Leaning Forward

Life begins @ forty: credibility

By the fortieth year functional people should bring credibility to the table! Forty years of life should teach us a few lessons, provide tutorials in life management, supply sufficient ethical situations to evaluate and solidify personal values, and give us some standing among our peer and circles of influence. The long and short of it is that by age forty we should add a measure of credibility to just about any undertaking or relationship. It's one of the marks of maturity---credibility, clout, gravitas, weight---whatever the cultural label.

There's an interesting example of this kind of personal influence and credibility right there in the Good Book. In the Acts of the Apostles John and Peter healed a crippled man. It created an uproar in the city. The Jewish religious officials called them on the carpet and threatened them for preaching the Good News and for creating a spiritual crisis among the populace. Of course, the healed man was standing right there in front of the tribunal. Everyone knew he had been crippled all his life and they could see that his mobility had been totally restored. The judges didn't know what to do. The people were astonished. An incredible miracle had been performed in the name of Christ. The Sanhedrin couldn't deny what had happened. It was obvious to everyone present. The Luke, the author of Acts, a physician by the way, added a very human layer to the episode, He wrote, "For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old" (Acts 4:22). 

All the people who hung out at the market area surrounding Solomon's Colonnade knew the man, his family, and his circumstances. The mention of this age serves two purposes: to prove the authenticity of the miracle, and, to insure that what happened wasn't a well-orchestrated hoax. You see, a man of forty years possesses the influence of a known reputation. He was credible, established---old enough to be taken seriously. Forty should be the milestone age of seriousness. It doesn't mean that you can have fun, laugh a lot, squeeze every drop of joy out of life, and prepare for the second childhood they say comes in the next chapter of life. But, by this time, our word should be worth something, our name and and character should be established. People should take us seriously.

Churches too. Ours is forty this year. 1970-2010 could be a grave marker etching. For many it is. Some congregations possess absolutely no community influence. At forty they are typically suffering from old age or have been stunted in their spiritual development, acting like kiddies. Younger Americans yawn at these light-weight churches who will not act their age. They should grow up.

You see, by age forty there should be credibility---individuals, businesses, relationships, and churches. It is an element of maturity. And, that's the hair-ball. Impact happens when maturity defines the day. The rest is just child's play---baby pool, shallow end, changing table, high chair, pablum.

Credibility: adults only.

Life begins @ 40: value added

Psychologist Dr. Caroline West has said that two events will change your life forever: the years of adolescence and turning forty. So, get out the duck tape and give yourself the total head wrap before these life anomalies settle in on you, your spouse of offspring. Both periods are Def Con 5 on the human development scale, times of personal awakening.

The learning of childhood finds some traction and plenty of question marks in adolescence. It is the continued sculpting of human personality, the tangible formation of values, expression of the skills and talents and lessons of early life. Forty is another crossroads, maybe the first of life evaluations, assessing where we are , and maybe, where we are going. 

Both can be awkward and depressing, times when most humans wonder if they actually fit anywhere, especially in a world defined by templates and stereotypes. Sometimes the eval is a bummer. Life up to that point may actually seem like a waste, a composite of unfulfilled dreams, unmet objectives, simmering relationships, or down right failure. By, forty we think we should be farther down the road, a little more advanced, on the yellow brick road toward financial security, ready to entertain the new blips on our personal radar screen. Life assessment usually reveals shortages here and there. Woe is me!

This is discovery time too! You know, nothing is wasted. Not ever. In fact the counsel of Scripture reminds us that "---in all things God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Time out!!! It doesn't say or hint that all things are somehow good. Don't go there. It does say that God works in all things, whether you like it or not, admit it or not, or want him to or not. Rabbi Jesus said, "My Father is always at his work...".

It is the value-added lesson, the understanding that we have been seasoned and prepared, and bring significant life-learning to the equation. Life now is enriched by experience, not nearly as theoretical as in the earlier years. Faith and maturity and knowledge, hopefully wisdom, have accrued to the asset side of the balance sheet, shaping the future landscape with interesting hues, challenging curves. Soon we realize that it is not a waste, that we bring something to the table, hold value for the future, can make a difference in the world around us, no matter the dimensions of our sphere.

Interestingly, congregations have a life-cycle too. Age forty most often means plateau or decline, a mid-life identity crisis that leaves them scratching their heads or going to their knees with greater urgency. Church leaders at this intersection usually are looking for the silver bullet to rescue the day, many times an unnecessary knee-jerk reaction to instantly stop the bleeding. More than anything, it ought to be ministry assessment time, time to review and re-route, to compile the lessons of the first forty years and then prepare for the next.

You see, whether individually or in a corporate environment, forty means you bring something important to the table---experience, influence, clout. It's value-added time.

Make the most of it.

Life Begins @ forty: turning points

When most of us think about the number forty it's with fear and trembling. As we creep up on the big 4-0 chronologically we usually visualize thick eye-glasses, squinting, perhaps a spare tire, crow's feet, gray or no or thinning hair, maybe a drool once in a while, and other very strange phenomena unique to the clay jar that is our package. From age twenty-five, which may actually be the birthday that awakens our sense of aging (you know, the quarter of a century thing), a good many people let the looming 4-0 slip to the backwaters of personal awareness until the day finally arrives with a shock and cruel jokes from our family and friends. Whatever!!!

Forty signals a turning point in the numerology of Scripture. Take, for example, the Israelite nation. According to the Biblical record things had gone sour for them. Their king, Saul, was a dud. Their armies under his leadership weren't winning many battles. Once equipped with a fierce reputation they were now huddled in fear at the taunting of their opponents. As the story goes a mighty Philistine champion named Goliath came out every morning and evening for forty days and nights to intimidate and threaten the Israelite army. The Hebrews were dismayed and terrified ( see 1 Samuel 17:11). Saul cowered. 

Step in the man after God's own heart, young shepherd boy David. With five smooth stones and a sling he killed Goliath. It was a new day for Israel, a turning point. Their national problems didn't go away instantly as Saul continued to lead them. Yet, a new thing was happening in them as the renown of David infused them with confidence. Soon, David would become their king and their national fortunes would shift. After forty days and forty nights they experienced a turning point. 

It's easy to do the ADHD thing here and become snagged in the underbrush of biblical veracity. Another legend foisted on the world by us Bible thumpers? Go ahead, run in circles if you must. The historicity of King David and the stories of his life aren't questioned by most Bible scholars. So, I'll let that pass and accept the record as accurate. It's not the point anyway.

It is another of the new day turning points signaled in the Israeli epoch by the forty days and nights numerical formula. Of course the Israelites had a pattern of their own, a cycle of arrogant disobedience that kept them in turmoil generation after generation. But, He brought them back again and showed infinite mercy and grace over and over. It was this everlasting love thing we read about so much.

Life after forty is no picnic. I mean, personally or in a congregational setting, the rigors of daily reality continue. Turning forty, at home with the fam or at church, isn't sayonara to the exigencies that make up living in times like these. At the same time, it doesn't negate the lessons or value of the forty year period that is ending. This old accountant believes that the economy of heaven calculates a different currency than human balance sheets. Nothing is wasted. God is always at work. Forty often signals a change, a turning point in the scorecard that tabulates life. There is a new quality and tone to things. Some people call it mellowing. 

Our forty years of Kingdom ministry have been blessed at many levels---great times, memorable people, enormous challenges, faithful service, sacrifice, courageous leadership, and so much more. Our little anniversary celebration signals a shifting to congregational maturity, the lessons learned congealed into our ethos, the gravitas of experience, a turning point, new found traction resulting from the all that has gone before. 

So, there's a sweetness to it. Quality time. Resolve. Turning point.

Wow!

Life begins @ forty: the next chapter

Biblical characters lived longer, especially in the ante-deluvian world. For this reason age forty wasn't the milestone it is today. I mean, some of those people lived more than nine hundred years. So, age forty for them might have found them still gnawing on skins and living in some kind of ancient pack-n-play device. Certainly, the proverbial mid-life for them would have been much later than ours.

Some people cannot fit these calculations into their worldview. Having studied these matters from several angles my intellect has no trouble ascribing such action to the ways of God,  the mysteries that are beyond my limited reach. A high view of Scripture gives clarity to these pixels for me.

At any rate, after the flood, their days were fewer (note Genesis 6:3), an indication of the new order of human life, the general boundary being 120 years. Once again, it doesn't bother me that Abraham lived longer or that a few Old Testament characters exceeded the 120 years allotted in Genesis. Chalk another one up for the ways of God.

Still, forty was a big birthday. Isaac Gen.25:20) and Esau (Gen. 26:34) were both married at age forty, maybe an indication of their own lifestyle decisions or a father's willingness to entrust his daughters to these more mature men. Forty was obviously still the closure of testing, an age of adult accountability, a line in the sand meaning that from this point onward one ought to know better.

Consider Moshe for example. Apparently his life was sub-divided into three forty year segments, his death being noted at the outer limit of 120 years (Deuteronomy 31:2; 34:7). Supposedly, Moses spent forty years in Midian running from the law, forty years as a shepherd before his call at the burning bush, and the final forty years wandering aimlessly in the wilderness (see Acts 7:23,30,36). Evidently, each of these time divisions were tests for him, probationary periods to prove his fidelity and trustworthiness.

Here's the deal. By age forty we ought to know better, should have settled somewhat, and should be tried and true for the next chapters of life. Woaah! Notice how many cultural indicators are hinged on age forty---the mid-life stuff, the drop out stage, divorce, career adjustments, and some of the other restlessness that disrupts life. It's when shipwrecks occur, sadly.

Church life is among my concerns. The pastor's heart understands the corporate dimensions of human dynamics, and that these things get expressed in our spiritual connections too. This weekend our congregation is celebrating our fortieth birthday. It's been a good ride, and we are blessed in so many ways. Still, by this age we should know what works and what doesn't, we should have a firm grasp of our Kingdom assignment, and possess the maturity of knowing what to do and how to move forward. It signals the closing of one chapter and the opening of another. And, it is fine.

Ben Franklin said, "At twenty years of age, the will reigns; at thirty the wit; at forty, the judgment".

Would that it could be so!

Life Begins @ 40: fugehdaboudit!

Birthdays get more memorable by the year. I remember # 40 distinctly. It was the year my good friend Ellis Beddingfield scandalized our fair city with a billboard in front of our church---

Lord, Lordy,
Sonny is forty.

Of course, I knew the comic sense in which their kind gesture was meant and I basically told the complainers they needed to get a life. It was a fun time an I am grateful for the thought, though today I may argue with the sentiment a little.

Life beginning @ forty is a totally Scriptural idea. Biblical math isn't so mysterious, hidden from all but the enlightened. Most names and events in the Old Testament can be expressed in numerical values. Usually the numbers in the Bible actually mean something and are used to communicate spiritual truth that is consistently expressed in the New Testament as well. So, twelve tribes and twelve disciples and twelve stars and twelve gates and twelve angels, all usually thought to express governmental or organizational perfection, an ancient Hebrew obsession. 

Forty communicates the completion of a time of trial, probation, or chastisement. So, back to the Good Book we see rain for forty days and nights, Israel in the wilderness for forty years, Goliath terrorizing Saul and the armies of Israel for forty days and nights, the forty days Moses spent before the Lord on the mountain, Jesus in the dessert with the Evil One for forty days and nights, the rule of major judges for forty years, and many more. If you want to see some of these references, click here for a tutorial on the number 40. 

So, life beginning @ forty is the Biblical expectation for something good after 40 years of testing, maybe preparation. At forty, most of us are past the trials of dating, choosing partners, selecting a career, pursuing education, deciding where we're going to reside, and discovering clarity about the future. By our fortieth year most humans are usually settled in careers, have educated the children, should be experiencing a measure of financial and lifestyle stability, and are enjoying some of the benefits of life. So, there is some truth here. Life can and often take on a new edge, envision new horizons, have a different look @ forty.

Well, that was twenty years ago. So, why in the world has the memory of the fortieth year invaded the tranquil landscape of geezerhood. Well, its more practical for me, and more to do with the corporate involvements of life than personal, though the two are so intertwined that they are difficult to separate. no, we've not crossed the fortieth wedding anniversary to date, hoping to cross that longitude in three  years. Truth is, our church is celebrating our fortieth year this next weekend. If life begins @ forty, this means our greatest days are ahead. 

1970-2010 could annotate a grave marker. Not here. We're alive and well. This week we'll look back for a minute or two. But, not to long for what is back there. our faith tells us that the best is yet to come. So, our glance in the rear-view mirror is just for bearings as we move forward. What we see in this look back is somethings incredible and assuring. We'll talk about it through the week. 

The celebration flings us forward, encouraged by our faithful guide, life begins here. It is not a longing for something that was, not a glamorized or mythologized happy days that once existed somewhere in time. It is the recognition that the best is here, and in the days to come.

So, with Christopher Columbus and his little boat full of adventurers, it's "Adelante", forward.

Step up: may need to fess up too!

Moses reminded new leaders to look up before they step up. Later, he would ask them to fess up too. Moses knew that a prerequisite to effective spiritual leaders is self-awareness. Spiritual leaders keep their own sinful ways in focus. Confession is a regular discipline for those who will lead.

Deuteronomy is a recapitulation of the law and history of Israel in the exodus. Here, Moses is commanded by the Lord God to remind the new national, tribal, clan, and family leaders of how God delivered them from Egyptian captivity, guided them miraculously through their wilderness travels, and delivered them to the banks of the River Jordan. Israel's leadership grid had been decimated, death in the wilderness their punishment for having been disobedient to God. Most of the new leaders were not participants in the covenant which God had established with Israel. So, Moses reminded them that a covenant would be required. They would have to fess up before they stepped up.

Acknowledging our unworthiness before God is central to our service to him. The new leadership of Israel would be reminded time and again of the covenant that their forefathers had broken, and the consequences of their having abrogated their promises to God. God would carry them, God would equip them, He would keep His promises to them, He would sustain them. As a result, they would be required to honor their covenant with Him.

So, today, as leadership transitions are anticipated, there is the firm reminder: look up, fess up, before you step up. The expectations of God, though gracious and generous, are immutable. 

Step Up: first, look up

Biblical repetition is a vivid give-away of God's intention for us! Deuteronomy 1 is an instance where repetition focuses readers on something very basic to our faith. Deuteronomy is the "second law", not another new law, but an expanded, more detailed version intended for new leaders to guide Israel into the Promised Land. It must be noted: God didn't instruct Moses to abbreviate the law, minimize it in any way, or reduce the Ten Commandments to suggestions. God told Moses to give them the whole law and ask them to step up as leaders.

Chapter One is revealing of the process.Certainly, the entire book constitutes the tutorial that would qualify them for such a role in the national epoch. He related what they needed to know to move them the next steps of their forty-year journey. They would have to step up to step, if you know what I mean.

Yet, the first chapter emphasizes a truth that we tend to minimize in our modern humanism. Over and over Moses reminded them of God's provision. Eight times he mentioned the land that god had already given them, or was giving them. The summary verse is 31: "There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a Father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." Evidently, the first and foremost element in their ability to "step up" was God's gracious provision for them.

This cannot be overlooked today. A contemporary humanism elevates our teaching systems and qualifications for mission. We put people through their paces, do the testing and proving of character and leadership, and often over-look the most elemental piece of God's boot-camp: His calling and provision for our service. He reminded Moses and Joshua and Caleb of what He had done for their forefathers in order to make a powerful point: He doesn't change. His promises are real, What He has done for them in the past He would do for them in the future.

We are all unqualified. Every significant leader in the Bible admitted their personal weaknesses before, another repetitive reminder of our own feebleness before Him. They became great leaders because he inhabited them and overcame their frail humanness.

So, before we can step up, we have to look up! Without Him we are nothing.

The view from the side-line, 9: the fat lady

Velocity defines motion on the field! The speed of the game is so consuming that on-field personnel are typically unaware of the clock. As a result, some teams are penalized for delays, and even more, suffer defeat because of poor clock management. Coaches that understand the timing of things, who practice two minute drills and assign clock watching duties to one of the side-line personnel often spend more time in the winners circle after the game. They also know the adage that it isn't over till the fat lady sings, our colloquialism for the final buzzer.

Yes, the Bible speaks about the brevity of life. In many references the length of our days is compared to dew on the ground, the morning mist, grass that withers, breath,and other transient realities. Hardly a day passes that we don't reference the speed of life, the passing of years, the growth of little ones. "Where did the time go?" is a routine question. 

Still, it isn't over till it's over, or so says Bob Uecker. This was another of the side-line lessons impressed on me during a recent hospital stay. Yes, it is appointed unto man once to die. I mean, as one sage put it, none of us will come out of this alive. Mortality rate, 100%. Yet, many people throw in the towel or cash in their chips long before the final flag. Greg Surratt, pastor @ Seacoast Church, offered a series about purpose to begin the new year titled WHY AREN'T YOU DEAD YET?, a very creative way of making the point that if you have a pulse God isn't finished with you yet.

So, when I was discharged from the hospital, and faced the additional agony of lite duty, there was something of a pity party happening, knowing---[1] my age, [2] some reality about my physical make-up, and [3]some limitations that may stalk me to the end. The the old guy that drove my wheelchair to the car, as he was handling me said, "go get 'em tiger!" And, I knew that he wasn't the fat lady, and that his refrain wasn't the fat lady's tune. Go get 'em tiger, indeed. 

OK, so practice what you preach! For years I've taught a "till then" do-ology. My faith declares his triumphal return one day to reign forever. This same faith clings to the promise that He has given me all I need "till then". So, what happens in the meantime, "till then", is of utmost importance. Doing the  right things cannot gain me access to his throne room. Faith isn't a hall pass from the rigors of life. But, there is something for each of us "till then". Maybe your pulse is week, you are confined, your jar of clay is getting more feeble, and you can't do what you could have a few decades ago.

But, it isn't over till the fat lady sings! So, go get 'em, tiger.

The view from the side-line, 8: the playing fieid

The playing field isn't level. More to the point, it is not flat. To provide for drainage most outdoor fields are parabolas. If you've forgotten your geometry, hit this button for the basic Wikipedia explanation.

The slope of a modern-day outdoor football field isn't too apparent from any distant vantage point. It is nearly imperceptible. But, on the playing field, and from the side-line, the curvature is quite obvious. Google "football field pitch" and you'll find drawings, elevations, schematics, cross-sections and all manner of turf management and design-build companies ready to construct a state-of-the-art field. You can see the technical elements involved in a well-planned and constructed playing field. It is not level.

Of course the level playing field and it's opposite, the un-level field, have become choice metaphors of the inequities of life. Today we are convinced that government is, and should be in the business of leveling the playing field, equalizing the unfair advantages that accrue to some people to the favor of the disadvantaged. Revisionist politicians have re-framed our governing documents to define rights in terms of special entitlements that will level the playing field. 

Get real ideologues!  Life is not fair. Face it, the fall defines the imbalance that touches everything under the sun. Jesus Christ promised that there would always be poor people, that rain will fall on the just and the unjust, which does seem equitable at all, and that his followers would have trouble in the world. He did also promise an abundance of joy and peace to them, and seemed to find a special place in his own heart for the disadvantaged of his culture. Shoot, he shared several meals with sinners and tax collectors, reached out to women on more than one occasion, made special mention of children, touched lepers, and fed multitudes of strugglers who faced first century life as sheep without a shepherd. His heart was hard-wired to the unfortunate. He spent much time with them, preferring their fellowship over that of the pious religious fakes of the day.

A couple of days in the hospital recently confronted me with some reality. From the side-line I could more readily detect the un-level playing field. Notably were other with immense medical complications, individuals suffering from levels of physical dysfunction---cardio-myopathy, congestive heart failure, diabetes, pulmonary disease, hyper-tension---all diagnosed in one man down the hall. My UTI and type 2 diabetes are basically life-style oriented maladies that could be corrected in part by some fine-tuning in my personal schedule and daily routine. But, there will always be the infirm, the dis-advantaged, the unfortunate, the poor, the elderly, the outcasts, the overlooked. Being on the side-line helped me to see it a little more clearly.

So, we tithe, try to provide benevolence and care to those on the down-slope of this un-level playing field, and seek to be keenly aware of those people by-passed by the fortunes and benefits of this life. Of all places, the church should be a place where the playing field is more level as the blessings and evils of this world are shared. Someone said that there are no big wheels in God's church because there are no little wheels. How true!

Yet, the playing field of this world is not level. It is the truth. Government, culture, even the most benevolent and empathetic church cannot reverse this reality.

It was seen from the side-line. That was two weeks ago. now back on this un-level playing field I'm asking God what He wants me to do about it---

Et tu?

The view from the side-line, 7: looking up

Sometimes you have to step back from the action to get a view of what is happening on the field. This is not always because the field of play is so wide-angle that optical equipment can't take it in. No, what's happening on the field is often controlled by forces that really don't want you to observe the events that are taking place there.

So, you either have to be on the side-line or in the stands, both distant from the playing field, to see what is actually happening. Like the players from both teams---often the coaches, cheerleaders, band members, and school administrators---kneeling at mid-field for post-game prayer. Or, as significantly, a player acknowledging God after a touchdown. Or, when a a player, like Tim Tebow, wears his faith, Bible verses displayed in his eye-black strips. The media hates this public display of personal faith and will usually go to another camera angle to avoid showing this to the millions catching the game from home. The National Football League tried to ban the mid-field prayer meetings but the players protested and won. Now, the NCAA is considering what the media is calling the "Tebow Rule", prohibiting messages in the eye-black. To acknowledge personal gratitude to God in such a public area violates the separation of church and football. You got to be kidding me!!!

Sounds ridiculous, I know! But, sadly, this is the state of things in our modern police state, especially in the phobia that liberals and secularists have about spiritual matters. A couple of years ago, when Tommy Bowden, RIP, was head coach @ Clempson, he was criticized and blasted in the media and by the faculty senate at CU for taking his team to church every week. So, the separation of church and college football became a new unwritten dogma among the elitists. Then again, you remember the John 3:16 people, the believer's who purchased strategic seats at various sports venues so they could hold up their John 3:16 signs for the television cameras. Yes, they were soon banned from trying to shove their religious beliefs off on everyone out there in TV land. Seems the freedom expression works for everyone except for evangelical Christians.

On the side line these and other expressions of faith are more noticeable. Yes, of course, the fans and cheerleaders are clasping their hands in prayer for the team, praying for the "hail Mary" pass or play that will ice the game for the home team. Shockingly the entire ball park will often pause in prayer or a moment of silence when a severe injury is expected. Having walked the side-line a time or two, I've noticed coaches and managers praying with a team member, encouraging someone who may have dropped the game-winning pass, or fumbled the ball in the one-yard line, or something worse. In some instances a team chaplain roams the side-line giving a touch or a word to players and coaches, giving a David and Goliath devotional before the game. 

OK, so I was benched for a couple of days the other week. No sooner did I get comfortable in my hospital bed that the phone started ringing and people stopped by to offer a word of prayer or encouragement. one day one of the hospital chaplains stopped by and asked about my needs. She received my permission to pray for me, which she did. Then, I asked if anyone had prayed for her lately. She said, "no". So, Harriet and I prayed for her too.

It was on the side-line that i noticed so many people looking up. It doesn't seem to stand out all that much in the motion of every single day. But, from the bench it was apparent. It was a blessing. I was grateful then.

And, I am grateful now. Look up!