Self-Aware and Connected to Christ

In 1st Timothy 4, we read some challenging verses about paying attention to ourselves, not in a narcissistic way, but so that we can grow in the Lord and make a greater impact for Him.
15Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.16Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
I think it does us well to devote attention to our spiritual lives, to be self-aware - recognizing first and foremost who we are in Christ - that is the standard.  From that, we can evaluate ourselves to see areas in which we need to grow.  We can test our hearts and examine our motives.  We can ask the Lord, as David did, to search our hearts, to identify ways that are not pleasing to Him, and to be led in the everlasting way.   We can confess the sins we have committed, and we can recognize those trouble spots where we need to exercise discipline in order to grow.  In partnership with the Holy Spirit, we allow God and His Word to shape us, essentially, to get us in better spiritual shape.
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I believe that spiritual self-evaluation, a sense of connectedness about what is going on in our hearts and minds, can be so valuable as we seek to grow in the Lord.  2nd Corinthians 13 explores this concept:4For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.5Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.6But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.
The Daily Mail headline asks, "Is this the most connected human on the planet?"  Well, there is certainly a case to be made for a 45-year-old Denver man named Chris Dancy, who uses a range of sensors, devices, services and applications to gather real-time data about his body and the environment around him.  In fact, it's reported that he uses some 700 different information-gathering systems.  
These include a Pebble smartwatch, Google Glass, a BodyMedia armband and Blue heart rate monitor.
He collects data about what he eats, when he sleeps, how he uses his email, his health, travel plans and photos and even his dogs' levels of activity.
Collecting data about his eating habits and fitness enabled Dancy to lose 100 pounds.
His home includes a smart lighting system and a mattress cover that collects data in his sleep.
He has been monitoring and collecting his personal data for five years, adding two or three systems every week.

He refers to his connectivity as, "It’s body and mind hacking. Just like we hack computers and any type of data, your body and your mind is the greatest information system humanity has ever known and understanding it makes it hackable."

Apparently, he has now become a sought after individual for both major companies and start-ups who hope he can help them to develop smarter products.

In a video, Dancy pronounced the internet dead and said: "The 'innernet' - the information of you - is the future."

Chris Dancy is devoted to tracking his every move, and you have to admire his dedication and drive. Taking it into the spiritual realm, I think some "tracking" could be especially helpful to us as we seek to stay in sync with the Lord.   The first thing I would mention is that self-evaluation can lead to self-discipline, or self-control, a fruit of the Spirit.  If we do examine our sinful tendencies and allow the Holy Spirit to convict and correct us, we can have a more rewarding Christian experience. We can admit that we do have an inner tracking system available to us through the Holy Spirit.  We can rely on Him to lead us, to empower us, and to help us learn more about who we are in Christ.

We can be challenged to find ways to actually track our tendencies, temptations, desires, and patterns.  This can be done in a number of ways.  I would suggest prayer, through gain a sense of our connection to God.  Also, through allowing God's Word to address issues in our lives.  Perhaps through journaling - writing down our thoughts and insights about God and His ways as He speaks to us.  Also, through community - living as an accountable member of the body of Christ.  

Our Vocation, a Location Where God Can Work

In 1st Thessalonians 4, Paul offers some principles that can govern our attitude toward our work and the way that we perform it:10b...But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;11that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,12that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

If we view ourselves in light of the Scriptures, as children of God, redeemed by Christ, then how we regard our identity in Him will help to shape our approach to our work, our vocation.   We are called to "increase", or as another translation puts it, to "excel."  So, we approach all that we do with an emphasis on quality, reflecting the character of Christ.   We are called to work with our own hands and behave properly toward "those who are outside," i.e., people who don't know Christ.   Our approach to work flows from how we see ourselves - as representatives of Christ - and we seek to honor Him and make Him famous in everything we do, including our employment.

In the third chapter of Colossians, the apostle Paul writes several verses in close proximity with each other that deal with our attitude toward our work.  So here are some great Labor Day verses:
17And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.Later in the chapter, he writes:22Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.23And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

With Labor Day approaching, I wanted to share some data today from the Gallup organization's annual Work and Education poll, in which employed Americans were asked if they get a sense of identity from their job. Gallup asked this question on an occasional basis from 1990 through 2003, and then again this year. Although there was a downtick in the percentage who said they get a sense of identity from their work in 1999, the results over time have been generally stable, and the 2003 results are almost identical to those this year.

The survey found that U.S. workers continue to be more likely to say their get a sense of identity from their job, 55%, as opposed to having their job just be something they do for a living, 42%. These results have been consistent throughout multiple Gallup polls since 1989.

Education is one of the most significant predictors of how workers approach their job, with 70% of college graduates saying they get a sense of identity from their job, compared with the 45% of Americans who don't hold a college degree who say the same.

American workers in households with higher annual incomes are also more likely to receive a sense of identity from their job. Sixty-three percent of those whose annual household income is $50,000 a year or more get a sense of identity from their job, compared with 43% of Americans who live in households with lower annual incomes.  Note that the question measures household rather than individual income, so it doesn't necessarily mean that Americans with higher paychecks get a sense of identity from their job, since you would predominantly have two working adults in the upper-income households.

Older working Americans, those aged 45 and older, are slightly more likely than younger workers to get a sense of identity from their job. Women are slightly more likely to get a sense of identity from their job than men. However, in past polling, these differences were less pronounced.

But, even if you derive identity from your work, does that mean that you are satisfied at your job?  I think you're talking about 2 different attitudes, and last year's State of the American Workplace Report from Gallup bears that out. According to a USA Today piece, just 30% of employees are engaged and inspired at work. That's up from 28% in 2010. The rest … not so much. A little more than half of workers (52%) have a perpetual case of the Mondays — they're present, but not particularly excited about their job.

The remaining 18% are actively disengaged or, as Gallup CEO Jim Clifton put it in the report, "roam the halls spreading discontent." Worse, Gallup reports, those actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. up to $550 billion annually in lost productivity.

So, what does it look like to live as a Christian in the workplace?  Well, for one thing, related to what I shared yesterday, our identity ultimately is in Christ.  And, that doesn't mean that we cannot be closely identified with the work that we do.  Our vocation, in some instances, can be related to God's calling for our lives.  Or not - interestingly enough, the apostle Paul had a vocation of tentmaking, but a calling to be a minister who wrote much of the New Testament.  So, a job can sometimes be a funding mechanism for an assignment to which God has called you.  

But, our vocation can provide the location for God to work through us to fulfill our life's calling.  We recognize that we're all called to the ministry, to be "ministers of reconciliation," as 2nd Corinthians puts it.  So, if we see ourselves as servants of Christ, then I believe we can then seek to serve Him well in our employment and really be the best workers in the place, because we belong to Him.

But, a majority of people are not satisfied in their work, according to the data.  And, that really can cause a problem if you're deriving your identity from a profession that you don't like.   So, we have to make sure that we correct our source of identity to align with Scripture.  And, we also have to make sure that the Word of God and the Spirit of God shape our attitudes - even at work.  Maybe even in a job that we find hard to like. 

Again, we serve and represent Christ - I believe we're called to do our jobs well, to be productive and engaged.   We can ask God to give us the right countenance - and the right communication.   We don't want to be the people who spread discontent, about whom the Gallup CEO was referring.   It matters if we view all that we do as expressions of our love for and service to our Lord.

The Blurred Self(-ie)

Because we have been saved, redeemed by Christ, He has given us a new heart, and He calls us to think with a new mind, to consider His thoughts, and to think and behave in a manner consistent with who He says that we are.  In Colossians 3, we gain some insight into what that looks like:
12Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;13bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.14But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
This applies to each of us in a powerful way.  We are chosen by Him for a relationship with Almighty God through His Son, Jesus.  We are called "holy" and "beloved."  And, because Jesus lives in us, we can display His character, radiating a sense of mercy and love, with an attitude of humility before God.  We have been given the peace of God, which is a component of the life to which He has called us.  He desires for us to activate these incredible qualities and have a clear picture of who He desires for us to be.
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We are called to walk in righteousness and truth in Jesus, and allow Him to show us who we really are in Him - that we are in right standing with God, redeemed by Him, with a new nature and a new identity.  Ephesians 4 encourages us:
21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:22that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

It is certainly one of the common uses of the smartphone camera - once you master the technique, you get the opportunity to capture a moment of your life without asking for assistance. Yes, it is that phenomenon known as the "selfie." I'm admittedly still working on mastering the technique. Not that it's a skill that has an overabundance of use for me. According to a study, only 3-5 percent of hundreds of thousands of photos that were analyzed, from 5 cities throughout the world, actually turned out to be selfies. Significantly more women than men participate.

Lev Manovich, a computer science professor at The Graduate Center, CUNY, said, "I’m still surprised the number is so low." After all, there are 79 million photos on Instagram that are labeled as #selfie.

But, there is now a trend to kind of "unselfie" the selfie.  It's been brought out on a Yahoo! tech piece. by columnist Rob Walker.  There's a recently released photography app called SLMMSK that has been described as an explicitly “anti-selfie” tool. Unlike Instagram, SLMMSK’s “filters” don’t enhance the photo; rather, they are all intended to obscure the image: through extreme pixelation, by replacing it with a ridiculous emoji, or with other options in between.

Walker writes:

For many artists, developers, and tinkerers, we have entered the age of the post-selfie selfie.

Yes, the post-selfie selfie: a self-portrait that somehow plays with, jokes about, undermines, or contradicts the usual purpose of the selfie.

He points out there is a whole Tumbler site devoted to so-called "glitch selfies," which involve self-portrait-makers blotting out or mangling their images with various technical effects.

With Gush, you can turn your face into a glitch image at the click of a button. Another app, Matter, is designed to let people insert digital images into photos.

And there are selfies that completely eliminate the image of the person, constructing images based on personal data.

I began to think about the concept of a clear picture with regard to our personal identity.  A selfie, or self-photo can be used to show ourselves in moments that are important to us, and I think an accurate picture of ourselves is so important in our spiritual life.   We have to make sure that our true identity in Christ is not blurred or overshadowed by our attempts to be someone whom we are not.  Authenticity and vulnerability are two characteristics that can be helpful to us as we attempt to radiate the life of Christ in us.

There are ways that we distort the image of the Lord through our lives.  Quite simply, when we display sinful activity, we are not relating the character of Christ.  Anger, worry, a lack of concern for others - these are all types of sinful behavior that do not allow the true, compelling nature of Christ to shine through.

We lessen our impact by not yielding to the Spirit as He desires to express His fruit through us.  If we are overcome by the cares of this world to the extent that we are not experiencing the joy or peace of the Lord, then we are blurring the image of Christ in us.

We also diminish the image, or identity, of Christ in us when we don't recognize who He has made us to be.  If we persist in viewing ourselves as less than the people whom Christ has made us to be through His redemption, then we will act in a manner consistent with that false self-portrait we have of ourselves.   So, it's important that we study God's Word and allow Him to shape us in a manner that lines up with the new creation that He says that we are.  We have been re-created in His image, He works in our hearts, and He desires to display His character through us.

Beware the Snake

We are called to mount a resistance against the power of our spiritual enemy, utilizing the tools and the power that God has made available to us.  There is encouragement found in the 4th chapter of James:
7Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.8Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

We can resist the devil, but we don't engage in that sort of spiritual battle lightly or half-heartedly. It is very serious when the enemy of our souls is involved - he desires to defeat us in our pursuit of God's best, and he wants to lure us through deception, to try to get us to experiment with those thoughts and activities that God has proclaimed to be evil, in order that we might be rendered less effective in our Christian life.  So, we have to rely on God for strength, to turn away from temptation and realize that in ourselves, we cannot walk in the victory that God intends, but in Him, we can experience His powerful resources.

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In 2nd Corinthians 11, Paul issues a word of warning against the luring of the enemy, who would seek to pollute our devotion to Christ and lead us astray:
2For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.3But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.4For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted--you may well put up with it!

The MTV Video Music Awards have gained a dubious reputation for raunchy performances and out-of-the-box antics.  And, while our friends at the Parents Television Council say that Sunday night's awards show was a bit toned down from last year's debacle, there was still apparently content that would not be considered family-friendly.

One such performance, which I have read about, but not seen, is the opening number featuring the irreverent Nicki Minaj.   There were plans to use a live snake in that performance, but during a Friday rehearsal, a backup dancer was taken to the hospital after being bitten by Rocky, a six-foot boa constrictor.

CBS quotes an MTV report that the snake was perched on the dancer's shoulder when it bit her arm.  Boa constrictors are not venomous, and the dancer's injuries were not life-threatening. In fact, she went on to perform the song with Minaj Sunday night.   Rocky did not, although Minaj said it the performance would have been better with a snake, according to the CBS report.

Taylor Swift referenced the incident during her live "Shake It Off" performance. During the song's bridge, Swift decided against jumping off a ledge as her dancers held their arms out for her. She stopped the music and said, "I don't care if it's VMAs, I'm not jumping off. People are getting bit by snakes, it's dangerous."

Snakes are not new to the VMAs. In 2001, Britney Spears wore a snake for her exotic, jungle-themed performance of "I'm a Slave 4 U."  Justin Bieber attended the VMAs in 2011 with then-girlfriend Selena Gomez and his small pet snake, Johnson.

Then, you have another snake incident where the outcome was much more severe. The Daily Mail reports that a chef in China preparing a dish made from cobra flesh died after the snake bit his hand - 20 minutes after he had severed it from its body.

Chef Peng Fan had been preparing a special dish made from Indochinese spitting cobra, a rare delicacy. When he was throwing the cobra's head away into a bin, it bit him, injecting Peng with its flesh-killing, neurotoxic venom.

The snake was being diced up to be made into snake soup, which is a delicacy in Guangdong and a much sought after dish in the province's high-end restaurants.

A police spokesman said:  "It is a highly unusual case but it appears to be just an accident...There was nothing that could be done to save the man. Only the anti-venom could have helped but this was not given in time."

Snake expert Yang Hong-chang - who has spent 40 years studying cobras - told the Daily Mail that all reptiles can function for up to an hour after losing body parts, or even their entire body.  He said, "It is perfectly possible that the head remained alive and bit Peng's hand."

"By the time a snake has lost its head, it's effectively dead as basic body functions have ceased, but there is still some reflexive action."

So, the watchword, in a practical sense, is to exercise an abundance of caution when dealing with a variety of snakes - they are definitely not to be taken lightly.   And, spiritually speaking, when you consider that Satan took the form of a serpent in the garden of Eden, there are definitely some lessons in the spiritual realm that you could take away from these two incidents.

For one thing, you don't play with the enemy.  When you dabble in activity that is not pleasing to God, you enter the domain of the devil, and there will be certain negative consequences that result. So, when you bring elements of the sinful into your life, there is danger that accompanies it.  So, be careful that you are not accepting the influences of the enemy - take the necessary steps to protect yourself.

And, this chef in China lost his life because of a reflexive action for a snake that I am sure he assumed was dead and not a threat to his life.  In spiritual warfare, we can't develop a sense of overconfidence when we experience victory.  When we walk in triumph over a certain area or areas in our lives, we can rejoice in the power of God released in us.  But, we can never think that we will never have to fight the battle again. 

Satan is ruthless, sin is relentless, and we have to be ever-watchful for the presence of the enemy of our souls. We may think we have won, but the reality is that we may have experienced a temporary advantage, but ultimately we will gain our victory over the devil when we are home with Jesus.  Thankfully, our enemy has been defeated by Jesus, and He makes available His resources in order to resist the power of the enemy. 

#ShareACoke #CelebrateLife

In the 1st chapter of the book of Jeremiah, we read about God's unique call upon the prophet, and the way that He had ordained this one man's life, a concept that can actually be applied to each of us, I think:
5"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."6Then said I: "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth."7But the Lord said to me: "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.

God creates and ordains each and every life.  Think about that - you were formed with a special purpose, even from the womb.  We can celebrate the hand of God with each announcement of pregnancy, we can possess a sense of expectation of what God will do in and through each life.  And, we can reflect on the potential for each person to develop a relationship with Almighty God through our Lord Jesus Christ.   The expectation of life brings the expectation of His blessing, His giftedness, and the expression of His love.

We celebrate our Creator God, and, as believers in Him, we celebrate the lives that He has ordained.  In Psalm 139, we read about the hand of God in the formation of a new life:
13For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.14I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.15My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Maybe you've seen it; over 4 million people and counting have viewed what has been called, "the best baby announcement" ever, according to a piece written by Marie Osborne on Christianity Today's her.meneutics blog.   It's been featured across the web and on Good Morning America, E!, and more.

It features children's pastor Patrick McGillicuddy and his wife Whitney sitting at a table opening cans of Diet Coke, you know the new packaging that has people's names on them.   When each opens the can with the other's name on it, they begin to speak with each other's voice.  Then they begin to search within the cases for other names - of celebrities - and after they drink, they begin to speak lines from various celebrities.  Finally, they get back to normal, turn around their cans, and you see the words "Mom" and "Dad" written on them.

And, as Marie writes, "...pregnant couples all over began planning their own clever and adorable ways to outdo them."  She goes on to say:

After all, we live in an era of personal moments shared on social media, of milestones turned to grand gestures. From wedding aisle dances to surprise proposals, we’ve seen special moments between couples unexpectedly explode as viral videos. (Remember the flash mob style marriage proposal set to Bruno Mars’ “I Think I Wanna Marry You”? That precious little slice of that couple’s life has been viewed over 27 million times in the last 2 years.)

Understandably, we worry about this kind of Internet publicity overshadowing the moment itself. Our cultural love of grand gestures—even I can’t resist watching that flashmob proposal over and over—may build up expectations and lead us to believe that traditional, straightforward announcements are, as one writer worries, “less meaningful, less important, less loving, less special.”

Osborne set out to interview the McGillicuddys and discovered a couple who "are creative people who enjoy entertaining others and bringing them joy." She points out that the #ShareACoke video was never intended to put anyone else’s pregnancy announcement down, or challenge anyone to top them. Patrick just, “really enjoys that kind of creativity. I just love being able to give people joy from something creative.”  Pat, by the way, is part of the Internet video show called, "The Pat and Dre Show."

So, Osborne asks, what’s their takeaway from Internet stardom?  She says probably the same thing we should all say to ourselves when we start feeling pressure to top the social media success of others. Patrick said:

I have to ask myself, “Am I finding worth and value from a video or am I able to rest in being accepted by Christ?” Sure, there’s a certain amount of validity that comes from acclaim, but the beauty of the video was that we didn’t intend for this to happen. It was such a special thing that we did together. It was very affirming that people enjoyed it, but at the end of the day, I come home and my life is about 1) Whitney and 2) Jesus.

And, of course, as the write points out, "baby makes three."

It's certainly a refreshing take on our own identity in Christ.   Patrick and Whitney's creative expression is quite good, and while they did want to share the joy of having a child in an entertaining manner, at the end of the day, Patrick points out that the creative expression did not determine their value.  It's a great reminder that we are to do what we do out of who we are, and who we are is not determined by what we do.  Think about that - we'll talk later this week about how over half of workers surveyed gain identity from their jobs, and it's important to note that for the Christian, we are called to view ourselves in light of our position in Christ, not our position in life.

And let's be honest and Biblical, life is a precious gift.  The announcement of a new life is cause for celebration, and we should do it proudly, and with thankfulness to God for the gift of a child. What gladness that Beth and I had when we discovered that we were pregnant with our two children!  It's an incredible blessing that God has given to all of us to participate in His process of giving life to another person.  Life is precious, and as a society, it's important that we do celebrate the gift of life.

Now, on to another point that is so important in a culture that devalues life.  Unfortunately, without generalizing too much, the same cultural elites that believe that a woman has the right to terminate their pregnancy, you may find, will celebrate their own children.  A "baby bump" can be great for news coverage, but when it's someone else's child, there doesn't seem to be the same sense of celebration, and there's support for a woman choosing to abort her child.   It's a bit paradoxical.  I would hope that we as a culture would develop a greater sense of celebration of all life, no matter what the circumstances of the conception.   Consider our mighty, wonderful, Creator God, who ordains life, and calls us to cherish our lives and to value and respect the lives of others, including those yet to be born. 

Courage for Adventure

Each of us has a very special purpose from God - we have been called into a love relationship with Him, and into service for our King.  Here is what Peter wrote in 1st Peter chapter 2:
9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;10who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

So, as we recognize that we have a unique calling from God and a definitive giftedness to be used for His honor and glory, we can identify that thing or those things about which we are the most passionate.  I believe that He will give us the desire to be used of Him and will show us specific assignments that He desires for us to do.  And, even if we feel inferior to accomplish what we have been assigned to do, we can still be confident that He will provide the resources and inner strength that we need to do His will.

God is calling us to pursue Him and experience the adventure of a life devoted to following Him and experiencing more of His love expressed through us.  Here are the words of 1st Thessalonians 5:
23Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.24He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

Words of tribute are being spoken about the journalist who was executed by the Islamist terror group ISIS on a video released this past Tuesday.   40-year-old James Foley is being remembered for his bravery and his willingness to take the tough assignments.   He had been held captive 44 days in 2011 in Libya, and was captured again in 2012.  According to a piece on the CNN Belief Blog, in between those periods of captivity, he wrote an article for the Marquette University alumni magazine, in which he said that he prayed while imprisoned that his family, many miles away, would somehow know that he was safe.

When he was finally allowed to call home, Foley reportedly asked his mother, Diane, “Haven’t you felt my prayers?”  She told her son that his friends and family had been praying, too, holding vigils filled with former professors, priests and Marquette students. She echoed his question back: Have you felt ours?

He had, the journalist, who was described as a Catholic, said. “Maybe it was others’ prayers strengthening me, keeping me afloat,” Foley wrote.

ReligionNews.com states that account after account describes the Foleys as determined, faithful Roman Catholics, saying that they appear to be a family held together by faith. In their appearance in front of their home Wednesday, John and Diane Foley made frequent references to God.

His father John said, “He’s not reckless...He’s been doing this conflict reporting for almost eight years.”

WCVB quotes John as posing the question, ""Why do firemen keep going back to blazing homes?...This was his passion. He was not crazy. He was motivated by what he thought was doing the right thing...that gave him energy to continue despite the risk."

His mother remembers him telling her, "Mom, I found my passion, I found my vocation."

Journalist Max Fisher is quoted by ReligionNews.com (from Fox News) as saying, “Jim’s faith was something we all agreed not to discuss publicly while he was held in Syria, but it was the wellspring of his generosity.” 

James Foley was in pursuit of a story, but not in a sensational way, but he was apparently driven to go into war zones or difficult situations to communicate the truth.  He had a passion, there was a faith component, and he purposed to use his skills in order to pursue that passion.

So, what is it that drives you?   James Foley wanted to tell the story.  Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol were released from the hospital this week after contracting the life-threatening Ebola virus while attempting to minister to patients afflicted by it.  They, too, were willing to put their lives on the line in response to their passion.

I think these stories, and so many more, can provide a gut check for us - do we have a passion? Something that we live for, a purpose for which that God has gifted us to pursue?  James Foley was commended for his bravery - perhaps we can look deep within us and find courage to do what God has called us to do.  

Maybe there is a burning desire that you can identify, to do something extraordinary for the glory of God.   So what's lacking?   The giftedness?  Well, remember the old saying that what God appoints, He anoints.  The training?  If necessary, that may be something that He is calling you to acquire, bringing you out of your comfort zone so that you can be adequately prepared for the task at hand.   The power?   He can equip and encourage us as we pursue His path for our lives, following His Spirit into an adventurous life of service to Him.

How wonderful!  There is the possibility that He will call us outside our comfort zones in order to experience a new level of service to Him, and receive the blessings of blessing others.  

Building the Home the Right Way

I really, really like the parable of the sower from Mark 4, where Jesus teaches Biblical principles related to sowing and reaping.   We recognize that present choices can determine future success - how we choose to follow God now can certainly determine the trajectory of our lives.   Jesus said in verse 14 that,
14The sower sows the word.
Then He proceeded to talk about four types of soil:  seeds sown by the wayside, which are stolen by the enemy.  There are the seeds on stony ground, without root, but are stolen due to tribulation or persecution.  Also, you have seeds sown among thorns, which are choked by the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and desires for other things.  And, then in verse 20:20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."
So we can examine ourselves - Are we living by the Word?  Are we making choices daily that reflect our trust in Christ, which can impact our relationship with Him in the future and help to determine the amount of spiritual fruit that we are producing?  The course of our lives is determined by the choices we make.  Fortunately, there is redemption available when we take the wrong path, and that's a wonderful promise!   But, the Lord would intend for us to seek Him and to plant good seed in our hearts, so that we can be people who experience the best that He has for us.
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The choices we make today can affect our future tomorrow, and what we are experiencing today could actually be the result of how we have approached areas of our lives in the past.   Proverbs 3 says:
5Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;6In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 

There's a new study of marriage that has been released that confirms the importance of how you bulid a marriage relationship.  This new study, from the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, indicates that the more relationships you had prior to your marriage, the less likely you are to report a high-quality marriage.  And, interestingly enough, the more people who attend your wedding to share in the launch of your marriage, the better the chances you will have a happy marriage years down the road.

The study challenges the general notion that what happens in one’s younger years, before marriage, stays there and doesn’t impact the remainder of one’s life.

The study notes that past experiences, especially when it comes to love, sex and children, are associated with future marital quality. Those who have had more romantic experiences – for example, more sexual or cohabiting partners – are less likely to forge a high-quality marriage than those with a less complex romantic history, found the researchers.

Study co-author Galena K. Rhoades, is quoted as saying, “In most areas, more experience is better. You’re a better job candidate with more experience, not less. When it comes to relationship experience, though, we found that having more experience before getting married was associated with lower marital quality.”

More experience may increase one’s awareness of alternative partners, the researchers speculate. People who have had many relationships prior to their current one can compare a present partner to their prior partners in many areas – like conflict management, dating style, physical attractiveness, sexual skills, communication ability and so on. Marriage involves leaving behind other options, which may be harder to do with a lot of experience. 

Rhoades also said that more relationship experiences prior to marriage also means more experience breaking up, which may make for a more jaundiced view of love and relationships. It’s also possible that some people have personality characteristics that both increase their odds of having many relationship experiences and decrease their odds of marital success, she added.

Another area that the study looked at was the relationship between the number of guests at a wedding and the amount of marital satisfaction.  47 percent of those who had 150 guests or more at their wedding reported high marital quality.

W. Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project, is quoted as saying, "One possibility here is that couples with larger networks of friends and family may have more help, and encouragement, in navigating the challenges of married life. Note, however, this finding is not about spending lots of money on a wedding party, it's about having a good number of friends and family in your corner.” 

Study co-author Scott Stanley added, “Our bottom-line advice to Americans hoping to marry is this: Remember that what you do before you say ‘I do’ may shape your odds of forging a successful marital future."

This is consistent with the clear Biblical principle that you reap what you sow.  We recognize that if we indulge the flesh, there will be negative consequences that will be produced.  In marriage, or in the host of choices that we make in our lives, if we make the incorrect choices, if we knowingly depart from the ways of God, then in so many instances, we have to lives with those choices.

But, in the Lord, there is hope that we can reverse the ill effects of incorrect choices.  A marriage, for instance, that starts out on a shaky foundation as the result of errant relationship choices can still be redeemed and be strong, if a couple is willing to submit to the control of the Holy Spirit and to grow in their love for one another.  Recognizing that past choices can determine future consequences is important, and there may be tendencies from each spouse that have to be dealt with in a strong way.  But, forgiveness from the Lord is possible.  If we follow God's principles in marriage, any marriage can be successful and honoring to God.  

Happy National Radio Day

The Lord wants us to be not only hearers of His Word, but also doers - and that do-ing will involve reflecting the nature of Christ in what we speak and how we speak it.  And, we can effectively communicate in a Godly manner by having our hearts right before Him and allowing the life of Christ to flow through us.   In Proverbs 16, we read:
20He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.21The wise in heart will be called prudent, And sweetness of the lips increases learning.22Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.23The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips.

Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.  So, if we want to bring honor to His name, we must align our hearts with Him, acknowledge that we belong to Him, and allow the words of our mouth to bring Him glory and praise.  We are all called to be transmitters of truth, living out the gospel and making sure that we are speaking in a manner that encourages people, drawing them to our Savior.

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God has given us the capacity to communicate His Word with clarity and compassion, and to live in a manner that brings honor to His name.  Consider the words of 2nd Timothy 2:
15Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.16But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.

It's Wednesday, August 20th, and I wish you a happy National Radio Day!   That's right, it's a special day, but the origins are not particularly clear.  Nevertheless, the National Religious Broadcasters, or NRB, thought it to be important enough to publish, on its website, a fascinating chronology of religious broadcasting, taken from the book, Air of Salvation, by Mark Ward, Sr.   Here are some highlights:

1921 (Jan. 2): First religious broadcast. KDKA airs the Sunday vespers service of Pittsburgh’s Calvary Episcopal Church, presided over by junior associate Rev. Lewis Whittemore.

1921 (Nov. 27): First continuous religious program. Broadcasts begin in New York by the Radio Church of America.

1921 (Dec. 22): First religious station. Church of the Covenant (now National Presbyterian Church), a congregation in Washington, DC, receives the first broadcast license issued to a religious organization.

1922: First religious broadcaster. Paul Rader is invited by the mayor of Chicago to give a radio address from City Hall, and when response far surpasses expectations, Rader begins a radio ministry.

1928: First network religious program. Donald Grey Barnhouse, Pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, becomes the first to purchase network airtime for a religious program. The year before, he broadcast a local program and finished 1927 with a balance of 11 cents but nevertheless signs a $40,000 contract with CBS.

1930 (Oct. 2): Walter Maier, founder of KFUO in St. Louis, which was founded 90 years ago, goes national. The Lutheran Hour airs on network radio for the first time, eventually becoming the largest radio venture of its day. By the 1940s, the program is heard in 36 languages over 1,200 stations with an estimated worldwide audience of nearly 700 million.  (Maier died in 1950 at the age of 56, and was believed to have preached the Gospel to more people than any man in history.)

1937:  Charles Fuller goes national.  He brings the Old-Fashioned Revival Hour to the Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS), and it soon becomes the top religious broadcast in America, with an estimated audience of 10 million.  In 1939, he introduces a second one-hour network program, and by 1943, Fuller’s Gospel Broadcasting Association is the top broadcaster on the Mutual system, spending 50 percent more money for airtime than the network’s next-largest secular customer.

1943: Mutual announces restrictions. In the fall of the year, MBS announces its intention to severely curtail its practice of selling time for religious programs by the 1944 season. The development sets off a firestorm in the evangelical community, which is also worried that individual stations will follow suit.

1944 (April 12): NRB organized. As the threat to Gospel broadcasting deepens, broadcasters decide they need to organize themselves in to an effective pressure group that deals officially with radio issues. At a constitutional convention in Chicago on September 21, 1944, the new association is incorporated.

So, this year, NRB celebrates its 70th anniversary, and Faith Radio is pleased to be a member.   Jerry Johnson is the President and CEO of NRB, and in his installation ceremony at this year's NRB Convention in Nashville, he vowed afresh to defend the goals of the NRB by simultaneously advancing biblical truth, promoting media excellence and defending free speech, according to a report on the ASSIST News website, which stated that Johnson warned repeatedly against the dangers of an unbalanced emphasis on any one of the organization’s three primary purposes.

He promised that the battle for freedom of speech, press and religion will be dear to his heart.  He received applause from the audience when he said, “We in NRB must become to First Amendment freedoms what the NRA is to the Second!”  A great line, indeed!

So on this day that has been designated to show appreciation for radio, I'd like to give glory to God and express appreciation to the Lord for the technology that enables us to communicate truth on-air and on-line. 

And, we praise the Lord because of the transformation of lives that He will bring about as the result of the powerful truth that is spoken and sung on Faith Radio.  We'd like for you to not only share your story with us, perhaps to even relate to our listening audience, but also to share your Faith Radio story with others.   We give you the tools to do that - through FaithRadio.org, you can sign up to receive our Ministry Magazine, which is released 4 times yearly, as well as our monthly e-mail newsletter.  There's a page you can go to and request materials from our ministry - go to FaithRadio.org/ShareFaithRadio.

I am thankful for the unique opportunity to be involved in this unique ministry work.  I do have a form of communication that involves a microphone, but we can all be involved in the transmission of God's love and truth.   As we follow the direction of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to speak and flow through us, we can be partners in the work that God desires to do in the lives of people; people who need to hear about and experience a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Has Anything Like This...?

In Luke 10, we read that Jesus dispatched His followers to share His truth:
1After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.2Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.3Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

Each of us has been sent, commissioned, if you will, by the Lord to share and to live His truth.   And, the potential to see people won into the kingdom of God is tremendous.  When we feel outnumbered by people who don't know Christ, well, Jesus seemed to indicate that would be a problem - but, it's also an opportunity.  There are many who don't know Him, and multitudes who can potentially come to know Him. He didn't promise that everyone would be receptive; He sent His followers out as lambs among wolves, but He also recognized they were offering the love and truth of God and sharing words of eternal life, which are powerful and compelling.

In Mark chapter 2, we can read the account of Jesus as He spent time with those who needed to hear the life-changing truth of His message.  He had invited a tax collector named Levi, or Matthew, to follow Him, and he responded.  We pick up the story in verse 15:
15Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.16And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"17When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

The possibility of a free Harley may have been a nice incentive to come for some, but the free gift of eternal life was a much, much bigger takeaway for hundreds of people who stopped by the Dakota Baptist Convention's evangelism tent in the heart of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.

A Baptist Press article describes the event as when "the small town of about 6,600 residents hosts nearly a half-million bikers, wannabes and gawkers..." In previous years, the DBC's evangelism tent was on a corner lot on Main Street across from the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and about four blocks from the center of the bar scene. This year it was indoors, one of several "vendors" under one roof. The others: a tattoo parlor, leather goods sales and the like. The strategic location was across the street from a liquor store and adjacent to a bowling alley that becomes a party hub. Two of the biggest drinking establishments in Sturgis were less than two blocks away.

The outreach gave 120 volunteers from at least 20 states and Canada over 3,600 opportunities to share three-minute testimonies, up from over more than 2,100 last year, leading to professions of faith by 513 people, up from 178 in 2013.

This was the ninth year for the intentional evangelism ministry in which "catchers" encourage passers-by to enter an oversized venue to listen to one of the "witnesses" tell about how life changed since the volunteer came to know Jesus Christ personally. The pivotal question: "Has anything like this ever happened to you?" And, to aid the "catchers": the reward for listening was a chance to win a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

In addition to the "catchers" and "witnesses," other volunteers assist in a variety of related tasks, including chaplains who minister to the nearly 1,000 vendors, city employees who handle the daily 55 tons of trash collected, police and fire personnel; shuttle bus drivers who transport volunteers to and from area churches where they bunk for the week and; church site workers who minister to the volunteers; and those who keep ice on hand to keep water cold for the volunteers.

Buck Hill, the convention's missions director, referring to the decision made by Garvon Golden, the DBC executive director, to move locations, said, "It put us deeper into the jungle, into the devil's playground."

There are plenty of spiritual principles at work here.  And, I think that first one is something that our Lord Jesus taught in His earthly ministry:  Go to where the people are.  Jesus was chided for associating with people of less-than-stellar reputations, but His heart was to see people come to a knowledge of God.   Because we are all sinners, none of us have a sterling reputation before God - so we don't really have the right to pick and choose the people to whom we are called to share.  He is no respecter of persons!  

The leadership made a strategic decision to move in a little closer to the action - action that violates Scripture, sure, but they did it knowing that they would be exposed to more people who would need to hear the gospel.

I also appreciate the organization of this outreach and the roles that people would play.  You have the "catchers," who are basically saying, "Come and hear."  You know, this is important, and we have to make sure that we have a position of being inviting, seeking to reach out to others with compassion, so they might hear the truth.   And, you may plant a seed or issue an invitation to attend an outreach event, or we may switch roles and become a "witness," sharing what Christ has done in our lives.   

A pivotal question was posed: "Has anything like this ever happened to you?"  At some point, the "witnesses," as part of their three-minute testimony, made it personal and related it to the individual lives of the hearers.  Perhaps in conversation, this type of question can be useful, to help someone think about his or her own relationship with God, and to help seal the truth in someone's heart.   

People + Power (God's) = Lives Changed

We are members of the body of Christ - He is our Lord, our head, the One whom we can trust with our very lives.  In Colossians 1, we are reminded:
18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.19For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,20and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

My goodness - in Jesus the fulness of God dwells.  And, He is able to inhabit our hearts through His Holy Spirit.  We are called "partakers of the divine nature," so we can know that He lives in us.  As we realize that we each are connected to the head of the body, then we can also see that we have a unique connection with one another, to bring honor to Him by our obedience, to see Him work powerfully in our lives in order to accomplish His purposes.  The church can be a powerful force, but if we allow selfishness and division to rule in our lives, then we shortcircuit the work that He desires to do.

In 1st Corinthians 3, we gain some insight into how the body of Christ, working together as God orchestrates, can make a powerful impact in the lives of people, as the Lord does the work:
5Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.7So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.8Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.

In Australia recently, a man was boarding a train bound for Perth about 8:50 one morning when he slipped and became stuck, according to a report on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation website.

Transperth spokesman David Hynes said the man was boarding at the tail end of peak hour, but the train was still fairly busy.  Hynes said that, "He stood in the doorway and as he was sort of taking up his position there, one leg slipped outside the door, slipped outside the gap, and he was stuck."  He added, "We alerted the driver, made sure the train didn't move."

Hynes continued the story:  "Then our staff who were there at the time got the passengers, and there were lots of them, off the train, and organised them to sort of rock, tilt the train backwards away from the platform so they were able to get him out and rescue him."

An ambulance was called but the man was not taken to a hospital. It is believed he did not sustain serious injuries.

Hynes praised the actions of staff and passengers who assisted in freeing the man.  He said, "Everyone sort of pitched in," adding, "It was people power that saved someone from possibly quite serious injury."

It's a great picture, isn't it?  A person becomes trapped and others surround him to set him free.  In this case, people power made the difference.  Spiritually speaking, the power of God through His people can make a huge difference in setting free those who are trapped.

Let's pause for a moment to consider several things.   I think the fact that it took multiple people to rock this train car in order to free the man's leg reminds us that we are the body of Christ and can accomplish great things together. Sometimes one person, in partnership with the Holy Spirit, can be instrumental in helping someone out of a situation in which they are trapped, perhaps leading them to the Lord.  But, in many cases, I would say that multiple people can be used to perform a rescue.  I think of that example that Paul used about different people planting and watering, but God giving the increase.  We can recognize that God is at work through His people and will strategically place people in position to minister His truth and love at a particular time and place.

It took passengers and staff to rock this train.  You know, if you have a group of people with a common goal and a desire to set people free, lives can certainly be changed.  The body of Christ can be a tangible force in this world, as we are infused by the power of God and interested in the needs of others.  Then, we can be influential in changing people's hearts and lives.

Standing Ready

Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that the peacemakers are blessed; that they would be called the sons, or children, of God.   He has called us to an attitude of seeking to walk in peace in our interpersonal relationships, because we have peace with Him.  Here are the words of Romans 12:
17Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.18If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.19Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
Here we have the posture that we as believers can possess as we seek to glorify God and display Christ's nature - we can be the people, who, instead of finding ourselves getting into conflict, are actively looking for ways to alleviate conflict.  Yes, as humans, we are prone to be at odds with one another from time to time, but if we are devoted to walking in peace - with God and with others, He will give us the incredible ability to radiate the love of Christ in those difficult relationship situations.
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As believers in Christ, we have been entrusted with a message that is centered on peace - our God made peace with fallen humanity by sending His Son to die for us, and with that score settled and the penalty paid, He places us here to walk in His peace and to promote peace between individuals and groups.   Here is what Hebrews 13 says:
20Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,21make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

The unrest in Ferguson, Missouri has been pronounced in the aftermath of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown last week.  As WORLD reports, riots have erupted since Saturday, when police shot and killed Michael Brown. Police reports claim Brown struggled with the officers, while two eyewitnesses have said that Brown had his hands in the air when he was shot multiple times. In the following days, rioters looted and burned stores, confronted police in the streets, and demanded the name of the officer responsible for Brown’s death. Yesterday, it was announced that the Missouri State Highway Patrol will oversee security in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis. Gov. Jay Nixon announced the change in light of criticism that the St. Louis County Police Department has been overly confrontational with protesters.

In the middle of the turmoil, area churches have stepped forward to communicate an air of peace and service.  WORLD interviewed Michelle Higgins, Worship and Outreach Coordinator at South City Church in St. Louis, who said the atmosphere completely changes as day turns to night. Higgins said even though the police are patient and speak politely, “their appearance is so daunting that it creates a tension that does not have to be there.” The night also brings a different type of protester, including frustrated young people from all over the St. Louis area who often ignore community leaders’pleas to keep the protests peaceful.

Pastor Rodrick Burton, an African-American who leads the New Northside Missionary Baptist Church, located minutes from Ferguson, said it’s disheartening to see young people who are looking for instant results take matters into their own hands. He's also discouraged to see how people are injecting inaccurate information and their own narratives into an already tragic case. For one, he said, unlike the claims of many reports, the northern suburb of Ferguson, which is two-thirds black and one-third white, actually has “pretty good race relations,” and he worries how the riots will affect the existing relationships.

Baptist Press reports that Missouri Baptists in the area say the tragedy has opened doors for proclaiming a message of reconciliation in Christ. For instance, First Baptist Church in Ferguson opened its doors on Aug. 13 for a citywide prayer service.  First Baptist pastor Stoney Shaw said residents of Ferguson were joined by Missouri Baptists from nearby towns in praying for peace and unity.  The pastor said the interracial prayer service exuded a spirit of reconciliation, with participants recognizing the need to love and understand one another.

The St. Louis Metro Baptist Association also organized an Aug. 13 prayer service hosted by Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in North St. Louis. In addition to praying for Brown's family and for peace in Ferguson, director of missions Jim Breeden said they prayed that God would empower local Christians to transform the greater St. Louis area with the Gospel message.

Some Missouri Baptists have already displayed this message by helping to clean Ferguson storefronts that were damaged by looters in the aftermath of Brown's shooting.First Baptist of Ferguson issued a statement, which said, in part: "... we pledge to pray diligently for everyone involved...We ask that everyone join us in praying for peace and unity as we go through this difficult time together. And we stand ready to assist our community in any way possible to bring peace in the wake of this horrible tragedy."

A spirit of peace and reconciliation injected into turmoil and division - that's a meaningful picture of a key role of the church in our culture today.  We are called to show people around us a better way - the way of God.   I believe as followers of the Prince of Peace, who said, "Blessed are the peacemakers," we should be actively involved in helping to settle conflict - wherever we may be. That could be in the home, in the church, in the workplace, and wherever people are at odds.  We can take that role as peacemakers very seriously.

This atmosphere of turmoil outside St. Louis represents an opportunity for God's people to reflect the nature of Christ.  By committing to pray, and by standing ready to help, we communicate genuine love and concern, which can help settle differences, heal wounds, and transform attitudes.  We can be challenged in our own lives to seek ways in which we can share the love of Christ, and in so doing, to promote tangible heart change by the power of God's Spirit.