Saturday April 25, 2009
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4.
Less than a year ago, George Carlin, for some the ultimate comic, died. But in fact, Carlin was the ultimate cynic. The local newspaper printed the following letter I wrote as a result of a CBC feature about him.
George Carlin died at 71 after ridiculing his fellow human beings for half a century and generally trashing anything of significance in life. CBC’s The National reported that towards the end of his life, Carlin seemed to grow nihilistic and his contempt for just about everything ripened.
He declared: “I have absolutely no sympathy for human beings whatsoever, none!” and he earnestly hoped that human problems would get worse. With his death not far off, Carlin obsessed over mortality, and declared the afterlife did not exist.
What made Carlin so cynical? Certainly the foolishness and violence of humanity is enough to make us all despair of human nature at times, yet Carlin’s depth of scorn for human behaviour went much deeper. All he had to show for seventy years was a destructive and purposeless life and his attempts to dismiss any afterlife actively highlighted his fear of it.
Hopefully, our lives have at least some redeeming feature beyond Carlin’s meaningless one, but for all we may have accomplished there is still the nagging question: is this all there is? All of us have felt the pull of a reality beyond ourselves; even the atheist’s denial is a tacit recognition of its reality.
From the earliest recorded times, almost every culture searched beyond this life in some god or gods. Greek philosophy at its height recognized a divinity beyond human earthly existence, and even noted a spark of divinity lingering in humankind that recognized, and was pulled toward, that divine reality.
The anti-God culture we live in is an aberrant time in world history leaving us by ourselves to seek meaning in ambition or hedonism. By attempting to increase satisfaction by deeper involvement, even in constructive pursuits, we may instead find ourselves following Carlin down a path of decreasing satisfaction towards emptiness.
Yet George Carlin packed every performance. Perhaps those of us who went there were hoping his bellicose irreverence would help quell our fears of something beyond us. But his descent into pessimism and hatred is a reminder that there is no final meaning in this life alone, nor can we finally silence that small still voice within calling us to Himself.
Just today, the same paper printed a letter from Craig extolling George Carlin’s approach to life. Craig commented that he felt secure to meet his maker in George Carlin’s commandment that “thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself.” How distressing that all Craig sees in life is George Carlin’s despairing outlook.
Even worse, is to approach the “valley of the shadow of death” without any hope for the “rod and staff” of our creator to support us through. How foolish and tragic that an attitude of rebellious independence should reject all that our creator has for us in this life and the next. Is the life that George and his protégé Craig want really worth living?
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thursday April 23, 2009
If you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? Luke 16:12.
The question arises: where are we responsible for some-one else’s property? Perhaps we can all think of times we have borrowed something and damaged it in the process. I recall Ann doing a cleaning job at a neighbour’s house, and unfortunately I went to help. I backed into a desk that had a hutch—poorly secured, mind you—full of ornaments that crashed down on my head. The ornaments fared worse than my head, and led to a very embarrassing meeting with the owner!
What is less obvious is, of course, that all we have is not really ours. We have it for a time, but we cannot take it with us when life ends. Who does it really belongs to? Generally, whoever wins the right to “own” it, as it changes hands through generations or by purchase. So nobody really “owns” our property—we simply have the loan of it for our sojourn on earth. How do we use this property, provided by a gracious Father to equip us for our earthly journey? Is it used wisely, generously and with eternity in view?
Once we realize this, then it is not only the things we have that need to be used carefully, but also the bodies we inhabit. We may not particularly like the particular body we have—bathroom closets of cosmetics and improvements for both sexes suggest we all like some improvement. The biggest argument for a healthy lifestyle is that our body is not to do as we like with, but the desired dwelling place of God. We would never trash or abuse our own homes; we want to live in comfortable and attractive surroundings. So why would we not provide the most pleasing place for him to dwell.
As I recover from my surgery, the question I have to ask is: What may I have done to bring my sickness about? Not all sickness is avoidable, but how we live can cause or prevent much of the sickness that plagues our western society. Is this something we may be called to account for?
If you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? Luke 16:12.
The question arises: where are we responsible for some-one else’s property? Perhaps we can all think of times we have borrowed something and damaged it in the process. I recall Ann doing a cleaning job at a neighbour’s house, and unfortunately I went to help. I backed into a desk that had a hutch—poorly secured, mind you—full of ornaments that crashed down on my head. The ornaments fared worse than my head, and led to a very embarrassing meeting with the owner!
What is less obvious is, of course, that all we have is not really ours. We have it for a time, but we cannot take it with us when life ends. Who does it really belongs to? Generally, whoever wins the right to “own” it, as it changes hands through generations or by purchase. So nobody really “owns” our property—we simply have the loan of it for our sojourn on earth. How do we use this property, provided by a gracious Father to equip us for our earthly journey? Is it used wisely, generously and with eternity in view?
Once we realize this, then it is not only the things we have that need to be used carefully, but also the bodies we inhabit. We may not particularly like the particular body we have—bathroom closets of cosmetics and improvements for both sexes suggest we all like some improvement. The biggest argument for a healthy lifestyle is that our body is not to do as we like with, but the desired dwelling place of God. We would never trash or abuse our own homes; we want to live in comfortable and attractive surroundings. So why would we not provide the most pleasing place for him to dwell.
As I recover from my surgery, the question I have to ask is: What may I have done to bring my sickness about? Not all sickness is avoidable, but how we live can cause or prevent much of the sickness that plagues our western society. Is this something we may be called to account for?
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday April 20, 2009
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4-5.
This text is a poignant reminder of the eastern sheep who know instinctively whom they can trust. In the final analysis, it is not all the logical reasons why we may trust Christ for our lives and eternity—as supportive and helpful as they may be—but an instinctive knowledge of where we belong and whom we can trust that inspires faith. In Spurgeon’s morning devotional for today he says: “Death is no longer banishment, it is a return from exile.” Trusting in Christ is the beginning of the trip home, a return to the place that we were always meant to be.
Following Christ, as the sheep followed their shepherd, is the natural way to go, to reject him is as unnatural as a starving man refusing food. Whatever life brings us, we are safer in his hands than not, to turn away from him in times of distress is like cutting off a branch on which we are sitting. It will not necessarily change our situation—it may improve or it may not, but the peace that comes from a mind stayed on him is the greatest loss. We find this to be true as Ann and I move out of one adventure—our surgeries—and into the next, the distribution of our soon to be published book.
Following the removal of the final piece of mechanical equipment from my body and Ann’s final trip to her surgeon on Thursday, we are looking forward to a few years yet of opportunity for service. Ann completes her Political Science degree at Christmas this year, and I have a second book on the go with others lurking in the back of my mind. We are excited at the possibilities that a combination of theology and political science may conjure up as we face off against the secular thinking of our day. Our future looks promising and meaningful as we follow our shepherd and look to him for guidance and inspiration.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4-5.
This text is a poignant reminder of the eastern sheep who know instinctively whom they can trust. In the final analysis, it is not all the logical reasons why we may trust Christ for our lives and eternity—as supportive and helpful as they may be—but an instinctive knowledge of where we belong and whom we can trust that inspires faith. In Spurgeon’s morning devotional for today he says: “Death is no longer banishment, it is a return from exile.” Trusting in Christ is the beginning of the trip home, a return to the place that we were always meant to be.
Following Christ, as the sheep followed their shepherd, is the natural way to go, to reject him is as unnatural as a starving man refusing food. Whatever life brings us, we are safer in his hands than not, to turn away from him in times of distress is like cutting off a branch on which we are sitting. It will not necessarily change our situation—it may improve or it may not, but the peace that comes from a mind stayed on him is the greatest loss. We find this to be true as Ann and I move out of one adventure—our surgeries—and into the next, the distribution of our soon to be published book.
Following the removal of the final piece of mechanical equipment from my body and Ann’s final trip to her surgeon on Thursday, we are looking forward to a few years yet of opportunity for service. Ann completes her Political Science degree at Christmas this year, and I have a second book on the go with others lurking in the back of my mind. We are excited at the possibilities that a combination of theology and political science may conjure up as we face off against the secular thinking of our day. Our future looks promising and meaningful as we follow our shepherd and look to him for guidance and inspiration.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Friday April 17, 2009
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2.
It would be difficult to state a sense of security in stronger terms! This was the experience of the psalm writer but also the experience of countless men and women who have trusted God through the centuries. This not only for times of peace, but particularly during the most vulnerable times of life, the voice of faith finds its ultimate safety in God, whether in life or death.
For Ann and myself, the last weeks have been trying and we are not out of the woods yet, but believe healing is a matter of time. In fact, Ann’s foot is only an inconvenience now, and the last bandages will be removed Monday. For myself, there are days of discomfort still, although the greatest discomfort, that wretched catheter is due for removal Monday. When it comes to personal security, under current conditions the body’s natural functions do come to mind!
But this weekend will be an adventure. It is my first foray since surgery for any distance from home as we attend a writer’s conference in Calgary, about 200 km north. In addition, we have one proof copy of our new book Happy Together: Daily Insights for Families from Scripture. It will be an opportunity to commence some promotion on the conference book table and gauge interest. It will be about 3-4 weeks before we actually have printed copies in our hot little hands. Let us know if you would like more information about the book.
So for a number of reasons, our security continues to be in our Heavenly Father for this weekend and the weeks that follow.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2.
It would be difficult to state a sense of security in stronger terms! This was the experience of the psalm writer but also the experience of countless men and women who have trusted God through the centuries. This not only for times of peace, but particularly during the most vulnerable times of life, the voice of faith finds its ultimate safety in God, whether in life or death.
For Ann and myself, the last weeks have been trying and we are not out of the woods yet, but believe healing is a matter of time. In fact, Ann’s foot is only an inconvenience now, and the last bandages will be removed Monday. For myself, there are days of discomfort still, although the greatest discomfort, that wretched catheter is due for removal Monday. When it comes to personal security, under current conditions the body’s natural functions do come to mind!
But this weekend will be an adventure. It is my first foray since surgery for any distance from home as we attend a writer’s conference in Calgary, about 200 km north. In addition, we have one proof copy of our new book Happy Together: Daily Insights for Families from Scripture. It will be an opportunity to commence some promotion on the conference book table and gauge interest. It will be about 3-4 weeks before we actually have printed copies in our hot little hands. Let us know if you would like more information about the book.
So for a number of reasons, our security continues to be in our Heavenly Father for this weekend and the weeks that follow.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Tuesday April 14, 2009
Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding. Proverbs 23:23.
Today is the day Ann had her bandages removed from her foot. For the last few days thay haven’t really been holding her back anyway, except she hasn’t been able to drive. That provides me with some of the exercise routine needed to heal together with the resting I’m supposed to do. However, Ann has taken off with the car this afternoon to run some errands. I’d say she was practically back to normal.
Just as well, my surgery is going to take a little longer. Yesterday was an expected down day following invitations to supper over the week end, and overdoing it somewhat. It is surprising that some discomfort can affect the way we think; it was a discouraging day also. One side effect of this surgery is the rattling of all the nerves around the abdomen. They are responding as they heal with an insistent demand that they be recognised by a recurrent itchy sensation. Otherwise, today has been a better day although progress is slow but normal.
Our text suggests getting discipline is a good thing. I am certainly finding out the hard way to discipline myself for healing, when there is so much else I want to be doing. But even this time aside is not without its usefulness. If nothing else, it teaches patience and these things will pass if I am prepared to wait. A nurse friend of ours reckons that healing from surgery takes six weeks. This is one truth I’m not really interested in buying, but I guess it’s not one I can dispense with either!
Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding. Proverbs 23:23.
Today is the day Ann had her bandages removed from her foot. For the last few days thay haven’t really been holding her back anyway, except she hasn’t been able to drive. That provides me with some of the exercise routine needed to heal together with the resting I’m supposed to do. However, Ann has taken off with the car this afternoon to run some errands. I’d say she was practically back to normal.
Just as well, my surgery is going to take a little longer. Yesterday was an expected down day following invitations to supper over the week end, and overdoing it somewhat. It is surprising that some discomfort can affect the way we think; it was a discouraging day also. One side effect of this surgery is the rattling of all the nerves around the abdomen. They are responding as they heal with an insistent demand that they be recognised by a recurrent itchy sensation. Otherwise, today has been a better day although progress is slow but normal.
Our text suggests getting discipline is a good thing. I am certainly finding out the hard way to discipline myself for healing, when there is so much else I want to be doing. But even this time aside is not without its usefulness. If nothing else, it teaches patience and these things will pass if I am prepared to wait. A nurse friend of ours reckons that healing from surgery takes six weeks. This is one truth I’m not really interested in buying, but I guess it’s not one I can dispense with either!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter Sunday April 12, 2009
We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51.
As we found on Good Friday, the Bible League diary tends to ignore the events of the church calendar, in today’s case Easter Sunday—perhaps vying with Christmas day as the most important event. The text I selected today is one that some comic placed on a church nursery door! But its real truth is supported by Jesus’ own resurrection—as he conquered death, so we who believe are also guaranteed victory over death. And as the flower is different from the seed which produces it, so our new bodies will be greatly enhanced in beauty and function. Read the whole chapter, it is an exciting portrait of our future.
I recall my father comparing the caterpillar and the butterfly. Although not a scriptural comparison, it is never-the-less a remarkable symbol of resurrection. Caterpillars, though some are attractive and some not so, are all earthbound, living a mundane and perilous existence close to the ground. But they all, after sleeping in a cocoon, awake to a glorious body, free to fly the heavens and spread their gorgeous new plumage.
Those of us with infirmities—mine I trust is temporary—long for the day of resurrection when our new makeover will free us from the setbacks of life. The greater the adversity of life, the greater the longing for that resurrection day when our frail bodies will be translated into a new and glorious life. While we celebrate the release from judgment by the death of Jesus on Good Friday, his resurrection on Easter Sunday is the guarantee, not only of our freedom from sin, but also our own resurrection to new life
We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51.
As we found on Good Friday, the Bible League diary tends to ignore the events of the church calendar, in today’s case Easter Sunday—perhaps vying with Christmas day as the most important event. The text I selected today is one that some comic placed on a church nursery door! But its real truth is supported by Jesus’ own resurrection—as he conquered death, so we who believe are also guaranteed victory over death. And as the flower is different from the seed which produces it, so our new bodies will be greatly enhanced in beauty and function. Read the whole chapter, it is an exciting portrait of our future.
I recall my father comparing the caterpillar and the butterfly. Although not a scriptural comparison, it is never-the-less a remarkable symbol of resurrection. Caterpillars, though some are attractive and some not so, are all earthbound, living a mundane and perilous existence close to the ground. But they all, after sleeping in a cocoon, awake to a glorious body, free to fly the heavens and spread their gorgeous new plumage.
Those of us with infirmities—mine I trust is temporary—long for the day of resurrection when our new makeover will free us from the setbacks of life. The greater the adversity of life, the greater the longing for that resurrection day when our frail bodies will be translated into a new and glorious life. While we celebrate the release from judgment by the death of Jesus on Good Friday, his resurrection on Easter Sunday is the guarantee, not only of our freedom from sin, but also our own resurrection to new life
Friday, April 10, 2009
Good Friday April 10, 2009
I usually provide a scripture at the head of these blogs, taken from the Bible League’s yearly diary. However, while the Bible League diary acknowledges today as Good Friday, it has the most inappropriate text for the day which I hesitate to display. Instead, it is far more important to give some thought once again to the meaning of the cross. But a lifetime of Easters narrows down the amount of unused ideas I have left, in addition to the thoughts about Easter from the universal church over the last two millennia.
Yet the events of life that we pass through continually offer fresh insights into the crucifixion. Particularly, my own surgery adds real meaning to the cross. You may remember that at my pre-op a couple of weeks before surgery, I was given an armband with name and barcode on it—with dire warnings not to remove it or “you’ll get no blood transfusions, nothin’ if you don’t have it on for surgery.” My surgeon told me I a lost a lot of blood during the extended surgery time and transfusions were needed. I’m just glad I kept that armband on!
It feels a little peculiar to think that I have someone else’s blood flowing through my arteries and veins. Although I have been a blood donor most of my life, I am particularly grateful for that one who donated blood for me. The parallel is all too clear. I am eternally grateful for the blood that was given for me at the cross. Human blood gives me existence, but the only life that has meaning is the transcendent life gained through acquiring the blood of Jesus Christ. Because his blood was real, purpose for this life and assurance for the next is also real.
To come back to the mundane, on Wednesday the doctor removed the hemovac line draining the wound and staples holding my stomach together—it’s still holding!—as promised. Life is still hampered by a catheter, but I’m learning how to cope with it until April 20th when it will be removed. Meantime, ablutions and a shower plus the shenanigans necessary to survive my post surgery world take an hour or so each morning. Then I need time to rest! Returning strength will take time, but progresses—after all, God is the real healer.
You can’t keep a good woman down. It is three days since Ann’s foot surgery, but the fine weather has called her into the garden where she is happily pottering. That after a morning littering the kitchen as she cooks up a storm. My appetite isn’t taking too long to return!
I usually provide a scripture at the head of these blogs, taken from the Bible League’s yearly diary. However, while the Bible League diary acknowledges today as Good Friday, it has the most inappropriate text for the day which I hesitate to display. Instead, it is far more important to give some thought once again to the meaning of the cross. But a lifetime of Easters narrows down the amount of unused ideas I have left, in addition to the thoughts about Easter from the universal church over the last two millennia.
Yet the events of life that we pass through continually offer fresh insights into the crucifixion. Particularly, my own surgery adds real meaning to the cross. You may remember that at my pre-op a couple of weeks before surgery, I was given an armband with name and barcode on it—with dire warnings not to remove it or “you’ll get no blood transfusions, nothin’ if you don’t have it on for surgery.” My surgeon told me I a lost a lot of blood during the extended surgery time and transfusions were needed. I’m just glad I kept that armband on!
It feels a little peculiar to think that I have someone else’s blood flowing through my arteries and veins. Although I have been a blood donor most of my life, I am particularly grateful for that one who donated blood for me. The parallel is all too clear. I am eternally grateful for the blood that was given for me at the cross. Human blood gives me existence, but the only life that has meaning is the transcendent life gained through acquiring the blood of Jesus Christ. Because his blood was real, purpose for this life and assurance for the next is also real.
To come back to the mundane, on Wednesday the doctor removed the hemovac line draining the wound and staples holding my stomach together—it’s still holding!—as promised. Life is still hampered by a catheter, but I’m learning how to cope with it until April 20th when it will be removed. Meantime, ablutions and a shower plus the shenanigans necessary to survive my post surgery world take an hour or so each morning. Then I need time to rest! Returning strength will take time, but progresses—after all, God is the real healer.
You can’t keep a good woman down. It is three days since Ann’s foot surgery, but the fine weather has called her into the garden where she is happily pottering. That after a morning littering the kitchen as she cooks up a storm. My appetite isn’t taking too long to return!
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