Unrest Can Be Good

Change is difficult.

I always have to remind myself. Change is something we want someone else to do. You and I can become quite comfortable in life—even in our ugliness.

For a generation the man had sat by the pool. The scriptures tell us that he was blind, lame, and paralyzed. He had been dumped there. The temple folks took care of his basic needs. I imagine that many folks who walked by on a daily basis did not even notice him. Probably in the early days when he heard the water stirring, he would try but with no success. In the latter years, he became content with what life was. He had the explanation down as to why he was where he was. Nothing was going to change.

As I preached on this text last Sunday, I thought about his friends and family. Where were they? Had he run them off? Were they comfortable with just leaving him there? Had they lost hope? Had they become as frustrated with life as he was?

Comfort can lead us into a life that is really too comfortable. I know that I am overweight—I have tried all the diets. This is just who I am! Old dogs cannot learn new tricks. Do you find yourself saying these things?

People who study human behavior tell us that when life is filled with enough discomfort or consequence, people change. Most of the time the change agent is crisis. When I am about to die, THEN I will exercise or eat better.

The faith offers us an alternative. God offers us Jesus. Now most folks think that when Jesus comes into your life, life is easier. The truth is quite the contrary. When Jesus comes into your life, your life is turned upside down. Those whom you never saw in need come to the forefront. The sufferings of the world become your sufferings. Life is not about what you can accumulate or receive. Life is now about what you can give. The Christian life is a life of unrest in this world, while having complete rest in the life to come. Change is a mandate and it begins with you.

Jesus healed the man who was by the pool for 38 years. All the man had to do was to invite Jesus to heal him. And he got up his pallet and walked.

Maybe today is the day that you meet Jesus and your life changes.

Pray for me as I pray for you!

Marriage Requires Much Work

It was like a scene out of a movie.

Her boyfriend, Keith, was returning from his time in Afghanistan with the Air Force. We were there with her at Barksdale Air Force Base to welcome him home. Meredith, her sister who married a military person, had told her how to get the banner made. The banner let everyone know that there were at least two families who were welcoming home a hero! I am sure all there knew the many heroes that were present and coming home. Miranda, my daughter, was anxious to see Keith!

What she didn't know is that a few months back, Keith has skyped Mandy and me. He was nervous as he talked to us about being in Afghanistan. But then he asked the question, "Can I ask your daughter to marry me when I get home?" Before we could answer, the screen went blank! Finally the connections returned and we both said, "Yes!" I gave him a hard time asking him if he was so scared to ask me he had to be half way around the world! So Keith began to make things ready for the big day. With Mandy's help they made sure they found out Miranda's ring size. With his Dad's help he ordered a ring.

With the help of his wing commander, the dad was sneaked out to the plane to give Keith the ring to have when he met Miranda. As we stood there waiting and watching, Miranda was nervous and excited about his return. She had no idea that he was going to propose. She ran and hugged him! And then he fell on one knee, pulled out the ring, and popped the question. They were surrounded by friends, family, and the media as well. It was a grand scene! And of course, Miranda said yes!! So now the wedding plans begin.

Did you notice how much effort and help went into making this happen? While Keith was working on getting permission, the ring, etc. he was also fighting a war.

Marriage is like this! It requires much from the couple. It requires the support of friends, family, and yes—even the media! All of this is happening while life is still busy. And the great happy moments are sometimes but a flash in the whole scheme of things. Oh, but what a flash!

Miranda and Keith are just beginning this part of their life. My hope is that fifty or sixty years from now they will be holding hands and remembering the blessings of their marriage—one they worked at, one that friends helped and encouraged them!

If you are enjoying the blessings of marriage—give thanks! If you are struggling in your marriage—you are not alone! Work at it. Get help if you need it! Realize that this is a part of being married. Being married and staying married, requires much work! But the blessings are worth it!

Pray for me as I pray for you.

Wait Three Days!

I am not a very patient person. Truth be told, I am very impatient. I am like the man who is praying for patience in prayer. He waits about fifteen seconds and then says, "Well!!!" Our world does not help us with this. We serve ourselves instant food, fast food, and want the internet that is the fastest. Sometimes our impatience works against us in strange ways. An airline pilot announced to his passengers, "I have good news and bad news! The bad news is that we are lost—no idea where we are. The good news is that we are making really good time."

Judas was not a patient person. Some have put forth the theory that the betrayal of Jesus was to make Jesus do what Judas and other zealots wanted him to do—confront the Roman government. Create a new earthly kingdom. The scriptures tell us that when Judas realized what was happening that Judas hung himself. Judas could not see beyond the tragedy. My friend, Rolly Walker posed an interesting question—What if Judas had waited three days?

Three days seems like a long time but it really isn't. Waiting for three days seems to be letting good things slip away. But I have found that waiting three days gives me time to reflect and really see what is happening. Waiting three days enables me to emotion down. Some of the worst decisions in life are made because we are caught up in emotion.

Waiting is a part of how God works in our lives. Harry Emerson Fosdick says that there are three answers to prayer—Yes, No, and Wait. The waiting prayers are where God is at work in our lives. It is like the ships of centuries ago that would leave Europe and make their way around the coast of Africa and then to the Far East to get their treasures. They would leave and be practically forgotten. Then one day, they would reappear filled with the rare treasures that one could get only by taking the long journey.

Maybe this Easter the message for you is to wait. Wait three days to see the resurrected Lord! God is doing things you never could imagine.

Pray for me as I Pray for you

Some Things You Cannot Fix

I am not a "fix-it" guy. Oh how I wish I were! I am envious of all those people who can just fix stuff. When it comes to fixing things, I take the mantra—"Do no harm!" I have the genetic ability to make it worse or even better—to harm me and others around me while trying. Over the years, I have learned the humble task of just calling someone who can do the job I cannot do.

This inability has nurtured me in ministry. In ministry, I find myself confronted with things that cannot be fixed. Broken relationships feeding off the anger of the past cannot be fixed. Marriages that are being destroyed by the infidelity of one who will not stop being unfaithful cannot be fixed. The body of a beloved soul that has been engulfed by the disease of cancer cannot be fixed. And the list goes on and on. It is a helpless feeling at times because there is no fix to be had.

That is where God promises just to be. Being there in the midst of the brokenness of life is God's promise. God's presence is the answer.

Can you begin to imagine that on this day God watched? It does not seem right. But God watched to honor the gift of humanity's free will. God watched humanity do its worse to God's son, Jesus. Jesus suffered. Jesus died. But God did not leave. God waited three days to do what only God could do.

The death of a child is one of the most traumatic events that one can live through. I did not realize this until I watched my parents' grief the deaths of their two daughters. It just does not seem right for parents to bury their children no matter what age. But life happens. The good news is that God is present.

On Good Friday (the Friday before Easter) each year, I gather with parents to remember their children. We share the journey together. We light a candle for the children who have died. We assure ourselves and the world that they are not forgotten. So this Friday at 6 p.m. at McKneely's funeral home in Hammond, I will be present with those who know the reality that there are some things that simply cannot be fixed. God will be there with us to remind us that God too knows what it is like to lose a child.

We live through the brokenness to find the new life that God offers to us. It comes after the days of darkness. It comes with the Risen Lord on Easter! As one African American preacher put it, "it's now Friday but Sunday's a comin'!!!"

 

Pray for me as I Pray for you.