Leaning Forward

No room

Each trip to Israel affords us a new, challenging, and ever changing view of life. I'm not sure what image best illustrates the uncovering that happens every time we visit the places of so much personal faith. Maybe it's like an archealogical dig that strips away the years layer by layer and in the process preerves each one while leaving room for vibrant life at the surface. Nevertheless, in six visits over the past eighteen years the land and the world around it has taught us much about life, faith, and world-view that mimics the historical movement that began when God showed Abraham that land so many years ago. 

Pictured above is a new site. Harriet and I marveled that we had not previously seen the Prophet Samuel's Tomb. Of course, Samuel figured substantively in the epoch of Israel when he anointed Saul, and David as king of the nation. The site marks the place of an abandoned Arab village, a mosque no longer in use, and the place of Samuel's burial. Oh yes, and perhaps the most spectacular view of Jerusalem when facing East. It's just a small mountain-top on the way from the Judean hills toward the coastal plain. But, looking back, there's Jerusalem and her adjoining neighborhoods and communities spread out over the entire landscape as far as you can see. It is stunning.

Standing there with our group of pilgrims I was silenced by the vast landscape and what it represents spiritually, socially, politically, and culturally, just to mention a few of the perspectives that could define that striking moment. In comparison to the larger world it's just small fragment. But, that snapshot, broad and sprawling, is a picture of our world, a metaphor of a crowded world where there is no room.

OK, we've worn out the "no room in the inn" deal. Yes, of course, we must make room for Him in our hearts, personally, individually, at His gracious invitation. I've worked that angle for more than thirty years. Even more, however, is the reality that in the vast reach of this entire world, the Christian influence occupies a space about the size of the Christian quarter in the Old City. That day, making our way down toward Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport, the truth about who we are and our influence on the vast world struck me in a new way.

These things are so central to our faith. Jesus and the Apostle Paul taught about yeast, the pervasive and ever expanding nature of the world system, and the way a remnant is to influence that world till He comes again. Traveling through The Galilee the villages on a hill are vivid reminders of being light. Everywhere the earth is salty and flavored. Jesus meant for us to light and season that world even from the vantage point of a small piece of it, that little quarter that seems so irrelvant.

At Samuel's Tomb He impressed me with the vastness of the world and the power of the Gospel to influence that world even when it occupies such a small space. It is His plan. He's entrusted it to us...no, to me...and to millions with the same simple faith and instructions to change things. 

That's when it hit me. Looking out over Jerusalem from Samuel's tomb my fingers found something in the pocket of my jacket. There were a few mustard seeds I had purchased from a man in the streets the previous day. The panorama out there said, "no room". The seeds in my pocket replied, "It's doesn't take much room". 

The chill bumps are still there.

Manger Square

Here is a good night time picture of the central location of our first three days in the Holy Land. This is Manger Square in Bethlehem as depicted by the Reuters News Service. It is the location of the Church of the Nativity (which may be the oldest church in the world, The Mosque of Omar, and the Palestinian Peace Center. As you can note from the picture, it is crowded during the weeks before Christmas.

Entrance to the Church of the Nativity is through the Door of Humility, a very small doorway requiring entrants to bend low, as if entering a real cave. The idea of the door is that ever person entering the door should stoop in adoration of the Christ. What an appropriate attitude to mark our time in the Holy Land, bending low to approach the place of His birth.

So, here we are, thankful and blessed.

Destination: Israel

The first time we landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, I noticed Harriet wiping tears from here eyes. When I asked her why she was crying, her answer struck me deep. She said, "I feel like I've come home".

Well, we're not Jewish and aren't making aliya (meaning, "going up") in any kind of ritual way. But, landing there on our previous five trips has been a clear reminder of our connection to the Jewish nation and the people there. Suddenly years of Bible study and hearing about the land flowing with milk and honey rushes through us as we're overwhelmed that we are actually there.

Today, we leave for our sixth trip tot he Holy Land. Our destination is that same entry point in Tel Aviv, and I know we will be greeted by those same emotions as before. To be in the land of our Lord Jesus is a blessing I cannot describe. Those words I've preached about for the past couple of weeks are instantly more real---indescribable, inexpressible, surpassing, immeasurable. It's hard to put words around this very deep connection. I'm apt to say a "WOW" or two before the twelve days are over. Every moment and every step will be blessed. 

There are layers of blessing. Of course, we have our favorite places. They provide moments of devotion and reflection that are intensely personal, always refreshing, at the same time challenging. Then, there is the joy of sharing the experience with others. Harriet and I always rejoice as pilgrims are touched by the places of our faith and the moments of worship that define our precious moments at each locale. At each stop we read Scripture, sing, pray, and celebrate the pivotal events that took place there. In the backdrop are the voices of other pilgrims singing and praying in the languages of the nations. A little picture of heaven, perhaps.

So, today, we're off to Philadelphia, PA, and then tonight ten hours to Tel Aviv. I'll post as I have the occasion during the next twelve days. Please pray for our safety and good health as we travel.

Shalom, y'all.

Joy

The angel calmed the frightened shepherds with thrilling words. He said, "Don't be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people" (Luke 2:10). Christ's coming was good news that would be mega joy, to use the terms Luke memorialized in his gospel. Mega joy!

That joy became a central theme in the teaching ministry of Jesus. In the important John 15 verses He said, "I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete" (John 15:11). Later, as this spiritual joy seemed so elusive to the suffering first century believers the Apostle Paul explained that joy wasn't a human emotion to be whipped up on demand, but was in fact a fruit of the spirit, an outgrowth of our consistent personal communion with Christ. 

C.S Lewis said, "Joy is never in our power and pleasure often is". That really gets to the heart of the delusion of the season, the deception that makes so many of us despondent and disappointed during the holidays. We tend to believe that the good tidings and merriment of the season, the good cheer and giving and holiday festivity will meet the deeper internal yearnings of our heart. Emotional thrills can certainly bring momentary relief from the rigors of life. But, they are shaped by many fickle circumstances that change with the moments.

Then, there is joy, that deep experience of Christ that brings us inner peace, a calm assurance that guides us through the storms, and maintains us when we are in them. So, today we're talking joy, comparing it to the cultural icon happiness, and learning that this joy is ours in Christ.

Happy Sunday. Rejoice and be glad.  

Faith

Meet Loralai Faith Moore, daughter of Jason and Megan Moore. The picture was made on her first birthday. Out of the frame are the parents and the extended family that adopted her. They are all part of the miracle that brought her to them. It's a story of faith, a witness of His faithfulness in all things. You can hear them tell it Saturday on the www.lovegave.com live stream. When you hear it, you'll know why her middle name is Faith.

LOVEGAVE is the mission partnership of fourteen local churches raising funds to (1) provide $100K in scholarships to adopting families, and (2) $50K to provide supplies and needed materials to adopting and fostering families. They're live streaming the entire process at three local Wal-Mart locations---West Ashley, Goose Creek, and at the Tanger Outlet Mall. Volunteers at each of the three locations will provide inform- ation on the project, supplies that are needed and can be donated at the site, and ways to contribute toward the funding goals. Once again, you can visit the web site here. The site also permits on-line volunteer registration and donations.

As of Friday evening @ 7:15 p.m. $42,314 had been donated toward the $150,000 goal. So, let's do a couple of things today:

[1] Pray for the volunteers, church leaders, and live streaming hosts as they work the long hours through Saturday evening @ 6:00 p.m.

[2] Go by one of the locations to encourage the teams serving there. You may also want to help enlist donations of supplies and items donated by customers.

[4] Volunteer to serve.

[5] Donate as God leads you.

Jason and Megan Moore will be in the process of adopting again soon. Another beautiful orphan will be placed into their loving, supportive home. Your gift will enable them, and nine other families like them, to change the life of a young child, and their lives too.

And, you too.
 

Her name is Grace

Sometimes words become part of our landscape. Frequent use often takes away their urgent edge or makes them less penetrating. One of my pet words in this category is "awesome". Suddenly everything is "awesome"---a good meal, a movie, vacation, grandchildren, school grades, a candy bar, and God. Overuse may have marginalized it to little more than "ho hum".

"Orphan" may be one of those words too. Suddenly it's among the "in" projects, the care of orphans and the ministry of adoption and fostering. Like some of the buzzwords of pop culture "orphan" may now be a concept, a rallying point for meaningful fund raising, a program somewhere that we can support by providing money or supplies.

But, an "orphan" is a person, a precious gift from God that has been deprived of a family experience by circumstances. They're not inanimate, but are flesh and blood human beings that can bless adult humans whose situation makes having a family impossible too. Like Grace Allison Chambers, pictured above. She's not an idea or a name on a bullet list or a statistic. She's a person. At this point, if all the paper work goes through the legal processes as planned, she will be the daughter of Josh and Haley Chambers, our friends and church members of our church family. What a joy to know how they are going to become a family. 

Which brings me to LOVEGAVE. Fourteen local churches are attempting to raise $100K to provide scholarships for couples in the process of adopting, and $50K for funding supplies for families who have adopted or are foster parents for children. Volunteers are working around the clock at three local Wal Mart locations---West Ashley, Goose Creek, and Tanger Outlet, to raise the funding and gather the supplies. it is a fantastic process that will touch many lives.

Please go here to learn how you can get involved, volunteer, or give. Help more sweet children like Grace Allison, and parents like Josh and Haley, discover the blessings of living in a family.

James wrote, "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." (James 1:27).

LOVEGAVE. Yes he did. Yes He does.

LOVEGAVE

There's a special place in God's heart for orphans. In both Testaments orphans are mentioned as teh recipients of special care. This weekend, fourteen local congregations ar partnering to raise funds to provide (1) $100K for scholarships to adopting families, and (2) $50K for supplies and special needs for adoptive and fostering families.
What a blessing to share such a project with brothers and sisters in Christ.

Please go to the LOVEGAVE site to learn more about the history and ministry of the LOVEGAVE mission, volunteer to serve at one of the three Wal Mart locations, or give toward the announced goals. You can get to that sight there right here.

Also, you can watch the LOVEGAVE movement at that same sight in live video streaming throughout the weekend, Thursday through Saturday. The live hosts will interview people, talk about the project, and provide various moments of seasonal discussion, mission, and even worship.

So, get to one of the sight, log on to the web page, volunteer if you can, and give as He enables you.

LOVEGAVE. Yes, He did! Yes, He does!

Holiday cheer and worldview

An adage reminds us, "All that glitters is not gold, and all that sparkles is not silver".
Perhaps it's the delusion of glitter and sparkle that makes the holiday season so hard for many people. Our shallow outlook tends to equate the holiday veneer with some measure of contentment and inner peace. Lights and ribbons and stars and trees, however, are often little more than the cover of a tragic book. And, we all know the truth about books and covers.

So, there's a dark side to the season too, even if veiled by the colorful facade. The research confirms a correlation between Seasonal Affective Disorder, alcoholism, and suicide. Our counselor Chip Green (LPC) told me about a shift in the incidence of suicide away from the holiday season, more toward the emptiness of vacation times anticipated alone. However, SAD, alcoholism, and suicide remain constants in the season that should be celebrations of joy. They are real, and happening to people around us every moment.

A secular worldview has robbed the seasons of any spiritual depth. Maybe it's best not to chase that thought too far in this setting. At the same time, however, the down-side of a God-less, faith deprived worldview is often pretty subtle. People of faith thank God for His gracious provision during Thanksgiving while humanists gush thanks to each other, celebrating interpersonal relations instead of heavenly ones. At Christmas, believers join the angels announcing the birth of The Savior and the promise of great joy and peace on earth. Sadly, the secular worldview trumpets happiness and cheer, circumstantial temporary fixes for what troubles the human heart. So, the multitudes have to find artificial holiday inflation, Christmas bling. 

Enter SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), alcoholism, and suicide. The surface things, bright lights, glitter, sparkle, a few cold ones, a shot or two or bottle, a fling, maybe even a hit, provide only momentary rest as hard-hit people labor through the hard times of the holidays. They do not upload peace or joy. And, that's the subtle and very destructive force of a worldview without the strong anchors of faith. As the baggage of loneliness, depression, futility, disappointment, and all the other weights bear down on us, the artificial stimulants cannot provide more than a temporary lift. The wreckage can be tragic.

Here's a dilemma! SAD, alcoholism, drug addiction and lots of ailments stalk plenty of people during the holidays. It's The Secular City envisioned by liberal Harvard theologian Harvey Cox back in 1965. Forty-eight years ago he predicted that the city of the future, Megapolis, would be characterized by mobility and anonymity. The question for us is, "where do people turn in a world like that?", the population that is disengaged, on the move, perhaps lonely and disappointed, maybe broke and at the end. A man told me Sunday he could only turn to that impersonal world of drink, people at the bar whose friendship is as good as the next round, the place where everybody knows his name, wher he will not be judged, criticised, ridiculed, or even be looked down on (excuse the preposition). I said, "to us, the church, your spiritual family". He smiled that knowing smile of, "Sure, right," that meant, "wrong".

Jesus was sensitive to and keenly aware of the over-looked people in His world. He went out of the way to be near them, touch them, provide for them, and include them. He knew there was something in their relationship that could fill the gap in the world's system of happy. He offered them joy and peace. 

So, now, the burden in my heart is to open my eyes, extend my arms and life, and embrace someone whose happiness and merriment is waning, someone that I can share something much deeper that a sip of holiday cheer.

Merry Christmas!      

Worldview and charitable giving

Then again, there's a good bit of talk about the American spirit, what drives the nation, and the founding principles that have, at least until now, defined us. A hallmark of that spirit has been the way citizens of this country consistently lead the parade of nations in charitable giving.

My own biased perspective nods at this. You see, I'm one of those narrow minded throwbacks who believe distinctly Christian values not only shaped the early days of the republic, but defined our approach to the corporate welfare through WWII.

The Judeo-Christian ethic we used to talk about a lot would have applied a caring, compassonate overlay to society. Jewish law mandated provision for the weaker, less fortunate elements of their world, especially widows, orphans, and people unable to care for themselves. Acts 2:44-45 reminds us. "Now all the believes were together and had everything in common. So they sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need". Throughout both the Old and New Testament are Scriptural instructions about giving to those in need, lessons on generosity, and powerful promises to those exhibiting a giving spirit. As a result, Americans were givers from the very beginning. Part of this "American spirit' that used to make us stand apart as a nation was an unparalleled record of charity. We have been leaders of global giving for many years.

Interestingly I ran across the 2012 World Giving Index gathered and maintained by the Charities Aid Foundation. I didn't get to do a lot of research about them and therefore can't speak to the accuracy of the statistics in their report. At the same time, I didn't find anything negative about them and therefore can assume that their compilations are on point. It is an annual assessment of charitable giving by nation. If you want to review it, go here.

Here's an observation and a point. The United States of American usualy ranks very high in this index. Communistic or socialistic nations usually lag far behind, even lower than the poor, developing nations. So, here's the point: nations where the government takes care of everyone are low on the charitable giving scale. When governement becomes the sugar daddy of the population, their care for one another takes a dive.

Loss of caring and generosity is a measurable aftershock of big government programs and welfare systems. Of course, some federal and state agencies are necessary to provide for the needs of people who slip through the cracks of any human system. But, when government assumes the larger role, the heart driven impetus to support others from servant generated giving is alleviated.

It's the worldview thing again. The Judeo-Christian worldview depends on God to provide, especially as He inspires, convicts, and directs His people to acts of charity and mutual care. The secular worldview assigns these tasks to government, not only robbing culture of the elements of care, but creating class envy in the process.

Hey, folks. 'Tis the season. Be generous. It's in our DNA.

'Tis the season

So, Harriet forgot her toothbrush when we went to Greenville for Thanksgiving. When we'd gorged through Thursday we decided to hit Wally World that evening for a new one. Surely the maniacs would have shopped out by early evening. Not! The place was chaos. Christmas carols played in the background. Store associates were festively dressed and smiling. Everyone else could have played bit parts in "The Shining".

Since The People of Wal-Mart is the best side-show on the mid-way, we just took in the scenery for a while. For the first time I really understood the total stress of the season. There it was unfolding right in front of us, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the stress, depression, and unique pressures of the holidays. It was manifest in so many different ways---an obviously poor couple counting out their money as they  calculated their purchases; husbands and wives arguing over whether to purchase the baby stroller or Hot Wheels; people actually in tugs-of-war over sale priced DVD's; an older woman just trying to pick up a few groceries, alone; shopping carts filled with electronics, televisions, and gadgets in the hope the items will bring happiness and joy to the recipients; and so much more. The season of joy was beginning in a frantic and manic mode.

It's a hard time for many people, we all know that. The seasons tend to amplify our emotions, make them more acute, and steal away much of the good cheer that is veneered over everything. Grief is heavier during the holidays, as is loneliness, every layer of depression, the disappointments of life, failed relationships, financial woes, health issues, crisis of any type, spiritual challenges, and everything in DSM V. 

It's the stuff of SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, which some studies amy actually influence as many as 20% of the population. There are identifiable symptoms, and a good bit of scholarly work in the area of detection and treatment. If you'd like a very brief course about SAD, go here. It is a short but informative article that you may use as an indicator for yourself or people close to you.

Here's the deal. The holiday season is our opportunity to demonstrate the heart and mind of Christ to people under the pressures of the season. So, some sensitivity and compassion and understanding are in order. Most of us know the inexpressible joy of a vibrant and living faith, and can celebrate the holidays with gladness and cheer. But, if the numbers are correct, approximately 20% of the people we'll encounter each day are under the influence of these seasonal stresses. We may rightly classify them under the "least of these" heading Jesus identified when He said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for me" (Matt. 25:40).

"Tis the season. Sadly, for many, it is not one of joy! Let's show them the love and compassion of Christ as they labor through what may be very hard days.