A Single Action

I was called upon to do a funeral for a man I never met. Coming to the funeral home, I sat down with the family to listen to their stories, look at pictures, laugh at memories...and through this they painted a picture of William Hurt's life. One memory will forever stay with me...a memory from a man's life I never met!

For decades, William Hurt would wake up at 3:30 in the morning and work as a carpenter all day long. Carpentry is tedious, labor intensive work. It drains a man to work all day long as a carpenter (especially if he was waking up at 3:30). However, he would always try his best to be back home when the school bus dropped off his son. Why? So they could play catch together...just father and son.

That single action, performed by a man I never met, taught me a lesson about being a father that will last all of my life. Don’t be tricked into thinking that you don’t make a difference in this world, or that what you do doesn‘t affect others, because you can make a difference...one, small act at a time. Mr. Hurt made a difference in my life simply by the choice he made, while he was living, to show his love for his son by playing catch. I wonder what simple action you can do that could change someone for a lifetime?

Drifting

Four years have passed now since the first time I visited her small, block, basement house that sits on a few acres of family farmland…terraced as it slopes down to a honey-suckle surrounded creek marking the edge of her plot. She’s lived there for upwards of 60 years (ever since her daddy died). She’s never been married…and the lines on her face tell a story of a lifetime of farm labor (picking strawberries and working the soil with her father). For an 85-year duration of independent life…she has been devoted to using and saving the resources made available to her in a very unconventional way. She used herbal remedies instead of medicine, even to the point of eating polk berries to relieve arthritis (polk berries are poisonous if a tolerance is not built up, and she was taking as many as 14 a day!). Unconventional, yes, but who can argue with 85 years of good health?

A few weeks ago she moved to an assisted living facility, and for a while everything was fine. However, as time went along her demeanor faded from a free, independent soul…to a depressed recluse who simply wanted to die. Her eyes became glazed over as she stared out the lone window of her room. Visits from friends and family became more of an inconvenient reminder that she was still alive.

I’m no psychologist, but something broke this woman away from the joy of life, and she is now drifting. I don’t know what force or what action was the culprit. Maybe it was the fact that her family was ashamed of her dumpster diving lifestyle and they shunned and mistreated her…or maybe she worried about things so much that she brought this on herself. Whatever the case, for eighty plus years she was content to dwell in what we would call poverty…and then (away from that small, block basement house full of nothing) she now wants to die.

Enjoy the bright days…for how the clouds of despair too quickly fill the skies of our life. It’s too easy to take a step forward in sunlit expectation…only to jump back twice as many, as dark despair clouds our vision. Guard your faith with the intensity of a mother protecting her infant child. Times will come when forces will work against the gladness of life…and they will drag you down into the depths, if you are not anchored steadfast and sure in the Lord. Pray for those who are, even now, lost in that fog of depression…their ships are drifting as their anchor has loosed from the Point of Security.

An Old Familiar Song

Walking through the halls of Spring Creek nursing home I hear a familiar song from an old, raspy voice: “O victory in Jesus, my Savior forever…” An elderly man was sitting in his wheelchair (a nurse standing by his side joining in) and he sang that old hymn with a smile on his face. Around him there were some of the loneliest circumstances…but in his heart he was before the throne of God, His Maker, giving Him the best praise his seasoned vocal chords could offer.

Take a stroll through the hallways of a nursing home sometime…stop and listen to people. Listen to the old woman in the hall calling out for help, while all the while she’s safe and sound. Pay attention to the mumbles of those who are trapped in their own minds, and listen to the names they repeat of decades past. Observe the names on the doors, and say a prayer for them. Look at the faces of the sons and daughters visiting their parents…gazing into the frames of old photos showing their healthy families with smiles on their faces, while tears are held back.

As we sit in the comfort of our homes…as we work during the day…as we sit down with family through the night…please remember those who aren’t so fortunate. The parents that call us, the sarcastic siblings that may torment us are like a vapor, just like our life (James 4:14), and they will one day vanish away. Then, someday, we may find ourselves in the halls of a nursing home longing for someone to care enough to stop and sing a hymn…just like that man who presently sits in the halls of Spring Creek. Will you find him?

Nimrod

There's a man that (to me) has the best name in the entire Bible. It’s not because he was such a good guy, and it’s not because he was so righteous...this guy has one of the most memorable names in the Bible because his name was Nimrod!

The first mention we have of Nimrod is in Gen. 10:8-9, where the Bible describes him as a famous and mighty hunter. If Nimrod was around today..he would have action figures made in his image. He would have the biggest endorsements from Nike and Gatorade. He would have kids all around the world following his Twitter account. This guy was famous! The Bible singles Nimrod out as being one of the greatest hunters of the day, but it's not clear as to what we was hunting (and from the language of this text, it seems he was more like one who hunted men to conquer them as he used his power to make people do what he wanted them to do).

Whatever the case, his name (in that day) became synonymous with greatness...if people wanted to give compliments (like if you were good at hunting) people would come up to you and say, “You’re a Nimrod!”

But the name Nimrod, by definition, had a much darker reference. It means “to rebel, to revolt”. Now, we know that he was a powerful man, he was a very skilled man, and after a while, he came to rule over a large area. Genesis 10:10-12 says: “He built his kingdom in the land of Shinar (Babylonia) with the cities of Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. From there he expanded his territory to Assyria, building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah).”

So by the time we come to Genesis 11, Nimrod’s kingdom of Babylon is huge...and he, obviously, has a big enough workforce that he begins to build what is known as the Tower of Babel. Nimrod was the guy behind the tower of Babel...he was like Pharaoh, wanting to build huge structures by slave labor...and set himself up as king.

Also, at this time, the whole earth had one language...one common language. Genesis 11:3-4 says “They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky (or “that will reach into heaven”). This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

They used the best building materials of the day. Everybody was excited…they were building the biggest building the world had ever seen. This would be a monument to their power and skill and ingenuity! Sounds like the mindset of Nimrod, right?

What’s missing from this picture? Anything remotely related to God. GOD is left out of the whole project (no altars built to Him, no sacrifices made in gratitude to His blessings), and it wasn’t that long ago (in their past) that the flood happened (just a few hundred years before). How could they forget THAT?! You would think the people would give God His due.

But the people left God out of their plans. The tower of Babel served as a temple, an idol to the god of fame and fortune...to the god of getting noticed. The people forgot God, and started to think only about themselves. Moral: don’t forget God...and don’t be a nimrod!

Distractions

After working with Dad on the farm last Thursday…Kacie, Kenlea, and I were invited over to a friend’s house to eat some supper. Nothing better than grilled, whole hog sausage (but that’s beside the point). Following that delicious meal and amusing conversation we drove home toward Marshall County (Kacie and Kenlea behind me in her car).

Once on the road, I realized just how tired I was because I hadn’t even turned on my radio (which is usually a staple in my truck). Sitting there in the cab, listening only to the hum of the engine and the occasional suspension yelp caused by the old chat roads, my mind became increasingly focused on things not of this world. No music. No phone. No commercial or technological overload. Just me, the road, and God.

Distractions seem to be an indispensable part of our fast-paced lives…while times of quiet reflection and spiritual refreshment are increasingly rare. We always have something to do, something to watch, something to listen to…and very little time to examine the weightier matters of life. Maybe we don’t want to think about those things…maybe we’re truly distracted with our hectic schedules…maybe we feel more comfortable not thinking about the spiritual stuff of life, while we‘re right at home never stopping to see, search out, or thank God for any of His blessings.

Don’t let the distractions of everyday…keep you from seeing the grace of God in life. Thank God for your family. Thank God for your friends. Thank God for the abilities you have to do your job (no matter how tired it makes you). Don’t be so distracted that you forget about Who truly owns all the things that entertain us in the first place.

Too Scared of Strangers

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…” (Hebrews 13:2): A task (dare I say command) that remains largely forsaken amongst those who call themselves Christians. It’s like a throbbing scourge in the heart of God Himself! Scanning over the church, we can almost hear the sound of His raging displeasure, only to hear His voice masked by the justification of a selfish “Christian/American” culture spewing rhetoric concerning the poor and needy, saying: “They’re alright. The government will take care of them. Why do I have to lift a finger to help?”

We can all confess that culture and mindset have changed drastically in this nation over the past several decades. We only trust the people we know, and then only in small doses. Helping strangers can lead to identity theft, robbery, even physical harm…but is the task of Hebrews 13:2 dependent upon the culture and time in which we live? Can this virtue be dismissed simply because of the danger it may pose? To borrow an intense, New Testament phrase from the Apostle Paul, “God forbid!”

Admittedly, I am rather reserved (even down-right doubtful sometimes) when a person calls the church building who is needing an electric bill paid, or groceries delivered, or their hotel room paid for the night (especially when they have called multiple times before). This is a person (in need) asking for help…but does my doubt and suspicion negate the task at hand? (I know we’re to be responsible with the Lord’s resources, but that’s not the point I’m getting at). Have we become so terrified of strangers in need that we’ve lost our capability, as Christians, to show them hospitality? Are we using the times in which we live as an excuse to exempt us from our responsibility to “do good unto all men”? (Galatians 6:10)

Losing Religion to Politics

No doubt many of you (like myself) were glued to the television last night, wondering about the results of the mid-term elections. Some were disappointed, others were delighted…and it’s easy to look at things simply from a blue or red point of view and forget a few spiritual things. Like what?

In a fallen world there is no perfect political party, no perfect political candidate, and no perfect political policies. As Christians, we have to always keep in mind Psalm 146:3 - “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.” A government cannot save, and we can‘t put our trust in man to deliver what God alone can do…but we also have to keep in kind that God has ordained this government to maintain justice and punish evil (Romans 13:1-7).

As such, we all have obligations to live the best we can as Christian citizens…living lives that would bring glory to God, and (no matter what anyone says) this does come out in what sort of government we support. Christians can and do disagree about political things, but biblical Christianity ultimately transcends party politics. Having said that, some political parties and policies may be closer to biblical concerns than others.

C.S. Lewis once warned about the dangers of “Christianity and…” Whether it be Christianity and Republicans, or Christianity and Democrats, or Christianity and tea parties. In a fallen world no political party will fully reflect all of God’s concerns. So, we have to wisely and prayerfully consider where our votes are going, and what they‘re going for when it comes to issues like gay marriage, abortion, funding for sinful activities, etc.

Each Christian (each of you) has to prayerfully and thoughtfully seek God on every issue of life, and politics are no different. The stakes are high, and failure to seek God in all these things will be tragic. At the very least, we have to keep I Tim 2:1-2 in mind: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone…for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

God comes first, not country. God comes first, not politics. God comes first…period. It’s when we lose sight of God that we lose our identity as His children.