number in the prayer meeting a pointer to that indifference, or lack of courage, or business?
Where do the sins of the nation start?

Tragedy, Part Of Life

Posted on by March 26, 2014
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John 16:33 — These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

It’s hard sometimes to contemplate the tragedies of life. The devastating landslide in Washington State is one that, somehow, is hitting me hard.
As I write, the official death toll is 24 — but with more than 100 still unaccounted for the final count will be far higher.
To someone of my age, born in Britain, there are inevitable echoes of another terrible disaster. On October 21, 1966 near Merthy Tydfil in Wales a coal tip above the mining village of Aberfan slid down the mountain and overwhelmed a farm, several houses and a school. 116 pupils at Pantglas Junior School were killed, as were 28 adults also died.
It is perhaps premature to be judging the cause of the disaster in Snohomish County and yet it seems that both tragedies may have a common background of disregard for warning signs. In the case of Aberfan, local government officials had complained of the risk posed by the tip but been overruled by Coal Board officials. In Snohomish County, despite warning reports from 1999 and 2010, the county’s Emergency Management
Officer said “People knew that this is a landslide-prone area. Sometimes big events just happen. Sometimes large events that nobody sees happen. And this event happened, and I want to find out why. I don’t have those answers right now.”
Inevitably another question will be asked about the mudslide outside the small town of Oso. It was asked after Aberfan, and it seems to be asked after every disaster. “Why did God let it happen?”
God might reply, “Why did you let it happen?”
Sometimes the causes of tragedies are easily, directly, identifiable. Even when they aren’t, we need to recall the context. We live in a broken world.
God made a perfect world free from pain and suffering. It stayed that way until the moment that Adam and Eve decided to exercise their free will and disobey the simple rules God had given them. When they made that choice the world became a place in which bad things can happen.
The good news is that there will come a day when “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4). The theme of the Bible is the way that God, through the work of His Son Jesus Christ, heals the rift between Himself and us. Part of that healing is the restoration of creation which “groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” (Romans 8:22)
We live in a broken world, in which we will have tribulation. We know that Jesus, through His death on the cross, has overcome the brokenness. Even amidst tragedy, be of good cheer!

Joy

Posted on by March 25, 2014
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John 15:11 — These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

This is one of those little verses that my eyes sometimes float over, but which — when the Holy Spirit chooses — draw themselves forcibly to my attention. This morning “joy” jumped out … perhaps because some of my devotions have been a little dark recently.
The general dictionary definition of joy is “a feeling of great pleasure or happiness” but although “Biblical joy” includes pleasure and happiness, it carries an extra weight. We are never commanded to “be happy in all things” or to “count it all pleasure” … joy carries, it seems, a different quality.
So here we have Jesus at the last supper, knowing what awaits Him. His discourse at that supper is remarkable. It is full of love and care for the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of His disciples. He promises the Holy Spirit and instructs them about their future behavior.
Here, perhaps halfway through, the Master draws breath and tells the disciples “I’m telling you these things so my joy may remain in you.” Jesus has taken joy from the relationship He has built with the disciples. He takes a natural human pleasure in the warm solid affection they have for Him. His promises and guidance will ensure that it continues, that they will not lose faith.
As well as His own joy, Jesus is concerned for that of His loving friends. He wants their joy to be full — or, as the Greek really has it, “complete, filled up to the brim”. He wants them to be full of joy — the same joy that He felt serving and obeying His Father. He knows what’s coming, and that the crucifixion will plunge them into depression and despair. He is preparing for them the tools they will need to survive.
Jesus’s joy did not come — could not come — from the situation in which He found Himself. The heart of His joy was the knowledge of a His position — His place as the Son of His Father.
The joy that Jesus promised His disciples was not, either, the joy of their situation. The joy He promised was the joy of their place in His Kingdom filled with the Holy Spirit, the Helper He would send.
What a friend Jesus was. His great concern at this critical moment of His life was not to seek support in His coming ordeal, but to provide support for His disciples in the difficult times ahead.
I know that the Jesus of two thousand years ago is the same as the Jesus of today. I know that in all the critical times in my life my position in His family means that He will always be my support … and my joy is secure.

Never Forgotten

Posted on by March 24, 2014
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Jonah 2:2-3 I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

Today it seems we have the news that many of us have been expecting ever since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 dropped off radar screens on March 8th. It is now believed the flight, and all aboard, was lost in the Indian Ocean.
I could not but be moved by the desperation and grief of so many of the family members. It is plain that they believe that their loved ones are lost, irretrievably, without trace. It would take, I think, a heart of stone not to weep with those that weep.
Coincidentally, last night Myra and I watched a fascinating TV program about a forensic investigation into the identity of some of the bodies recovered after the sinking of the Titanic. The care and persistence of the Canadian scientists was remarkable but the impression that remains with me is the passionate desire of the relatives of those lost in the disaster to have their family members identified. Even though these were people they could never have met they hungered for some kind of closure to this chapter of their history.
As I thought about these tragedies I was reminded of a verse from a beautiful book in the Apocrypha: “And some there be, which have no memorial; who are perished, as though they had never been; and are become as though they had never been born; and their children after them.” (Ecclesiasticus 44:9). Then I thought of Jonah — at the bottom of the sea, lost but not forgotten.
This is the hope that only Christ-followers have. No matter where we are, in the depths of the sea or on the mountain tops, in the city or in the desert, there is one who knows where we are. We are never lost, never forgotten, never abandoned.
I was struck by a report about the families of passengers who waited for news in China: “For spiritual support, the airline has brought in blue-and-white-suited volunteers from Tzu Chi, or Compassionate Relief, a charity founded by Taiwanese Buddhists. China’s government has traditionally been suspicious of overseas religious groups, but it tolerates Tzu Chi, whose members are careful to avoid politics and proselytizing. Team member Tseng Yun-chi says they often help relatives with just a pat on the shoulder, a hot cup of tea or a sympathetic ear.”
Our work is not done until nobody has to rely on “just a pat on the shoulder, a hot cup of tea or a sympathetic ear” because everyone knows that their loved ones are never lost because they know “If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:9-10). Until that day, disasters like the death of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 are doubly tragic.

The Lord, The Lord

Posted on by March 23, 2014
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Exodus 34:6-7 — And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Today is the Lord’s day and when I read this passage, which has been a favorite ever since I first read it, it seemed a good day to write about who The Lord says He is.
A first thing to note is that this passage contains the name of The Lord. He has many titles, and has said other things to describe Himself (“Tell them ‘I am’ hath sent thee.”) — but in this passage we read in Exodus 33:19 that He says to Moses “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee;” This passage, then, must be one of the high points of the Bible. Almighty holy God descends and doesn’t just share His name, but explains the meaning that is contained in it. Did you just catch your breath in amazement? — if not, go back and reread that sentence.
Many attributes of God are declared in these two wonderful verses:
— He is strong and mighty.
— He is merciful, full of tenderness and compassion.
— He is gracious, goodness itself; the loving God.
— He is long-suffering and kind.
— He is great.
— He is overflowing with generosity.
— He is true, the source of truth and knowledge and wisdom.
— He is merciful forever.
— He is the merciful judge whom no innocent person need ever fear.
— He is the righteous judge whom no sinner can ever escape.
For sure God has other attributes — He is all knowing, all powerful, ever present and ever lasting, to mention but a few. But what I notice about The Lord’s naming of Himself is that it is focused on the personal and relational characteristics. It’s as if He says “Listen, this is who I am — this is how I will deal with you.” I can hardly imagine such kindness. Moses, it is said, was God’s friend and they spoke face to face. Those words are so ordinary, and tell of something so amazing …
Some of the details are worth looking at a little more closely —
“Keeping mercy to thousands”. The Hebrew words here define a covenant relationship. God says “I have taken responsibility for you, forever.”
“forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;” A seeming contradiction — but a contradiction that the rest of the a Bible resolves. A Savior is appointed to provide forgiveness for those who will take receive it. For those who will not, punishment remains.
“visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” Does this mean that if the father sins, the child is punished directly? It does not. Consider, for example Deuteronomy 24:16 — “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” There are, however, things in our own experience that show the force of this warning. All too often, the same sinful tendencies show up from generation to generation, and all to often children with parents who sin simply have lives that are not as happy, to say the least, as those of their more fortunate peers.
I see this piece is becoming long … and I think I could write so much more and not come near excavating its depths. I’ll leave off, and leave you to meditate on the wonderful name of God!

Faith And Works

Posted on by March 22, 2014
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James 2:14-17 — What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Myra and I were talking about the connection between faith and works this morning. It’s a discussion that bears revisiting, often, because it’s more subtle than it might seem.
Paul makes one part of the connection clear, and James, in the second chapter of his letter to “the 12 tribes scattered abroad” addresses the second part.
In the letter to the Christians at Ephesus, Paul says “For it is by grace that you are saved, through faith. This does not depend on anything you have achieved, it is the free gift of God; and because it is not earned no man can boast about it.” (J. B. Phillips translation). It’s quite clear — God gives us, as a free gift, faith — the vision of eternity, the courage to die to our old life and be reborn, and the willingness to confess our sins and accept Jesus Christ as Lord.
So what’s the place of “works”? According to Paul … none.
Then James comes along and at first sight he’s contradicting Paul. “Look,” he says “there is no value to faith if it’s not supported by works”. So what’s going on?
What’s going on is that Paul and James are using the same words, but expressing different concepts.
When Paul talks of “works” he is talking about the works of the law. When James talks of “works” he is talking about the works of love. To James those works of love are not the means of salvation, but the demonstration of salvation — the outpourings of love for a gracious God.
Paul is taking a simple view of faith — it is that acceptance of our sin, our salvation and Jesus Christ as Lord. James is more complex. In verse 14, he talks of faith which is a mere intellectual acceptance. In verse 18 he has moved on to a faith that includes an emotional component — maybe even with an element of fear. By verse 22 he reaches the same peak as Paul. “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” Only now does he speak of that faith which reflects the love of God that follows from salvation.
So there it is. God calls us by His grace and gives us the faith to respond. We respond, and then — if we respond and “whatsoever we do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” we show our loving gratitude.

A Blue Ocean Strategy

Posted on by March 21, 2014
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Genesis 6:14, 22 KJVA — Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. … Thus did Noah according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

There’s a thing in business called a “blue ocean” strategy. It’s about taking your business into a new place — one where competition doesn’t create blood in the water. Adopting a blue ocean strategy takes at least three things. It takes imagination, gut, and the willingness to act. I think you might call that combination of qualities “faith”.
I was reminded of this when Noah came into mind this morning. Here was the man with the first blue ocean strategy.
It started with imagination. God says “Noah, make thee an ark.” What did Noah say? Well, that’s where our imagination comes in. There’s no recording of Noah’s part of the conversation. “An ark Lord. Yes, right away Lord. And what would one of those be?” “Well Noah, I’m going to flood everywhere, and the ark is what’s going to keep you out of the water.” “Out of the water. O.K.” and Noah got to building — he could, somehow, see the picture.
Then there’s guts. It started with the neighbors. Let your imagination roam some more … What do you think they thought? Can’t you just hear them? “What in the world? Noah, are you out of your mind? What kind of house is that?” Just carrying on in the face of that can’t have been easy.
Then there was the willingness to act. Noah opened up the doors, loaded the ark, and set off into the unknown. And that’s the key. Anybody can have an idea. Imagination is great. Having the courage to prepare is terrific. But when the moment comes, you have to step out in faith.
So how about you? Today you are in one of three places. You’re a sold-out Christian, a half-hearted Christian, or a not-yet Christian. If it’s the first — great job. You already got the boat, out the life-preserver on and set sail.
The rest of you … What’s keeping you? Is it that you can’t imagine what the sailing will be like, or what you might find when the sailing is done?
Maybe changing your life is just too scary? I can understand that. Let’s be honest. For a lot of us, the way our lives changed when we became Christians was pretty scary. And when we got past the rush of excitement, and set our minds to being real Christians, the step change was even wilder.
Or maybe it’s just that thought of taking the final step. Making the commitment. Knowing there’s no turning back.
Listen. I get it. Imagination, courage, commitment — faith. It’s a lot to ask. But here’s a thought. Noah found it. But what happened to the folks who didn’t join him on his blue ocean journey?