Broken

Well, we made it back from two wonderful weeks of vacation during which time I was able to recharge my batteries and spend some much needed time in contemplation and prayer. I was blessed to spend all that time with my wife Cathy and granddaughter Mabrie as we journeyed to Florida to visit friends and then spent the day of our 32nd wedding anniversary at Universal Studios where we all had a blast (pictures to be up on Facebook later today hopefully).

Anyway, as I was reading Philippians 1:27-30 today I was reminded of the privilege we have to be able to freely worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  But, I wonder, are we willing to really pay the price for that by being broken on the cross with Him. Or, do we just want our acknowledgement of Him to yield blessings for us?  Listen to Paul in part of that scripture: "..I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents ... And this is God's doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege of not only believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well..."

Suffering for him as well. Really? Do we have to do that? And, is that really a privilege? As Americans we are blessed not to have to suffer in order to worship our Lord. The same is not true around the world, however, and every day Christians are suffering for their faith. According to Voice of the Martyrs, "In Vietnam, Christians are beaten, taken to jail and fined for starting new churches or evangelizing," and, "In Ethiopia, 39-year-old Bashir Musa Ahmed has been sitting in prision without charges for "malicious" distribution of Bibles."  These are just two of many examples that can be found of Christians around the world daily suffering for their beliefs.

How easy it is for us to be "Christians" in America. Yet, Christianity in our own country is dying. As Christians we are called to be broken on the cross WITH Christ. Broken NOT to receive but to pour out blessings on others. Listen to these words from singer Britt Nicole's song "Don't be afraid to stand out":

"Why do we go with the flow, why take an easier road? Why are we playin' it safe?

Love came to show us the way, Love is a chance we should take, I'm movin' out of the gray..."

I like that: moving out of the gray area of life and into the sunshine of His life. Let us pray Wesley's Covenant Prayer and ask God to help us really mean what we say:

"I am no longer my own but thine,

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine and I am thine.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in Heaven.

Amen."

Until next time,

Neville

PS - Check out these websites:

http://www.persecution.com/
http://www.biblesunbound.com/
http://www.prisoneralert.com/

Priorities

As I was doing my reading and Bible study this morning I came across the following quote. It was not attributed to any particular author so I share it here as "Anonymous."

"Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option."

Hmmmm. When I first read it I thought "yeah, that's the ticket," and was all set to run out and share it on Facebook, as if it was a nugget of wisdom. But as I thought about it I realized there is a fatal flaw in that statement, one that is particularly dangerous for those of us who would claim to be "Christians."

Did you catch the flaw? Or, were you like me at first? I mean, c'mon, that makes perfect sense doesn't it? Don't spend your time and effort on a person who is not going to reciprocate:

"Boy, that's the last time we're having them over for anything! We keep asking them yet they have never invited us to their place."

"Nobody has let me into the traffic so, darn it all, I'm not letting that guy get in front of me even if his life depended on it!"

Oh how easy it is for us humans to put ourselves first, and to justify our poor treatment of others as somehow justified. But Jesus called us to a better way. A way that is, in fact, the exact opposite of that opening statement.

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."(John 13:34-35, NRSV)

So, forget that opening statement and remember the words of Jesus instead.

Love one another!

Be More Understanding

Well, I planned on cobbling together some thoughts on that old saying "Time Heals all Wounds" when, during a 'cogitation break' (i.e. snack) I opened my inbox and found the monthly newsletter from Task Force Saber, the organization my son Ben is currently deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan with.

Anyway, as I was reading through the various sections for each Troop I came across the page for "Dirty Troop" or "D" Troop. The first thing that caught my eye was the corny joke at the top of the page:

"What do you call a pig that knows karate?"

(wait for it)

"A Pork Chop."

However, in the very first paragraph it took a more somber tone as the First Sergeant wrote, "As you may have heard, I lost my grandmother in the month of May. Her death made me start thinking about the issues that my Soldiers are having while deployed."

The First Sergeant went on to remind soldiers and their families that "[the] small, petty things should not be as bad as we make them out to be because at the end of the day, all you have is your family."  He went on to remind the soldiers who are deployed as well as their families back home that each of them is "doing the best they can in a difficult situation."

Life is difficult, isn't it? More for some than others, but at one point or another life gets hard for all of us.

That comment he made about only having our family at the end of the day is true, isn't it. Or, is it? While acknowledging the basic truth of that thought, it struck me that for it to be true requires at least the semblance of a functional "family" doesn't it?  I found myself thinking about all those "dysfunctional" situations: the widow(er) and the orphan, the homeless, prisoners, and children who have been given up on by their parents, to name just a few.

As Christians we are called to have an expansive view of "family" aren't we?  We are told what to do in the parable of the Good Samaritan. We hear Jesus himself telling us to feed his sheep. We should become the family for those who have no other.

At the very least we ought to love one another and be kind to each other. The First Sergeant wrote, "the task I have for everyone is to be more understanding."  And he concluded by saying, "A wise man once told me that people forget what you said. People forget what you did. But no one ever forgets how you made them feel."

Amen, First Sergeant Benning!

Let us all "be more understanding" of one another.

The Best Defense....

I suspect that many of you have heard the saying "the best defense is a good offense." Indeed, as a military man that was heard often in discussions of tactics and strategy. It is not important right now to discuss who said it (or how many variations of the same thought there are). What is important however, is to stop and ask ourselves if this is the strategy we take when talking with God?

I am prompted to this line of inquiry today after looking through book and curriculum catalogs and being struck by the number of texts out there that basically take that approach.

What are we afraid of? Why do we have to put God on the defensive all the time? Why is it always about us...Me...?

God, why did you do so and so?

Why did you allow such and such?

Will you please do this or that?

Man, I believe the omnipotent thing, but I bet there are times God wishes the cellphone had call-block on it. I suspect the following is true: we steadily ASK God questions so we don't have time to hear the questions directed TO us:

Neville, why aren't you feeding the hungry?

Church, why aren't you taking care of the least of these?

People, it is time to stop and listen to the questions God has for us. We need to turn off the transmitter and go into "receive only" mode. Listen to the words from Amos, "When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice - oceans of it. I want fairness - rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want." (Amos 5:23b-24, The Message)

Peace.

To Infinity and Beyond!

"If I speak in the tongues of mortals and angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." (1 Cor. 13:1, NRSV)

I have shared parts of this story with folks before so I apologize for any repetition.  I was reminded of it earlier this morning, however, as I carried Hallie up the steps to "find Sissy."  I put her down at the top of the stairs and away she went (as best she could, being wrapped in a blanket) calling for her "Sissy."  She went into Mabrie's room, made a bee-line for the bed, and proceeded to climb in and plop herself down, giving a contented chuckle as her Sissy reached out and pulled her close.

Love.

There's no better way to start the day.

The Love of children: simple, authentic, unquestioned, totally open and vulnerable.

One night during a "sleepover" Mabrie and I were out lying in the motorhome, wrapping up the day, sharing what new experiences she'd had, and just 'slowing down' to the point she could go to sleep.  She wrapped her arms around me and said, "Opa, I love you!"  And of course I replied, "I love you, too."  Now, she was only five at the time and immediately seized upon the opportunity to say she loved me more than that.  Well, as you might imagine, what then ensued was a sort of Abbott and Costello routine as we each expressed our love for each other in increasingly grandiose fashion.  Finally, as she lay there with droopy eyes, just before dropping off to sleep, she decided it was time to play her trump card.  She took my hand, looked me right in the eyes and said, "Opa, I love you infinity, infinity, infinity, infinity, infinity."  She paused for effect and then added, "and that's more than you can love me!"

"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Cor 13:4-7, NRSV)

The birth of my two grand-daughters has launched me on a journey of discovery that has taught me more about our relationship with God than at any other time in my life. Of course, my own children taught me much. Likewise, being my parent's son taught me many lessons. But, for whatever reason, the grandparent-grandchild relationship has been more illuminating. That may be so because as parents and children we get caught in the "rules and regulations" associated with that relationship. As grandparents and grandchildren we are free from all that and can take the time to just enjoy the relationship and let love wash over us.

"And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:13, NRSV)

Oh, I almost forgot: Mabrie added one more comment, however, perhaps more important than the first. She scooted as close as she could to me, wrapped her leg around my leg to keep me from getting away, put her arm across my chest and said, "I just had to tell you that."  And then she was asleep.

Oh how I have come to understand that God longs for that same relationship with each of us. A relationship where God can love each of us "infinity, infinity, infinity, infinity, infinity," and where we don't try to 'one-up' that love or get away from it

Peace & love. I hope everyone has a wonderful Fourth of July weekend.

Yogurt, Texture, and....God

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6, NRSV)

By way of some background, two or three days a week I am privileged to get to be with my granddaughters in the morning before they start their day. My daughter and son-in-law are nurses and leave the house by about 6:10 on workdays. So, on days they both work I have been going over so they can go to work without getting the girls up so early.

For the last few days I've been there Hallie, the youngest, has taken to eating her "biteys" (a.k.a. cereal) with her yogurt. Mind you, I don't mean the yogurt and the cereal on the tray together. No, she has decided that the biteys and the yogurt must be mixed together. Until this morning I haven't really given it much thought and, in retrospect, I realized that every other day she's done it both girls have been there so my attention was divided. This morning, however, I only had Hallie while Mabrie was with her father. So I was able to observe her a bit more closely this morning and quickly realized why it is that she wants the cereal IN the yogurt.

Can you guess?

It became obvious to me after just a moment or two. I had set the cereal and the yogurt out separately on the table to see if she wanted to mix them together. At first she began eating them separately, with a spoon. But, the spoon and the yogurt container were somewhat frustrating so she did what I suspect lots of toddlers do: she plunged her hand in there, pulled it out and tried to eat a handful of yogurt. To her dismay, the yogurt resisted being eaten by the handful. But you probably knew that. After a few more attempts she realized the cereal was there and got a big smile on her face. She reached over, grabbed a handful and dumped it into the yogurt. After a couple more handfuls she proceeded to reach down into that yogurt container and grab a handful of yogurt covered cereal, pop it into her mouth, and then sat back and gave a sigh of contentment. Ah ha, I thought. The cereal gives her something to grab onto. It provided texture to the otherwise fluid nature of the yogurt. Mind you, it wasn't neat and tidy, but it surely was satisfying!

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believe, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:14-17 NRSV)

And that, my friends, is what we need to do! Immerse the Bible in our lives and then plunge in and hold on! Life and the Bible, like Hallie's biteys and yogurt, just go better together.

Jai Ho!

Coming off a weekend where I was privileged to see a great performance of the play "Shenandoah" at the DeSoto Family Theater and then, last night, to spend quality time with my wife watching a movie, I must tell you that my heart is heavy today.  I can certainly relate to Jo Dee Messina's song "Even God Must Get the Blues."

"Pick up any morning paper,

turn-on the six o'clock news,

The devil's been so busy lately,

Even God must get the blues."

Now, you might ask, what prompted this fit of melancholy?  Well, I'm glad you asked. Pull up a rocking chair and let's have a chat.  First, as I mentioned, we watched a wonderful performance of the play Shenandoah. Without giving much away let's just say it's about a father trying his best to keep his family together during the Civil War, all without taking sides in that bitter conflict. However, despite his best efforts his youngest son is taken prisoner by the Yankees. At that point he says that since the war has now come to his family it is time to get involved and he, along with four of his six sons set out to find "the boy" as they call him. Speeding along in the story, they cannot find him and sadly decide to return home, losing one son during the trip and returning home only to find that another son and his wife were murdered by bandits during their absence. As they make their way mournfully to church you see "the boy" limping up in the background, making his way painfully back to his father.  Let me just tell you, if seeing that doesn't put a lump in your throat then we need to have a talk.

We went home and after supper I put in the next movie received from Netflix. I don't really know what's in my queue, I just add things that seem interesting and wait for them to arrive, and then send them back only to wait for the next one. Anyway, we opened the envelope to see "Slumdog Millionaire" as the current selection. Bless my wife's heart, she tried to watch it, but the subtitles loose something on the TV screen and after awhile she gave up and went to bed.

I, on the other hand, sat mesmerized by the tale of Jamal, his older brother Salim, and Latika, the young girl he first meets as just another street orphan. Again, not to give away the whole story if you haven't already seen it, let's just quickly say it's the story of the boys life as slumdogs and how Jamal keeps trying to find Latika. He ends up on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and then, through a series of flashbacks, we see his life up to that point and how he was able to know the answers to the questions despite the lack of formal education.

Anyway, you could be taken in by the romanticism and at the end feel happy that Jamal and Latika were together at last. Or, perhaps you would have the reaction I did: a degree of happiness, yes, but with a large dose of fear. Fear? That's right -- fear!  My mind was racing with images of "the boy" making his way home after the war in Virginia; of little Jamal so desperate for an autograph that he would jump into an outhouse pit; and the pitiful image of young Latika standing in the rain, wanting so badly to get out of the downpour and into the container the boys were in, but not without being asked.

"The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, "You are just, O Holy One, who are and were, for you have judged these things; because they shed the blood of saints and prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve." (Revelation 16:4-6, NRSV)

How many slumdogs went to sleep last night on a pile of trash? Think about that sentence for a minute....then let's rewrite it: How many children went to sleep last night on a pile of trash? That makes a difference doesn't it? When we see them as just 'slumdogs' they don't merit as much of our attention, do they? As I tried to go to sleep I lay there thinking to myself, how many "boys" are wandering aimlessly around Africa, child soldiers or AIDS orphans, with no home or parents to return to?  How many Jamals and Latikas.....or, as I struggled with my emotions, how many Mabries or Hallies were lying out there, in the cold, on a trash heap. How many of them drifted off to sleep with a growling stomach and a tear on their cheek, wondering why they have been forgotten? How many lay there dreaming about a mother, a father, or perhaps an "Opa" to give them hugs and kisses? As I lay there, snug in my bed, a really frightening throught came to me: How many of those children have given up, lost hope, and have settled for their current reality as the only possible option for themselves?

"...but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs." (Matthew 19:14, NRSV)

Well, I told you my heart was heavy.

Maybe that's the first step. Now we just need heavy hearts to become helping hands.

Peace,
Neville

Look, a Bentley...and no, I'm not talking about Dierks!

As I made the turn onto South Germantown Rd. my eyes were drawn to the left. Now, I guess I should tell you that I like cars. My Dad worked for GM during the glory days of the sixties and I could not get enough of big American V-8 motors. There was no better way to spend time than with my Dad when we would go to the dealership after hours so he could do some work and I would have free rein to drool over those beautiful Oldsmobiles with their Rocket V-8 power (positive valve rotators anyone?). Later, I hated the advertising slogan "This is not your father's Oldsmobile" -- there was nothing wrong with my father's Oldmobile thank you very much!

I still long for the days when new model year introductions were a big deal; cars covered with sheets until the official day of release, storage lots full of new models locked away from prying eyes, and gala open houses at the dealerships. While I liked the sporty models (and my dream car is a 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 with the W-30 package) I always liked the big cars, with big V-8s, cars that could "cross continents at pace" as the Bentley website says.

Which brigs me back to where I started. As I sat at the traffic light my eyes were drawn left by the unmistakable silouhette of a large touring sedan. At first I thought it was a Rolls-Royce, but as I focused in on it that unmistakable mesh grille gave it away. A new Bentley, and a convertible no less. Wow, that's one of the new Azure T models I thought to myself and as I made the turn it wasn't but a minute before it was beside me, the "Le Mans inspired front wing vents" clearly visible to my left and the deep tinted glass keeping the prying eyes of the world away from the sumptuously sequestered occupants.

However, to my pleasant surprise, I did not find myself as envious as I once would have. We went different directions at the next intersection and as I made the turn I actually heard myself saying, "Isn't that a waste."  As I drove further, trying to decide how I felt (my earlier comment had seemingly come out of left field) I realized that I felt sad. Sad for the values that allow us to spend almost $400,000 on a car. Now, the owner might be a great Christian, tithing ten-percent and maybe more. I don't know. But I do know that, despite the allure of the prosperity gospel, we are to set the example as stewards of God's gifts. If we live our lives to excess should we be surprised that young people see us as hypocritical and want no part of our church?

This is yet another example of John Wesley's wisdom when, in his sermon "on the use of money" he said: "The fault does not lie in the money, but in them that use it. It may be used ill: and what may not? But it may likewise be used well: It is full as applicable to the best, as to the worst uses."  So, as much as I love cars, the Bentley has to be placed in the "worst" use column. Maybe the tittle of this post should have been "Should all United Methodists drive Chevrolets?". I don't know if the answer is yes, but I do know that there are far too many of us that aren't walking in the way that we talk.

In closing let us listen again to John Wesley: "If, then, a doubt should at any time arise in your mind concerning what you are going to expend, either on yourself or any part of your family, you have an easy way to remove it. Calmly and seriously inquire,

(1) In expending this, am I acting...not as a proprietor, but as a steward of my Lord's goods?

(2) Am I doing this in obedience to his Word? In what Scripture does he require me so to do?

(3) Can I offer up this action, this expense, as a sacrifice to God through Jesus Christ?

(4) Have I reason to believe that for this very work I shall have a reward at the resurrection of the just?"

At this hour, and from this hour, do his will: Fulfil his word, in this and in all things! I entreat you, in the name of the Lord Jesus, act up to the dignity of your calling! No more sloth! Whatsoever your hand findeth to do, do it with your might! No more waste! Cut off every expense which fashion, caprice, or flesh and blood demand! ... employ whatever God has entrusted you with, in doing good, all possible good, in every possible kind and degree to the household of faith, to all men! This is no small part of "the wisdom of the just." Give all ye have, as well as all ye are, a spiritual sacrifice to Him who withheld not from you his Son, his only Son: So "laying up in store for yourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that ye may attain eternal life!"

Now, if I could just find that verse that says I need a Bentley.......

10th Grade English or, "Noun vs Verb"

Let me just say at the outset that, had it not been for Literature and a truly grace-filled teacher, 10th-grade English and I were bound together on a one-way monorail ride into the Waste Lands. I still get anxious just thinking about sentence diagrams, and don't even get me started about past-participles! But, I made it and do you want to know something? That dear lady told me not too long ago that she thought all that diagraming wasn't really necessary after all!  Free at last, free at last, thank Webster almighty I'm free at last!

But, I digress, and I can hear you saying 'get to the point.'  So, I will!

Three books among the stack that I am currently reading (or re-reading) have really set my brain abuzz:  'The Eight Blessings, Rediscovering the Beatitudes,' by Shane Stanford; 'Change the World, Recovering the Message and Mission of Jesus,' by Mike Slaughter; and, 'John Wesley's Message Today,' by Lovett Weems, Jr.

Mike Slaughter says, "Our faith practice has...become a distortion of Jesus' gospel of the kingdom of God. We often embrace a disembodied "saved for heaven" theology. We have overemphasized getting people into heaven to the neglect of getting heaven into earth."  Wow!

In 96 short pages Lovett Weems' little book deftly mines the nuggets of Wesley's theology and provides useful support for Jim Walker's thoughts in his book "Dirty Word" where he says the United Methodist Church is "perfectly positioned with a very relevant theology and message, but with a missiology that is...frozen in time."  And then, as I re-read Shane's comments on the Beatitudes, I was struck by his thoughts on "significance" as he analyzed Jesus' words, "blessed are the meek."

All of this found itself in the blender that functions as my brain these days and, when combined with some extra ingredients from the UMC Re-Think Church campaign (http://www.rethinkchurch.org/ ), made me sit up and ask if 'the church' is salvageable?   Are we (not just the United Methodist Church) on a steady downhill path to stagnation and death? Have I signed on to be part of the crew of a sinking ship?

I think the answer is yes, the church is salvageable. But, there are significant challenges ahead. As Rev. Ken Carter puts it in his blog (kenatprovidence.blogspot.com) "...increased social mobility and dislocation; the explosion of sports cultures that have become normative for many young people and their families on weekends; a lower birth rate among Caucasian families and as yet unwillingness to assimiliate immigrant families into our mission.", are but a few of the factors we have yet to come to terms with.

But, you know what? Solving this may be as simple as understanding the difference between a noun and a verb, between Effect and Affect. If the church continues its present ways the effect will be further decline.  If the church will positively affect the community growth is the likely result.  Watch this video and then start thinking of ways you can "become a verb" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uydwJpSHx4 )
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Or, as you would find it in literature, "To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor." (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

Be a Verb!