Tweaking the Scripture

 Things jump out at me while I listen to a pastor preaching. 

In Acts 6:3 the apostles told them to choose out 7 men to serve. Not 7 young men. The NKJV says seven men. Just tell us what the Bible actually says please.

Also, in Matthew 26:36 it says that Jesus told the disciples to sit here while I go pray there. Then in verse 38 he told Peter, James, and John to "watch" with me. One group he told to sit, the inner circle he told to watch. Only once did Jesus mention praying, that in verse 41, where he told them to watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. Jesus did not bring the disciples there to pray, but to watch. This is where context can help. Please, don't twist the scripture.

The disciples still had no clue what was going on. Jesus knew, and it was the hardest trial of his short life. But his guys were clueless. I'm glad that the Bible writers did not sugar coat the story to put them in a better light.

The Bible is God's word. Do not alter or adjust it to fit your prejudices.

Changing Theology

 When a man's life does not match his theology he will fast and pray and worry and work to change himself. However, after time goes by, he will realize that what he is doing has changed nothing. When a man cannot change himself to match his theology he will change his theology to match his experience. He still believes, he just doesn't care anymore. We cannot live a conflicted life very long.

I think that this is more common in our churches than we want to admit.

A Word For Today

 "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

Father's Day Thoughts

Here are some of my thoughts on Father's Day. Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to get a gift for dad? You don't know what he wants. And if you ask him what he wants he says, nothing. I wondered about this and I have an idea or two as to how to improve your chances of getting your father a gift that will bless his heart.

You need to understand that a man is reluctant to tell you what he wants out of a fear of being humiliated or ridiculed or criticized for telling you what he really wants. This is a trust issue. You may not be able now to give dad what he wants, but he ought to be able to say it without fear of looking stupid or selfish.

Another male trait I call the Santa let me down syndrome. If a man dares to say something specific that he really wants, and then does not get, he will never ask for anything ever again. That kind of disappointment is never recovered from. That's why kids stop believing in Santa. That's also why dads tell you they want nothing. If you don't expect anything you cannot be disappointed. 

How can you honor your father on Father's Day? You cannot wait until the day before to start thinking about it. You have to pay attention all year long. Have you ever heard your father comment on something that he used or noticed? Have you ever heard your father compliment another man on his clothes or his hobbies or his vacation plans? You have to work at honoring your father by paying attention to him and by listening to him all of the time. He will tell you what he really wants, but you have to be smart enough to hear him when he speaks.

One final word. A coffee cup is better than nothing, but if that is all you have to show you love and respect you don't love or respect very much. You have to plan and budget for dad gifts because they will cost real money to mean anything. BBQ is great but he can have brisket anytime. Honor is the value we place on someone. Giving proves how much we love them.

One final word. I know that not all dads are honorable. You can change that. If you honor him and he disappears you did your part. God keeps good books. But at least try. You may surprise him!

A Lonely Father This Father's Day

 Earlier this week I went, in one day, from thinking about where I would like to be taken for Father's Day dinner, to feeling lonely at the prospect of spending Father's Day alone again. I thought that by moving close to my children I would never spend holidays alone again. But this weekend it's back to being lonely.

Father's Day is not important unless you are a father. It's not big like Christmas or your birthday. It is a day to honor your father and at the very least take him out to dinner. My father died in 2007 so I have no father to honor. I do have children and grandchildren though. I am a father and a grandfather.

Loneliness for someone whose spouse has died is an uncomfortable and unsettling experience. Here it is four days later and this is still bothering me. I was ambushed by loneliness similar to how I used to be ambushed by grief.

I will survive. God loves me. My mother loves me. My pastor loves me. The loneliness of grief is, as someone once said, the absence of a needed relationship. Or, as Brooks and Dunn once sang, A man this lonely, a man this blue, a man whose world's, been torn in two. He needs somebody...

My prayer is that someone will think about me Sunday morning and invite me to dinner when they see me sitting alone in church.

Two Stories

Story 1

As the new pastor started to get to know the people in his new church he noticed that the name of a former pastor kept coming up. One day the new pastor spoke to one of the older members and told him what he had noticed. What was it about that former pastor that made him so well remembered still today?  The old man got a tear in his eye and he looked down at the floor for a moment before he spoke.

Well, pastor, he just loved us, was the old man's reply.

Story 2

An older widow man in church was having a tough time. He felt lonely and alone. He felt ignored and unloved. He often sat alone during service. And he had a bad habit of forgetting to put his phone on silent during service. One morning his phone rang again and he fumbled trying to turn it off. The pastor paused in his sermon to glare at the man. People around him sighed loudly and one old lady told him to stop disrupting the service. Finally the service was over and the only people who spoke to him criticized him for his poor phone habits. The old man never went back to church.

One evening he decided to visit a tavern to see if he could find someone to talk to. He ordered a drink and sat at the bar and just then his phone rang. In a rush to silence his phone he knocked his glass onto the floor, spilling the drink and breaking the glass. His face reddened in anticipation of the barrage of criticism he was expecting. But in an instant a waitress came to his side, put her arm around his shoulders, and asked if he was alright. Someone else picked up the broken glass, and joked about it with him. The bartender told him not to worry about it and gave him a fresh drink. The manager mopped the floor, joking with the old widow. He left that evening with a smile on his face. He has made that tavern his home away from home and they are always glad to see him when he comes in.

People are fragile. Once lost they may never be found again. But treat them with love and respect and kindness and they will be with you for a very long time.

"And they spoke to him, saying, if you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever." 1Kings 12:7

Something To Look Forward To.

 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." 1Peter 1:3-4

One thing that makes life worth living is having something to look forward to on a regular basis. This doesn't mean that you are looking forward to an epic vacation or trip to some exotic place. It does mean that in your life you have some event or situation that will happen soon that gives you a reason to keep going. That could be anything; a meal, a date, a windfall, or church on a Wednesday night.

Hoping to go to Heaven when you die doesn't qualify for this. That is not enough to motivate you except in a broad, generic way. It has to involve things that happen here and now, not there and who knows when.

Holidays can serve this purpose. A comfortable bed to sleep in will work. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money. But it must be known so that you can look forward to it. Surprises are a different story.

This is a profound thought that is beyond my ability to fully understand. 

Grateful

 I am in the middle of studying affliction and tribulation. Pastor Rubi recently preached on this. I have been afflicted, but I am not afflicted today. I am not sure about being in tribulation, but nothing in my life today looks like tribulation. I am grateful for a quiet and peaceful life today.