November | 2014 | The Journey

November 2014
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The Devil Next Door

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Dr. Steve Martin

Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)

Steve Martin

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”

About a month ago police, Sheriff’s deputies and the SBI swarmed all over a house on Knob Hill in Clemmons, NC. For weeks the police were combing that house, hauling out all kinds of evidence, and looking for everything they could find. You see, the man and woman living in that house had just been charged with the murder of two men and burying them in the back yard. Beyond that they were performing Satanic rituals, had all kinds of satanic symbols all over the interior of their home.

The man had bee Devil worship in clemmons n in trouble with the law many times, most recently being charged with accessory to manslaughter back in 2010. Perhaps you remember the pictures that covered the news for weeks? The third person was charged with accessory to murder after the fact. The news about this place seem to get worse with every report.

The news is filled with all sorts of evil happenings From Isis, school shootings, everyday murders, to a foster mom sitting her child on the front porch with a dead chicken hanging around his neck, the news just seems to get worse and worse.

After all these horrific events we always say: “What happened? Why did this happen? Couldn’t we have done something to have prevented this tragedy?” Among these questions I also ask: Were these people born with some sort of evil gene that predisposes them to doing bad things even though I have never heard of such a thing? Did something traumatic happen in their lives which caused them to have this disregard for the lives of others? Was there years of abuse or mental illness which lead to this destructive behavior?

There is one more very personal question: “Did I contribute to someone’s good or bad behavior by the way I treated them?” I know there are some people who are beyond what we can do, but that does not excuse us from treating ALL people with respect, dignity and compassion.

The story is told of Mahatma Gandhi, the renowned leader of the people of India, in seeking to overthrow British colonial rule of his native land, was an avid reader. Although a Hindu, in his quest for freedom, he read the four Christian Gospels. He wanted to know more about Jesus of Nazareth. In his reading of the Gospels, Gandhi was impressed with this man whom Christians worship and follow. Where could he find out more about this Jesus whom Christians refer to as “the Christ – the Messiah?”

One Sunday morning Gandhi decided that he would visit one of the Christian churches in Calcutta. Upon seeking entrance to the church sanctuary, he was stopped at the door by the ushers. The ushers told him that he was not welcome, nor would he be permitted to attend this particular church as it was for ‘high caste’ Indians and ‘whites’ only. He was neither ‘high caste’ nor was he British. Because of the rejection by this church, ‘the Mahatma’ turned his back on Christianity. With this act, Gandhi rejected the Christian faith, never again to consider the claims of Christ! He was ‘turned-off’ by the sin of segregation that was practiced by the church. Gandhi later declared, “I’d be a Christian if it were not for the Christians!” Bust_of_Mahatma_Gandhi,_Saughton_Park,_Edinburgh_(1997)

I wonder how people are affected by the lives we live before them and how we treat each other? Does our daily treatment of ALL people bring people to Christ or drive them away from Christ? Does our living facilitate healing and wholeness or do we leave scars and wounds by words and actions?

Dear Lord, everyday there are people watching us, following us, looking to us for some word or act of kindness and acceptance. Help us to be the people who live in such a way that others see Christ living through us. In and through Jesus. Amen.

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I Know Enough to Know I Don’t Know

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Dr. Steve Martin

Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know,

: Steve Martin

to praise what delights thee most,

to value what is precious in thy sight,

to hate what is offensive to thee.

Do not suffer me to judge according to the sight of my eyes,

nor to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men;

but to discern with a true judgment between things visible and spiritual,

and above all, always to inquire what is the good pleasure of thy will.

– – – Thomas à Kempis

As I am sitting in my study at home writing this devotion, I look around at the stuff I have hanging on the walls. I have a shadow box of all my USMC rank, ribbons, medals and where I served in Vietnam. I have my diplomas from Pfeiffer College, Duke University and Trinity Theological Seminary. My certificate of Ordination as an Elder in the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. Plus, I have a Jesus sign that a former church member made for me. All of these things have a story.

Many of us use to say that USMC stood for Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children. In many ways we were. I was 19 years old fighting for something or against something. Neither of which was all that clear. I saw other boys die. I didn’t know why I was there, and to be honest, really wasn’t all that thrilled being there. I was scared to death all the time, especially in battles. I was very, very lucky being wounded after about a month and a half, sent to the hospital in Japan, back to Okinawa, and eventually back to the states. I know one guy in my platoon who was killed with 13 days left on his tour. It was all so unfair and so very unreal.

My diplomas amaze me because I am really not all that smart. I struggled all the way through school. In the latter part of college I caught the learning bug… (or at least part of it.) I wanted more and more school. If I could right now I would return to Duke to study every day. I remember Dr. George Scheryer, a religion professor at Pfeiffer, who captured me with his love of teaching theology. His courses in Christian Education were not all that interesting to me, but this one course he taught in Process Theology captivated me. I would sit there so lost in his lecture that I would forget to take notes. That is not a good thing on test day. One thing all my studies have taught me is that the more you know, the more you know that you don’t know.

My Ordination as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ did not set me aside to be better than others, higher up than others, or closer to God than others. It set me aside for responsibility to serve and care for others as if they were my family… to give my life in service of God to them. It has been a most humbling vocation to serve God through serving others. These folks allow you into their lives at the most vulnerable times and we embrace them, not so much as ourselves, as representatives of Jesus Christ. If we are not following Christ into that sacred time, thinking about them and not us, we need not be there. I still am humbled that God called ME to do this sacred work.

Finally, the Jesus sign was one Gus Ledford (Mill Grove in Midland) cut out for me. You see, we had taken the youth on a ski trip to Sugar Mountain back in the 70’s. In the Glenn (where we stayed) hanging over the fireplace was this big Jesus sign. I just fell in love with it. So my dear wife and the youth took it off the wall, taped newspaper together, and traced the Jesus sign. When we returned to Midland, my friend Gus, cut it out for me (knowing that I would cut off fingers if I tried). It has hung in every parsonage ever since. It is a special reminder of that church, that trip, Gus and his family. Gus was killed a couple of years after giving me this sign. He was coming home from work one morning and hit head on by a drunk driver. I will never forget him and his family.

I pray, O Lord, that I have in some small way that, as God has walked with me, I have known what I ought to have known, loved what I ought to have loved, praised what delights God most, valued what is precious in God’s sight, and hated what is offensive to God. In and through Jesus. Amen.

Gus’ Jesus Sign

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Can An Old Dog Learn New Tricks?

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Dr. Steve Martin

Steve Martin

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV

It hasn’t been all that long since I last did a blog on a regular basis. There was some adjustment when I first started, getting use to a blog program which was completely foreign to me and all the new terminology that came with it. I made quite a few mistakes back then… so many that I felt like the lady screaming at her computer: “Where is the ANY key? I can’t find the ANY key.” I guess you know the simple request to her was to press any key on the keyboard.

I thought this time would be easier since I used this program last year to post my blogs. However, I am finding that it is going to be more difficult because “they” changed the WordPress program to a better, faster, more shiny version than the one I used last year. Well, I really do want to make this one shine and have more visual appeal than what I have done before. The problem is I have to do some re-learning. Re-learning is harder than learning because it involves un-learning what you already know and like and re-learning a completely new way of doing things. I can’t seem to find that ANY key ANY more.

Another part of the problem is that I forget from one day to the next where I need to go in the program to do different things that I need done. I eventually stumble into that place and find what I need (thank Goodness) but it really slows down the process. As I was going through this time warp of the mind yesterday the anagram Sandy Waldron used to describe me while I was at Pine Grove came before me: O.O.P.P. On many occasions she affectionately referred to me as Our Old Pathetic Preacher. I agreed with her then and I agree with her now.

I am learning this new version of WordPress, and in the process you will probably see different looks on the blog page. Please know that every mistake I make will be leading us to eventually having a better looking page. I am already delighted that my friend from Granite Falls, Gwen Summerlin has agreed to let me use her photograph as a header for the blog. She is a wonderful photographer. Perhaps we can display some of her works on the page sometime for you to enjoy.

In our text for the day I am sure I am doing a pretty good job of forgetting the former things. The hard part for me, for all of us is perceiving the new thing God is doing in our midst. The poser is do we see God in the new thing? Is God in the advances of WordPress? Is God in the new things that are happening all around us? Are we really looking for God in the unexpected places doing the unexpected things?

One of the reasons I am doing this blog is that I realize that I need to stop worrying about myself and what has happened in the past and start looking for God in the small and large things of each day. When I do that I am sure God will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Dear Lord, I have and continue to forget a lot of stuff – former stuff of old – I do that pretty well. Help me to look for you in my day, no matter how my day is going, let me see you touching the lives of your children all around me. And in so doing help me to learn more about and rely more upon your love and grace. In and through Jesus. Amen.

A very special thanks to all who have responded to my posts. Your thoughts and words of comfort have really touched me deeply.

Please find the word FOLLOW on the right side of the page and go through the steps to have a notification sent to your email each time I post a blog.

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Dudley’s Dilemma (Up-date)

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Dr. Steve Martin

Steve Martin

John 8:5-10

5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

We have a high school here in Greensboro which enjoys a 25 game winning streak in football. In fact, they are last year’s NC 4-A State Football Champions. This is a school with a rich history in sports. If I have read the record correctly this season’s run for state 4-A football champs would be second in a row and fourth title in school history.

However, this year’s run for state champs found Dudley on the horns of a dilemma. You see, in their last game of the season the coaches brought up four players from the JV team to replace injured players on the varsity team. The problem is these JV players had played the night before and there is a rule in High School Athletics that a player can only play once a week. I understand that the one player who played for the JV team that night was involved in two plays in the last minute of the game. Southeast Guilford High School could have scored two TD’s and still would have lost.

Someone brought this infraction to the attention of the Dudley coach and he did as he should have, he self-reported the problem to the High School Athletic Association. They, in turn, quickly vacated the win against Southeast Guilford and tossed Dudley out of the running for the state championship. Dudley appealed this finding and the appeal was denied. They have now appealed to the full board. That ruling should come down sometime later today.

Here is something to consider: What was the intention of the rule not to allow a football player to play in more than one game a week? I imagine that it was for the player’s safety, not that it gave an advantage to the team with the exhausted player. So… if there was no advantage gained can’t we just say that no advantage was gained by Dudley and allow them to play?

Some will say we must follow the rules. Here are some silly rules (laws) still on the books in Alabama:

Google Silly Laws on the Books of Alabama

It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle. (GOOD)
It is illegal to sell peanuts in Lee County after sundown on Wednesday. (REALLY)
Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death. (KIDDING I HOPE)
Boogers may not be flicked into the wind. (DUCK)
You may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time. (NO WORDS)
It is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church. (HA HA HA)

If we were to just follow the rules (laws) without interpretation or understanding we could really be in a mess – don’t have salt near the railroad, and for goodness sake don’t laugh in church.

All of this is to say employ grace whenever and wherever possible. Dudley no doubt has the best 4-A football team in the state for the second year in a row. Could there be people who would like to see that come to an end? Of course there are… but I hope not at the expense of the kids who did not do the wrong thing. In my book, Dudley is still the winner. When they found out they did wrong they stood up and self-reported. They are already champions.

Jesus was faced with a similar situation about rules and laws. Some men wanted to stone to death this woman caught in adultery. Jesus simply stated the fact: “If you are without sin, step up and cast the first stone.” One by one they all drifted away.

Later on today we will find out how the ruling turns out. I hope grace will rule the day for Dudley. I pray that grace always rules our days.

Dear Lord, touch me with your grace that I may employ grace evermore freely… In and through Jesus. Amen.

UPDATE: The ruling came down a little after noon affirming the earlier decision: Dudley is out of the playoffs. This time we found that there were infractions of the same rule during four games this year. The coach made a sincere apology for overlooking these errors. I guess now we live out the grace to make sure that all future kids have the opportunities to play in every sanctioned game.

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It Takes Time To Work Through The Process

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Dr. Steve Martin

It Takes Time To Work Through The Process.

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It Takes Time To Work Through The Process

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Dr. Steve Martin

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul…. Psalm 23

Way back in July 2013 I really thought that retirement would be manageable, with little to no problems. Little did I know that the coming year would be filled with all sorts of emotional, physical and psychological distress. I even got to the point where I questioned my own worth. It was as if retirement (and all the STUFF that came shortly after that) made me feel like my whole life had been a waste. It was a VERY difficult year.

So what do we do when, even a pastor, finds himself in such a bad place?

To be very honest I simply could not find my way to a church. I wasn’t ready to face that, deal with that, process all that would go with it. Before we actually retired, Shirley and I joked that we would be going to the “Church of The Holy Comforter.” That is, we would pull the comforter up close on Sunday mornings. What I did do was what I had already started doing, I went to Myers Park UMC, through their streaming worship service each Sunday. Before I retired I would participate in the worship experience at Myers Park on Tuesdays through their Pod Cast.

Dr. James Howell is the senior minister there and I admire him tremendously. He is smart, cutting edge, creative, serious about faith, not sold on himself as the savior of the world, and knows how to lead worship. It is not a performance. It is not James being cute. It is James bearing his soul; doubt, faith and all before those he cares about and serves. Through his honesty, humility and very deep faith, this man of God helps us through the daily struggles of life.

I needed him and his comforting words for a broken soul all throughout that 15 months. What James did was to help heal my brokenness and restore a sense of worth in and through a renewed sense of the grace of a loving, healing God.

The reason I am writing this tonight is to remind us that even someone who has given 40 years of their lives to ministry… to caring for others, who is trained in ministry… if that person (me) can fall to a point of seeing no self worth left, feeling a great big hole in my heart, and a loss of hope… it can happen to you.

In many respects for me this was far worse than a diagnosis of cancer or my heart disease. I believe those things I could handle because I know that God is with me through it all and will be with me on the other side as well. In my heart attack and surgery I always felt close to God and knew that God was with me. This was different. It was as if the Church to which I had given my life had turned its back on me, trusted friends and colleagues didn’t know me any more. All I could hear was “Elvis has left the building.”

In my emptiness I know now that I could have gone to colleagues I have worked with for years in local and conference positions and they would have listened with the soul of a pastor. But I am not really sure what was happening to me… health? Emotions? Depression? While I couldn’t go to a church, every Sunday I was at Myers Park UMC on my computer. Steadily, week after week James started bringing me out of my funk, leading me beside the stilled waters of faith inviting me to drink again from the fountain of faith. He calmed my fears that I may receive the needed rest. He pointed me to the One who was restoring my soul.

It took over a year to be where I am now. Am I healed, restored, whole? No, I don’t believe I am. I still have anger and great disappointment toward those persons who brought me to such a bad place. I don’t think of them. I don’t want to be around them. The bad part for me right now is that I don’t value them and that bothers me. However, I know there will be a day when I will forgive them – I need that for me not for them.

Your journey may be completely different from mine. You may have it all together, smiling all the time with your joy still in tact. If that is you celebrate it everyday… it truly is a gift! If you are facing health issues, family issues, perhaps there is that co-worker walking around with a knife twisting in your back, or an assortment of potholes in your pathway… you may need to know that it just may take time to work through the process. The process itself is filled with ups and downs, steps forward and backward. However, take each step with the thought that today I will hear, see, or feel something that will bring me closer to the recovery I am seeking. Take the time… allow the process to work… don’t give up. You are worth the touch and sacrifice of a loving Father above.

Dear Lord, the first Bible verse I learned as a child was the 23rd Psalm. Its beautiful and comforting words have been with me throughout my life, in doubt and faith, in smiles and tears, in sickness and in health. Sometimes I forget that you are with me and allow the world to do a number on me and my faith. Thank you, Lord, for walking with me through all the valleys of life, holding me close and lifting me up and restoring my soul. In and through Jesus. Amen.

P.S. I will not continue to stay on this topic. I will seek to use life, humor, and daily malfunctions to speak a word of inspiration. Forgive me as I get use to this format and writing again – – expect mistakes???

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Is You Is or Is You Ain’t?

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Dr. Steve Martin

Is You Is or Is You Ain’t?.

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On The Back Pew

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Dr. Steve Martin

The Journey

Steve & Shirley

“Finally, [the spirit] took me to the inside court of the Temple of God.” – Ezekiel 8:16

Have you noticed that most people, when they come to worship, don’t sit up front? The back of the church tends to fill up first almost as predictably as the bottom of a glass will be the first to be filled with water. You have to get there early to get a good back seat. Why is that? If we are attending a concert or a lecture, we would charge down front where the “good seats” are, even pay extra for those seats. But why not when we come to worship?

I have heard a number of theories. People want to be able to see who else is there, which is easier to do from the back. And it is easier to slip out quickly during the last hymn if…

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