Wisdom's Children in a Time of Confusion

Today's reading: 

• But wisdom is proved right by all her children. - Luke 7:35 NIV

Thoughts:

Is there room for diversity in the family of God? Jesus says there is. 

Not just diversity of race. Not just diversity of the sexes. Not just diversity of culture. Jesus says there is room for diversity of personality and lifestyles, behaviors and choices.

Jesus compared insults directed towards John the Baptist with insults directed towards himself. Because John rejected earthly comforts to such an extreme, he was accused of being demon-possessed. Because Jesus sometimes embraced earthly comforts (and probably even more because he sometimes enjoyed them with misfits), he was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard -- basically, a party animal and hedonist.

Both Jesus and the Baptist focused intensely on pointing people to God. And while those who didn’t really know God rejected and insulted them both, Jesus said that they were both children of Wisdom. Despite their differences.

Fast forward through history... to Trump.

Ever since Trump entered the Republican primaries, Christians have been divided about our response to his candidacy. I was a Never Trump-er. Obviously, many others disagreed with me, including people I cherish and respect. Donald Trump is now our President. And believers supported him strongly in the general election, despite his many and obvious character flaws.

From my perspective as a Never Trump-er, his presidency has gone both far better than I expected (some of his policies/results) AND just as badly as expected (his lies and methods and vitriol). I am still concerned -- daily -- about how President Trump’s flawed character will impact the earthly country I call my home.

But I am more concerned about Jesus’ bride, the church, the children of Wisdom. We seem to have forgotten that Wisdom is proved right by all of us, despite our diverse choices and perspectives. At least, within limits. The limits are what we’re debating.

In December 2019, Mark Galli of Christianity Today wrote an article entitled Trump Should Be Removed from Office. This sparked quite the backlash from Evangelicals who either supported President Trump or at least had doubts that his actions deserved impeachment. Galli took the position that Trump should be removed “by the Senate or by popular vote next election”. President Trump was not removed by the Senate. We have yet to see how the election turns out, but he’s doing well in the primaries.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw several articles circulating among my social media circles. First came an article by Andrew T. Walker, an Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS. Full disclosure: this is where I graduated with my M.Div. while joining the membership of a local Southern Baptist church, though Walker was not on the faculty while I was there). Walker’s article explored the various reasons why 81% of fellow religious conservatives voted for Trump in 2016. He had been in the Never Trump camp. But after the election Walker had come to understand (and pleaded with readers to understand) that it was overly simplistic to explain the strong evangelical support for President Trump by painting the religious conservatives who voted for him as racists, nativists, and nationalists. He expressed clearly that he could not defend any of the President’s immoral and sinful behaviors. In fact, he said that Christians who were doing so on cable news represented “the worst of religious conservatism”. He appealed to religious conservatives to maintain their integrity by holding President Trump accountable for lies and abuses, even if they voted for him again in 2020. I found myself appreciating Walker’s willingness to defend his evangelical family, even though he clearly has a hard time stomaching President Trump. I believe his article set a great example of what it looks like for Christians to recognize that wisdom is proved right by all her children. Though he had not voted for Trump, he could see reasons why other believers did. In fact, it sounded as though he might become a “Reluctant Trump” voter this time around.

In response to Walker’s article, Skye Jethani wrote an article challenging the notion that evangelicals--especially white evangelicals--voted for Trump reluctantly and had no other choice (again, full disclosure: Jethani is ordained by the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the denomination that supported my parents as missionaries in West Africa while I was growing up). I appreciated Jethani’s call to remember that believers are not trapped into voting for any earthly political party, even when major moral issues like the humanity of the unborn are part of one party’s platform but not another’s. I was encouraged by statistics he shared via David French that mark the decline of abortions to levels lower than at any time since Roe v. Wade. Jethani summarized and supported John Fea’s thesis that “white evangelicals did not pick Trump in spite of his character but because of it” (italics original to Jethani, I haven't had a chance to read Fea yet). He chided white evangelicals for this reasoning and, if he is correct, they deserve to be rebuked. He cited statistics from the Southern Baptist Convention’s research team at Lifeway that he believes support his position. Jethani pointed out that evangelicals could be making other choices even now, such as joining his former colleague Galli’s call to support Trump’s impeachment. And Jethani made a compelling argument that believers should not support candidates (in this case, Trump) who provide short-term wins at the cost of “systemic, institutional, and constitutional damage… which will have ramifications for decades”.

After reviewing the Lifeway statistics that Jethani cited, I believe that they actually support Walker’s position better than Jethani’s (if you care to know why, feel free to ask me). In other words, I'm not convinced that most white evangelicals picked Trump because of his character, which is Jethani's conviction.

But for now, that’s not the point. The point is that both Jethani and Walker are children of God displaying the wisdom of God, even though they seem to be at odds with each other. Both of them clearly call Christians to follow Jesus over any political party. Both of them clearly rebuke Christians who defend Trump’s corrupt speech and behavior (especially if those same Christians would have rebuked a Democrat for the behaviors they defend in Trump). They differ as to how catastrophic Trump’s presidency has been and will be, but want the same things out of Christians:

• Put Jesus first.
• Don't ignore inconvenient truths, and definitely don't whitewash them.
• Walk with integrity.
• Hold fellow believers accountable.
• If you're going to hold politicians accountable to high moral standards, then do so even when they're on your political team.

Walker was willing to give white evangelicals more benefit of the doubt than Jethani. But this same wisdom was flowing from both brothers. Both were issuing a warning in line with God’s word to Isaiah, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isa. 5:20).

So if wisdom is proved right by all God’s children, does that mean anything goes for believers?

No.

Another article I read shared news of a more alarming public dispute. According to Bonnie Christian, a small (but powerful and vocal) group of Southern Baptist leaders is trying to have Russell Moore removed from being president of their Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). For what? For criticizing President Trump. I do not know Russell Moore personally, but when I attended SBTS it became clear that he is the kind of man who is in the habit of being as faithful to Jesus and to the Bible as he knows how to be.

Let's go back to the concept we started with: Wisdom is proved right by all her children.

That’s harder to see here. If Bonnie Christian’s article is correct, a small group of Southern Baptist pastors and leaders is attacking Russell Moore for being faithful. If she’s correct, they’re calling Trump’s visibly and audibly horrible character (Luke 6:45) good, and they’re calling Moore’s visibly and audibly good character evil. For what? For daring to comment on their chosen politician’s flaws, even as he prays for the good of our President and our country. For doing exactly what they should be doing.

When we cross the line and start confusing good and evil, calling good ‘evil’ and evil ‘good’, we have stepped outside the bounds of wisdom. We may still be God’s children, thanks to the outlandish grace we receive through Jesus. And we may still display God’s wisdom in other areas of our lives. But in whatever areas we call good ‘evil’ and evil ‘good’, we display folly. Not wisdom.

So to the extent that these spiritual leaders continue to promote Jesus as the one true God and hope in people’s lives, they are acting in wisdom. To the extent that they gloss over our President’s public disrespect for humans made in God’s image, they are not acting in wisdom. To the extent that they challenge Jesus’ people to seek God’s guidance in their voting and to trust Jesus with the results, they are acting in wisdom. To the extent that they oppose and persecute brothers and sisters whose faithfulness to truth threatens their own access to political power, they are not acting in wisdom. To the extent that they humbly confess their sins and seek God’s grace, they are acting in wisdom.

I hope and pray that Bonnie Christian is mistaken. But if she is right, we need to pray for these men the same thing we pray for ourselves. May we all call evil ‘evil’. May we call good ‘good’. May we know the difference because we have been redeemed by Jesus and have received his Spirit. May we be charitable towards one another as followers of Jesus, trusting that wisdom can be proved right both through brothers and sisters who voted for Trump and through brothers and sisters who voted against him. May we trust that Jesus can redeem both Republicans and Democrats. May we trust that God will do good through people who aren’t good, and may we trust that Jesus will do good through fellow believers even if we disagree with them.

True and Enduring Recognition

Today's reading: 

• Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. -- Proverbs 31: 30

Thoughts:
First, let me say that I have been somewhat jealous throughout my life that there's such a beautiful passage in the Bible devoted to women. I know I can't really be jealous because so many of the Bible's heroes are men. But to have one passage for men with a poetic portrayal of who we should aspire to be and what kind of character women should hope for in a spouse would be tremendous.

Both men and women share one ideal in common throughout the Scriptures, though: to be a person who fears the LORD.

When we think of women, both back then and now, many times what we value is much less important: charm and beauty. But the writer shuts those values down with deadly simplicity.

Charm? It's deceptive. A woman who is charming while dating may be terrifying once married.

Beauty? It's temporary. All people age. Women are people. Therefore, women age.

What is faithful and true? What can be permanent and enduring? Character. The ongoing choices a person makes. The way someone chooses to decide how to treat people. And the ideal character, for women and for men, is found in someone who fears the LORD.

A woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. She makes her choices based on what will please Jesus. She has the humility to recognize her shortcomings, but through the grace of Jesus is able to leave them behind her and keep growing in wisdom. She is not to be praised because she is perfect, but because she is sojourning into greater depths of Jesus' goodness, kindness, and mercy. With her eyes focused on Jesus, her life is oriented toward ever-increasing beauty. True. Enduring. Beauty.

Which deserves True. Enduring. Recognition.

Enough, and Just Enough

Today's reading: 

• Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. -- Proverbs 30:8b-9

Thoughts: 
We've prayed it often enough: "Give us this day our daily bread." It's part of the Lord's Prayer, after all. But what's behind the request for daily bread? Why not ask for a daily smorgasbord?

I love how Jesus included this proverb in the prayer He taught His disciples, affirming that this wisdom is, indeed, wise. 

What this request teaches us is the concept of Enough.

Only a little later in the same chapter (verses 15-16), the writer describes "three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!'" The examples he presents are miserable. The grave. A barren womb. Land that gets parched all too quickly. Fire. 

There's a beauty in the concept of Enough. 

And with regards to our daily bread, Enough is the amount that keeps us dependent on Jesus while not tempting us to steal. 

Are you being tempted to steal? Ask Jesus to give you Enough. Is your heart turning away from your Savior and Lord? Ask Jesus to give you Enough. Just Enough. Because no matter how much you have and how easily you can fool yourself into thinking you don't need Jesus, without Him you don't have the true measure of Enough in your life. 

Mutual Detest

Today's reading: 

• The  righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright. -- Proverbs 29:27, NIV

Thoughts:
We're sometimes naive. We sometimes think that, if we speak the truth clearly, people will respect it. We think that they will respect us.

We're sometimes naive. We sometimes think that, if we stand up for what's right, people will respect us.

We're sometimes naive. We sometimes think that, if we speak kindly and patiently, people will automatically response with kindness and patience, too.

Right behavior doesn't necessarily lead to respect, though. It only leads to respect and admiration from those who love right behavior. We want to believe the best of everyone, but the truth is that wicked people exist. And just as people who pursue what is right are scornful of wickedness and detest being in the presence of wicked people, wicked people who do not care about what is right are scornful of the upright.

This isn't an excuse to get violent and force our ways down other people's throats. But it is a wake up call. Being right doesn't mean you won't get attacked and treated with disrespect. Still, keep doing what is right. And be alert.

Expand Your Neighborhood

Last week I preached a sermon entitled Being a Neighbor in BOLD.

This week my family and I will be attending Ebenezer Baptist Church. We are attending, in part, as a response to the growing inter-racial tensions our country has been facing. We are attending because black lives matter just as much as every other life. We are attending because Jesus can give us our spiritual nourishment just as thoroughly via a black preacher as a white preacher. These are not new beliefs for us, but we are attending because it is much more easy for people to know what we believe when we live it out than when we merely say it.

Ebenezer Baptist Church, according to their website, was founded a mere fourteen years after the Emancipation Proclamation. FOURTEEN. Their existence is a testimony both to the struggles of our African American brothers and sisters, and to the victories and progress that Jesus has brought them and our nation through. Their focus is on building stronger families through spiritual nourishment. They are continuing to tackle the struggles of the community head on. 

Why haven't we attended any black churches in the recent past up until now? Because we are members of a church already. We are members of a church where all ethnicities and races are welcome, a church that represents our beliefs well, a church where we are free to use our gifts and talents to serve Jesus. And usually, people who are members of a church attend that church regularly, week after week. For most people, that is a practice I continue to recommend highly.

But not in the face of division.

And the division between churches in Charlotte -- not only in Charlotte, but definitely in Charlotte -- extends beyond race. And so my family will continue to attend a church that is not our own once a month, because every believer is family. Every church that counts Jesus as both Lord and Savior, that acknowledges that Jesus is both God and man, that preaches that Jesus truly died and truly rose from the dead, and that points humanity to salvation through faith in Jesus is a part of Jesus' Church. Our church is part of Jesus' Church. So are many other churches.

I want to get to know my extended family. So this week I am attending Ebenezer Baptist. Next month, I will attend another church. And just as I invite people to join me in attending Messiah Lutheran Church, I invite people to join me in attending brother and sister churches. You can do this in your own areas of the world. If you live in Charlotte, you can visit sibling churches together with me on the third Sunday of each month -- I'll mostly be using Facebook to let people know where I'm going, but I'll try to post it here, too. Even if you don't know Jesus, please join me. I am not worried about whether you end up at Messiah Lutheran Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, or any other church, but I do want you to know Jesus.

And I want to work toward peace. I didn't say uniformity. We're not all going to be the same or think exactly the same. But we can love one another and treat one another with dignity and respect. We can expand our neighborhoods.

This is what I'm doing to expand my neighborhood. What will you do to expand your neighborhood?

Please Set Me Straight

Today's reading: 

• Proverbs 25:12 -- Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.

Thoughts:

I like gold. I'm just throwing that out there. 

Not that I wear a whole lot of gold myself. But gold definitely catches the eye. If you gave me gold, I'd be ok with that. When I give jewelry to Amanda (which she would probably like to see happening more often, to tell the truth), she likes gold, too. Sometimes she prefers white gold. But gold earrings? I haven't seen her turn anything like that down yet. 

Gold is attractive. We like to be attractive and noticed. So we like gold. 

Wisdom is also attractive. We like to be attractive and respected. And yet we sometimes reject wisdom. 

Can someone please explain to me why this happens? Not just why OTHER people reject wisdom, but why do ALL people reject wisdom? Why do I reject wisdom? 

This proverb gives us a bit of insight into why we reject wisdom when others are giving it to us. Are you ready? Here's why: It's because we don't want it. 

We don't want wisdom because we would prefer to believe we are already wise. We don't want others to give us their wisdom because we didn't ask them for it and weren't ready for it. We don't want wisdom because it often comes in the form of a rebuke. We don't want wisdom because when we hear it, it makes us feel exposed as people who don't yet have wisdom. 

We are wisdom poor, and we don't want others to know it. So when someone offers us wisdom, we reject it. Which is ridiculous, because it doesn't matter how financially poor we are when someone offers us gold. If you give us gold, we take it!

Gold can make us attractive only on the outside; it doesn't change our actual value. But wisdom makes us more valuable to everyone around us. It's like having our very blood infused with gold!

So let's embrace and cherish wisdom, even when it comes in the form of a rebuke. Let's get over the pain of having our wisdom poverty exposed so that we can humbly and gratefully recognize wise people's rebukes for what they are -- gifts of unimaginable value.

I need this, too. So to the wise, consider this your invitation. Please, set me straight. 

You're Friends with Him?

Today's reading: 

•  Proverbs 22:24-25 -- Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.

Thoughts:
One of the quickest and easiest ways to drive friends and valuable relationships away is by having a short fuse.

If you have a hot temper, let me shoot straight with you for a moment: Even if you have never blown up on me, I may be staying friendly without getting too close simply because I assume that, one day, you will blow up on me. I've seen it happen to others too many times.

But this proverb gives an even more profound reason to avoid close friendships with hotheads. "You may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared."

When we're in friendships with people, we typically respond in one of three ways to significant character flaws:

• We get fed up and end the relationship
• We commit to holding true to our character and confront one another's shortcomings as needed
• We overlook the flaws and eventually start to justify and even defend them 

Whoever wrote this proverb was aiming to be realistic. Confronting the shortcomings of someone with a hot temper without getting ticked off is extremely challenging, and most likely leads to a lot of stress, edginess, and a hot temper. Overlooking the flaws of someone with a hot temper to the point of defending their anger typically means "getting on their side" -- which typically means joining them in their anger and developing a temper of your own.

So rather than getting deeply into a relationship with a hothead and then getting fed up, why not avoid the relationship enough to avoid "learning the ways" of the hothead?

Don't be drawn into a relationship with a hothead simply because you see that he or she seems lonely. Be friendly, but be leery of entering a deep relationship. Loneliness is the consequence for lashing out at those who love you, and it's a consequence that shouldn't be withdrawn out of pity. Instead, pray for these people, speak kindly, gently let them know when you think they have hurt people with their anger, and wait to see genuine repentance (change) before risking a relationship that might make you just as angry and lonely as they are.

 

Father's Day at Last!

Today I am grateful. Today my kids are with me, and I get to enjoy them on Father's Day.

It should be automatic, right?

Divorce changes everything.

When my ex chose to leave, it threw my life and, more importantly, my kids' lives into chaos. Until the separation agreement was signed, I didn't know whether I would even be able to see HALF of my kids' lives. And then I had to wait until the divorce was finalized to see whether my ex would try to get more custody time or not. Since 9/11 (2012, but yes, I have another tragedy on that date) when my ex moved out for good, the kids have moved 4 times -- once with me, when I bought our home with my amazing wife Amanda, and three times with my ex. And twice already, they have watched new men move "permanently" into their lives with my ex and then leave.

My poor daughter, at one point, struggled with guilt because she was enjoying one of these men and told me, "I sometimes think I like him more than you," with tears in her eyes. I calmly reassured her that I understood, because this man didn't carry the responsibility for helping her to develop her character and could simply be fun, while I needed to both have fun and help her to grow; I was her dad. And then I went home after dropping her off and tried hard not to destroy my possessions. I was angry that I should ever have to hear something like that. I was outraged that my daughter should ever have to struggle with something like that.

And last year, my ex took the kids with the other man to Disney. On Father's Day.

I missed them.

And for what? He's already out of their lives, too.

So today I am thankful. The kids are here with me. I got to hear my son Michael be the first to come downstairs, give me a hug, and say, "Happy Father's Day, Dad!... Your chin is prickly" (I kissed him on the cheek).

And then he challenged me to a game of Donkey Kong. And it's Father's Day. So guess what? It's "on like Donkey Kong!"

I am grateful to be a father. Emma, Michael and Tristan are amazing, and my wife Amanda invests so much in caring for them that it has stabilized our home and given me a fresh chance again to do more than merely work to meet their needs. I get to enjoy them!

Happy Father's Day, everyone!

Better than Karma

Today's reading: 

• Proverbs 20:22 -- Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you.

Thoughts:

At work the other day, several of us were talking about how one of our friends had been treated unfairly. And one of us said, "It'll come back to them. Karma's a real thing."

It's amazing how often people claim that.

Karma isn't just the idea that people who do bad things usually end up with bad things happening to them. Karma is an "invisible power that teaches you". It has to do with the idea that you always get what you deserve: "In this world nothing happens to a person that he does not for some reason or other deserve."

We like that idea when someone has hurt us, right? But what about when we have hurt someone else? Then it's scary. And what does this concept do to our perception of others? It tells us that, if they're in a messy situation, it's ALWAYS their own fault. At some point in the past, maybe not even in this life, they did something to deserve a world of hurt. And yes, we could do something kind for them because we want karma to feed kindness back to us. But we wouldn't do something kind for them because we believe they deserve to be treated kindly. Clearly, considering what is happening to them, they don't deserve good treatment.

What we really yearn for is justice. That's why we like karma. We like the idea that wrongs will be made right. And yet we also crave mercy for ourselves, even when we know we have done wrong.

Jesus is better than karma because Jesus offers both (and because he's real, historical, personal, etc, but I'm trying to focus here, so I'll avoid getting carried away)!

Through Jesus Christ, every single sin that has ever been committed -- every bad intention, every cutting word, every act of violence or subterfuge -- faces justice. So rather than seeking vengeance for ourselves, we can wait. Justice is coming. Hell is real.

But through Jesus, there is also mercy for everyone. Every. Single. Person. We won't all receive it, but we are all offered it. How is this possible, when Jesus is also the righteous judge?

Every sinner who escapes the ultimate justice does so for one reason, and one reason only. Jesus paid for their sins on the cross, and they accepted his offer of mercy and forgiveness. They were given a chance at life even though they didn't deserve it.

We are all "they". None of us deserves a chance at life anymore. We have all sinned. And justice will prevail over all of our sins, because all of our sins are dealt with by Jesus; he either paid our debts already when he died, or the living Jesus Christ will make us pay our own debts eternally once he has returned for the Day of Judgment.

So Jesus is better than karma. Through Jesus, not only do we know that sins will be judged, but we also have a hope for mercy.

Next time someone wrongs you, remember that. Thank Jesus that he WILL provide justice. But remember also to pray for his mercy, not only for yourself, but for those who wronged you. Without the mercy of Jesus, where would you be?

Rejecting God

Today's reading: 

• Proverbs 19:3 -- A person's own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the LORD.

Thoughts:
I remember a conversation I had with someone who had recently turned away from Jesus. He had been fairly close and we could talk honestly. We were talking about what kinds of choices he might end up making now that he wouldn't be submitting his life to God's authority and morals. I was trying to ask him what compass he would use to guide his choices about some of the more destructive things we can do to ourselves and others.

This man said, "I would never do those things. I know what's right and wrong without God, and I know what's good for me. The fact that I'm an atheist now doesn't mean I'm going to turn into a criminal."

And I agreed. His being an atheist and rejecting God didn't automatically mean he would make harmful choices. It merely made those choices more likely.

This man is still rejecting Jesus. Unfortunately, he is also harming others and himself at an alarming rate. Most of the harm he has created is legal, and a bit of it is illegal (so ironically, he is a small-time criminal even though he hasn't been caught so far). His life held a lot of promise. His life still holds promise, but he's making almost no use of himself so far. His life exemplifies this proverb, but in reverse order. He rejects Jesus, and now his folly is ruining him.

Friends, being a believer doesn't automatically mean that you make great choices, and rejecting faith in Jesus doesn't automatically mean that all your choices will be terrible. But either way, when your choices don't line up with God's recommendations and things fall apart, remember who made the choices that led to the pain.

And please consider going to Jesus and admitting your sin. Jesus forgives. His grace is amazing!

How to Destroy Your Life

Today's reading:

• Proverbs 18:9 -- One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

Thoughts:
This verse is not only talking about our jobs and careers. It's talking about doing what needs to be done.

Whether at work or at home or in volunteer settings, what is important about our tasks is not how much time we put into them. What is important about our tasks is that we finish them.

If we don't wash the dishes, we don't have a clean place for our food.

If we don't change the sheets, we don't have a clean place to sleep.

If we don't wash our clothes, we don't have anything clean to wear and we stink like crazy.

If we don't care for our pets (or worse, our children), they get sick and sometimes worse.

If we don't maintain our homes, they rot and repairs cost outrageous amounts of moolah.

If we don't communicate with our spouses, trust erodes.

And at work, if we find ourselves "getting behind," there are only a few possible reasons: either we have not spent our work hours well, or we have accepted responsibility for tasks that we can't complete during our normal work hours and we refuse to take the extra time required to complete them, among others. Both the ones I'm pointing at are matters of slacking. And both are destructive.

Friends, let's do what needs to be done. Don't worry about people accusing you of being a workaholic just because of the amount of time you might have to invest. Keep your priorities straight, keep your eyes on Jesus and your heart on your family, and do what needs to be done -- at home and at work. Don't destroy your life by slacking.

I've Got A Bad Feeling About This!

Today's reading:

• Proverbs 16:30 -- Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity; whoever purses their lips is bent on evil (NIV).

Thoughts:
Does this proverb strike you as paranoid? Or perhaps as overly judgmental? Isn't it overly simplistic to make a blanket statement like this? Is it really fair to make assumptions about people based on a quick twitch of their facial muscles? Does this proverb encourage us to read too much into people's morality with too little evidence?

First, let's remember that proverbs encapsulate general truths and principles. There are exceptions. But proverbs proclaim the general rule.

In this case, the general rule is simple, but too often ignored in today's politically correct environment. If something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't.

This verse mentions winks and pursed lips. But there are plenty of other clues we use to decide whether to trust someone. Can they look us in the eye, or do they keep looking away? Do they keep silent and think carefully about how to answer (or what to reveal to you) when asked what should have been a relatively easy question?

And while we shouldn't pre-judge a person's character based on their outward appearance, in terms of deciding whether they could possibly be a reliable person or not, we should pre-judge in terms of whether they choose clothing or speech patterns or other adornments that indicate whether or not they are in alignment with our own ways of seeing the world. I'm automatically more leery of trusting someone with tons of bling who walks with a swagger than I am of trusting someone who keeps his or her appearance nice, but subdued. The first person is trying to prove something, it feels like, and I'm not sure I want to be involved in that.

So if you have a bad feeling, don't jump in. Be cautious. Discretion is a wise course of action. And it's a good thing -- even if it's not always politically correct.

Destination: Stuck

Today's reading:  

• Proverbs 15:19 -- The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway (NIV).

Thoughts: 
You could read this as a verse about how God's directly helps good people. Or you could read this as a verse about the goodness of diligence -- which would be a statement on how God designed life to reward people's good character. I choose the latter.


God's not like Maleficent (from Disney's Sleeping Beauty), magically growing thorns in the way of people because He doesn't like them. The thorns in this verse are the fruit of the sluggard's own character! If thorns weren't a part of the sluggard's life at first, then his lazy approach to life allowed them to grow, making his life even more difficult! So the sluggard makes no progress at all! And it's because of his own character.


On the other hand, upright people's path "is a highway." They're making progress. What's the difference? The difference is diligence. If an upright person has to make progress and there are thorns in the way, he doesn't shirk the work. He grabs a machete or pruning shears or a chainsaw (if he's really aggressive) and gets moving! If there aren't thorns in the way, better yet -- thorns won't be given the opportunity to grow because upright people stay on top of their maintenance, leaving them free to add new projects to their list.

While the sluggard's thorn bushes grow, the diligent clear the land, lay a foundation, and build a house. And a shed. And put up a fence. And start a business. Or aim for and land a promotion.


What are the challenges you keep putting off? Get those thorn bushes cleared and stay diligent! God has designed this life to make diligence much more rewarding! And when we fail? God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our slothfulness and to change our characters -- Jesus rose and lives to make us new. Ask Him for His righteousness, and specifically for His diligence. He gives good gifts.

Self-Examination

Today's reading:  

• Proverbs 14:8 -- The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.

Thoughts: 
I did not wake up today when I intended to. Let me amend that. I did not stay up today when I intended to. I set my alarm for a pretty early moment and was awakened about 10 minutes earlier by one of my children who needed some middle-of-the-night assistance. So I helped him, then went back to bed.

Why?

Why didn't I just stay up? I wanted to stay up. I had planned to be up. I had plans to wake up, read the Bible, write this blog. I also had intentions to do some chores, make some business decisions, chart out the family's afternoon a bit, eat before work without being rushed...

And it felt good to have plans. But it didn't feel good to have to wake up to execute them. And so I stayed in bed for an extra half an hour. And some of my plans got put on the back burner.

Was that a set up, Jesus? Because this verse really challenges my choice to stay in bed.

This verse makes it clear that wisdom involves taking time to examine and think about our lives. Wisdom involves considering where we are, where we would like to be, and what it will take to make the journey. Wisdom involves making choices about our ways that will allow us to follow the path we have decided on. Through giving thought to our ways, we achieve the purposes and dreams of our hearts. At least, when we act on those thoughts.

"But the folly of fools is deception." Here was this morning's deception for this fool: It will be better if you get extra time in bed than if you take time to consider your ways this morning.

Lord Jesus, please help me to walk in the convictions you give to me so that I can arrive at the destination you set before me.

I'm back. Finally...

It's on my heart to start blogging again. And I was pleasantly surprised to see, when I came back to my blog here at Three-Quarter Tank, that people keep looking at what I wrote in the past. Somehow, even though I haven't posted a thing for years, I now have over 18,000 page-views. It's kind of awesome to know that, just by leaving my thoughts online, people have been getting Scriptural encouragement even while I've been unable to get back into the habit and discipline of posting!

For those who haven't read my blogs before, that's mostly what I write about -- God's words. I hope that my thoughts encourage you to dig into God's words in God's Word with me.

Now that I'm back, I'll also be blogging about two or three other themes in my life: ministry, family, and business. I'll try to keep most of the blog focused on what it's focused on all along, though -- God's own words.

Here's why I'm adding the others:

• Ministry -- I have a vision on my heart to see unchurched believers return to Jesus' church, and to see unbelievers meet Jesus and join his church. So I'll be inviting you into that vision and passion.
• Family -- This will probably end up on here the least, but I think one of the great gifts God has given us is family. Family is worth celebrating, and family is worth fighting for -- even when sometimes fighting for family feels like fighting with family. So some of that may come through in my blogging. I want to be genuine and real, but I also want to protect my family from embarrassment and insecurity, so... we'll see how this actually works out. 
• Business -- I now own and operate a business, Harner Global. Why would I blog about it? Because of my ministry passion. Yes, I know, I'll have to connect the dots between the two of those for you, so here goes: I love to work, and I believe in doing high quality work that provides value to people. On the other hand, my biggest passions are people themselves. I love to help people in tangible ways, whether they know Jesus or not. And I also love to help them meet Jesus. So I have launched a business because I believe that I can grow it over time to the point where it frees me to devote more of my time to people directly. On this blog, probably about once a week, I will highlight the great quality of various products I sell online. And let me simply say, I sell quality products with a 180-day Money Back Guarantee. Because I care about people. So I don't sell junk. If you're interested in visiting my retail website, visit www.HarnerGlobal.com. But yes, that's my dream. I want to grow a business that frees me to fund ministry -- my own ministry and, as it keeps growing, the ministries of others, too.  

With all that said, to start things off, I preached a sermon on Mother's Day: The Proverbs 31 Husband. If you'd like to listen to it, there's a link right here:

http://www.reach-af.org/cpt_sermons/a-proverbs-31-husband/

I'm looking forward to walking with you again as we follow Jesus down the road together. 

Getting Hit, Still Loving It

Hi everyone! Long time, no write. Oh, well.

I had fun watching the Super Bowl (and I was happy with the way it ended - sorry for those of you who weren't). And it gave me an analogy for how things are going in my life right now that I've been sharing with some friends. I thought it might be just the kind of thing to blog about.

Basically, here's what's been going on in the past couple of months:

• Babysitting - No, I'm not babysitting, though I do have a new job. But that job is as a sales agent. And it brought on the challenge of finding a babysitter who could reliably watch my kids when my schedule doesn't allow me to be at home to watch them. I thought I had figured it all out. First, Mom came down to watch the kids for a month while I interviewed a bunch of prospects. Then I hired one. Well, before her first official day on the job, she had already quit (for understandable reasons). It left me scrambling for another babysitter. And I got one. Well, only a couple of weeks in, she quit, too (for less understandable reasons). Thankfully, some friends helped me to get through the interim while I searched for yet another babysitter. I have one now who seems to be working out nicely. Still, it felt like the process involved taking a number of hits.
• Car - I am no longer driving the car I used to drive. Its transmission failed. So that was a hit. And I added a good bit of debt to my plate to get a more reliable pre-owned vehicle (a 2006 Kia Rio, which I love - and it has terrific head space! Didn't expect that out of a small car.). But yeah, another process that involved more hits. 
• Finances - There have been a couple of occasions recently when I have had fewer than $10 in my checking account - along with a basically empty savings account. I share that now because I'm in good enough shape now that I can happily add that I need no help - please don't send any finances my way. But just being that close to having nothing a couple of times has felt like taking a couple of hits. 

So yeah, these are a few examples of hits I've been taking lately. And you know what? I'm loving every minute!

Here's why (and here's where the Super Bowl analogy comes in): I am back in the game, and I'm relishing every minute. When I watched the Super Bowl, I couldn't help but notice the energy and enthusiasm of the players - especially the Ravens. That energy kept going throughout the whole game, whether players got hit or not. They were in the game, and hits were a part of the process. The hits weren't going to curb their enthusiasm. The players knew their roles and held nothing back. They left everything on the field. 

So yeah, like I said, I'm back in the game. I have a terrific job. I have amazing friends. I have wonderful kids. And I'm actually able to do something to contribute these days. I feel like I was on the disabled list for a while, but I've made it through rehab and the coach has tapped me on the shoulder and put me back out on the field. And when you've been on the sidelines for a while, nothing feels better than being back in the game. It doesn't matter how many hits you take. So that's how I feel these days. I'm enjoying every minute of life whether I take hits or not. The hits don't phase me. I'm back in the game. I'm contributing. I'm useful. And I'm so, so grateful to be past the disabled list stage. 

So I thought I'd post this. First, I just want you all to know how well things are going. Second, I hope that my perspective encourages some of you to keep pressing on, too - whether you're taking some hits or not. Enjoy being in the game. And if you're on the disabled list for a while, recuperate and rest and receive whatever help you need (and I hope you get lots of it). We'll see you back in the game soon. 

Facts vs. Faces

This morning before church (well, now that it's 12:41 AM Monday morning, I suppose I should say "yesterday morning") I had a wonderful prayer time with several brothers. Among our prayer requests were a number of people in our lives who are having a hard time believing in Jesus.

And here's what came to mind as I listened to my brothers pray.

So many of our friends and family who have a hard time believing in Jesus are saying, "I can't believe in Jesus. The facts just don't line up. There's not enough evidence."

That may be precisely the problem. Facts.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't think that facts are actually a problem. I love facts. I like to know them, learn new ones, discuss interesting facts with friends, use them in debates. Facts have their place. Usually, they're even helpful for making important decisions.

But here's the problem. Facts, when taken as evidence, always have to be interpreted. "I know X, and I'm pretty sure it means Y. Therefore, I should do Z."

But humans have quite the propensity to find facts--actual facts, mind you--to support their own views of reality, no matter how off-kilter those views may be. That's the stuff conspiracy theories are made of. That's why there's a significant group of people who still refuse to believe that we really put astronauts on the moon. This group has collected a bunch of facts and has interpreted those facts in a way that denies reality.

Now, let's be honest. Although I'm about to suggest that those who do not believe in Jesus are doing just that--collecting facts and interpreting them in a way that denies reality--this is not something that only *some* people do. We all do it at various times. We are all sometimes on the right side of the truth and sometimes on the wrong side. And even as I put this post together suggesting/hinting/stating that those who do not believe in Jesus are on the wrong side of the fact-interpretation-schema, I completely understand why they would say the same thing about me.

So why bother discussing facts at all if I'm just going to claim that the other side has interpreted them wrongly?

Here's why. I have a solution. It's not a solution that I can force on people, but it is a solution that I can and will pray for. And I hope you will, too. Let me set the scene for you.

Suppose we have a conspiracy theorist who, for the sake of illustration, does not believe in the President of the United States. He does not believe that our President's name is Barack Obama, he does not believe in Air Force One, he does not believe in the Oval Office, etc. (Please don't ask me to explain why this person doesn't believe in the presidency, okay? He just doesn't believe because of his misguided interpretation of the various facts he has access to.).

You would hope that this fellow could be persuaded to believe in the presidency simply by debate. You would hope that simply laying out the facts -- all the facts that are relevant -- would persuasively seal the deal and change his mind. But no, facts aren't good enough for this guy.

You know what's good enough? Not facts. Faces.

If somehow this conspiracy theorist could encounter the President of the United States in person and see him face to face, and be guided through the Oval Office and take a ride on Air Force One, he'd believe. The presidency wouldn't be a figment of other people's imaginations any more; this former conspiracy theorist who had met the president would now believe in the presidency.

Why? Because of his encounters. Because of seeing the President face to face.

And suddenly, he'd have new interpretations for all those facts that he'd once thought disproved the existence of a presidency. Amazing.

Friends, much more than we need to be praying for our loved ones to understand the truth, or to grasp the facts, or to submit to the arguments, we need to be praying first and foremost that Jesus would introduce Himself to them. A personal encounter with Jesus would put their questions to rest and reinterpret their understanding of the facts this world has to offer.

Jesus, please meet our friends, our children, our spouses, our families. May they sense that they have been with you face to face. May the facts be reinterpreted by your face. May they know YOU, not just the claims about you. And knowing you, may they always be confident that walking with you is wise an

Fighting Back Hard

I don't think I need to explain why the news about the massacre of many children at Sandy Hook Elementary has my blood boiling not just with pain for the victims and their families, but with anger, too. I'm about as angry as I've ever been. I'm ready to fight.

But maybe I need to explain why, even though I would gladly have put myself physically in harm's way to fight for these kids' lives, there is no way that a physical fight could possibly satisfy the requirements of this situation.

1. Physical violence could never possibly bring justice to this situation. Even if Adam Lanza, the gunman, had not killed himself already, do you really think that any amount of physical pain inflicted on him would make up for the amount of pain and death he unleashed on these people?

2. Physical violence could never possibly prevent this from happening again. No amount of police protection, SWAT teams, security forces, or concealed-carry private citizens could guarantee our protection or the protection of our children. Some people are just twisted, and evil on this level is going to happen. This kind of evil could be cut short by our physical fight against it. But it will never be entirely prevented. Even the fear of retaliative pain and death isn't enough to keep people from doing such despicable things.

And yet I find myself filled with violence. In my very soul. I have to fight. I cannot allow such evil to go unopposed.

What's the appropriate outlet for this violence? Do I go on a manhunt for people who could commit a crime like this, even though they haven't done so yet? No. Such an action would put me on the wrong side of justice. Do I tune in to police scanners and try to nail the bad guys myself, just so that I have someone in front of me who seems to deserve the pulverization I feel like unleashing? No. I could get the wrong guy, I could easily go overboard, and I would certainly end up having committed a crime myself. Besides, the chances that I would ever get to fight the kind of evil that has my blood boiling right now are slim to none. These options simply wouldn't satisfy the anger I feel.

So what? Am I left with no outlet for this frustration and turmoil? Is there no way that I, Matthew Harner, can personally pursue justice?

Actually, there is a way. And ironically, it's a peaceful way. Let me repeat that I would physically get involved in protecting children if I were in the kind of situation Sandy Hook elementary faced at the right time to respond helpfully. By "peaceful" I'm not saying that anyone should let a murderer go on a killing spree unchecked by physical opposition. But for me, the ultimate fight against this evil is physically peaceful.

Well, it's physically peaceful for me. It was very violent for Jesus Christ. He aggressively fought evil by His life and His teachings. He violently opposed evil and put His life on the line against it. But if He had decided that the best way to deal with evil was to physically eradicate its perpetrators, none of us would have survived. This is because we are all factories of evil. Perhaps we have not all committed the crimes that were committed today in Newtown, CT, but we have all harmed others in twisted ways.

Jesus fought our evil to the point of death. His death, though. Not ours. Not ours yet. Jesus permitted Himself to be crucified. And His death as the good and righteous Son - the Son not just of God, but of Man - paid the penalty for the sins of mankind. The just penalty for the worst evils the world has ever seen has already been paid. It was paid around 2000 years ago by Jesus Christ's death on the cross.

Honestly, though, that seems kind of unsatisfying. Evil has continued since then. We don't have to look further than today's headlines to see it in all its hateful, vicious ugliness. There's got to be more that can be done against evil, right?

Oh, yes. Indeed. There is more. Again, it rests in Jesus' hands.

Jesus didn't stay dead. He rose to life again. And He has offered all of us a choice. We can choose life or we can choose death. How so?

It's simple. Jesus urges us to choose life by owning up to our evil sins, agreeing that we deserve the death penalty for them, and asking His Father to forgive us and allow us to walk with Jesus instead. When the Father forgives us, He is not winking at our sins. When God forgives us, He looks at Jesus' physical death on the cross and He says, "Jesus' death is enough justice for your sins."

But we can also choose death. We can refuse to admit that we have done evil, refuse to admit that we deserve death, and oppose God. We do this even when we pretend that we can be "good enough" without giving our lives to Jesus. No one is completely righteous. No one is really pure. But we can pretend that we are and reject God's forgiveness and God's way of providing justice that protects us from death, the justice that protects through Jesus' death on the cross. To do this is to choose death, though, because there will then be only one place left for God's hand of justice to fall: on our own shoulders. And that justice will come when Jesus returns. Hell is real, and the death it holds is an eternal experience.

Ultimately God dishes out justice. All sins will be paid for. All evil will be snuffed out. Either Jesus paid the penalty for our evil when He died on the cross, or we will pay the penalty ourselves when He comes back. God's justice is complete. No evil escapes.

But I still feel like fighting. I'm still angry about evil. What can I do? How can I unleash the violence I feel welling up from within?

Here's how: I can fight evil by listening to Jesus, living for Jesus, and spreading Jesus' invitation to life. Jesus has issued a battle call:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. -- Ephesians 6:10-13, NIV84

Don't you dare to think that I'm caving and doing nothing. I am not talking about being satisfied with inaction. I am talking about answering Jesus' call to battle. I am talking about taking all of the passion and fury and wrath that today's evil has aroused in me and channeling it, by God's grace, in a direction that will actually FIGHT EVIL. Blow for blow. Round after round. Pulverizing the heck out of the "powers of this dark world" not merely strengthened and empowered by my own anger, but by the strength of our Lord's mighty power.

Brothers. MEN. If you want to FIGHT for real, let's follow Jesus into this fight together. Let's carry His  truth. Let's do His good work. We're ready for anything because of His good news. Let's not be discouraged in the face of evil, no matter what comes, because we trust in Jesus and know that His justice will prevail. We're protected by His salvation, and we will battle all the distortions and lies that allow evil to go unchecked in this world with His sword - the Word of God. And whatever we do, let's be constantly praying to the One who holds justice in His hands.

Today was discouraging. But evil has not won the war, and it never will. Jesus is the Conqueror. So I'm not giving up. I'm more determined than ever to fight, and to fight back hard. Who's with me?

Jesus at Work... in More Obvious Ways than Usual

I am very excited right now. For one thing, last week, just before Thanksgiving, Jesus gave me two jobs - not just one. I have a part-time job that starts any day now, and a full-time job that will begin on December 10th. 

But that's not the only reason I'm excited. I'm also excited because of the way that both of them - especially the full-time position - came about. What happened so clearly demonstrates that Jesus is at work. Jesus is at work (working) even at work (in our careers and vocations). What Jesus did to provide me with my full-time position reveals His hand more clearly than what He did to provide me with my part-time position, and I'd like to share the story with you. 

I don't remember what Sunday it was that I introduced myself to someone who was visiting our church for the first time, but it was within the last couple of months - whenever she first started to attend the Gathering. I haven't known Anna any longer than that. And yet Jesus has already used her to greatly encourage me and help me find work. 

After meeting, Anna and I ran into each other a couple of times in a couple of different places. We'd see each other at Walmart, or at Panera Bread, and I feel like we ran into each other somewhere else, too. One of the times that we encountered each other we decided to take a little time to get to know a bit more about each other. And I shared with Anna that I was looking for work. 

Anna's job used to involve helping people to pursue jobs. She would help them with their resumes, with interview preparations, etc. So she asked whether she could have my resume, suggesting that she might have some connections who would want to see it. We had this conversation on Wednesday, November 7th - I know the date because my emails show that I thanked her for the conversation that day, even though I didn't end up sending my resume to her until Saturday the 10th. 

Saturday, November 10th, was also the day that Anna told me (actually, before I sent my resume to her) that she had seen on the news that a local company was planning to hire upwards of 200 people. She thought of me when she saw the news and recommended that I look into it. Which I did. And then she offered to revise my resume a bit. Which I accepted. She said she would email it back when she was done. 

In the meantime, I went online to find out more about this company Anna had recommended that I look into. Not only were they hiring, but they were having an Interview Day on Tuesday, November 13th - just three days later. And to register for the Interview Day, they wanted applicants to submit resumes. I wasn't sure what to do. I knew that Anna had volunteered to re-work my resume, and I really wanted to submit the updated version she would produce. But at the same time, she was doing the revision just to help out. I didn't really feel comfortable going back to a friend I had only met recently and saying, "Hey, I know that you barely know me and you've already gone way above and beyond anything that I would expect of a new friend, but would you mind getting that resume done within, say, the next two hours so that I can submit it with my application?" So I started to revise my resume myself, keeping in mind some of the ideas that Anna and I had already talked about. 

My revisions were a waste of time. I hadn't gotten very far into them when Anna's revised version hit my email inbox. The revised resume was a thing of beauty (at least to a nerd like me). Once again, my new friend had exceeded expectations. So I was able to submit the revised resume with my application on Saturday and get an interview slot set up for Tuesday. And then Anna offered to conduct a mock interview with me the next day after church. By the end of the mock interview, I was feeling much better about being prepared for the Interview Day - and also for any other job pursuits I might have ahead of me. I was not anywhere close to thinking that this would be the conclusion of my job hunting.

So then came Tuesday. The Interview Day started off with a tour of the company facilities, including their on-site food court, gymnasium, and basketball court (and people were even playing basketball, so I assumed that it wasn't just for show - unless all the guys on the court were models hired to convince prospective employees that they would actually get the chance to play basketball on their work breaks). No company is perfect, but this was definitely looking like a place where I might enjoy working. 

But then something amazing happened. Seriously amazing. The tour guide said something that caught me totally off guard and convinced me that this was where Jesus wanted me to work: "I have found that this is a really great place to build friendships. Some of my closest friends are people I have met since coming to work here." 

And now you're thinking I'm loony. Why would I think that this was amazing? I mean, it's a nice thought. But something that convinced me that Jesus wanted me to work here? … Just wait, you're going to think I'm even loonier in a minute, and I don't even care, because what I'll tell you is the truth whether you believe it or not. But first of all, even on the surface, I loved what she said because I love to be with people. I love to build friendships. I love to get to know people, to spend time with people, to enjoy life with people. So what she said would have encouraged me to keep pursuing the job just for these reasons. It definitely told me that this opportunity had the possibility of becoming a place where I was really comfortable. Still, that's not what convinced me that Jesus had been planning for me to work here. 

So here goes. What convinced me was that I recognized what she said. I'm not talking about deja vu. I'm talking about recognition. I had heard her say it before, somewhere between two weeks and two months earlier. In a dream. 

Yes, I'm serious. I don't have many dreams, and when I do, they're usually pretty lame and unimpressive (don't just take my word for it - ask people who know me whether they've ever heard me talk about a dream that was actually interesting). I never assume that my dreams mean anything. But I remember this dream, because when I woke up from this dream where a lady said exactly what I heard on the company tour, I felt just about positive that Jesus had just showed me where I was going to work. I felt so positive about it that I literally prayed this prayer when I woke up: "Jesus, did you just show me where I'm going to work? If that's where I'm going to work, then why didn't you give me the company name? If you had given me the company name, I could print off my resume and go knock on their door and get the job!"

But Jesus hadn't given me a company name. So I kept quiet about my dream and didn't tell anyone. After all, maybe I'd just had too many no-bakes the night before, and maybe they'd created a strange impression in my heart's response to the dream. I decided to put it out of my mind and just prayed to Jesus that, if my dream ended up being fulfilled, I would recognize its fulfillment and follow His lead from there. 

And then my dream was fulfilled right in front of my eyes. At this company that I hadn't even heard about until three days before. Before I had been through a single interview. I felt like looking around and asking whether anyone else had noticed that Jesus had just tapped me on the shoulder and said, "This is it. Get ready to go back to work." I had the sense that my interviews could be total fails and I would still end up with the job. 

But my interview that day was not a total fail. It was brief, and it went really well. Before I left the building, I had been scheduled for a second interview to be held three days later that same week, on Friday, November 16th - before even a full week could pass since being told about this company for the first time. 

I started to tell people at this point that I thought Jesus would be giving me the job. I admitted that Jesus might have other plans, despite the dream. Maybe He was just trying to show me that He knew my every step before I had even taken a step, and that He was walking with me through the whole process. That was an encouraging thought, too. But I was fairly certain that He would be giving me this job, and I wanted Him to receive the honor if I did end up with this new position because of how He was working the whole thing out for me. So I decided to put myself out there a bit and began to tell some people about my dream and how, because of its fulfillment, I thought that Jesus was going to have me hired with this company. That way I would have witnesses who could verify that I wasn't making the dream thing up after getting hired. If you're one of the people who leans toward questioning whether I'm telling the truth about this dream stuff, contact me and I'll give you the names and contact information of a few of these people I talked to so that you can verify it for yourself. If you doubt my story after that, I guess you'll just have to decide that I'm part of a group of people devoted to stooping to deliberate lies, conspiracy and deception - whatever it takes to make Jesus look good. Believe that if you want, I guess. If that ends up being your perspective, I honestly don't know what else I can say to you except to beg you not to assume things like that about me and my friends. We love Jesus, but that doesn't mean that we want to promote His honor through lies and distortions. Why didn't I tell non-Christians? Honestly, probably because of stupidity and fear. Stupidity, because it would obviously have verified my story more fully if I had gone ahead and done that and so I was stupid not to, and fear, because I didn't want to face the possibility that my faith would be mocked if the job didn't come through - even though I felt 99% positive that this was Jesus' job for me. So yeah, stupidity and fear. Stupid fear. Shoulda told a non-Christian or two. I'm kicking myself on this one. I have a number of non-Christians in my life who I believe will vouch for my character as a truth-teller, if you want to at least check into that, but none who can vouch for this particular dream story. 

So I had this interview coming up on Friday. I was excited. I took the preparation materials the company gave me and studied up. And Jesus did some of His own work, too. 

When I got there on Friday, I discovered that I would actually have two interviews. One of the questions I was hoping would not come up was the question, "So, why the career change?" I mean, my resume showed that all of my education was focused on ministry (bachelor's degree in pastoral ministries, master's degree in theology) and that my last two jobs were ministry positions. So I knew that it was a question that I would likely be asked, but I didn't want it to come up because the most honest answer was to tell my interviewers about the changes in my life over the past couple of years - about how my wife turned away from our faith and was now leaving me and I didn't feel right about being in the ministry because of these changes. And I didn't want to talk about those things because I didn't want to look like I was trying to win pity points or anything like that. But, of course, the question came up. And one of my interviews took a totally unexpected turn. 

Since I don't know whether my interviewer would want me posting his name on my blog, we'll call him Sam Johnson. The interview was comfortable and going well. He asked the question I didn't want him to ask, I answered honestly with the truth about my life's changes, and the interview went on normally for a little bit. And then he stopped and said, "This is probably going to go down in history as my most challenging interview ever."

My heart stopped for a second. "Challenging" is not the term I would like to hear someone using to describe my interview with him. At the same time, he wasn't telling someone else that the interview was challenging. He was telling me. I took that as a good sign, but I still had to ask:

"Challenging how?"

His response was even more startling: "Are you sure your name isn't Sam Johnson?" At this point, I'm thinking What on earth is going on here? He continues, "… because I feel like I'm interviewing myself." And he pauses. I didn't know what else to say, so I kind of joked and said, "Well, that's good. You're hired." 

Why did he say this? Well, it turned out that we shared a good number of similarities in our life experiences. He was also a believer. He had also been in ministry. His wife had also left him. He had also pursued a career change. The interview was challenging because he identified too closely with me. And since he had been a good fit for the company, it was hard for him to conclude anything other than that I would be a good fit, too. 

And I couldn't help it. I was sitting there in amazement, recognizing just one more way that Jesus had arranged everything so that I would end up with this particular position at this particular company at this particular time. 

I had another interview that day, and it wasn't astonishing or anything. It wasn't with someone who identified so closely with me, and I don't even remember whether our interview included a discussion of my recent life experiences. So between this other interview and the first one that I had on Tuesday, I know that two of my three interviewers didn't face the challenge of identifying too closely with me. And yet Jesus gave me favor in their eyes, too. This interview concluded simply with my interviewer saying, "I think you will be a good fit here," and then me agreeing. 

And that was it. From then until I heard back from the company, it was just a matter of waiting to hear whether I would be hired or not. I told more friends about the dream. I told people about the interviewer who identified with me so strongly. I told them about how smoothly everything had gone. And I told them that I expected to be offered the job soon specifically because I believed that Jesus wanted it for me. 

I didn't have to wait long. On Tuesday, November 20th, the company's HR personnel called to offer me the position. 

The position that was pointed out to me a week and a half earlier,

at a company that I didn't know about, 

by a friend Jesus put into my life only within the last couple of months,

who generously revised my resume,

and who conducted a mock interview with me, 

confirmed by Jesus 

through a dream fulfilled and 

through an interview from heaven.

The only thing that makes sense is for me to step back in amazement and say, "Jesus, thank you. You are good to me."

Perfect Burden, Perfect Freedom

On Sunday morning I went to church with a dear friend (who told people at the church that I was her son, creating some amusing confusion later on). During the service, she prayed. And as she prayed, I felt overwhelmingly burdened.

Not in a good way. In a way that could lead to despair. Maybe you'll be able to sympathize.

Because she was praying for the persecuted church, and as she prayed, she quoted Samuel: "... far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you" (1 Samuel 12:23, NIV). At first it sounded so beautiful. But then I started to realize just how often I commit precisely that sin. I fail even to pray for people. I fail to pray for the persecuted church. I fail to pray for our country's leaders. I fail to pray for my friends, for my family, even for myself. Not always. But more often than I care to admit, I fail to pray. Which means that I sin often. "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins" (James 4:17).

What a failure. What a burden. A perfect burden, really. I mean, if perfection is taken to mean "ultimate," then my sin is the ultimate burden. There is no denying it. There is no overcoming it. There is no escaping it. My failure is evident. And yet...

Even as my mind began to recognize the weight of my failures, and as my heart began to sense the burden of Jesus' call for me - for all of us - to do what is right (a call that relentlessly hounds us even while we're failing), the Holy Spirit guided my mind to another place in His Word, a place where I found perfect freedom. Ultimate freedom.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. - Matthew 11:28-29

Jesus invited me to bring my burden to Him. He didn't make the burden disappear. It wasn't magically gone. In fact, I still add to it. Daily. The burden is still growing, even now, after I've come to Jesus.

But I'm not carrying it anymore. He is. I'm sharing Jesus' yoke, moving in Jesus' direction - which calls me to pray for others, among many other good and wonderfully right ways He calls me to love God and love people. I'm moving in Jesus' direction, in spite of my burden, because Jesus takes the burden off my shoulders and puts it on His own, and deals with it on the cross. And you know what? There's no burden too big for Him.

So I still fail. But I'm yoked to Jesus, and I don't carry the weight of my burdens. I have the perfect, ultimate burden, because my sins are too much for me to handle. But I have the perfect, ultimate freedom, because Jesus is too much for my sins to overcome! Because of Him, I am free... and being freed further every day.