Breaking the Ice

When we encounter challenging circumstances, that will test our faith in God, we can be confident that He is at work; remember, James 1 says the trying of our faith brings patience.  In Matthew 13, we read about what Jesus taught:
31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,
32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."

We will encounter barriers, roadblocks if you will, in our lives.  Our faith will be challenged, our resolve tested.  But, in those times of difficulty, we can be confident in God to see us through.  He wants us to call on Him, believe in Him more wholeheartedly, and know that He will give us strength to endure.  Whatever faith we have, He wants us to apply that to our troublesome situations, so that we may grow in Him.

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Jesus encountered an obstacle that had confounded His disciples, and this passage from Matthew 17 can remind us of our opportunity to step out and call out in faith when we face obstacles in our own faith journey:
18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

You may remember my conversation with Joyce Smith and Jason Noble regarding a book entitled, The Impossible.  You can listen to it our download it here.

Joyce's teenage son, John, fell through the ice on a frozen lake, and he was declared to be dead around 60 minutes. John has made a full recovery. Jason is the family's pastor who walked with them through the ordeal.

This story is told in a forthcoming film called, Breakthrough.  Noted filmmaker Devon Franklin is involved in the film, which is due out in April.  So, is NBA star Stephen Curry, who serves as executive producer.

Joyce will be played by actor Chrissy Metz, who is a cast member of the popular NBC television show, This is Us. Metz told The Christian Post: “When I was given the gift of even reading the script, I was so moved by it, because we're all looking for something greater than ourselves, and we're all trying to figure it out, and do the best we can in the process,” adding, “I've had some hardships myself, obviously, not to this degree but things that were really trying. And the only thing that sort of kept me going was my faith.”

The article relates that Chrissy has not been vocal about her faith, and the story says:

“It is hard I think, now, to just be really vocal about your faith, or what you believe in because people want to think ‘it's not cool,’ but I'm like, I don't care! I have to do what I have to do for me, and I know that the only person that shows up for me time and time again, is God, and is that higher power that's greater than myself. So I have to honor that. Not because I have to, because I want to, even though people might think it's the uncool thing to do. For me, there's no question about it,” Metz testified.

Addressing her resistance to sharing her faith, Metz stated something that perhaps some Christians can relate to:

“I know it can be a challenge because the whole problem is that we all want to fit in, we want to be liked and validated,” she explained. “So when we're different, we feel it, but I think that when people are strong in their convictions, it can really persuade people to think differently just as the movie’s going to do.”

In this case, according to Chrissy, Joyce was strong in her faith, but her husband, John's father, was having some difficulties in light of the circumstances.  Metz says: "You have to have somebody to believe in something, somebody to hold on to that and I think it's so inspiring in the way that just when you think you can't, and everybody else's against you – that God is for you and that's all that you need.”

I like the way that the filmmakers took the aptly-named book, The Impossible, and renamed the movie, Breakthrough.  Obviously, there is double meaning - John Smith breaking through the ice and God breaking through to show Himself faithful.  We can explore the concept of a breakthrough and consider the level of our desire for God to show up and make Himself known to us.  In fact, He is wanting us to develop a deeper walk with Him and is calling us to do so - are we ready and willing to experience what He has ordained for us?

I don't know what spiritual flavor Chrissy Metz may be, but she is willing to be bold about her faith, and that is commendable in Hollywood.  We can consider the extent to which we are willing to share our faith and trust in God's power to enable us.

Finally, we know that God desires for us to call on Him in the midst of our pain and difficulty, and as we take perhaps what little faith we have, faith that may have been rocked by disappointment and desperation, faith the size of a grain of mustand seed, we can be confident that He will meet us as we believe in His love and power.

Moral and Religious People

We are called ultimately to serve the One True God, who is the righteous God, who gives us instruction to follow.  But, there are earthly governments to whom we are called to submit, as well.
1st Peter 2 says:
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

So, as citizens of heaven and citizens of earthly nations, we are called to honor the Lord by honoring governmental authority.  If you were a Christian living under sharia law in which the practice of your faith is illegal, or in China, where authorities routinely suppress religious expression, then you have other considerations and you, as Peter stated in Acts 5, "obey God rather than men."  We can be thankful that we still have freedom of religion in America, although some have chipped away at it. We can be devoted to standing for Christ, even though we may encounter opposition.

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The Bible speaks to authority and our duty to pursue certain principles in Proverbs 21:
1 The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.
3 To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

We are so blessed to live in a nation that was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.  When you consider the worth of an individual, as elaborated on in the Declaration of Independence, and look at the inspiration of the U.S. Constitution, which, even though there is scant mention of God, His hand can be seen throughout it - it is certainly a brilliant document that has stood the test of time.

But, when the religious roots of our nation are challenged, what implication does that have for the future of our Constitution?  John Adams, the second President, is quoted on Wikipedia:

we have no government, armed with power, capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge and licentiousness would break the strongest cords of our Constitution, as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

So, what happens when you have elected leaders that do not practice religion?  Or who practice a religion that is not in the Judeo-Christian tradition?  Just saying...

Christianity Today published a story about the makeup of the incoming Congress.  It states:

Though the overall number of Christians in Congress fell slightly from 91 percent from 2017 to 88 percent in 2019, a vast majority of freshmen—78­ of the 96 newly elected lawmakers—identify as Christian and around half—47—are Protestants, according to the Pew Research Center’s Faith on the Hill report.

There are 22 who identify as "unspecified/other" Protestants in the freshmen class.  One is Josh Hawley, newly-elected senator from Missouri.  He is quoted here:

“In Romans 13, government officials are described as ministers of God,” said Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who assumes Claire McCaskill’s seat, in an interview last year about his faith. “That’s how serious God is about politics.”

That's from the University of Missouri student publication, The Maneater.

Interestingly, only one lawmaker, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, identifies in the "nones" category with respect to religion.

But, read the fine print here:  there are 14 Representatives and 4 Senators who either did not answer or did not know what their religious affiliation was.  There are also now 3 Muslims in the House, and there is 1 Buddhist in each chamber.

Of course, with all this religion, you have to question how much it is being applied.  When you see legislation that is hostile toward people of faith or contradictory to Biblical teaching on the sanctity of life, that indicates that faith may be verbally or even ritually expressed, but the teachings of Scripture are not really taking hold.  That is a concern - if the Constitution is for a "moral and religious people," then if your leaders do not live those standards, how can we expect them to make decisions according to Godly wisdom.  And, can a practicing Muslim, whose religion teaches "sharia law," an anathema to the Constitution, really be able to execute the principles of a document that contains principles that are not consistent to that person's faith?

One Muslim lawmaker was sworn in on a Koran, wore a traditional Palestinian dress, which is OK because that is her heritage. However, she is anti-Israel, and according to The Jerusalem Post, supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, or BDS movement toward Israel.  She accused senators supporting a bill to counter BDS as possessing "dual loyalties."  And, of course, she is most famous so far for calling the President a profane name.  Is this someone that you can trust to uphold our Constitution?

But, keep in mind, the Constitution is not our God, but I believe it was inspired by Biblical principles.  But, ultimately, our allegiance is to a higher authority: so we recognize our call to worship God, but we certainly can show our devotion to upholding the Constitution and to obey the rule of law; except, as the Bible teaches, when man's law conflicts with God's law.

And, now, as before, we can be reminded to pray for our leaders.  Our government is partially shut down, and you're beginning to hear stories of financial hardship.  It seems that both sides have dug in, but we must find a way forward - border security is an important consideration, and we must address it.  Last year, there was a shutdown that was resolved when lawmakers indicated their willingness to put together a reform proposal.  But, action was never implemented.  Our leaders must find the will to protect our nation adequately and appropriately, without trying to score political points.

No King But Jesus

It is important that we walk through this life with a knowledge of what it means to be a Christian, to
exhibit the character of the Lord as we go about our daily lives. Jesus taught in John 15:
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

The fabric of our lives as believers in Christ is not to be determined by what we read on the Internet, the reporting of the media, which seems to be intent on defining what a good Christian should be, or by our own human understanding.   We recognize the call of God on our lives; and realize that we have been loved by Him, filled with His nature, and directed to go out and engage in meaningful human relationships, predicated on humility.  We can check ourselves to make sure that we are allowing His character to be radiated through us.

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We have to evaluate what it means to be a Christian in today's world, and develop Christlike character.  2nd Peter 1 gives us instruction in that area:
(5) giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble...

In the midst of all the year-in-review material that was spread out through the media, there was an editorial column about which columnist and media host Michael Brown called attention.  It was in the New York Times, not surprisingly.  In it, writer Katherine Stewart says: “The Christian nationalist movement today is authoritarian, paranoid and patriarchal at its core. They aren’t fighting a culture war. They’re making a direct attack on democracy itself.”

Brown responds that, "Such claims are as ludicrous as they are misleading." He says that in the world of this author:

...when evangelicals like Lance Wallnau compare Trump to King Cyrus in the Bible, they are actually wanting Trump to be a king. Indeed, she claims that, “in Mr. Trump, they have found a man who does not merely serve their cause, but also satisfies their craving for a certain kind of political leadership.”

Evangelicals, whom she slyly characterizes as “Christian nationalists,” want a king, not a president. They want someone to impose their views on the nation. They are theocratic, not democratic. That’s why Trump is their man.

While that may be true for some, it certainly seems to be a cartoonish mischaracterization.

Brown went point-by-point about the contentions of the author.  The comparison of Trump to Cyrus has been around since during the campaign, and I think it has some merit.  Brown writes:

The Cyrus analogy had to do with the unlikelihood of someone like Trump being president, just as it was unlikely that God would use someone like Cyrus (an idol-worshiping, non-Israelite), to restore the Jewish exiles from Babylon.

Wallnau even read Isaiah 45 to Trump at a gathering of evangelicals during the primaries, including these words: “For the sake of My servant Jacob, Israel My chosen one, I call you by name, I hail you by title, though you have not known Me,” (Isa 45:4).

In other words, God was raising up Donald Trump, a non-evangelical, non-Christian, to help America and, in particular, to help evangelicals. It had nothing to do with him reigning as a king.

Brown contends that evangelicals are not paranoid, rather, "We are fighting a very real battle for our liberties. We are standing up for the rights of our children."

I disagree with Christian leaders who would say that the culture wars are over and we lost.  I agree with Brown that...

...we evangelicals are fighting a culture war. We are not fighting “democracy itself.” To the contrary, we believe the democratic principles of our country are being undermined by radical ideologues who have a very different vision for America.

He is concerned about "mobocracy, not democracy."  And he disagrees with the loaded term, "Christian nationalists," which I think conjures up images of Christians who put country over God.  Christians who want to see godly principles lived out in American life and remember the hand of God in the establishment and furtherance of this nation should not be chastised; I was concerned to see a thread last summer about churches celebrating the Fourth of July; why, we should be devoted to rejoicing in this wonderful nation that has been established on a belief in the Bible.  But the "nationalist" label has negative connotations attached to it now, and Stewart plays along in reinforcing that characterization of Christians.

And, finally - and I think this is something the Church really needs to be aware of - there is the use of the word, "patriarchy," to describe Christians.  Brown responds:

Fifth, these evangelical leaders are not standing up for patriarchy. They are resisting radical feminism, which ultimately hurts women more than anyone. They are pushing back against the “Shout Your Abortion” movement, against the war on the unborn. They are pro-woman and pro-family.

Unfortunately, you have this dangerous mindset that denigrates men, questions their leadership and fidelity, and promotes women as superior custodians of the moral order.  And, we have to be careful that the Church doesn't embrace the world's feminism to create division between men and women as they seek to fulfill their God-given roles.

Brown concludes by saying that Christian leaders may agree with some of the President's principles, but do not concur with the way that he communicates them.  And, people continue to forget, it seems, that faced with a binary choice in the 2016 election - and it really was, even though there were third-party candidates who had no chance of winning - as Brown points out, a large number of Christians could not vote, in a good conscience, for Hillary Clinton.

It is puzzling to me that there are some faith leaders who are more critical of Trump, who has been a friend to the evangelical Christian community by and large, than they were of Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, who represented a set of values and principles that ran completely contrary to Scripture.

But, there will be those in the media who are intent on describing what is a "good" evangelical and what is not.  For instance, there was a recent story on the New Yorker website entitled, Conservative Evangelicals Attempt To Disentangle Their Faith from Trumpism.  As if it were. It basically is trying to present a more enlightened, socially acceptable, form of evangelical Christianity, centered on a university professor who seems to be challenging this patriarchy in the church and society.

For instance, she believes the "Billy Graham rule," named after the practice of the late evangelist to not be alone with any woman (other than his wife), as "encoded sexism."  This professor was also a supporter of the gay-identity movement's "ReVoice" conference and leader of a petition drive to oust a professor at another school, a Southern Baptist seminary, because of past statements that were considered to be so misogynist that they warranted his removal; ill-advised, probably, but the opposition could certainly be regarded as vitriolic.

This is the type of wedge-building that the enemy delights in, and has become all-too-common in the evangelical church.  But, it's acceptable for the media to lionize certain "evangelicals" because they represent a threat to the established, and in some cases, Biblical order of things.  Which leads us to a practical point here.

Our views are to be shaped by Biblical principles.  That includes political views.  And, we have to develop discernment so that we are not distracted by high-profile Christian leaders who promise some new, "enlightened" way of thinking that are Scripturally questionable.  We have to be wary of the "next new thing" in Christianity, the shiny object that seems to be trendy and fresh, but that may, in fact, lack Biblical foundation.  Perhaps a return to the tried and true is the answer.

We do have to be careful that our behavior does not line up with the caricature that has been created for us.  We have to make passion for Christ the focus that should never supersede our fervor in the public square.  Though we should be engaged in the public square and continue to speak out on important issues with a Biblical perspective.  When progressives say, "Shout Your Abortion!," we can "speak the truth in love."

There are certainly ideas that are in conflict in our country.  There may be common ground that is there, but we have to realize that there is a group; Michael Brown calls it a "mobocracy," that is intent on implementing radical policies and forcing taxpayers to fund them - Medicare for all, free college, a Green New Deal, based on the shaky template of climate change.  And, woe be to those who disagree.  Many are not interested in dialogue, but domination.  In the public debate, we should be intent on not wanting to win by shutting down those with whom we disagree, but by communicating our deeply-held, Biblical principles in a compelling way.  "Win at all costs," is not the motto of the Christian.  We win by losing, by humbling ourselves before Christ and allowing Him to govern our human relationships.

Blindfolded

In Matthew chapter 13, after Jesus has taught what is known as the parable of the sower, the disciples
had an important question for him. We can read this passage:
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"
11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

In order for us to truly see and comprehend God's truth, we have to have our hearts open and our minds sensitized to learn what God has to teach us.  Our minds can be renewed as we expose ourselves to His truth and allow it to speak to us.  God doesn't desire for us to go through lives with a spiritual blindfold on, trying to navigate the decisions we must face without the direction of the Holy Spirit.  He wants to uncover our eyes so that we might truly know Him.

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After healing a blind man, Jesus spoke to those who were witnesses, some of whom were challenging
this action. We read about it in John 9:
39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."
40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"
41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.

If you're a Netflix subscriber, you perhaps over the holidays was searching for a movie and you saw the banner ad featuring Sandra Bullock for a film called, Bird Box.  It's hard to know whether it was the star power there or some other factor or set of factors, but the MarketWatch website reports that the film "was viewed by more than 45 million subscribers in its first seven days on the platform, the most for the first week of a movie’s availability. Netflix claimed to have 137.1 million streaming subscribers as of the end of September, which means that almost one-third of them watched the movie in its first week of release."

So, I went to Plugged In to see what the movie was about that was creating all this fuss.  I found out that it is an R-rated film, and here's the premise:

The planet had been invaded. But the invaders don't attack physically: Just looking at them was something deadly: Most victims will kill themselves as quickly as possible. The very few who survive that initial glance seem enthralled by the creatures.

So, the main character, Malory, dons a blindfold, takes her two children, known as simply Boy and Girl, downstream to a place of escape she has heard about.  She has to follow the sound of birds.  With respect to a message from the film, reviewer Paul Asay states:

Malory's so wrapped up in surviving the present that she forgets to give her children hope for the future. I think there's an intentional real-world echo to be found in that.. . Hope and love—these are the things that life is built from, Bird Box tells us. Without it, we live in fear and despair, if we live at all.

The film is popular, all right, and it has spawned what we might say is the first social media challenge of 2019.  Last week, FoxNews.com reported:

On Wednesday, the streaming company issued a warning to viewers taking part in the so-called “Bird Box” challenge, in which people are called to do everyday tasks blindfolded.

“Can’t believe I have to say this, but: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE. We don’t know how this started, and we appreciate the love, but Boy and Girl have just one wish for 2019 and it is that you not end up in the hospital due to memes,” the streaming service tweeted.

According to the story, "Using the hashtag #BirdBoxChallenge, social media users posted photos and videos of themselves attempting to do tasks like using the escalator, operating a scooter indoors and dancing without their sense of sight." The story adds, "Most of the videos end up with people crashing or falling."

So, is that an exercise of responsibility or a dare to participate?  I wonder what the effect of that announcement has been.  But, a cursory search of the hashtag on Twitter seems to indicate that people are continuing to participate.  I even saw a picture of two radio announcers with blindfolds on!

The challenge has garnered a reaction from the visually impaired community.  The GlobalNews.ca
website quotes Ashley Nemeth of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind Saskatchewan, who relates: “In a lot of the videos, when you watch them at the end, they’re saying ‘you can’t do this. You can’t do this blind. I couldn’t cook, I couldn’t text my friend, I couldn’t cross the street...The reality is you can do it- but you have to do it differently.” The article says:

While Nemeth has a lot of praise for the movie itself, she feels the challenge trivializes the independence of visually impaired people and years of hard work it takes to build those skills.

The organization is asking people not to participate; rather to "use this as an opportunity to learn more about the visually impaired."

Consider this: what if it were you; what if you had a disability, such as the inability to see?  How would that impact your life?  Something to think about.  And, it's important that we are sensitive to those around us who have special needs and challenges in their lives.

We also know that Jesus talked about blindness - physically and spiritually.  He healed those who were physically blind and taught about the importance of embracing His principles so that we could truly see.  We have to make sure that we are not walking through life blindly, but that our hearts are open so that we can truly see and believe what God has provided for us.

Trucking Along

Sometimes at the beginning of the New Year, we hear about New Year's resolutions, which I would say in some cases are well-intentioned; but we know that true life change comes from the giver of
eternal life. John 5 states:
24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.

Hear and believe.  The Bible tells us that if we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.  God wants us to really hear from Him, to receive His Word into our hearts and then to act on what He has said.  We are called to be more than merely hearers, but doers of the Word, indicating that we have heard and believed.  He has a plan for us, and wants to recast our lives in His image, so that Christ might be powerful in us.

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There are powerful words in the 6th chapter of the book of Romans that can remind us how God wants to take us as we are, to redeem and transform us, and to fill us with His nature in salvation. We
can read this:
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

A man from Gordo, Alabama used to take an truck out in the mud and go drinking.  But, God has redeemed the truck - and its owner, Terry Billings, according to a Baptist Press article provided by Grace Thornton of The Alabama Baptist.  The article opens by saying:

Terry Billings saw his old truck sitting in the field, weeds growing up through it. Then he heard God whisper that He could take that old truck and make something new out of it.

Billings was not a regular church attender at one time; in fact, far from it.  But, after attending his son's baptism, he started going.  He was all set to leave church one afternoon and spend a restful afternoon drinking, but God intervened - at Walmart:

"All of a sudden, I felt so visible, like everything I'd ever done was so visible," Billings said. "His eyes were on me. I tell everyone I had a Damascus Road experience that day, but it was a blue light special -- I got saved right there in Walmart at 45 years old. And my life has never been the same."

He became a pastor, and now serves Forest Baptist Church, which, according to the article, has "been among some of the top in the state for baptisms in recent years" among Southern Baptist churches.

He also received direction from the Lord to redeem that old truck, which is now known as the Heaven Bound Mud Bogger. Billings is quoted as saying: "God gave me this vision to reach out to people who are getting ignored -- the good ol' boys. I've always been one of them," adding, "I was an alcoholic and God reached out and touched me. If He hadn't and if people hadn't, I wouldn't have been saved. So there's nowhere that's too far for me to go to reach them."

He and some friends began to rebuild the truck, and donations began to flow in for the project, to the tune of $100,000! The Heaven Bound Mud Bogger is described as "a massive truck with a picture of a cross on the side and verses about finding eternal life in Jesus. On the tailgate it says, 'Covered in mud, but washed in the blood.'"

The truck now travels to a variety of events. They will, as the story says, "set up tents, share tracts and then connect with the local Baptist association so they can do follow up." Billings says, "Every time I stop anywhere, everybody in the gas station or Dollar General unloads and goes out to look at it. Then I get to tell them my story and what Jesus did for me," adding, "All it takes is a trip to Hardee's, and we have church."

Sammy Gilbreath of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions is quoted; he says that mud bogging "...becomes a great evangelistic tool reaching into a segment of our culture that is not being touched by any other phase of evangelism," adding, "I'm thrilled Terry is doing it. I think it will draw attention and spark ideas and creativity for other people too, and that can cause a domino effect."

We can consider a few things relative to this story.  First of all, think about this: what do you have at your disposal that can be used to direct people to Christ?  Terry Billings had an old truck and God gave him a creative idea for using it for His glory.  But, perhaps there is something you have - a physical item or a spiritual gift, that can be used for Him.  Remember, he is the God of creativity.

Of course, one of the most powerful things that you have is your story; your testimony - what God has done in Your life?  That can be a key component of sharing what it means to have a relationship with Christ.

Just as the old truck was able to be restored, we can think of how God wants to restore us, to remake us in His image.  God specializes in taking what (or who) is seemingly not usable and bringing glory to Himself.

Time, Talents, and Treasures

It is God's nature to give - He gave His only Son so that we might be saved.  The Bible tells us that God is love.  And, because we have come to know Him, He has released His love into our hearts.
James 1 states:
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Just as it's God's nature to give, our true identity is expressed in giving to others, being willing to share of ourselves; committing the tangible and intangible gifts to be used by Him.  He will provide the proper attitude so that we can renounce selfishness and experience a sense of selflessness, that the love of God might be seen in us.  In the new year, we can pray and surrender; we can allow the Spirit of God to move through us mightily as He expresses Himself through us.

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The Bible speaks clearly to the giving attitude that God enables us to possess. 2nd Corinthians 9, for instance, says this:
10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

Our service to God is no doubt expressed through our service to others, as it should be.  We recognize as the Lord has gifted us with time and talents, we can use those for His glory.  And, we acknowledge that as He has blessed us financially, we can depend on Him to direct us to use those resources for His glory.

The Barna Group has been studying the relationship between volunteering and giving, and recently released list of the cities in America where people volunteer the most.  The #1 city, or group of cities in a population area is Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, PA, with 30% of those surveyed indicating that they volunteer with a non-profit organization on a weekly basis.

The remainder of the top 10 include cities from a variety of different geographical regions, such as #2: Green Bay-Appleton, WI, with 28%; then Austin, TX; Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC-Asheville, NC; and Nashville, with 27%. The remainer of the top 10 are; San Diego, CA; Providence, RI-New Bedford, MA; Salt Lake City, UT; Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa, AL; and Houston, TX.  According to the survey summary, "Southern cities made an impressive showing, with the rest split between cities out West and in the Northeast, and only one city in the Midwest."  Barna displayed data for the top 100 markets in the U.S.

A previous Barna article highlighted how people view generosity, and found what is referred to as a "generosity gap," relating that congregants and pastors have differing views on what it means to be truly generous.  For instance, according to this survey summary:

Barna asked participants in the quantitative study to select, from a list of possibilities, the three acts they consider to be most generous. Almost six in 10 (57%) believe taking care of a sick person is one of the most generous things one can do. A majority in each generation agrees. But second on the list among all Christians is volunteering for an organization (52%).

But, the summary also points out that:

Christians don’t just have a high opinion of volunteering as a form of generosity—they also see it as interchangeable with financial offerings. Only one in five Christians disagrees (10% strongly, 11% somewhat) that it would be acceptable to give of one’s time instead of one’s money to their church. Pastors, for the most part, don’t see these two activities in the same light. More than eight out of 10 disagree strongly (67%) or somewhat (18%) that “it is okay for a member who volunteers extensively not to give financially.”

But, financial giving and volunteering apparently go hand-in-hand, according to this survey.  Barna states: "Christians who give most are also most likely to say they have volunteered within the past week or month. The pattern also holds true for those who consider generosity extremely important. In other words, Christians prone to participate in one type of giving aren’t looking to get a pass on the other. Whether giving of money or of time, generous Christians are simply generous."

For instance, 45% of those who said they volunteered in the past week had given $2500. Of those who gave that amount, almost one-quarter (23%) had volunteered in the past week.  On the other end of the spectrum, 21% of those who volunteered in the past week had donated less than $50.  Of those giving less than $50, a whopping 70% said they had never volunteered.

So, as we consider some principles we can glean from this survey data, we can first remember that God has provided the means for us to be generous - in our time and our financial resources. He has gifted us with certain abilities and for sure we have the time available in order to put those to work for His glory.  And, He has provided financial blessings as well.  Remember, the Bible says that He provides the seed for the sower.  Personally, I don't think that financial giving and volunteering are interchangeable - there is just too much Scripture that reinforces the concept of the wise use of finances, including the principle of giving a tithe to the local church.

But, I do believe that we are called to seek out ways to show the love of Christ to others.  And, He provides the means to complete what He has assigned us to do.

We can also examine the attitudes of our hearts.  God is a giver; He is described in James 1 as the giver of all good and perfect gifts.  He gave His Son so that we might have eternal life.  And, He has implanted that nature in us. We do not need to be selfish with the financial resources, and we can hold on to them lightly, so that they can be used as God directs.

Not Us Too

The Church, the body of Christ, makes a powerful statement in this world when we demonstrate true
Biblical unity. 1st Peter 3 says:
8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.

I believe one of the challenges facing the body of Christ today is how to resolve differences Biblically, in a way that will contribute to being unified.  And, it is not helped along as we stereotype and generalize, characterizing certain groups in a way that is unhelpful.  We have to learn to uphold Scripture and to allow the principles of the Bible to govern how we behave toward one another; and where there is a need for correction - and there will be - to be able to correct in a manner that reflects God's desired outcome of love and grace, a stronger body of Christ.

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The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 a series of verses that can be helpful for us as we approach a
new year and attempt to bring true correction and healing in the body of Christ:
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

When thinking back on the year 2018 in assembling the Top 10 Topics of 2018, it occurred to me that this was certainly a year of upheaval in the Christian community.  Some of the upheaval could be regarded as therapeutic, such as the addressing of sexual abuse in a variety of contexts.  But, something good can be the enemy of something great, as it's been said.  So, while some are calling out inappropriate male-female relationships in the church, we have to be careful not to allow this revelation of odious behavior to not become a source of division between devoted men and women.

If you had to describe 2018, in some respects, it could be described as the year of “not good enough.” Regarding the #MeToo movement, and its corollary, #ChurchToo, the Church is being charged with not being sensitive enough.  And, while that may be true, it has led to some confusion and mistrust within the ranks.

Another thread this year is in the area of race relations, an area in which I have stated repeatedly that the evangelical Church should be leading the way.  However, beginning with two major conferences in the spring, the Church was being described as not accommodating enough in that area; and I believe while that may be true, the approach has become divisive.

With regard to immigration, groups of Christians are charging others with not being compassionate enough, as if a devotion to the rule of law is a bad thing.

And, in the area of sexuality, the LGBTQ community is screaming that the Church is not tolerant enough and are demanding that Biblical teaching be shelved in favor of "welcoming" those who identify as gay or "same-sex attracted."  Welcoming is one thing, acquiescence is something else entirely.

The melodrama concerning the Brett Kavanaugh hearing has ignited debates about due process, as well as whether or not those claiming to be victimized should be 1) heard and 2) believed.   While #MeToo does present the challenge to men on how they/we should treat women, a misapplication of some of the principles can lead to rivalry between the sexes and even a sense of mistrust.

This is certainly not to minimize horrific activities toward women that some men have carried out; and while we continue to remember the brutal legacy of slavery in our land and legitimate oppression that has occurred.  But, we can move beyond our past failings into the bright hope God has in store.  I believe 2018 represented a setback in these and other areas, because it has resulted in division that seemingly some do not seem to want to reconcile.  Our clarion call in 2019 and beyond is to attempt to preserve unity in the body of Christ, and that doesn't occur when we are attributing present characteristics to people-groups based on past actions.

We also have to be willing to address issues Biblically.  Our approach to Scripture is not to try to fit the Bible to our own pet philosophy, but to allow Scripture to speak and to shape our attitudes.  As we commit ourselves to a careful study of the Word in 2019, we have to make sure that the Spirit of God is activating our attitudes and actions.