Was 2020 a Root Canal?

“Do I learn through dark providences, 

or simply seem relieved when they are over?”  Sinclair Ferguson

 

  A man went to his dentist for a root canal. The dentist made him comfortable and injected a numbing agent around the tooth, then left the room for a few minutes to allow the medication to take effect. But when the dentist returned he found the patient standing next to the tray of instruments. The dentist asked, “What are you doing by my surgical instruments?” Without looking up, continuing to focus on his task, the patient replied, “I’m taking out the ones I don’t like.” 

  So if you had the power, what would you do with 2020? What parts would you take out? Many of us would eradicate it. But does that line up with a biblical worldview? Do we really believe that God is sovereign? Do we believe that God is in control, even of years that from our perspective are as horrible as 2020?

  Nobody likes hard times. I know that I don’t. Yet, I know that as I look back on my life, the times that I have grown the most spiritually, the times when I’ve grown closer to God…haven’t been the easy times. They’ve been when I’ve walked through the fire, through deep waters. You’ll find that nearly every believer who has been walking with the Lord for any length of time will say the same thing. And while I don’t want a repeat of 2020, I don’t want to forget the lessons. I want them to be ingrained in my soul. I want them to help me walk closer to Jesus and trust Him more.

  During this pandemic it’s easy to see bad things happening all around us. However, with a biblical view on our circumstances, it may become clearer that what God could be doing during this time of taking things away is actually giving us something wonderful and eternal - Himself! So, here are some things that I’ve learned (you’ve probably learned them too). 

  The most precious people on the planet are the ones that live closest to me (or used to live with me). Spouses, family, children, parents, relatives, close friends, roommates, etc. are people that we care for the most. During this pandemic, I’ve realized anew how blessed I am to be married to Jane Carson. Her love for the Lord, her faith, and joy has helped encourage my own love for the Lord, faith, and joy. Living with someone and seeing them at their best and worst gives us a sense of care and compassion that can’t be adequately expressed. This pandemic has helped us to not take our spouses and children for granted. The ache of not seeing my son and daughter-in-law has only been increased by not being able to see them. Too often I take those closest to me for granted. Yet, when things get serious, I wanted them all close. I want to make certain that they’re all okay.

  Gathering as a church family is one of the most undervalued and underappreciated events in the whole world. This is the first time in most of our lives (since getting saved) that we’ve not been able to be with our brothers and sisters each week. It’s unnatural. It’s discouraging. It’s debilitating. Prior to this, we failed to value how important it is to be with other believers regularly. It’s a blessing that we have the technology to broadcast our services, yet the digital world doesn’t have skin on it. It doesn’t wrap an arm around another believer as you pray with them. It misses the nuances of a smile or a tearing eye. It misses the vital part of a maturing Christianity, giving as well as receiving. But we didn’t realize how much we were gaining from being with the “family” until we weren’t.

  Being busy gives us a false sense of accomplishment while stillness feels deceptively like idleness. When we’re running to work, school, events, etc., and are constantly on the move, we feel like we’re accomplishing something­ but often without much to show for it. Our overly busy lives have taught us to disdain times where we’re sitting still and in the same place. This season has been a lesson for us that busyness is not the same as accomplishing what has significance. It needs to teach us something that we easily forget – God did not create us to be human “doers,” but human “beings.” Being somewhere and being with someone supersedes doing.

  Petty disagreements and the little things that tend to consume us are even pettier and smaller when compared to eternity. Many of us either abandoned social media, limited it, or unfollowed neg-aholics. Yet, when I think about the things that have caused strife among friends or even in the church, they’re generally very small matters that were blown out of proportion. When you compare them to eternity, most aren’t worth the breath to speak them or the energy spent to post them on social media. Were they worth our time or energy at all? Are they worth our time now? What value are they in this world if they have no bearing on the one to come?

  I’m a lot more selfish than I thought I was and not nearly as patient as I thought that I was. When you can’t go where you want to go or do what you want to do, you find warm emotions rising up that are a bit shocking. Why does not being able to go to a coffee shop or movie or travel freely matter so much to me? Why was I so obsessed when this all started to see how far the numbers went up each day as if watching to keep score in a tragedy? It was easy to forget that those weren’t just numbers, they’re people. So, I want to learn to be more thankful for what I do have. I want to learn to be more aware and compassionate, especially for those experiencing loss firsthand. 

  No one is guaranteed tomorrow, and as much as I try to understand that I still don’t get it. Though I know better, I still live my life like I will always have a future on this earth. I think about next week, next month, and next year like they’re guaranteed dates on my calendar. But the psalmist speaks into my heart by turning focus for the day I have. “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24). While we need to wisely plan, God has only given us today to use. Too often I’ve wasted today assuming I’ll have tomorrow. 

  This life is short and there are many ways to squander it, but only one way to redeem it – Love Jesus with your whole life, and love Him above all else. It really is a straight and narrow path but the road that leads to destruction is broad and too many go down it. Yet, it’s not as difficult to find as it is to maintain. Yet, I’m so easily distracted by the trivial. If I learn nothing else from 2020, I want to learn this and never forget it: “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain!” (Phil. 1:21). 

  I don’t want to repeat 2020 but I don’t want to forget it. 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. 

Tone-Deaf Hollywood

 

“The number is down because we brought the number down. God did not do that. Faith did not do that. Destiny did not do that.”  Governor Andrew Cuomo, Press Conference on April 13, 2020 

In another of countless examples of tone-deafness, Hollywood recently awarded New York Governor Andrew Cuomo the International Emmy Award, saying that his 111 daily coronavirus press conferences offered “authentic truth and stability.” In what was a Cuomo love-in for the so-called “Love Gov,” a chorus of celebrities joined in to sing his praises. Stars including Robert De Niro, Billy Joel, Ben Stiller, Rosie Perez, Billy Crystal, and filmmaker Spike Lee recorded video messages extolling the governor for setting “an example to the rest of the world.”

Yet, the fictionalized world of Hollywood is oblivious that words and press conferences are not the same as wise decisions, compassionate actions or have true substance. Words are cheap! Even the Washington Post recently described Cuomo’s arrogance as “a Marie Antoinette level of obliviousness.” Yet, as New York prepared to go back under lockdown that will put thousands out of work, it didn’t slow down out of touch Hollywood from awarding him an Emmy.

Hollywood’s aristocracy conveniently forgot that while the Governor urged his constituents to refrain from gathering for Thanksgiving amid a rise in coronavirus cases, he announced he’d be spending Thanksgiving with his 89-year-old mother. For several days he’d urged New Yorkers to refrain from traveling or gathering with older relatives for Thanksgiving. “Next Thanksgiving, you’ll ask yourself: Did I do everything I could to keep my community safe?” Yet, while asking others to sacrifice, Cuomo hypocritically disregarded his own advice. It wasn’t until he received a big backlash that he changed his plans.

Elites in Hollywood are oblivious to real-life suffering of boarded-up businesses, restricted business hours, or the financial turmoil that’s devastated almost 9 million people in New York City and another 22 million-plus throughout the metro area. It didn’t bother the rich and famous that the Governor was slated to receive a pay raise in January 2021 at the same time that his state faces a massive $63 billion deficit from revenue losses tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Recently, he said that he won’t take the raise. It would have made him the highest paid governor in the nation. A $63 billion deficit and he’s up for a raise while many of his constituents will end up bankrupt and even homeless.

While Tinseltown gives Cuomo a hero’s adulation, he’s known in his state as a ruthless politician and has been anything but stellar in his leadership on COVID-19. It was Cuomo, who early in the COVID crisis, tried to downplay it and encouraged people to go on with their lives as usual. Then, he hit the panic button and shut down his state and got into a turf war with Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City. Between them, they handed down all kinds of harsh edicts.

Though it was known from the beginning that the elderly and those with compromised were the most vulnerable to the virus, that didn’t stop Cuomo from forcing nursing homes to take in COVID-19 patients. Worldviews matter. Under Cuomo, New York passed one of the most liberal and abhorrent abortion laws in the country. Yet, if one has no moral compass about the beginning of life, why would one have a moral compass about the end of life? His directive ordering nursing homes to accept COVID patients caused the virus to spread like wildfire among the state’s elderly and infirm population. His decision contributed to the state’s COVID-19 mortality rate, which currently ranks as the second-highest in the nation. It’s estimated that his nursing home mandate led to 6,000 nursing home deaths. Would Hollywood have still given him an Emmy if their own aging stars like Robert Redford or Betty White were victims of his heartlessness?

Yet, it was all swept under the rug as Emmy’s president Bruce Paisner introduced Cuomo during the virtual ceremony, claiming that the Governor informed, demanded, and calmed people down. A video montage followed showing the Governor’s daily press conferences. One title card touted the governor’s response, calling it, “One epic turnaround” as Hollywood gushed all over him. Billy Crystal said that Cuomo “gave us hope, clarity, the truth,” adding that the governor was the “epitome of New York tough.” Brooklyn native Rosie Perez said, “You are the man,” adding that the governor “offered your strength, leadership, direction” and “set an example to the rest of the world.” Host Richard Kind added to the praise: “[Cuomo] united New Yorkers, he united the country…He even united the world.” 6,000 nursing home victims and their families would disagree!

Nearly 35,000 have died from Corona under Cuomo’s “leadership.” For a true leader that would result in humility and a broken heart, but not Cuomo. At a recent press conference on the issue of COVID-19, he lost his cool. Speaking of the people in New York who caught the virus, Cuomo blamed them explicitly saying, “If you socially distance and you wore a mask, and you were smart, none of this will be a problem. It’s all self-imposed. If you didn't eat the cheesecake, you wouldn’t have a weight problem.” Instead of rising to the occasion, he demonstrated contempt for the very ones he’s responsible for governing.

We need to pray that God will have mercy on Governor Cuomo. When King Herod deified himself as Cuomo has, God took him out (Acts 18:21-23).

And maybe it’s time to send Hollywood the only message they seem to understand – a reduced bottom line. When theaters re-open, don’t go. Unless it’s an excellent movie, wait for an online version. Read reviews from reputable sources. Too often we give away hard-earned cash for trash.

Then, support Christian actors and filmmakers. Even out of touch elites listen when money talks and says, “Good-bye.” It’s time for Christians to speak in a language even tone-deaf celebrities can hear.

 

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. 

Reopening is Right, Not About Our Rights

“The constitutional freedom of religion is the most inalienable

and sacred of all human rights.” Thomas Jefferson

“The Father of all vacations.” Now that our three children are all adults, one of the parts that I most miss from their younger years was going on vacation together as a family. Those were some of our most memorable and bonding times as a family. It wasn’t the expense or extravagance, it was being together as a family. Ask them about “a good walk,” and you may see some eye-rolling, hopefully, followed by a grin.

  In the summer of 2002, our family went to Washington, D.C., then to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and finally to New York City and the Statue of Liberty. I love America! I love our heritage! And I’m so thankful that those who came before us willingly shed their blood so that we have the rights that we have, rights like the freedom of religion that so many of our ancestors in Christian history and brothers and sisters around the world do not share. We are truly blessed!

  Across the country one continued protest from many churchgoers during this Pandemic has been, “We must meet! It’s our right!” While I am so thankful that we do have that right as Americans, that’s not why we’re meeting again as a church. It’s not about our “rights.” To me to meet because it’s “our right” is insensitive to the many other Christians around the world who do not have that blessing that we have in this culture and that someday we too may not have.

  We’re gathering together as a local church family because the Bible commands us to and teaches that it’s the right thing to do. Scripture is clear to be lackadaisical about consistently meeting as so many American Christians were prior to this crisis is biblically wrong.

  Please understand (and I can’t say this strongly enough). If with the coronavirus if you’re not comfortable meeting yet or have health concerns that make you hesitant to meet, you should not physically worship with us. Your health and safety is a greater priority. I’m so thankful that we live in a day where we can include those who are in that situation with technology.  

  Yet, much of the anger about not being able to physically meet seemed to be selfishly driven rather than what truly honors our Lord. It was seemingly about, “They closed my religious clubhouse…and I’m mad!”

  A vital part of our DNA at Grace Church is the humble confession that this is not OUR church. It’s the Lord Jesus’ church. We are what the New Testament calls “the Bride of Christ” (Eph. 5:22-33). He bought us and willingly died for us. We belong to King Jesus so it must be all about Him!

  To be candid, it’d be easier to not meet. If it’s about convenience, we could sip coffee and eat Kringle (this is Wisconsin) in our pjs in our family rooms. It can’t be that the worship team, preaching or even the building is so special. There are much better worship “productions” at the click of a keyboard or with the turn of a channel. Why is gathering physically together important? (FYI: These are not in any particular order).

  God wants us to worship Him! That should amaze us! Remember that our awesome God is surrounded by all of the angelic host of heaven. It would be perfect worship. All nature worships God. If we human beings won’t, Jesus said that even the rocks will cry out in praise (Luke 19:4).

  Of all of His creation, it’s staggering that our Heavenly Father longs for us, His Imago Dei, with all of our imperfections, to worship Him. Nothing replaces the beauty of coming together to worship Him with others who also have His Spirit within them through the redeeming work of salvation.

  Worshiping is a response of humble gratitude for His love. Knowing God as He’s revealed to us in Scripture stirs in us a heart of thankfulness expressed in worship that brings Him glory. The Spirit motivates us to long to come together with our brothers and sisters to honor the Savior.

  Coming together is one of the best places to grow spiritually. The focal point of local church ministry is to clearly teach God’s Word. In what’s known as “the Pastoral Epistles” (1 and 2 Timothy & Titus) are overflowing with instruction for churches to make the Scriptures the priority in the church. The pulpit is not the place for political or psychological talks. Pastors are commanded to “preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2). While Christ-followers must study the Word on their own, learning under the sound teaching of church leaders is imperative for one’s spiritual growth (1 Pet. 2:2). There’s something about in-person focused attention surrounded by likeminded believers that makes it more effective.

  It’s the place where we are to use our spiritual gifts. The weekly gathering is God’s avenue for believers to utilize their spiritual gifts. At salvation, God gifts every believer. The local church is the place where believers can and should practice those gifts. The Bible knows nothing of church sitters or spectators who show up for a weekly show. Jesus designed His church to be a place for us to participate together by utilizing our spiritual gifts either in a public setting or privately with other believers. 

  It’s the place where we connect in Christ’s love. The phrase “one another” occurs 100 times in the New Testament. Some 59 of those are specific commands teaching us how to relate to each another. We’re to love, encourage, comfort, pray, forgive each other to name just a few. In our time together the Lord teaches us to love those that in our sinfulness, we’d never like. It’s an ongoing work of His grace. Apart from in-person gatherings, it’s easy to succumb to the Americanization of privatizing our faith or keep it segregated to a small portion of our life.

  God uses our gathering together to reach our world. Jesus said our world will know we’re His disciples by our love for each other. As we love each other, His light shines from our Christ-honoring love. Because it’s so unusual, it draws others to Christ. Everyone is looking for a place to belong. Whether people admit it, they long to be loved. When we commit to fiercely love each other by covering even sins with love and readily forgiving each other, God’s love shines brightly through us. Yes, love can be demonstrated via technology, but it’s not the same. How healthy would a couple’s marriage be if it were only a “technology relationship?”

  God is in control of this Pandemic! It often takes a shaking up of our world to force us to evaluate what’s essential and what’s merely traditional. Technology is here to stay and a tool we should use wisely. In the coming days there will be needed evaluations and with it changes on how churches minister. As the Bible clearly reveals, in-person gatherings at some level are essential. Please pray that we are wise as a church family as we seek to move forward for His glory because this truly is His church!

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. 

Stop Spreading Fear

“If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear.  His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer – His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable.”  John Newton

Recently I learned that Cheerios causes cancer. It has to be true. I read it on Facebook. So, being the loving, sacrificial husband and father that I am – I ate all of the Cheerios in the house (Okay, I didn’t really...but I thought about it and that’s almost the same thing.)

  While it’s true that Cheerios and other cereals contain a small level of glyphosate which is a known carcinogen, a direct link is unprovable. It’s estimated that the amount of glyphosate in cereal would result in one additional case of cancer in every million people over a lifetime.

  Before you email me data showing me that I’m wrong, that’s not my point. My concern is the needless spreading of fear. Should we seek to eat healthier? Absolutely! Yet, because this is a fallen world everything has some level of “poison” from the food we eat, to the water we drink, to the air we breathe. But God did not call us to be the “Bubble People.”

  When it comes to much of the sensationalism and panic that permeates social media and the media, I’m a skeptic. First, I rarely watch the news. When I do, I watch with a high level of skepticism. Both the media (and politicians) weaponize fear to garner attention and support. Fear sells. It’s very profitable. If you don’t believe me, try to buy hand sanitizer with the current panic about the Corona Virus.

  Fear is an invader. Fear is not part of our original design. We are Imago Dei, made in the image of God. God is never afraid or anxious. There was no fear in the Garden until sin entered. After Adam and Eve fell, they hide in fear from God. In Genesis 3:10 Adam replies to God, “I heard the sound of You [God] in the garden, and I was afraid…” 2 Timothy 1:7 is the antithesis of that, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” If God didn’t give us fear, who did? It’s obvious.

  To live in fear is a sin. When I was a child, I was terrified of the dark. I still remember becoming hysterical when my Mom would turn the light off in my bedroom. Often I’d wake up in the night and run to my parents’ bedroom. My Mom took me back to my bed, opened her Bible to Psalm 56:3. That promise has been with me for over five decades and still brings me great comfort: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee” (KJV).

  Do I still have bouts and struggle with fear? Yes, but not as much as I used to. My Heavenly Father continually increases my depth of faith. Faith grows from being in the Word (Romans 10:17), walking with Father and seeing His hand in my life. As I choose to fight off fear and trust my Father today, it becomes easier to trust Him and live fear-free tomorrow.

  For those who have committed their lives to Christ and trusting in the cross for our salvation, what do we really have to be afraid of? The very worst that can happen to us is Death. I love the Phillips rendering of 2 Corinthians 5:6-8: “We realise that being ‘at home’ in the body means that to some extent we are ‘away’ from the Lord, for we have to live by trusting Him without seeing Him. We are so sure of this that we would really rather be “away” from the body (in death) and be “at home” with the Lord.” Death is merely an entry to being Home with Jesus for all eternity!

  God is grieved when we surrender to the sin of fear. The nation of Israel spent an additional 40 years wandering the wilderness because they feared giants more than they trusted the God who had rescued them from Pharaoh and slavery in Egypt. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that we can’t please God without faith. Our Heavenly Father wants us to trust Him.

  That means that Christians must stop wringing their hands over viruses, elections, the economy, child abductions, etc. Yes, we need to be wise and use sanctified common sense. But our eyes must always be heavenward. As one Chinese pastor wisely said, “When you're in emergency, dial your spiritual 911- Psalm 91:1, ‘He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.’”

  Times of panic are gospel opportunities. Believers like Jerry Thacker are the model for Christians. When HIV was still virtually unknown, Jerry, his wife, Sue, and their daughter, Sarah, all were infected with HIV through a blood transfusion during Sue’s delivery of their daughter. Yet, they turned what was a tragedy and a death sentence into a ministry to AIDS victims and used it to challenge the Church to minister to AIDS victims no matter how they might have contracted the disease.

  No doubt, given the current pace of developments, these numbers are already out of date. The coronavirus has now spread to over 60 countries, with major outbreaks in China, South Korea, Northern Italy, and Iran. Nearly 90,000 reported cases and over 3,000 deaths. As of this week, there were over 90 confirmed cases of the virus in the United States with six deaths. According to the best numbers so far, the lethality of COVID-19 is about 2%. If that rate holds, the coronavirus would be about 10 times as lethal as the seasonal flu, and even that high of a percentage is doubtful.

  It’s not surprising that those who don’t know Christ are terrified. Yet, it’s an opportunity for the people of faith to share hope, courage and truth. In the 16th century, German Christians asked Martin Luther how to respond to a crisis. In 1527, less than 200 years after the Black Death killed half of the population of Europe, the plague re-emerged in Luther’s own town of Wittenberg. In his letter “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague,” Luther gave advice for Christians confronting infectious disease outbreaks. He argued that anyone who stands in a relationship of service to another has a vocational commitment not to flee. Those in ministry, he wrote, “must remain steadfast before the peril of death.” The sick and dying need a good shepherd who will strengthen and comfort them. Luther challenged Christians to see opportunities to minister to the sick as an opportunity to show our love for God by loving our neighbors. While Luther doesn’t encourage his readers to expose themselves recklessly to danger, he constantly straddles two competing goods: honoring the sanctity of one’s own life, and honoring the sanctity of those in need.

  God is never surprised by calamity or tragedy. He is still on His throne, even using calamities, to accomplish His purposes. Christians must not panic. When times are at their worst, we believers should be at our best. And we will be when we live in the faith of knowing this world belongs to our Father, that He has it all under control and in the end, He will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

 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.