SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Month: November 2020

  • CHRISTIANS, Put Down Your Stones AGAIN

    Here we are again…the day after an election with a narrow gap between two candidates for President.  It is a place we are all too familiar.  This is not new for us.  It is definitely a sign of where we are as a people – split right down the middle.  Divisiveness never seems to turn out well.  If we could be divided on a candidate but still come together as a united people, this would be fine.  But if we are honest, this isn’t happening.  It didn’t happen last time and it is unlikely to happen again.  I wrote a blog on this day after the election 4 years ago as this same scenario was playing out (copied below).  It seems just as important today as it did then.  But I share this with a bit less hope than I had then.  Christians have continued to cast stones in an effort to show “the right way” (beat it into them if they won’t listen??).  Those of us who claim the way of Christ have often shown anything but love for anyone who thinks, votes, or believes differently.  And it just cannot continue.  

    So I am up early this morning with concern.  It isn’t over who will actually win the election (although we all want our candidate to win).  It isn’t over the future of our country.  I am up early this morning concerned about those of us who love Jesus.  Since the vote is split in the middle, this means those of faith are also split.  Essentially, you are likely sitting on the same pew or in the same place of worship or the same park bench with someone who did not vote like you.  We have friends and family members who did not vote the same.  We have coworkers who are divided on their vote.  And if we claim the Christian faith, we must find a way forward together.  There has been damage – words have been said and actions have been shown – and all too many were really ugly.  But Jesus’ love is the great repairer.  

    Repairing does not mean changing everyone to be like me.  Repairing means we change to become more like Christ – and neither political party or candidate is Christ.  You can be on both sides of the spectrum and still love Jesus.  One more time…YOU CAN BE ON BOTH SIDES OF A POLITICAL SPECTRUM AND STILL LOVE JESUS.  So I still believe the only way forward is to put down our stones and work together to share the love of Christ.  We cannot cast stones and show love at the same time.  And the Gospel of John reads that Jesus believed the one without sin was the only with the ability to cast a stone.  That means there won’t be any stone casting from anyone who follows him – there simply can’t be.  

    So, one more time – let’s drop our stones and find healing in the love of Jesus Christ.  Christians, let’s lead the way – not in contempt or bullying – but in love.  This is the only way.  

    Put Down Your Stone…A Call to Christians (published November 9, 2016)

    It is the day after the Presidential Election.  We are a nation divided.  The narrow victory certainly tells many stories about how our country feels.  There has been so much divisiveness and dissension.  It has been a time of turmoil as we have watched candidates debate, argue, and even fist fight.  With such a narrow victory, the next president certainly has his work cut out for him to unite this country.  That is all stating the obvious.

    What is also obvious is the underlying current of hate and anger that has been simmering and occasionally spewing to the top.  There has been name calling and people made to feel belittled for supporting one candidate or the other.  There have been phrases like…if you vote for ____, then you are just stupid (or an idiot or whatever other negative connotation you can come up with).  Phrases like…you can’t possibly be a Christian and vote for _____.  Or, who in their right mind would vote for _____.  Honestly, it has felt more like being on the playground in middle school than being adults “debating” the issues for the future of our country.  It definitely is a sign that many Americans lack the basic skill of effective communication and instead, lean towards bullying and fear mongering.

    The most disheartening of it all for me is that much of this hate, anger, belittling, and casting of fear has come from my Christian brothers and sisters.  On social media, on the TV, in ads, and in person, one cannot tell if a person is a Christian or not by actions or by their love.  I have heard just as many negative comments and hateful spewing from Christians as from anyone else.  And since Jesus wasn’t running (or anyone who even resembles his actions or values), there should not have been a “Christian vote.”  Since the vote was nearly 50/50, that would suggest that there are Christians who love the Lord with all their heart on BOTH sides.  What a concept.  It has been difficult to see the love of Christ show up in anything that has been done over the last few months.  Apparently when the heat is turned up, Christians don’t seem to react any different than anyone else…and that is painful and sad.

    So, the election is over (and we all say a collective THANK GOD).  But damage has been done.  Christians, it is time for us to drop the stones that we have been casting and find unity.  We must find a way to come together as God’s people to do God’s work REGARDLESS of who is president or whether or not we voted for him.  For me, it starts with humility, looking to Christ as my guide.  We must seek forgiveness, both from God for the way we have acted, and from our neighbors for the stones that have been cast.  We must turn our hearts and minds to Christ and to LOVING OTHERS.   We cannot join hands in this world while holding stones.  We cannot offer a helping hand or help a brother or sister up while carrying the stones.  We cannot be the hands and feet of Christ while burdened down with our anger and fear and hatred.  We have to drop it all in surrender to the ONE that can bring us together.  Regardless of whether or not this country unites, Christians are called to be different, to act different, and to love different.

    Brothers and Sisters, may we drop our stones today seeking forgiveness, joining hands with our neighbors in love and unity, and moving forward doing the work of Christ.  If you are looking for a change in this country…this is where it really begins…

    And may it begin with me.

    A Place Where Stones Belong

  • The land of Isms – Devotion 195

    We live in the land of isms.  We swim in their waters.  We feast at their table.  They become so integrated in us we forget they even exist.  They shape our thoughts and guide our actions.  Yet, they are utterly destructive – beginning in small ways and eventually consuming the whole person.  They seem harmless enough in certain places.  But they never stay where you think they do.  They sneak into your core.  And they live in all of us.  

    As we approach this election day – one more time – I am a bit distraught.  It isn’t that I am worried about the outcome.  It isn’t that I worry about the events to follow.  I am worried about all I have seen and experienced over the last few months.  The level of hatred, fighting, bullying and blatant cruelty has escalated beyond what I could have imagined.  And every single one of those isms have shown their ugly faces in the people we see each day.  They are evident in those we love so much.  These isms have shown up at home, work, the grocery store and yes, even (and maybe even especially) church.  You know them because you have experienced them.  The isms of racism, sexism, homophobia, and the like are swarming like a pack of wolves waiting to destroy.  They show up in our posts on social media.  They ride with us in our cars.  They are evident in our speech and our attitude.  All are fueled by hatred and fear.  And none of them have a place in God’s kingdom.  

    I found myself excited that the election would soon be over and hopefully things would return to some sort of calmness and maybe even some kindness.  But then I realized that the isms don’t actually go away, they just become hidden again.  What has actually been happening is that the isms living in us have become evident because of the actions and events around us.  But they have always been there.  It isn’t like people have become racist, sexist, homophobic, and just plain full of hatred all of a sudden.  This stems from something deep within and only evidences itself when there are others willing to let their isms show too.  Then a group forms and people feel free to let their isms fly.  And before we know it, our social media feeds are full of it – and so are our lives.  So what happens now?  Do people just put them away again?  Do we just ignore the fact that racist, hateful, and destructive comments and actions have taken place?  Do we pretend like this hasn’t been ugly and putrid?  Do we forget that the isms are housed so close to us?  Do we go about our day ignoring our own isms?

    I have always tried to remind people (and myself) that we cannot change anyone else.  We cannot force someone else to get rid of the isms that are eating them alive.  We cannot beat it out of them or even shame them.  So what do we do?  We work on ourselves.  I work on me, you work on you.  We look ourselves in the mirror and check out the isms that haunt us and drive us.  We take the time to evaluate our lives and see if racism, sexism, homophobia or the like are burning deep inside us.  Hate never should have a place in us, ever.  Hatred is not okay in any situation.  And these isms are hate.  They drive us to do things that are fueled by hate.  They cause us to live in a way which treats others with contempt or disgust.  They cause us to not live as we were created.

    It begins with us, looking at ourselves.  Real change begins when we take the time to see what is driving us.  There are isms living in our lives – there just are.  What we do about them makes a difference.  Will we put them back in their place, in our homes and hearts?  Or will we deal with them and allow God’s love to overpower?  Will we allow God to change us, one ism at the time?  Our hope is found in destroying our own isms.  We have some work to do.  If you don’t believe, spend some time in the mirror.  It will be hard, it will be painful – but it is good.  Lord, I want to live ism free.

    Focus Scripture:

    Proverbs 10:11-12

    The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
        but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
    12 Hatred stirs up strife,
        but love covers all offenses.

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • Ready…Set…ACTION- Devotion 194

    The action is the change.  We can be ready all we want.  We can have all we need set.  But if we don’t go – if we don’t put it all into action – it is worthless.  I can read recipes all day long, buy the ingredients, and still not have a cake until I actually cook the recipe.  I can buy running shoes, read a running magazine, and get dressed to go run.  But if I don’t actually get out and run, it means nothing.  The results come from the actions.  Preparation is good and necessary.  But in the end, preparation is useless without action.  And so it is with love.

    How many times do we need to read the words of Jesus before we actually live the words of Jesus?  I’m not talking about a daily reading to refresh our minds and renew our spirits.  I am talking about implementing what we are actually taught.  Jesus teaches so many important lessons he meant for us to follow, not just read.  I have always heard it was an instruction book for life.  But most of us use it like we use other instruction books.  We get just enough out of it to do the minimum but never actually read the instructions with the intent of following it all.  It is more like a suggestion book to way too many of us.  

    Jesus taught over and over and over again that the primary way to live was to love God and to love others. Knowing that we would want to turn it into what we wanted it to be, Jesus then lived out what he taught.  He didn’t just leave it hanging there.  It wasn’t a teaching we were to figure out as we go.  He gave clear instructions and then a complete 3 year demonstration.  And yet, here we are.  We can still find ourselves better at judgment than love.  We can still focus more on exclusion than love.  We can still be in a place of hatred, bullying and anger rather than love.  In other words, we are fine reading the words, but we aren’t actually planning on putting them into action.  Yet, this isn’t the intention.  

    When Jesus said that we were to love God and to love others, he meant it.  And when Paul wrote to the messed up church in Corinth about how they cannot live without love, he meant it.  And it is still the lesson.  And it is still our greatest command.   And it is still how we are called to live.  The question becomes…will we actually live what we are taught or just sit around hitting others over the head with the instruction manual?

    Focus Scripture:

    1 Corinthians 13:1-8a

    If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

    4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

    8 Love never ends.

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • Dip Your Toe In

    This is the day…this is the day that it will happen…this is the day that no one expects but everyone has been looking for.  THIS is the day. 

    One of the first things I do when I visit the beach – after wrestling with the chairs, putting up the umbrella, and sitting down in complete exhaustion just to arrive – after all that – I go to the water.  The first time is just to feel the water.  I want to know how cold it is.  I am not one to just jump right in.  I like to know what I am dealing with.  So I dip my toe in the water.  It helps me know if I am going to put my whole foot in and eventually swim.  But first, it is just a toe.  It is my test. And I know I am not alone.  I see other people do it too.  We want to know.  If the water is too cold, I turn around and head back to the chair until I am overheated and the cold water is refreshing.  But I don’t want to step any further if it doesn’t feel good.  I don’t trust others with the temperature, either.  Children have a very different temperature gauge.  They can jump into freezing water and claim it feels wonderful – shivering and all.  I don’t let them guide me in the water.  I want to test it for myself.

    Today’s scripture pushes me to dip my toe in – but then jump in with everything else – regardless of the temperature.  The storms may come up, the winds may be fierce, and it may be high tide, but I am challenged to dip my toe in anyway…and then submerge my whole body.  It seems like a challenging, fearful proposal.  And I can’t even imagine how the children of Israel felt.  But this is the day – God tells Joshua – this is the day.  It is time.  The hardheaded folks I love so much need to know.  And today is the day, Joshua.  And it will take dipping your toe in and emerging a changed people on the other side.

    Joshua 3:7-17

    3:7 The LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses.

    3:8 You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”

    3:9 Joshua then said to the Israelites, “Draw near and hear the words of the LORD your God.”

    3:10 Joshua said, “By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites:

    3:11 the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan.

    3:12 So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.

    3:13 When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.”

    3:14 When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people.

    3:15 Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water,

    3:16 the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

    3:17 While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.

    TODAY is the day to dip your toe in.  Today they will know.  Today is the day, Joshua.  It was a challenge.  It would take courage.  But God was with them.  God tells Joshua that it is time for the children of Israel to understand that he is with Joshua like he was with Moses.  First – that’s huge.  Moses was called from the burning bush.  He had led the people out of slavery.  He had held up his rod at the Red Sea watching the people cross.  They had been given the Ten Commandments because Moses went to God and got them – not once but twice.  Moses spent time with God and absolutely glowed.  He struck rocks and produced water.  God had been with Moses in miraculous ways.  And here was Joshua – who had been with Moses through it all.  But now he was the leader.  And God would be with him too.  

    It was time to cross the Jordan – by God’s timing, not by the people’s.  This was NOT the time to cross if you are looking at the Jordan.  It is harvest time.  It is the time when the Jordan floods.  The higher the water, the more torrential.  This is a serious and dangerous time.  There are times to cross – but this is not one of them.  This is the time when you find another way.  There has to be a better way.  There is fear in the air as they stand before the waters – people can smell it.  I can only imagine some of that is the fear of Joshua.  If this all goes wrong, this is going to be really bad.  There will be no recovering from this.  People will not survive this.  Their fate is staring them in the face as they see the flood waters.  And Joshua tells them to move forward.  

    But he doesn’t do it without God.  God has instructed him.  God is with him.  The people have a visual reminder that God is there.  There is the Ark of the Covenant going before them.  This is a powerful presence of God at all times.  The Israelites didn’t play with this – it was serious.  People died from handling this improperly.  So this is no joke.  Only the priests carry it.  And they go out front.  They lead the people at Joshua’s command.  And they are the first to dip their toe in the water.  They are the first to risk their lives.  They are the first to see what could happen.  And yet, they dip their toe in the water.  When they do this – and only when they do this – does the water part.  It stops.  It is halted.  The ground beneath is dry and open and ready as the priests march forward.  They are standing on holy ground, dry ground, the ground of a flooded Jordan River.  They are standing in the middle of trouble, protected by the presence of God.  

    And then the people have to cross.  Every single one of them make the trip on that holy ground.   Each one had to consider if they would make it.  Just because the person in front of them did didn’t guarantee they would be successful.  Can you imagine the waters on both sides, flooded, interrupted, and waiting to be forced back into place?  And yet, they stepped in – until they all crossed.  They made it.  They would emerge for the other side changed.

    It wasn’t Joshua who made the difference.  Joshua was a man led by God.  But Joshua wasn’t perfect – any more than Moses or Miriam or any other person.  Joshua was simply being led by God.  It wasn’t the priests who changed everything.  Yes, they had to go first.  Sure, they had to dip their toe in first.  They had to be the most frightened.  But they weren’t always the most holy.  They didn’t always get it.  They messed up too.  Just think about the first – Aaron.  He helped the people build the golden calf.  And then we get to Eli’s sons – now they were a hot mess to say the least.  The priests were not the difference.  They were human just like everyone else.  They just had this particular calling.  The people weren’t especially great either.  They spent much of their time questioning God and demanding stuff of him – as if he wasn’t the Creator of the entire world.  They were unruly, whiny, and needy – much like us today.  So they were not the difference.

    What made the difference was not the toes of those who dared enter – but God who had created those toes. God was with them.  God had commanded this.  God had created this.  He had created the Jordan and he had created them.  He knew them and still loved them.  And they were called to trust in HIM – not them.  So when they dipped their toes in the water, it wasn’t in allegiance to anyone but God.  And they moved forward on that frightening dry ground because of their powerful God. 

    It seems to me that too many times, we want to dip our toe into the water, but turn around because we are scared.  Maybe it is because we have mistakenly given our allegiance to anyone other than God.  Maybe it is because we don’t see how the waters could possibly part because no human can do it.  So we rest in our chairs and find ourselves comfortable not being challenged to move forward in faithful trust of God.  It is easier to trust in people than it is in God – because God will lead you through the waters.  People will give us a chair.  

    Do you want to dip your toe in the water?  I sure do!  As we go through the next days, weeks, months – whatever is ahead – be careful.  Don’t listen to those who tell you the water is too dangerous.  It may just be time to dip your toe in – God’s there.  And that’s all that really matters anyway.  We will emerged changed.

  • Spending Time – Devotion 193

    It can be difficult to spend time with those we love – even though we want to.  There are so many obligations (and why do they seem to grow exponentially?).  There are things we have put off.  There is the list of things that will fall apart if we don’t get to them soon.  There is always something to do.  And somewhere in there, we are to make time for ourselves, exercise and rest.  In the middle of raising kids and working, couples can easily lose sight of spending time together.  It is easy to do.  

    Last night, Wendy was getting prepared to cook dinner.  What she had planned wasn’t going to work out (rotten potatoes can be a problem if they are a feature in your dish – just sayin’).  She was trying to decide what to do next when I suggested we just go pick something up.  In the times of social distancing and all, neither of us wanted to go out to eat (it could also be we were in our ‘Saturday’ clothes and who really wants to get out of those?).  What to do?  She called in an order from one of our favorite restaurants and we went together to pick it up.  We brought it back home and ate it at our own table – in our Saturday clothes.  And it was good.  Actually, it was better than good.  We spent time together in the car and had a chance to eat together.  To top it off, Leo got to be part of our date night – which always makes him happy.  It was a different way of spending time together, but one I really enjoyed.

    It made me wonder if we are just not considering how I can spend time with God that is outside of our normal thinking.  When I get up, I am mostly full blast until I lay my head back on my pillow.  God is a priority for me.  I certainly haven’t forgotten him.  He is a part of my decisions and a guide in my life (and sometimes I listen to him).  I will often talk to him on my morning run/walks.  By the way, if you see me walking down the road talking to myself, keep your opinions to yourself – I may be talking to God or I actually might be talking to myself.  I talk with God on my morning commute.  I try to hear him in the quiet moments before the day becomes hectic.  And though I often miss his voice in the chaos, I really do want to hear him.  So I am seeking even more ways to spend time with God throughout my day.  Date nights with Wendy that includes Leo and more time with God – sounds like a good combination to me.  

    May you find God in your daily walk – and may he remind you how much you are loved.

    Focus Scripture:

    Psalm 57:7-8

    7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
        my heart is steadfast.
    I will sing and make melody.
    8     Awake, my soul!
    Awake, O harp and lyre!
        I will awake the dawn.

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery