People Don't Know What They Used To...Why Not?

Since I've been home much of this week with some sort of viral fun, I've had way too much time to watch TV (mostly Andy Griffith, M*A*S*H, Bonanza, etc.). Another show I've been watching is Cash Cab. If you haven't seen it, it's a great show where unsuspecting people get into a New York cab and become contestants, for the duration of their ride, on a TV game show. They have to answer a series of increasingly challenging general knowledge questions for cash prizes.

In an episode I saw just a few minutes ago, the couple in the cab was asked a $100 (most difficult) question that they couldn't answer. In fact, they didn't have any idea at all, so they used what the show calls a "Street Shout-Out" where the cab pulls to the curb and the contestants flag down a passerby and get his/her input. Fortunately for these contestants, the pedestrian they asked knew the answer for them. Though they didn't know enough to be sure whether or not he was right, they took his answer because they didn't have a clue.

The question: "Name one of the four New Testament books known as the gospels."

Now, I know our culture is biblically illiterate, but it was still a shock to my system to see it played out so clearly on this game show. Then the thought occured, it was only a shock because I'm not spending enough time with non-believers to see it more often. If I was doing my part, seeing it played out on TV wouldn't have come as such a shock.

Sure, we can bemoan the fact that people don't know enough about the Bible, OR we can enagage them and create in them a desire to know the word by introducing them to The Word (see John 1:1). (BTW, "John" was the answer they got from the guy on the street. They got their $100.)

All's Well That Ends Well

We had a bit of a scare the other night...

My wife calls her dad just about every night. He recently turned 80 and his health is not the best. Add to that the fact that he lives alone. My wife is incredibly faithful to call and chat for jus a few minutes virtually every evening.

It's not too unusual, though, for them not to connect on occasion (he doesn't exactly sit at home waiting for the phone to ring). Sunday night was one of those occasions, and we didn't think anything of it. When she couldn't get hold of him on Monday (after trying for a couple of hours), she thought it wise to give her sister a ring (she lives nearby and their dad frequently goes by her house). Her sister usually talks to him every day, too, but she didn't think anything of it when he didn't answer Monday. When my wife and her sister compared notes, though, they realized nobody had talked to him for over 24 hours.

Given his medical issues and a history of falls, there was some serious concern going around. My wife's sister and brother (who also lives in the area) headed over to the house to check on their dad. Fortunately, they found him sleeping soundly in his chair, the TV blaring away. As it turned out, the phone wasn't working in the room he was in. The next nearest phone never stood a chance of being heard with the TV volume set where it was--especially once he dozed off.

So, "all's well that ends well," and, in this case, it ended very well. The hard truth for all of us, though, is that one of these days it's NOT going to "end well"--at least not in a physical sense. It reminds me of the story of the good shepherd, the one who left his 99 sheep to go find the 1 that was lost. Our concern for my father-in-law pales in comparison to God's love in seeking out a world that has turned its back on Him. Just as my wife's siblings went looking for their father, so, too, God sent His only Son to "seek and save that which was lost"--to bring us back to Him. Sure, our bodies will one day die, but things can still end well, VERY well, if we respond to His great love in the person of His only Son, Jesus Christ.

So how will it end for you? Well.....or not?

His Will vs. My Wants

I had a conversation with a good friend this week, much of which focused on discerning God's will. He's looking at some unexpected opportunities, and he's trying to make sure he doesn't stay when he should go or go when he should stay.

We covered a lot of territory, both theological and practical (and not that theology can't be practical), but I think I can sum it up pretty well in one statement: When God's will and my wants don't line-up, guess which one's off the mark?

I had the opportunity to hear author Ruth Haley Barton this summer, and she talked about praying "the prayer of indifference." On first hearing that term, I thought, "The last thing I want is to be indifferent." As she explained it, though, it made perfect sense...My prayer of indifference is simply asking God to help me set aside my own preferences in order that I might be totally open to whatever He has for me. Too often, my understanding of God's will is colored by my own desires and preferences. The prayer of indifference, then, really leads me to a passion for the things God desires.

Lord, take away my wants and lead me to a point of indifference where all I desire is You. Amen.

My wife and I had an interesting experience yesterday. Before I go there, though, a little background would be in order...

Over the summer of 1981, Brenda and I travelled as part of a Christian musical group known as the Continental Singers. We were part of Tour G (one of about 15 tours tours that summer), a group of roughly 40 high-school and college young adult vocalists, instrumentalists and techs who gathered in CA early in the summer to learn a 75 or 80 minute program that we shared across the US and, for a couple of weeks or so, in Great Britain. It was a wonderful summer, and as much as I enjoyed going overseas, one of my favorite parts of the whole endeavor was seeing parts of our own country that I'd never seen.

As best I can recall, it must have been the latter half of July or so when we did a concert in a place called East Liverpool, OH. For whatever reason, I remember that stop better than most. I think we may have been there for a Saturday night and a Sunday morning (a longer stop than most), and I remember that we stayed with the pastor and his wife (family?) in a house right behind the church. It was an area that had seen some tough times, but I remember our visit there very positively.

Two years ago, we moved to OH, and I'd repeatedly seen signs pointing toward East Liverpool. So yesterday afternoon, we finally decided to make the trek down that way. It was only about a 40 minute drive, but it took us back a lot farther than that! Fortunately, I had the impression that it was a Christian Church, so I Googled "First Christian Church East Liverpool, OH." (I also recalled the church being right downtown). We programmed the resulting address into our Garmin and drove straight to the church we'd last seen over 28 years ago!

From the outside, anyway, things didn't seem to have changed that much. The town seemed to have endured some more tough times since our last visit, but the church appeared to be in very good repair. The very fact that it still seems to be a very viable congregation in such a difficult environment was an encouragement to us.

I'm still not sure why it was so important for me to go see it again. Maybe it was partly the challenge to see if we could find it (which I don't think we would have without Google and the Garmin). I think it was also something in me that just wanted to see if a congregation in which we'd made a very small, albeit meaningful, investment was still there. Maybe it's my age, and I'm looking more intently than ever at what kind of difference I've made with my life. Whatever the reason, though, I'm really glad we took the time to do it. I wonder what other things from my past need to be tracked-down?

BEING Instead of DOING?

We've got to spend less time DOING and focus on simply BEING who God has already made us to be. Does that statement from my last post sound like I'm suggesting that we cease giving any thought or attention to what we DO? Well, please know it's NOT what I meant. But just yesterday our pastor posed a very good question--"Does God care more about who we are OR what we do?" The answer, of course, is that God cares much more about who we are.

"But who we ARE determines what we DO," you might say, and you're quite right. It's a matter of focus, though. (And, yes, DOing certain things can help influence who we become.) Nonetheless, I really believe we need to put more effort and attention into helping people recognize who God has called them to BE and less time in asking them to DO more and more.

One of the biggest challenges in that, though, is measuring how well we're able to help people BE. Measuring character is difficult, while measuring what and how much people DO is a lot easier. And, for good reason, we have a deep-seated need to measure how well we're accomplishing our goals (how else do we recognize where we need to improve?). The BEing, though, has to come before the DOing.

Back to the original point, we aren't really who God desires us to BE until it leads us to DO the things God calls us to do, but it's got to start with a recognition and understanding of who God has made us to BE.

More on that to come!

BEING vs. DOING

Thanks to Mark Batterson (for his recent blog post) and Dr. Jerry Sheveland (for his sermon Sunday) on being who God has made us to be. It was such an encouragement, and a great reminder, to hear again that we need to quit trying to fit some contrived mold and simply allow God to move and work in and through us, making us who HE desires us to be. We spend so much time doing things that we think will help us look/act/talk/sound like a pastor/father/husband/whatever that we fail to simply let God live through us. We've got to spend less time DOING and focus on simply BEING who God has already made us to be.

Brent Allen our pastor here at Old North, will be starting a new series this Sunday on our identity in Christ. He'll be talking about who we are and Whose we are. If you're in the area, join us this week at 9:30, 11:00 or 6:00. If you're not, check it out on the web at www.oncmedia.org/podblog/ .

Blessings!