Happy Independence Day

[Judy Harder]

Demonstrations of Love

May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. - Psalm 119:76

Right before Thanksgiving, an elderly man in Phoenix called his son in New York and said, "Your mother and I are divorcing—45 years of misery is enough.  But I'm sick of talking about this, so please call your sister and tell her the news."

The son called his sister in Chicago and she immediately called her father. "You're not getting divorced!" she said, "We'll be there tomorrow.  Until then, don't do a thing."

The old man hung up the phone and turned with a wry smile to his wife. "They're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own fares!"   

If you're a parent, you can appreciate the humor of this story.  Yet I must say I'm glad we never have to worry about God using deception to get us to spend time with him.  Instead, he demonstrates his great love through his Son, Jesus.

"It is in spending oneself that one becomes rich." - Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923)

[Judy Harder]

Overcoming Criticism

Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you" and their sight was restored. - Matthew 9:29

When Samuel Morse was requesting Congressional support for a telegraph line from Baltimore to Washington, he endured the press' sustained criticism for more than eleven years.

In 1842, when Adam Thompson set up the first bathtub in America, the newspapers said his vision—now a staple of convenient cleanliness in every home—was "going to spoil the democratic simplicity of the republic."

And when Cyrus Field was attempting to lay the first cable across the Atlantic, he was denounced as "a mad freak of stubborn ignorance."

Sometimes a wise and well-placed word of caution is just what we need, but not always.  Often the criticism people heap upon the new or the uncommon is motivated by fear. Having the discernment to know the difference is crucial to knowing when to rethink and when to press on. And as Samuel Morse, Adam Thompson, and Cyrus Field demonstrate; God honors people of vision who take steps of faith.

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford (1863-1947)

[Judy Harder]

Passion

It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. - Galatians 4:18

Someone once asked Jean Cocteau, the French writer, artist, and film director, what he'd take if his house were on fire and he could remove only one thing. He replied, "I would take the fire."

Cocteau's answer seems an obvious—almost practical—solution. Remove the fire from a burning building, and you save the building, right? Yet his answer wasn't motivated by solutions. Instead, it spoke to the fact that life has a certain intangible that's far more valuable than any material possession: passion.

Passion—that fire in the belly—is the catalyst of every vibrant and purposeful life, whether it's lived in Paris, France, or Smalltown, USA. It's as vital to the young mother at home as it is to the corporate executive, and Cocteau knew it. The fire of passion can change a life, and one passionate life can change the world. 

What are you passionate about? Is it a godly passion? Are you acting on your passion?

"Through our great, good fortune, in our youth our hearts were touched with fire. It was given to us to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing." - Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)

[Judy Harder]

Subtle Progress

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:31

Chinese bamboo is one of the most remarkable plants on earth. Once a bamboo seed is planted it requires daily watering and care. But for five full years, the exterior shoot will grow less than an inch.

At the end of five years, however, the bamboo will perform an incredible feat. It will grow ninety feet in only ninety days! Now ask yourself this: When did the tree actually grow? Throughout the first five years, or during those last ninety days?

You may be like Chinese bamboo. You may be working, dreaming, planning, and persevering, yet feeling as if God's taking forever to flower your dream into any visible result.

Be patient.  The most important growth is underground—hidden deep in your character. Those who wait upon the Lord won't be put to shame; and in due time, God will reveal everything He's grown in you.

"If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother and hope your guardian genius." -Joseph Addison (1672-1719)

[Judy Harder]

The Void

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. - Proverbs 2:1-5

For several summers in the 1950s, Howard Mumma was a guest minister in Paris. There he met the existentialist philosopher, Albert Camus, who was coming to church to hear the great organist, Marcel Dupré.

Eventually Mumma's sermons stirred Camus, so the two men met several times to discuss Camus' questions about the Christian faith. In one conversation, Camus said: "The reason I have been coming to church is because I am seeking. I'm almost on a pilgrimage—seeking something to fill the void that I am experiencing—and no one else knows. Certainly the public and the readers of my novels, while they see that void, are not finding the answers in what they are reading . . . I am searching for something that the world is not giving me."

Are you where Camus was?  Searching for that something?  The best gift we can receive is precisely what the world can't offer—true, eternal life through Jesus Christ. All you gotta do is ask.

"There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus." - Blaise Pascal (1632-1662)

[Judy Harder]

Obstacles

To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. - Jonah 2:6

Don't curse or grumble about the obstacles in your path—look at them as character builders. Find a way to move them, or pray your way through them. Call to mind the words of the great American educator Booker T. Washington, who said: "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed."

Don't be afraid to ask for help. People are surprisingly generous with advice, especially if you take the time to befriend them first. And remember to be thankful. You may meet a mentor who'll encourage and support you for years to come.

The main thing, however, is not to throw in the towel when you encounter bumps in the road. Remember, when you're traveling up a mountain, it's the bumps you climb on.

"Only by contending with challenges that seem to be beyond your strength to handle at the moment, you can grow more surely toward the stars." - Brian Tracy (1944-    )

[Judy Harder]

Belonging

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:20-21

In his classic novel The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis writes of the subtle way that prosperity knits a person's heart to the world.  Growing reputations, widening circles of acquaintances, a perceived sense of importance, and the increasing pressure of absorbing and agreeable work, argues Lewis, builds up in a person a sense of really being at home on earth.  But while people are finding their place in the world, Lewis concludes that the world is finding its place in them. 

The truth is each of us longs for a sense of belonging.  It's the way we're designed, and it's a good thing.  But what the world has to offer is incapable of producing what we too often seek to find in it, so it can't help but leave us disappointed.

Don't become a collector of empty treasures in your search to find belonging.  Possessing things that belong to you is no substitute for choosing to belong to God, and possessing eternal security in Christ.

"No man can swim ashore and take his baggage with him." - Seneca the Younger (5 B.C-A.D. 65)

[Judy Harder]

Bridging the Gap

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. - Deuteronomy 4:9

After a rather lifeless Sunday morning service, the pastor noticed a young boy staring intensely at a large plaque mounted in the church's foyer.  It was covered with names and flanked by American flags. 

Recognizing the opportunity to connect, the pastor approached, stood beside the boy, and said quietly, "Good morning young man."  "Good morning," the boy replied, still looking intently at the plaque, he then asked, "Pastor, what's this?"

"Well, son, it's a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service," Then, with a note of gravity in his voice, the boy asked, "Which service did they die in – the 9:30 or the 11:00 o'clock?"

Passing on to the next generation what's dear to our hearts, and what they'll need to live well, is a privilege and burden for any caring adult.  Yet communication gaps can be daunting.  Take time, and choose your words well.

"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter — 'tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning." - Mark Twain (1835-1910)

[Judy Harder]

Compassion

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  - Colossians 3:12

Most of us desire to be compassionate people, don't we?  But do we know what compassion really is?  Henri Nouwen once wrote: "Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to the place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken.  But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering.  What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick fix for it.  As busy, active, relevant. . . [people] we want to earn our bread by making a real contribution.  This means first and foremost doing something to show that our presence makes a difference.  And so we ignore our greatest gift, which is our ability to enter into solidarity with those who suffer."

Showing compassion goes against our daily grind and our drive to achieve. It's selfless, time consuming, and often not pleasant.  But it's one of those double blessing things – you'll bless another with your act of compassion, and you'll be blessed in the process.

"The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others." - Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalms 139:16

Today's Preaching Insight...

Leadership Lessons

In a recent article for Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox newsletter, Senate Chaplain Barry Black wrote: "During my lifetime, I learned far more about leadership from faithful people working behind the scenes than from those who were more prominent. Here are a few of the lessons I learned.

Expect events to shape destinies. One of my earliest leadership lessons was that events, more than ability, often catapult people into positions of prominence. Shakespeare captured this notion when he said, "Be not afraid of greatness. Some men are born great, others achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." Without the Civil War, we may have never known the wonderful greatness of many notable Americans. Without World War II, names like Patton, Marshall, and MacArthur might be historical footnotes. Without Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on that bus, we probably wouldn't have a national holiday honoring Dr. King. Events often provide the critical variables for effective leadership.

Expect leaders to have different talents. I learned early that leaders come in many forms with many styles and abilities. Some are quiet, and others almost bombastic. Some are eloquent while others express themselves with difficulty. The five presidents mentioned at the beginning of this chapter had their individual strengths and weaknesses. Nonetheless, each made a substantive difference. Most successful leaders, however, have one thing in common: they mobilize people to achieve shared objectives.

Don't run from the possibility of failure. I learned that most effective leaders are willing to fail. They seem to sense that it is better to attempt something great and fail than to not try at all. Time and again, I've seen strong leaders who possessed the courage to fall and get up repeatedly.

Be humbly hospitable. Luther Palmer was the headmaster at the boarding high school that I attended. He was the exact opposite of the stereotypically remote, distant principal. Instead, he invited students home for dinner and got to know them one-on-one. He kept an eye on students who aspired to the Gospel ministry, and set up instructional periods with key preachers who visited our school. Though a busy administrator, he took the time to teach a class called "Facing Life," which was a requirement for all students. In this way, he came to know most of us in a very personal way."

(Adapted from Black's biography From the Hood to the Hill. To read the full article, click here. To learn more about the book, click here.)

Today's Extra...

Illustration: Successful Marriage

A couple was celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Over the years they had raised a brood of 10 children and were blessed with 22 grandchildren.

When asked the secret for staying together all that time, the wife replied, "Many years ago we made a promise to each other: the first one to pack up and leave has to take all the kids."