Midweek: Let's Not Get Political

I don't usually "get political" on here, and maybe, as a Christian and an American --both criteria mandating responsibility to my nation and my fellow countrymen -- I should. Of course, I know the election is over, but I've noticed some troubling things over the past several months. I think you will find, however, they have less to do with politics and more to do with how we treat one another.

The hatred among Trumpers. In June I attended a Trump rally. And I will say, again, No, I am not a 'Trumper.' It saddens me greatly that he is the best candidate the Republican Party can offer its constituency, but here we are. So, I was invited to one of his rallies. The "speech," if it can be called that, was rambling and filled with hyperbole. No surprises there. What I really took notice of, however, was the atmosphere. I have to be honest; I was a little uneasy heading to a Trump rally in a Democratic city known for its exceptional homicide rate. The police presence was tremendous, and security was tight. But the people! Surrounding the venue were row after row of vendors selling all manner of MAGA merch. Some merchants appeared to be so into the celebratory vibe, they were handing out flags and bandannas for free. Visitors to the center were talking and laughing --and they were visitors from all ages and races and walks of life! I saw a man hurrying down the street who inadvertently dropped a huge wad of cash from his pocket; behind him a tattooed young man decked in red called to him to return the money. Another man stood on a street corner respectfully debating those who challenged his point of view. A couple of well-dressed women "of a certain age" were being interviewed by an Australian news source; their answers were well-constructed and had nothing to do with venerating an unhinged figurehead. People were scooching down in their rows and making room for others to gain a good view of the dais. But hate was among us! It came in the form of an elderly husband and wife. A father and son offered up their seats so the senior couple could comfortably sit. Shortly after opening remarks, the husband rose from his seat and began screaming --I thought at, but it was to his wife, to be heard over the crowd. Soon they both were on their feet screaming at all of us how ashamed we should be, that Trump has killed thousands, and we were despicable people for even attending such an event. They were still spitting their condemnations at us as they left.

"Friend"ship. Fast forward to September, and a friend makes the statement that folks are only voting for Trump "because they can't stand the thought of a black woman President." Normally, I let his/her offensive opinions and innuendos rot with the rest of the garbage, but I'd grown so tired of hearing this divisive line spread by the Democrats like the manure it is, I gave my opinion. There were issues with which he/she wasn't even familiar so, he/she asked, I clarified, and the conversation was over. No attempts to convert, I merely wanted to put a stop to an insulting fallacy. It's November, the election is over, and said friend has publicly stated he/she is "reevaluating" relationships based on political choices. This person has placed the word friends in quotations as though any qualifications I possessed prior to casting my vote, any good I did for him/her, any love we had for one another or any memories we shared are fully negated by the exercising of my right as an American. For four people who will never know our names, this friend is willing to sever our relationship. For events he/she believes will happen based on whatever sources he/she adheres to, this friend is willing to burn bridges on a personal level. And here's what I think is most interesting: our discussion in September! This friend knew how I was intending to vote. This friend maintained our usual level of contact for weeks after our discussion. This friend hosted both my husband and me in October. Not until this friend's candidate lost was there any mention of my unconscionable betrayal. And there was never any mention of how either one of us was planning to vote the rest of the ballot! 

Hypocrisy. I have seen "Christian" Republicans (and yes, I will put that in quotation marks) spew hateful things about the Democratic candidates, and vice versa. So wrong! I can't say how much that bothers me. And it does cause me to question their commitment to Jesus (as it would any observing unbelievers). We can educate and correct those with differing views without belittling them or severing connections. We can be educated and corrected. I learned long ago, when telling people about Jesus, if He's as great as I believe He is, beating people over the head with the Bible only weakens the position. Insulting them is out of the question! The same is true of all we defend and endorse: harming others in the name of a cause only harms the cause. 

So, it's Wednesday. I don't usually write, and I don't usually drag on so, but please, please, please think before you believe something. Think before you trash your relationships over an outcome we'll all have grown accustomed to before its inauguration. Think before you speak. And most importantly, my Christian brothers and sisters, love God and love your neighbor (Mark 12:30,31)

May God bless America.

Let Us Be Awakened

In 1994, God began calling me to Himself. Or, better said, I began to recognize what was happening. I think He'd been calling me all of my life, long before that time. A full decade later, I turned toward Him and agreed to follow. I have had good days and bad, have said and done things in ignorance; I have walked with Him through difficult seasons and taken off running in those times I was pretty sure I had things under control. I have rebelled. No matter how many times I got it wrong or where I landed over these twenty years, He has never abandoned me. That brings me tremendous comfort, and I say this that you might find comfort as well. The love of God is immeasurable. 

As a nation, we have been through an election like no other. It is not our ideas that divide us, but our attitudes. God, through Paul tells us our attitude should be that of Christ's and our conduct "worthy of the Gospel." Jesus tells His disciples we are known by our love for one another (John 13:35), identified as His by the way we treat the other members of His body! As a Church in this hurting nation, are we following the standard set forth by our Lord and Savior? Are we setting the example? The Church needs to be a place of healing and wholeness because its people are committed to healing: 

• Healing and wholeness because of our faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. 
• Healing and wholeness because of our practice of spiritual disciplines and our continued trust in the work of the Holy Spirit. 
• Healing and wholeness because of our love for others, becoming the best versions of ourselves in order to serve them better and encourage them along their journey toward the same goal. 

Those who have chosen to be led by their emotions rather than God's law should repent and be welcomed into fellowship. Those who have passed judgment on others should repent and be welcomed into fellowship. Those who have withheld forgiveness or fallen away or treated others contemptuously or allowed divisions should repent and be welcomed into fellowship. The Church should not respond in the same way the world responds to offenses. We should not choose self-indulgence, self-promotion, and self-centeredness over self-lessness, self-examination by the Scriptures, and self-sacrifice.

This morning, a song from those early days of my awakening came to mind:

A preacher shuns his brother

Cause his bride's a different color

And this is not acceptable

His papa taught him so

It was love that he'd been preaching

But this was overreaching

The boundaries stretchin' further

Then his heart would choose to go...

What have we become?

A self-indulgent people

What have we become?

Tell me where are the righteous ones?

What have we become?

In a world degenerating

What have we become?

~ What Have We Become, DC Talk, 1995

Let us lead by example. Let us love one another. Let us work with the Spirit of our God and King leading the way, that our fellowship and our nation might be awash in healing and wholeness, and that it might forever continue. Let us be identified by our Christ-like attitudes and not our ideas.

Strength and Kindness

Once hath God spoken, twice I heard this, 

That `strength [is] with God.'
And with Thee, O Lord, [is] kindness, 

For Thou dost recompense to each, 

According to his work!

~ Psalm 62:11, 12 

(Young's Literal Translation) 

Strength and kindness. In our superlative society we have terms like viral and GOAT. If there's not some sort of exceptional quality attached to something, the message seems to get lost in the sauce. Do we plainly tell our children to "be kind" anymore? Now, we tell them they can "be anything they want," including a cat or a person of the opposite sex. Do we teach them about humility, the evidence of inner strength and character? Most likely we encourage them to "be the best" at whatever they do, up to and including video games, basketball, and even working the system to their advantage. It's a tough world out there, you say. We've got to teach our children how to survive it. It doesn't get any tougher than walking miles every day just to share the good news of salvation to people who were only looking for handouts (John 6:1-26). It doesn't get any tougher than choosing homelessness (Matthew 8:20) for the sake of healing and feeding and transforming the lives of as many people as you can reach and having your selflessness and your sanity questioned by your own family (Mark 3:20, 21). It doesn't get any tougher than being pursued day after day by your detractors (Matthew 16:1-6, 21), working to undo every seed you've planted, when the garden you came to set in bloom is theirs as well (John 3:16). It doesn't get any tougher than loving people enough to cry with them and for them (John 11:35; Matthew 23:37-39), and having your kindness repaid by being labeled a criminal, betrayed and abandoned by your friends, beaten almost to death, and then hung in shame and mocked until you took your last breath. Strength and kindness. The strength and kindness found in our God and come to earth in the form of His Son, Jesus.

As I was reading the above passage in Psalms this morning, it dawned on me how the word kindness has sort of fallen out of use, and just how perverted the American definition of strength has become. Kindness has taken on a milquetoast character. Why be kind when you can be the best or the most generous or the first? Kind is for the little red-haired girl, the object of Charlie Brown's childish crush. And strength means anything but the character of Christ. Strength isn't washing the feet of your betrayer, or your denier, or those who will flee your side when your enemies come. Strength isn't remaining quiet when you are falsely accused and broken. Strength isn't enduring every undeserved blow, every calloused insult, every burning lash. Strength isn't asking your father to forgive those who were apathetic or even, responsible for your murder. Oh, but it is! And kindness is a mighty force with which to reckon!

To feed those who have damaged you is to fly in the face of bitterness and unforgiveness that would destroy you. It is to tear down walls and crush the enemies of isolation and hate. To stand silently while others rant and rave and spit in your face is to hold your ground, to understand the work of the Adversary in a heart not fully healed, and affirm our resurrectionary God is truth and will never leave you or turn His back on you. It is to stand on the Rock and command the higher ground. To pray and fast --to give up a meal or a day of meals (!) in prayer for those who make it their life's work to destroy you and everything you uphold is strength and kindness --strength and kindness that breaks the bonds of evil, transforming entire landscapes to the glory of God. What the world calls weak and irrelevant is the very character of God, and by His strength and His kindness He holds every man accountable. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Corinthians 15:17)

Midweek: NoteWorthy New Testament, NKJV

Not long ago, I handed my Bible to a friend that she might read a passage aloud to our Bible study group. She looked at me with one of those *blink*blink* types of looks. She has her own reasons why reading some prints is more difficult, but trying to read among all of my notes, arrows, highlighting, and circles was almost impossible. 

Well, if you can relate to what I'm talking about, perhaps you need a copy of Thomas Nelson's NoteWorthy New Testament. (Or maybe it's your friend that could use one.) NoteWorthy is a New Testament designed with journaling in mind. Moving through the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation, 52 selections (with plenty of space for notes) are divided into the six days of the week. Sunday's entire page is lined, prompting the reader to take time, reflect on the week's readings, and record any new thoughts and revelations. After the text, there are multiple lined pages for journaling in the back of the book. The passages are not assigned dates or specific days of the week, so you can start any time. A year after starting, you will have read through the New Testament in its entirety, meditating and journaling on the Incarnation, the birth of the Church, Paul's Epistles to the Church, and the promise of Christ's return. My copy was written in the New King James Version, so pronouns referring to the Trinity are capitalized. There are no study notes or charts, no maps, no words written in red, and no cross references. Where the Holy Spirit takes your study is entirely up to where you are willing to follow.

The complimentary copy I received was bound in purple Leathersoft™ with silver-gilding on page edges, and printed in 9-point Comfort Print®. It's lightweight, only about an inch thick, and measures 6.75" x 8.25". It has a purple satin bookmarker and a presentation page. It retails on Amazon for $34.49, at FaithGateway for $22.99, and is currently on sale at Christianbook.com for $22.49. 

So, do yourself and your friends a favor, and get a copy of Thomas Nelson's NoteWorthy New Testament with plenty of room for notes, and keep the text legible!