Sentimental Journey

Sentimental: Meaning- "based on, showing, or resulting from feelings or emotions rather than reason or thought."--Merriam Webster Dictionary

I took a sentimental journey the other day. Not a planned escape from reality mind you, but an unplanned transportation of my mind to another time and place which was out of my control. Have you ever had something trigger a memory, whether it was a place or some thing which reminded you of not only facts but the emotions of another time?

I try not to allow myself such luxuries. I live in what was once my Grandparent's house. A house in which my mother lived for many years. A house that my brother put much work into and which at every corner of this building I can see some touch of the hands of my family. It might be furniture, carpentry work, a tool, kitchenware of some sort that is familiar. I am surrounded by all these reminders so that I am on guard constantly against allowing myself too much room for sentiment. This is, for all intents and purposes, a living in a museum of my immediate family. This is not what triggered my journey however.

I was looking through an antique shop the other day; I saw a step stool which was exactly like the one my mother kept in the kitchen when I was a kid. It seems strange doesn't it? Yet the moment my eye fell on that mass marketed, rusty piece of furniture, I was transported back to a moment standing on the stool next to the bar in the kitchen. My mom was working that magic she always did in the kitchen, making something out of almost nothing, all the while making it so delicious as to be unforgettable. It was almost as if I had been moved physically back in time.

What is my point? Consider the power of sentiment. In the amber of memory, things seem a little sweeter than they actually were, the complexity and anxiety are stripped away. Precious little of the real is left, like a glass Christmas ornament. It gives the appearance of what it represents, but little else. Sentiment is the smell of the baking bread without tasting it.

When so much of life is less than amusing, sentiment is a refreshing respite from all the stress and acrimony of the here and now. The problem then, is to turn away from dreamy remembrance and engage in the here and now with vigor. Jesus said "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. ..." (cf. Luke 9:62). There little place for getting weepy about what has been in the past when we have responsibilities today. Paul's comment is memorable for its cold dispatch of yesterday ("Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those which are before..." cf. Phil. 3:13). This means the good and the bad.

While it is not the intention of this writing to proclaim anathema on family albums every where, we must keep in mind that all that has come before has passed, all that lies before is eternity. How we spend this time now will be the basis of our reward or loss when we stand before our Lord. Sentiment comes at a cost, it is that simple. We shouldn't mortgage our future, and the eternal work we must do, in order to engage in too much sentiment today. How many storage buildings do we need to fill with "memorabilia" before it is too much? In the same way, how much of our lives to we surrender to impracticality and even disobedience because of tradition? Paul reminds us of the priority of our lives "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2Co 5:17) and again in Romans "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."(Rom 13:11). Our lives are too precious to live in "remember when" city. We have work to do and precious little time to do it. Take a brief break, be encouraged by the past but then take up your cross and move on.

Chrismas Every Day

I have a friend whose gift is story telling. He doesn't even seem to be aware of this talent for telling truthful tales and yet in such memorable terms as to be legendary. Everyone who comes into contact with him finds it difficult to forget that connection they feel when he shares stories of commiseration and information.

One of my favorite tales he tells is about his father. It is more of an anecdote than a story but it is appropriate to remember this one on Father's day weekend. While many of us have tales shared from depression era parents, this one will strike a chord with all that hear it.

My friend describes that in his house (and probably in yours or your grand parent's houses as well) his father kept a candy dish. During his child hood he describes that his father always kept that candy dish filled with "Starlight Mints." As his father plucked a mint from the dish he would say "Christmas every day." He puzzled over this small eccentricity for years. One day his curiosity overcome his reluctance to question this man whose defining characteristic was stoicism and authority. "Dad, why do you keep a dish of mints in the kitchen and what does Christmas every day mean?". His dad proceeded to explain that when he was a child he always looked forward to Christmas. He, like many of our parents and grand parents had lived during the great depression. He goes on to describe his joy at Christmas when his only present was an orange or a candy cane. No electronics, no toys, or even clothes. One piece of fruit, and maybe one piece of candy. "That is why I keep candy in the dish, to remind me that now, every day is Christmas for me" said the dad.

The lesson is easy enough to see. This father convincingly taught his son a lesson about the sliding scale of what we value. Human beings have this capacity to "get used to" things. We take them for granted because of what becomes normal. An ample supply of anything causes us to lower its value. When God forgives us with Grace unlimited, we look around and see this abundant supply and begin to cheapen it because of its accessibility. "Just because Grace is free" says the cliche "doesn't mean it is cheap." Just remember as you bow to pray today, it is only because of His Grace that for all believers it is truly "Christmas every day"!

Shuffling the Deck Chairs on the Titanic

Hag 1:6 "Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes."-- Man depending on himself is like this verse. There is an old cliche describing something being useless which says: "That's like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic." The obvious implication is that superficial and ineffective changes don't really help the true root problem. Man is constantly making changes to laws, policies and procedures to "fix" some hot button issue. The problem is not the system of government, the liberty of individuals or the temperament of the dictator, it is man. Contrary to recently "famous" posts on social media defending the "goodness" of man, the Bible is clear that man is the problem. That is not to say that men can't accomplish good things or even show compassion, but it does lead to another cliche. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." This "truism" wouldn't be resonant with us if man's propensity toward evil wasn't universal.
Original sin doesn't preclude art, beauty or charity. Man's nature is fallen and damaged but not without any value or positive attributes. This brings us to a conclusion which is reflective of the reality of history. Man invents, builds and produces but then pride, greed and the hunger for power destroy all that he creates. This is the reason that the last 2000 years of history show progression because of the influence of the Church of Christ has provided stability and a building up of technology. Even this positive movement had its dark side. Believers are not immune to the same failings as everyone else.
Looking at the changes over the last 200 or so years, especially since the enlightenment, we have seen a turning from the very foundation which allowed man to rise to this high level. Amazingly, man has rejected original sin because of Christians who, suffering from human frailty, failed in the execution of power and control during the middle ages.
Turning to today's headlines, man now thinks that the problem he has is not enough freedom. Our culture in the west has created an unprecedented freedom, but society isn't satisfied with that. We must solve every problem, we must address every heartache. Just don't tell man that he has a fallen nature. The public opinion today seems to be heading toward freedom for everything except a Christian world view. If we say that we disagree with someone's choices we are said to "hate" them. This is the new high crime of our time.
Society's answer to problems is to simply shut up descent shift the problem around. "There are too many resources wasted on enforcing drug laws, we should legalize Marijuana." This doesn't solve the abuse problem but it does shift the cost to families and localities where the people are degraded in morality and productivity because of it.
What about immigration? We don't seem to be willing to secure the borders, nor enforce the laws as they are. Man's brilliant solution to this is to legalize those who have come here illegally. The suggested solution is to pretend that this will solve all the problems caused by having this shadow culture of undocumented people here. What happens when we have the same problem in another 15 years?
Time and time again, history has shown the Bible to be true on the issue of human fallibility. Restrictions, laws, and accountability are the fertile soil in which this country grew to be the greatest in the history of the world. Yet, here we are saying that responsibility, thrift and hard work should not allow me to be rewarded by society more than someone who won't do any of those things. People will do what they have an incentive to do. Bad behavior is rewarded with fame these days. Is it any wonder so many young people today follow their example?
It will be increasingly difficult for us to bear the type of world that is coming. Value will be variable depending on who has power in a given situation. Lives will be ruined because of this shift in morals and priorities. We must be willing to pay the price in order to stand but not be hateful (like our enemies) but to stand despite the cost financially, or personally. It will require abandoning the easy life we have known and adopting a new pietism which is not dependent on our happiness but on our holiness. This type of life will resonate to those around us that despite our flaws. Genuine Christianity will always be lived by flawed humans, but that doesn't have to define it.

Biblical Vs. Cultural

The world has long despised the biblical Christian. The percent of those expressing the “enlightened” view that biblical Christianity is evil and immoral, has sky rocketed. That being the case, shouldn't it be elementary that we take care to not fulfill the hypocritical stereotypes the world has assigned to us? This thought came to mind when the off the cuff remarks of a North Carolina pastor made national headlines recently. The pastor was doing what fundamentalist pastors have done for the last fifty years, preaching extemporaneously and at times saying things which are tongue in cheek. The problem is that when speaking informally people often aren't as careful as they should be. There are jokes or halfhearted sarcasms which we wouldn't put on YouTube, but we might share with a close friend or family member. Pastors have to realize that they are on a much bigger stage today. There are phones with video capability which can take excerpts from messages and make it seem we are saying things that we aren't. It is possible to try and destroy someone with their own words taken out of context, but sarcasm or hyperbole can be hard to defend. The problem we have has several components.

One thing to consider is that the enemies of God are watching and trying to catch every slip to fit their agenda. More care should go into every public proclamation. Prayer should bath every message regardless of the familiarity of the subject matter. If the enemy uses our words against us, it should at least be Biblical. Fundamental pastors should be more precise in their messages. There should be less humor which plays into stereotypes and cliches. Vance Havner was one of the funniest preachers I've ever heard but he didn't do it with sarcasm or hurtful language.

Second, if we want to engage in the battle of ideas we should start with a Biblical foundation. Suggesting (even in jest) that the solution to homosexual sons is to punch them, is so far from biblical teaching as to be shocking. Is that what we should do about homosexuals? Shouldn't we be serious about this? Is this something to joke about?

Peter tells us that suffering for Christ is a great honor. In the same epistle, he warns against us suffering for doing evil. (cf I Peter 3:17). We are told in other places in the New Testament that we should suffer wrong rather than have the Lord disgraced (cf I Cor. 6:7). If New Testament teaching be such, why shouldn't we be as gracious as we can to our enemies? We all face different struggles and we are required to use the power at our disposal to overcome those natural tendencies. That being true, why do we (in fundamental circles) take such pride in using bully's language against those with whom we disagree? Shouldn't we, as Paul said, “suffer wrong” rather than give offense? One of the tools the Devil is using as a hammer against the Judeo Christian ethic in our day is “hate speech.” We are called “homophobic” and “hate” instigators. Shall we not do all in our power to overcome the human tendency “fight back?” Instead of using the language of the culture (post World War Two America) shouldn't we feel compassion on those who will suffer the flames of Hell forever?

The older I become, the more of the skirt of eternity I see. This insight has forced me to reconsider everything I say and do in light of the Bible rather than the 1950's southern culture with which I am familiar. It is truly the 'end times' isn't it? We must walk as circumspectly as possible. We must not be offensive in the manner we defend God's Word. We should take care because so much is at stake, we must take care because Eternity will be here for all soon enough.

Has it ever occurred to you?

Mat 17:1 "And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart..."

I suppose it is no small thing to be a companion of Jesus. Peter, James and John had something special going on, of that there is no doubt. What is the message we can glean from this passage? I don't feel like an inner circle kind of person. There are very few people in this world to whom I feel this kind of kinship and trust. Most people keep even friends at arm's length when it comes to the essence of who they are for fear of rejection. This is a testament to the character of Jesus that He revealed Himself to these three men. He picked them carefully (as should we)to be His inner circle. To these men alone did He show this "light show" which pulled back the curtain on His glory just a bit.
So how about you? Is there someone to whom you can bare your soul? Often, folks are put off by someone who too freely confesses all they've ever done (cf. Jn. 4 where Jesus let the woman at the well know what He knew). There must be a commitment of trust in order to make this type of thing possible. That is rare.
Too often in this world today, we force or fake intimacy in an effort to "network". Life for some today is a big game of "Survivor" where deceit and backstabbing are a way of life. Rare is the friend to whom "warts" are not a hindrance to mutual respect and love. And rarer still is that soul who when his Lord calls him aside to the solitude of the mountain is not too busy to go, in hopes of seeing His glory.

What do you Mean?

While I was driving home from work the other day I couldn’t help but notice something familiar. My journey takes me through rolling hills and wide open spaces filled with many sights and sounds. I always enjoy the smell of the flowers, new mowed hay, and even the occasional “fertilized” field. This particular day I caught the smell of honeysuckles blooming. That rich fragrance not only pleased my nose but it tipped over a bucket of memories in my mind which in turn cascaded across my consciousness. Each memory was suspended like a drop of water before my mind’s eye ever so briefly only to be displaced by the next. Each seemed visible only long enough to capture the context and feeling but each disappeared before the details could be examined.

Some might call this sort of reaction “meaning.” The smell of Honeysuckle brought many happy childhood memories, so therefore, it has a special meaning. Since this word can be used in that way many think that this is the only definition. Is this what post-modernists are talking about when they talk about meaning?

It has been said so often in recent years that there is no intrinsic meaning. “Meaning”, we are told, “is assigned by the observers and participants.” How ridiculous is this? While we can argue about the objective value of an object, truth, on the other hand, stands on its own without debate. Truth stands despite any vain attempts to discount its validity based on contextual or conceptual influences. I watched a Television show recently which I found to rather clever, and after seeing a review about it online I decided to see what the critic had to say. I was amused to find that a key component of the plot (an alleged movie prop bought as a gift which turned out to be a fake) was supposedly an ode to this disjointed post modern mindset. Apparently, if you follow this philosophy, even though the prop was a fake it was real to the person receiving it because he assigned its meaningfulness. In my mind I think that it much more likely that this critic confused value and meaning.

While I disagree with the philosophy, I understand the motivation. “I don’t agree with you therefore I don’t accept the truths you present since they don’t have meaning for me.” While Spiritual truths are not visible, they are empirical in a certain way. Hebrews 11 tells us that there is some evidence of those invisible things, and that one can be convinced of Spiritual things based on truths which must be accepted by faith.

Perhaps that is the real problem. If meaning and value are confused, then it makes it easy to ignore the evidence since the outcomes don’t have any perceived value to the individual. How do we overcome these philosophical obstacles? The clever argument won’t work here. We just need to be aware of the “lingo” and illogical thinking of those we are trying to reach. Only the Holy Spirit can awaken the post-modernist from his/her slumber. It is not the job of the Christian to “win” over unbelievers, it is our job to live in such a way as create significance and meaning which captures the attention of those watching. Sowing the seed will still work and the Spirit of God will give the increase.

Hypocrisy On Parade

It has been my observation that one of the most frequent criticisms leveled against Christians (not the nominal variety) has been hypocrisy. When a Christian makes a stand about right and wrong it rubs many people the wrong way because of their own guilty conscience. When the same believer then violates those very standards which he has defended, those same detractors are offended most. While the revelation of Christians who are living a double standard can be cleansing for a church or organization, it is also ammunition for the enemies of Christ to claim that we all are living a lie.

In the story “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, one the characters addresses the whispered secret plans of one of his sons with the phrase “There ain't nothin' more powerful than the odor of mendacity...You can smell it. It smells like death.” According to Webster's Dictionary mendacity is a lie, and in the context of the Tennessee Williams' story it is subterfuge and hypocrisy masquerading as concern. I thought of such hypocrisy this week during the coverage of the descent into madness by one of the highest paid actors on television.

Television history is replete with stars whose private lives were a shambles while their public personas were a complete contradiction. I grew up watching Jackie Gleason on television, I thought he was a great guy. Only when I was much older did I learn of his private struggles with alcohol etc. There are too many examples to dwell on only one. The hypocrisy of the media today is that while they are wringing their hands in public about some actor's rants and instability, they have known all along that this was his case and either didn't care or were more concerned with the money they were making.

How about the liberal mind of today? During a recent gorilla journalism video, a high ranking officer of the NPR foundation was heard to bemoan the fact that there are so few liberals in the country. He continued to say that the only reason people didn't agree with his view point was that they were ignorant and uneducated and xenophobic. How could anyone escape the circular logic and hypocrisy in his thinking. The conservatives they are talking about are afraid of those different from themselves but he sees those people as “less than” himself and ignorant. Is that not a quintessentially hypocritical position? “Oh I see, the reason I don't agree with you is not that you are wrong, it is because I'm not educated?”

These issues point out the need for logic and critical thinking skills on our part. We must not defend those who fall prey to their own lust and greed, but we must admit that failures happen because we are all fallible. We must also point out the rank hypocrisy of those who oppose us for what it is. They are deceiving themselves in order to raise themselves above others. Elitism is the prime example of this kind of thinking. Let us not have that attitude at Church!

Finally, we should always be willing to show grace and deference to those who admit their failures and repent. Paul's words in Galatians were never more meaningful...”Gal 6:1 BRETHREN, IF any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also. “ AMPLIFIED