A Christ-follower with a limp: June 2022

Sunday, June 26, 2022

Always leave a room better than you found it

“Don’t sit at home and wait for the mango tree to bring mangoes to you wherever you are. It won’t happen. If you are truly hungry for change, got out of your comfort zone and change the world.” Israelmore Ayivor

One of my first ministry experiences was soon after I graduated from high school. Though I’d never attended camp, I was hired by a camp outside New York City (Bear Mountain) to be a camp counselor. Most of the kids were street-smart kids from the NYC region. It was a baptism of fire. Many of them had not been outside of the city and never into the great outdoors.

The name of the camp was Camp Robin Hood. It might as well have been built during the time of Robin Hood. None of the cabins had electricity, just screens for light and air. The bathroom facilities were about 100’ feet up a hill. And there was no way that an elementary-age boy away from home for the first time and in the great outdoors for the very first time was going to make that trek alone in the middle of the night to the bathroom. Guess who else had to make the trek up the hill, flashlight in hand? Sometimes it would be several times in one night with different boys.

To give these boys a taste of the great outdoors we always scheduled one overnight camping experience. We truly roughed it with no tents, just sleeping under the stars while warding off what seemed like 10,000 mosquitoes. One thing though that I learned from those camping experiences was: “Always leave a campsite better than you found it.” I believe that’s a good motto for every Christ-follower – “Always leave a room better than you found it.”

There’s a lot wrong with the world and much to wring our hands over and complain about. To be sure, there are times to speak up. Yet, much of what’s considered “speaking up” is really whining. There’s no shortage of gripers or what John Maxwell calls “missionaries of misery.”

I’m a long way from there in my own spiritual growth but I long to be like those early disciples. I want to be a godly positive influence, to bring joy and hope. Acts 5 records that after they’d been beaten and released, “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.” Or, like Paul and Silas at Philippi. After they’d been falsely accused, beaten, and imprisoned overnight with their feet in the stocks, they were praying and singing hymns to God.

How do you keep a man like Paul down? He’s falsely accused, on trial for his life, stuck in a Roman jail cell which was probably little more than a pit in the ground, and yet he writes an entire letter that’s known as “the joy letter,” the book of Philippians. At least 16 times in those four short chapters Paul mentions some form of joy or rejoicing.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re having a tough time at work, that if you know that you soon have an upcoming vacation, you can have an upbeat attitude? Why? You know that relief is coming and vacation is just around the corner. Until then you can be upbeat and endure.

As Christ-followers, we have something so much better than a vacation. We have awaiting us a perfect eternal destination. We’re just here for a short time. Everything that this world can dish out, even the worst fiery blasts of the Enemy are only temporary. It’s how Christ-followers through the ages have endured with joy even in difficult times and horrible suffering. We know it will all be over soon and heaven is waiting for us.

So until then, we need to advance His Kingdom here. Whether we’re at work or at home, wherever we are those spaces and places ought to be a little better, a little more gracious, a little more positive because we’re there. We’re bringing with us a bit of heaven. We’re Jesus in our world.

All of us have a choice every day to either be a thermometer or a thermostat. A thermometer merely reflects the environment and culture that it is in. By God’s grace, we can be thermostats and change the environment and culture we are in for good and His glory.

God has given each of us a tool of positive construction that we always have with us. We wear it right on our faces. It’s called a smile. Have you ever noticed how contagious a smile is? When someone smiles at you, it’s hard not to smile back. Have you ever been in a sour mood and then someone comes along with a huge smile, some laughter or in a really good mood? Perhaps a baby that just looked up at you and smiled? How did this make you feel? When the person you are talking to or the people that surround you are smiling, you won’t be able to help but smile!

A smile has special powers. You can calm fear, insecurity, hurt, and anxiety not only in yourself but in those that are experiencing those feelings. The next time someone is feeling sad, scared, nervous, whatever it may be, smile at them and see how this makes them feel! When faces show pain or anger, they’ve lost their smile, so share yours. Rap legend, 2Pac, knew the benefits of smiling. In his lyrics to “Power of a Smile” he raps:

The power of a gun can kill, and the power of fire can burn
The power of wind can chill, and the power of mind can learn
The power of anger, can raise inside until it tears you apart
But the power of a smile, especially yours, can heal a frozen heart.

A smile is infectious. Give one to your world and the world will often give one back to you. You will brighten the days of those around you and make a difference in their lives… with something as simple as smiling! And if anyone has something to smile about it, isn’t it the people of God?

One of the Christian heroes of modern times was Billy Graham. He lived out, “Always leave a room better than you found it.” There was a well-known professional golfer playing in a tournament with President Gerald Ford, fellow golf pro-Jack Nicklaus, and Billy Graham. After the round was over, one of the other pros on the tour asked, “Hey, what was it like playing with the President and Billy Graham?” The pro said with disgust, “I don’t need Billy Graham stuffing religion down my throat!” And with that, he headed for the practice tee. His friend followed, and after the golfer had pounded out his fury on a bucket of balls, he asked, “Was Billy that rough on you out there?” The pro sighed and said with embarrassment, “No, he didn't even mention religion.”

Billy Graham never had to say a word to share a testimony for Christ. He left a place better than he found it. How about you? How about me? Are those around us longing for us to leave because we’re so negative? Or do they wish that maybe we would stay just a little longer because we’re joy-bringers? I hope and pray that those who intersect with my life see something different and want to meet my Jesus. How about you?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Sunday, June 19, 2022

Faithful Men of God

“Men of God are those who walk in the fear of the Lord.” Matt Chandler

I love to watch law enforcement TV shows. I particularly enjoy the FBI series. Yet, I find that I frequently have to mentally tune out producer Dick Wolf’s flagrant anti-Christian bias. It seems that he never wastes an opportunity to belittle the beliefs and values of Christians. For example, when the FBI: Most Wanted team entered a pedophile’s house in a recent episode, it was full of religious items, implying that it was his strict religious upbringing that turned him into a monster. What’s the point of portraying a pedophile as a God-fearing Christian with Bible verses except to sell an overused stereotype about evil hypocritical Christians?

Bashing Christians, particularly men, is the latest cultural fad. Dr. Anthea Butler, the chair of the University of Pennsylvania Department of Religious Studies says “a white evangelical man supports racism, sexism and violence.” This caricature is one reason that I believe we should abandon the term “evangelical” for something like “Christ-follower.”

Some Christians react to such slurs with anger, returning tit for tat. That only plays into the hands of the Enemy. And none of this is new. The early church experienced it, too. It’s instead an opportunity for us to turn the other cheek (Matt. 5:39) and live out what Jesus has called us to, a Christian Counterculture. We don’t live to be popular, but to please an audience of One. Our confused world desperately needs godly men, whether single or married. What does it mean to be a godly man?

You will never be a godly man unless you know Jesus personally. There are many men of character, but to be all that you can be, you can’t do it on your own. In a sense, as a pastor, I’m paid to be good…but without Jesus, I’m a mess. I’m not as kind, patient, forgiving or anything else that matters on my own. I need a power that I will never find in myself. It’s why we need a cross and a Savior. Every man who wants to make a difference and have his life count has the same need.

Because of that relationship with Jesus, he is committed to being a person of character and conviction. It means like Daniel, you pray even though it may mean a lions’ den. You don’t bow to the rulers of this world like a Shadrach, Meshach or Abednego even if it means a fiery furnace. It may mean refusing to wear a symbol of a movement that violates your convictions even if it means being labeled “hateful” or a “bigot,” as five Tampa Bay Rays players did. Yet, in the midst of the verbal assaults, you still choose to be gracious and Christlike.

He’s considerate of the disenfranchised. In a dog-eat-dog world driven by self-promotion, he proactively is kind, thoughtful, and helpful to those who can’t benefit him like children, the elderly, those with special needs, the poor…or just those who are different. He notices, serves, and cares for those often ignored, treated with condescension, or mistreated and abused.

He has a strong work ethic. He takes personal responsibility. He doesn’t live off of the government or his parents. He knows that any talent, abilities, and intelligence that he has is a gift to be used for the glory of God and a stewardship entrusted to him by God. He’s not a workaholic yet has a biblical worldview of work, seeking to turn the curse back into a blessing.

He realizes that when we are faithful in our work, God supplies our needs. Scripture teaches that those willing to work God’s way will be blessed. God’s plan is not necessarily for us to amass great fortunes, but desires to meet our needs and wants us to share His blessings with those who are in need. A godly man sees his work as worship and trusts God to honor his faithfulness. Because of that, there is great satisfaction with diligent work and a job well done.

He is a spiritual leader. He’s a man of the Word and prayer. He sets an example for his wife and children by keeping the main thing the main thing. While he may enjoy sports or hobbies, they’re secondary to his relationship with God and the needs of his family. He lives a balanced life.

He is willing to be vulnerable. If he’s married, he’s a one-woman man, even with his eyes and thoughts. He loves his wife and she’s secure in his love and knows that he is faithful to her. He takes his vows seriously.

If he’s a Dad, his children know that he loves them, yet he will hold them accountable and direct their paths. He’s more concerned about them succeeding in God’s eternal kingdom than being successful in this temporal world and making him look good. Because he’s a man of the Word, he is a source of wisdom and counsel not subjective opinions or pontificating. What can we do to cultivate more godly men?

We must encourage them. Godly men are not highly valued today. Too often, they’re disdained and considered out of touch. Even though they struggle, even though they have not arrived, they need lots of encouragement. If we don’t give it to them, they’re not going to find it out in a lost world. It must come from their families and the family of God.

We must let them know that they are respected. God wired men to need respect. Ask any man if they had to choose which would they choose – love or respect. The vast majority will choose respect, even over love. Yet, many men frequently don’t receive respect at their jobs or in our world. Instead, because they live by God’s plan they may be disdained or demeaned. There needs to be a place where they know they’re respected. That place, in God’s wise plan, should be the home and the local church.

Native Americans had a ritual for training young braves. On the night of a boy's 13th birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he'd never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold he was in the middle of a deep forest. He was terrified! Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered if a storm was coming. After what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter amazement, he saw the figure of a man standing a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy's father who had been there all night long!

Men, you’re not alone. Your heavenly Father is standing right next to you, He’s the Dad you may have never had. As you trust and honor Him, He will bless you. When you fail, which you will, your Heavenly Father will pick you up, forgive you and give you the grace to carry on.

Sunday, June 12, 2022

60 years for $4.80

“Sometimes, little things make a big difference…” Nino Varsimashvili

What would you be willing to give up for $4.80? How long would you be willing to give up something of significance for a little less than $5.00?

For 60 years Ted Sams regretted missing his high school graduation. Now that he’s 78, Sams can finally call himself a high school graduate, On Friday, May 27^th, he donned a cap and gown and received his diploma with the class of 2022 at Southern California’s San Gabriel High School.

Back in 1962 when Sams was a high school senior, he got in trouble, was suspended five days before the end of the school year, and ended up missing a crucial final exam that he had to make up over the summer.

He recently told a local TV station, “When I went back with my grade, they wouldn't give me my diploma because I owed $4.80 for a book, and so I just walked away and said forget it.”

Fortunately, the high school still had Sams’ original diploma locked away in an old filing cabinet. He beamed as he walked across the graduation stage at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and received his diploma. He said, “over the years, I complained to my kids a number of times about how $4.80 kept me from having my diploma.”

It’s amazing how something small, like $4.80, can cause us to make a big, bad decision with lifelong ramifications?

God has matured me a lot over the years (I still have a long ways to go) but I remember a day when someone giving me a one-finger wave would cause me to go nuclear. When I was growing up, my Dad would chew us out if someone forgot to turn a light off. Have you seen one of those Youtube clips of McDonald’s or some other fast food joint and a customer got the wrong order? Some of them are of a customer crawling through the drive-thru window or over the counter to attack the cashier who messed up their order. It’s a $5,000.00 reaction to a $5.00 problem.

There’s a verse tucked away in the Song of Solomon that describes this, “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards…” (2:15). A little fox – big damage!

Many a parent has had a meltdown with a child over something insignificant like spilling a drink or leaving a toy out. Married couples fight over the trivial, like putting the toilet paper on the wrong way or forgetting to empty the garbage…or a truly major crisis, leaving just a bit of milk in the jug without replacing it.

I wish that I could say that I never get angry over the small but unfortunately, I’m guilty, too. My lack of patience with slow drivers is a continual area of spiritual growth. My sanctification is still working its way down to my right foot.

Personally, I think pride was part of Ted Sams’ problem and it was further complicated by stubbornness. Stubborn is defined as “having or showing persistent determination not to change one’s attitude or position on something, especially in spite of good arguments or reasons to do so.”

The Bible contains several examples of stubbornness. Probably one of the most well-known ones was Pharaoh. Remember the story? God told Pharaoh, “Let my people go,” but Pharaoh was stubborn and wouldn't let them go. So God sends plague after plague, and after each plague, Pharaoh cries out, “OK, I'll let the people go.” Yet after God lifted the plagues, the Bible records that Pharaoh “hardened his heart” and wouldn’t let God’s people go. The end result was the 10^th plague, the death of the first born in every Egyptian home. It was the end result of Pharaoh’s stubbornness. We lose a lot when we’re foolishly stubborn and needlessly dig in our heels.

Ted Sams lost sixty years because of stubborn pride. I wonder how many relationships suffer needless estrangement because of the same thing. Often there’s been an argument, then a rupture in the relationship. It may have gone on so long that the combatants no longer even remember what the original offense was. They just know that they’re angry at the other person.

In his book, The Preaching Event, John Claypool tells a powerful story about identical twin brothers who never married because they enjoyed each other’s company so much. When their father died, they took over his store and ran it together in a joyful collaboration.

One day a man came in to make a small purchase and paid for it with a dollar. The brother who made the sale placed the dollar on top of the cash register and walked the customer to the door to say goodbye. When he returned, the dollar bill was gone. He said to his twin brother, “Did you take the dollar bill I left here?” “No, I didn’t,” answered the brother. “Surely, you took it,” he said, “There was nobody else in the store.” The brother became angry: “I’m telling you, I did not take the dollar bill.”

From that point, mistrust and suspicion grew until finally, the two brothers could no longer work together. They put a partition right down the middle of the building and made it into two stores. In anger, they refused to speak to each other for the next twenty years.

One day a stranger pulled up in a car and entered one of the two stores. “Have you been in business very long here?” the stranger asked. “Yes, 30 or 40 years,” was the answer. “Good,” continued the stranger, “I very much need to tell you something...Some 20 years ago, I passed through this town. I was out of work and homeless. I jumped off a boxcar. I had no money and I hadn’t eaten for days. I came down that alley outside and when I looked into your store window, I saw a dollar bill on the cash register. I slipped in and took it. Recently though I became a Christian. I was converted and accepted Christ as my personal Savior. I know now it was wrong of me to steal that dollar bill...and I have come to pay you back with interest and to beg your forgiveness.”

When the stranger finished his confession, the old storekeeper began to weep as he said, “Would you do me a favor? Would you please come next door and tell that story to my brother?” Of course, with the second telling, the two brothers were reconciled with many hugs and apologies and tears. Twenty years of hurt and pain and a broken relationship based not on fact, but on mistrust and misunderstanding, but then healing came; reconciliation came, because of that stranger’s love for Christ.
I’m glad Ted Sams humbled himself and got his diploma. But he still lost sixty years. How about you? Is there someone you need to reconcile with? How much more time do you want to lose? Please humble yourself and fix it…today!

Sunday, June 5, 2022

Pass the Popcorn

“We aren’t in an information age, we are in an entertainment age.” Tony Robbins

Have you seen Top Gun: Maverick? What about Downton Abbey: A New Era? They predict Jurassic World Dominion will take a T-Rex size bite out of the box office and be this summer’s biggest blockbuster. Are you going to see it? Hollywood was hit hard by Covid. Theaters were shut down for months, causing the U.S. box office to lose billions. Theater owners are hopeful ticket sales will continue to pick up this summer.

Like every other sphere of life, Christians must approach entertainment with a biblical worldview. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 exhorts us, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” That simply means that even our entertainment choices are to submit to and honor the Lord.

Entertainment is a matter of conscience. For some Christians, attending a movie is wrong. We’ve lost something in our “choose a side world” that the early church understood – God did not create nor does He expect us to be spiritual clones. It’s spiritual arrogance for a believer to hold that their view is the “right” one when Scripture is silent on the matter.

Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10 unpack for us that going to the movies (and many other choices) are matters of conscience. Yet some Christians set themselves up as the standard of godliness. While we must not violate our conscience, we must be wise and not set up strawmen arguments that cause our children or immature Christians to question the validity of Scripture in other areas much more serious. Christians are to be godly thinkers. God has entrusted us with intelligence that we’re to use.

Let me share an example of a strawman argument when it comes to attending a movie – you’re supporting an evil industry. Yet, watching TV (unless you have an antenna) has the same problem. Personally, I don’t see how attending a sporting event is any different than going to the show.
Being familiar with entertainment helps us stay culturally relevant. When my son, Aaron, first went to Taiwan, we gave him a Packer’s shirt as a memento from Wisconsin, but in Taiwan, no one has heard of the Packers, nor do they care. God has not called us to be isolationists. We’re to be in the world yet not of the world. It’s not an easy line. One has to continually be immersed in God’s Word and be sensitive to the Spirit to find it.
It’s simpler to be a legalist and follow rules without reason. That’s one of the attractions of Islam for many – rules are so clear. To trust God to lead us and direct us is much more difficult. Living by faith is a challenge, yet it is the only way we can please God (Hebrews 11:6). While Christ-followers are to be distinctly different, God has not called us to be cultural oddities.
In the Incarnation, Jesus left heaven and entered our world. Being an incarnational Christian means entering into the culture so that we can reach this world, not attempting to drag them into ours. The Lord Jesus used His culture as a communication bridge into His world. We’re to do the same.
With some discernment, a good movie can be a romantic date night or a great family activity. It’s fun to sink into a theater seat, sharing a tub of popcorn. Couples and families who laugh (and cry) together, stay together.
Here are some suggestions of how to be a discerning Christian when it comes to movies and entertainment in general.
Be discerning. Most of us read food labels. We check sugar and calories. We’re careful with what we put into our stomachs. Shouldn’t we be at least as careful about what we put into our minds?
In day of the internet, it takes a few clicks to check out a movie before you enter a theater. Personally, I use the parents’ guide on IMDb app. Another site I’ve found helpful is Pluggedin.com. Many movies have parts that are clear violations of Scripture. Some are on the verge of being “soft porn.” Much of what’s passed off as PG or PG-13 is harmful, particularly for vulnerable young people who are still developing their convictions.
Be alert to worldview. While most Christians are alert to language or nudity, we can be oblivious to worldview. For example, think of the last time you saw dirty dishes in a home in a movie. Hollywood gives a message of perfection yet it’s all fiction.
Movie life nearly always ends with a happy ending but life isn’t that way. It has stress, struggles, and suffering. Those who are moral or religious are typically portrayed as prudes or have an evil side that ultimately comes out.
Then, how often do you see functional marriages or families in a movie? Smart-aleck children and bathroom humor is accepted as funny. Strip clubs and prostitution are portrayed as normal. Often the worst villains are those who disregard the environment, not those with no moral compass.
Movies influence us and we often don’t even know it. For example, who really was clamoring for a Top Gun sequel? The answer, potentially: the U.S. military. The original Top Gun, what with its glamorous pilots and thrilling aerial scenes was a huge boon for the country’s armed forces, particularly the U.S. Navy. Recruitment rates skyrocketed after the film’s release—rising a ridiculous 500%. The movie was, according to “Flying” magazine, a “one-hour, 40-minute recruitment ad.” Now the Air Force and Navy are hoping for another surge with Maverick. Movies influence us even when we’re unaware of it.
Watch movies in community. Years ago we attempted to start a group at church to attend movies together for the purpose of discussing them afterward. There are many powerful messages in movies, some good and some bad. Having another Christian friend to discuss them with, helps all of us grow. It could be a group or another couple or even a friend. Movies are a-musement. Muse means to think; a-muse means to not think. Discussing a movie with a friend helps us think through what we just watched and helps sharpen our biblical discernment. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
Movies can be a source of entertainment and a rich cultural experience. They help us laugh or cry, and even challenge us to be more heroic. They’re a part of God’s creation and the Lord can use them to bring honor to Himself. So, pass the popcorn, please!