"Smoke... or Ash?"

Revelation 8.3-4 NIV

“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.

“The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.”

How easily I tend to mystify and over-spiritualize the simple acts of devotion to God. Prayer, for example, is speaking to God. How complicated is that? I know how to talk. I can open my mouth and talk to God.

In C. S. Lewis’ classic The Screwtape Letters, older demon (Screwtape) mentors his young nephew (Wormwood)[1] on ways to discourage his Christian “patient” from engaging in effective prayer:

“The best thing, where it is possible, is to keep the patient from the serious intention of praying altogether…this is best done by encouraging him to remember, or to think he remembers, the parrotlike nature of his prayers in childhood. In reaction against that, he may be persuaded to aim at something entirely spontaneous, inward, informal, and unregularised; and what this will actually mean to a beginner will be an effort to produce in himself a vaguely devotional mood in which real concentration of will and intelligence have no part. One of their poets, Coleridge, has recorded that he did not pray ‘with moving lips and bended knees’ but merely ‘composed his spirit to love’ and indulged ‘a sense of supplication.’ This is exactly the sort of prayer we want...” [2]

These prayers resemble nothing of the “prayers of the saints” rising “before God from the angel’s hand.” Prayers like those described by Wormwood’s uncle in The Screwtape Letters are no prayers at all.

Advice to self: Don’t spiritualize your prayers turning them into ash which dissipate in the wind of nothingness. Rather, simplify your prayers. Make them actual. Like a child, say them aloud and say them daily. Set aside special time to tell God exactly what’s on your heart and your prayers will rise with the smoke of your angel’s incense before the throne of God in heaven.
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[1] The name Wormwood comes from Revelation 8.10-11. John sees “a great star, blazing like a torch” and falling from the sky. According to the Bible, “the name of the star is Wormwood.” 

[2] The Screwtape Letters ~ How a Senior Devil Instructs a Junior Devil in the Art of Temptation, C.S. Lewis, Macmillan Paperbacks Edition, 1959, pp. 19-20. Of this book, the author himself confessed: “Though I had never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment” (p. xiii). This book is a must for not-faint-of-heart believers who are looking for a fresh dose of convicting and compelling truth.

The image of smoke is entitled "Blue smoke" and I found it at this interesting photographic website: http://www.focused-geeks.com/index.php?showimage=35.

"Who Gets In?"

Revelation 7.13-14 NIV

“These in white robes – who are they, and where did they come from?”

“Sir, you know.”

“These are they who… have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Heaven posed a question, “Who are they?” John was smart and refused to answer. He dared not impose his intellect or insert his opinion. Instead, the author of the book of Revelation wisely deferred to the questioner: “Sir, you know.”

It’s not mine to determine who does and does not get into Heaven. That’s God’s choice. While all are welcome “from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7.9), only a few will actually respond in faith and wash their robes “in the blood of the Lamb.”

“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Jesus, Matthew 22.14 NASU

Who gets in? Is Heaven an exclusive club? Of course not. All are welcome. God wants everyone.

“God… wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”

Paul, 1st Timothy 2.4 NIV

There is, however, a condition. We must wash our robes “in the blood of the Lamb.” No other expanded version, broadening definition, all-inclusive application, or universalistic interpretation of this simple truth will do. I cannot turn to “a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all” (Galatians 1.6-7).

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel

other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!”

Paul, Galatians 1.8 NIV

Anyone can get in. It’s not difficult. A simple prayer of faith will do... “Jesus, wash me with your blood. Cleanse me from my sins. I believe in You.”

“…you who believe in the name of the Son of God… may know that you have eternal life”.
1st John 5.13 NKJV

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The excellent "Washed in The Blood" image above was painted by Chris Dare and posted here with the artist's permission. In Chris' words: "I hope that the universal Biblical themes expressed in my art will bring unity in the church and inspire appreciation in the secular community."

"Bent on Conquest"

Revelation 6.2 NIV

“I looked and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.”

The rider of the white horse had a singular mission… conquest! He was a conqueror and he “rode out” like one. The NAS version of the Bible translates it this way:

“…he went out conquering,
and to conquer.”

For the white horse rider, conquest was a present and future reality. He conquered and  would continue his conquest. According to the Bible, I too am a conqueror.

“Yet in all these things 
we are more than conquerors through 
Him who loved us.”

Romans 8.37 NKJV

I am preparing for battle to…

• make a living
• expand my ministry
• manage my business 
• manage my finances
• manage my-self
• be an example of Jesus
• care for the needy
• hear the Spirit
• obey the Spirit
• love God
• love difficult people
• maintain a positive mental outlook
• perform with efficiency
• work hard
• resist temptation
• grieve well the loss of my wife
• care for my dear children and grandchildren
• hold my head high and do whatever’s next

My demons are many, but my God is great, and “I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me.” I am a conqueror so I should act like one. Life is not perfect; but life is good and the future is bright. There are battles to fight, but I can win the day. I am a warrior in Christ’s army and “can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4.13 NASB).

My “white horse” is parked in the garage. I will soon leave the comfort of my home, start her up, and drive somewhere “as a conqueror bent on conquest.”

____________________

The beautiful painting of horses rearing is "Untitled Work No. 0810" by Polish painter, Tomasz Rut (1961- ).

"Closed Book"

Revelation 5.4-5 “The Message”

“I wept and wept and wept that no one was found able to open the scroll, able to read it. One of the Elders said, ‘Don’t weep. Look — the Lion from Tribe Judah, the Root of David’s Tree, has conquered. He can open the scroll, can rip through the seven seals.’”

“Read the Bible” is cheap advice. Offering this solution to a suffering soul is almost shameful. It’s easy to say and costs the say-er nothing. Counsel of this kind offers no enduring hope and effectively drives a wedge between the seeker and giver of advice, which, of course, may be the latter’s un-admitted intention, insofar as he really cares little for the plight of his suffering brother.

“Read the Bible” may really mean “Don’t come to me with your petty problems. I’m far too busy right now for you. Go figure out life on your own and leave me alone.” But, of course, “Read the Bible” gets the advice-giver off the hook without feeling badly about a failed counseling session. Besides, it sounds much more polite and spiritual.

There is a reason why “Read the Bible” doesn’t work. The book is sealed. Nobody gets it! It’s impossible to grasp its meaning without help.[1] Our pain is too profound and the Bible is too distant, too aloof and cryptic. Somehow we know the words of the Bible can help but we can’t get at them on our own. The (meaning of the words in the) book is locked and sealed. Like medication in a human-proof container, no one can open the book and get the help they need. This is why so many people don’t bother to read the Bible. Its meaning eludes them. Bible reading feels like a waste of time. It’s a discipline that may be good for them but without immediate self-improvement results, they soon give up the practice. As one man said, “I got lost in the ‘begats,’ so I quit.”

Here’s more effective advice… “Get to know Jesus”! He is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” He alone can “open the scroll” and “rip through the… seals.” Jesus is able and willing to open the book and reveal its meaning to you and everyone you know.

 
“Don’t weep.” Look to Jesus. He can open the book, break the seal, and ‘crack the code.’ He is “the Word [who] became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1.14). Jesus can open the Bible and pour its life-giving water into your parched and thirsty soul.
_______________________

The very fine drawing "An Open Book" was posted on the BBC website by Catherine (age 17) of Bedfordshire, England in November 2007 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/).

[1] I do not intend to suggest that the Bible isn’t clear. I subscribe to the Reformation principle of the ‘perspicuity’ (clarity) of Scripture. Its meaning is transparent, clear, lucid, and visible to believers. The Bible is not obscure, ambiguous, or confusing. The Reformers were combating a politically motivated policy which allowed a corrupt ecclesiastical system to profit by leveraging the laity's superstition about the Holy Book. This false teaching insisted that Scripture’s truth was available only to clergy who alone were privileged to interpret the Bible to the masses. 

However, the reformers also believed that the Holy Scriptures could not be truly understood apart from faith in Christ and the illuminating action of the Holy Spirit, which is the point of my post. According to the historic Westminster Confession (I.6, c.a. 1643): “… we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word.” Those who are so illuminated may certainly grasp the meaning of the Bible as the Holy Spirit imparts understanding. We need to know Jesus Christ if we expect to benefit and comprehend any part of His Word.

"Come Up Here"

Revelation 4.1 a, b The Living Bible

“Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before, which sounded like a mighty trumpet blast, spoke to me and said, ‘Come up here…’”

At every point on the journey of faith there stands an open door beckoning me to step into the realm of Heaven. I must not wait until I die. Jesus calls me to join Him now.

“Come up here.”

There’s nothing for me down there, claims the Living Lord. I am invited to “Come up here,” to participate in my salvation with the God of Heaven, and to make a difference on this earth. I am to enjoy my epitaph long before it’s carved in stone on a forgotten plot of cemetery dirt. There are wondrous opportunities to merge the temporal and eternal, to blur the line that distinguishes ‘here-and-now’ from the ‘here-after.’  May the will of God be done in me, right here, right now, “on earth as it is in heaven.”

“Thy will be done on earth… as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6.10

My thoughts must remain heavenward.

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things on the earth.”
Colossians 3.2

The door of Heaven is open. Like John of the Bible, I may “come up here” long before I go back to the dust ‘from whence I came.’ Heaven is a glorious place to live during my stay on earth. The mysterious connection between this world and the next may be realized through a personal friendship with Jesus Christ who seamlessly transports His children back and forth, giving them a little taste of heaven on earth.

“Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6.20a, 21

Today I heard His voice, the voice of God’s gracious invitation. 

“Come up here”!

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The beautiful Christian images featured on today's blog were painted by Ron DiCianni who has earned national acclaim for his work with such major companies and organizations as McDonald's, the U.S. Olympic committee, and the Smithsonian Institution. You can view and purchase his art at http://www.rondicianni.com/.

"Ignorance of Ignorance"

Revelation 3.17 NASU

“Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,…”

There’s only one thing worse than ignorance and that’s being ignorant of one’s ignorance. It’s one thing to be ignorant. That’s forgivable, even fixable. But the ignorant man who thinks he’s not, well, that’s a problem. That guy may be a danger to himself and to all within his misguided realm of influence. Avoid him.

The Bible has a name for the person who is unaware of his own ignorance. He is called a fool. Fools are easy to spot. They cannot help themselves. Fools display their ignorance. Most people fully understand that if they don't know what they are talking about it’s best to keep quiet. The fool knows no such restraint.

“A fool… delights in airing his own opinions.”
Proverbs 18.2

A certain level of ignorance is tolerable, even expected. I cannot know everything. I may be ignorant of certain matters, but I don’t need to act foolish. I can accept that I am occasionally ignorant. I just want to know when I am. May God enlighten me to my own ignorance and protect me from the way of the fool who thinks he knows what he doesn’t and thereby becomes his own ultimate authority.

“He who trusts in himself is a fool.”
Proverbs 28.26

May the Lord keep me ever aware of my limitations and inadequacies. I pray that I will know when I am “wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” Jesus, expose my ignorance to me that I may keep from exposing it to everyone else. Teach me to shut up more often than I speak up.

“Blessed is the man who has nothing to say… and cannot be persuaded to say it.”

____________________

Purchase Scott Adam's 18th book When Did Ignorance Become a Point of View? at http://thedilbertstore.com/products/65412-when-did-ignorance-become-a-point-of-view.

"Prepare to Die"

Revelation 2.8a, 10-11 NIV 1984

“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer... 
Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life... 
He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”
Smyrna was city about forty miles north of Ephesus on the west coast of modern day Turkey bordering the Aegean Sea. The literal Greek word for “Smyrna” is translated “myrrh” in three other verses of the New Testament and always used in reference to the suffering and death of Jesus:

• The wise men from the east brought “gifts of gold and incense and myrrh [lit. smyrna]” to the child Jesus (Matthew 2.11) and unknowingly forecasted the Passion of the Christ.
• Bystanders at Golgotha offered Jesus “wine mixed with myrrh [lit. smyrna]” to help deaden His pain just prior to crucifixion. Jesus refused to drink it (Mark 15.23).
• Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea used a seventy-five pound “mixture of myrrh [lit. smyrna] and aloes” (John 19.39) to embalm the body of Jesus.

“Smyrna” refers to suffering and death. Of one thing we may all be certain… we will die. Likely there will be some suffering attached to the event. “Smyrna” reminds us to prepare for the inevitable. We may suffer and will certainly die.

Thirteen years ago, I said good-bye to my father and watched him slide past death’s door at the hospice center. I miss him and think of him every day. He was a Christian man. 

Five years later (eight years ago), I had the same experience with my dear mother. I knelt by her bedside at her home in Bothell, Washington, and whispered in her ear, “I love you Mom. Go be with Jesus. Go be with Dad. Oh, Jesus take her into Your loving arms.” A moment later, she took her last breath. I was, at once, both very sad and truly happy, relieved and broken. My aunt and uncle and I huddled and cried next to Mom’s lifeless form. But Mom, like Dad, knew the Lord and she is with Him now.

Adonica was the love of my life and I shall never forget the moment she slipped into eternity. I was surrounded by family, friends, neighbors, a kindly ambulance driver, and helpful nurse from the hospice center: Sunday, 2:14 p.m., August 30th, 2015. It was very quiet, except for the sound of my weeping.  

My loved ones and I may face more suffering. “Smyrna” and “myrrh” are real, but death does not have to frighten us. We may face it bravely and and remain faithful. Today I will take great comfort from the words of the angel at the church in Smyrna:

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.”
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
“He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”

____________________

The cartoon image "Facing Death" is a woodcut used by permission of the very talented artist Dan Nelson. I love his thoughts about an artist's calling to serve: “When artists focuses on ‘expressing themselves’ they abdicate their calling as servants. Artists are given to the community to re-humanize the world through the creation of art.” You may view and purchase his work at http://dannelsonart.com/.

"Deep Reading"

Revelation 1.3 NKJV

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

Houses need regular cleaning. Dust gathers. Mud gets tracked in. Dirt happens. A home owner can get by with superficial cleaning for a while. It helps to invite guests over to the home. The pressure of “having company” may spur the host into a much needed cleaning frenzy. A rapid run-through with the vacuum cleaner, a quick de-cluttering, throw the dishes in the dishwasher, check the bathrooms.

Most visitors will not notice (or be too polite to comment on) hidden dirt lurking just beyond the line of vision. Surface cleaning is passable... for a while. Eventually, every home needs ‘deep cleaning’ above the bookcase and door frames, under the beds and rugs, behind the toilets, and in all the corners and cracks of unlit and forgotten places.

I can read the Bible superficially. A quick run-through a chapter or two. A check mark by an interesting verse, a minute of meditation, and call it good. The Christian company I keep remains sufficiently impressed with my superficial knowledge and use of Scripture.

Surface Bible reading works… for a while. At some point I need to do some ‘deep reading.’ The dust of the world settles naturally in my brain. The mold of sin quickly grows around my soul. The clutter of undisciplined behavior collects on every horizontal surface of my being. I wouldn’t want Jesus to see my spiritual house this way. I need to do some ‘deep reading;’ that is, the kind of Bible study that actually pays attention to what I’m reading instead of allowing my thoughts to wander while my eyes scan the text. ‘Deep reading’ requires me to actually hear the text and listen to the Holy Spirit. It begins with the rock solid conviction that, because God will speak to me from the pages of Scriptures, I must pay attention and act accordingly.

I think it’s time to get my spiritual house in order and invite Jesus over for a visit.

"My Beloved Lazy Boy"

“…fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish.” Jude 3c “The Message”

“…contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” Jude 3c NAS

Wednesday, November 29th, 2006: 

This moment is perfection, at least, as much perfection as can be achieved on earth. I am alone reclining on my Lazy Boy sofa chair. It’s early and dark outside. I’m wide awake after a full night of sleep. My senses are tweaked to the max and I am fully aware of God’s gift of comfort.

Mentally, I am at peace knowing that all is well with my wife and kids soundly sleeping upstairs. The soft glow of Christmas lights and decorations remind me of Christ’s birth. Michael Allen Harrison’s rendition of “O Come All Ye Faithful” chimes low from my computer blending in perfect harmony with Larry, my cat purring aggressively at my head on the top of the sofa and the water sounds from the indoor fountain in my study. The aroma of a steaming cup of Starbuck’s Verona swirls in the air. I am warm, comfortable, fully caffeinated, relaxed, prayed up, and ready to read God’s Word. All is well in my universe.

Against this soul-soothing back-drop, Jude’s command snaps me into another realm of consciousness...

“Fight with everything you have. Contend earnestly for the faith.”

I don’t want to leave my soft, overstuffed recliner. No feeling could surpass this moment of quiet tranquility and intimacy with Jesus. I deeply appreciate the gift of reprieve and the respite God allows me during my daily devotional practice of P, B & J (prayer, Bible, and journaling). But it would be selfish to remain here. A couple hours in the morning is all I get. There’s a war out there. I have battles to fight. I must make a difference in the world. Christ calls me to “contend earnestly for the faith.” I’m not clear, in this moment, what it means for me to “fight with everything you have” today or “contend earnestly for the faith.” Whatever it means, I am quite sure it will require me to leave my beloved Lazy Boy. 

I hear the understanding voice of Jesus gently whispering in my ear..., “Don’t be a...”

______________

Wednesday, November 26th, 2014: 

I wrote this piece approximately eight years ago. Today on November 26, 2014, things are different. It's early in the morning. I'm still drinking good coffee, listening to Michael Allen Harrison's soothing piano music, and getting ready to read my Bible. My kids are still sleeping peacefully upstairs. But things are different now. The cat is dead and the Lazy Boy sofa shows serious signs of wear from my daily ritual. All is no longer "well with my universe." I feel peaceful, but not comfortable. I will soon make my daily drive to Sunnyside Hospital where my wife is fighting to regain her health, suffering from acute myeloid luekemia. Life is short and filled with surprises, not all of them pleasant. We miss our wife and mom and want her home soon.  

Wednesday, November 30th, 2016: 

It's been two years from my last reading of this entry and things have changed. Robert and Rachel are still sleeping quietly upstairs. They will be up in a couple hours to get ready for another day at Beaverton High School. I'm still drinking good coffee and listening to Michael Allen Harrison. Christmas lights are up and I'm ready to read my Bible. Last night, as we drove from her piano lesson, Rachel confided in me: "I was thinking about Mom and wishing I could go to the mall with her." We miss her so, so, so much. I wrote a book and started a non-profit called 423 Communities. I am still called to get off my Lazy Boy (where I am now sitting) and "contend earnestly for the faith." Today will be a good and productive day. I will trust and serve Jesus and, God willing, make Adonica proud of me.

Wednesday; November 28th, 2018:

My precious wife died just over three years ago, and I have never fully recovered from the loss. Her pictures still line the stairwell and precious memories fill my heart. Robert is at the Air Force Academy and Rachel and I are banging around in this big house all by ourselves. I am still on my Lazy Boy chair reading the Bible and sipping Starbucks. Michael Allen still plays Christmas music in the background. But the lights and Christmas tree are missing. Rachel did not want to decorate this year. Too much work, she claimed, and Christmas apparently doesn't mean anything to her. I feel so broken. I'm a adequate dad, barely, but such a crappy mother. This previously cherished holy-day will never be the same. Everyone has left Rachel. I alone remain for her, and I am clearly not enough. This hurts as much as the death of my wife. Rachel deserved so much more.

Which John are You?

3rd John 13-14 NIV

“I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.”

A couple of millenniums ago a man named John shared his ideas and feelings with friends in several letters. He had many more things to say and, unable to express all his thoughts in writing, John made plans to see them “face to face.” The anticipation of a reunion with old friends made him feel warm inside. He visualized greeting each one “by name.” They would spend many hours just talking. What joy this brought to John’s heart.

Compare John of the Bible with today’s  John. This John is too busy to see his friends. He has important work to do. He loves his friends but duty calls. He must sacrifice their time together for now. Instead of paying a visit, he’ll make a few quick phone calls (hoping to get voice mail), fire off a couple of emails or texts, and call it good. Down deep Modern Day John is afraid to make a connection with people. They might require something of him. He is well acquainted with his own inadequacy and knows the limitation of his capacity to love. He’s been hurt by so-called friends in the past. He will not make that mistake again.

Instead, this John throws himself into his work with total abandon. Modern John is addicted to success. Work is predictable and much easier than relationships. John is a successful businessman and writes a couple of books. He even makes public appearances. John becomes a celebrity but he is lonely. No one really knows him. He wants friends. He wants to be known, but doesn’t know how. 

The kids grow up and leave home. His wife leaves him. Work is his only real friend now. It will always be there. Modern Day John nurtures his relationship with work seven days a week. Weeks turn into years. His public persona fades like a distant ship on the sea of popularity and his fans eventually forgot all about John. Modern Day John dies and hardly anyone notices. His memorial service is sparsely attended. Just a few folks from the office, and the kids he hasn’t seen in years.

Modern John always intended to get together with his friends and family... later when he had more time. But “later” and “more time” never came. Modern Day John should have taken his cue from John of the Bible. Bible John had real work to do. The work of relationships. This John dedicated himself to the friends he loved. He made new friends and loved them too. John of the Bible found Jesus in the people he met. They found Jesus in him. They all found eternal joy in the time they spent together before they parted for the last time. Bible John’s funeral was preached to a packed house. He left a  legacy. 

“I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”
2nd John 12b

“I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The

friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.”

3rd John 14

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The cartoon images above from "OnLineHugs.com" (http://www.onlinehugs.com/).

"True Love"

2nd John 1 NIV

“The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth – ”

When I was very little, I used to wonder why there was such a thing as war. “Why can’t people get along?” The fact that my younger brother and I bickered constantly should have been a clue. I had the silly, childlike notion that every country should build bridges to all others and meet in the middle. If we loved each other there would be no wars, terrorism, fighting, hatred, or abuse. There, at the middle of the bridge, we would forever end ‘man’s inhumanity to man.’

The idea of negotiating peace on the middle ground of common beliefs and in a spirit of love made sense to me back then. But I have since learned that love is not enough. The elder John opened his second letter with a claim to “love in the truth.” Truth is as equally important as love. Unfortunately, truth is not easy to find. Most of us wonder, as did Pontius Pilate on the eve of Jesus’ crucifixion, “What is truth?” (John 18.38). If the meaning of truth was not in question, if we all believed the same, then there would be no divisions among us and love would naturally exist. It’s easy to love people who agree with us.

However, there are many versions of “truth” and people have always fought to defend theirs’s. The defense of truth can be extremely dangerous. What if the “truth” I seek and embrace is, in fact, not the truth? A lie from hell can masquerade as truth and cause unspeakable damage, as nearly occurred eight years ago at Pioneer Courthouse Square when a bombing plot was successfully foiled during the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in the city of Portland.[1]

If you believe that the eradication of the infidel is your greatest expression of love for the supreme being you serve, then you will commit violent atrocities in his name. Sadly, in the case of radical Islam, some young people have no real choice in this matter. They are born into a religious system that fosters unreasoned hatred. They become indoctrinated as toddlers and grow up knowing little else.  

Most of us have a choice. We may choose a system of truth grounded in a personal relationship with a Supreme Being who existed before the beginning of time and within whom dwells the perfect combination of love and truth. Through Him we can actually “love in the truth.” Before I can even hope to love anyone I must know and subscribe to the real truth. I cannot simply love and hope for harmony. Love as an idea is meaningless. I must truly love or my love matters not at all.

About two thousand years ago God showed us what it meant to “love in the truth”...

“But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son

in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.”

Romans 5.8 “The Message”

___________________

[1] The accused terrorist, nineteen year old Mohamed Osman Mohamud, felt betrayed by his family: "To my parents, who held me back from jihad in the cause of Allah. I say to them, if you make allies with the enemy, then Allah's power will ask you about that on the day of judgment." (The Oregonian, "Bomb suspect in court today," front page, November 29, 2010).

"Clever Facsimiles"

1st John 5.20c-21
“The Message”

“This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.”

Do you know when the first “fax” machine was invented? Take a multiple choice guess.

• 1843
• 1920
• 1962
• 1986

If you selected 1843 you’d be correct. In that year Alexander Bain, a Scottish mechanic and amateur watch maker, received a British patent for the earliest version of modern “fax” technology. Bain’s machine evolved from Samuel Morse’s telegraph and combined watch parts with telegraph code to transmit an image from a metal surface.  

Nearly one hundred and fifty years later (around 1990) while on a sales call in southern Washington my customer introduced me to (what I thought was) a brand new concept. She offered to “fax the order.” I soon learned about scanners that converted physical documents into digital images and modems that transferred data through phone lines to printers in other locations where duplicate images of the original document were created. Amazing!  

The Internet, e-fax, and web-based computing have made fax machines almost obsolete. I can now obtain electronic signatures and create fully executed, long distance contracts via email without the use of a fax machine. No more email attachments, printing, signing, and faxing. Just a few points and clicks and presto... a fully signed document.  

Fax technology was pretty cool while it lasted. Cool or not, one fact was always evident… the recipient of a “fax” was never in possession of the original document. A facimile or “fax” in its etymological Latin roots means ‘to make (fac) similar (simile).’ A fax may appear to be the real thing, but its not.  

I am daily inundated with spiritual copies of the real thing. Countless nearly perfect duplicates of the original Gospel message compete for my allegiance. Counterfeit options to Biblical truth abound. I am routinely be assaulted with reams of meaningless religious facsimiles vying for my devotion. I mustn’t be fooled. Jesus alone is the real thing.

“This Jesus is both True God and Real Life.
Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.”

"The Dawning"

1st John 4.16a NASU

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.”
 Love is not instantly understood. It is felt over an undetermined length of time. I have grown in my love for my beautiful wife (who is now in heaven) and each of my seven children. My love has been steady and always present, but never perfect or easily expressed and received. It has changed, matured, evolved, sometimes, even faltered. Together, we stumbled through the journey of love, pausing frequently to forgive and love again. We learned to depend on each other, receiving and returning the love so essential for our health and healing. Our love for each other is reinforced daily in countless ways. 

God’s love is even better. It’s perfectly consistent. It dawns on us that God is trustworthy. The sun rises every single morning and has for thousands of years. That fact alone says something about His character. God’s love is reliable.

For most believers, conversion to Christianity was not a pin-pointable event. It grew. Salvation was not a ‘Paul on the road to Damascus’ flash of revelatory light knocking us off the high horse of our active resistance to the gospel. Instead, small revelations converged to momentarily suspend and then renew our thinking. Many, minor spiritual ‘ah-ha’s’ added up to noteworthy conclusions. It was a progressive epiphany. Truth began to make spiritual sense... maybe Jesus is who He said He was. No instant drama or blinding light. Just an evolution of hope made real deep in our souls. We tried Jesus on for size. Did He fit? We looked in the mirror of self-awareness and He seemed to fit just fine. We gave Jesus a chance and He didn’t let us down. His love was constant and dependable.

As Christ comes more into focus, God’s plan of salvation emerges and we embrace truth with ever-increasing confidence. Somewhere along the line “we have come to know.” It isn’t clear exactly how or when it happened, but it did happen. There are many things we do not comprehend but, like the blind-from-birth man who encountered Jesus, this “one thing” is certain...

“One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.”
John 9.25 NIV

“We have come to know” !

"The Magical Appearing Socks Trick"

1st John 3.18 KJV

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

Every day I wear socks. I open my sock drawer and there they are! It’s magic. I never run out. There’s always enough. Like the widow’s oil (2nd Kings 4.1-7) or loaves and fish (Matthew 15.32-38), they just keep multiplying. The socks are always there… clean, folded, in a variety of colors, and ready to wear.

Actually, I know how this trick works. It’s not really magic, but it is miraculous. It’s the miracle of love. Love puts clean socks in my drawer when I’m not looking so they appear when I need them. Somebody loves me. That’s the miracle. Love picks up, washes, dries, folds, and puts away my socks every day… it’s a miracle! Someone chooses not to “love in word, neither in tongue.” Instead, she loves “in deed and in truth,” just like the Bible says. I am Elisha’s widow. I am one of five thousand whom Jesus fed. I am my wife’s clean sock wearer. I am the beneficiary of the miracle of love.

It’s hard for me to imagine what possesses a woman to love at that depth and with such consistency. Could it have be Jesus in her? 

That was then. 

Four years ago, my dear wife was in the oncology ward receiving chemotherapy for acute myloid leukemia. She could no longer do my socks, so other angels picked up the task. Our older children moved into my home to care for the younger ones, allowing me to spend those many days in the hospital with Adonica. Clean socks still showed up each morning in my sock drawer. Our grown kids did my laundry, even though they were busy with their own active lives, children, and jobs. 

It's still hard for me to comprehend this type of love. What possessed my family to love like this? Was it Jesus in them? 

Today I wash, fold, and put away my own socks. I miss the magical days when clean socks appeared in my drawer without my help. I miss the woman who was living evidence of the presence of Jesus. Now I must love others “in deed and in truth,” just like I have been loved. There are plenty of people with dirty socks who could benefit from the miracle of Jesus in me.  

"Cold Pricklies and Warm Fuzzies"

1st John 2.24, 27d “The Message”

“Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father.”

“Live deeply in what you were taught.”

I’m having some personal difficulty with 1st John. The book seems too ‘black and white.’ John speaks of light and darkness, truth-tellers and liars, Christ and the anti-Christ. You either love your brother or you hate him.  

“The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”  

1st John 2.10-11 NASU

When it comes to human relationships, is there not something in between love and hate? To my knowledge, I don’t hate anyone, but there are some people I don’t like very much. I have no opportunity to display love toward them because they avoid me in the same way I do them. Does this constitute hatred toward my “brother” and walking “in the darkness”? I hope not. Some people don’t mix well with me. We are like oil and water.

I wish I got along with everyone and, for the most part, I do. I have great relationships with family, clients, and neighbors. But there are those few who, like ‘flies in the ointment,’ ruin my otherwise flawless compatibility record. These detractors prove I am not the “World’s Most Congenial Guy.”

Oddly many of them, like me, are professing believers and active church goers. I don’t get it. When I am around these people I receive no ‘warm fuzzies,’ only ‘cold pricklies.’ Why won’t Jesus wipe away all differences and help us achieve the unity He promised and commanded? Am I doing something wrong? Are they the bad guys? Or, is there an explanation that, for the moment, eludes me?

Only one thing consistently gives me the warm fuzzy feeling… “the original message” of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When I “let it sink into my life” I feel better, more confident of His calling and love. When I press into Jesus and the truths of the Bible, I experience the personal benefits of living “deeply in both the Son and the Father.” To “live deeply in what I was taught” when I first met the Lord nearly  years ago brings an inner joy and peace that cannot be shaken. Living deeply for Christ is the only response that makes sense of the cold prickly people I know.

I will try to love them, but when I fail, and fail I will, Jesus will have to sort it out for me later.

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”  

1st John 2.1 ESV

_________________

Hugging cactus from webcomic "A Simple Apology" by Mark Gleim.

"Start Using Bad Words"

1st John 1.8-9 NASU

“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 

“If  we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

When I was a boy, my dad and little brother and I faithfully performed the ritual of “confession” every Saturday night in preparation for Mass the following day. Revealing my sins to a priest in a dark booth apparently absolved me of all past wrongdoing, granting me clearance to receive the sacrament of holy communion on Sunday. I was required to recite a few “Hail Mary’s” and an “Our Father” or two and, after completing my penance, could leave the sanctuary free from sin. 

Does this sound ridiculous? Did this weekend ritual truly cleanse my soul? As silly as it now seems, I then believed it did and I always felt better after confession.

Sin. What an ugly, unpopular, little word. Except for many Roman Catholics (who discuss their personal sins with a priest on Saturday night) or certain Protestants (who willingly hear of their sins from the pulpit on Sunday morning), people will not tolerate the subject. The concept of “sin” is offensive to progressive thinkers and never used in polite conversation. The very word is nearly unspeakable and banned to the ‘island of forbidden subject matter’ along with other very bad words like “guilt,” “holy,” “Jesus,” and “discipline.”

Sin, however, is a reality, whether we accept it or not. All of us have some of it residing in the dark crevices of our souls. John said if we deny it we are self-deceived. He also assured Christ-followers that “the blood of Jesus… cleanses us from all sin” (1st John 1.7), a reality which may be ours through the regular practice of humble confession. 

I probably felt better on Saturday nights for a reason.