CIRCUMSTANCES #II: Getting the penny out of your eye!

Recently, a young friend shared a conversation she had with her pastor at her home church in Brazil. She had sought his counsel concerning a difficulty she was having; her pastor suggested it was “a tempest in a teacup.”

She objected to his suggestion and said, “Oh, Pastor, you don’t understand.” His response was perfect for her situation.

He took a penny (actually the Brazilian equivalent of a penny) and told the young woman the penny represented her circumstance. He then asked her to hold the penny up to her right eye her left eye closed. Having done so, he asked her what she could see with her right eye. “Nothing,” she responded, “the penny is in the way.”

“So is your difficulty.” He counseled. “Now, slowly move the penny away from your eye toward the sun, until it’s about a foot from your face, and tell me what do you see?”

“I see the outline of the sun.” She replied, as she squinted from the blinding light of the sun.

Her pastor gently but wisely scolded her. “You see, Kath, the penny is what you are worried over but the sun is the real problem. Get your eyes off your circumstances and look for the real problem.”

How I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve had my eye on my circumstances and not on my problems.

Circumstance is a problem’s playground. No one remedies life’s circumstantial nuisances until they’ve dealt with the cause of their problem; and no one can eliminate the cause until they’ve defined their problem. History’s landscape is littered with the carcasses of lives devastated by this phenomena.

We must discipline ourselves to recognize the difference between symptoms and causes of problems; we must train ourselves in the art of problem definition.

It’s natural for us to focus on symptoms rather than causes because the symptoms are immediate and real. Such things as causes and definitions are more illusionary and intangible. But, all the same, we must get to work on this process.

Christianity, Circumstances,
Illustrations, Religion

CRITICAL THINKING: The Unsolved Riddle!

"Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy."

James 3:13-17

In a comment concerning form-criticism (a.k.a. Bible criticism), F. F. Bruce said,

“It must be remembered that the material is more important than the form; meat-pies and mud-pies may be made in pie-dishes of identical shape, but the identity of shape is the least important consideration in comparing the two kinds of pies.”

[Book of Acts, p. 120, n; cited by Richard N. Longnecker in EBC, Frank E. Gaebelein, Ed., Vol. 9, 1981, p. 319.]

This remark, while directed at those involved in higher-criticism, is germane to any who spend even a little time at critical thinking. By this we mean time spent thinking seriously about issues … all issues.

As in the case of Hans Christian Andersen’s "The Emperor’s New Clothes," we are easily led by others (and ourselves) into thoughtless, wisdom-less, and meaningless beliefs and decisions. Critical thought, based on wisdom from above, is essential to quality of life, especially quality of Christian living.

The UNSOLVED RIDDLE is: how many mud-pies will a man eat while calling them meat-pies, before he comes to his senses and admits his error. Frequently, as in Andersen’s tale, it takes a child to reveal our blunders and save us from ourselves.

The difference between mud-pies and meat-pies is obvious, right? Not to everyone as the following examples (recently gathered from sources on the Internet) reveal:

• A elementary school student in Belle, West Virginia (USA), was suspended for three days for giving a classmate a cough-drop; school principal Forest Mann reiterated the school's “zero-tolerance” policy concerning drugs (this, of course, should not to be confused with a “zero-intelligence” policy).
• A 9-year old boy in Manassas, Virginia (USA), received a one-day suspension under his school's drug policy last week - for Certs! Joey Hoeffer told a classmate the breath mints would make him “jump higher.” The school interpreted that to be an inducement to take drugs.
• AT&T (a global communications corporation) fired president John Walter after only nine months, saying he lacked “intellectual leadership.” Walter received a $26 million severance package; maybe it's not the ex-president who's lacking intelligence.

The rapid decay of critical or logical thinking skills among the world’s adult population ought to cause concern somewhere; unfortunately, most of those in positions which matter think the emperor’s new clothes look just fine.

Christianity, Critical thinking,
Illustrations, Religion

VISION: Gentile Revolutionaries - vs. - Tub-thumpers!

"Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 'If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.'"

Luke 14:25-26 [25-35]

The 60s were noted for revolutionary hype; individuals and groups such as Angela Davis, The Chicago 7, Timothy Leary, and Yoko “Oh-no,” with their radical thought and behavior, seemed to dominate the day.

But for pure, undefiled, radical thought moved to action, no one could one-up Dick Fosbury in that tumultuous decade.

Fosbury, an Oregon State University student revolutionized track & field‘s high jump with a technique one writer called “at once simple and sublime.”

While the rest of the world was content to high-jump with a forward-facing straddle, called the "Western roll," Fosbury concluded a backward flop was better. He unveiled his radical technique at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Unfortunately, a black-gloved, black-power statement from the winner’s platform by two American athletes overshadowed his unveiling.

From a sweeping arc approach, the jumper propels his shoulders over the bar first, left followed by right … the rest follows — back, rump, calves, Nikes.

It didn't take long for the "Fosbury Flop" to revolutionize the high jump. The reasons for its abrupt success were simple: less of the jumper's body was exposed to the bar.

By flopping in a vertical line, a jumper limited the absolute length of bar cleared, a claim the straddle or scissors methods could not make. Arching the back after the shoulders cleared at a point on the bar improved a jumper’s odds of success, compared with the traditional stretching out horizontally over the length of the bar.

The flop also allowed jumpers to generate more approach speed, this made the high jump a much more watchable and dramatic event.

Fosbury was a true revolutionary in the 1960s, one who left something for others rather than one who took something away from others.

[Adapted from FOXSports.com’s “the Forgotten Century” in “Flopping into history Dick Fosbury revolutionized high jump with technique that was simple and sublime” by John Crumpacker; Dec 10, 1999; Copyright (C) 1999 Pro Sports Xchange via News Digital Media, d/b/a FOXSports.com.]

In Merriam-Webster’s dictionary it says one who is a vociferous supporter (as in a cause) is a “tub-thumper.” They give the following as an example of its usage:

Aunt Lucille was a tub-thumper for temperance who never passed up an opportunity to sermonize fervently on the evils of the “demon drink” and the virtues of abstinence.

Now Dick Fosbury was not a tub-thumper. I was there! I remember very well his efforts to introduce his revolutionary “flop.” I also remember the celebrity, sports commentators who criticized the flop and Fosbury. I remember more than one “expert” saying, “Give it a couple of years and it will be a vague memory. It's so silly, who will want to do it?”

I was also at San Jose State (College in those days) when Tommy Smith and the other black runner represented our school at the Olympics in Mexico City. And I was there in front of my TV when the evening news showed their pictures, gloved fists raised in the air, heads bowed. In the best sense of the term, they were not tub-thumpers either.

I met Tommy Smith and remember Dick Fosbury, they were both gentle and soft-spoken young men. They were not obnoxious or even annoying in their zeal for what they believed in, they were simply revolutionaries. In many ways they had the paradoxical brick-in-velvet characteristic of Jesus. They knew what they believed in and were willing to stand up and be counted whatever the cost.

Oh how the Bride of Christ needs men of such conviction today, not tub-thumpers … just gentle, committed revolutionaries. Like Luther, Calvin, Moody, Tyndale, Wesley, and many others.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Religion,Vision

END TIMES: The Really Big Bang!

"And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed."

Luke 17:26-30

God has set an apocalyptic stick of dynamite on the horizon of mankind … He lit the fuse in ages past. On the one hand, the closer we get to the end, the better defined is the bomb. On the other hand, the closer we get, the shorter the fuse.

Scientists have it all wrong with their “big bang” theory; it wasn’t at the beginning, it was at the end.

God desires that man will do something for himself and for his fellow man, before the fuse is consumed and the spark enters the explosive. But Jesus has warned that, just as in the days of Noah, the pride of man will not allow them to catch on until it is too late.

The challenge for the contemporary believer is not (1) to become enamored with the titillating value of prophecy, nor (2) to become discouraged by the depressing quality of end-times truth, but (3) to wait patiently, watch eagerly, and work faithfully until the end comes.

I think what bothers me most is that far too many people seem to be waiting and watching but not working … they seem to be following the spark on the fuse rather than hurrying ahead to rescue the perishing.

You see, there are two sides to Noah’s warning: first, the warning that it will be as it was in the days of Noah, when He comes again; second, the warning that we’re not to be like those in Noah’s day, going on as if there was no tomorrow.

Christianity, Eschatology,
Illustrations, Religion

CLEANSING: In Touch With Self!

"But a voice from heaven answered a second time, 'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.'"

Acts 11:9

Health-savvy women like to think they’re in touch with their bodies. Whenever there is something wrong, they believe their bodies tell them. They search for lumps and scrutinize every mole-like blemish.

They claim they let their bodies talk; they “listen for any bad news.” But with diabetes, the rules of the conversation are different: the disease works silently. It can ravage the body for years without showing any outward signs. Diabetes rots the kidneys, numbs the nerves in the lower legs, clouds vision and damages the heart. All while you feel just fine.

The good news is that a simple, and relatively inexpensive, blood test can tell you whether your body is managing its glucose levels properly. If you know you have diabetes, a doctor can help keep blood sugar in a safe range and prevent long-term damage.

Even better, a new study has shown that exercise can greatly reduce any genetic inclination we may have inherited toward developing the disease.

[Adapted from an article by Linda Carroll, MSNBC, November 16, 1999]

Similarly, worldly-savvy people like to think they are in touch with their spirits and souls. They like to believe they know themselves well enough to know when something is wrong.

They claim to let their hearts speak to them and they “listen for any bad news.” But with sin, the rules are different: sin works silently. It can ravage the spirit and the soul for years without any telltale signs. It rots the spirit and numbs the mind, clouds vision and hardens the heart. All while you feel just fine.

The Good News is that a simple, but extremely expensive, application of shed blood can eliminate the effects of sin. If you know you are a sinner, an disciple can help limit temptations and prevent long-term damage from past exposure. Even better, Bible study has shown that spiritual exercise can greatly reduce any genetic inclination we may have inherited toward giving in to temptations.

Christianity, Cleansing,
Illustrations, Religion

CONSECRATION: Let’s Get Cirrus!

“Sir, we wish to see Jesus”

John 12:20-21

Freshly graduated from seminary, a minister of a small Texas church in an area suffering from drought, went to visit a farmer-church member one hot afternoon.

Leaning on a fence, they discussed the weather. "Those are serious clouds over there," the old man said, pointing southwest. "Don’t you mean Cirrus? Actually, they're probably Cumulus," the newcomer stated somewhat smugly.

The old man eyed him for a moment, then said, "Yung'un, they's just two kinds of clouds -- them what's serious and them what ain't."

Church folks are like that farmer’s clouds; some’re serious, some ain’t!

[Adapted from "Life In These United States" by All Henager; © 1996; The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., all rights reserved]

Christianity, Illustrations, Religion

PRIORITIES: When Push Comes to Shove!

THIS PROBLEM WON’T GO AWAY: [Psalm 119:143]

The story is told of a duck hunter who’s black lab, “Phideaux,” had been trained to do exactly the right thing in virtually every instance.

Seems the hunter and a friend were out duck hunting one early spring morning and a sizable flock of birds flew over the lake. Both hunters simultaneously shouldered their weapons and fired. Two birds dropped from the sky and hit the water at the same time. Phideaux leaped from the blind and swam to the two ducks. Sensing one bird was just wounded, he raced toward it an retrieved it for his master. Instantly, he returned to the water and retrieved the dead fowl.

The friend of the dog’s owner said, “How did he know to do that?” The dog’s master said I trained him to know which birds were not going anywhere and to retrieve the others first.

Emergencies in ministry are like that. Those of us in ministry would do well to learn this principle: recognize early which emergencies aren’t going anywhere, then work on the others. You can always return to an emergency (read: opportunity) that’s not going anywhere.

TRADITIONALISM: We've always done it that way here!

PROTECTION OR PREVENTION: [Colossians 2:8]

"The Williams Fire" caught us by surprise. Small fires in the San Gabriel Mountains are common for September in years of drought; but 24 hours after it started, what began as a 20-acre brush fire had quickly become a full-fledged problem … an out of control forest fire, consuming hundreds of acres at a gulp.

On the first day, I arrived home at dusk and went to an area to join neighbors watch the flames consume our beautiful mountains. We watched together for about an hour, waxing eloquently on our knowledge of fires, and trading lies about "the fire of '83." When the sun began to set over the Los Angeles skyline, we all commented on how the smoke had turned the sun burning red. I made a big deal about how beautiful it was.

As the sun began to slide behind the horizon, I began to have difficulty focusing on anything but the biggest flames. I turned to the lady on the right to mention this, only to see a dark grey face staring back at me. I then realized I was still wearing my sunglasses.

The old King James translators had a way with words; in 1 Corinthians 13:12 they have Paul informing the folks in Corinth that "now we see through a glass darkly." Their choice of words came alive for me when I realized I was still wearing my shades after dark.

There is another truth hidden in this experience: tradition, when used correctly, will prevent churches and denominations from moving critical boundaries, destroying key foundations, and distracting members from mission; tradition, when used incorrectly, obliterates boundaries, weakens structures, and obscures vision. Slowly, the Son-light slips below the collective horizon, what is supposed to be seen “dimly” is now seen not at all. So too with my cool shades.

HYPOCRISY: Not a Fatal Disease But It Ought to Be!

LEANING ON A BROKEN CRUTCH: [James 3:13-17]

A few years ago a sixteen year-old told me he didn’t need God because he was “not that insecure.” What did he mean by that statement? He was implying, “You Christians only go to church and believe in a thing called God because you're insecure and need a crutch to get through life." Where do young people get ideas like this?

First, they see the way some of us live and see that the walk doesn’t agree with the talk, so we’re hypocrites in their mind. As a result, they want nothing to do with what we’re selling.

Second, they lack simple life-experience [aka: common-sense], which breeds selfishness and self-centeredness. As I age, and gain in experience, I’m amazed I survived my own youth.

Much of what we say as young people becomes a hardened belief as an adult. We hear things from others, whom we respect, and accept them as gospel without question. What we don’t know, at that age, is that much of what we hear is what others also heard and accepted without question. The young man I shared my faith with was himself guilty of hypocrisy; however, he lacked sufficient life-experience to discern it.

In repeating, as truth, something acquired from another, without personal knowledge of its truthfulness, we are guilty of using that person as a crutch in the same way Christians are accused of using God ... only we have personal knowledge of the Gospel’s truthfulness.

WISDOM: Two kinds are available; Understand both!

DRINKING UPSTREAM: [James 3: 13-18]

In America's Old West there was hard rule among range riders ... "Always Drink Upstream from the Herd."

Good advice for those of us who are in the world but not of it!

Yes, there are two kinds of wisdom; yes, we should know the difference between the two ... "un uh em is piesun'd; tha uther is pure sweet heaven'."

FOOLISHNESS: Wisdom's antonym!

DON’T FEED WILD BEASTS: [1 Peter 5:8]

Recently, the evening news (4/12/02) reported on another shark attack in Florida … only this one was a little different. Apparently, the victim was an internationally known shark expert who conducted live shark seminars on how to swim with and feed the beasts without fear or protection. Last report he was in a shock induced coma … his injuries were life threatening.

People who play with fire often get burned … they never cease to amaze us though, when they’re surprised that they did!

Like the shark expert, almost all of them have another thing in common … they are self-proclaimed “experts.” That is, they usually don’t know what they’re talking about and they don’t hesitate to let you know it.

Recent church-health related survey results have me worried. Evidently the church is full of self-proclaimed “believers” who don’t know they’re lost. Years ago, Billy Graham was prophetic when he said the greatest mission field in the world is the church on Sunday mornings.

Jesus put it another way:

Many will say to Me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS."

Matthew 7:22-23

If you’ve gone and declared yourself a lion expert you go ahead, you do your thing, just don’t bring your furry hang-ups around me and my house. Remember Peter warned you:

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

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