I recently received this note from a young lady:

“I’m slowly beginning to give up on God; he never fails to make me mad every day!

Yesterday, a WONDERFUL family lost their 2 year old little girl. Her mom was putting vegetables in the back of the truck while the little girl played inside the truck. The little girl must have put it in neutral; the truck took off down the hill, went into the pond, and she drowned. The mom dove in the pond after her like any mother would do but couldn’t find her in time.

Why does stuff like that happen? If there is a God he is doing a poor job and I hate him!

Just like that family this summer where the mom, dad and kids were in the car and they crashed and the car seat, with the baby strapped in went through the windshield killing the child.

Why would God just take them away like that? I have never met either of these children, but to think that God would snatch my child at any time makes me sick.

I have never been so angry in my life; he has let me down. Out of ALL the people God could remove from this earth he takes helpless children in the most awful and painful ways. I really don’t think I can ever go back to him; he is no god in my eyes.”

This is my response:

I care. You’re obviously hurting right now and I wish I could be there to let you know how important you are. The words you are about to read are written with love – the kind of love which should let you know that nothing you could ever do would make God love you less.

Bad things happen to good people.

We live in a broken world. It all started in a perfect Garden, thousands of years ago when the first humans were unable to obey a simple command and sin began to multiply in this world. Since that time, sin, which is at work in all of Adam and Eve’s descendants, compels us to be in charge of our own lives; to live without God. Living in a sinful world means we deal with accidents and sickness and all kinds of tragedies that happen to good and bad people alike.

If it were not for God’s mercy (when He withholds what we really deserve for our sinfulness) and grace (when He generously gives us what we could never deserve) our lives would be filled with the horror of constant tragedy, pain, and separation from all that is good. At this very instant, God’s goodness is being poured out all over the world because He loves us in spite of our rejection of His only Son, Jesus as the Master, King and leader of our lives.

Is God powerful enough to stop tragedies like the death of the two children you heard about? Yes, absolutely! And He does prevent accidents all the time – but not every time. That’s what we find so difficult to understand and accept.

Why doesn’t God stop all the bad things from happening? Because He loves us. God understands how foolish it would be to let us have our own way all the time. If I got my way and what I want every time, I would soon think of myself as god.

We have finite minds and that makes it difficult to understand an infinite God. Every day we grapple with the limitations of being human but God is not limited. We can only guess what might happen tomorrow but God knows every detail.

Don’t reject God because He doesn’t measure up to your standard. My measuring stick and your standard is broken and faulty. God is trustworthy because He is all-powerful, always present, and knows everything. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, God is still in charge.

Trust God.

“I” Trouble

I took the test and failed.

Several months ago I was challenged to try going a whole day without using a personal pronoun; I, my, me, mine, etc. I failed. In fact, I failed within the first hour! It’s very difficult to have any conversation without “I” or “me.” (Maybe you should try this exercise?)

I now openly admit: I have “I” trouble. New glasses or contacts will not correct this type of “I” trouble. This condition is a great concern because the life of a fully devoted follower of Christ should have God the Father, Jesus his Son, and the Holy Spirit at the center – not the little trinity of “me, myself, and I.”

But there is a response to “I” trouble: Humility.

Humility is seriously maligned in our culture but it’s because it is so misunderstood. Humility is not weakness, or timidity, or an attitude of worthlessness. Humility is not an attitude of “poor me; nobody loves me, everybody hates me; I’m going to go eat worms.” That is not humility as portrayed in God’s Word.

In Philippians 2, beginning at verse 5 we find a description of humility: “Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death . . .” (from The Message)

The best way to summarize what Scripture teaches us is: “Biblical humility is being able to look at myself and see what God sees.”

What does God see when He looks at a follower of Christ? Someone who is forgiven, restored, and adopted into the family of God; one whose brother is Jesus and who will share in the inheritance of the Son. Can you see yourself from God’s perspective?

Humility is the ONLY response to “I” trouble.

The variety and intensity of emotion for various causes can be found in my email in-box. Politics, world affairs, the economy, even doctrinal disputes are argued and advertised with fervor.

Much of today’s Christian activism is wrong-headed – it reflects hearts that get caught up in activity which ultimately does not reflect Biblical thinking. It subjects the Christian life to fits and spurts, bursts of zeal without wisdom, activism barren of biblical insight, high-tech evangelism wanting for body-life, and spiritual hype insensitive to the complexity of evil. Christians are running out of energy just getting from one activity to the next without any thought for the disciplines of true discipleship. They’re burning out and dropping out. They’re caught in a performance trap that leaves them wasted. Those who are rushing around are no longer certain of what they want out of life. They are unable to distinguish between willing obedience and willfulness, between false guilt and Spirit-led action, between self-expression and self-denial.

Real faith in God is essentially practical not promotional. It requires humility not publicity. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). Thoughtful Biblical living understands humble service, inner strength, quiet resolve, disciplined growth, and the sacrifice of praise. It’s in the routine of life, at the center of our daily existence with all its tensions and tedium that the heart that seeks after God pulsates with grace and truth.

(Thanks to Doug Webster for stimulating my thinking and providing most of the above text.)

Ken and Marla (pseudonyms) were five years into their marriage when they called asking to meet. I’d known them for the past four years and to an outsider they seemed to have a “fairy tale” family. It didn’t take long to learn that beneath the façade of great looks, fancy cars, and a huge house in the best location, both of them were ready to call divorce lawyers.

Several weeks ago I received two calls on the same day from First CU Church of Dunkerville (pseudonym). The first call was from the pastor and the other from one of the elders. The pastor was angry and ready to leave because he felt the expectations for his time were unreasonable. The elders were frustrated because the pastor wasn’t helping enough with the church remodeling project.

Yesterday I spoke to a church leader who is trying to navigate through some very heated decisions on where to spend a chunk of money received from an estate. He explained, “It wouldn’t be so difficult if there were only two sides but everyone has an opinion and is claiming their idea to be the most spiritual.”

All three of these situations resulted in one question: “Where are your priorities?”

Worshipping and serving God as a team in a covenant marriage? Or the selfishness of relationships that says, “What’s in it for me?”

Is the advancement of the Kingdom of God the number 1 priority? Or has the church facility become an idol?

What’s more important? Personal preferences and private agendas or the recognition that investing resources in people is what reaches other people for the Kingdom of God?

What is your priority?

We purchased it at Sears. It wasn’t the cheapest model nor was it the most expensive. We loaded two boxes in our new station wagon: one was very heavy; the other lighter, but bulky. No time was wasted when we got home: Lois was eight months pregnant and the crib needed to be assembled – now! I distinctly recall wading through the confusing instructions and almost indecipherable diagrams and watching Lois, out of the corner of my eye, standing at the bedroom door bewildered that it could take so long to put together a crib.

Finally, hours later, it was complete.

Lois was leaning over the adjustable rail to put the freshly washed sheets on the mattress when there was a pop and the rail fell into the crib. Holding on to the rail so it wouldn’t fall on her toes, Lois turned and looked at me, burst into tears saying, “This crib is supposed to protect our baby!”

Cribs are designed to protect. (Yes, we did get the crib assembled correctly and used it with all three of our children before giving it away to another young family.) There is something comforting about putting a baby in a crib; knowing the child will be safe. But as the child begins to grow, parents trade the crib for a toddler bed with a rail and then for a full-size bed. Bunk beds may even be included in the process. Parents teach children how to get in and out of bed, how to make the bed, how to change the sheets; it’s all part of growing up.

Oh how necessary it is for us to recognize that growing up in Christ also means leaving the safety and comfort of the crib! Just as we move from Birth to Benediction and from Formula to Faithfulness, we are compelled to move from the calm and security of our holy huddles into the crucible of the world.

A crucible is where precious metals are purified. It is the graphite container in which gold, for instance, is melted down in order to make an exquisite piece of jewelry.

Our crucible is living in the world where bankruptcy, divorce, accidents, unplanned pregnancy, violence, cancer, and heart attacks assail Christ followers along with everyone else. And we live in and through those circumstances without complaint, smiling through our tears because we know Jesus said to expect all this trouble. (John 16:33)

Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) “Jesus would say to us, ‘Get a life. Mix it up. Put yourself in the company of the needy. Keep your eyes peeled for widows. Don’t divert your eyes from the lame. Pay attention to them. Let’s not make ministry into a mystery. Get in the game. Just do it!’” (Webster in Text Messaging, p 123.)

We learn to resist the expectation that following Jesus will be safe and comfortable and confidently live with the assurance that God will be us. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.” (John 14:1) Our hearts are not anxious even though our circumstances might include pain, loneliness, frustration and conflict.

We have hope. That assurance allows us to fully embrace this life while we anticipate eternity. Hope – which gives us the courage to leave the crib and live in the crucible.

The vitality of our Christianity is proven in the crucible of living in such a way that we choose to be uncomfortable, unknown, and unpretentious. Instead, we fully embrace living outside the crib so that others, who are already experiencing the crucible, will see Christ in us.

“Father in Heaven, I pray for confident strength to move from the crib I find so comforting and safe to the crucible where I can learn to be like Jesus. Amen.”

I have a particular memory of Broc, my second oldest grandson, when he was about 8 months old. He was able to hold the bottle himself and was sitting on my lap and I was talking to someone else in the room. With an incredibly accurate aim, in a split second, he popped the bottle out of his mouth, squeezed and shot a stream of formula right in my mouth! Yuck!

Fortunately, Broc set aside the bottle for a covered cup and progressed to a regular glass. At seven years old, he can eat as well as most adults; if we’re grilling steaks he needs a full-size one just like Dad.

But let’s be honest: there are lots of people who call themselves Christians who are still satisfied with formula; they’ve still not matured to a life of faithfulness.

Some people live under the assumption that faithfulness is attained by more and more study of the Bible. While Bible study is an important component of faithfulness, we have to be careful to hear James, who says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) We have become proficient at gaining considerable Bible knowledge but putting very little into practice.

Faithfulness actually combines knowledge, obedience and service.

Faithfulness is a result of obedience. We’ve heard it many times: To believe is to obey and to obey is to believe. That’s the bottom line. But is it possible that we’ve succumbed to cultures’ message that fulfillment is found in getting to do whatever we want, whenever we want? Jesus calls us to follow him and following Jesus means I’m not in charge. (Matthew 16:24-28)

The life of obedience begins at the cross – my cross, your cross – the cross where we put to death our selfish ways and submit to the leadership of Christ. (Galatians 5:24) It’s a cross we may have to come back to often; to submit our will to His will; to learn how to obey. Faithfulness demands it.

Faithfulness does not mean living a perfect life. Not one of us learned how to obey without failure. Parents patiently teach children how to obey and often allow us to experience the consequences of faulty behavior. God, our Heavenly Father, has never required perfection. He is infinitely patient with us because he knows our weaknesses. He is prepared for the times when we take the wrong path or make the wrong choice or even blatantly disobey.

In those instances our faithfulness is proven we when confess and repent. Confession is simply acknowledging that we have sinned against God. Repentance is turning away from the patterns, behaviors and attitudes that lead to sin. People still dependent on formula seem to be trapped in cycles of confession and sin and more confession without inserting the vital step of repentance. Moving from formula to faithfulness requires genuine repentance and that always results in change.

Faithfulness is revealed and proven in real life. How we apply Scripture to various circumstances and situations is important but letting Scripture penetrate to the very core of our being is critical. I will never forget the scathing verbal barb from a teenager. She said, “At home, my parents are no different from my friend’s parents who never go to church.” The statistics support her charge.

In all the areas where faithfulness should be illustrated by lifestyle there is no statistical difference between people who attend church and those who don’t. Divorce, infidelity, pornography, substance abuse, and financial miss-management are epidemic in the church and outside.

The way we live is a stark reminder of our need to move from formula to faithfulness!

Yesterday I received a phone call from a young couple I’ve known for several years. They are serving God as ambassadors of the Gospel and God’s blessing is evident in their ministry.

Just one year ago they announced that their first child was on the way and all who know them were certain they would make great parents. Then the baby was born and everyone immediately knew that this little boy was profoundly disabled.

Yesterday the new Daddy called to share that after months of tests the final results showed little Andrew would never grow much – either physically or mentally. His life expectancy could be six months or six years or even longer – but he would always be a baby. Of course, the parents are heartbroken but in their grief are showing maturity and Christ-likeness which serve as a model for many.

From Birth to Benediction

The phone call came as I was meditating on the passages in Paul’s letters that refer to the church as a body: Romans 12:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; and Colossians 2:19; 3:15. And then I read Ephesians 4:4-16 and especially verses 11-16:

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

From its birth as described in Acts, to the great Benediction at the Second Coming of Christ, the church is described as the Body of Christ. Every follower of Jesus is a part of that church and every church is part of the church universal. Together we are to be “built up;” to “become mature” so that “we will no longer be infants.”

We are called to “grow up.” Andrew will not grow up and that reality leaves his parents and their families frustrated, sad, and bewildered. But unless we have a debilitating disability, we, the church, are expected to “become mature” and leave behind the baby talk, milk, and childish ways.

Simply passing the days (and years) will never help Andrew grow up. Just showing up for church and going through the motions does not help us grow in Christ-like maturity.

We are called to honestly evaluate our own lives to determine the progress of the maturation process. That assessment is most successful when we turn to those who know us best and ask for their insight and respond to their questions.

Pastors and church leaders have an even greater responsibility: we will be held accountable for the people under our spiritual care. How are they doing? What are we doing to help promote their spiritual growth? What does the plan look like for moving people from new birth to adolescence to maturity?

As they think through the individuals in their congregation, maybe one of the questions leaders should ask is, Who is Sold out? Who is risking everything as a follower of Jesus?

Could it be that we should be as frustrated and upset as Andrew’s parents over the reality that our churches are full of people who still need milk and baby formula and cribs?

Over the next several weeks, I’ll share some thoughts about moving from Formula to Faithfulness; From Cribs to Crucibles; and From Diapers to Discipleship.

On May 11, Pope Benedict told reporters flying with him to Portugal, “The greatest persecution of the Church doesn’t come from the enemies outside, but is born from sin inside the Church.” (link to original article)

It’s true.

Walt Kelly’s cartoon character, Pogo, put it this way: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

We are easily distracted by the masses who would have us believe that governments, politicians, and secularism have become the enemy of the church; a brilliant move by the real Adversary to divert our attention. Pope Benedict is correct; the sin inside the church is the church’s greatest enemy.

Some of this sin within is obvious: gossip, greed, jealousy . . . but much of the foe is insidious. Allow me to risk offending by describing what I mean:

Sentimentalism – Don’t trust your feelings! Churches often find themselves driven by how people feel. When the truth of God’s Word is abandoned in favor of emotion we are ruled by style and not substance; personal preferences become more important than Biblical principles; and tradition takes precedence over Truth. We often choose the type of music, translation of the Bible, and who rings the bell based on how we feel. Emotion – sentiment – is a terrible foundation for decision making.

Edifice Idolatry – The church building is NOT God’s House. Jesus, by the power and work of the Holy Spirit, lives in US; not in a structure of wood, stone, and steel. Facilities are simply tools. Use them up, wear them out, outgrow them – then tear them down and move on. I once heard someone say, “We can’t have all these kids running around because they’ll wear out the carpet!” What?! There isn’t much that frustrates me more than churches spending more on their buildings than on disciple making. North America is littered with empty warehouses, factories, and department stores – let’s move in and wear them out!

Practical Atheism – Craig Groeschel coined this phrase in his latest book, “The Christian Atheist”. Literally, it means we believe in God but live as if He doesn’t exist. Admit it; would materialism – the monster called MORE – really have such a stranglehold on our lives if we believed it is better to store up treasures in heaven than on earth? If we fully believed that God created sexuality for an exclusive, life-long commitment between one man and one woman would we really continue to harbor such lust? There will always be hypocrisy in the church but let’s do a better job at walking the talk!

Indifference – Apathy is closely related to practical atheism but let’s make a distinction. Some practical atheists know all the right words and can sing all the songs from memory but there are many, many people in our churches who just don’t care. Church is simply another activity like soccer or attending a concert. In fact, indifference shows up when people decide softball is more important than worship and going to the football game is a higher priority than being in a mentoring relationship. People all around us who are far from God are longing for someone who will do more than just say they care.

These are just four of the many malady’s which result in Perpetual Spiritual Adolescence – the debilitating and crippling paralysis which runs rampant like a virus without a vaccine. Pastors and church leaders must take inventory: is there indifference? Sentimentalism? Practical Atheism? Edifice Idolatry?

What steps will you begin to take to address the sin within?

On that same flight, Pope Benedict also told reporters, “We can expect that evil will always launch attacks from the inside and the outside but the forces of good are also always present, and in the end, the Lord is stronger than evil.”

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:7-10)