Evil

Evil: profound immorality and wicked

²⁰ Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.

²¹ Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
    and clever in their own sight.

Isaiah 5:20-21

            The problem of evil is one of those issues that we can sit and talk for hours on and we will walk way more confused than when we started.  The problem of evil often causes us to question the goodness of God and if He is really all powerful to prevent it and why would He allow it.  This lead me to reread NT Wright book Evil and the Justice of God and it is one of my favorite books of all time and it will be a book I will revisit within the next couple of years.  This book isn’t the end all be all on the subject, mostly because the book would go on forever, but Wright did make a couple interesting points in his book that I have been wrestling with.

            The first observation is how often do we as people go with the ideology that people are essentially good, and when evil does happen, we are shocked, and our said response to the evil is blown out of proportion.    An example of this is could be the basketball player Magic Johnson.  All throughout the 80’s he was one of the best basketball players on the planet, always had a smile on his face and very personable and seemed to be well liked by everyone who ever met him.  All this came tumbling down when he came out publicly of having HIV/AIDS and he abruptly retired from basketball.  He did try and make a come back as a player, but he received a lot of backlash for having the disease and he was called many names that are not are not worth repeating. This doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t of faces any consequences, but how often do our reactions tend to be on either extreme.  There are times when we live in the extremes will get us into trouble and not be able to see the picture clearly or respond appropriately.

            How often when we hear or see evil, is our response appropriate to what is said or done, or how often do we blow things out of the proportion.  We tend to break out the pitchforks and gain the mob mentality against said evil and our actions become just as aberrant as the original sin.  Pick a topic any of todays topic that gets people blood flowing, whether it is mass shootings vs the 2^nd Amendment, or government sponsored health care, vs fiscal responsibility and small government.  Each side tends to pick up their pitchforks and attacks the other side like they are a bunch of clueless idiots who belong in a different century or just need to be voted off the island.  These issues need to be discussed and dealt with properly, but I was taught by my mom calling someone a poopy head or butt sniffer is not the best way to go about business.  Maybe we need to learn how to attack the argument and not the person, but so often we demonize the person for the beliefs they hold and don’t address the issues at hand.

            The flip side to NT Wrights observation is the idea that when evil does happen, we become so numb to it, that we just don’t care.  We become like Eeyore, and drudge along thinking that we can’t change anything.  As Christians, this often leads to the prayer for Jesus to return by the end of the day or for Him to take us home immediately.  This is essentially throwing in the towel and saying that my God isn’t big enough, strong enough or willing to change things here on earth so we want Him to get us out of this hell hole.  This often leads to apathy and not care about anything except for getting what is ours and what we deserve. 

            My third observation on evil is how often do we use the distraction factor.  As parents, how often do you distract the kids around Christmas time so you can go hide and or wrap Christmas presence.  I think we not only do this with modern day issues, but with the issue of evil itself.  How often do we avoid talking about what is really going on by talking about the weather.  Most of the issues we face today, whether in education, gun control, or health care, is not so much about how we educate, whether the 2^nd Amendment is applicable for today, or whether we have the right to choose what sex we are, the right to end life at any age or condition or any other number of health care related issues.  How often are our arguments based on how they make us feel or how they will benefit us somehow and not so much on whether they are right or wrong. 

           I would feel remissed if I didn't mention that there is such of a thing as abhorant evil. Whether it's concentration/internment camps, slavery, abortion, murder, racism among other things. These are often generational and affect several generations after. This evil often happen when we turn a deaf ear to God the Creator and we do what we want when we want. To use the famous quote, for evil to succeed, good men (and women) do nothing. Maybe we need a lesson from German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who stood up to the Third Riech when it wasn't popular and he need up dying in a concentration camp for his stance and actions. There is evil that needs to be dealt with no matter the skin color, nationality, or party line.

            To bring it home, evilness is an action, but more importantly, it is a condition of the heart. Do we aim to serve ourselves or do we bow down to and accept Gods grace and authority through faith.  Actions do matter, just because I cold caulked someone for a good reason doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be any repercussions. We can do wonderful things with bad intentions and vice versa.  Getting back to our Isaiah passage, what is our definition of good.  If our definition of good is not Gods definition, we are in trouble.  Isaiah tells us God does not look favorably on those who do good in their own sight because there will be consequences for our actions. Sometimes evilness is us turning everything on its head and living to our life by our own standards.  When we are left to our own accord, bad thoughts will lead to bad speech, which leads to bad actions which leads to bad character.  In essence evilness often prevails when become morally bankrupt and our definition of good changes like the sea.

            Full disclosure, we can not have a discussion about evil without discussing the devil.  Biblically speaking, He is a tempter, an accuser and a liar.  To paraphrase a CS Lewis quote, the devil doesn’t try and convince us that God doesn’t exist, but that God doesn’t matter.  This is where self-reliance and self-gratification comes in and takes the place of God.  We become the god of our own destiny and it is all about how I feel and what I want.  Feelings are important and we should pay attention to them, but making them the end all be all can lead to disastrous results. The devil realizes that he has lost, so he is bringing everyone down with Him that He can. By the way, to say the devil made me do it is just bad theology along with canceling out our free will and Gods power and authority. I think there are three responses to evilness that will be addressed later post.  The fist one is do we run and hide and pretend it doesn’t exist? Do we use humanism, and try and make better laws and work to better ourselves (or evolve) to deal with evil? Or do we submit to Gods authority and have His grace change our heart along with our attitudes/intentions and how we see things so that we can go out and change the world?

Authentic

Authentic: of undisputed origin; genuine.

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Romans 12:9-18

            I was in a meeting this week and a group of us were discussing Biblical Sexuality and how the world does not embrace or adhere to the Biblical standards on sex and maybe even relationships.  One of the things that kept coming to my mind during our conversation is the word authentic, because this just may be the only way we can reach a hurting world and to show them that Gods plan for our relationships is not stuck in the stone age or old fashioned, or even bigoted, but it is the only way we can have a growing relationship with each other and with God.

            My first observation about being authentic is that our relationships both romantically and friendship needs to be more than a feeling.  Yes, we can use the famous Boston song as a reminder, because I know at least with me, my feelings can be a roller coaster and they can vary from day to day.  When we base our life on feelings, it makes life subjective.  We do whatever makes us happy or feel good.  If robbing a bank or punching someone in the face is going to make me feel good, nothing should stop me from doing it and I should be free from the consequences of doing such things.  If we based our relationships solely on feelings, it makes them shallow and it makes us a consumer.  When we become consumers, it’s about what I want and when I want it, and if I do not get it, I cam and will go elsewhere.  I am not saying we should avoid our feelings, but we can not let them run or ruin our lives.

            My second observation on being authentic is that we are in it for the long haul.  One of my favorite books of all time is The Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.  One of the concepts that has stuck with me is when Denver ask Ron if he was a part of a catch and release program or if Ron was in it for the long haul.  How many of our relationships are we in is to either get something or to provide something and when the business transaction is done, we move on.  How many times do we do this, especially with people we do not agree with?  We either just stick around till we either share the Gospel, there is some sort of conversion, or some other moment and then we either walk or run away.  I understand that there are some relationships that run their course and they are in our lives in a particular season for a particular reason.  Whether it is college friends, or people we work with, or for some other reason, those people are in our lives for a short time.  I am not talking so much about this.  There are people in our lives that are in our lives for the long haul, and those people are usually easy to identify.  Are we willing to speak honestly with these people and are we willing to listen to them also, especially when they are sharing the hard truths with us.  We can either stick around and embrace the truth, avoid the conversation or just walk away.

            The third observation about authenticity is honesty, not only with others but with ourselves also.  How often do we spew a message that we may or may not believe, but we know that this message will face the least resistance or make us feel that we belong with a particular group.  Its like living in Boston and hating the Yankees, but secretly we have a severe man crush on Aaron Judge and the Steinbrenner family.  I know that this may seem trivial, but I think that our culture is starving for some honesty and real talk.  I do not think we need to be lighting people up with Godly retribution because we can, but being honest with grace will go a long ways, even if we do not know the answer. 

            We can talk all day about being honest with other people all day long, but how often are we completely honest with ourselves.  Here is a news alert, we can not be honest with others until we get honest with ourselves and God.  Anything else is just half truths and immaturity.  So here is my question, are we not honest with ourselves and or God because we are afraid of the answers or because we are lazy and we do not want to grow up?  I am sorry, we can not be Peter Pan and live in his imaginary world because that world is make believe.

            My fourth observation about authenticity, especially when dealing with the hard stuff like Biblical Sexuality, is that it takes vulnerability.  When we are vulnerable, it gets messy fast and that we have nothing to protect us.  I think that when we are vulnerable with, ourselves, others and God, we are admitting that there is such a thing as Truth and that it is not subjective or based on cultural or personal thoughts, whims or feelings.  When we are vulnerable, we are admitting that there is a right and wrong and there is a standard that we can actually live our lives by.  But here is the thing about Truth, it is still true and there is a standard to live by whether we are vulnerable or not or agree even with it or think it is a bunch a garbage.  Because of sin and our disobedience, our ways and Gods ways are not the same, and the sooner we realize this and correct it, the better off we all will be.

            Vulnerability means that when we have conversations with people we do not agree with, we try and live at peace with them.  I know that this is not always possible, but we need to stop seeing the other side as a bunch of idiots, but as people who are created in Gods image, and who are sinners just like us.  This means we listen not to respond, but to understand.  I was in the doctors office recently and it was one of the first doctor appointments in a long time where I felt like I was heard.  This didn’t mean I walked away with answers, but being heard can make all the difference in the world.  When we seek to understand, we can respond appropriately with Gods grace and with His love.  In essence we become the Rick Astley song Never Going to Give You Up and that we are not going to tell lies, let each other down, or give up on each other and desert each other?

So here are some questions to ponder:

   Do we listen to respond or are we listening to understand?

   Do we ever have the desire to Rick Roll people and leave them out to dry?

   Is our relationships and or truth about feelings or is it based on something that is more concrete?

Grief

Grief-A deep sorrow, especially caused by someone’s death

¹⁴ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

I Thessalonians 4:14-18

            One of the biggest stories of the baseball season so far is the unexpected death of the player Tyler Skaggs.  It sent shock waves across the baseball community and it was national news.  One of the things this story did is bring grief back into the national spotlight and how people and teams deal with it, especially when it is unexpected.  One of the cool things that the Anaheim Angles did in their home game after Tyler’s death was turn it into a memorial service not only for the team, and the fans, but it was a way to rally around Tyler’s family in time of grief.  Tyler’s mom threw out the first pitch, the team wore Tyler’s number and the pitching staff combined to throw a no hitter.  The coolest part about the night was when the players went out to the pitching mound after the game and placed their jersey’s on the mound and took a team picture. Tyler’s unexpected death has gotten me thinking about grief a lot lately and here are some things I have been working through.

            The first thing I have come to realize is that grief is messy.  I wish grief could be settled by a good cry, a strong hug and a couple pictures of cute puppies.  Unfortunately, grief does not work this way.  As I have listened to stories of parents who have lost children, grief is messy and it gets ugly.  There are good days, and then there are days where they just want to shut down and cry because their grief causes so much pain and hurt.  I think what makes grief so messy, is that we are confronted with a wide range of emotions, such as anger, bitterness, sadness, and depression. The messiness comes in because we can not keep those emotions in check and they tend to spill out into our every day life those emotions messes with said life.

            Another thing I have learned, grieving online can be really messy and down right hateful, especially when someone famous dies.  Doing things online and through social media can be helpful, but it can also add fuel to a very destructive fire.  Earlier this year when the progressive Christian blogger and writer Rachel Held Evans died from a sickness, the internet trolls came out to play.  There were the people who loved her and her theology, and others who despised her theology and it seemed like those two camps were sparring with each other and it got ugly and plenty of names were called.  We tend to only see people for either their issue or for what they stand for or against and not as people, this is a very dangerous place to live.  This leads us to treating each other as avatars and the things we do and or say we think that we shouldn’t have to have consequences for. When we do this, we tend to forget to look in the mirror and account for our won actions, thoughts, struggles and actions.  If we believe in the Bible and that it is true, we all are created in Gods image and God called His creation good.

            My second observation is that we should never ever grieve alone.  I know there are many ways to grieve, but doing it alone should not be one of them.  This does not mean that we should be in the town square in sack cloth and ashes, but grieving with others is essential.  When the Angles found out the death of their teammate, they gathered together, shared stories, vented, and shed a lot of tears.  Whether you do this with others who have the same shared grief or you find a person or a group of people to journey with through this time is essential.  There are times when can share their feelings and thoughts along with being able to sit in silence with someone.  I know there are times where I really didn’t want to talk, and yet I wasn’t comfortable being alone either.  It is being comfortable with where we are at and in our own skin, to where we can and even do this with others. To use a Simon and Garfunkel song title, the Sound of Silence can be a good thing and very healing.  I think what being #familystrong is all about.  We all want to be family when life is good, but when life gets difficult, family sticks around and isn’t afraid to listen, cry, and share truth with us, not matter how difficult it is. 

            My third observation with grief is that we will never be the same.  The loss of a spouse, child, marriage or whatever dream we have held on to will leave a big wound.  One of my favorite sayings is that scars tell cool stories, but in order for those scars to tell stories, we have to let those wounds heal.  Apart of the healing process is realizing that there is going to be a new normal.  Chances are, we are going to look at life from a different perspective and approach relationships differently.  I will be honest, finding a new normal sucks, because it takes work, understanding and a whole lot of grace.  Whether it is a change in life style because of some sort of medical issue, not going to baby showers because it reminds you of the children you can not have, or any other sort of issue.  As much as we wish things would go back to the way they were, I am not sure if that is healthy and here is why.  It is saying that whatever event we went through either did not happen, or that we are avoiding the consequences of said event.  When we avoid or minimize/maximize grief it will get us into trouble real fast.  The new normal might mean that our relationships will change and that we will lose some friends and even gain new ones.  Just don’t be afraid to change.

My fourth observation with grief is something that C.S. Lewis mentioned in his book A Grief Observed.  He draws the correlation between fear and grief.  This got me thinking that how often fear may join grief and how often fear causes panic, questions and even in ability to do things.  When we are grieving, fear often takes us down the road of questioning our relationships, how we do things, the existence of God and His goodness. If we still believe that there is a God, He becomes a thug that does cruel things for His own enjoyment. Fear can also cause us to pull back, lack trust, and become a little darker with our humor and outlook on life.  This form of fear will cause us to become self reliant, jaded and bitter.

            Let me close with this, grief and grieving are apart of life and I think we need to do it well.  I think how we can tell if others and even ourselves will get through this episode or season of grief is where we find our hope.  As the Apostle Paul laid out in the passage I started with, if you are a follower of Jesus, we should not grieve like the world grieves.  This means that we actually have hope for a future and because of Christ work on the cross and His resurrection, things will be made right for eternity with His return. To my knowledge, hope is the only thing that can go toe to toe with grief.  There are days when grief will try and be a destructive force, but our hope in Jesus is the only thing that can get us through the season of grief  For those of you are not followers of Christ, you can have this same hope of eternity with the Creator.  This does not mean that every day will be sunshine and puppies, actually quite the opposite, but God will be there guiding us and leading us through it all.

Integrity

Integrity: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, moral uprightness

The wise of heart will receive commandments,

but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

^{9  r}Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked ^swill be found out.

¹⁰  Whoever ^twinks the eye causes trouble,

and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Proverbs 10:8-10 ESV

       How many of us have witnessed a press conference or watched a YouTube clips of some famous person issuing some sort of apology for something they said or did.  These clips usually end with some sort of phrase of “this isn’t really who I am as a person” or “how they will try and do better in the future”.  It seems like most of the apologies are scripted, insincere, and more about damage/image control than being actually sorry for said stupid actions or speech.  Sports columnist Rick Riley penned a satire column a number of years back giving athletes a guide on how to apologize for their said transgression and how they were going to be better people.  I know we are all people and we all do and say stupid things, and we need to own up to them without giving some sort of canned and insincere apology.  We have to do better than doing or saying something and then just asking for forgiveness later, because when we do this, are we really sorry?  I think this issue might have something to do with our integrity and how we live our life. 

      One of the more popular definitions of integrity is what are we doing when no one is looking.  There is truth in this definition and I think it tries to make our personal and public life a little more streamed lined and that we do not come off as a hypocrite.  I think one who strives to live a life of integrity cares for not only what they do when no one is watching or listening, but takes these things into consideration and lives them out also.

    The first one is the idea that our intentions matter.  The classic question is that if our intentions are good, but we still do the wrong thing, are we still good.  In essence, if we steal from drug dealers to give money to those who are needy and that have been affected by addiction, we don’t have to do any jail time because our intentions were pure and we actually helped people.  Doing something wrong, no matter how good our intentions are, is still wrong unfortunately.  This is something that I have struggled with because in one aspect, it takes out vigilanty justice of  us giving people what we think they deserve.  Knowing myself, I know I can be really biased towards people both for the good and bad, and it is often because I wear rose colored glasses and I know I am not the only one who struggles with this.  We tend to take sides based on who we like and our own biases.  We can not always judge intentions because we do not know what the other person is thinking and how often people put out smoke screens to hide what they are really thinking or what their real intentions are.  Throughout all of Scripture, it reminds us that as people we may look at outward actions, but God looks at the heart.  We can not use a smoke screen with God, and knows what our true motives and actions are and we reveal them. 

     The second part about integrity is that how often do we do the right thing, but for the wrong reason.  Even doing the right thing for the wrong reason is still wrong, because it often us meant for some sort of personal gain.  How often do we do something for the pat on the back, or to get some favor, or just to make ourselves look better.  This is more about the show and lest about the go and it makes us a used sales car person.  The only reason integrity and character is in our vocabulary is because when we use those words, it makes us appear better than what we really are? .When we have to start justifying our actions to God, ourselves, and even others, we might have a problem.  When we start justifying, we tend to care more about our own wants, feelings and whims.  Some guy named Jesus calls this being a white washed tomb.  We can look all pretty on the outside but we are dead and rotting on the inside and we stink spiritually and morally. Eventually it will catch up with us.   

      The third idea is that when start to do what we want and justifying it, it means that absolute Truth and morality are being thrown out the window.  When we are left to our own whims, morality and absolute truth becomes subjective, integrity doesn’t really matter.  This means that life is a free for all and we can do whatever we want to when we want to.  Call me old fashioned, but integrity that is not based on something that is not true and always changing  isn’t integrity, but arrogance.  It is arrogance thinking that we know how to live our lives and how dare other people tell us how we should live our lives.  To wrap it up, some guy by the name of Jesus told us that He was the way, the truth and the life, and that not one gets to the Father but through Him.  In essence, our integrity is rooted in the Truth of Jesus and who He says He is, and because Jesus is the dedfinition and embodiment of objective Truth and He never changes.

          Questions:

          Is our integrity based on whims or a set standard?

          When we do something wrong, are we sorry for the action or for getting caught?

          Even though its wrong, what makes the subjective lifestyle so appealing?

Hope

Hope: a feeling of expectation, and a desire for a certain thing to happen

⁷  Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;

make melody to our God on the lyre!

⁸  He covers the heavens with clouds;

he prepares rain for the earth;

he makes grass grow on the hills.

⁹  He gives to the beasts their food,

and to the young ravens that cry.

¹⁰  His delight is not in the strength of the horse,

nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

¹¹  but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Psalms 147:7-11 ESV

            Here is a question for you all to start off with, if we did not have hope, would life be worth living.  We all have hope in something or for something because hope often brings meaning and certainty to our lives.  We hope in God that He loves us that He will provide for us.  We hope that our significant others will be there at the end of the day for us or that our children will be better than we are.  Or that the Twins will keep winning and won’t find some way to epically crash their way out of the playoffs.  So let’s explore hope and find out if it is different than optimism.  Let’s start with one of my favorite movie quotes from The Shawshank Redemption with Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. 

“Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best thing,

And no good thing ever dies”- Andy Dufresne

            So here is my first question, is hope really the best thing.  I do admit that hope is important and life would  be really boring and even pointless if we did not hope in or for something.  I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul has to say in I Corinthians 13, that faith, hope and love remain and the greatest of those three is love.  I think what the Apostle Paul is reminding Andy, Red, and the rest of us is that hope is important, but our hope and faith should come out of our love for God and others.  Love is central to who God is and show He interacts with His creation. Our response should be that the basis of everything we do is out of love for God and Gods creation.  This love can only come from God, because our love is fickle and narcissistic.  Eventually our love will dry up and we will end up a grumpy old person who yells at people to get off their lawn.  Gods love is the only reason we can have true hope and have faith.

            My second question is that are there two different types of hope?  What I mean by this is there is the hope that God gives that will never default or fail us and then there is human hope.  We hope that the big free agent signing will lead our team to the promise land, or that the new job will provide financial security for the family, or that a change of scenery will change our attitude.  Here is the thing of it though, athletes will underperform, get hurt or there will be a better team, there is nothing wrong with taking the higher paying job, but if it is just a cash grab for toys and status, no amount of money will make us secure or happy, and often a change in attitude requires more of a change in perspective than a change in scenery.  So are the things we chase have eternal value or are they here today and gone tomorrow?

            My third question is, what is the different between hope and optimism?   I look at it this way, this is where hope and faith mingle together.  True hope is based on something concrete and is often based on relationship.  One can have hope because the one that made the promise has come through before and their word is true.  I can hope that the sun rises in the east because that is what it does and it never alters.  The same is with God, we have the Bible and the story of the living saints to know how God is faithful.  I can hope in God will come through now and in the future because He has in the past.  Optimism is different because we have nothing to base it on, or we are wishing that it will happen, but there is no guarantee it will come true.  I can be optimistic that it will be nice out on my birthday in October, but I have not concrete evidence it will be.  I relate optimism to a four year old being on a sugar high, it may be fun, free flowing and all fun and games in the moment, but eventually there will be a crash and it will be very ugly and messy with a lot of clean up and maybe even some damage control.

            My fourth question is that does our hope cause us to look forward?  As Christians, we all hope for heaven and that is a good thing to hope for and it will come true.  But here is the thing, are we so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.  Heaven is a place where things will be put back in order, but here is the thing, hope begins the process now of transformation.  True hope means that I don’t have to stay a jerk, and that I can love those who are jerks back to me.  Now I am all for healthy boundaries, but Godly hope means that Gods grace is big enough to change us now to become more Christ like.  Call it spiritually maturity, sanctification, growing in grace or what ever other name people call it, the point is, true hope is allowing God to change us, even the parts we don’t want Him to.

            My fifth and final question is that can an authentic hope only come through valleys and trials?  There is a quote from a book I read by Jurgen Multmann which is “Lamenting is grief that is anchored in hope.” There are such things as Godly grief and lamenting and they each deserve their own space but they both play into Godly hope.  Here is my observation, the people who often have the unshakable and unmovable hope have been through hell and back.  We al have heard stories and know people who have been punched in the gut, and have seen or experienced things that no person should ever experience, yet they still believe in the goodness of God and His plan for their lives.  I think we are really vulnerable in these situations and forces us to put up or shut up.  These situations force us to take a look at what we really believe and sort out what needs to be developed and held on to, what really is not that important, and to find those things that just need to go away.

            I will close with this story.  Horatio Spafford is the author of the Hymn It is Well with My Soul and the basis for this hymn is after loosing all of his property in the great Chicago Fire of 1871, he sent his family by boat over to Europe for a little R&R and to assist in the ministry of the famous evangelist/preacher D.L. Moody and he was going to join them after he finished up some things in Chicago.  During the trip over, the boat sank and his wife was the only one who survived from his family.  After receiving the news Horatio got on the next ship to head to Europe and he asked the captain to sail by the place where his children perished.  After sailing past the spot of the wreckage, he could of told God off, but instead he penned his famous hymn.  In closing, here is the third verse of that hymn and the real reason we have hope.

My Sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought

My sin, not in part, but the whole

Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord o my soul

Questions to Ponder

Is our hope based on what we can do our what God can do through us?

Is our hope based on just getting out of our mess, or being transformed into a new creation?

What are those things that we rely or hope in that eventually fail us or leave us out to try?

How does hope and trust go together?

Refuge

Refuge: a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger or trouble

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear through the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved int the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.  Selah

Psalms 46:1-3 ESV

            When I think of the term refuge, I often think of a place that is safe and that we are protected from the world and all of its flaming arrows.  A refuge is a place where things could be made right, but that is just a small portion of it.  A refuge is a place where we can take stock what is going on, take inventory of what we have, and even bandage our wounds.  It is a place where we can get refueled, refreshed and healed up so we can get sent back out and reengage.  A refuge gives a sense of normalcy and comfort, because if we continuously live on the edge pushing ourselves, we will end up burning out and or crashing really hard.  For some, a refuge is there home, where they can lock the door and invite who they want into their sanctuary.  For athletes, the locker room is a refuge because they do not have to deal with the media, or fickle fans, who love them one minute and despise them the next.  To be honest, we like our places of refuge because it’s a chance to build healthy boundaries (and maybe even build unhealthy walls) and for us to be ourselves and that we do not have to pretend to be something we are or are not and we can take off the makeup and let our hair down.  It is even a place where we can check out and forget about the world.

            My first observation is that we tend to either build or run to some unhealthy refuges.  We are thinking that we are going to a place to rest and refuel so that we can reengage, but in all reality we are just checking out and even creating a bigger problem.  How often does our refuge come in the form of addiction?  I am not saying we can not forget about the worlds problems for a night and go out for a movie or be with friends, but when we are focused on avoiding the problem through different avenues, when does this addiction become a pacifier?  After work, how many of us go to places to overeat, have a few to many drinks, watch to much tv.  There are many ways we tend to check out in or at our “refuge” and we are getting nothing done.  So here is an early question, does our refuge refuel and recharge us, or does it drain or make the issues worse?

            My second observation is that taking refuge is a good thing at times.  The word refuge comes from a French word meaning “to flee” and it has a connotation that we are fleeing an unsafe situation or person.  The bloody civil war in Syria has been documented in the news cycle over the last several years.  Instead of sticking around for the bombings and bloodshed, the Syrian people have sought refuge and political asylum in neighboring countries and in safer areas.  Seeking refuge is knowing when to stick around in situations or around particular people, and it is also knowing when to pull the plug and get out for our own health, whether mental or physical.  Seeking refuge is often taking stock of the situation and looking at it for what it is and not blowing things out of proportion.  God does not call us to be stupid, and there are many times where fleeing the situation and cutting bait is not only a good thing, but it is what is required.

            My third observation is that we do not have to fear and still be scared beyond our britches.  I think there are times where we walk through situations that are scary, whether it is changing jobs, going through a scary medical diagnosis, making changes in personal relationships, they all can be scary things  It is because sometimes the unknown is hard, or our situation is even harder, but we still do not have to fear.  I think of not fearing is a trust thing and that we can and do trust God to get us through what ever it is. Last fall, I was having some anemia issues and one of the test I had was a bone marrow biopsy.  All was good until the day before I was to go to the oncologist to the results and I got nervous.  Could it be cancer, could it be one of those weird diseases that only one in a million people have.  I was a nervous wreck and God called me to trust Him in that situation and that He was with me no matter what.  Thankfully, I did not have cancer or some weird disease, which is a relief, but God still calls me and the rest of us to trust Him not matter the situation.

            My fourth observation is this, during storms and difficulties, where we run to and what we run to reveals who we trust.  During difficult times, do we do the American thing and pull ourselves up by our boot straps and keep moving on.  It is a hell or high water kind of mentality of I am either going to kill it or its going to kill me.  There is no middle ground or another way on this.  In essence it is for the lack of better terms kicking ass and taking names and it usually never ends well for anybody.  Our second option is doing nothing and checking out.  We end up being beaten up more then a rented mule and our ego, relationships and our over all health  goes down hill.  Our third option is this, its to trust God.  I know this is hard, especially when things are blowing up, but it is the only way we make it out.  This does not mean we have no responsibility and we sit back and do nothing.  It is allowing God to fight lead the charge and being obedient to what He has called us to do.  It still means we are going to do difficult things and say things that are unpopular, but God is always will be ahead of us, right beside us and following up behind us.  We are not going to be the same people when we come through whatever situation we are in, and when we do not fear, our faith is deepened and our character is developed.  When God is our refuge, it is more that God protecting the flaming arrows from us, and smiting all of our enemies, but it is allowing God to be the Lord of our lives, no matter the situation. 

            Here is my final thought on God being our refuge.  God is always there protecting and leading us.  He will never abandoned us nor forsake us, but here is the main point.  There are times where we need to go and seek refuge so that we can refuel, recharge and to heal up, but we are also called to leave the fortress again.  When we our in the fortress to long, we become spiritually lazy and fat and not fit for battle.  This could lead to spiritual sepsis, which is really dangerous and harmful for not only ourselves, but to others also. So here are some questions for you to ponder:

When life starts to go sideways, who or what do you turn to?

Would you rather kick peoples ass, avoid all confrontation, or trust God and do His commands?

Forsaken

Forsaken- abandoned or deserted.

How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice!  Righteousness lodged in her, but now murders.  Your silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water.  Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them.

Isaiah 1:21-24 ESV

  The word forsaken has a connotation or a feeling that one has been abandoned, and left alone to die.  These feelings usually come when are backs are against the wall and that we are about to be torn to shreds by our enemies or life in general.  Neither God or our friends and family are nowhere to be found have fled the scene.  As much as forsaken can have this connotation and as much as it is true, lets look at it from a different view.  Forsaken can also mean that we have gone all Darth Vader and ventured over to the dark side.  We have forgotten everything that is good and holy and have become vindictive and following a path of destruction and self righteousness.  Sometimes forsaking is making a choice of burning everything to the ground instead of building up and character development.

    My first observation about the idea of forsaken is that in order to walk away from something, we have to be apart of it.  It is hard to walk away or to forget about a relationship that we never really had to begin with.  Forsaken means that there was something great that was invested and everything was going well.  There was solid relationship that went both ways and there was plenty of give and take.  In our Scripture passage, the prophet Isaiah tells us that the city of Jerusalem was a faithful city and the people of the city had a relationship with God and obeyed His command.  In essence, they were all good with God and with their fellow man.  When we forsake something, we are taking the healthy relationships we have and we are throwing them out the window.  We can not forsake or kick to the curb what we are not a part or in a good relationship with. 

    My second observation about forsaking is that it often forgets about character development and focuses compromise.  Are we willing to compromise what is right for what is easy.  People often take the shortest or quickest way to complete their task.  It could be taking the shortest travel route to get to our vacation destination, or the new diet fad to drop the ten pounds for the up coming event, or even looking at questionable online content to meet some sort of need or fettish.  Why put in the hard work when we can skip a few steps to get to our desired goal or outcome. As Isaiah puts it, why are we watering down the good wine for something that is substandard and crap?  Is it so we can feel better about ourselves, or is it a look at me moment and getting people to notice what we have?  When we do this, our lives will often come crashing down. In essence, we become a Bernie Madoff and his Ponzi scheme. He tried to get rich quick and ended up ruining people financially and he ended up a convicted felon.

   My third observation is that forsaking is cuing up the Casting Crowns song because it is Slow Fade.  Most people don’t wake up one morning and say screw you to God, the significant people in our lives, or life in general. It often builds up over time of not checking our thoughts, attitudes and actions.  We may not be able control what happens to us, but we can always control what our response is going to be.  If we do not properly check those thoughts, attitudes and actions, they will often take us down paths that lead us to unhealthy relationships, thoughts, actions and lifestyles.  Missing a workout or meal prep isn't going to lead to heart disease or diabetes but when those actions are forgotten about how often do those extra ten pounds just sneak up on us.  its funny how a slow fade and distractions go hand in hand.  As Casting Crowns put it, it is that second glance that often gets us into trouble and where things start to take hold and change our perspective.

   My final observation is that when we forsake God and we start to live for ourselves, we essentially become a whore to our own desires and views on life. We forget everything that we have with God and we farm ourselves out to the highest bidder, whether it is our own desires or the desires of others.  These desires are usually ones of excess and justice based on our own standards.  We could care less about others or God, unless our needs our being met and we are not afraid to run people over and even ruin them to get what we want.  When we forsake God and others, they become no more than pawns in our lives to get what we want and when we are done with them, we discard them to the side of the road and leave them there.

So here are some questions to ponder:

    What are those attitudes, actions and thoughts that need to be     

        Checked in and controlled?

    Are we a whore to and for our own desires?

    Are there things that we need to walk away from to grow closer to

       God? 

    Do we care for Gods brand of justice or ours and what is the

       Difference?

Alienation

Alienation

The state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one shoujld belong or in which one should be involved

 

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture)"I thirst." 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch andlain held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said,"It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:28-30 ESV

Growing up in and being apart of the church, I have noticed that there is a segment of the Christian tradition that goes from Maunday Thursday, to Friday and asking Jesus if He is dead yet, completely skipping Holy Saturday and going straight to Resurrection Sunday. I think skipping Holy Saturday is allowing us valuable time to reflect on the importance of Gods sacrifice, realizing that God actually died and forcing us to actually be present with ourselves, each other and with God

The first value that Holy Saturday brings is that without Gods sacrifice, we would still be dead in our sins. Yes I know that the resurrection is the completion of Gods work and it as weird as it may sound, Jesus resurrection killed death. The death of sin, destruction and death itself can not be made possible without Christ actual Christ death on the cross. Just as the Apostle Paul states in Romans 5 that just as death entered through one man in Adam, life eternal will enter through one man in Jesus. Our sin and disobedience needed to be atoned for if we ever wanted to have our relationship restored with God.

Sin separates us from God because God is Holy and that His perfection does not allow sin or disobedience to stand in His presence. Sin and holiness are like oil and water, they are essentially oil and water, they do not and can not mix. There are only two ways that sin can be dealt with. The first one is judgement which leads to condemnation and death. The second way is for forgiveness and for our relationship to be made right. The only way forgiveness is made possible is a perfect sacrifice to be made. This means that something or some one that is perfect takes our punishment for our disobedience. In the Old Testament, this was a lamb that was without blemish. Jesus is the only person that fits the perfect sacrifice to end all sacrifices because He was Gods only Son and He was sinless. Our sin demands a response and Jesus took the death and banishment that was rightly ours and placed it on Himself so that we may have eternal life.

The second value of Holy Saturday is that God actually died and is sitting in the grave. I think we often over skip this because it might make us uncomfortable that the Creator of the Universe is sitting in the grave and all hope is lost. This is where I think alienation really comes in. How many times in our lives where we thought that God was actually dead or at least not responding to us and our prayer time has become so stale that we just quit doing it. Or how about us praying for cancer or any other medical issue to be healed and it never was. When we feel like we have been alienated by God, we think that He does not exist, or does not have the power to intervene. Or we come to the conclusion that God is a thug who gets His jollies off of seeing His creation suffer. No matter how hard we demand answers from God, we feel either that He has either abandoned or alienated us and we feel hopeless, angry, frustrated, depressed, or any other number of emotions. The beauty of Holy Saturday is that we are given the opportunity to wrestle with these feelings and emotions. We can always run away or minimize them, but Holy Saturday is calling us to wrestle with God and to ask ourselves the question of is God going to stay dead. The Old Testament is littered with promises that God will not only be put to death, but also rise again (Isaiah 25:8, 53:5 Job 19:25)

The third value of Holy Saturday is it forces us to be present. One of the things I constantly observe in the break room at work is that there can be a group of people sitting at a table not saying a word because they are all on their phones. I am guilty of this as anyone and are we really mortgaging the gifts of being present in the here and now for something that we really can not feel, touch and for those wants and emotions that fleeting. When we are not physically and emotionally available in the present we are saying that ourselves and others do not have value or our smart phones have a greater value than those who we are sitting with. Jesus tells us to stay focused on today because tomorrow has its own issues. This does not mean we should not be prepared, but it is focusing what is important for today and this will help set up tomorrow when it comes. Just a reminder, we are not guaranteed our next breath, so getting worked up about tomorrow is pointless. The chances of an error is greater is when the baseball player thinks about throwing the ball to first base before they even have the ball in their glove. So lets stay focused on what is important and what is in front of us before we move on.

I will close with this. I was did an internship at a hospital with the Spiritual Care team and I was talking with a patient who was in long term rehab and he received the news that his son had died and he could not make it to the funeral. I was not completely present with the patient and I was focused on his issues and I was not letting him grieve the death of his son and not being able to go to the funeral. Being present, even in the difficult times when it is the hardest allows us to understand, hear and to be heard. Here are some questions worth pondering

How often in difficult times, are we like the disciples and go to what we know instead of trusting Gods promises?

What are those areas that need our attention and presence, that we either skip or gloss over?

What is the most challenging thing to being present?