The King of Pop

Everyone knows that Michael Jackson died yesterday. Today, the news is all about his life. This is a real indication of just how famous Michael Jackson became in his lifetime. I hear no one debating that. It is obvious. The debate that is raging, however, is whether he was famous and great, or famous and weird. This is quite understandable when you consider the significant accomplishments that rightfully earned him the title ‘The King of Pop’ on the one hand, and then on the other, the antics that earned him the title ‘Jacko the Waco’.

I’m not going to comment on the details of either really. I think they speak for themselves on both counts. He was a very gifted man and a very desperate one. I would like, however, to say that Michael Jackson becomes another striking example of the biblical truth that fame, money and power (success as defined by the world) do not bring true happiness. He joins a long list of people. Names like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley readily come to mind.

I turn fifty this year and have watched, albeit from a distance, Michael’s public life and career for the past 35 years or so. Yes, I remember the cartoon. Everyone is being asked about how they feel and how they would describe Michael and his life. The word that best describes how I feel, and what I think about his life, is the little word ‘sad’.

His great skill as a performer cannot be contested. In that sense he was truly great. And, he is also to be remembered as someone who did a lot to help a lot of people. He seemed to really care and he had a lot of people who cared very much about him. But, with everything that he had and was, he was obviously a very sad man who lived a very sad, and often desperate, type of life. Now he is gone and the profound emptiness that was observable in this man is almost haunting.

You can have it all, but if you don’t have the personal validation that brings a sense of wholeness and completeness to your spirit, then nothing else will ultimately matter. I only wish that the King of Pop could have met the King of Kings and found what he searched unsuccessfully for his entire life.

Sad

Hum Bugs

I remember the first time I saw a hummingbird. It was a pretty big deal. I was in either grade 2 or 3. It was a split class and I can’t remember which side of the classroom I was actually on, but I do remember the room on the lower floor of the north side of the Great Village Elementary school. There were large shrubs outside the big windows in the front (west) side of the school and they had grown up into the view of the windows and, suddenly, one day there he was in all his glory, shining in the sun. I remember all of us kids running off to the window to see this marvelous feat of engineering, one of God’s many wonders. Even the teacher got caught up in the moment as all control of the classroom was suddenly lost and captured by God’s handiwork on display as we stood in silence with wide eyes.

I don’t know whether I hadn’t really been observant enough to see them before that day, or if they have just gotten more plentiful in more recent years, but it sure seems like it was a much rarer thing to see a hummingbird when I was a kid than it is now. Isn’t it funny how we are so interested in the things that are rare and tend to overlook the wonder of the common place? Curious thing. Something I need to give more thought to. I mean, who get’s excited when they see a blue jay! And yet, they are pretty spectacular really. It’s like the old saying, ‘familiarity breeds contempt’.

Evolutionists say that similarities between different species (comparative anatomy) is evidence for evolution. This is typical. A personal bias leads to a certain conclusion without consideration for alternative explanations. Why wouldn’t similarities between different species be evidence for a common Creator? After all, every artist has his own style and considering natural principles of aerodynamics, etc, wouldn’t we expect to see design patterns?

Having said all of that, a few days ago, Florence and I were in the back yard when, suddenly, there he was, in all his glory, shining in the sun – something that neither one of us had ever seen before. He was almost the size of my thumb and at first I thought he was a tiny hummingbird. On closer examination though, it was evident he was more of an insect, maybe, sort of, with a body like a bee. But he flies just like a hummingbird and has a long protruding beak thing (‘proboscis’) for retrieving nectar just like a hummingbird.

I ran and got the camera and took his picture so here he is. Nice lilacs too eh! Of course, I went online right away and googled him. I discovered that he is not a ‘humbug’. Just a thought that was in the back of my mind. I found out that he is, in fact, a ‘hummingbird moth’.

I also found this video of the same guy if you want to see him fly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC-6Bpo7dhk

Just another of God’s amazing wonders. They seem to be almost endless. That’s because in spite of the many similarities in design pointing to a common Designer, the seemingly endless variations within God’s design work point to One who is infinite in his imaginative and creative power.

Steve

Indwelt

I doubt there is a truth in Christianity so outlandishly grand, so amazingly fantastic, so eliciting of wonder and awe, as the doctrine of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Christian. Just think about it! Spend the rest of your life thinking about it! Ponder its immense cosmic significance! And to think that you and I … It is almost too much isn’t it! I do know that it is really beyond me as a simple writer and speaker to convey it.

You know how every once in a while you stumble across something that you have never seen or read before and it’s like finding a gem on the path. I came across a poem today that I have never seen before and was immediately struck by it’s beauty, both in phrase and in truth. I would have to say it is one of the most beautiful poems I’ve ever seen or heard. I’ve decided to share it with you for that reason so here it is. According to the posting, she wrote it for her pastor. If so, it is an amazing tribute. I would only pray that God might make this true of each one of us who attempt to speak in His Name.


Indwelt

Not only by the words you say
Not only in your deeds confessed
But in the most unconscious way
Is Christ expressed.

Was it a beatific smile,
Or holy light upon your brow?
Oh no, I felt His presence when
You laughed just now.

For me, 'twas not the truth you taught,
To you so clear, to me so dim,
But when you came to me you brought
A sense of Him.

And from your eyes, He beckons me
And from your heart, His love is shed,
Till I lose sight of you
And see the Christ instead.

Beatrice Clelland

The Weeping Prophet

We are about a third of the way through a series of talks on Sunday mornings that are all about dealing with the truth on a personal level in our lives. It is relatively easy to deal with truth at arms length in a clinical type manner, especially when it doesn’t really touch us. But to really allow the truth in and to allow it to ‘have its way with us’ is a different story. It is hard to hear the truth. And then to be willing to trust God enough to speak it out to others is something else again, but for the same reason – it’s hard for others to hear the truth.

These are hard things. In the course of my reflections on the subject, and briefly last Sunday, I have been caused to think about the prophet Jeremiah. He was called to speak the truth at a time when it was very hard to hear.

The truth involved the people’s sin and the destruction that lay in the path ahead because of it. Jeremiah didn’t win any popularity contests. He paid the price for telling the truth and earned the nick name, the ‘weeping prophet’. But the reason that Jeremiah grieved so, was not just because of how people viewed him and treated him. The real reason that Jeremiah wept so was because the people had lost their ability to do so. He wept for the people, not just because of them. They were so blind and hardened that they had lost the capacity for real remorse and genuine repentance.

My attention has been focused on the calling that Jeremiah received from God. It is found in the first chapter of his book. It is similar in nature to the calling received by others (check out Isaiah 6 for example). The thing that has really caught my attention however is this part:

“Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." Jeremiah 1:9,10

What has impressed me about this is how necessary it is to tear down before we can build up; to uproot before we can plant. So often in our lives we try and make changes for the better, trying to add good things if you will, while being either unaware or unwilling to ‘root out’ the things that have to go. For Jeremiah, he realized that the nation had become so corrupt that it needed to be swept away into captivity in order for a fresh start to occur.

But, while he is called the ‘weeping prophet’, Jeremiah was not a pessimist. He had hope and his message was ultimately a message of hope.

“This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity.” Jer 29:10-14

So too, in our lives, we need this kind of hope. We need the hope that when we face the hard things and learn to allow God to tear down the walls and the strongholds in our lives that he will use the debris to build a bridge to Him. That is ultimately what God wants to do. He wants to use our brokenness to refine us and to bring us into a closer relationship with Him and with one another.

The saying is true - If we keep doing what we are doing, we will keep getting what we’ve got. If we really want to see positive change in our lives, some stuff is going to have to go. I pray God will show us exactly what those things are. If we judge ourselves, we will not be judged.

Losing Time

Last Sunday, as our corporate worship time came to a close, I walked from the platform to the lobby. I sat my Bible and my day planner on the small cabinet beside the exit door. For the next hour or so, I did what I usually do. I enjoyed conversing with people as they visited around talking with others, having coffee and slowly making their way to their cars to head off for the rest of their day.

As I was preparing to leave too for a lunch invitation I had received (Florence was still away), I walked over to the cabinet to quickly grab my things. My planner was gone. My Bible was still right where I put it, but the planner was nowhere to be seen. Of course, I started to look round for it and as others saw me looking they also joined in the search. We couldn’t find it anywhere. At last I had to give up the hunt because I had people waiting for me. I concluded that either a small child might have taken an interest in it (though unlikely) or someone had scooped it up with some of their stuff by mistake.

I took the time to call Wanda and asked her to please send a note out to our church family asking them to be on the look out for it, and to call if they found it. All afternoon I lived with what could be called a low grade panic. I was able to concentrate and enjoy the company of friends that afternoon, but I have to admit that all the while, there was a bit of nagging anxiety just under the surface… Would it turn up? What if it didn’t?

Most people who know me, get some sense of amusement over my ‘attachment’ to my ‘day-timer’. I take it with me wherever I go (yes, even the bathroom) and sleep with it beside me on the night stand. And the thought of it being lost was definitely creating ‘attachment anxiety’.

And of course, all the while I’m trying to analyze the situation and understand it for what it is and the implications for my life over the course of the next several months at least. I decided that I would be just fine, but that I couldn’t say the same for all the people I would disappoint. I could visualize them sitting and waiting for me to show up for something while I was off somewhere doing something else totally oblivious to the commitment I had made to be there for them… weddings, ministry appointments, meetings, coffee dates … not to mention all of the other information in there … phone numbers, contact information, scheduling issues, reminders…

Late in the afternoon I had a thought and called Bill and Ann. Ann graciously agreed to sort through the bag of garbage that they had taken home for quicker disposal. My hunch paid off. Apparently what had happened is that somehow it got bumped off of the cabinet and had fallen into the waste basket and then got covered up with other items. It is a little worse for wear with the coffee stains and all, but the information is all in tact and it is still usable.

And so, all is well in the world today now that I have my day planner back!

The whole thing got me thinking about how much my life is now about others. There was a time when I didn’t even need a watch, let alone a planning calendar. Those days are long gone. Today, and for a great many years now, my life largely consists of being there for other people. Yes, there is a lot of ‘weight’ that comes with that and I do take it very serious. I won’t lie to you. It is often overwhelming… phone calls… emails… visits… meetings … planning… speaking… caring … In some sense it is true that ‘my whole life’ is in that book.

Someone said, “Time is the essence of life - if you love life, don’t waste time.” The Bible puts it this way: “Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…”

The Phone Call No One Wants

This past Sunday was not an unusual day. It all seemed pretty normal… until I arrived home at mid-afternoon and the message light on our phone was blinking. I took the phone and pushed the buttons and the voice on the answering service instantly transformed my relatively normal day into something that can only be called surreal.

“Steve, it’s Tanya. Chris was crushed by a front-end loader and it’s really bad and we’re in the ambulance right now heading for the QEII.”

Her voice was not quite hysterical but it was obvious that she was ‘scared to death’. Some of you know what it’s like to get a call like that. Chris is our youngest child. He has two older sisters and he’s really special to all of us. We love him dearly and hate the thought of having him endure anything like this, and the mere thought of being without him was, well, unthinkable.

His mom, with her sister Sandra, had left for Ontario for two weeks the day before to visit with some family there. For me, the 1 ½ hour drive to the QEII in Halifax that day was probably the longest drive I’ve ever taken, even though I’ve driven across the continent several times. The fact that I had to make the trip alone made it harder. I didn’t know really how bad ‘really bad’ was going to end up being, but it sure sounded really bad. That made it harder. And the fact that his mom was now hundreds of miles away and had no idea what was going on at home made it harder again. One of the many thoughts that kept trying to overwhelm my mind was this one – what kind of phone call am I going to have to make to his mom?

They say that even people who say they don’t really believe in God pray at times like that. Well, I do believe in God. Not only that, I’ve committed my life, not only to knowing Him personally, but making Him known to others, where I can. And so, yes, you bet I prayed. I prayed all the way there, all the time with prayers pushing and pushing and pushing thoughts and worries of what could be happening out of my mind, forcing myself to focus on God in His greatness, mercy and love. I prayed for Chris and for Tanya and for Florence and for our family. And lots of others prayed too, because I took a moment before leaving the house to place a quick call asking for the prayers of God’s people. I’m grateful for you.

Several hours later, the test results were finally in and, although he has massive bruising and five broken ribs, he is going to be ok. I prayed again, this time, giving thanks. Of course, I have also found myself wondering ‘what if’ too. Because it doesn’t always turn out this way does it. People endure great personal losses and injuries and sorrows and grief that is, well, unthinkable.

And sometimes it’s difficult to process all of this. What are the lessons? What are we supposed to think? I’m still thinking that through, but I have figured some things out. Life is precious, and at any moment of time (we never know) God reserves the right to remind us of just how precious it is. And life is fragile. We are not the masters of our own fate that we often tend to think we are. At any moment it can all be over. And life, in this world anyway, is temporary. Someday, we don’t know when, we will suddenly find ourselves standing before God, and on that day all of life as we know it in this world will be like a snapshot against the backdrop of eternity. And it will all be obvious, judged, as if in a moment, as to whether we really made it count for Him or not.

Chris, if you’re reading this, I love you son. We love you. And we are so glad you’re going to be ok. The Lord has been very good to us. He has been very good to you. Praise His Name.

The Dangers of Easter

You may not be fully aware of this, but there is a great danger in Easter. Don’t misunderstand me. I think that it is a tremendous thing to have a time of year when we focus all of our attention together on the greatest event in all of human history, the turning point in the destiny of mankind, the Lord Jesus Christ giving Himself for us, laying down His life and suffering for us, being crucified and then raised again from death and the grave as risen Lord and conquering King, triumphant over sin, death and hell!!!

So what could the dangers of Easter possibly be, you might be wondering? Well, the danger is that, in setting a time of year to focus on these greatest of truths, we can fall into the trap of not giving them the priority they deserve the rest of the year. In fact, this is not only the danger of Easter, but it is the danger of Christmas too! And, come to think of it, it is also the danger we face at the beginning of every single week because Mondays are just as holy as Sundays, or at least they should be. Should our passion for Christ be any less on Friday than it is on Sunday? Or next Friday compared to Good Friday?

From the teachings of the New Testament, and particularly those of the Apostle Paul (See Romans 14:1-12 ; Galatians 4:8-11 & Colossians 2:16-23), we can understand the glorious truth that every day is resurrection day because every single thing we enjoy as blessings in our lives as Christians are a reality because, and only because, of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The saving work of Christ upon the cross and His victorious resurrection, also on our behalf, is just as relevant and significant today as it was last weekend, and will be next Thursday too.

The observance of what we call Easter can be a very good thing, but there is this danger. So, what should we do to avoid this danger? Is there some way that we can ensure that we don’t fall into this trap? Here is a way - make everyday of every week of every month of every year of your life a celebration of thanksgiving and worship of the crucified and risen Lord. When you draw that first conscious breath each morning, remember that He has given you life. Everyday, when you put your feet on the floor, take the time to remember that you live because He lives; that He died to give you life and that your life is a gift from the God who loves you that much, and then walk into each day with a heart beating for Jesus. That is what it means to live as a Christian. How glorious is that!!!