The Journey

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Excerpt from Matthew 13:31-33

In his memoirs Oscar Wilde recalled the experience of being brought from the prison, where he was held. He writes: “When I was brought down from my prison cell between two policemen, a man I knew waited in the long dreary corridor so that, before the whole crowd, whom an action so sweet and simple hushed into silence, that he might gravely raise his hat to me as, handcuffed and with bowed head, I passed him by. Men have gone to heaven for smaller things than that.”

After Episcopal Archbishop Desmond Tutu won a Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent struggle against apartheid in South Africa, he was asked to recall the formative experiences of his life. He replied, “One incident comes to mind immediately. When I was a young child I saw a man tip his hat to a black woman. Please understand that such a gesture is completely unheard of in my country. The white man was an Episcopal bishop and the black woman was my mother.”

These two stories remind me that even a small, fragile gesture can take on grand dimensions when it is offered in love. Our own efforts may be small, but through them the largest of all realities — the love of God — can be communicated. A mere tip of the hat can offer hope and change a life. Take the time to show compassion and respect to someone you meet this week. Both of you will be better for your act of kindness.

Dear God, remind me not to neglect the small acts of compassion so that you, in turn, might fill them with your great love. Help me to know that you may actually change the life of someone through my gesture, which allows your compassion to shine through me. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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Oh, how abundant is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You and worked for those who take refuge in You, in the sight of the children of mankind!
Psalm 31:19

A week or so ago the Associated Press carried a story about Social Security. You may have heard the story or one similar to it. Simply stated, Social Security is paying out more money than it is taking in.

And, from congressional projections, Social Security is going to keep paying out more until the funds are gone — somewhere around 2037.

Now, if you’re like me, you’ve probably done the mental calculations. I’m x years old now and Social Security is going to go for another 26 years, which means I’m going to be x+26 years when Social Security disappears.

Of course, there are many voices trying to balance the gloom and doom by saying, “Congress won’t ever let Social Security go away.” And although I’m not a prophet or a congressional prognosticator, I think they’re probably right. But that’s just a guess.

What I do know is this: God is going to be there. That’s what the Psalmist was trying to say when he told us how abundant God’s goodness is. Now you and I probably do some good things and think some good thoughts, but God is different. He has goodness in abundance.

That fact was shown to us most clearly in the life, suffering, death and rising of the Savior. If God loves us enough to sacrifice His Son for our salvation, then there can be no question about it: He has an abundance of goodness.

Even more, unlike Social Security, which is predicted to go broke, the Psalmist says God has stored up goodness for those who trust and take refuge in Him.

What that means is this: no matter what happens in Washington, no matter what our futures might hold, God’s goodness is going to be there. In good times and bad, in happy times and sad, you can count on God’s limitless goodness.

And this, when you think about it, is a good idea … a very good idea, indeed.

Heavenly Father, I am thankful that no matter how unclear some of my future may be, I can rely on Your greatness, Your grace and Your goodness. In the Name of my Savior I give thanks. Amen.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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Okay guys, I have a little test to apply to the latest NCAA non-action – don’t turn me off just yet – follow through with each step and see what you come up with. Create a spreadsheet which has all these columns and rows. It should include something like this:

Name:  Sport:  Eligibility to play:  Afro-Studies Class Taken: Grade received:  
Work done by whom: Each Games Played After Class:

Let me explain a little more:

1. NAME: place the name of the student athlete taking the Afro-Studies class designed to give high grades to student athletes. These names should be part of the freedom of information act from UNC Registrar.
2. SPORT: Here add the sport this student is playing at UNC. That too should be part of the FOIA from the school.
3. AFRO-STUDIES CLASS TAKEN. Here add the year(s) this student athlete took the class
4. GRADE RECEIVED: The school should be able to tell you what grade was given these student athletes. If not, the leader of the sport they are playing should know. And, did that high-grade make them eligible to play that sport or continue to be eligible to play that sport?
5. WHO DID THE WORK REQUIRED IN THE CLASS?: This may take a little more work, but still th freedom of information act should apply. 
6. ALL GAMES THIS ATHLETE PLAYED IN AFTER THIS CLASS ISSUED ITS GRADE. The head of that sport should have a list of all persons played in every game back to the time when pencils were discovered.

We (you and I) could do this, and so could have the NCAA. It is so simple it is laughable:

1. IF A ATHLETE RECEIVED A GRADE FROM A CLASS WHERE SOMEONE ON UNC STAFF DID THE REQUIRED WORK AND NOT THIS ATHLETE,
2. AND THAT GRADE KEPT THAT STUDENT ELIGIBLE TO PLAY IN THAT SPORT AT UNC,
3. AND THAT ATHLETE PLAYED IN ANY GAME – THAT GAME IS DECLARED A LOSS.
4. IF THAT WIN MADE THE UNC SPORTS TEAM ELIGIBILITY TO CONTINUE IN A TOURNAMENT – THAT GAME IS DECLARED A LOSS.
5. AND IF THAT WIN GAVE UNC A CHAMPIONSHIP – THAT CHAMPIONSHIP IS DECLARED VACATED.

If you think that in 18 years of this class – designed, sanctioned and carried through by the leadership of UNC – did not have any student athletes directed toward and take these courses, and thereby regain eligibility to play that sport – then I have some beachfront property in Arizona I want to talk with you about.

I challenge any UNC fan, student and alum to do the investigation I have suggested above and come up with the HONEST ANSWER (NOT LAWYER ANSWER)… and publish a full and complete spreadsheet of ALL student athletes taking these 18 years of courses which proves that no athlete benefited from these fake classes, remained eligible to play because of this fake grade, no athlete played in any game after this bogus grade, no game they played in went into the win column, and no championship banners were gained from in a tournament in which oe of these athletes played.

If you can do that HONESTLY (cite your work), I will be quiet about taking down your fake banners… but I will still call UNC leaders to apologize to the students, fans and taxpayers of NC who more than likely paid not only for the Dome but for this multi-million dollar dream-team UNC lawyer against the NCAA.

BTW: Apply this to all other schools who have been sanctioned by the NCAA for a LOT less.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV

A friend of mine recently went through hip replacement surgery. I remember my surprise at hearing the news because he is relatively young and in good shape. However, the joint had worn to the point where he had begun to walk with a visible limp, and over the past few months, even started to use a crutch. He went through the surgery and, thanks to the skill of a modern-day surgeon, was quickly up and around on his new hip. Yet, for weeks after the surgery, even a month or two, his limp remained the same. Then, to my surprise, I ran into my friend the other day and his limp was suddenly gone. Where did it go? That limp was there a few weeks before.

“You’re walking great,” I said. “What happened?”

His response to me was priceless! “My physical therapist told me that I had to retrain my brain.” His brain had been trained to expect pain with every step, so it told him to limp in anticipation. Even if he didn’t feel the pain right away his brain said it’s coming.

“I have to retrain my brain,” he said. Those words struck me with tremendous force for Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:7, gives to us those same words: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.” We have to retrain our brains to believe and ACCEPT that each of us is a new creation. We have to accept that we are a child of God.

Christ has already done the restoration work in your spirit. Just as my friend had a new hip, Christ has given you a new life. The old one is gone, along with any horrific thing you have done, thought, or said. Behold, you are a new creation today! Retrain your brain to accept the forgiveness and restorative work that Christ has done in your spiritual life! Join hands with Christ for the work of accepting what He has done in you so that you may become what he is calling you become.

Retrain your brain! It’s time to stop limping through life and start walking! Start seeing yourself as a child of God… forgiven, renewed, and restored… once you accept that, the newness starts to live through you.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the priceless work of restoration that You have done in my life! Retrain my brain to accept that I am a new creation. That old things in my life have passed away, and behold all things have become new! Thank You, Father for bringing that newness into my daily thinking and living. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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“I have set before you life and death… Choose life.”
Excerpt from Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Sometimes I do what I think best only to discover that it wasn’t the best thing to do. I try to help by doing something useful when the best help could be praying that God do what I can’t.

I can’t do a lot about a friend hurting from loss of a job, or someone in the family who drinks too much, or a son or daughter caught in a life-style I know spells trouble, a member who learns that she now has to fight a battle with breast cancer. Sometimes I can’t do much about myself. The harder I try to do what I know is best, the more that can backfire—as when trying to lose weight that’s all I can think about, or wanting to be more patient and understanding, the less patient and understanding I become with myself, not helping matters at all. W.C. Fields had a point when he said: “Try, try, try again.  Then quit.  No use being a [darned] fool about it.”

We can’t “choose life” if that means trying to do what we think best. As Moses makes clear, it’s not what we think best that counts. It’s what God thinks best. We’re told in today’s scripture passage that doing what’s best and “choosing life” means turning to God, trusting that blessing will be forthcoming beyond anything we can make happen.

Can I be a channel of this blessing? God can still our hearts and minds and make that so. Therefore, what I need to do is pray… continue to pray…. And get out of the way and let God do what God does… surround his people with a grace that heals from the inside out.

O God, I want to be helpful. So do you. Show me when to get out of the way and allow your love and healing compassion to flow through me…. Amen.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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“For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy;
Mercy triumphs over judgment.” Excerpt from James 2:1-13

Have you ever thought about mercy? About how it sounds or how it should be employed? Some believe that mercy sounds like a word for bigger-deal people than I am. If I were the king, I could be merciful. If I held a loan that someone was having trouble paying off, I could be merciful. If I were holding a sword and standing over a fallen foe, I could show mercy then, too. It’s hard to imagine li’l ole me being in any position to show mercy in day-to-day life, though.

James thinks differently. He thinks it’s a day-to-day kind of thing. He looks at each of us saying that mercy is a gift for us to offer each and every day to the big and little, the large and the small people and circumstances of life.

Maybe I didn’t have to have such a big sigh when Shirley forgot to bring home my favorite ice cream (that I don’t need), even though she totally said she’d do it, and then totally didn’t. Like totally???

Maybe, after a long, tiring day, I didn’t have to lay on my horn quite so harshly when that lady cut me off out on I-Crazy, even though she was obviously in the wrong.

Maybe mercy is about self-control, about choosing not to use power to convict someone (even tiny power, like a disappointed sigh or an angry horn blast), choosing not to vent just because it feels good.

So today, perhaps I need to try to be self-controlled. I will focus more on relationships than being right, more on building others up than pointing out the ways they’ve wronged me. Today, I will try to show the world the mercy I hope to one day receive when I find myself kneeling before the One with all the power. Isn’t that the James mercy?

Dear God, please be merciful. And let me be, too.  Amen.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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“And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”Luke 12:25

To my dear grandmother, anyone who spent too much time worrying was instantly called a worrywart. I remember as a teenager asking my grandmother why the term worrywart? As with most of her answers, it came with a sweet chuckle mixed with both innocence and a lifetime of wisdom. “Because,” she said, “when you worry, your face changes, it wrinkles and crinkles into an unsightly wart. You can’t help it. God made your face to wear a smile, not a frown.” And, oh, how my grandmother loved to laugh.

Jesus’ life was all about joy. He came to give us restoration with our Heavenly Father. He came that we might have life and have it abundantly. He came to share with us that, through Him, all things are possible. He came to share with us that we are the light of the world. To tell us that God the Father truly loves and cares for our needs.

Our passage today is right in the middle of one of my favorite teachings of Christ. In Luke 12:28, Jesus says, “If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?” If you find yourself being, or becoming, a worrywart, spend some time reading Luke 12:22-34 and let Jesus, the Master Healer, Teacher, Friend, and Savior, share with you that there is nothing to fear. You will not add one cubit to your stature by turning into a worrywart.

Matter of fact, worrying will take from you what I call “spiritual energy.” Spiritual energy is the way I explain a relationship with God which assists you in moving forward in your faith. It is that continuing spiritual connection with God where we are enabled to see God more clearly. When we put our trust in God, knowing that God will work His perfect will in and through us, we gain the strength to be confident in all circumstances and situations – no matter how grim or seemingly unfair. Good spiritual energy allows us to trust God even more deeply.

Heavenly Father, today I choose to cast aside all worry from my life, and to trust You completely! You are my teacher, healer, friend, and most importantly Savior! There is nothing in life I will ever have to worry about knowing that I am your child, wrapped in Your loving arms. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

Grace and Peace
Steve

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“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; they make no sound in their throats. Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them.”
Excerpt from Psalm 115: 4-8; 16b-18

It is said that no one has seen the words, “I wish I’d spent more time at the office” on a tombstone. A former colleague told me that she decided to re-think her priorities after asking her 4-year old daughter to do something and the daughter’s reply was: “I can’t mommy, I’m in a meeting.”

Here the psalmist speaks of silver and gold idols that neither speak, hear, smell, or feel . . . or dance. The same is true for each of us as the worship of lifeless forms diminishes our highest and best joy. True worship happens in the places we devote our time, money, deepest affection, and gratitude.

Are you feeling lifeless today? If so, look for lifeless idols on your calendar, in your checkbook, and on your balance sheet.

Idols can be many things: as excessive work—even ministry work; judgment that holds on to old hurts and arguments; the striving for perfection that makes us high achievers, but perpetually dissatisfied or alone; focus on our kids at the expense of being present for a spouse or partner; risk aversion or excessive risk-taking; abusing gambling, alcohol, or drugs; fear and emotional unavailability  . . . and so much more.

The highest aim of your life and mine is to glorify God, manifesting our best as God has uniquely made and called us, generating spontaneous thanks and praise for ourselves and others . . . by just being. Is there time for that God-creation on your calendar? Is your God’s creation dancing through the events, relationships, and memories of the last week . . . or are you in a meeting?

God is still asking, “May I have this dance?”

Gracious God, get me on the dance floor and twirl me! Amen

Grace and Peace
Steve

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Someone in the crowd said to Him (Jesus), “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 12:13-15

In 1999, Time Magazine declared Albert Einstein to be the “Person of the Century.” Passing over you and me, Einstein received this prestigious award because, as Time said it, he was “the pre-eminent scientist in a century dominated by science.”

When Einstein died in 1955, he donated the literary rights to his 75,000 papers, along with other estate items, to the Hebrew-University of Jerusalem. Apparently, the rights to Einstein’s image are also owned by the Israeli university. That means whenever you see Einstein’s face on a T-shirt, or a mug, or a poster, or in a movie, or on puzzles, or coins or … (well, you get the idea) … every time Einstein’s likeness pops up the university makes some cash … and Evelyn Einstein makes none.

Einstein’s granddaughter, Evelyn, thinks that’s unfair. As a 69-year-old cancer survivor, she says the university should share the estate with her since she could use help with her medical bills. The university says, “Einstein left all of his intellectual property, encompassing his literary estate and personal papers, to the Hebrew University, including the rights to the use of his image … the income of the university from the use of his image is dedicated to scientific research.”

So, who is right? I think the best answer is Jesus’ answer: “Man, who made me judge or arbitrator over you? Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Sometimes the last part of Jesus’ wisdom gets forgotten and we end up with our lives dedicated to the accumulation of stuff. For example, ask a businessman what is more important, “family or work,” and he will always reply, “family.” Ask the same man where he invests the vast majority of his time and energy and you may get a different answer. The same can be said for many of us. This is why we need to keep our priorities straight. Worship of the Savior ought not to fall somewhere between raking the leaves and having our teeth cleaned. Support of His work ought not to be at the bottom of our bill paying.

Life is more than stuff … and the Savior, who gave His life to save our eternal lives, deserves the best from His grateful children.

Dear Lord, You have done so much for me; may I always be grateful to You. This new heart I ask for in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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(Jesus said) “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom.”
Luke 12:32

Are you afraid? Most people seem to have their bouts with fear.

Maybe that’s why this story has always kind of amused me. The imaginary tale begins in the days of the Roman Empire. Although we would say throwing someone to the lions is a case of cruel and inhuman punishment, the Romans actually relished the practice.

Indeed, a great cheer went up from the stands when a fresh criminal was thrown to the beasts. Strangely, rather than screaming at the approach of the lion, this criminal merely whispered into the lion’s ear.

The crowd gasped as the animal backed off. Three more times this happened until, out of curiosity, the criminal was pardoned. The emperor called the delivered desperado before him and asked what he had said to the lion. The criminal confessed he had whispered, “After dinner you’ll be required to say a few words.”

What are you afraid of? You’re a rare person if there isn’t something that sends a cold shiver down your spine.

Thankfully, the thing we ought most to be afraid of will never happen!

And what is that thing? It’s being afraid of living life without God. I can think of nothing in this world that would be more frightening.

But, as I say, that will never happen. Because of Jesus’ completed work of redemption, we know the Lord will never leave us or forsake us.

Now, because that big fear has been conquered, all our other little fears are put into perspective. With God beside us, we know we’ll be okay. Even if, after dinner, we’re expected to say a few words.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being close beside us in all our life situations. Keep us safe in Your hands until — because of the Savior’s sacrifice — we are taken to that place where fear has been banished. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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