What's your name?

 

“Your identity is like your shadow: not always visible

and yet always present.” Fausto Cercignani

 
A name is one of the first gifts a parent gives to their child. It’s one of the first things that we lead with when we introduce ourselves to someone new. Yet, picking a name for a baby can be an overwhelming, stressful process. It will be a tag that a child will have for the rest of his or her life.
  There’s a new study out that people alter their appearance to suit their names. Researchers sought to determine whether parents choose a baby name based on what seems fitting for the baby's appearance, or if an individual’s facial appearance changes over the years to align with the social stereotypes associated with his or her name.
  In the study, 9- to 10-year-old children and adults were asked to match faces to names. The findings revealed that both the children and the adults correctly matched adult faces to their corresponding names, significantly above the chance level. However, when it came to children's faces and names, the participants were unable to make accurate connections.
  The researchers concluded that the similarity between a person's face and name results from a self-fulfilling prophecy. Adult facial appearances change over time to align with stereotypes associated with the name. Stereotypes can be formed in many ways, for example, because the name is linked to a famous figure or due to the connotations of say a biblical name.
  On this one, I’m a skeptic. In my junior year of high school there were four of us named Scott, all in the same homeroom. If you Google Scott, there are many famous people named Scott. Though I’d have loved to have had the musical ability of a Scott Joplin, I’ve never been interested in acting like Scott Bakula, Scott Baio or Scott Caan. Yet, I would have loved to have just a bit of the athletic ability of a Scott Hamilton.
  If you’re a Christ-follower, there’s a name we must live up to. Are you living up to yours? The name Christian has virtually become meaningless. That wasn’t the case when it was first used. It was almost written as a footnote with no explanation in Acts 11:26: “And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.”
  Those early believers were distinctly different from the culture they lived in. Because they lived in an environment without a connection to Judaism like the church in Jerusalem had, believers in Antioch really stuck out. Antioch was a Roman city, influenced by the Roman and Greek way of life. It was the third largest city in the Roman Empire. As those around them observed the life differences in those believers, a new label began to form. They were called Christians because they followed Christ. What were some defining marks that set believers apart from their culture?  
  They continually spoke of Jesus and what He’d done for them. When Barnabas arrived in Antioch to check out the church, he saw the grace of God. Many of those believers had been radically saved. Their conversion stories were often sharp and distinct, so they loved to tell their community of the love of Christ. They shared the gospel with those around them.
  They lived out their devotion to Christ for everyone to see. Their lives were significantly different from the society around them. Their dissimilarity with their culture was a new experience for the church. Jerusalem believers lived a lifestyle like the culture they lived in, one steeped in Judaism. Judaism and Christianity overlap in moral matters, so the church stood out mostly for its belief in Jesus as the Messiah. But, in Antioch, the new behavior and morality of Christians was far different from the lifestyle of those around them. Yet, these believers were part of the city, rather than isolationists like the Jewish community there. Neither isolationistic nor idolaters, they became a fascination for many in Antioch.
  They were a multiethnic, diverse community. In those days, religion and race were entwined together in a tangled knot. Race often determined your religion. As Christianity spread, conversions occurred everywhere. Since they took the gospel wherever they went, new believers were of every race and culture, which resulted in a multiethnic, diverse church.
  They had a new sexual ethic. Believers in Antioch fled the Roman-sexual anything goes morality to live a biblical one. They respected women, recognizing they deserved honor and equality. They celebrated marriage and that the only Christ-honoring sexual experience was in a covenantal union. It was so starkly unique that it shocked non-Christ followers.
  They had a new work ethic. Rather than living to acquire wealth, believers worked with the goal of bringing honor to God. They wanted their work to reflect well on God and saw work as a means of worship.  
  They loved one another. Their love for other believers stood out most of all. They were known by their love. As they lovingly lived with one another day in, day out, the rest of the community took note of the way they treated each other and those outside their group. Even when mistreated, they loved the world around them. They were united despite race, position (slave or free), politics, or economics.
  Those early Christ-followers, like Jesus, were an enigma. They didn’t fit the existing categories. They didn’t disassociate from their world yet were distinctly different from their world.
  It reminds me of a story of Alexander the Great. One night Alexander couldn't sleep and walked around the campgrounds. He came across a soldier asleep on guard duty. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was death. The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing Alexander, the young man feared for his life. "Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on duty?" Alexander asked the soldier. "Yes, sir," the soldier responded in a quivering voice.
  "Soldier, what's your name?" demanded Alexander the Great. "Alexander, sir." Alexander the Great repeated the question: "What’s your name?" "My name is Alexander, sir," the soldier repeated. A third time and more loudly Alexander the Great asked, "What’s your name?" For the third time the soldier meekly said, "My name is Alexander, sir." Then, Alexander the Great looked the young man straight in the eye. "Soldier," he said, "either change your name or change your conduct."
  We live in a unique cultural moment, filled with opportunity. If Christians today will live like the church in Antioch lived, our faith and walk with Christ will stand out in beautiful ways. The name “Christian” should be our identity. Others interacting with us should see Christ. Are you living in a way so that others would label you a Christian?

Can we help you spiritually? 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. 

 

Giving Away Kindness

 

“Three things in human life are important: The first is to be kind. 

The second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind.”  Henry James

 
With the recent Olympics a wonderful story from 2019 has been resurfacing. At a match in August of that year, Israel’s women’s lacrosse team showed true sports (wo)manship during their match against Kenya. Israel defeated Kenya, 13-4, at a match during the 2019 Women’s Lacrosse Under 19 World Championship in Peterborough, Ontario. Though they won, the Israeli players realized something was unfair. The teams weren’t on equal footing, literally. None of the Kenyan players had cleats, which put them at a great disadvantage. The Israeli team decided to do something about it, surprising their opponents with brand-new footwear.
  Rain from the night before the match resulted in the Kenyan women slipping all over the field. Their tennis shoes couldn’t provide the proper traction. Many of the Kenyan athletes lived in poverty in two-bedroom mud shacks housing families of eight and had to overcome numerous obstacles to even get to the tournament. They’d ordered new running shoes, but upon arriving in Canada, discovered they were in U.S. sizes and not in the U.K. sizes they’d ordered.
  After the game, Michael Duvdevani, whose daughter, Ella, is on the Israeli team, discovered that the Kenya team did not have any cleats, and he wanted to do something about it. In a group message with all of the Israeli team parents, Duvdevani explained the situation and asked: “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” They were. That evening Duvdevani contacted the Kenyan team’s assistant coach to gather his team’s shoe sizes. Then, he found a store in Peterborough that luckily had the 18 pairs of shoes in the sizes the Kenyan teens needed. Duvdevani paid for all the shoes upfront (he was later reimbursed by the rest of his team’s parents). With the help of his two younger children, he packed the shoes labeling each box with the players’ name and corresponding jersey numbers.
  The next day, the Kenyan coach brought his team to the Israeli-Belgium game under the ruse that they were scoping out the Belgium team, who the Kenyans were scheduled to play the following day. In reality the Israeli teens wanted to present them with their brand-new cleats and surprised their new friends with the brand-new shoes after the MVP ceremony.
  Hugs went all around. Neither team fared particularly well in the tournament, but the Israeli and Kenyan teams continued to support each other. A couple days after the cleats were gifted, the Kenyan team ventured over to the Israelis’ match against Ireland. Still dressed in their jerseys from a game earlier that day, the Kenyan girls waved Israeli flags, and danced and cheered for their newfound friends. I love these words from the Israeli goalie, Lielle Assayag, “This is what I’ll remember in twenty years. My friends, my old ones, and my new ones.” 
  In an angry world where it seems nearly everyone is irate about something, Christ-followers must be known for being kind and gracious. What does it take to be consistently kind?
  It takes resilience. Those who are genuinely kind without expecting reciprocation have a unique ability to bounce back from setbacks. They experience the same hurdles we all do – losses, failures, and disappointments – but respond to them differently. Rather than dwelling on negative outcomes, they choose to respond with kindness. Their resilience stems from this kindness – a unique strength as admirable as it is powerful.
  It takes empathy. It’s not just about understanding someone’s feelings, it’s actually sharing in them. When someone is going through deep waters and shares their troubles, an empathetic person listens and seeks to understand. Empathy isn’t about solving problems or giving advice. It’s about understanding another person’s situation and feelings so deeply that you can almost feel them yourself. A kind person connects with others on a deeper level. They’re able to put themselves in the other person’s shoes and truly understand their emotions.
  It takes authenticity. Genuinely kind people don’t wear masks, don’t put on a show, and don’t try to be someone they’re not. They’re comfortable in their own skin and aren’t afraid to be transparent. Because they’re authentic, they create a safe space for others to be themselves too, fostering deeper and more meaningful connections in the process.
  It takes patience. Patience is a significant strength that kind people possess. It’s not just about waiting without complaint. It’s a deeper form of patience that shows up in their interactions with others. They don’t rush others, impose their timelines, or expect immediate change.
  Have you ever had a teacher who worked with you when you had difficulty understanding something? They don’t rush you and take extra time to explain things until you grasp them. In a world that’s always in a hurry, this kind of patience is a unique strength.
  It takes optimism. Another word for it is – hope! If anyone should have hope, it’s a Christ-follower. We know no one is beyond God’s love, no situation is impossible, and we’re all going to get Home before dark. This optimism stems from a deep-seated belief in the goodness of God. Genuinely kind people see the best in others, even when it’s not apparent. Like Jesus, they believe in second chances and the potential for true transformation. Their optimism isn’t just infectious, it’s inspiring.
  It takes generosity. Think about the last time you gave something without expecting anything in return. How did it make you feel? Kind individuals have an innate sense of generosity. It’s not just monetary or some grand gesture. The greatest acts of generosity are often the simplest ones – like giving time, attention, or words of encouragement when someone needs it.
  It takes gratitude. This may be the most important trait. Kind individuals have a deep sense of gratitude for all that God has given them. They appreciate the people and experiences in their lives, both good and bad. They understand that every encounter, every moment, every trial is an opportunity for spiritual growth and to glorify God. Their deep gratitude is reflected in their attitudes and actions…in the way they treat others. This spirit of gratitude is the root from which their kindness grows.
  As Jesus walked this earth, He was known for being kind. As His followers, we must be known for our Christlike kindness. Are you a Christ-follower? Are you known for being kind? Is that your reputation?

Can we help you spiritually? 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. 

Lost

 

“It is those who get lost, who find the new ways.” 
                                                            Nils Kjaer 

Currently, Jane and I are on vacation in Florida. Personally, I’m so thankful for GPS. I have a fairly natural sense of direction…unless I’m out on a country road. Drop me in the middle of a major city and I can usually find my way. Drop me in the middle of nowhere or Walworth County, and I’m in deep weeds. For me, civilization ends a little north of Madison. I can relate to the guy who said, “I am not lost. To be lost you have to know where it is you’re supposed to be, and I don’t even know that.”
  Shortly after moving to Burlington from Detroit, Jane and I were visiting a family who’d recently attended our church. We had a lady in the church who would watch our then two young children, but she lived out in the boonies. It was the day of phone booths before cell phones. We got so lost after our appointment that we spent at least an hour trying to find her house again to retrieve our kids. I know we called her at least once, maybe twice, from a phone booth to get directions back to her home.
  The Bible says a lot about being lost. In Luke 15 Jesus told three parables, known as “the lost parables.” I love them! Because that was me and that was you until Jesus found us. They tell us wonderful things about God.
  Sinners are lost until God finds them. The biblical description of those who do not yet know Jesus is not “unsaved,” it’s lost. It’s an empty, hopeless word when used in referring to things or animals. It’s an especially bleak word when it’s used in reference to people.
  We once lost Ben at the Mall of America. It was terrifying. We spent several minutes frantically searching for him, but it seemed a lot longer. When we finally found him, I was so emotional. There are very few times in my life when I have felt so frightened.
  When a close family member is lost, you won’t rest until they are found. Did you know that the Bible describes every person who does not know Jesus Christ as being lost? Jesus first tells the parable of the lost sheep. A lost sheep in the Judean wilderness was doomed. It had no protection. It’d be only a short time before a predator would attack and kill it.
  A lost dog might find its way home, but a lost sheep is unable to do so. That’s the picture of us, lost sinners. The sinner may not even know that he’s lost. Unbelievers are lost and helpless prey for the enemy unless God intervenes. But thank God, He has intervened! Jesus shows us that …
  God goes to great effort to seek lost sinners. The shepherd leaves his 99 other sheep and goes after the lost one until He finds it. It’s Jesus who is the Good Shepherd. He described His mission as “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
  God undertakes the personal cost of the search. The shepherd invested whatever time it took to search for his lost sheep. He exposed himself to the dangers of the wilderness and the weather. The same lions or wolves that were stalking his sheep might stalk him. He went without sleep. The longer the sheep remained lost, the greater the risk of its being killed.   
  The shepherd did whatever it took, however costly, to find the one missing sheep. But in the case of our salvation, the cost was much greater. It cost God the life of His Son, Jesus. “God did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all” (Romans 8:32).
   God pursues lost sinners until He finds them. The shepherd relentlessly searched until he finally found his sheep. In the same way, the Good Shepherd goes after every sheep whom His Father has given to Him so that none will be lost but that all will be brought safely into His fold. If you’re Christ-follower then you know it’s not because you sought after God, but because God sought after you and kept seeking you until He rescued you from your sin.
  Dr. Harry Ironside, one time pastor of Moody Church, told of a new convert who gave his testimony at a church service. With a smile on his face and joy in his heart, the man shared how he’d been delivered from a life of sin. He gave the Lord all the glory.
  The man in charge of the service didn’t understand that salvation is totally by God’s grace, apart from human merit. So, he responded to the young man’s comments by saying, “You seem to indicate that God did everything when He saved you. Didn’t you do your part before God did His?” And the new Christian said, “Oh, yes, I did. For more than 30 years I ran away from God as fast as my sins could carry me. That was my part. But God took out after me and ran me down. That was His part.”
  When God finds lost sinners, He keeps them safely. When the shepherd found the lost sheep, he didn’t get out his whip to drive it back home. No, he put it securely on his shoulders and carried it home.
  I love the picture of Jesus as the smiling shepherd with a lamb on his shoulders. He’s holding it by its legs, so it won’t get lost again. As Jesus said concerning His sheep, “I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).
  None of us is secure in our salvation because of our grip on the Good Shepherd. We’re secure because of His grip on us. If God goes to such great effort to seek lost sinners, shouldn’t we? If our Lord came from heaven to seek and to save the lost, shouldn’t we be praying often, “Lord, use me to be Your instrument in seeking lost people with Your good news?” Rather than avoiding sinners, we must be pursuing them, to be part of rescuing them from this doomed world. Ask God to burden your heart for the lost and to give you opportunities to pursue them with the gospel and share how the Good Shepherd rescued you.
  God celebrates when lost sinners come to repentance. Heaven is already filled with joy. When a sinner gets saved, heaven throws a party, just as the father of the prodigal son did in Luke 15! When a sinner turns from his sins to God, all heaven rejoices because God gets the glory. The angels also rejoice because they know the joys of God’s glorious presence in heaven, where those rescued by the Good Shepherd will spend eternity.
  Do you love a party? If you’re lost and don’t know Christ, commit your life to Him today and all of heaven will have a party over you. Angels live in the breathtaking presence of God, regularly seeing His wonders, yet they’re ecstatic over each person who repents and comes to Christ. So, come to Him today and let’s get the party started!

Can we help you spiritually? 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. 

 

To Tell The Truth

 

“When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful.” Augustine

 
A store manager heard his clerk tell a customer, “No, ma’am, we haven’t had any for a while, and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any soon.” Horrified, the manager came running over to the customer and said, “Of course we’ll have some soon. We placed an order last week.”
  Then, the manager drew the clerk aside. “Never,” he snarled, “Never, never, never say we’re out of anything- say we’ve got it on order and it’s coming. Now, what was it she wanted anyway?” The clerk said, “Rain!”
  Ours is a dishonest world. Honesty is sacrificed…often for greed. It seems that in election years, the lies are more plentiful and flagrant. But God’s Word repeatedly reminds us that God is the God of truth, and His people are commanded to be people of truth. A healthy church—a body of believers that follows Jesus as the head must be a place of truth. It’s where we love each other enough to be honest and admonish each other truthfully when needed. It’s a place where we’re lovingly truthful about the sins that cause us to stumble because sin has such damaging consequences.
  One University of Massachusetts study found “that 60 percent of people lied at least once during a 10-minute conversation and told an average of two to three lies.” The study also found lies told by men and women differ in content, but not in quantity: “Women were more likely to lie to make the person they were talking to feel good, while men lied most often to make themselves look better.”

  In Ephesians 4:15-16 Paul writes: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Apparently, the church in Ephesus had a truth problem. They’d gotten to the point where they preferred hearing stuff that made them feel good rather than what was true.

  One of the benefits of connecting with other believers is their ability to see sin in us that we’re blind to. We need this aspect of body life because part of the damage sin causes is blindness. We can see the speck of sin in another person’s eye but may be blind to the 2 x 4 plank that’s in our own.
  In God’s Word of truth, we’re reminded of how sin does this. 1 John 1:8 talks about Christians who deceive themselves by thinking they’re without sin. “If we claim we are without sin, we deceive ourselves—and the truth is not in us.” Here are a few more. Obadiah 1:3, “The pride of your heart has deceived you.” Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” Our sin blinds and deceives us. Author Michael Novak put it this way: “Our capacity for self-deception has no known limits.” We deceive ourselves all the time into thinking we’re better than we are. One of the biggest lies is that most of us think we’re basically good. We’re not.
  Remember that famous scene from the movie, A Few Good Men? Jack Nicholson is on the witness stand and Tom Cruise says, “I just want the truth.”  Nicholson screams, “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!” He has a point. The fact is the truth we need to hear can be very hard to handle. It’s hard to honestly admit our failures and flaws.
  Yet there’s a vital part of truth that’s life giving and sustaining. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:31). So, the truth about the truth is this – it will set you free, but first it can make you miserable. Some pain and misery are necessary for spiritual growth.
  We need to see our own sin—we have to face it—we have to handle it—if we’re going to move forward on toward spiritual maturity. A Christian who can’t admit that he or she is wrong is not growing toward Christlikeness. Remember God opposes the proud. He only gives grace to the humble.
  That’s why we need body life, close spiritual friendships and small groups. It’s where the power of connecting with other Christians comes in. Those who know us, really know us, will see things about us that we miss.
  Did you know we can only see about 60% of our body without a mirror or a reflective surface of some sort? Its why wives ask their husbands that dangerous question: “How do I look?” All kidding aside, others can see things about us that we’re blind to. If those who really know us truly love us, they’ll tell us when we are walking around with a two by four in our eye. They’ll tell us the truth, the truth we need to hear. They’ll tell us when we’ve got a sin problem and don’t look or act so good.
  In June of 1938, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, wrote a letter to his editor Stanley Unwin explaining why he was behind schedule finishing the final draft for The Hobbit. Tolkien told Unwin that instead of drafting more material, he had decided to start over and rewrite the first three chapters.
  What motivated Tolkien to go back and start the whole thing over again? It was the loving criticism he had received from his friend, C. S. Lewis. Apparently, Lewis read chapters, liked the story, and encouraged Tolkien, but he also took the time to critique it and make specific suggestions for its improvement. For instance, Lewis told Tolkien that there was too much dialogue, too much chatter, too much “silly hobbit talk.” According to Lewis, all this dialogue was dragging down the story line. 
  Tolkien grumbled in response to Lewis, “The trouble is that ‘hobbit talk’ amuses me—more than adventures.”
  Yet he still accepted the advice. Also, in the first draft of The Lord of the Rings, the story centers on a hobbit named Bingo, who sets out with two companions, Odo Took and Frodo Took. As Tolkien does revisions, Bingo becomes Frodo, and is joined by his friends Sam and Pippin. I wonder, would The Lord of the Rings have been nearly so popular if the main character had been called Bingo? But more than just names have been transformed. Tolkien’s revised version is shorter and much clearer, too.
  When J.R.R. Tolkien rewrote the material, he cut nearly half of the dialogue.  On page after page, he deleted long conversations and picked up the action. As a fan of those books, I don’t think I would have enjoyed them as much without Lewis’ input.
  Each of us needs a C.S. Lewis in our lives. We need someone to encourage us on toward God’s best. Are you open to one in your life? Are you a Lewis in someone else’s life? We will never be the mature Christians God desires us to be or the church that glorifies Him until we learn to “speak the truth in love.”

Can we help you spiritually? 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.