“One, Two, Threeee … “

It is every Mother’s mantra at some point of frustration! It’s a feeble attempt to coerce a recalcitrant child to action even if it works. How much better to somehow build into a child’s heart the desire to come, to obey right away.

My father is a Navy man. He expected obedience (almost with military precision). My siblings and I respected our parents in a huge way. We wanted to obey more than we didn’t.

My dad’s principle for parent/child instruction/response veered close to Alfred Lloyd Tennyson’s discription in “The Charge of the Light Brigade”:

Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die.

Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred.

(With apologies to Tennyson) I think my dad’s version is closer to:

Theirs* not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do or (risk) die.
Into the valley of Life rode the six Robesons.

(*as in his children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren
Note: This is not threat nor inappropriate punishment – No, never think that! He just instructed us that instant obedience was very important because it could mean the difference between being safe and being caught up in danger.)

Take a gander at Luke 14:12-24. Three times Jesus repeats:

“… invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” (vs. 13-14a)
“Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” (Luke 14:21)
“Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house may be full.” (Luke 14:23)

I’m guessing Jesus has a parental perspective here. He wants recalcitrant children like you and me to obey! It is important for our sakes. It is crucial for the sake of the Kingdom!

Like the six Robeson children who wanted to obey more than not out of love and respect, we should want to obey Jesus because it’s the right thing to do. We obey Jesus because we love Him. It is good for our own hearts. It’s the way to build God’s kingdom!

That Good Ole' Comfort Zone!

Comfort Zone? It's that place where most of us like to hang out. It's also that place it's very easy to get "creeped out" when we have to leave.

While I drank my coffee this AM, I turned on a brief glimpse of the news. There was no "news" except for the storm named Fay, but a guy (who shall remain nameless or you'd figure out which news outlet I watch) was interviewing Howard Wolfson.

Howard Wolfson was Communications Director for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. Mr. Wolfson was asked about a certain presidential candidate. It was interesting. O, not what he said. That was pretty much the same old, same old. What was interesting was the clear tension on his face and around his jaw. He was in a tight spot and being asked tough questions and he didn't like it.

All of a sudden the interviewer - quite unexpectedly - asked Mr. Wolfson, "Before you go, tell us your favorite video game of all time." It was amazing! After a startled second or two, all those tense muscles relaxed. Mr. Wolfson broke into a genuine smile, reached far into his sixth grade past and answered, "Galactica."

It was an interesting, totally disarming moment. But it was more, it was a classic illustration of comfort zones. We all have them. We all like to be in them. It is where we are most comfortable.

Comfort zones are great places to kick back and relax, but they are not places to get stuck. Pushing myself out of that good ole' comfort zone is something I practice regularly. It's a good thing to do.

At A Restoration Church we are pushing ourselves well out of our comfort zones with our focus to reach out to persons and families affected by disability with the love and hope of the Gospel. If you are willing to push into pioneer territory, come along. We'd love to "hang out with you"!

Character and Conduct

It seems like a no-brainer - character and conduct! The two should go together like peanut butter and jelly or like green eggs and ham - especially in presidential candidates and actually in all who aspire to lead.

In our post-modern world, we have taken a turn in the road from objective to subjective, from absolute to relative, from truth to whatever works for you and on and on. We have also taken a turn away from foundationally knowing that character matters. We hear and even say or think that a person's private life (even public figures like presidents) is what they do on their own time and is nobody's business. Thus the wedge between character and conduct begins to widen.

Character determines conduct or should! Character is who a person is in the bedrock of their soul. Character is who and person is and what a person does when no one but God is looking. Character is built and developed. Character determines our values and thus guides our actions. Character matters! So does conduct.

The problem is that we (the world of 2008) have divorced the two - character and conduct - so that we minimize the value of character and shut our eyes to conduct that comes from flawed or missing character. After all, if we examine the relationship of character to conduct too closely, then accountibility follows. And accountibility is fundamentally scary!

There is another problem: we demand perfection as in "no dirty laundry" in public figures - at least the ones who don't follow our philosophical base and we tolerate almost anything when the public figure is doing what we champion.

This is twisted thinking and practice! The business of restored hearts demands by very definition that something is wrong and needs restoration. Builders don't restore brand-new houses. There's no need. What God calls us to is restoration, grace, mercy and justice. (Micah 6:8)

The fact is that all our character is flawed and damaged by sin. We are born that way.

It is only in the process of restoration through the truths of the Gospel that God builds His character deeply into our souls. From the inside out we begin to reflect His character and truth rather than the twisted character and lies which constitute who we are from birth because of sin.

God's process of heart restoration is all about His buildling His character - even infusing His character - as He scrapes away all the bad stuff and replaces it with the new. That's what restoration is - getting rid of the old and broken and replacing it with new. God is the Great Restorer!

God knows and cares about character and conduct. God also knows that repentance (followed by forgiveness) is possible and restoration is real when the Gospel begins to work its way into one heart at a time!

Follow-Up on Saddleback Forum

Rick Warren and Saddleback Church took their risk last night. I don't know that I have ever seen a more fair, even-handed "forum."

Rick Warren had exactly the same pleasant, affirming manner toward both candidates: Barak Obama and John McCain. Rick Warren asked each in exactly the same manner the very same questions. The only exception is that John McCain fielded his questions a bit more crisply than did Obama so there were time for a few additional questions for Sen. McCain.

Watching the people and pastor of Saddleback Church, I was struck with the civility and true Christian spirit that permeated the atmosphere. Rick Warren was probing the beliefs and character of both presidential candidates last night. In doing so, he revealed a lot about his own faith and character qualities. The people of Saddleback (judging from the applause) aren't all going to robotically vote for one or the other of the candidates. There seemed to be a significant number of supporters for each in the audience yet they all behaved in a manner that honored God.

I think we saw a blazing illustration last night of where the church needs to be in society. There was no raging rhetoric last night. There was no discourtesy. There was respect and fairness - in my view - all the way around.

When our brothers and sisters (like those at Saddleback Church) show their faith is such a dramatic way, we should applaud them and give glory to God that His church is finally acting like it should at least in that corner of southern California! My guess is that God is working in and among the members and friends of Saddleback Church. My guess is also that God showed up last night and was pleased with what He saw.

Separation of Church and State?

Separation of church and state? It's a hot button topic for sure.

Recently I took a 3-week internship at the Christian Institute on Disability in California. One question I heard asked by several lecturers talking about bioethics and other current issues related to disability is "Where was the church?" "Where is the church?"

I'm not sure the church has ever played a more prominent role in a presidential election - certainly not since John Kennedy ran for president as the first Roman Catholic. In this presidential election cycle most prominent have been the sermons and rhetoric of Rev. Jeremiah Wright from Chicago, Obama's former pastor.

Tonight Pastor Rick Warren - known world-wide for his book The Purpose Driven Life - is going to interview both Barak Obama and John McCain. Some may say "the church" should not step into the arena of presidential politics. But if Christians are going to do what Jesus said - be salt and light in a very sick world - then we need to know who the presidential candidates are and what they believe so we know where they are grounded. Rick Warren may or may not be up to such an awesome assignment, but - at least - he is taking the risk.

And that's where the church (which is ALL who have hearts being restored by the grace, love and power of God's Gospel) should be - in the arena and on the cutting edge of what some have called "societal evolution." If we don't risk to make a difference, who will?

Fit for the King

I have a recipe called "Cabbage Fit for a King." It's pretty good with cheese, cabbage, sausage and tomatoes. It's a great dish on cold winter evenings that is delicious enough to serve for company or take to a special dinner.

This morning I was reading Joni Eareckson Tada's devotional from her book Pearls of Great Price*. (I received a copy of that book when I was out at Joni Headquarters this summer. It's even personally signed by Joni.) Joni's devotional today has to do with being "ripe for the Kingdom" related to bananas. I could totally track with her description of how she buys bananas. I too buy green bananas. Unlike Joni, I can't stand bananas but other people here like them so I buy them green. I too don't consider them fit for human consumption after they turn all mushy with lots of spots - yuck!

Joni relates the statement about the Scottish Covenanter pastor Richard Cameron who was martyred in 1680 for the bold stand he took against the earthly king of England in defense of his loyalty to the heavenly King of Kings. The statement was that Richard Cameron was "ripe for glory" (aka: "fit for the King"). Cameron and his small band of warriors against the crown fround themselves faced by a far superior force. They were quickly overrun. Cameron prayed just before the final battle that ended his life, "Lord, spare the green and take the ripe." (Apparently Cameron believed God "shops" similarly to how I choose bananas.)

One thing I learned when my dear brother Ed went to heaven is the truth of Job 14:5. Ed was a vital recently retired Marine who had lived an exciting career doing what he loved as an officer in the USMC. He never got a serious scratch from his service to his country as far as I know. Just two weeks after he retired he was out bush-hogging a hillside on his North Carolina farm. The tractor turned over on him and crushed his chest. "(Ed's) days were determined; you (God the King) have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." (Job 14:5, NIV)

It was not an accident that Saturday afternoon when Ed left the bounds of this earth for heaven. He was "fit for the King"! One of my questions for God when I get to heaven is why was God's clock wound just that way, but the fact remains that it was. Ed's time had been set before the foundations of the earth were laid and he could live not a moment longer nor die a moment sooner.

Ed had learned (sometimes through hard process) to live and love each day in the beauty of God's restoration of Ed's heart. When Ed went to heaven, he was fit for THE KING! His heart is now completely restored.

Living here in our world isn't always easy. It often isn't fun, but God calls us to live each moment ready to live and ready to die (aka: "fit for the King")! It's the way of the restoration heart!

Then at just the right moment - when God Who sees and knows all decrees - we become "fit for the King" in a moment. That's the moment of true and final restoration as well!

*If you would like to read Joni's devotional, go to "Joni and Friends Home Page" and search for "daily devotional" for August 15, 2008.

Write in Sand or Carve in Stone?

Two friends walk in the desert. As they walk, they talk and eventually argue. One friend got very angry and punched the other in the face.

The friend who got punched winced and then bent to write in the hot sand, "My friend just hit me."

They walk on across the hot sand until they reach an oasis. After quenching their thirst, they decide to take a swim. One friend got stuck in the mud in the bottom of the pool and started to drown. The one stuck was also the one who got punched.

The other friend rescued his friend from the mud and pulled him to safety on the shore. The rescued friend found a chisel and hammer and carved into a stone these words: "Today my good friend rescued me."

The rescuer just had to ask, "I hit you and you wrote in the sand. Now you write on stone. Why?"

The friend responded, "When we experience hurt at the hand of another, we should record our hurt in sand so the winds of forgiveness can blow it away. BUT when someone does something good and kind, then we must engrave that memory in stone where no wind can ever erase it so the memory will remain."

The moral is for us to learn:

• to write our hurts in sand and then blow on the sand with the grace of forgiveness.
• to carve our blessings and joys in stone.

When our blessings are carved in stone, then as one stone stacks upon another in life, we collect remembrances of stone to remind us of God's grace and love toward us. When we know God's grace and love for us, then we can forgive with free and loving hearts! It's the path to restoration!