Change Ahead

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” – Luke 24:30-32
It’s Lent – the time of year leading up to the celebration of our victory over sin and death through Christ’s resurrection.  For many Christians, it is also that time of year where decisions have been made to give up something to help them to better focus their lives upon the much greater sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.  For many, giving up chocolate, fast food, Facebook, or some other vice serves as a test of will power – another opportunity to make good on a New Year’s resolution gone horribly wrong.  Some look at it as an accomplishment to be able to part with something they like for 40 days, only to return back to their habits once the Lenten season is over. 
This is not necessarily the case for everyone.  I know some people who have started Lent intending to deny themselves something for 40 days only to find that they never go back to it.  What started as a simple exercise in denying oneself turned into a lifestyle change that provided a substantial benefit.  This leaves me wondering what the difference between the two might be.  How is it that one person can make a change for a lifetime while others only manage a few weeks?  As shown by the men on the road to Emmaus, the answer lies within our hearts.
As the two men walked to Emmaus with Christ, they were both unaware of the true identity of their companion.  When they did finally realize who He was, they began talking to each other about how they had recognized Him – compiling their proof in a sense.  What I find most interesting about this is that they aren’t using the typical identifiers to confirm their findings.  They didn’t say how they looked at His face, starred into His eyes, heard a certain phrase or noticed the wounds on his body.  Their evidence was internal:  “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 
It was the power of the word being spoken by Christ internalized and applied into their hearts that made the greatest impact.  Christ’s words inspired them, released them and empowered them to go and do great things for the kingdom in His name.  We don’t know much more about these two men or what their future endeavors might have been.  What we can postulate from this encounter is that their conversation and the change that it brought about inside of them were far from temporary.

Even today, the word spoken over our lives continues to make a tremendous impact.  A person committing themselves to a Lenten sacrifice will have far more success if they are seeking God’s strength to accomplish the task.  But what’s more is that any change that we seek in our lives can be brought about by seeking God’s will and aligning our prayers and focus to it.  This isn’t saying that you can ask God to make your salad taste like a bacon cheeseburger, but if your prayer is better health through a better diet, you can certainly pray that God will strengthen you to be content with the salad in line with His word that we are to care for our physical bodies.  Aligning our wants to the will of God in our lives will produce a change that will burn within our hearts, allowing us to feel the power of the Holy Spirit alive in us, leading us to become the men and women God has created us to be.
Today as you begin your work week and set out to meet the goals that you have set for yourself, God’s word will fill you, driving you to accomplish more.  It will guide you, leading you to make God pleasing decisions in all things.  It will renew you, providing strength to deal with issues and struggles all the while keeping your focus solely upon His amazing power and love.

Real Men

Society provides a fair amount of debate over what it means to be a “real man.”  Of course, there are many definitions and measurements that you can use, and thanks to the Internet, many of these criteria have become widely promoted. 

Allegedly, real men…

• Objectify women by looking at sexually charged images of them
• Enjoy vulgar humor connected to sex, body parts, and bodily functions
• Are extremely interested in toys (cars, tools, electronics, guns, etc…)
• Only enjoy movies and TV shows that feature guns, violence, and tough guys
• Seek to indulge in anything that gratifies their immediate needs

As I looked at these websites and saw the world’s definition of a real man I became disheartened.  Is this what we are?  Sex charged, drunken, vulgar, pleasure pursuing hooligans?  In response to this question, some men have turned away from chauvinism, seeking to develop a more genteel demeanor. But this can also go too far, turning men into overly sensitive, well-manicured, passive, effeminate metrosexuals.  So which path do I choose?  How do I live my life as the man I’ve been created to be?  How do I effectively model Christian masculinity so my son can also grow into a real man of God?
The Bible offers many principles that provide us with sound and effective ways to grow and mature into Christian men of distinction.  One such example of a real man of God is Boaz.  Chapter two of Ruth reveals this to us in several ways.  Ruth goes to glean wheat left over in a field owned by Boaz.  As a property owner, we see that Boaz was financially independent.  By his presence at the field, we see that he wasn’t an owner in absentia, but actively worked to build his assets.  He notices Ruth.  Today’s men would try to check her out to see if she’s interested in hooking up.  Boaz finds out who she is and immediately takes an interest in her well-being, providing what he can to help her.  He welcomes her return each day to glean in his field, giving her an opportunity to store up more provisions out of a genuine desire to be helpful.  He warns her not to go to other fields for her own safety, and gives instructions to his workers not to touch her or embarrass her if she takes grain from the sheaves.  He even invites Ruth to eat with him – something not even the workers or servants were allowed to do.  Why does Boaz do all of this?  Is it to impress her with his wealth and status?  Is it to get her to trust him so he can make his move?  Or is it simply because he is obeying God’s commands to treat her as he should?

At one point, Ruth asks Boaz why he is being so kind to her, why she found favor in his eyes.  His answer provides a window into the character of a real man of God.  “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband – how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before.  May the Lord repay you for what you have done.  May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (Ruth 2:11-12).  Boaz was not doing this because Ruth was beautiful, or because he was hoping to get something in return.  He did these things for her as an answer to a call from God.  Ruth’s obedience to God’s Word was blessed through Boaz’s obedience to God’s Word.   Both of them would ultimately be blessed by God to have found each other and share their lives together as husband and wife.

Seeking the face of God, searching God’s will to find direction and purpose for his life made Boaz a real man, leading him to the greatest blessing he could have been given.  I pray that the Father will bless me in the same way as he molds me into a real man of God.

Dreams

 In the movie Up In the Air, George Clooney plays a rather complex character named Ryan Bingham.  Over the course of the film, we see many different sides of his personality.  He is a loner – unmoved by many of the feelings and emotions that many people would consider needs.  But at the same time, he is not completely devoid of compassion.  In many ways his cold demeanor makes him more effective in his job as a corporate downsizing expert.  One exchange with a man he’s firing stands out to me.

Understandably frustrated, the character we only know as Bob wonders aloud what he will do next to support his family.  Ryan consoles him while at the same time offering him advice designed to challenge him to move forward with his life.  This leads to the following exchange:

Ryan Bingham: Your resume says you minored in French Culinary Arts. Most students work the frier at KFC. You busted tables at Il Picatorre to support yourself. Then you got out of college and started working here. How much did they pay you to give up on your dreams?
Bob: Twenty seven thousand a year.
Ryan Bingham: At what point were you going to stop and go back to what made you happy?

How much did they pay you to give up on your dreams?  It’s a question that struck me when I first heard it.  It continues to weigh heavily on my mind even now.  To many, Bingham’s pep talk may seem ill-timed and even a bit heartless, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that Ryan is speaking not only to a man who finds himself at an occupational crossroad, but to everyone.

Dreams are a special gift that God places into our lives.  The world might tell us that our dreams are the creations of our minds wherein we imagine the seemingly impossible (or the consequences of eating strange foods late in the evening).  For many that definition would be enough, but as a believer in Christ we are able see dreams for what they really are – a revelation of what God has spoken over our lives.  But in spite of this knowledge many of us are like Bob – willing to abandon the promises revealed in our dreams to pursue quick fixes and easy paths leading nowhere in particular.

Numbers 12:6 is clear in telling us that “When there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams.”  Our pursuits in life are designed to lead us to that place where we can discover who God created us to be and how our life fits into His plan here on earth and eternally in heaven.  We can take comfort from the certain knowledge that we were created and designed by a God who made us with a purpose in mind and a role to play. 

May we strive to search those dreams in pursuit of God’s directive for His people and for the world.

Thin Skinned

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. – 2 Corinthians 4:17

As a child, it was rare to have an opportunity to sit down in front of the television and watch anything with my dad.  He never really watched much television, choosing instead to spend the majority of his home time working on some project around the house.  When he did sit down in front of the TV, it was usually to watch a western or the professional bowling tour.  These weren’t exactly my faves, so they usually prompted me to find something else to do in another room.

 
That just dawned on me – Dad was smarter than I gave him credit for…
The one thing he’d stop to watch and we could enjoy together were boxing matches.  Back when boxing was still a sport that you could see on regular TV and long before MMA was the rage, dad and I would sit and watch boxing matches together, picking who we’d think would win the fight, marveling at the speed and power of the men in the ring.  We weren’t barbaric about it, nor did we ever place bets; it was just a fun diversion and something we could enjoy as a father and a son.
As I watched, I remember struggling to understand how the two fighters could stand in the ring for so long taking so many hits without giving up.  Having grown up with an older sister, I knew what it was like to get hit, and these guys were punching much harder than she ever did.  So I asked my dad about it and he told me something strange.  He said that one of the ways the boxers get ready to be hit by getting hit.  In preparation for a fight, boxers will get slapped in face or hit in the stomach with a medicine ball.  The point of this is to build up the muscle and thicken the skin by pounding it until it hardens.  The thicker skin will allow the boxer to endure the punishment to come in a prize fight.

Of course boxing isn’t the only place where we hear the term “thick-skinned,” nor is it the most common.  Usually we use the phrase when referring to a person’s ability to put up with situations in life.  Sometimes these are physical confrontation, but most often they are in the form of emotional reactions from verbal attacks.  The world gives us simple solutions when it comes to dealing with such things.  How young were you when you first heard the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never harm me”?  Similar forms of the same concept can encourage us to consider the source of the words and determine their validity, or to ignore the words, denying the speaker the satisfaction of knowing he’s hurt us.  Of course all of these things are limited in their effectiveness.  Try as we might, it is impossible to completely ignore what someone says to us.  We may not give an outward response, but we heard it, it’s entered our thoughts and it will stay in our minds for as long as we give it room.  And once it’s in, it is very hard to remove.

Ah!  But that’s why thick skin is so important!  It gives us the ability to be truly unaffected by such things.  Again, I disagree.  God made us with hearts designed to feel a full range of emotional stimuli.  To deny ourselves the ability to feel everything limits us and leaves us less than what God created us to be.  Furthermore, to continually thicken and harden the skin will lead to callousing and ultimately deaden the skin to any stimuli.  This might be uncomfortable on our fingers or toes, but a calloused heart is far more dangerous.  But for many, that becomes the coping mechanism.  They fight the pain through desensitizing their emotions, eliminating hurt by simply choosing to feel nothing at all.

Where do we draw the line?  How tough do we want that skin to be?  On one side I believe we need to be strong enough to stand up to the trials that come with life, but we can’t become so calloused that we go through life separated from the things God designed for us to feel.  To this end, the Bible guides us for both situations.  The Bible is clear in telling us that we will experience hard times, temptations and direct attacks from the enemy.  I Peter 4:12-13 provides a straightforward reminder, but a promised blessing as it tells us to, “…not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”  But as we endure we don’t give up.  In Romans 12:2 Paul instructs us to avoid succumbing to the world and its way of doing things, directing us to seek God ‘s will for our lives and enjoy the blessings that come from aligning ourselves to Him.  By balancing our lives to face struggles without deadening ourselves to life, we grow more aligned with God’s will and in that place we find unimaginable peace, joy and blessings.

Place your trust in the Lord.  He will be with you always – through thick or thin!

Value

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” – Luke 21:1-4
Everyone is looking for the best value for their dollar.  Mom and Pop shops are long gone, replaced by the supermarket and department stores.  But even supermarkets and department stores are now under fire by membership warehouses to create a greater value for their customers.  And while people may not like the Wal-Marts of the world, you can’t blame the company for operating under the rules given to them under capitalism any more than you can blame the people who shop there for wanting to save money.
Value is top quality for the price, or working to maximize the return on your investment.  The story of the widow’s mites is commonly used to show an example of sacrificial giving - which is something God calls us to do.  But we need to realize why He calls us to do it.  Is it because He’s a stickler for rules?  Is it because He needs the money?  Is it because he wants us to live meager lives?  Or is it because He wants to expand our minds to understand that what we have is given to us by Him in order to provide bread for the eater, but also seed for the sower?
Some people like eating seeds, but even if you enjoy them, you know that they are a snack at best.  Seeds don’t make a meal, they don’t satisfy long term, unless they’re planted, cultivated, and harvested as fruit that produces even more seed.  The widow understood that her gift was her act of worship.  She was thanking God for what she had been given and trusting God that He would take the seed that she planted and produce a harvest with it that would provide her with more bread and seed for tomorrow.  What greater value could she have found on the investment of her money?
At times, you have to step out away from your comfort zone, drop the world’s safety nets, and rely totally on the power of God.  This is not easy to do, but God’s promises are clear.  Hear the promise God makes to those who give to God what He has commanded as written in Malachi 3:8-12.
“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.”
May we find to true value in our lives by valuing the will of God.

Faith to Decide

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. – Psalm 40:1-5
You’ve heard the phrase, “Good things come to those who wait,” but is that entirely true?  On one side, the idea of being patient and not rushing into a decision is a good thing.  Many people struggle with this idea.  We develop an idea of what we would like to have, but then we jump straight to receiving it without taking the steps needed to prepare ourselves for it.  Many ten year old boys dream of playing in the NFL, but unless they dedicate themselves to the hours upon hours of work necessary to accomplish it, they will not only be unsuccessful on football field, but also in danger of being badly hurt.  So taking our time and being deliberate in our decision making is important, but we’re not finished here.  There is more to the process than simply taking our time.  We must not only think carefully, but also faithfully.
People can learn how to take their time and make a fully informed decision, but in the life of a Christian there is another step; seeking the will of God.  We may look at a situation – a job offer, investment decision, relationship option, or some other opportunity to get something that we want, – and everything looks good.  But the world’s eyes simply don’t offer the clarity of the big picture that only comes from God.  He knows everything that there is to know about us, our lives, and the path that He has laid out before us.  He even knows what we’re going to choose before our choice is made.  His plan is far better for us than anything we might ever devise, but are we diligently listening to Him leading us?  Are we asking Him what we should be doing and when?  Are we effectively connecting ourselves into the principles that God has given us so that we may also connect in God’s abundance?  These questions, and the process by which we discover their answers, are the major elements that we as Christians must focus upon in every decision that we make.
Psalm 40 gives us a valuable set of advice:  Don’t view God through the eyes of the world.  Instead, view the world through the eyes of God.  Tap into the strength and certainty that comes from the God and God alone.

The Reason

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.  And 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. – Colossians 1:15-18

 
I have spent the bulk of my life in and around Lutheran Schools.  I attended both an LCMS elementary school and high school.  After one year at a community college, I enrolled at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan so that I could earn both a bachelor’s degree as well as my Lutheran Teaching Diploma (LTD) in order to become a commissioned minister, eligible to take a call as a teacher in a Lutheran School.  I served as a called worker for 14 years before earning my Master’s degree in Educational Leadership (at CUAA) which is now where I currently work as the Coordinator of Secondary Education.  A big part of my job is to help prepare the next generation of middle and high school teachers for work in a variety of settings, but primarily to be commissioned ministers in Lutheran schools.  I say all of this to provide a foundation to share what has been on my heart for some time regarding an issue the LCMS now faces.

 
A case was recently argued before the U.S. Supreme Court involving a Lutheran school and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  At the heart of the suit is the question of whether a teacher in a Lutheran school who primarily teaches secular curricula can be considered a minister.  Having established my background, it should surprise no one that I do believe that a teacher who completed the LTD or colloquy program is a commissioned minister.  It should also come as no surprise that I am deeply concerned about this case and the potential impact that this decision will have upon not only LCMS schools, but all religious based education in America.  But while this may be the most serious attack I’ve seen on this position, it is not the first.

 
As a Lutheran educator, I have had more than one pastor tell me in no uncertain terms that “the only true ministers within the church are those who are ordained.”  Usually, this idea would be followed with more catchy clichés like: “The buck stops in the pastor’s office,” or “Go run your school and when it comes to the direction of ministry, do what you’re told.”  Yes, there are differences between the offices of pastor and teacher – no argument there.  But as Romans 12 reminds us, we are one body in Christ.  And if we intend to strengthen and grow that body we must not allow this idea to remain.  Doing so gives validity to the inferiority of commissioned teachers and adds fuel to the secular view.

 
Another attack I’ve seen has come from within the ranks of the teaching ministry itself.  The state and federal governments have imposed incredible regulations upon the American educational system.  They believe that we need to improve the quality of our schools and are spending billions of dollars to do so.  As public schools have undergone these sweeping reforms in the name of educational improvements, Lutheran schools have felt the need to follow suit.  We never want it to be said that our schools don’t measure up, so we’ve worked hard to meet or exceed the standards whenever possible.  But in doing so, we have begun to ever so slightly shift our focus away from our primary purpose for existence; to unapologetically demonstrate that Jesus Christ is first in every facet of our lives and ministry.  This shift has made it possible for the high court to look at our schools and compartmentalize our curriculum.  As some claim, we teach a religion component, a math component, a science component, a social science component, a reading component and so on without any intermingling.  Our teachers are content area specialists, having taken tests required by the state to earn an endorsement.  We market these achievements, often leaving our Christian values to be taken for granted – after all, the sign out front says Lutheran.  Isn’t that enough?

 
I recently had the opportunity to visit Spiritus Sanctus Academy, a Catholic elementary school located in Plymouth, Michigan.  As a student teaching coordinator, I’ve been in dozens of different schools over the years, but SSA featured something different.  As I walked in the door I noticed a sign placed prominently outside of the office which read…

 
“Be it known to all who enter here that Christ is the reason for this school.  He is the unseen but ever present teacher in its classes.  He is the model of its faculty, and the inspiration of its students.”

 
An impressive statement, but what made it all the more impressive was the way that sign permeated the school.  Every student, teacher, staff member, and parent volunteer demonstrated that belief in the way the worked, talked, volunteered, worshipped and served.  Now I’m not so naïve as to believe that conflict is repelled because of the sign. But as I toured the building, I didn’t doubt the truth of that statement for a moment.  It serves as a reminder, a tone-setter, and measuring stick by which the school assesses itself at every level.  It can also be the basis upon which we as individual Christians assess our every thought, word and deed.

 
A mission statement has no value if it is not indicative of the unique work and behaviors of those people who make up the organization.  So if we are going to reemphasize the pre-eminence of Christ in our schools, it must first start within the hearts and minds of every individual student, parent, teacher, administrator, board member, pastor, secretary, janitor, and volunteer.  We must surrender our lives to Christ, and through Him make decisions to live by His word at all times.  We must share the love of God that is living in our hearts to every person we encounter in every situation throughout every day.  We must support and encourage one another to best their best, offering prayers whenever possible and forgiveness whenever necessary. This isn’t to say that we don’t care about academics.  I know hundreds of LCMS teachers – all of whom are highly qualified, well prepared, effective educational professionals.  The quality of our academic program has never been the question.  So while our small, safe and successful environment is inviting, I pray that our complete, unquestioned love and modeling of Christ in action will excite them.
 
This is why we exist.  This is who we are.  Let’s show the rest of the world!