Almost every day we hear about someone stealing an identity. As I understand it, this is the fastest growing crime in the U.S. It just happened to me. Well, at least in a small way. Recently someone hacked into my Yahoo account and then into my Facebook account. This person “took over” my Yahoo email and posed as me (took my name and identity), and as ”me” attempted to influence my friends into giving them money with a bogus story about me being trapped in England. Well, I have always wanted to go to England, but that will have to wait. The only good news is that the hacker didn’t get into any of my money accounts.
So what is my identity and what does it mean for someone to take it. I have an identity as a husband, son, father, brother, pastor, etc. Do these have any meaning? Yes of course they do. And I have an identity in Christ. Does this mean anything? My sister-in-law noted after I posted about the compromise of my accounts that anyone who really “knew” me would know whether or not I was in England and would immediately recognize this as a scam. In fact that is just what happened. Although I was contacted by several persons just to make sure, all of them said that the email didn’t “sound” anything like me.
This means that my identity was known by my friends and a hacker really can’t be me. How solid is your identity? Could a person recognize you? What about as a husband, father, son, etc.? Would people know that you are a happily married man or woman by the way you conduct yourself? Would anyone be able to tell the value your children have to you? How about other aspects of your life? Would anyone be able to tell that you have an identity in Christ by the way you live?
The Devil would love to destroy your identity. He knows that if your life doesn’t reflect your identity you will push others away from Christ. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have to be perfect. Since part of what it means to have one’s identity in Christ has to do with grace. Jesus has grace and gives it freely.
What does it mean to have one’s identity in Christ? I believe that it means, at least in part, that I know the pardoning grace of Jesus in my life, that Christ’s grace in me has had great affect in how I live and conduct myself, and that I am a representative of this new identity (and therefore Christ Himself) in the world. There is so much more to say about this wonderful identity in Christ. One of the best things is that no “hacker” can take it away. Christ has given me this new life and I am His forever. May Jesus be praised.
Finally, I am a bit more cautious with my online accounts now. Call me paranoid, but I have new, longer, irregular, and different passwords for everything now. I monitor my financial accounts daily. Well, why not? What would happen if we were to monitor all of our identities the same way? Every day I can work on my identity in Christ by being in the Holy Word and through prayer and by being about His work. I can monitor my identity as a husband by asking if I have been good, loving, patient, and honoring of my wife. You get the idea. I guess the real truth is only I can take (or give) away my identity. So, who am I? I am a Christ follower living out my life as a husband, father, son, brother, friend, and pastor. Who are you? And how is your identity today?
Since preparing for my Bible study for March 24 on Luke 22:7-34 (The Lord’s last supper with his disciples) I have been heavily burdened. In particular I have been burdened by the disciples’ argument about who would be the greatest. They had just celebrated a meal that reminded them that God is the greatest and had delivered them from “mighty” Pharaoh. Jesus had then told them of how he is about to give of himself as the “new covenant.” Yet, they argued about who is the greatest.
I’m not heavily burdened not so much because of their arguing, but about how we in the modern era do the same thing. We speak of doctrinal rightness (or superiority), argue about what style of worship service is better, which group of “members” is the better [long-time members vs. newcomers, seasonal vs. year around, older or younger, rich or poor, Anglo or Hispanic, ministry vs. mission, personal holiness vs. social holiness, Mary or Martha, and it never seems to end]. I am burdened because we do so in a way that the first disciples never did – we do so in the shadow of the cross and the resurrection!
I am burdened because such arguments keep us from the mission. I think on Jesus and his mission and how he simply availed himself to any and all. And how he fully sought out all who were separated from the family of God and how he, though chastising them often, still embraced those already in the family.
If the mission is to reach those “lost” (or at least separated from) from God and to grow the disciples we have as well we cannot afford such distractions. I pray somehow that I haven’t been part of such an argument…. But I’m quite certain I have, probably more often than I can admit. May Jesus Christ have mercy on us – on me.
Thank you Jesus for your mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus for forgiving us our sins. Thank you Jesus for taking upon yourself the sins of the whole world, even mine. Thank you for the new life you have given me by the power of your resurrection.
Yesterday (November 5, 2009) a great tragedy occurred at Ft. Hood, Texas. I write briefly today to extend my condolences and call us all to prayer for the families of the fallen and the wounded and the entire Ft. Hood family. I pray that God will grant peace and strength to all.
I am also grateful to hear the many stories of bravery that have come out of this tragedy. Soldiers and first responders quickly contained the situation and brought healing and hope to the wounded and the unaware. Thank you for being who you are.
This week we honor our veterans. Everyday we are reminded about your great sacrifice. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. We will never forget the fallen and we will continue to honor those who have served and those who serve.
Recently a great deal of controversy has brewed over the half-game suspension of The University of Florida Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes for allegedly attempting to gouge the eyes of a defenseless opponent during the Florida/Georgia game. What is the right thing here? Please note as you read this that I write as a Gator fan, but more importantly as a fan of the Lord Jesus Christ. The arguments have been over whether or not Spikes received enough of a punishment or not.
I have been fascinated by the arguments. Some have said, that “If you are a Florida fan it is enough and if you aren’t it isn’t enough?” I hope and pray that this isn’t accurate. Some have defended the action by saying that “This kind of thing goes on all the time therefore a big deal shouldn’t be made out of it.” Others have said things like, “What about the late hit on Tebow?” Or this one “Football is an emotional game so people do things when they are emotional.” I guess things like gouging at someone’s eyes while they are defenseless is ok when you are caught up in your emotions!? (That was sarcasm just in cased you missed it.) The one thing obvious in all of these so called defenses is that they ignore the fact the Spikes allegedly attempted intentionally to gouge at another players eyes. This logic above is a lot like the logic used by the little boy who was asked by his teacher how a fight started. The boy replied, “It all started when he hit me back!”
Ok I’ll admit that football is an emotional game (I’ve played it myself). And I’ll admit that it is a physical and rough sport. And I’ll also admit many things happen in split seconds. After all the difference between a late hit and a good hit is often a second or one step. But in this case the player was already on the ground and the whistle had already blown.
I wonder is it ok to hit your child when you are emotional (I know the sarcasm is getting ready to role… but bear with me)? How about road rage? That’s usually based on a strong emotional reaction to something happening on a roadway. We often hear about crimes of passion? Ok ok I know that Spikes wasn’t trying to be a criminal, but how truly pathetic are our defenses of this action? I am grateful that Spikes himself realized that there is a lot of anger and distraction out there and asked for a full-game suspension. And I don’t think he deserved a season suspension, UNLESS he does it again.
How do we determine what is right? Are we so caught up in this country viewing blue/orange, garnet/gold, green/orange, or you can select your favorite team colors that we will excuse poor behavior. We won’t tolerate poor performance but we will tolerate inappropriate behavior on or off the field if we are winning?
I invite us all to take a step back and look at how we determine right and wrong. Do we do so as thoughtful followers of Jesus Christ? Or do we make our decisions about what is right based upon fuzzy logic, selfish logic, or what is convenient for the moment. I’m not sure I have given you any answers to these questions, but I do know that the Scriptures teach us to live lives of goodness, kindness, etc. even in the sports world. After all, isn’t it true that one of the first things we try to teach children as they learn to play sports is “good sportsmanship?” Let’s follow our Master, Jesus Christ, and embrace his way.
Today (October 14, 2009) I received two phone calls that reminded me about the power of persistent and faithful prayer. The first came from a woman who has been praying for her brother to know Christ. This woman has been praying for her brother for a long time. When I say a long time I don’t mean a few minutes or a few hours or even a few months. She didn’t just pray for a few years. She prayed for a few decades. Her brother is now in the twilight of life and has refused to believe that God even existed let alone Jesus is God with us. But after decades of prayer the right witness ministered to her brother in just the right way until faith became sight and her brother has faith in Jesus Christ.
The second call came from a person who worshipped with us this past weekend. While sitting in worship he read through our bulletin. Then during the worship service a strange sensation come over him. He had this overwhelming sense that someone was praying for muffin mix and beans that we were trying to collect to help the poor in our community. He then knew that God was calling on him to do something about it. What was his response to God’s call upon him? He purchased 1,000 cans of beans and 1,000 boxes of muffin mix. His belief is that he was responding to a prayer made to God for this gift of food. God used him to provide the answer to someone’s prayer.
Sometimes it is easy to give up on prayer. Sometimes the results don’t seem to come quickly enough. Sometimes we feel the answer won’t come. But this week on the same day I received two calls that reminded me that prayer works. And that prayer often requires of us to be faithful and persistent at it with faith. I would suggest also that we each need to be prepared to be used by God to be an answer to prayer.
What do you need today in your life? What do we need as a church? Fervent and persistent prayer works. Let’s gather ourselves around positive and faithful prayer that honors the Lord Jesus Christ, pray in faith in His name, for great things for the Kingdom. May God be praised.
Have you been watching the debate on healthcare? I have been alarmed by the tone of the town hall meetings. I’m alarmed by both the tone and attitude of citizens and of our congressional leaders. Yesterday (August 19), one of our congressional leaders asked a citizen “What planet” she spent most of her time on? I suppose all of us have wanted to say things like this when we are frustrated, but we don’t give in because it isn’t polite and frankly it is inappropriate. To be fair the citizen was comparing the President to Adolf Hitler and the government to fascist state. Nevertheless this doesn’t make inappropriate remarks appropriate.
This kind of thing isn’t new. Many people compared our last President to Hitler as well. Apparently some people haven’t studied their history books to learn just how vial a man Hitler was.
I find it interesting that people from both political parties (and independents too) get very upset when “their” President or leader are called Nazis or are compared to Hitler, but don’t seem to complain a bit when it’s their opponent. Even the news anchors aren’t immune in how they slant their dialogue.
The church of course isn’t immune from such things either. People in churches gossip about one another, talk about church leaders in negative ways in public places, sometimes accuse leaders and others of “ruining” their church, etc. I suppose if we can’t figure out how to disagree in a loving and grace filled manner we certainly can’t expect the world to.
The Holy Scriptures are quite clear on this matter. We are called to treat one another with dignity and respect (see for example: Matthew 6:12, Romans 12:9-10, Ephesians 4:32, and 1st John 4:12). Whatever side of the “aisle” you are on we are called to “give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Romans 13:1-7 contains a full command about respecting authorities). When one realizes that the apostle Paul, who wrote these things, lived under the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero you understand just how serious Paul was about respect. At least two of these emperors persecuted Christians and Jews and perhaps you know of the low morality (to put it mildly) of Caligula.
Of course Paul was even more serious about his teaching on respect and civil discourse in the church. In fact virtually every book in the New Testament has more than one teaching calling the church to love, be gracious to, and to respect one another. Perhaps Paul’s words to the Ephesians in 5:21 capture this command the best, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
As we watch the Healthcare debate unfold (and other future debates) I pray that we will all support civil and gracious discourse on the issues and expect our leaders to do so as well. It is impossible to listen to each others fears, concerns, or points of view if all we can think about is our own agenda and if all we know how to do is shout, ridicule one another, and be uncivil. May God use the church to lead the way is this kind of dialogue.
May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you: May you see your children's children. May you be poor in misfortune, Rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness From this day forward.
May the road rise up to meet you May the wind be always at your back May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on, May blue be the skies above you, May pure be the joys that surround you, May true be the hearts that love you.
Have you ever found yourself reading a Scripture verse that you know very well only to have it come alive to you suddenly out of the blue? Those who were with us this past Sunday in worship know that I gave this homework: Be prepared to answer the question “How (or what) has God been saying to you this past week?” I have been trying to listen carefully.
This morning as I was reading through the Gospel of John I had one of those surprise moments and a real word from God as I read a couple of verses I know very well and have quoted often. These words are from John 14:12-13 “…anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” I know these words as well as any other verses in the bible, but today they seemed so real. As I read them I recalled a conversation I had with our youth pastor Ray regarding the prayer life of a friend of his. Ray’s friend challenged him by saying “Your God is too small.” What this friend meant was you don’t ask God for things only God can deliver… you are satisfied with asking God for the small things, the kind of things you can do by yourself.
So I reflected on this and Faith Church’s financial difficulty with our builder and sub-contractors. We at Faith are trying to do the work Jesus has given us (verse 12). Things such as: worship, mission trips, shoes for needy children, raising money for food, The Clothes’ closet, etc. Yet always in the back of our minds (at least in mine) is the fact that we need $120,000 for one sub-contractor and of course more for others. I know that such needs cause us frustration and often cause us to lose focus on our work.
As I continued to reflect on all of this I sensed the Lord Jesus speaking to me, “read these verses again.” As I did it occurred to me that we are seeking to do the work, but are we (am I) praying for everything we need? So I asked the Lord for $120,000. I know that sounds crazy. I’m not one of those preachers that believe you should just “name it and claim it” nor am I a “prosperity Gospel” preacher. I also am not looking for a check to fall from the sky. However, I realize that God is able to do marvelous things (or to quote Jesus “greater things than I have done….”) when we ask in the name of Jesus. And the solution to our problem is out there. God is able to help us find favor with all involved. So I asked in the name of Jesus for Faith Church to receive $120,000. I know that this money is going to come at the right time and in such a way that there will be no doubt that this is a gift from God.
So I have had to ask myself, “How great (or big) is God to you?” I have placed far too many limits on the Lord Jesus. So, I prayed… and I will keep praying for the things that Faith Church needs to accomplish the works that Jesus has called to. I’ll let you know how this all works out. Personally, I already feel blessed by the Lord just for asking. May the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit receive all the glory in this and all things.
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