I Need More

          In the summer of 1995, David Miller decided to leave the corporate world to go to seminary. He wrote four hundred friends and acquaintances alerting them of his startling decision. He expected his decision to be received with scorn and disdain. What he got instead were positive responses. One summarized well the reaction from the corporate world:

I have worked hard to reach the pinnacle of my profession. I have more money than God, yet I am unfulfilled. My marriage is in shambles, I hardly know my kids, and when I look in the mirror, I wonder where the man went who so idealistically graduated from college 30 years ago and was ready to make his mark on the world. I'd like to talk to my pastor, but he has no clue about my world and the pressures I face. Let me know what you find in seminary. I'd like to talk with you.

             All over the world, successful people are coming to the realization that they need more. I think I know where they can find it. How about you?

The Splendor of the Ordinary

            Tradition and scripture indicate that Jesus spent the bulk of his life as a carpenter. Prison Fellowship’s Mark Earley wrote a few years ago about an amusing moment in the movie The Passion of the Christ:

            The scene shows Jesus at work as a carpenter, finishing a table. His mother comes over to examine it. Her opinion? The table is too high.
            Not to worry, Jesus responds; He’ll build tall chairs to go with it.
            Mary is not convinced. As she walks away, she mutters, “It’ll never catch on.”

            That scene playfully reminds us that part of Jesus’ mission consisted of work. In this case, his work was manual, and we forget that it was a service to people.

            Justin Martyr, an early church leader, said in the second century that a common sight in Palestine was that of planters working behind plows Jesus had made when he was a carpenter. What an amazing thought—Jesus worked with his hands, and he cared greatly about the quality of his craftsmanship!

                I don't know who coined the phrase “the splendor of the ordinary,” but I like it. It captures well Jesus’ view toward his daily work.

            Does it capture our view?

He’s Not Our Kid!

            Former Virginia governor and U.S. Senator, George Allen, tells a funny story that illustrates the competitive spirit of his father, for whom he was named. Coach George Allen coached the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins during the 60s and 70s.

            Once, when Allen was coaching the Redskins, they were playing the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. One of the officials made a terrible call against the Redskins, and the entire Washington bench protested.

            It just so happened that Bruce Allen, the coach's son, was on the sideline that day working as a ball boy. Bruce began screaming at the referee informing him of just how bad a job he was doing. The referee, none too pleased, informed Coach Allen that Washington would receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty if “that kid” didn’t shut up.

            Apprehensive that he would receive a penalty, Allen told the official, “That kid is not with us. He must be one those ball boys the Eagles gave us.” Evidently, the line judge accepted that explanation, because he did not call a penalty on the Redskins.

            Now, I doubt if Allen would have ultimately renounced his son, but that humorous story lends itself to ponder the troubling thing that Jesus said to his disciples, “51 Do you think that I came to bring peace to earth? No indeed! I came to make people choose sides. 52 A family of five will be divided, with two of them against the other three. 53 Fathers and sons will turn against one another, and mothers and daughters will do the same. Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law will also turn against each other” (Luke 12:51-53 CEV.)

            Wow! If the gospel writers had not recorded what Jesus said, it would be easy to place him in a box and package him in an innocuous way that would cause the whole world to love him.

            Strangely enough, God has always seemed more concerned with having himself expressed through the venue of truth rather than of good marketing. 

The Hands of Jesus

            I read about a city in England, which lay in ruins thanks to the destruction of World War II. Before the war, the city had previously enjoyed the blessing a large statue of Jesus in the city square. The statue had symbolized that Jesus was ever present and available to help. The war severely damaged the sculpture.

            The citizens of that municipality desired to restore the statue. Before the war, the sculpture portrayed Jesus standing in the city square, his hands reaching out and inviting the people to come. Beneath the statue, a sign repeated Jesus’ words, “Come to me.”

            City leaders brought in the best artists and sculptors to reconstruct the damaged artistic work. Unfortunately, the image has so disintegrated that workers could not find enough pieces in the rubble to reconstruct the hands of Jesus.

            A debate ensued. Several advocated that the sculptors create new hands on the statue. Others stated that they should leave the statue without hands.

            If you travel to the city today, you will see a restored statue of Jesus—without hands. But beneath are these words, “Christ has no hands but ours.”

            I appreciate the symbolism of that statement.

Where Is Your Heart?

            An old commentary carries the story of a soldier of Napoleon’s army who was wounded one day by a bullet that entered his breast above his heart. As the surgeon probed for the bullet the soldier exclaimed, “An inch deeper and you will find the emperor.”

            Were your heart laid open, would Christ be found there?

Josh

           Josh was special.

            His mother experienced a very tough pregnancy and there were complications at birth, yet Josh survived that difficult beginning, for which his parents were exceedingly grateful.

            He showed talent and promise early in life, and he grew into a godly young man. His parents loved him deeply. 

            Josh learned a trade, following in his father's footsteps. After a few years of working on his own, he made the decision to leave his profession and enter into fully supported ministry.

            He was a strong leader and very charismatic—the kind of guy that affluent people wanted to be around and blue-collar guys would follow.           

            Josh could have chosen to minister to people in the United States. Instead, he saw his mission as expanding the Kingdom of God to all parts of the world, and he chose another country.

            Josh was a dynamic preacher. Crowds of people would flock to hear him. His messages also contained real spiritual meat. He was extremely sound doctrinally and no one who knew his Bible would dare accuse him of proclaiming false teaching.

            Josh committed himself to mission work. His effort paid off and he helped grow a small community of faith.

            Tragically, not everyone appreciated Josh's ministry. Some of the native religious leaders found his message threatening. They offered trumped up charges to local government officials who, unfortunately, did not always seek to do right. Events spiraled out-of-control and, incredibly, some political leaders executed Josh.

            Members of Josh's congregation were crushed. Where was God in all this? Why would God allow such a good man—with all of his life ahead of him—to die? Why did God allow him to die in such an unjust way?

            Has tragedy ever happened to you? Has catastrophe struck anyone you have known? Have you ever witnessed someone young and full of promise struck down with major illness or death—and all of that promise go to waste? Has a family member suffered an unspeakable tragedy leaving all of you wondering why God let you down?

            Maybe you suffered through a job loss. Perhaps you lost your health. Maybe you agonized through the death of one of your children.

            The truth is each one of us at one time or another has probably experienced an encounter with the painful side of life in a fallen world. It may have left you shaking your head and questioning the work of God.

            I certainly cannot account for what God actively did or passively allowed in your circumstance; however, I can say this. Returning to Josh’s story, as strange as it may sound, I'm awfully glad Josh died.

            You would think that a guy who was such a good missionary, good preacher, a guy who made such an impact on people, and a guy who was such a good man would be indispensable. The fact is… it was his death that was indispensable.

            You see, after Josh died, some of his friends buried him. Three days later, he rose from the dead. Yet, the spiritual accomplishments rooted in that 72-hour period defied description. As strange as it may sound, the tragedy of Josh (Joshua, or as we in my country call him–Jesus) was the most important event in human history. In addition, the reality that his resurrected body departed this world meant that his spirit remained—residing in the physical bodies of his disciples, which empowered them for ministry.

            I am still trying to learn from those who loved Josh long ago. What appeared to be a tragic and unexplainable mistake of God would ultimately prove to be the greatest blessing for people. God continues to work in that mysterious way.

            As for those worried about what Josh might have missed dying so young, I would say that he has had a pretty good life for the past 2000 years.

The Missionary and the Brahmin Priest

            I heard Rick Atchley tell several years ago the story of a missionary in India. A Brahmin priest approached him and said, "You know, our two faiths have so much in common. You have a love for creation; Hindus love creation. You want peace in your soul; we want peace in our soul. You want to treat your neighbor right; we believe in treating our neighbor right. Really there's only one thing Christianity has that the Hindus don't have."

            The missionary asked, "What's that?"

            The Brahmin priest said, "A savior."

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10.) NIV

I Only Have Eyes for You

            Years ago, I heard a preacher tell about the ancient emperor, Cyrus, who systematically plowed through city states, territories, and countries—capturing the land and creating an empire.

            Legend has it that after Cyrus had conquered yet another Kingdom, soldiers brought him a defeated Ruler. With the Ruler was his frightened family.         

            Cyrus was known to test those whom he conquered. Hence, he asked the Prince, “What would you give me for your life?”

            “I would give you up to half of my kingdom,” the Ruler replied,

            Cyrus asked, “What would you give me for the lives of your children?”

            “I would offer you my entire kingdom and everything I have,” answered the Ruler.

            Cyrus saw a beautiful woman standing beside the Ruler, and he perceived it was his wife, so he asked, “What would you give me for the life of your wife?”

            The Ruler responded, “Then, Sir, I would offer you my very life itself.”

            This answer made an impression upon Cyrus. He decided to spare the family, including the Ruler, and he gave them their own plot of land to live on.

            Later, reflecting on the events, the Ruler spoke of Cyrus and said to his wife, “That Cyrus was a handsome man.”

            The wife quickly countered, “I would not know. For I could not take my eyes off of you.”

            There is something special about a bride who loves and admires her groom so much, she cannot take her eyes off of him. There is also something special about a groom who loves his bride so much that he would willingly give his life for her.

            In Jesus, we as the bride of Christ have a groom, who has willingly given up his life for us. Let us therefore fix our eyes upon Him.

Body Slamming for Jesus

            Here’s a good story. Back on Christmas Eve, 2005, Nate Mallet was a Cleveland Browns’ fan attending a ball game. He was a young man, partying in the stands with other young men, and he got drunk. He got the bright idea of running onto the field during the game.

            Little did he know that feared Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker, James Harrison, would treat him like he would a Cleveland halfback. Harrison picked Nate up and slammed him to the ground.

            Authorities arrested Nate, jailed him, and ultimately punished him severely. The one good thing that came out of this experience was this; Nate turned his life to God. Nate is now clean, sober, and very active in his church.

            Sometimes, God let’s us get body slammed because it turns our attention to Jesus. Here’s a link to a 4 ½ minute video of the story: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1106273-the-day-james-harrison-body-slammed-browns-fan

Source: BLEACHER REPORT.COM

Follow the Sun

         A few weeks ago, I was duck hunting with my son Timothy. We were on land that I was not familiar with. We walked deep into the woods for almost two miles before we arrived at the river, upon which we planned to hunt.

         Walking back to the pickup after our hunt, I began to sense we were veering off course. This was an issue to me; I did not want us to get caught after dark trying to find our way on unfamiliar land.

         I had a compass with me, yet something did not seem right. I had been walking according the compass’s data, yet, as I looked at the sun, I became greatly concerned. "When did the sun start setting in the East?" I thought to myself. I knew that winter did crazy things to the sun and the seasons, but this?

         I had to make a difficult decision; should I trust the best data that the world has to offer, or do I follow the sun? I decided to follow the sun, and that made all the difference—Timothy and I safely made it home.

         The book of Hebrews tells us that you and I have to make that same sort of decision. We are confronted with the great question: do we follow the best data that this world has to offer, or do we follow the Son? Hebrews says—Follow the Son!

         That will make all of the difference. The Son will lead us home.

How Do Firemen Find Fire Hydrants?

           I read about a nursery school teacher who was driving a vanload of kids home one day, when a fire truck rushed past.  A Dalmatian was faithfully sitting in the front seat of the fire truck.

            This created quite a discussion for the children! First question—what was the dog’s duties?

            One child said, “They use him to keep crowds back.”

            Another answered, “No! He’s just for good luck.”

            A third child won the prize for best answer, “They use the dogs to find the fire hydrants.”

            Ah, the joy of discovery. Now, I don’t know if those dogs are up to all of those things (which I had not previously known!), but I do believe that someday--in eternity--I’ll find out a lot more about Jesus’ activities in this world.

            The writer of Hebrews wrote, “God's Son has all the brightness of God's own glory and is like him in every way. By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together” (Heb. 1:3a.) 

             I don’t know what all is involved in holding the universe together, but I bet it is a lot!

           

A Non-Christmas Story

            An old story goes like this:

            Little Leroy went to his mother demanding a new bicycle. His mother decided that he should take a look at himself and the way he acted.

            She said, "Well, Leroy, it isn't Christmas and we don't have the money to just go out and buy you anything you want. So why don't you write a letter to Jesus and pray for one instead."

            After his temper tantrum, his mother sent him to his room. He finally sat down to write a letter to Jesus:

            Dear Jesus:

                        I've been a good boy this year and would appreciate a new bicycle.

                        Your Friend,

                        Leroy.

            Now, Leroy knew that Jesus really knew what kind of boy he was (he was a brat). So he ripped up the letter and decided to give it another try:

            Dear Jesus:

            I've been an OK boy this year and I want a new bicycle.

            Yours Truly,

            Leroy

            Well, Leroy knew this wasn't totally honest so he tore it up and tried again:

            Dear Jesus:

            I've thought about being a good boy this year and can I have a bicycle?

            Leroy

            Well, Leroy looked deep down in his heart, which by the way, was what his mother really wanted. He knew he had been terrible and was deserving of almost nothing. He crumpled up the letter, threw it in the trashcan and went running outside. He aimlessly wandered about depressed because of the way he treated his parents and was really considering his actions.

            He finally found himself in front of a Catholic Church. Leroy went inside and knelt down, looking around not knowing what he should really do.

            Leroy finally got up and began to walk out the door and was looking at all the statues. All of a sudden he grabbed a small one and ran out the door.

            He went home, hid it under his bed and wrote this letter:

           

            Jesus,

            I've got your mama. If you ever want to see her again, give me a bike.

            You know who.

            It is easy to jump on Leroy, but before we do, let us consider this: do we ever attempt to coerce Jesus to get what we want?

The Ultimate Gift

            A story, perhaps legend, goes like this:

            A person volunteering at Stanford Hospital tells of a little girl named, Liza. Liza suffered from an inherited disease. She needed a blood transfusion from her five-year-old brother to live.

            Her doctor asked Liza’s brother if he would be willing to donate blood for her. He hesitated and then answered, “Yes, if it will save Liza.”

            The transfusion began. The brother smiled as his sister regained the color in her cheeks. However, his face grew pale. He turned to the doctor and asked, “Will I start to die right now?”

            He had misunderstood. He had thought that he was going to donate his entire blood supply to save Liza's life.

            Fortunately, that brother’s offering of blood did not require his life. My older brother’s offering of blood required his; and it saved mine. My older brother’s name is Jesus.

Story Source: Ron Cline: Beyond The Call

Access

            A legend is told of a time during the Civil War. A young Union soldier grieved over a father and older brother who had been killed.

            This soldier traveled to Washington, D.C. to seek an exemption from military service so that he could go back home and help his mother and sister with the spring planting. Approaching the White House, the soldier sought an audience with the president. He was turned away.

            Discouraged, the soldier took a seat on a park bench nearby. A boy approached him and asked, “You look unhappy, soldier. What’s wrong?”

            The soldier related what had happened, which motivated the boy to take the soldier by the hand. The boy led him through the back door of the White House, past the guards, and into the president’s office itself. There, President Lincoln looked up and asked, “What can I do for you, Tad?”

            Tad answered, “Daddy, this soldier needs to talk to you.” The soldier was granted access to the president.

            Jesus does the same for us. Through Jesus’ work, we have access to the Heavenly Father in His throne room.

So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body (Heb. 10:19-21.) THE MESSAGE

           

Source: Progress Magazine, December 12/13, 1992

Do You Hear His Voice?

          An old story goes like this:

            A man who wanted to teach his nephews and nieces about the reality of the living presence of Christ in our lives asked them, “Where’s your mother?”

            “Upstairs,” answered one girl. 

            “How do you know?” 

            “I saw her go,” she replied. 

            “You mean you saw her start to go upstairs,” corrected the uncle. “Maybe she didn’t get there, or perhaps she’s not there now.”

            “Oh, I know she’s there, because I just called her, and she answered me,” said the youngest child. 

            The uncle continued his questioning, “Did you see her?” 

            “No, but she spoke to me and called me by my name. I know her voice, and I know it was Mother!” 

            “You are right,” said the uncle. “And in much the same way that you know your mother is upstairs we can know that the Lord is alive and in our lives. He speaks to us and we just know it is His voice.”