This Easter I have again been reading and considering the sacrifice of God in the atonement of Christ.  I decided to climb up on the cross and place my face beside Christ’s to see from His point of view. I saw something different this year.

From Jesus’ position He could see where He had been. He beheld the “City of Peace” from on top of Golgotha Hill. The Prince of Peace left the secure confines of His city and was suffering outside the gate with the vagabonds, gentiles and unworthies! Some might argue He left the New Jerusalem to come to Earth. What I had not seen before as His eyes traced the “way of suffering” was when he locked onto His mother’s eyes. All eyes were tear stained, grimacing in pain and unsure about tomorrow. The one was mourning the death of her child. The other mourning the death of His world! One groped the feet of her Son. The other groped the heart of His Father! The dreams of both were apparently being dashed on the rocks of other’s good intentions.

Over the years I have listened to several dying people rehearse their life history just before they slip off into the final scenes of their own death. They seem to do a “curtain call” when they can. It appears s to be a natural thing to do as an individual determines what they have to leave undone. I believe Jesus did this as He hung on the cross. Then His mind may have come to the part in ministry where He said, ”If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)  He sure didn’t see very many takers from His position on the cross! Perhaps I heard him whisper, “thank goodness I have one thief.” I think I see a formula…. wish to follow Him, deny self and take up His cross. There are no padded crosses. There is that “denying self” part we do not talk about. We have to leave our confines of our recliners and security, reach outside the walls of the Adventist church and be abused by outsiders who need Jesus.

Wow …. hanging here with Jesus I see more clearly what He means. This is a position in which we are either “all in” or “not in at all.” I’m trying to learn how to be forgiving, loving, generous in ministry and contagious to non believers like Christ. Hey…. what you other guys doing up here? Get your own ladder!

I have continued to pray about my old Bible. I suppose you have facets of your life that you do not let go of very easily. If we lose a bad habit like cursing or lying we say, “great!”  But to lose my Bible… come on, now; just how careless can I be.

While on the phone I happened to share my lost Bible saga with the secretary of one of our churches. She broke in the conversation with “just a minute.” When she came back to the phone she described by Bible and said, “we have it right here!”

“No… you’re kidding!” I responded.

“It’s in a brown case?”

“Yes,” I said.

“We’ll get it to you,” she pleasantly stated.

What do you do with that? Do you thank God for sending you to your Bible or do you become depressed because of your forgetfulness? I’ve chosen to acknowledge that God cares about all aspects of our lives.

As for my Bible… that ole boy is grounded to a life on the book shelf! It’s time for a younger generation to be on the road and take the heat!

I just lost an old friend night before last. He has been with me for thirty years; when we have confronted witches, devils, called on God to heal the sick…. even together when we asked God to raise a man from the dead. We have given Bible studies together and punctuated spontaneous sermons. We did a word for word study of the book of Revelation with all the notes written in the margin. After more than thirty years of studying together I vacated the motel room and left him lying on the desk of the Comfort Suites in Benton Harbor, MI…. my old Bible is such a loss. In it was the program for dad’s funeral, a life of special poems, quotes and pages worn through by my thumb; repaired by layers of scotch tape. Thrown in the trash of some forlorn dumpster. This morning I am numb with the loss of my dear friend and I wonder that my insane carelessness cost the life of Jesus.

The Clock by George Chandler

 

“The clock of life is wound but once,
and no man has the power -
To tell just when that clock will stop,
at late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own,
live…love…toil with the will…
Place no faith into tomorrow,
for the clock may then be still.”

 

In November of 1995 I was sitting near the edge of my father’s death-bed through the night in Norman, Oklahoma. As I prayed through the night about 2 a.m. and angel came in the room and dad awakened with his mind clear and alert. We spoke together for fifteen or twenty minutes. As he began to fade off into the unconscious world of terminal cancer victims he quoted this poem to me as a parting gift. He had memorized it fifty years earlier in college. I can see his lips moving to the cadence and his voice acknowledge the truth of the old clock.

Good night my old hero, good night my dear friend. How I shall miss your affirmation and comfort.

When is less more? Recently our family has again joined the Adventist movement as we pack up to move to Indiana. Because we’re trying to sell our house in Lincoln the real estate agent told us to get our furnishings out of the house except for a few items so the house would look spacious. We filled the garage and a couple of storage bins. There could easily be seventy-five to a hundred boxes of books. Then there are the items of a lifetime that remind us where we’ve been and where we’re going. We rediscover handy devises like a piano dolly, a mitre box, tools that were bequeathed to me from my dad and toys from our daughter’s childhood. There are Christmas decorations and Sabbath candles along with dishes, cups and glasses; not to mention pictures, a bread machine  and, oh yes… boxes of old tax records. Let’s not forget the desks, book cases, weight bench and rolls of carpet that we set by the curb only to be grabbed up by another needy passerby.

 Last night for family worship we sat in the living room floor and looked around at our sparsely furnished home. “I like it,” was one reply. “With so few things everything has its place. “The house seems cleaner without so much stuff.”

How much clutter do you think is in our hearts? During these days of the final Investigative Judgement of the righteous there is a special work of purification for the people of God. 1 John 3 mentions that those who are expecting Jesus to come will be purifying themselves. You know, stuff… left over hard feelings from a year ago, soured attitudes of self pity and precious pious personal opinions that compose the sin most nearly unforgivable. I suppose the list of inconsistencies could go on and on. Soon we come to that fact that Adventists will always need a Savior.

Lord, lighten us up. Give us laughter once again so we can cherish our friends and love as you do. They are the greatest keep sakes for eternity. Everything else is just stacks up.

.

Life is a cruel teacher. About the time you figure out how to play, the game changes!

One day while watching mom mix a cake I figured out that her beautiful German Chocolate cakes were made out of little chocolate chips. What a discovery! We had chocolate in the pantry all this time. Anytime I got hungry for candy all I would have to do was sneak over and grab a hand-full of chocolate chips. This was going to be a young man’s dream. At my first convenience I did just that. Making my hand into a fist I let the whole handful of tiny morsels fall into my mouth between my thumb and index finger. To my disgust the long awaited reward was bitter! You can only imagine how horrible unsweetened bitter chocolate can be to a young man! I ran outside and spit the mouthful of disappointment onto the grass closely inspecting it for bugs… at least trying to understand what had gone wrong. It was then I realized that the bitter taste was still in my mouth, even though I had rejected the contents, causing me to pucker up!

People wonder what to do when they have tasted sin, spit it out, but still the aftertaste gnaws in their memory like a temptation. We can pray about it and the experience of sin is still there. We can talk to someone else about it and with each discussion the temptation is back. We can try to forget it, but it is still there like a giant pink elephant. Each time we promise ourselves “I will not think about that again” we think about it again! Only one thing will rinse your pallet clean. Only one thing will break through the bitter disgust of personal mental and spiritual guilt! Only one thing. We must sit down and read the Bible. The Scriptures, under the power of the Holy Spirit, re-formats the hard drive of our memory. Like loosening grease with hand cleaner followed by soap and hot water, only the Bible will cleanse our minds and restore peace. We must embed ourselves in the stories and visualize Jesus saying to us, “Be clean.”

As the investigative judgement draws to a close throw out the trash. Have your conscience sprinkled and live in harmony with God – “I will, be thou clean.”

I went to the dentist a few weeks ago. They measured the gap between my gums and my teeth and then announced I was about to have all my teeth pulled. The only option was to change my attitude! The dentist recommended I return for a thorough cleaning followed by using a sonic tooth brush and dental floss after each meal, unless I preferred drinking my meals or wearing dentures (and looking like a grandpa)!

Well, I had a choice to make. All of my excuses for not flossing and not brushing after each meal because it just takes too much time seemed to somehow vanish. No one said, “Oh, I see you are a legalist!” Not at all. Matter a fact I flossed morning, noon and night like faithful Daniel prayed. The last thing I did before hopping into bed at a night was to give my teeth a good three minutes with the sonic tooth brush besides using it several other times during the day.

I had enough faith in my dentist to believe that I could be healed. Rather than trash talk myself for being so lazy, rather than blaming the cook at my house or rediculing my dentist for his narrow interpretation of my situation I gladly took his advice.

Friend, whatever our sorrow, whatever our sin, sickness or pain; Jesus says, “cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.”  I believe that and if you will too, you can face the future without regret. It puts a smile on your face to know that Christ’s promises create in us His righteousness by the Holy Spirit.

Righteousness by faith if the only righteousness that exists. It makes you want to smile!

We are looking for love in all the wrong places. Now is the time for us to get it right.

For a successful dramatic conclusion to Adventism in this world we must be looking for Christ to be dynamically reproduced in us individually and as a community.

Let me illustrate – the other day we spent most of our time trying to decifer the malidies of our church institution. Next people were waxing elequent about the ecclesiology of the church and how change in that arena may make for church growth instead of membership loss.

Here’s the truth… if I can handle the truth! It doesn’t matter what structure the church has. What matters is that God’s people are reflecting His character (“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”)

So here’s my headline: “Preparing for the Return of Jesus… Adventists surrender wholeheartedly to Christ!”

Only this will fix out problems. The rest is nothing more than a mirage. Well… that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I heard it again a couple of days ago while discussing ministry; “sometimes it is easier to get forgiveness than to get permission. Do what you’ve got to do.” People in the audience seemed to nod in approval, perhaps endorsing the idea. Usually spoken in frustration, it was said partially in jest and partially in earnest.

Like drinking out of the “cold water bottle” in the refrigerator, there is an inherent “back wash.” Help me unclothed the naked truth of this choice.

1. When we practice “forgiveness instead of permission” some church members and officers, similar to sleeping terrorist cells, wait in ambush of your next great idea. We are dealing with cognisant, conscious, thinking people who do not forget such “in your face” tactics.

“Yes, but we did what we thought was best,” you might argue! “True, but our enemies gained influence. Even supportive church members are hand-cuffed by our antics. We experience punitive action in the future… just like a parent when an immature teenager tries this at home. Soon I hear people say, “It just seems like nobody in this church cares about ministry to the youth.”

2. Think of it as a bank account that contains credibility instead of dollars. When we pull these “fast ones” we loose huge amounts of credibility with the youth, the parents, grand parents, community… everyone.  

The man said, “So you’re a preacher? Pimps, preachers and politicians are all cut from the same piece of cloth.” Of course, I was offended! Then last night, after watching a religious broadcast on TV before going to bed, I saw an hour long appeal for money where the evangelist stated that God had told him to ask for a thousand dollars from a thousand people. He could guarantee them God would give it back to them many times over within thirty days! Hum… thinking back on the guy who called us “pimps, preachers and politicians” I realized he had been dealt with in a manner that forged this opinion in his heart.

In the church no one may ever contend with us face to face. They will just silently undermine the things we try to do. So we will never have the chance to explain our reasoning or even defend the decision. It will be silent retribution for decades.

3. Jesus did not utilize this method of change because He knew it would be catastrophic in the long run. When arrested He stated that “daily He was with them in the synagogue and speaking openly among them.” “Forgiveness instead of permission” is a shortcut in the process of change which entrenches the DNA (values) of the established church to remain the same. Open and full disclosure allows the church community to transition with the times when a thorough and thoughtful vision for change is articulated, contemplated, motivated, voted and then implemented.

4. Youth will look, listen and learn. They will try to mimic this modus operandi with their parents, some day their spouses, their boss and even with the church of the future. It is only appreciated when we are on the giving end, never when we are on the receiving end of a strategy.

Please don’t use the “forgiveness verses permission” strategy. If we are to the place where the end justifies the means, then Holy Spirit has not been able to deliver His promises and we truly are our own worst enemy.

The post modern generation seems to have a real interest in saving our environment. I guess it’s really about saving our world if you take the political rhetoric out of the equation. These young adults are full of enthusiasm! After all, I’m not aware of any world wide denomination that is more “creationist” than Seventh-day Adventists!

As a prophetic movement we give broad licensure to the implications of Revelation 11:18 “The nations raged, but thy wrath came… for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” Is this a message that needs embracing?

I wonder if there is room in Adventism for mission oriented local churches with the DNA of  a “green” back bone? Do we really believe man has been given authority as the progenitor of creation? Shouldn’t there be an inherent responsibility with the knowledge of Creation? At what point could our church be made more relevant with a prayer and practice of conservation?

If Adventism is not careful we will miss another opportunity to be in the forefront of leading the world in a paradigm adventure! God has opened before us a venue to bring thousands into a saving knowledge of His grace through environmental motifs. Let’s be Christ centered with the contemporary issues of our society! Let the rest of Protestantism be the historic church. I’m more concerned about now and the future. We are to be the relevant church of the present looking into the future. I’m proud to be a part of that kind of church.

I’ve been thinking about how much fun life is when we can enjoy the process. We’re preparing to bury my father-in-law in the near future. As his breath is rapid and shallow, now, every phone call is picked up expecting the hospice nurse to indicate his has died. I’ll greatly miss him. In some ways dad was my coach.

There are a lot of books available referring to personal coaches. While we can hire a professional coach, I’m wondering if a good personal friend, as a coach, isn’t more enjoyable. Dad has always been that special guy I could call and talk to… a sounding board that I think we all need.

Can any of you endorse coaching as a positive experience?