United 93

Today a film arrives in theaters that will provide a grim reminder of the events of September 11, 2001. It is a near real-time snapshot of the fatal flight of United 93 that crashed in rural Pennsylvania when a group of passengers stormed the cockpit following the murder of the pilots and a flight attendant. It is not just a story about one man or a couple of people, but the story, as much as can be known, their story, our story as a nation. It's a story about courage, commitment to a cause, hope for others, a single selfless act to help a nation in turmoil.

None of the people aboard that plane that day would have any knowledge of the meaning of their actions, or inaction. Just they, a few who listened in on 911 calls and some last minute family good-bye calls would know what would happen in that moment. But those who decided to act made a difference to countless lives on the ground, in the Capital (which was saved by their actions), in the nation. Maybe it's no coincidence that instead of a Hooters, Sky Blue, Ted, ATA, or some other company plane it was United, just like they were. I don't think even an American flight would have had the same impact. They were united for a cause, together, in an action for others that would take their own lives.

Wow! What a story! They weren't looking out for themselves. They weren't looking toward heaven. They were doing what they thought was right, some to please God, others simply because it was the moral thing to do. But it wasn't their belief that made the difference, it was the action on that belief!

It's always the action that's most important. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that action is weighted more than faith, but as James said, its the actions that prove the faith. He said, "faith without good works is dead [faith]." (James 1:26, my translation)

A couple of weeks ago I talked about heaven, (Easter Sunday) that it wasn't the goal. Paul said it this way, "But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing and that's what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions. Sooner or later we'll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what's coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:9-10, The Message)

Action based upon our faith is critical. It is living out what faith we have in a real way.

How do we do that?

"We see that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!" (2 Corinthians 5:17, The Message)

Uniting with the Messiah changes our lives, our actions. It's no simple belief system. It's a transformation...

...that plays out in how we live, behind closed doors, behind the masks we wear, and out in public. Christ's actions mattered.

The actions of the United people on flight 93 mattered.

Our actions matter.

Peace ><>
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Jesus isn't Christ...

Jesus isn't Christ because he is God's Son.

Jesus is Christ because of his obedience to God's plan.

It's like putting a wheelbarrow in the garage. It doesn't become a car, does it?

People aren't Christian because they are in church or because they believe in Jesus.

People are Christian only whey they are obedient to Christ's teaching.

The goal is not belief, the goal is action. It's not jumping through hoops of right behaviors, it's genuine responses in the nature of God, Jesus' style.

Serving.

I love how Paul pleads with the church at Philippi. It's not a Hell, fire and brimstone sermon or a get-down-on-his-knees begging, but its a humble cry for the people who are dear to him to take seriously the word they have heard and said they accepted and understood. But they didn't. The plea was simple, as the response to Jesus is supposed to be: serve one another, love one another, agree with one another, be real friends with one another. Set aside yourself long enough to think of someone else, do for someone else.

I wonder sometimes what happened to community. I see glimpses of it sometimes, but it seems that we have to create a program to make it work these days. We need to tell people to deliver cookies, to call on the sick, to pray. Instead it should be the other way around. A community of believers should already be doing these things and more, because of their deep concern for each other.

Someone asked me the other day if I had visited so-and-so (it doesn't matter the name, because it changes every week.). My response was no, have you?

Paul pleaded with the church to BE the church, because being the church is responding as Jesus would...

...as a servant to each other.

And to see that fully happen would bless any pastor's heart. Or my way of putting it

That would be Awesome!

Peace ><>
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Just jump!

I climbed up the ladder to reach the catwalk, manuevered through the railing, reached out to grab the rafter and jumped. There was no turning back, there was no bungee cord, there was just a swimming pool below, about 40' below. I was in college and worked at the university pool. It had a diving well with 4 boards and a lap pool. In this domed building was a catwalk that housed the lighting for the building. It was not unusual for some of the lifeguards (members of the swimming and diving team and others, like me) to make their way up to the rafters of the building to dive between the diving boards and into the pool. (If you've ever watched olympic diving on TV, the catwalk was about 8 feet higher than the tallest platform)

And I joined them. It's total commitment, jumping like that.

Tiger Woods, the golfing phenomenon, is taking a break from the tour for two reasons. First his father is ill and he is spending time with him. Second, his caddy, Steve Williams, is getting married. So Tiger and Steve along with the rest of the wedding party are in New Zealand. But while there, they both completed the world's ultimate bungee jump. It's the bungee for adventurers, from a cable car 440 feet above a narrow canyon with only a shallow river at the bottom. It's a commitment to jump like that.

It's the kind of commitment Christ calls us to.

"...we've thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We're banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers." (1 Timothy 4:10, The Message)

My first sermon in my first church was entitled, "Not Just the Toe." Now it wasn't the greatest sermon and it was long, almost 45 minutes. (Hey, I was new to this and I had a lot to say. I just shouldn't have tried to say it all in one sermon! ; ) I love to swim and have been around pools my whole life as a lifeguard, pool manager, etc. And I love to see how people test the water, some with the toe, others with their whole bodies. Now some of those who test with their toe never get in, judging by the feeling of the big toe. The thing is, it's not a good thermometer. The best way to swim is to jump in and "get used to the water." The gist of that message was what I had learned about the Christian faith, anything less that complete immersion was no faith at all, testing it with just the toe wouldn't be experiencing it at all.

It takes all of us, our whole lives, not just a toe, feet dangled over the edge, wading up to the knees. Paul would accept that of Timothy or anyone else. He called for complete immersion in the faith. So did Jesus who called us to "take up our cross." That's full bore, no holds barred commitment, nothing held back, no looking back.

Jumping!

The word to Timothy was to read the scripture, study, teach, pray, live out the faith. "Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them...Don't be diverted. Just keep at it." (1 Timothy 4:15a, 16b, The Message)

It's Paul's, and Christ's, message to us as well.

Wading in the Christian faith is no faith at all.

And as Delmar said in O Brother, Where Art Thou, "Come on in boys, the water's fine."

Peace ><>
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Run to God!

I'm sitting here with writer's block this morning.

The wind didn't help with the sleeping process, nor did the schedule. I just talked about it on Sunday, how we have to pare down, give ourselves time to breathe, to bask in the presence of God and right now because of my schedule, I'm doing that walk with slumped shoulders. I guess I should listen to my own sermon, huh?

"Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don't for a minute lose sight of them. They'll keep your soul alive and well, they'll keep you fit and attractive. You'll travel safely, you'll neither tire nor trip. You'll take afternoon naps without a worry, you'll enjoy a good night's sleep." (Proverbs 3:21-23, The Message)

Okay, so I've got some work to do, to clear out my schedule. But that's no easy task. Yet it's one that is critical to my well being.

And yours.

Earlier in Proverbs 3:5 it says, "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own." And the best one for last, "Run to God! Run from evil!"(5:7)

In the next couple of weeks if you don't find me in the office one day, I've not run away, I've run to God. I'm listening for God's voice and trying to find a place to do that in the most complete way.

I've got to do that for my sake, for your sake.

And so do you. It's not only my job to listen for God and to honor wisdom, clear thinking and common sense. It's our job.

And "...God will be right there with you; he'll keep you safe and sound." (Prov. 3:26, The Message)

Run to God, first!

Peace ><>
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Developing Calluses

I received a guitar for Christmas. So, I've been learning to play. I've discovered some interesting things about playing the guitar, it uses muscles in your hand and arms in ways I don't usually use them. That creates some cramping at times. I also learned that I don't have the dexterity with my left hand that I want or thought I had. I've got some work to do to make my left hand do something different from my right at the same time (I had a hard time playing the piano because of this.)

But one of the things I hadn't thought about was how painful the tips of my fingers would be from holding down on those thin metal strings. I'd have to stop after a while and rest my hand. I'd wait a day and try again, but it was still painful. I learned to play through the pain (or at least pick and strum because I'm not sure you could call what I was doing, playing!). In the first couple of weeks something happened, the fingertips on my left hand started developing hard calluses in response to the work they were doing, and the pain of playing diminished. It was getting easier to play because of the calluses.

Many of the calluses we develop not only on our fingers, but on our hands and our feet are there for our protection. They are created as a response to work that we do, to make it easier on our body. It's a defense mechanism.

But they create their own problems.

Calluses keep us from feeling.

As I played that guitar my fingers felt great, but as I typed on my computer or picked up stuff with my left hand, I didn't have the sensitivity to touch as I had before. I couldn't feel the same way. The calluses had created a barrier of protection.

The same can happen to our hearts.

"So cut away the thick calluses from your heart and stop being so willfully hardheaded." (Deut. 10:16, The Message)

Just like other parts of our anatomy, the heart creates its own protection as it has been hurt. (I'm not talking about the muscle, but the spiritual heart we have.) As a part of our self-preservation programming, we put up barriers to keep our heart from feeling so that we don't have to feel disappointment or even love. If we've ever been hurt at all in our lives then we have calluses on our hearts. And If we find ourselves refusing to allow the love of God in to all parts of our lives it's because we still have them.

I heard a word this weekend that is so true, impact. We can be impacted by the love of God only to the degree we allow. We hold the controls over this. We can make and keep the calluses on our hearts or we can cut them away. We have this control.

And God wants in...to all parts of our heart. Calluses there are not helpful at all. We need to feel.

My guitar has sat on it's stand much more than it has been played recently, but the calluses have gone away and the feeling has come back to my fingertips. It looks like I've got some more pain to go through as I start playing again. But it's good pain and good calluses. It's the calluses of my heart I have to watch out for...

...so I can feel..and let God in completely!

Peace ><>
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