Broken God Moments

In my last article I may have left the false impression that I believe the life of a true believer is always supposed to be good, and fair, and pleasant. The sad truth is that life, even for true believers, is not always so pretty. As a matter of fact, it can get very ugly - and be very cruel.

High School graduation is just around the corner. It should be a happy occasion for parents and students alike. But this year, at the Columbia Academy ceremony, there will be an empty chair. And for some, it won’t be happy at all. One split second mistake on a busy highway two years ago and a beautiful, talented, and loving young Christian girl was taken away never to return. She was an only child.

Then there is the lovely young Christian woman who is raising two daughters all alone because her husband was tragically taken away in much the same way. And as if that pain were not enough, now her extended family is rejecting and ostracizing her just for having an opinion and a mind of her own.

I could go on, but I don’t need to. I am sure that you all know tragic stories just like these. So, what do you do with God Moments like that? Well, two things:

First, be in awe. God has promised to never allow anyone to be tempted beyond what they are able to bear. That means that if God is true to his word, (and I believe with all of my heart that he is) then the people left behind in the two stories above are true giants - heroes of faith that the rest of us are not worthy of. I don’t pretend to know their hearts their thoughts or their feelings, but as far as I know, their faith and their devotion to God have never wavered.

Second, did you ever notice what Jesus said in Luke 13:1-9 when he was asked the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” He started talking about manure of all things! (Dung in the KJV, just fertilizer in the NIV) He was basically saying that God allows random tragedies to happen to some simply to motivate and fertilize the rest of us. These tragedies remind the rest of us just how fragile and fleeting life really is. They remind us of the real purpose of our existence. They help the rest of us get our lives and our priorities straight.

Wednesday Night Bible Class

This week in our Wednesday night Bible class we talked about I Peter 3:15. You know the passage that says; “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have…”

I was always taught that this passage was telling me to always be ready to argue – always be prepared to win a debate as to why my church is right and your church is wrong. It is another sad example of something that I must now add to my ever growing list of “Things that I was taught and believed incorrectly”.

Peter is not telling us to argue or defend. This passage has nothing to do with debate. It is simply about sharing your own personal story. Peter is telling us is to always be ready and willing to tell our God stories – what God has done for us – how Jesus has changed our lives. God wants us to enthusiastically tell others about our encounters with him. It is all about that dreaded “Baptist word” that I was always taught had no place in the real church. The word is testifying.

True believers know that there is no such thing as luck, coincidence, or chance. God is in control - even when we don’t want him to be – even when we don’t recognize it – even when we don’t acknowledge it. He is the conductor and we are his orchestra. He wants others to hear the music that he makes through us.

So, be on the lookout for your God moments. When you discover one, tell someone about it. It will bless you both.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

The Conversation

I had an interesting talk with an older gentleman the other day. This gentleman was very opinionated and spoke very harshly about the “State of the church” today. He claimed that a terrible evil had infiltrated the church. This evil that he was referring to was what he called “The Contemporary Movement”. He called the leaders of this movement “religious terrorist” – “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. He boldly proclaimed that these contemporary leaders were “rolling Hell right through the front door of the church”.

Just to give you a little of the flavor of the conversation, here is a direct quote:
(He gave me a printed copy of his thoughts)

Hell is rolling in the front door of the contemporary churches, demons are climbing through the windows, and the Devil is standing on the podium laughing with glee. These so called churches have become cesspools of sin and they are leading precious souls into the very jaws of hell.

Usually I would not find such a conversation interesting at all. Usually I would have very little tolerance for this type of venom. But, I was sort of a captive audience. So I listened with all the respect and patience I could muster. Apparently what had this fellow so fired up was his fear of change – any change. There wasn’t really any Biblical backing or support for his complaints, but to him, because church did not look or feel the way it used to, it must surely be evil. The old style churches that made him feel comfortable were dying, and the contemporary ones that he despised were growing. He bemoaned the fact that some popular preachers today were wearing flip-flops and Tee-shirts; they were preaching entertaining sermons and using upbeat contemporary singing in their services. (Apparently sermons and songs have to be boring and dull to be scriptural)

I did not argue with him. I did not try to point out the obvious inconsistencies that I saw in his line of reasoning. I simply told him that I knew a lot of good people who would agree with him. And I really thought what I told him was true. I do know a lot (a whole lot) of people who would absolutely agree with him. In fact, they would agree with him wholeheartedly - that is until they heard the rest of the story….

There were two things that made this conversation so interesting. First was the fact that this old gentlemen had been a preacher for over fifty years. The second thing was the odd fact that he was not a Church of Christ preacher. He was a Southern Baptist preacher.

So, maybe I don’t know anyone who would agree with him after all.

I wonder which is worse; a conservative Southern Baptist, or a contemporary member of the Church of Christ?

Deep Thinking

Here are some profound things that I know to be true:

1. Eating too much makes you fat.
2. Sitting around too much makes you lazy.
3. Spending too much money makes you poor.
4. Reading books makes you wiser
5. Watching TV makes you an idiot.
6. If you re not growing and improving, then you are decaying and dieing.
7. Knowing these truths is not the same as acting on them. (Knowledge without
action is worthless)
8. I am responsible. (I have no one left to blame)

So, in 2008, if the Good Lord allows, I am going to strive to act on these simple truths.
I will let you know how I do.

Changing Your Perspective

I had a colonoscopy Friday. That means that I spent most of the day Thursday sitting.
For those of you who have had this wonderful procedure before, you know that to prepare you must drink 4 liters of Go-Lyte laxative the day before the procedure. (Whoever named the laxative Go-Lyte had a cruel warped sense of humor)
I did however make the most of my sitting time. I read the book “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom. I think that it should be required reading for all humans.

I had my New Years resolutions all made out. I had my 2008 wish list of things I wanted to buy and do all prepared. After reading this book however, I threw it out and made a new list.

In 2008 I want to work less and play more. I want to talk less and listen more. I want to worry less and pray more. I want to make things grow. I want to make a positive difference in someone else’s life. I want to learn to dance.

“Each night when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.” –MAHATMA GANDHI

When Prayer Doesn't Work

She was just one of many - just another name on the board that had to be checked off before we could all go home. She looked like a typical cancer patient. Her skin was pale and transparent. She was thin and frail. Her hair was falling out from all of the Radiation treatments. Her body was sick and her heart was failing. She needed a pacemaker to encourage her tired heart to keep beating.

I talked softly to her. I used all the kindness I could muster. I knew that she was suffering. I knew that even with a pacemaker she was not long for this world. More than that, I knew that she was scared. You don't have to be a nurse very long before you can recognise true fear in some one's eyes. I promised her medicine - medicine to ease the pain, and to help her relax. It was all that I had.

It startled me when she grabbed my hand. She grabbed it with a force that was way beyond her strength. She could barely talk so I had to lean down close to her mouth to hear what she wanted. "Are there any praying nurses here?" she asked. "Yes Ma'am", I replied. "We are all praying nurses." There were about 4 of us hurrying around the room trying to get everything ready and I was pretty sure that I was telling her the truth. She then whispered, "Before you give me that medicine, would you pray for me?"

So, I prayed. The noise and all of the commotion in the room suddenly stopped. Everyone waited, everyone prayed along. I prayed as hard as I knew how. I asked God to be with her, to protect her, to heal her. I prayed for God to be with the doctors and the nurses. I prayed for God's angels to surround her and keep her safe. She smiled, and went to sleep.

The procedure was typical - no real problems. Afterwards, I woke her up and told her that everything had gone well and that she had come through it all just fine. Again she smiled.

There were a few tell tale signs early on that told us something wasn't right. Before we got her back to her hospital room her oxygen saturation started to drop slightly. At first it appeared to be nothing serious. We left her in the capable hands of a critical care nurse and then hurried back to the Lab to get started with the next patient.

About an hour later someone stuck their head through the door of the operating room to inform the doctor that his last patient had just developed a large pneumothorax. (That is where air leaks into the space between your lungs and your chest wall and your lungs colapse) It is a typical treatable complication. If it is caught quickly enough most people survive it. If however you are as weak and sick as this little lady was then your chances of surviving it are slim and none. I silently prayed for her again - I think everybody did.

I don't really know the end of the story. I'm not sure I want to know. I walked by her room today and her bed was empty.

Wake Up Call

Granted, the doctor was in a pretty foul mood. He'd had a bad day. It was late, and he was tired. His words were well meant - just a little harsher than usual.

The recipient of his stinging rebuke was a 52 year old patient who, thanks to the quick actions of the Emergency Room Staff and the skill of this Cardiologist, had just survived his first heart attack. He was literally handed a second chance at life. I don't remember the exact words, but the conversation went something like this:

Doctor: "This was your wake up call. Like it or not, your life style has just changed! You no longer smoke cigarettes. You no longer drink 6 beers every time you go golfing. You have to start eating right and getting some regular exercise.

(It was at this point in the conversation that the patient mumbled something about maybe trying to cut down a little - the volume of the conversation then went up considerably)

Doctor: "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT JUST HAPPENED? IF YOU KEEP DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING YOU ARE GOING TO DIE - MAYBE NOT TODAY - BUT SOON!

It was obviously not what the patient wanted to hear. He would rather have been told that he would have to live without his left arm than to be told he had to break his habits and change his lifestyle. So, I'm pretty sure that we at Maury Regional Hospital will be seeing this patient again real soon.

What is it in our brains that makes us our own worst enemies? Why is it, that even when we know better, our bad habits become so powerful and wield such debilitating control over our lives?

Remember the old late night infomercial guy - Tony Robbins.? I have been reading some of his stuff lately.

Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.