The Blue Bomber!

       Rev. Hewlett stopped to talk in the street in front of my home. I was washing and waxing my car. I had just purchased it for $100.00. It was a 1950 blue 2 door Plymouth. I had saved to buy a car by working at a grocery store. Being 17 years old and having a car meant new opportunities. Now I could ask girls out.

      Growing up in St. Louis our family did not own an automobile. We walked or took the bus to get to work or school. We lived 6 blocks from. On Sunday in every kind of weather we walked to worship.

     Rev. Hewlett gently warned me about making an idol of my car. He told me God blessed me with the Plymouth to help others. He challenged me to dedicate it to God. His words were an awakening of the danger of idolatry.

      In response to my pastor's counsel Mom and I had a short prayer of dedication of the car. We knew other people walked to church and needed a ride. Therefore on Sundays I shuttled folks to church. Mom was proud that we helped her widowed friends to avoid rain and hot weather when walking to worship.

       Rev. Hewlett appreciated the way I responded to his leadership about the Plymouth. In worship he complimented me for dedicating my old car to do good things for others. Then the moment was ruined!

      He described the car as a jalopy dedicated to God. I was mortified . In my eyes the car was not in dilapidated condition. It did burn a quart of oil every 100 miles. With noise and trail of smoke my friends named it , “The Blue Bomber”. My visceral reaction did reveal how much I loved that car. It took me awhile to forgive my pastor for such an insensitive remark! People get outraged if their idol is insulted !

      I need to heed the command of Moses for my spiritual health. “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth..You shall not bow down and worship them”. Exodus 20: 4-5.

       The Blue Bomber served our family well for one year then fell apart. Rev. Hewlett was right. It was a jalopy on the way to the junk yard. My pastor gave me a lesson for life. When I make an idol it will consume all my time. An idol brings false hope of soul satisfaction. The path of happiness is to serve God with worldly possessions to help others.

      His counsel helps me when tempted to make an idol of political party, religious leader, elected official, or church denomination. They, like my blue bomber, are good in a limited way but very temporary. They are flawed and can not deliver the goods. My Creator alone is the source of a meaningful life and I need to worship Him only.

My Will Or His Will Be Done?

          The lyrics of an old hymn inspire me. “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust thee. How I have proved thee over and over. Precious Jesus, give me grace to trust thee more. I am so glad I learned to trust Him. His is my most precious friend”. These words instruct me that there is no greater good to experience in life than to do the Will of God.

        The Will of God has been given a bad reputation from preachers who use this phrase when a person has died. This is a negative and fatalistic way of viewing the generous plans of God directed towards us. The Lord's intentions toward us are for our eternal good. He is our best friend who truly knows what is best for us.

        Our Lord is not a Kill Joy. His Will is over flowing with positive, life giving energy directed towards us. To experience the blessings of His Will we can not have it both ways. We must pray with Jesus in the garden of life decision, “Not my will, but Father may your will be done.” In the giving over of our agendas each day to be directed by God for the doing of His purpose we find meaning and fulfillment.

         Our Lord Jesus knew that the terrible suffering of His cross would not lead to termination but to a life of resurrection and reward. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”, Hebrews 12:2.

        What are the intentions of Jesus as we surrender to Him as Lord and seek to be a faithful and fruitful servant? John 10: 10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”

     May we seek daily to do the Will of our Heavenly Father. In His will is our peace. To have the grace to trust Him more in faithful and fruitful obedience is the goal of discipleship.

The Warning Story

        The Gospel reading for Sunday is Luke 16:19-31. The story of a certain rich man and a poor man named Lazarus is a way Jesus warns about eternal consequences of persistent, present, selfish choices. The rich man after death wakes up at a place of eternal torment and faces permanent separation from all that is good. Lazarus is carried tenderly after death to Heaven to be close with God.

        Let me share what I do not believe about Hell. I do not believe that God wants any one to go to Hell. I do not believe our Father creates any person destined for eternal punishment. I do not believe our Father sends a person to Hell because he grew up in a culture where the Christian faith is unknown. The Creator who fashions the heart of all knows those people who surrender to the best truths they have about God and follow the light available to them.

         So where does Hell come from? Where does this great eternal gulf come from? We as sinful people create our own chasm from God.

If we run from God's truth, refuse to accept God as Owner of life,

reject all His holy moral laws written in the heart, ignore the still small voice of conscience, avoid the clear teaching of Scripture as a valid guide, resist the inner witness of the Spirit that sin is real, and rebel against turning our will over to His higher will then we create a great gulf between our heart and God.

        Status of wealth, expensive toys and worldly pleasures of this life are fleeting. There is a wealth of the heart that out lasts clock time. Lazarus invested in a relationship of service and love towards His Maker. He invested in true riches which can not be stolen, rust away or go to the trash heap of broken, obsolete toys. Lazarus was rich in faith and trust in God.

        Here is where the fire comes into the story. I think the rich man experienced a inner burning of regret and grief. He had a fire of self-loathing for being such a fool to throw away eternal life with God for some empty passing thrills. This awareness of such great folly is a fire which never stops burning.

        This story teaches the deep truth that the present moment is a short time of preparation to enter into a blessed existence with God which transcends chronological time. If our hearts are so cold to the poor that we ignore them we must beware. The rich man treated Lazarus as someone who didn't matter. The Lord valued Lazarus so highly he was given a VIP welcome home.

Scouts Are A Positive Example! The Boy Scout Oath talks about duty. This is a dimension of life not emphasized in today's world. Obligation is a part of a good life. President John Kennedy touched upon this when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” It is in an awareness of responsibilities where we discover meaning and direction. The trust placed in us by God and country can be a source of inspiration. “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.” We need a sense of inner direction to keep from getting lost in life's journey. The awareness of a sacred oath before God and sharing fellowship with an accountable community is a source of inner direction. A compass is used when hiking in the forest. It is easy to get lost even with the best of maps. The compass orients the map with the magnetic needle showing the direction of true North. This little hand held guide keeps the hiker from going in circles. Some hikers after losing their compass walk long distances in what they think is the right way but only become lost in confusion. This direction finder assists in making true progress to the destination of home. The Boy Scout Oath has roots in the constraints of the message of Christ. Because of the great mercy and generosity of God's unmerited grace we live under obligation. When we are baptized we make an oath to Christ to follow His commands, forgive others, to do our best to grow, and to do kind deeds. May we all take time to look to the compass of Christ who lives within us in His Spirit. It would help us to check often on the inner direction finder of His moral commands and His still small voice of duty. The world can offer us maps for pleasure, popularity, and material success. The big problem is the world does not provide a compass to keep us from getting lost in the pursuit of success. Thank God that in His mercy He provides the compass we need with our vows of duty to Christ and the guidance of His holy moral laws. We are offered the spiritual magnetic needle in Christ to lead us on the road that leads to life abundant. The Scouts are an example of oath of holy duty.

         The Boy Scout Oath talks about duty. This is a dimension of life not emphasized in today's world. Obligation is a part of a good life. President John Kennedy touched upon this when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” It is in an awareness of responsibilities where we discover meaning and direction. The trust placed in us by God and country can be a source of inspiration.

        “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.”

We need a sense of inner direction to keep from getting lost in life's journey. The awareness of a sacred oath before God and sharing fellowship with an accountable community is a source of inner direction.

           A compass is used when hiking in the forest. It is easy to get lost even with the best of maps. The compass orients the map with the magnetic needle showing the direction of true North. This little hand held guide keeps the hiker from going in circles. Some hikers after losing their compass walk long distances in what they think is the right way but only become lost in confusion. This direction finder assists in making true progress to the destination of home.

       The Boy Scout Oath has roots in the constraints of the message of Christ. Because of the great mercy and generosity of God's unmerited grace we live under obligation. When we are baptized we make an oath to Christ to follow His commands, forgive others, to do our best to grow, and to do kind deeds.

        May we all often check our course with the compass of Christ who lives within us in His Spirit. It would help us to take note of the inner direction finder of His moral commands and His still small voice of duty. The world can offer us maps for pleasure, popularity, and material success. The big problem is the world does not provide a compass to keep us from getting lost in the pursuit of success.

       Thank God that in His mercy He provides the compass we need with our vows of duty to Christ and the guidance of His holy moral laws. We are offered the spiritual magnetic needle in Christ to lead us on the road that leads to life abundant.

        The Scouts are an example of oath of holy duty.

Water Is Always Wet

      “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”, Ephesians 5:16 KJV. We swim in time like fish live in water. Our relationship with time calls for us to value it and make wise choices. Fish are automatically benefited by the water they swim in because they are not creatures of choice.

       I learned about making wise use of time from prison inmates who turned to God. Inmates spoke about time as a sentence given them by a judge. They used adjectives to describe time such as; big, slow, heavy, wasted, empty, and dead. When they gave up on doing something constructive with themselves it became dead without meaning.

       Redeemed inmates would say, “Don't let the time do you in, you can do the time.” This happens when we look for ways to make our here and now count for personal growth and the doing of good. As prison chaplain I urged the men to look for unique opportunities afforded by the prison where they could invest in personal growth.

      Now is the only place where we can redeem our time. The past is history we can learn from but we can not live there. The future is a hope but it is uncertain if we will arrive there. Satan wants us to be slaves to past guilt and failures instead of living now in the light of forgiveness. Satan wants us to anxiously brood over a future of anticipated problems and nagging worries of what if this or that happens. The Lord in the light of trust in His guidance and mercy calls us to invest in our present situation to do all the good we can for others. He calls us to be present and accounted for His team.

        In our rushed lifestyle a popular illusion is the concept of “someday”. We excuse ourselves from being faithful to God right now if we buy into the notion, “Someday when I have more time. When I am not so busy. Then I will give God time and service.” In moments of clarity we see instead that “the time is now to fulfill each vow, for I may never pass this way again”.

      Do fish talk about the nature of water each day with surprise, “Did you notice how wet the water is today?” How clueless this would be! It is ironic that we as humans express shock when we say , “how time flies!” or “where did the time go?” or “how does time get away from us so quickly?” Like water is wet, time is fleeting.

    May we each day redeem our time to honor our Lord and be fruitful for His kingdom. Now is the only time to seek God and serve Him! Thank the Lord for the gift of today! It is Divine opportunity.

Keep Walking In The Light

         “ God is light, in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not do the truth. If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5-7.

       What a privilege we have to walk in the light of Christ. We all have our dark side where evil desires lurk to tempt us. At times we can have seasons of dark grief when a loved dies, we lose a job, or have a divorce. Our society celebrates the dark violent side of human nature in movies and TV viewing. How can we get in touch with the light of Christ to redeem us from the destructive power of darkness?

I believe we have the choice each day to wake up and follow the light of Christ or to yield to dark influences. If we will value the light of Jesus enough to follow his guidance we will experience being children of the light.

       In the struggle against the control of darkness I pray we all may practice the following:

       To seek a positive attitude of “I can make a difference for good” instead of staying in the rut of complaining and grumbling.

       To look for wisdom and understanding from the Lord instead of practicing the reactivity of clueless folly.

    To give compassion to all people even if we do not agree with their politics or religion, to refuse to hate anyone.

     To accept personal responsibility for my own happiness instead of blaming other people for my problems.

     To do what is right and fair when tempted to take advantage of the weakness of others.

    To forgive others who hurt us by leaving the dark desire of revenge behind.

     To attend to the light of duty for people who need us to be faithful and to refuse to live a selfish and self centered life.

    To affirm the hope of better days as we follow his leadership instead of giving up to the dark feeling of despair.

    To share our truth with courage instead of being paralyzed by the dark fear of failure or rejection.

    To invest in actions of eternal meaning, what really matters, instead of dwelling in the darkness of boredom and cynicism.

    To affirm the mercy and forgiveness of sins and mistakes, instead of giving into the crushing burden of shame and guilt.

    Yes, we can make a conscious choice to turn away from the destructive down ward pull of our dark side and the dark influences of the world. We can walk in the guiding and healing light of Christ.

      I write this with awareness of my dear friend, professor, minister and teacher. John took his own life when he let the darkness of his failure to control his alcoholism pull him down into terminal despair.

How I miss this talented, gentle and compassionate servant of God. His tragic choice to yield to the control of dark guilt and shame snuffed out his light of great service to college students. May we always affirm that the light of Christ's forgiveness and restorative power gives us hope to pick ourselves us and keep doing what is good and right.

Got A Dream?

        I pray that you will experience a God given dream. We can ask for holy vision to be given us by the Spirit of God. Acts 2:17 offers hope of new noble dreams to reach for, “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” The power of holy vision can give us energy to grow faithful and fruitful lives for the Kingdom of God.

         The famous musical, “South Pacific” , has lyrics that speak of this need , “If you don't talk happy, and you never have a dream, how will you ever have a dream come true?” One of the enriching gifts of being filled with the Holy Spirit is to dream new possibilities of growth, service and peaceful living. Martin Luther King was inspired by the dream of social justice and we pray and work for this to come true.

Of course Martin Luther King was not perfect. He was a sinner like all of us.

       What is powerful about his dream is the beneficial nature for other people. Not all dreams are from God! Jeremiah warns us in 23:26-27, “How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back – those who prophesy lies and who prophesy the delusions of their own hearts? They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another.” Human dreams can be filled with selfish ambitions of greed, ego inflation, power and indulgence.

      A vision for my life as I age is Psalms 92:12-15, “The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap, showing that the Lord is upright.” My dream is to discover new ways to be fruitful for our Lord in my senior years. With the Holy Spirit guiding me age is not a limiting factor.

“Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be, the last for which the first was made.” Robert Browning. Do you have a dream?