Happy Friday:
Jesus is not a means to an end, He is the glorious end. Paul didn’t desire to depart to go to heaven, he desired to depart to be with Christ. Heaven would not be heaven – and salvation would not be salvation – without Christ.
Moses: This week I’ve been pondering the forty years Moses spent in the desert, mostly alone. I’ve watched enough people step “down” from big jobs to know that his transition from Pharaoh’s court to desert shepherd was unsettling. But is there any doubt that he became a better, nicer and more grounded person once he learned how to be alone?
Quotes Worth Requoting: “Buechner is my name. It is pronounced Beekner. If somebody mispronounces it in some foolish way, I have the feeling that what’s foolish is me. If somebody forgets it, I feel that it’s I who am forgotten. There’s something about it that embarrasses me in just the same way that there’s something about me that embarrasses me. I can’t imagine myself with any other name—Held, say, or Merrill or Hlavacek. If my name were different I would be different. When I tell somebody my name, I have given them a hold over me that he didn’t have before. If he calls it out, I will stop, look and listen, whether I want to or not. In the book of Exodus, God tells Moses his name is Yahweh, and God hasn’t had a peaceful moment since.”
A New Way to Be Behind: We used to fight a three-front battle: there were things to do, things to read and calls to be returned. Then came email. Now I’ve started to feel responsible for all of the videos and podcasts people send my way, and I don’t even bother with social media.
Holy and Joyful or Holy and Mean: I want to be holy – i.e., free of pride, greed, lust, envy, sloth and the like. However, when someone is described as being “holy”, I assume they are not much fun. In fact, I assume they are somber, self-righteous and a bit pinched. Why? Unless Christ is their focus – and their holiness is a by-product of their joy in Him -their external goodness is the result of a burdensome, lifeless, unsmiling morality. Truly holy, grace-changed may rightly be called, but they are more fun to be around than anyone.
I’m hoping for 27: What do I want most in heaven? I know the right answer – Jesus. But there are times when I’m quite drawn to the promise of a perfect, resurrection body. Over the last two thousand years, there has been more than a bit of ink spilled over the question about how old we’ll be in heaven. It’s all speculation, of course. And the conversation is only marginally more valid than the debate over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. But I have a number, 27. In heaven I want to be 27 again.
Talking to Myself: Management and self-improvement books occasionally discuss the importance of “self-talk” – but they are hardly the first. Psalms 42, 43, 103, 104 and 116 are among several where the writer speaks to his own soul. “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God” David talks to himself in order to direct himself to hope in God. Do yourself a favor and follow his example. (By the way, talking to yourself is acceptable. Answering yourself is another matter.)
Gratitude: Last week a golf tourney was held in honor of Jason Surber, with the proceeds being directed towards the Matthew Home initiative of ReNew Communities. Over $250K was raised.
Prayer Requests: Our country needs prayer, as do all those involved in leading her. Please pray also for David Weil and me as we spend two days in Detroit meeting with those overseeing some of the leading inner city ministries there. We are going to benchmark the work we are doing in and around North Chicago.
Closing Prayer: This is a Greek Orthodox prayer from the 8th century: Almighty God, you are Lord of time and have neither beginning nor end: You are the redeemer of souls, the foundation of human reason and the guardian of our hearts; through all that you have created you have revealed your indescribable power; receive, O Lord, our supplication, provide fully for the needs of each one of us and make us worthy of your goodness. For your name is worthy of all honor and greatness and is to be glorified with hymns and blessing, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever, to the ages of ages, Amen.