A Tale of Two Pits

You may know the story of Joseph from your flannel graph in Sunday school. He was his father's favorite son, and his dad showed him that special love by giving him the multi-colored dream coat. His brothers absolutely hated him as a result of this unbalanced love. Also, there were the dreams. He dreamt that his brothers' sheaves were bowing down to his in the field; and the sun, moon, and stars revolved around him in praise and adoration. Then, for some reason outside my comprehension he felt it would be a good idea to fill his brothers in on this humble dreams.
"Today I dreamt that I ruled...you guys...notsamuch." I think if I were one of the brothers, I would have had a bitter taste in my mouth as well.
One day Jacob sends Joseph to go check on his brothers while they are working in the fields. Genesis 37:18 picks up with their conversation about the approaching Joseph.

"But they say him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 'Here's comes that dreamer' they said to each other. 'Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him.' When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. 'Let's not take his life,' he said. 'Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him.' Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father."

This is where I see so many of my Christian brothers and sisters in the Church today. Do you see the first few steps of this process? First, they attack Joseph's identity--his God given identity. "Here comes that dreamer." Joseph was a master of dreams, and he would go on years later to use this gift for God's glory. However, the brothers saw it as something worth criticizing. Secondly, they had a lessened view of Joseph and who he was. Therefore, they saw his life as having less worth than their own, and it was this attitude which led to a murder attempt. Third, we see Reuben choosing life for his brother while the rest chose death, showing us that acting out our hatred is a conscious decision, not something uncontrollable.

"So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe--the richly ornamented robe he was wearing--and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it."

So far they have criticized his identity, lessened the value of his life, and made the conscious decision against him, but now--now--they have allowed their attitude to manifest itself as an outward expression now visible to Joseph.

Those around us who we just can't take--whose gifts we are jealous of, who are more successful than we, whose personalities clash with ours, who have put us in unfair positions on purpose or accidentally--will feel our attitude express through our gossip, stabbing remarks, or fleeting glances. How often I have stripped someone of all they are worth, their self respect and their confidence all without raising a single finger but rather by merely using words.

We call insults "put downs," because that is exactly what we are doing. Just as the brothers, motivated out of selfish arrogance, lower Joseph into his own confined pit, we are constantly fighting for a few extra inches above one another. When was the last time you buried someone deep into the pit of your cynicism, pride, and bitterness all the while elevating yourself higher?

Jesus tells a story of another kind of pit:

He says in the last days, he's going to come back and separate the sheep from the goats (I'm not totally sure why they've been in one heard to begin with), and He'll turn to the sheep on his right and say, "Well done! Come on into the Kingdom, for I was sick, hungry, needy, naked, and in prison; and you met all my needs."

Then He'll turn to the goats and say, "I don't even know you, for I was sick, hungry, needy, naked, and in prison; but you met none of my needs."

The goats will ask, "When did we see you in these situations, Lord?"

And Jesus will reply, "Whatever you did for the least of these you did for me."

Then the goats will be condemned to a pit of agony and punishment.

I think the reason the goats got away with being with the sheep for so long, is that they more or less blended in with the herd. They simply got to reap all the benefits of living with the sheep, but they were never, ever sheep no matter how long they were in their midst. Jesus knew, though, and He could not, would not be fooled.

Also, I wonder why Jesus did not ask, "How was your quiet time, tithing, minutes in prayer, or how cutting edge was your ministry?" He simply asked, "How well did you love?"

I think some of us truly think we are sheep, because we've been traveling with them so long, but we still gossip, slander, and get into our own selfish lives. Jesus will know the difference, and if we have no answer for how we loved, the punishment is severe.

If we spend our lives evaluating others as having less worth than ourselves, confining others into their own pits of "worthlessness," and not lifting people out of their dungeons, we will find ourselves in our own pits of punishment and destruction in the last days.

Besides, My Arms Aren't All That Heavy

I have been blessed with many good friends. Some of which I have links to their blogs on the right hand side of the screen. I'm friends with quiet people, loud people, intellectual people, funny people, needy people, and stable people. However, there is one friendship that stands apart from the others, and that is my friendship with none other than Charlie Ketchen.
Charlie and I have a special friendship that I will hold onto for the rest of my life. Stopping short of becoming his hit man, there is little I wouldn't do for the guy. I do a pretty crappy job of staying in touch, though, and I would like to do better. But that's just it. I know we'll pick up right where we left off.
Charlie and I met when we were both freshmen in Bible College. There was a "Say-goodbye-to- your-kids-because-they-will-never-be-your-little-boy-again" church service on Sunday morning in the campus chapel, and we were picked at random to help serve communion. So I got paired up with this guy who looked like he stepped out of Farmtown, USA (Francisville, IN), and our duty was to pass the trays from one side of the pew to the other. I had no idea who this kid was, but as the solemn communion music played and parents cried and people prayed, our eyes caught from across the row. Suddenly, we couldn't take it anymore. The laughter was forcing its way out like a cracked dam. There was no reason to laugh, but we did. We did hard. So hard, that our parents suddenly realized that they were dropping us off to meet our doom with one another. That was the beginning.
We have a lot of good memories which usually consisted of us running from whoever was getting us in trouble, but we have other memories as well. We have memories of pain and trial that we had to face alone. There were burdens that we couldn't carry for each other even though we would have if possible. There were broken moments when we would lend listening ears to each other's pain. It was during those times that Charlie reminded me a lot of Moses' friends in Exodus 17.

The Israelites were at war with the Amalekites, and Joshua was leading the charge. However, they received quiet a beating unless Moses, their fearless leader, would raise his arms to the sky. Have you ever seen how long you could go without lowering your arms? It is horribly painful, especially when your arms only weigh .0001 lbs. (which in and of itself is about a tenth of my total body weight). Moses just couldn't keep them up no matter how much he wanted the victory, so that's where Aaron and Hur stepped in. They held his arms for him, so the victory could belong to Yahweh.
That's what Charlie did for me on numerous occasions, and that's what many of my other friends have done as well. I hope that I have done the same for them. Sometimes all they could do was ask, "What can we do for you in this situation?" Even though they didn't know how to help, they did a darn good job of holding up.
We talk so much about being unified in terms of race, politics, generations, styles, and on and on. However, sometimes I forget about unity when it comes to my dearest of friends. I let their arms fall, and I neglect them as a result of taking them for granted. I forget to let them know that they are deeply loved and appreciated as well as the significance and vitality of unity between friends. If we can't be unified with the people we laugh with and consider dear to us, then we can't really be unified with anyone else, can we? That's where it starts.
So friends, I'm here to hold up your arms even if I may be 1/16 of your size, and I appreciate all the times you were there told hold up mine. I'm here, and the unity is deeply appreciated.

To see Charlie--the rock, the arm holder, the hero--click below:
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=21808553&imageID=794547063&MyToken=6dc7e362-57e1-4efc-b23c-f67a14683a25

Daddy, Chase Away the Zombies

I know a family, or I guess you could call it a family. They have at one time or another all lived under the same roof, so I suppose that is enough to qualify them for the title. The parents got a divorce a few years back, and the wife is working over time on her second affair at the current moment. The husband was exceptionally gifted in the skill of sarcasm and practiced it frequently on his wife and children. The oldest son is sort of a "live in a van down by the river" kind of guy while the second oldest is currently in rehab. The youngest son is in prison for cold blooded murder, and the youngest daughter is who knows where. Their's is the family of America.
Here are just two statistics out of kabillions having to do with the family. The website I got these from are down below:

"Children of all ages experience abuse and neglect, but the youngest children are most vulnerable. Children younger than 1 year old accounted for 41 percent of all abuse-related deaths reported in 2002; three-quarters (76 percent) of those killed were younger than 4." 1

"In 2001, there were 42 children and young persons who were brought to the Juvenile Court for Care and Protection Orders, and this rose by 62% to 68 in 2003. " 2

Jesus and the apostle Paul talk a great deal about the unity and connection of family as well as the mysterious connection between husband and wife in sex. Paul talks about husbands and wives loving and submitting, and pretty much falling all over themselves in humility for one another. God in the Old Testament talks about children honoring their parents, and, even though He commands "children," there really isn't an age limit placed on this law.

A friend of mine and I were talking the other day about how many people are walking through their everyday lives in such great amounts of pain, agony, and loss. I went to a Christian high school and a Bible College. I have lived in a pleasant little bubble most of my years where everyone, for the most part, appeared to be managing just fine (or at least pretended to be, because that was, perhaps, the only way to exist in such a bubble). However, over the past few months I began working at my home Church, and I have started interacting with the everyday man and woman. It didn't take long to realize that many of these people were mere shells of human beings. They are only flesh and bones, but they lack life and joy and true connection.
I see more and more people looking like the Night of the Living Dead, where each person who was originally created with laughter, motives, vision, and meaning is caught and killed. However, their bodies continue to thrive, but none of these bodies have any connection with other bodies. They live in their own private death wandering the country side. I suddenly screamed and ran out of Church the other day, because I realized I was sitting three chairs down from one.

Here's where I'm going with all this:
The family has self-destructed in America. Husbands beat kids. Wives neglect their children, and siblings physically and/or sexually abuse their brothers and sisters. However, in the Bible, God refers to Himself as a protecting Father or a caring mother and Jesus as an intimate brother. Also, He refers to Himself as a pursuing, romantic lover--the knight in white armor. The only problem with these examples is that its no longer a safe analogy to make. Fathers are scary and mothers annoying while brothers are intimidating. The reason people are walking around like the living dead is because the family has broken down. There are no longer any analogies to help them understand God, so they see Him as the equivolent of their hateful, earthly father.
If God is against you just like Mom and Dad or just like your spouse, there is no longer any reason or purpose to hang in there. Give up, and wander the country side. It's all you have to do, if God is, indeed, like the average modern day parent.

Unity in the Church starts with unity in the family. The health of society as a whole and as individuals starts in the family. The journey of every man looking for God starts where? in the family. "Unity" is not a Church word, but a household word. Therefore, Husbands, love your wives and give them a reason to respect you. Wives, give your husbands the respect they will then deserve. Children, honor your father and mother, and find God in your unity today. May we fulfill the analogy this very day.

*1 http://pediatrics.about.com/od/childabuse/a/05_abuse_stats.htm

*2http://www.subcourts.gov.sg/mediaRelease/ProfileStudy_23Feb2005.pdf#search=%22statistics%20about%20dysfunctional%20families%22

Deflate

"We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God." 1 Corinthians 8: 1b-3.

"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."

So, does that mean the man who simply writes about loving others and posts his writings on the internet for all to see but fails in love is actually a hypocrite? Merely puffed up?



oh...



crap...



I would rather be ignorant and loving than knowledgeable and full of air. Therefore, if you must fail your test, lose your job, put off writing your sermon or even paying the bills, miss a game, get out of bed when your sick, or even hold back in telling all the wonderful insights you have in order to truely love someone from down deep in your soul, and let them see a glimpse of Christ then let it be. The reward itself will be in the letting go and in the freely loving.

Slow down. Minimize this window right now, and tell the person closest to you that you love them--that they are truely important and beautiful. Go...right now...seriously, go. Do we hesitate because the person closest to us is not beautiful in our eyes? Well, the Jesus in you (if he is truely in you) wants them to know that they are, indeed, lovely.

Just conversing about it will puff up, but practicing it will provide a true connection with God.