Another Tale of the Unexplained

Isaiah 41:10 gives us a great reminder that God is with us, and as we walk by faith in Him, we can experience freedom from fear:
10Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

Fear is a paralyzing force - fear, anxiety, and worry that infiltrate our minds can keep us from recognizing or relying on the activity of God.   The Bible tells us over and over again to "fear not" but it is such a natural tendency to think the worse, to worry about those scores of things that will never come to pass.   We have access to divine protection, and it's helpful to think about, acknowledge, and give God the praise for those times in which we have seen Him work, and that can bring peace to our souls.  The enemy will bring fear into our minds, and if it is allowed to fester unchecked, we become vulnerable to walking with a distorted point of view, which can keep us from experiencing what God has in store.

The promise of divine protection is very real and available to all believers, according to Psalm 91.   Here are a few verses from that Psalm which can encourage us to trust in the Lord as our refuge:
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,6Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
11For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.12In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Here's one of those inexplicable occurrences with seemingly no natural explanation.   According to ChristianNews.net, it took place at a McDonald's restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas. According to reports, 24-year-old Jestin Joseph entered the fast food restaurant on Tuesday and asked for a cup. Moments later, he pulled out a handgun and demanded both staff and patrons to hand over their possessions. Approximately 15 people, including children, were in the building.

Joseph attempted to fire his gun, but nothing happened.

After several tries, he stepped outside to fire the weapon. It worked.

The gunman walked back into the building and pulled the trigger, but the gun would not fire. He then stepped outside a second time to try to find out what was wrong with the handgun, but it worked perfectly fine.

The incident was captured on video, including shots of Joseph pulling the trigger to no avail.

“I’ve never seen a video like this before,” Fort Worth detective Joe Loughman told reporters. “My gut feeling is the city of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth police department avoided a major tragedy on Tuesday night.”

In an interview with NBC News affiliate KXAS this week, Joseph told reporters that he began hearing voices on Sunday, and continues to hear them.   He recounted, “I walked into McDonald’s, asked for water, went to the machine and, as soon as I did, dude said something to me...That’s when I pulled the gun, and I lost it.”

However, Joseph’s mother, who is concealing her identity for protective purposes, told the Star-Telegram this week that she believes her prayers for her son that night thwarted a massacre.

“Last night, I told God to keep Jestin, and that’s what I do believe happened,” she told the publication. “I did not know he even had a gun.”

She believes that her son had a mental breakdown, and states that her husband had also struggled with mental uses.

“I would have never in a million years thought he would have gone to that point,” she explained. “I know that same spirit that grabbed ahold of his dad and took his dad mentally, grabbed Jestin.”

Davidge Armstrong, who tussled with Joseph that night, told CNN that he could hear the gun clicking, but it would not fire.  He asserted that, “[It was] God...That’s all it was. That’s all it could have been.”

So, if you were to ask someone to explain how this man walked into a restaurant, attempted to fire a gun and it did not fire - twice - with the lives of over a dozen people on the line - what sort of responses would you get?   I am completely convinced that we have divine intervention at work here, and the mother of the alleged shooter acknowledged that prayer was a key.   

I believe that God's protection is available to us, and when we see it manifested, that we do give credit to the Lord - it strengthens our faith and becomes a powerful witness - maybe you have had an occasion where disaster was averted in your own life, a situation of timing when you miss an accident by a matter of seconds or minutes.   Or maybe your life was saved or you were prevented from harm - give God the glory that He has sustained your days - and you may have experienced an angel or two or more being involved, too.

There's another, dark supernatural aspect, too - Here is another person who is intent on doing harm who claims to have heard "voices" - sound familiar?   That's the contention of the Navy Yard shooter, too.   The mom of the Fort Worth shooter, Jestin, said that there was a spirit that grabbed him, like a spirit had grabbed his father.   I do believe that the enemy, who comes to steal, kill, and destroy, sends his minions to delude and deceive - and he will distort our minds.  The mind is the battlefield, and that is why we have to be sensitive to the operation of Satan in and around us.

As Rick Warren has stated, it's important that the church is sensitive to people in our midst who are having mental illness issues.  Baptist Press reports on a survey by LifeWay Research that found a third of Americans -- and nearly half of evangelical, fundamentalist or born again Christians -- believe prayer and Bible study alone can overcome serious mental illness.

The survey also found most Americans (68 percent) would feel welcome in church if they were mentally ill.

Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, said Christians care about those affected by mental illness.

He's glad churches are seen as a welcome place for those with depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. But he worries some Christians see mental illness as a character flaw rather than a medical condition.

Christians will go to the doctor if they break their leg, Stetzer said. But some may try to pray away serious mental illness. "They forget that the key part of mental illness is the word 'illness,'" he said. "In a typical evangelical church, half the people believe mental illness can be solved by prayer and Bible study alone." 

We have powerful resources in Christ, but if someone does not properly know how to use them and apply them, then those tools can be less than effective.  And, we have to be sensitive to those in the church whom we identify as having some mental issues, so that we can assist them in getting the fullness of help they need.

Collective Punishment and Individual Redemption

In Ephesians chapter 2, we read about not only the eternal curse that every human being is under, but the free gift of salvation that offers us the way out of God's punishment and into eternal life with Jesus:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

I'm so thankful that even though each us deserves to spend eternity apart from God because of the power of indwelling sin, He did not leave us there - we now have a choice to follow Christ, to accept Him as our Lord and Savior and experience the antidote to sin's power, or continue to live for ourselves, apart from God, which will leave us apart from Him for all eternity.  We can make the choice of abundant life here and eternal life with Jesus forever, beginning this moment and forever.   God has made the way out, and He will continue to make the way for us to come to know Him better and more deeply each day.

Isaiah 53 reminds us that collectively, all of us were deserving of an eternal death penalty because of sin, which brought a curse to humanity.   But Jesus brought us a way out!
5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.6All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

There's a story from a high school in Utah that has attracted national attention and deals with the important issue of character among teenagers.   A high school coach at Union High School, essentially fed up with the actions of some of his team members, announced that the football team was temporarily being scrapped.   All 41 players would have the opportunity to re-earn their spot on the team, but the bad behavior of some of the players and the erosion of character had to be addressed, according to coach Matt Labrum.

According to a story on the Deseret News website, Labrum said, “We felt like everything was going in a direction that we didn’t want our young men going...We felt like we needed to make a stand.”

So the coach and his staff gathered the team together after Friday night's loss to Judge Memorial Catholic High School and told them he was concerned about some of the players' actions and behavior off the field.   Some of these actions included cyberbullying and skipping classes.   He then instructed them all to turn in their jerseys and their equipment. There would be no football until they earned the privilege to play.

Labrum says, “I think football molds character...We want to help our parents raise their sons. We want to be a positive influence. We want to be an asset.”

During Saturday's team meeting, Labrum gave the suspended players a letter titled "Union Football Character," explaining exactly what the boys would need to do if they wanted to earn their jerseys back.

Instead of practicing during the days leading up to a homecoming game against Emery High tonight, they were told to perform community service, and attend study hall and a class on character development. They were also required to perform service for their own families and write a report about their actions.

The players were told they also need to show up on time and attend all of their classes. And those with bad grades were told they must show improvement if they wanted to play.

The response from parents and administration was overwhelmingly positive.   While someone might say that the whole team was punished for the actions of the few and raise the issue of fairness, we can also recognize that all players were given the opportunity to earn their spot on the field.  

Broad spiritual implications here?    Well, I think for one thing, good character is still desirable in our culture. I believe this story has received national attention because it represents the importance of taking a stand and molding young men to behave properly.   If we are behaving in a manner that is consistent with the principles of Scripture, I believe that makes a powerful statement to the people with whom we come in contact.   Good character is still important and influential today.

The tool that was used here addressed some of the character issues in the team, and if allowed to go unchecked, that "leaven", as the Bible puts it, would corrupt the entire unit.   Sure, there may have been players who were unblemished, but they, like everyone else, even the offenders, had a chance to earn their slot.   Coach Labrun recognizes that the activities of a football team are opportunities to do more than just win games, but to build lives and make a permanent impact.

This incident also reminds me of how God has dealt with us.   He has dealt, and continues to deal, with collective entities regarding sin.   For one thing, because 2 people transgressed in the Garden, humanity was sentenced to eternal punishment.   Because of the sins of the few and the fallen nature that followed from original sin, all of us were brought under the death sentence, we were kicked off the team, sort of speak. But, God has made a way through Jesus, the Lamb of God, to make it back on.  The condition to be met - accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.   Also, through the Old Testament, we read accounts of entire nations who were under the judgment of God, but He offered a way into His love and favor - to repent and to follow His ways.  

Character's still important today, and the display of Godly character can make a strong impact on people today.   And, sometimes strong medicine can help to eradicate bad actions or attitudes - I think of how our loving heavenly Father will use circumstances and conviction which can produce Godly sorrow, which will bring us to repentance.   I'm thankful for a God that works in our lives to refine us, even though it may be painful, it's worth it to become more like Jesus.

Making the Invisible Visible

In Romans 1, Paul declares his commitment to sharing the gospel and how God desires to make Himself known to those who do not know Him:
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,19because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse...
In verse 17, we see that the righteousness of God is revealed as we walk by faith - in other words, in a sense, we are called to display the reality of an invisible God through the way we live our lives.   We, as believers, are called to make the invisible visible, to be a tangible expression of the presence of Almighty God.   As new creations, we do that, and as verse 20 reinforces, we see that the creation testifies to the presence of a Maker, a designer, the blessed controller of all things, who has made Himself know by what He has created and has expressed His nature by who He has re-created in bringing us to salvation.  

In 1st Timothy 1, Paul writes about the visible, tangible expression of the risen Christ through the redemption that he experienced:
15This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.16However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. 

Frank DeFrietas has a unique way of putting his faith into action - you see, he deals in the art of holography, involving laser technology and holograms, using light to project various images.   He is quoted on his website, Holoworld.com, as saying that, "Science is the study of the physical manifestations of God in action", and one of his most recent projects was unveiled over the weekend at the New York Hall of Science Maker Faire event, which was attended by some 70,000 people.  The project - what he calls the world's smallest Lord's Prayer; in fact, DeFrietas has asked Guinness to verify that this is indeed a world record.   Frank relates that a surprise to him was meeting youth who had never even heard of the Lord's Prayer. They were seeing it, and reading it, for the very first time -- on a beam of light from a laser.

He writes that a young man asked him, "Why is the Lord's Prayer being shown in a science museum"? His response was (and is) that the Lord's Prayer has been shown in science museums and expositions for over 150+ years. Back then, it would come under the category of mechanical sciences, such as engraving with a reduction pantograph. After all, the late 19th and early 20th century was truly the industrial age and the era of the machine.  He says, "In today's 21st century world, and particularly with my attempt, it would fall under the physics of light (lasers) and holographic optics. In the future, it may fall under interplanetary space communication technologies."

So how small is it?   He states that the size that he's giving is 100-microns for the image area, or the average diameter of a human hair. At its largest possible size, it could be no more than 500-microns, since that is the diameter of the spot size of the laser beam.

He writes, "I'm very curious as to how size verification will be achieved with a hologram, since it is composed of nothing more than the interference pattern of coherent laser light. The Lord's Prayer exists as phase information only. In fact, it is completely invisible to the human eye until the hologram is oriented properly, and a laser beam is brought in to the hologram at a specified angle of incidence."   He says that the hologram stores its own optics, meaning no microscope is needed to view it:  He says that the Lord's Prayer can be magnified greatly, projected onto a wall, ceiling or screen, even though the image area is only microns in size. With enough laser power, the world's smallest Lord's Prayer could be projected onto the side of a building -- all from the optical information within in the hologram itself.

So, the hologram itself has the innate ability to make the invisible visible.   Words that are contained within an area the diameter of a human hair can be magnified greatly through this technology.   

There are quite a few faith implications here.   For one thing, we as believers are called to make the invisible visible - through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can manifest a visible presence of God through our countenance and our behavior.  God is invisible, but He can be seen through the activity that is released through creation - the evidence of design - and through the way we live in this world.   We are called to take the principles of Scripture and making them tangible.   

And, think about the Lord's Prayer, or any prayer, for that matter - a prayer is more than just words on a page or words that proceed from our mouth - prayers that are uttered in faith, calling out to God, can produce enormous power and can result in an answer that is brought about by Almighty God.   Prayer takes the intangible notions of words and faith and can bring them in to the realm of the physical - as Romans 4, we can essentially, through our prayers, call things that are not as though they were.   

We live in a physical world, but we are immersed in the supernatural.  There are forces all around us that we cannot see with our eyes, but their activity can be seen.    And, through an understanding of God's Word and spiritual discernment, we can identify what God is doing and attribute what we see in the visible to what is going on behind the scenes in the invisible.   There is a world beyond our physical senses, beyond what we can see, and I believe the Lord wants us to recognize this realm so that we can grow in our faith and operate in this world as those who are not of this world.   

Frank DeFrietas uses technology to help people see God - he's bringing the invisible into the visible and making people aware of the Lord's Prayer.   We can ask ourselves how we are displaying, making visible, the presence of Christ through our lives, testifying to His greatness.

An Act of Generosity That Keeps Giving

Psalm 37 offers some verses to us that can be extremely helpful as we seek to do God's will and find our place as believers in this world.  Verse 23 reminds us:
23The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.
Now, to verse 27, which continues to paint a picture of a person driven by love for God and compassion for other people, desiring to communicate His truth and to live by the virtues of justice and mercy.27Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore.28For the Lord loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.29The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.30The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice.31The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.

In this culture today, I believe that our willingness to do that right thing and to actually execute those types of actions can be powerful for the cause of Christ.   If we desire to see justice, to see things made right, to inject Biblical wisdom into situations where wrong has been done, that can speak powerfully to others and give us the opportunity to call attention to the presence of the Lord within us.   We can strive to be known as people of justice and mercy, generosity, and civility - living in a counter-cultural manner so that God might be glorified.

The words of Micah 6, verse 8 gives us a template for living our lives with justice, motivated by mercy - and can shape our attitude to want to make things right:
8He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Recently, an apparently visually impaired, perhaps even blind, person visited a Dairy Queen restaurant in Minnesota - the customer dropped a $20 bill on the ground and another customer picked it up and put it in her purse.   In stepped 19-year-old DQ manager Joey Prusak, who asked the woman to give the man his money back.   She refused, so Joey asked her to leave the restaurant, refusing to serve someone as disrespectful as she.   The woman was irate and stormed out, uttering a few choice words along the way - Joey was apparently unflappable and remained calm.   Then, he took out a $20 bill from his own pocket and gave it to the man who had been wronged.

CBN News reports that a customer who witnessed the incident emailed Dairy Queen, and the email was sent to store owner Dave Pettit, who posted it at the store.

Then a fellow employee shared a picture of the letter via Facebook and it immediately went viral.

Now, Prusak is getting worldwide attention. He's even been personally called by major Dairy Queen shareholder Warren Buffet.

Prusak said that Buffet said, "...I just wanted to call and say thank you for all that you did. He goes, 'it means an awful lot to me.'"

Since the posting, the store's business has doubled and $20 bills keep showing up in his mailbox from people inspired by his actions.

Prusak said he'll give the money to charity.

What a great story!    And it underscores several Biblical principles.   One is justice.   What Joey could have done is just ignored the incident, not stir up anything, relegating it to a matter between 2 customers in a restaurant.   That is not the path he chose - he wanted to make things right, and he took 2 steps to do it:  he refused to serve the customer, asking her to leave, and he gave his own money to the blind man.   Throughout the Scriptures, we read about a God who wants to make things right:   when humanity fell in the garden by their wrong choices, and while each of us inherited that broken relationship with God, He made the way for us to be right with Him - while justice might on one hand mandate that we be punished for our sins, mercy motivated Him to send His Son to make things right.

A sense of justice can drive us to have right relationships, predicated on the principles of Christ.   If we have offended someone or a relationship has been strained, we can be motivated to ask for forgiveness or to grant it, where we have been wronged.   We serve a God of healing, who desires to make things right.

Another principles is that of generosity.  You could say that asking the customer to leave was enough, that it showed the woman that disrespect would not be tolerated in that particular space.   But, Joey gave of himself - for a 19-year-old restaurant manager, that's a huge step and a huge sacrifice.   For us as Christians, it reminds us that we are, as guest Chris Sicks outlined on the Tuesday edition of The Meeting House, to be people of the word, but also people of deed - we are to express the love of Christ through the acts of generosity in which we engage.   I don't know what motivated Joey to do what he did, but I know that Christ's compassion can drive us to be generous.  And, Joey's not even keeping the plethora of $20 bills that he's receiving - another unselfish stance.

I think also we need to be reminded of civility, a virtue to which our culture seems to respond positively - just look at the attention this one simple incident has received.   As believers in Christ, we should be the most civil people on earth, because it's the right thing to do, the proper stance to display.  Joey schooled the woman who stole the $20 on showing respect to others, and he apparently did so in a calm and winsome manner.   Being civil, striving for politeness and demonstrating respect for others are qualities that win the day.

Long-Lost Love Letter

In 2nd Corinthians 3, the apostle Paul writes to the church at Corinth and says that:
2You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;3being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.4Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.5Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God... (NAS)

It's true, God has written His truth on our hearts, and as His words have penetrated and activated our hearts, so we go forward to communicate what He desires for us to relate to certain people in a variety of situations. He is writing His story in our hearts and through our lives, and as we testify to the work of God in us, He will use us to show others that He is alive, that He is love, and that He desires for people to enter into a relationship with His Son.   So we have to be careful to communicate in a manner that is consistent with what God wants us to say and to behave in a manner that brings honor to Him.   We are living letters, energized by the Spirit of God.

In 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul writes in that letter to the church at Thessalonica about the power of words, including those contained in his letters:
15So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.16Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,17comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
Donna Gregory of Arnold, MO, was searching through a box of World War II memorabilia, and what she found initiated a search that lasted over a decade.   She found a letter written by Pfc. John Eddington, along with a purple heart.   The letter was written to Eddington's infant daughter just before going overseas to fight in the war.  He died in Italy in 1944 and never had the chance to meet her.

Donna began to look for his daughter, whom she only knew as Peggy.  She used Facebook and friends and was ultimately successful.   This past Saturday, the daughter, Peggy Eddington-Smith of Dayton, NV received the letter.    The letter was read and the Purple Heart was presented at a special ceremony over the weekend.    According to ABC News, when Gregory reached Eddington-Smith to tell her about the letter, the 69-year-old great-grandmother was stunned. She had no idea the letter existed. She related that her mother had not told her much about her dad, and learned as a young girl not to bring it up because she would get upset.

Before the ceremony started Gregory admitted she would be emotional throughout the event. She read from the letter: "I’ll always love you very much...You and your sweet mother are always on my mind each day and night.”

Donna Gregory reached beyond herself to make an impact on a person through a letter she possessed.   demonstrates the power of encouragement and how a letter, even though it was over six decades old, when written by a special person, can have an enormous effect.

I say that words are containers, and the power of this soldier's emotional words were timeless.  So, consider the words sent to us by Almighty God, who wrote letters by His Holy Spirit through men who were willing vessels to be used of Him.  The apostle Paul lived over 1900 years ago, but his words can be fresh to us today - why?   Because those words that he wrote connect us to God the Father, they are literally infused with the Holy Spirit, endued with power.   God has written a book, and His Word contains a story of His love for humanity and His incredible redemption plan.   His letters to us give us strength and wisdom to live life every day.

God has given us the written Word of God and brought it alive to our hearts through the Holy Spirit, and as we embrace His truth, we become living letters through which He communicate His love and reality.   His Word expressed through us is able to bring light into situations and Christ's love into relationships - we are carriers of the very truth of the Lord.  

The power of a letter of encouragement cannot be underestimated - God has written His love letter to us, and by virtue of writing His truth on our hearts, we become His communicators.   And, perhaps He is calling you to speak - or write - words of life to someone else.   In our electronic age, we may have lost some of that fine art of letter-writing, but imagine the impact if you were to send someone a letter that could bring refreshing, or that could speak God's Word into a situation that needs healing and restoration.   Long overdue words, energized by the Spirit of God, can dramatically alter a person's state of mind.

Lost in Georgia

Jesus is the One who has come to seek and save the lost, and we can trust in His hand of mercy to bring people who have strayed from the Lord home to Himself.   In Luke 19, we see that Jesus ministered to the "wee little man", Zacchaeus, and we pick up the story in verse 8:
8Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."9And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;10for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

He has come to seek and save - this applies, I believe, to those who do not know the Lord, and it is also applicable to people who have lost their way, even if they know Christ.   God delights in finding people who are lost.   It is certainly a helpless feeling to lose something or to be lost - when attempting to find a location when driving, or even locating something that we need to find.    I am thankful that God knows who and where we are, and is available to lead us home.

I'm reminded of Luke 15, where we see 3 stories of what is lost being found - a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a prodigal son.   We can have confidence that God is seeking us out, to bring us into a knowledge of Christ, if we do not have a relationship with Him, and if we have lost our way, to bring us into His perfect will.

The apostle Paul recognized the Lord's hand upon his life, even in a period where it seems that he was alone:
(17) the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.18And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. 

I was delighted to read the news on Friday night that well-known Bible teacher Dr. Henry Blackaby had been found after having been missing for 29 hours.    He went missing on Thursday afternoon - he was on his way to pick up his wife, Marilynn, from an appointment when he suffered a possible heart attack.  This began a huge misadventure, as he then became confused and ultimately was pulled over by police near Tifton, Georgia, about 150 miles south of Atlanta.

A statement on the Blackaby Ministries International website said, "He did not have his cell phone with him nor insulin for his diabetes. As a result, his blood sugar rose and his kidneys began to struggle as well. The family was able to track his movements as he used a credit card to make occasional purchases. The police assigned a detective group to monitor his movements and to track him down. Hundreds of volunteers, many from his church at First Baptist Church Jonesboro, GA drove all over the city looking for him. He is currently in a hospital undergoing extensive tests."

The statement added, "It is clear that God heard and answered the prayers of His people! Thank you to everyone who prayed and helped in the search."

Son Richard tweeted out: "Quadruple bypass surgery on Tuesday. 70-100% blockages. Possible earlier heart attack. He has been empowered by God!"

Wow - it is an amazing story of the Lord's faithfulness to this great man of God.  29 hours driving, not really knowing where he was going - the credit card receipts showed that he had driven down I-75, stopped to get gas in Perry, GA, then across to Fitzgerald, maybe a reversal of direction, and then to Tifton.   This could have been much, much worse.

It's a story that brings to mind a number of different issues - physical, emotional, and spiritual - that could apply to each of us.

One is practical care for the elderly.  This is one of those life-aftering seasons, and we can pray for Blackaby family as they deal with not only some of Dr. Blackaby's health issues, but also the logistics of caring for him in light of his health concerns, like diabetes, as well as the condition of his heart.   There may have to be changes made in his care.

But beyond some of the physical implications of this series of events, we are reminded of the power of unified prayer.   People began to gather at First Baptist Church of Jonesboro, which is outside of Atlanta, where Dr. Blackaby's son, Mel is senior pastor - they were praying and what son Richard described as "hundreds of volunteers" went forward to search for his father.   Christian leaders all across America were lending their prayer support and taking to Twitter to spread the word.    Law enforcement was definitely engaged as well, plus Atlanta news operations were on the case.  There was an outpouring of prayer, love, and support, and the community of faith was diligent in calling out to God.

We can also think about the helplessness of lostness and the security of Christ.    Henry Blackaby was physically lost, it seems, but he certainly was not spiritually lost.   Who knows what may have been going through his mind during those 29 hours, but I would imagine that more than once there was a helpless feeling - away from home, but not exactly knowing how to get back.   The family and friends involved in Atlanta were also at a loss, but they had powerful resources in the situation - they, of course, had prayer, they had numbers, and while Dr. Blackaby did not have a cell phone, he did have a trail that he left by his frequent stops for gas or refreshment on Friday afternoon and evening.

When we wander, we can recognize that our route can be checked and that God knows who and where we are and He can lead us home.   When we are spiritually lost, we recognize that Jesus has come to seek and save the lost - He knows the way to the Father, and will draw us unto Himself.  And, in our own lives, if we know the Lord, but have somehow lost our way, we know that He is with us, He travels with us even in our most desperate circumstances, and He will make a way out and show us the way back.   Even if we feel lost in our walk through this life, we can turn to Christ, the One who walks with us.

The Ultimate Name Generator

The prophecy of the coming Messiah found in Isaiah 9:6 can serve to remind us about the nature of our Lord:
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

He is the Son of God, the child whose name was called Immanuel, which means "God With Us".   Joseph was told to call His name Jesus, for He would save the people from their sins.   Jesus is our great Savior.   He is wonderful, that is for sure, and by His Holy Spirit, He has become our Counselor, the One who is always with us.   He is Mighty God - a reminder that when we are weak, He is strong and we can experience the strength of His might.   He and the Father are One, and we know that God's nature as Everlasting Father is expressed in the Son.   And, Jesus is our Prince of Peace - He gives the peace that passes all understanding.   Think on His names as connections to His nature.

We can gain a greater appreciation of the nature of Christ as we reflect on His names.   Isaiah 44:6 offers us a few of them:
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.'"

It apparently started during a racquetball game, when two friends decided to talk like pirates and then to celebrate a holiday where people would be encouraged to do the same.   Now, Talk Like a Pirate Day, perhaps one of the most offbeat, oddball celebrations in the human observance of special days, is commemorated every September 19th.   It took off when columnist Dave Barry devoted an entire piece to the day, and he made a casual mention of Krispy Kreme donuts.  He wrote:

Let's make this into a grass-roots movement that sweeps the nation, like campaign-finance reform, or Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I truly think this idea could bring us, as a nation, closer together.

But not TOO much closer. Some of us will have swords.

Well, at some point, the donut people started giving away free donuts on September 19, and a free dozen if you dressed up like a pirate, utilizing 3 distinct pirate accessories.   And, Long John Silver's (who else?) offered a free piece of fish.   And, you could go to several websites and receive, yes, your own pirate name. One, in fact, had you go through a litany of 20 questions to determine your name.   Others were more simple, just type in your name.   One gave me "Second Mate Treacher".  I like "Skylarking Butch" better, to be honest with you.   I think I really prefer the "Dread Pirate Robert", which conjures up memories of a mythical character in one of my favorite films, "The Princess Bride".

Name generators are harmless fun, you know.  There seems to be no shortage of them.   It is said that George Lucas had a formula to create some of the strange sounding names from the Star Wars films.   Here's how that works:

To get your Star Wars First Name:

1. Take the first 3 letters of your last name.
2. Add to that, the first 2 letters of your first name.

Your Star Wars Last Name:

1. Take the first 2 letters of your mother's maiden name.
2. Add the first 3 letters of the name of the town in which you were born.

That would make me Cribo Tumar.   A variation Jedi Name Generator says that I would be Cribo Fomar of the planet Amoxycillin - yes, your planet is the name of a - prescription drug!

A couple of the themes that I find myself returning to, because I think it's important, is the power of words and the significance of names.  One of my favorite wall posters that I owned in my younger years had the names of Jesus that were displayed against a black background.   As I recall, the words, "I AM" provided the centerpiece for the poster.   I actually went online today to seek it out, but wasn't able to locate it - but there were quite a few.   And, we can learn so much about our Lord's nature by reflecting on His names.   Let me just list some of them:
Good Shepherd
Bread of Life
Alpha and Omega
Redeemer
Savior
Messiah
Advocate
Light of the World
The Word Who Became Flesh
The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords

And, as Isaiah 9:6 reminds us, He is called, "Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace."   Celebrate our Lord Jesus, whose name is above every name and who has a number of other significant names that tell us more about our marvelous Savior.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2002/09/08/100129/arrrrr-talk-like-a-pirate-or-prepare.html#storylink=cpy

The Tears - or Terrors - of a Clown?

Philippians 2 addresses our mindset in Christ Jesus - full of humility and high regard for others:
4Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

God has placed us here and intends for us to be engaged in doing His will.   It begins with our own personal relationship, being engaged in the Scriptures and allowing His Word to shape our thinking and our activity.   He has given us powerful tools in order to live the Christian life effectively - the teachings of the Scripture, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the benefits of being part of the overall body of Christ, to encourage us and motivate us.  And, as we humble ourselves before Him and make it our goal to humble ourselves before others, we reflect the character of Christ and release the love of Christ as vessels shaped to be used by our Savior.

Jesus desires for us to be completely engaged with Him, and to live fruitful and satisfying lives - engaged with the people around us, in community with fellow believers, and transparent before God, allowing His true identity to show through our lives.   Here's what Jesus said in John 15:
5I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.6If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.8By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

There's a mysterious clown who has been making random appearances in Northhampton in Northern Ireland, and no one seems to know why.   That's why there are headlines that uses words like "creepy" and "terrorize" to describe the activities of this individual, who has been seen standing around on street corners and staring at passers-by. According to the Belfast Telegraph website, " he or she has worn the same white face makeup, red wig, all-in-one suit and oversized bowtie. He is also sometimes seen carrying a clown teddy.

The Northhampton Herald and Post is quoted in the story, and reports that the clown knocked on someone's door and offered to paint their window sills despite having no painting equipment. She reported the men to police for their suspicious behavior stating they looked like clowns. The article stated: “A number of sightings of people dressed as clowns have also been reported across Northampton in recent weeks”. The report says, "He doesn't juggle. He doesn't twist balloons into animal shapes. He just stares."

He has his own Facebook page called, "Spot Northhampton's Clown", and has posted such items as, “Too much hate not enough love. No, i don't have a knife on me!, thats just stupid rumours spread by stupid people..."

“However, i might go for a jog around that pond in Abington park later as i'm really unfit... See you around! Beep Beep!”

He says he just wants to amuse people, but apparently his character is eerily similar to clown in a Stephen King movie - that can't be good.

And, now there is a self-styled hero called Boris the Clown Catcher who, according to the Telegraph,
has posted on his official Facebook page, "My name is Boris. I am the official clown catcher...I am not here to scare anyone. I am not here to hurt anyone. I come in peace!"

And, in an exclusive interview with the Northhampton Chronicle and Echo, Mr. Clown says, “Most people enjoy being a bit freaked out and then they can laugh about it afterwards." and, “It’s like watching a horror movie, when people get scared they usually start laughing."

“Naturally, some people would have been extremely frightened by what they saw, but I hope many are starting to see it as a bit of harmless fun."

So this mysterious dude is conjuring up over a hundred thousand Facebook followers, and is stirring a wide range of emotions from fear to intrigue, but I'm not sure many people are laughing.

I was struck by a description of the clown's behavior, "He just stares".   And, I think that might be description of quite a few people in this world...just being idle, not really doing anything with their lives, not finding their purpose, just looking, staring.   We have to make sure we're not just watching the world go by and are not completely engaged in finding and following God's purposes for our lives.   We must guard against a lack of engagement.

This character is also works in the shadows and works alone - I think that he can remind us that we were born for meaningful relationships and that a lack of community can really be a dangerous space for us.   When we insist on working alone, we may miss God's best because we will not experience what comes from being part of a team, with a flow of ideas, a sense of common purpose, and an assurance that we're not on our own.   God has wired us in that unique way.

And, in addition to remind us of the dangers of a lack of engagement and lack of community, we also are challenged to overcome a lack of transparency.   Now that he has attracted worldwide attention, he is finding it harder to keep his identity secret.   Often we want to keep our identities secret.   Sometimes we do not allow our true identity - in Christ - to be reflected in our words and our actions; the Bible is clear that God is not pleased with the "secret saint".    And, we also can be engaging in behaviors that are not pleasing to God, that contradict His will for our lives, and instead of coming before the Lord, confessing and repenting and allowing Christ to set us free, maybe even seeking the help of a pastor, counselor, or friend, we hide our secret sins and allow them to grow in our hearts and minds.    God wants to set us free, and He is calling us to come to Him and allow Him to remove those burdens from us that hold us back in our walk with Him.

Eventually, the clown of Northhampton will be identified, probably.   We can identify and take seriously those 3 areas of deficiency  - lack of engagement, lack of community, and lack of transparency, and allow Christ to express His nature in us.

Thieves in the Church

In the 8th chapter of the book of John, Jesus released information about the identity and activity of our spiritual enemy, and chided those gathered about aligning themselves with him:
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Jesus identified Satan as the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.   Peter says that the devil roams about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may destroy.  The devil wants to steal life and productivity from us, he wants to impede our spiritual growth and block us from experiencing the fulness of Christ.   And, he does his work in churches, too, acting in that role as a thief and stealing our corporate effectiveness for the Lord.  We have to be careful that we are not involved in allowing the enemy to enter our churches, participating in divisive practices, which can result in great harm.  We can hold to the promise of Scripture in James 4:7, which says:
7...submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

In John 10, referring to the devil, our spiritual enemy, Jesus spoke these words:
10The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

A robbery took place this past Sunday at a church in Holyoke, MA, according to the NBC News website, citing a WWLP television report.   Just before 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon, a masked man with a gun allegedly walked into the Pentecostal Church in the city and stole cell phones, money and other personal belongings from the congregation.

Meanwhile, in Springfield, MA, CBS News reports a longtime member of the Holy Temple Church of God in Christ said that thieves have ransacked the house of worship, taking "everything but the pews." She reported that an organ, communion dishes, the PA system, microphone stands, furniture, silverware and other items. She estimates a loss of $150,000.

These 2 incidents, first of all, underscore the real need for every church to have a security plan.   There are far too many examples where you have had people behaving badly enter worship centers and sanctuaries with intent to do harm and often are successful.   This is a real area of concern, and to be able to worship in a safe and protected environment is so critical.

But, I also began to think about thieves in the church.   You may not have a burglar, or robber, or even an arsonist that assails your church building.   But, there is a destroyer at work - the thief, whom Jesus said, comes to steal, kill, and destroy.   There are some thieves that will make their way into our churches and leave them powerless.

One is disunity.  We know that Satan has a "divide and conquer" strategy.  If a congregation is divided, then the level of Holy Spirit power is reduced.   Bitterness, unforgiveness, gossip - there are all thieves that will break in and break up our churches.

Another is related to it and that is disrespect of leadership.  And, this is something that I think that Pastor & Staff Appreciation Month can help to mitigate, as we make a conscious effort to show honor to our spiritual leaders, with October as a catalyst, but part of an overall effort to build them up.    Pastors, worship leaders, youth ministers, and other church leaders can be on the receiving end of harsh and discouraging statements - to their face or behind their back.    If we would spend the time that we criticize our pastors praying for them, it could make a tremendous difference.

And, yet another thief in the church is a deafness to the Word of God - we have been born again by the Spirit of God, by following God's Word, confessing with our mouths and believing in our hearts, therefore we are saved.   We're called to be disciples - and our growth in Christ is dependent on our devotion to the study and application of the Scriptures.   In our individual lives and in our churches, adherence to Biblical truth and holding to a high view of the Word of God is key as we seek to reflect the glory of God.

We have to take the necessary steps to put on the full armor of God and guard against our spiritual enemy stealing our effectiveness and passion for Christ from us.

What Are You Supposed To Do?

There is a passage of Scripture in Ephesians chapter 5 that serves to help us think about using our time well for God's glory, being resourceful in the gift of time that He has given to us:15See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,16redeeming the time, because the days are evil.17Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
God has given us 24 hours in every day - obviously there will be 7,8,9 hours to rest and recharge, and a couple of hours each day to feed our bodies.   Hopefully, there will be time set aside to feed our spirits, too, through prayer and Bible study.   And, we evaluate our time and the use of it by God's standards - if we're wasting time, knowing that God is prompting us to do something and yet we resist or occupy our time and efforts elsewhere, we may not have a sense of satisfaction in our lives and our walk with Him.   And, there may be tasks we enjoy doing, but recognize we don't need to do them.   So, we guard against distraction and devote ourselves to doing the will of God throughout our days.

In Psalm 90:12, we see a verse that can challenge us to manage our time well:
12So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Recently blogger and branding expert Robert D. Smith offered this tweet:

The task that you enjoy doing, but don’t need to do, is the most dangerous task known to man.

Smith was blogging about a recent conference in which he and his team would be teaching writers and speakers about some of the finer points of branding.   Then, as he was carefully organizing the details, the thought occurred to him: What kind of snacks were we going to have for everyone?  And not only what kind of snacks, but how would they be arranged? What dishes need to be used? What time does everything need to be set out? How much food do I need to get?

He remembered a piece of advice given to him dealing with only doing what you can do, and he delegated the task. He said, "Could I have run to the store and arranged everything myself? Absolutely. I’ve planned out wowing weekend-long events with multiple catered meals in the past, so this actually would have been fairly easy for me to do. I might have even enjoyed it a little, which is the dangerous part. After all, it’s easy to delegate the tasks that you hate doing. It’s much more difficult to give up the tasks that you don’t mind or enjoy doing!"

Robert D. says that, "Just because you enjoy doing something doesn’t always mean you should be doing it. Instead, you should focus on doing the things that only YOU can do. And there’s no better way to focus on those things than to make a list."  He actually relates that he did just that.

He concluded by posing some critical questions:

Now, what’s on YOUR list? What are the special tasks that require your specialized expertise? What can you delete off your list? Whom can you get to help handle the things that don’t require your personal touch? What enjoyable yet counterproductive tasks are holding you back right now?

Again, the most dangerous task is the one that you enjoy doing, but don't need to do.

You know, a couple of thoughts occurred to me:  I thought back on Clare De Graaf's conversation with me the other day about the "10 Second Rule", which goes like this:  "Just do the next thing you’re reasonably certain Jesus wants you to do.” (and do it immediately before you change your mind!)

But, I think, so often we end up doing things Jesus doesn't want us to do, or becoming engaged in activities that are not the Lord's best for us and do not reflect what He wants us to do in that given moment.   There may be something you enjoy doing, but it distracts you from God's purpose - and there may be some activity that you need to be involved in not just because you're good at it, but at the time, you may be the only person available that can do it.   Distraction is not our friend, and if we allow ourselves to wander off from the path the Lord has set for us, we may miss the opportunity to accomplish something really awesome for God.

And, Satan wants to get you off course.  We can be so involved in activities, even things we think are good and right, maybe even church work, than we are missing what God has really called and empowered us to do.   It's been said that if the enemy can't keep you idle, he'll try to get you off track by making you really busy.   So, we have to stop and think - what is the best and most productive use of my time and talents - now?

Out of the Ashes

In the 30th Psalm, we read about God's faithfulness, even when we may have strayed away from Him or not experienced the benefits at His righteous hand:
2O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.3O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.4Sing praise to the Lord, You saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.5For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

Our personal failures or struggles can actually be catalysts for a deeper walk with God.   Out of the ashes of personal tragedy can come a spiritual strengthening and a greater reliance of the faithfulness of God.   There is a tendency to become resentful when we experience loss and retaliatory when people do not act toward us the way that we think they should.   A broken relationship can certainly make us bitter, but God wants to take those times of brokenness and make us better people - repairing the broken vessel and filling that vessel afresh and anew with His powerful Spirit.

We can gain insight into the loving and restorative nature of God as we read the promise in Isaiah 61 to His people:
1"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;2To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,3To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."

The past week was all about observing occasions where resiliency was the response.   Of course, the commemorations of 9/11 took place throughout the nation, and while initially there was a push to turn to God after the horrific events of that day, there were many that sought out rebuilding and retaliation rather than repentance and revival.  That's why the "Cry Out America" events were so refreshing, because they offered a spiritual response on a day that had enormous spiritual implications - the 9/11 hijackers were motivated by the errant religious promise that by killing the innocents, they could inherit some sort of eternal reward.   And, there are many of us that view 9/11 as an enormous wake-up call, recognizing the vulnerability of our nation if we do not place our trust in the one true God.

And, Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, where 4 little girls lost their lives and the burgeoning civil rights movement received another spark to fuel the fire to turn back and overcome the blight of racism on our land.   The Gospel Coalition blog offered some coverage of this significant event in American history.   In her piece offering 9 aspects of the 16th Street bombing, Betsy Childs recounts that Martin Luther King Jr. offered these words of comfort at the girls' funeral:

And so my friends, they did not die in vain. God still has a way of wringing good out of evil. And history has proven over and over again that unmerited suffering is redemptive. The innocent blood of these little girls may well serve as a redemptive force that will bring new light to this dark city.

Childs states that Dr. King's words "would prove true as the death of four little girls galvanized the sympathy of the nation and the world for the cause of the civil rights movement. Survivors of the blast would never fully recover from the trauma, but 50 years later, they work to forgive their enemies and honor the legacy of four little girls."    Special commemorations have been taking place in Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham, which is located across the street from the church.   A community memorial was held yesterday afternoon in the city, and earlier in the week, former television star and now ministry Clifton Davis and pastor/musical artist Donnie McClurkin hosted a special service.    Bill Cosby spoke in the city on Saturday, chairing "Changing Lives Education & Entrepreneurial Summit," focusing on the importance of education and entrepreneurship in helping young African Americans succeed.

Another Gospel Coalition piece, written by Melissa Huff, features the story of Junie Collins Williams, whose baby sister, Addie Mae Collins, was one of four little girls killed in that bombing. The writer was working at a Birmingham urban church and Ms. Williams - Junie - began attending their ladies' group. At one point, at a summer camp, the church's pastor asked Junie to share a bit about her story with the children. Huff writes that Junie shares her recollections in obedience to the Lord. She states that:

Then, as if pulling a tightly woven thread of courage from deep within, she told us searing memories of that horrific day. Her pain and sorrow seemed fresh even after 40 years. The loss of her baby sister was almost more than she could bear to put into words. She told us how she had been the one who had to identify the body of her dead sister when her parents and older siblings could not be reached. There was so much debris and glass in her skin and hair that she had to look down at her Addie's shoes to make sure it was really her.

Despite the emotional trauma, Junie desperately wanted this young generation to know there is no wound too deep, no injustice so grave that the Lord can't heal it and make forgiveness possible.

On her website, Junie Williams has posted:

There is hope for healing in America. I know, because I have been healed. I could have let this situation get the best of me, but through God's work in me, I pushed my way through until what seemed to be a burden around my head was pushed off. And so, God took a day [that] was meant for evil, and turned it around for the good of all...

Melissa Huff describes Junie as "an enduring example of beauty rising from the ashes."  And, indeed, as Dr. King said at the funeral for the 4 young victims at 16th Street, "God still has a way of wringing good out of evil."  The Scriptures say that it is God's nature to give beauty for ashes.  Out of the ashes of 16th Street, there is hope and healing...out of the ashes of 9/11, we can experience redemption and even revival if we allow that event to be a catalyst.   And, perhaps your personal ashes can be a catalyst for newfound beauty to be brought forth by a loving God who is mighty to save, powerful to heal, and so loving, that He might express His forgiveness to and through each of us.