You are Peter, a stone; and upon this rock I will build my church; and all the powers of hell shall not prevail against it.                                                                                                                                              Matthew 16:18 (Living Bible)

Sometimes the words Christendom and Christianity are used interchangeably. They are not the same. Christendom is a term applied to countries and states where Christianity has historically been the dominant religion. In the Middle Ages and into the Age of Discovery, the concept of “Christendom” was used as a cover to give sanction to exploring powers to “Christianize heathen populations” and win those souls for Christ.  

I think we all know the problems that came from colonization, and the overpowering of indigenous cultures all in the name of “Christianizing”. This is to say that we can put sanitized labels on our behaviors in the name of God.

Alexis de Tocqueville, a renowned European scholar of the 19^th century who loved American ideals, said “In Europe, Christianity has permitted itself to be intimately united with the powers of the earth. Today these powers are falling and it is almost buried under their debris.”

His warning should be well heeded. To the extent that Christianity allies itself with governmental power, both suffer.  Neither Christians, nor the Church, need the power of a national state to prosper or to have influence. Indeed, the church only has influence to the extent that it is NOT allied with the governing state.

I am concerned about the people who advocate for Christian Nationalism. This is not healthy, neither for Christianity, nor the nation.

Prayer: Lord, you told us the Church will prevail through your power, Amen.

to take a fresh breath and to let God renew your attitude and spirit.                                          Ephesians 4:23 (The Voice)

I was talking with a client recently and she talked about “coping” with certain situations. I asked if I could help her see that another word might work better. I suggested that she talk about “managing” those issues rather than coping with them. Why is that important? Well, I think words matter, and even nuances like the difference between “coping” and “managing” can mean a lot.   

The word coping tends to be a passive word, like “enduring”. While coping with problems or chronic situations can be considered a good thing, I think that it implies a certain passivity or maybe even a sense of helplessness.

Managing a situation, however, implies a sense of control. It says “There are things that I can do or that I am now doing that can help me in this situation.” Managing does not mean alleviating necessarily. It does however give a sense of power and control, even if we cannot completely change the outcome.

One does not think about saying “I am coping with my diabetes” (at least I hope not). One does say “I am managing my diabetes to keep it under better control.” The same is true with anxiety and depression. Yes, there is a sense of making peace with the idea that we need help with these conditions, but then we do the things we need to do. We manage them through therapy, medication, exercise, spiritual and social connections, and developing a support team.

The words we use to explain our situation may indicate some hidden feelings about what is happening. Thinking in terms of behaviors that we can do to better take control of the things that are causing us pain is a more helpful way to look at those things.

Prayer: Lord, give us the discernment to see that we can change the way we look at problems, Amen.

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.  If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

I often am in the business of educating my clients about their anxiety and depression. Specifically, I give them tools to be able to handle such conditions, and one of the things I typically tell them is that fighting these problems is a team sport, not an individual one. By that I mean is that success in dealing with mental health issues is achieved by naming the teammates who are in the fight with you. Don’t try to go it alone.

Healing is done in community. Those that love us are wanting to engage in the fight with us. When the anxiety feels overwhelming, you call on a teammate. When you are awash in depression and feel defeated, call on a teammate.

What stops us from getting the help? I suppose there are lots of reasons. First, we must be willing to admit that fighting alone is not usually successful. Reaching out for help is difficult, it can be awkward, and it makes us feel vulnerable.

However, reaching for that help is the first victory. Just by admitting that we need help, want help, is the first and most important step in that healing. Contacting a therapist is an important step, but it is not the only one. Gather a team of people who care about you, and let them know of your plan to seek help.

You are on your way to healing.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the power of a helping team, Amen

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
 As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103:12-14 (NKJV)

I had breakfast with a friend this morning and we were discussing God’s love for us, even when we are doubting ourselves, or when we think of regrets in our life. I was reminded of one of my favorite passages from Psalms where the Psalmist states that God “pities us like little children”. I somehow always resonate to the King James translation. Maybe the use of the word “pity” makes me think of a kindly father, looking at his frail and wandering, somewhat clueless children, and having pity on them because he loves them so dearly.   

We are often much harsher on ourselves than we need to be. We have long memories of our sins, but God said that they are forgiven and removed as far as the east is from the west. The metaphor is that there cannot even be a distinguishing line from the east and west like we can measure between the north and south (the equator). No, we are removed from our sin and guilt that far.

Aren’t you glad that we have a father that sees us like wandering children, and not his enemy? I sure am.

Prayer: Thank you for being a loving and forgiving Father, Amen

You younger men, follow the leadership of those who are older. And all of you serve each other with humble spirits, for God gives special blessings to those who are humble, but sets himself against those who are proud.                       I Peter 5:5

For many years I have done workshops for local community leadership programs. Attending these workshops are young leaders in their respective communities, and I was asked to give then some principles of leadership. I spoke with them about types of leaders, some of whom were positional leaders, some who were influential leaders, and some who were inspirational leaders. I suggested that not all leaders have positions of authority, but they may be given authority by others as influencers. People are drawn to other people because of what they see demonstrated and modeled in their lives.

I asked my audience, what do you do with power? Do you wield it for your own position, or do you give it away by empowering others? For whose benefit are you leading- for yourself, or for the benefit of those you lead?

These are the type of questions I wanted my young leaders to wrestle with. I would give them examples of very different types of leaders. General George Patton, for example was a military leader of renown. His style of leadership was highly charismatic and inspirational. He challenged others to follow him, and tolerated nothing less than total commitment.

Rosa Parks, on the other hand was also a leader, but she led in a very different way. Her courage and personal commitment to her cause energized a whole generation of people who stood for civil rights.

Both were leaders, and they could not have been more different! What was the commonality? Both were passionate for their cause. Both were willing to make personal sacrifice. Both took immense criticism for their leadership role. Both were sold out for the benefit of the mission.

These are just two examples of leaders. I included many more in my workshop. Yet I wanted to emphasize that the mission is greater than the leader. The leader must keep in mind the larger mission.

So, as a leader where you currently are (and you ARE a leader to others), what is the mission you hold most dear?

Prayer: Lord, you have called us to various missions for the benefit of others. Give us the strength to lead for their benefit,Amen

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.                                                Matthew 5:5

My wife and I attended the funeral service today of a man we have known for many years. He had been a pastor at the same church for 50 years. That is certainly unusual, but even more unusual is the fact that he had been the Associate Pastor for all those years, under the direction of two different Senior Pastors.

This man, Pastor Doug, was a quiet man, rarely raising his voice, always pleasant and friendly, certainly not controversial. He was calm, thoughtful, and deliberate. He was a planner, usually in the background of events. But as people began to eulogize him, it became apparent that he was a quiet man of great influence. He was clearly goal directed as a Christian educator and youth leader, and he was a visionary in the founding of a Christian School in our city.

He loved his family, and he loved his God. He had many friends, and many loved him. But he chose to be in the background, and he never wanted the spotlight shined on him- it must be directed toward the object of his faith, Jesus. He could be described as having the quality of meekness. Meekness does not mean weakness, but rather power under control. Pastor Doug had power, but he had it under control. What a gift.

So, we bade a fond farewell to Pastor Doug as he settles into his new home. He influenced thousands of people in his life, but he did so in the background. His was a life well lived indeed. Sometimes funerals are amazingly uplifting.

This was one of them.  

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the quiet lives that are so impactful, Amen

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.                                                                                                                                   Jeremiah 31:3

Sometimes we just have to learn to accept things before we can begin to understand them. Sometimes, we will never understand. We are wired to be curious, to try to figure things out. That is a good thing. It drives us to learn, to grow. However, there are some things we just need to accept.

In addictions, the addicted individual may never really understand the biological dynamics of their addiction. Understanding the addiction won’t likely help to overcome the addiction. Only abstinence from the substance will give the addict the needed space to heal and get some recovery under his/her belt, but they may never really understand why they became addicted. They simply accept that their best efforts left them addicted, and that acceptance of the help of friends, family and sober support is what they need to stay clean.

Only after acceptance can understanding begin.  Grace works that way. We do not really understand grace, we simply accept that it has been given to us. If we can accept the beauty of grace, unmerited favor, we can enjoy its benefits.

I’m not sure that we will ever understand why God loves us as he does. But just because we don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t true. (Yes, there are a lot of double negatives here, but hang with it!) Some people try to overthink this because they feel unlovable. “How can God love me when I don’t love myself”, some may say.

I say, don’t try to understand that- just accept it.

Prayer: You have made us to be curious, to try to understand. Thank you for that. More than that we need to accept your love for us, extravagant as it is, Amen.

To answer before listening—
    that is folly and shame.

Proverbs 18:13

Just a quick thought today for my American followers, and perhaps my international followers as well. I listened with admiration to a podcast about Abraham Lincoln and his ideas and practices about reaching out to those who did not think like he did politically. Lincoln, in his wisdom, wanted to hear the views of those with whom he disagreed. In fact, he filled his cabinet, as President, with those who were both political friends and foes (see Doris Kerans Goodwin’s masterpiece Team of Rivals).

Connecting with, hearing, and respecting those with whom we disagree is not only a morally and biblically right position, it is the basis of a society that aspires to a strong democratic form of government.

The concept that being heard is the closest thing to being loved is a powerful statement. Let us listen to one another.

Prayer: Lord, give us the discipline to hear one another, Amen.

The Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he was revived. Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the chamber into the house and returned him to his mother, and Elijah said, “See, your son lives!”

 The woman said to Elijah, “Now, because of this, I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth!”                                                                                                                I Kings 17:22-24

There is a Bible story related in I Kings 17:7-24 about a widow and her son. A story of miracles.

In the story, the prophet Elijah ends up working a miracle for a widow and her son who are starving to death due to drought and subsequent famine. The miracle involved having the widow gather all the jars she could from friends and neighbors, and when she began to pour oil from one main vessel, the oil kept coming until it filled up all the jars she had borrowed. Her barrel of flour also did not run empty, even after repeated use.

She and her son were saved from starvation.

Later, her son ended up getting sick and dying. She accused Elijah of having come back to her to punish her for her sins by allowing her son to die. Elijah then prayed, laid hands on her son, and the son actually recovered from what appeared to be death. He was raised back to life! It was at that point that the widow said, “Now, because of this, I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth!” (I Kings 17:24)

That story always struck me as illustrative of human nature. The woman just days earlier had seen a massive miracle that had saved herself and her son from starvation. Yet, it was not until her son was raised from death that she could utter the above phrase, essentially saying “NOW I know that you are the real deal!”

I recognize that I am not a biblical scholar, and my perception of this situation may be inadequate. I also recognize that, as a parent, anything that saves our kids is incredibly impactful to us. I think, though, that this is a great illustration of how we “forget” about miracles God has done in our life. You know the concept – “What have you done for me lately?”

I am not blaming the widow for her reactions. I do the same thing. I see God’s hand at work in an amazing way, then when another problem comes up later, I wonder where he has been!

So, let’s just remember that we can, at times, feel somehow entitled to those miracles of God. Yes, we still want them, need them even, but we need to have a memory of his past grace toward us.

Prayer: Lord, keep us mindful of everyday miracles, Amen

Hear my prayer, O God;
    listen to the words of my mouth.                                                                              Psalm 54:2

How often can we summarize how we pray into something like the following – “Lord help me, and Lord, change those who are causing pain and hurt”. Nothing wrong with asking God for help, and nothing wrong with praying for changes that may be helpful in the world. But such praying might also kind of miss the mark.

I was thinking the other day, what if we reversed the prayer- “Lord, help others, and change me”. I think that we essentially pray in order to have God help change our own thinking about situations. We also pray in intercession for others. We do not have control over the behavior of others, but we can ask God to help them. We can also ask God to change our own attitudes about things.

So, like so many other things in the spiritual realm, when we think somewhat contrary to our conventional considerations, we get a new perspective of how God works. So, instead of “Lord, help me and change others”, we pray “Lord, change me, and help others”.

Prayer: Lord, change me and help others, Amen