Category Archives: Spiritual Life

PODCAST: “Good morning. How can I help you?”

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A Talk I Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 1/27/2016

Your phone rings. Or the text alert sounds off. You check who it is, and it’s Willis. Willis doesn’t contact you often, but when he does, you almost always know what it is: He needs something. His son has a fever — could you pray? His lawn needs mowed — could he borrow your mower? He has a job opportunity — could you write a recommendation?

willisThese are the only times you hear from Willis, so you know, as you look at his name on your caller ID that he needs something.

And you — like every other good Christian, like you do every time Willis calls — respond with kindness. You pray, you lend, or you write that recommendation — whatever the case may be.

And you love Willis. Because that’s what Jesus does. He loves you.

I know that through various seasons in life, I have been the “Willis” in Jesus’ life. Sometimes I’m the one who comes to Him only when I need something. When my wife is sick — Help her, Jesus. When my schedule is packed — Help me get this done, Jesus. When my finances are a little iffy — Help me find ways to make ends meet, Jesus. 

And Jesus responds with kindness. He heals. He helps me find margin I didn’t have before. He provides. He loves me. That’s what Jesus does. He loves.

But may I suggest that if you are Willis on the caller-id of heaven’s prayer-line that you’re probably not the most spiritually healthy person who ever calls?  I don’t mean to judge. Judge for yourself. This podcast gives you a way to do just that.

More than helping you see for yourself, this podcast helps you see ways to become more spiritually healthy!

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PODCAST: Precious In The Sight of the Lord Is the Death of His Saints

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Whether I live or die, I'm ready.

Whether I live or die, I’m ready.

Today is the fourteenth anniversary of my father’s death.

Fourteen years.

It seems like yesterday.

As a pastor, I have heard people say, “I’m afraid to die” numerous times. I’ve felt it myself, when I was younger. But I never heard my dad say those words. He was not afraid to die.

Years before his death when he had his very first heart attack, I arrived at the hospital moments before they took him in for surgery. They stopped long enough for me to tell him I was praying for him. His face, taped with a tube coming from his nose, was marked with a relaxed expression of calm.

And his words brought peace to my anxious mind: “Whatever is before me, I am ready. Whether I live or die, it’s okay.”

I miss him every day, but I’d never wish him back. I wonder if they serve cake in heaven on the anniversary of your arrival.

How can we all face death like dad did? This podcast gives some answers.

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About that One Who Pushes You…

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Take a moment and think of someone who was part of your life who was also hard on you, personally. Maybe it was a parent — always riding you about your laziness. Or maybe it was a teacher — always nagging you concerning your academic performance. Or maybe it was a good friend who was always on your case concerning something in your life where you weren’t doing as well as you could have done.

Do you have that person in your mind? Good. Let’s call him Chauncey.

Now consider this question: Why was Chauncey so hard on you? Did Chauncey hate you? Probably not. Was it because Chauncey wanted to ridicule you? I doubt it. Was Chauncey generally obnoxious? Not really.

Here’s what I have noticed about myself: I am generally the most frustrated with the people in whom I see the greatest potential. If I see little potential in someone, I have small expectations of them. If I see great potential in someone, and I see time passing by without them pursuing their potential, I become disturbed — for their sake. And the degree of anger I feel concerning this shortcoming in their life will correspond with the depth of my love for them.

In chapter five of his excellent book, The Reason for God, Tim Keller considers the question, How can a loving God be an angry God? As he addresses this, Keller points out that when you have love, you are bound to have anger against anything that injures what you love. Keller quotes Becky Pippert, who writes, Anger isn’t the opposite of love. Hate is, and the final form of hate is indifference. I get that, because it is generally those that I love the most and wish the best for with whom I become the most frustrated.

This helps explain why some say, “I feel more acceptance from my drinking buddies than I feel from the people I go to church with.” Sometimes this is a matter of projection — the speaker is projecting a disposition onto his church family that most of them do not own. Other times it’s a matter of “Christians” being overly-critical. That happens.

But there’s a third explanation: Maybe his drinking buddies don’t really want the best for him or the best of him. Maybe they want nothing more from him than for him to be a good old boy. In contrast, maybe his brothers and sisters in Christ want the best for him and the best of him. And when he fails to pursue that very thing, the friends who love him most let him know.

Could this be the explanation for the behavior of Chauncey — the person that pressures you toward better things?

And whether it is the explanation or not, how would your life be different if you were to see those who press for the best for you and in you as an ally?

ADDENDUM: Perhaps, when Chauncey stops bothering you, he’s given up on you.