Jack LaFountain's Blog, page 8

Lost Crusader #234 With all Your Getting, Get Understanding

That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2-3

 

In children’s stories, the location of a pirate’s hidden treasure is marked on a map with an “X”. Real treasure can be found today, but it must be sought, and a map is still a great help. Paul’s prayer for the church at Colossae was for them to find the riches of the full assurance of understanding. So, what is the “full assurance of understanding” and how do we find it?

 

I will start the hunt by pointing out that understanding is not the same thing as knowledge. It is not only possible, but common practice, for us to understand something without knowing all the details of how it works. Such is the case with scripture. I’m getting some skeptical looks about now.

 

I point you to John 21:25. The Apostle tells us there that there are many more things Jesus did than those recorded in the Gospels. In fact, he says that if they were all written down, the world could not contain books required to tell them. The things that are written down were written for one purpose—that we might believe Jesus is God Incarnate and be saved.

 

In verse 3 of our text Paul says, the treasure of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in God. In this earthly life we will never comprehend all the wisdom and knowledge of God. We can be fully assured that we understand God even though His ways are past finding out.

 

The book of Hebrews tells us that “through faith we understand…” Faith is more than untested belief. It is action based on belief. It is true that faith comes by hearing. And when Jesus spoke he often concluded a point by saying, “he that hath an ear, let him hear.” Now most everyone in the crowds He addressed had two ears. So, when he said, “let him hear” you can be sure that He meant something more than sound waves hitting the tympanic membrane.

 

He was talking about understanding. That is, taking what you’ve heard applying it to your life, testing to see if what was said was indeed true, and thereby understanding God’s will for our life.

 

Having God manifest Himself to us is an undeniable experience. The more we allow ourselves to experience God, the more assurance and understanding of our faith we gain. This is a source of riches beyond compare. So we sing:

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long.”

Maranatha

Lost Crusader #233 Begging God’s Pardon

 

They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.   Psalm 107: 27-28

 

Psalm 107 is a song of thanksgiving to God for His goodness and mercy. It has much to say about the human condition and the kind of person who finds salvation. Not everyone can sing this song because, sadly, not everyone finds salvation. The song is sung as a testimony to what God has done for those whom He has redeemed.

 

The song tells of troubled lives pushed to the brink by hunger and thirst; loneliness and spiritual darkness; afflictions and imprisonment. It speaks of people who have rejected God’s counsel and are hopelessly out of solutions. They are troubled on every side and nothing they have done has brought relief.  They are regular people made desperate by circumstances (often of their own making).

 

Though they have shamelessly rebelled against God and rejected Him, when all else has failed they call on God. It’s a familiar story. Men seek solutions to their problems everywhere but the one place where deliverance has been offered. It is noteworthy that while God could have saved them at any point, He waited for them to call. He is always standing at the ready, waiting for our call.

 

Every person has been called to salvation, only those who answer with a call of their own find it. Those who have never known true need; those who have never accepted blame or fault; are among those who will never surrender to God, and so never call on Him. It’s not that God doesn’t see or hear. Quite the opposite He does see, and He does hear. Moreover, He has offered a solution, ask, seek, knock.

 

God has already provided all that is needed for salvation from our distresses. It is written in His Son’s blood. It’s our move. The song tells us four times, when they cried in their troubles and every time, He delivered them.

Salvation brings great joy, but it begins with pain and desperate need—at our wit’s end. That is the place where we meet God.

Whoso is  wise, and will observe these things , even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

Maranatha

Know Jack #442 Outrageous Fortune

Hamlet famously asked if it were better to suffer the slings and arrows of the outrageous fortune that is life or take action, oppose them, and thereby end them. I tend to vacillate between the two. I favor action to set things right…up to a point.

 

That tipping point for me is when I must set myself up to help those who don’t want to be helped. Whether or not they deserve help, or asked for help is beside the point. Offering to help is the right thing to do even when it puts me at odds with the established order.

 

One common problem with helping others battle the outrageousness of life is that people tend to seek help without counting the cost. There is no such thing as an action without consequences. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It’s as true in everyday life as it is physics.

 

Taking action may indeed result in a better situation, it may even achieve the end we desire. That does not mean it will be painless for those involved. More than once I’ve agreed to help people achieve a desired goal only to have them cave the minute it meets opposition.

 

Sadly, it’s human nature to seek the path of least resistance. It is much easier to accept things as they are—to go along to get along. I’ve seen surrender of this kind on a national scale. I don’t mind admitting it makes me wonder if I have things all wrong. Maybe I should stand silently by and let people go their own way.

 

There is no doubt it would be easier on me, at least externally. Internally I’m not sure I could happily live with that decision. I want too much good not to do good.

 

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

 

Maranatha

Lost Crusader #232 Plot Twist

Acts 9:10

“And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.”

 

The Bible is our sole guide for faith and practice. It is also great literature. The Lord is Master of the plot twist—that unexpected turn in the story that changes everything. The story of Ananias is an excellent example of how prayer changes things. The twist in the story is also testimony that the greatest change prayer effects is in the person doing the praying.

 

Saul of Tarsus, breathing out threats and slaughter, was on his way to Damascus. He had letters from the high priest authorizing him to slap Jewish Christians in chains and drag them to Jerusalem. Ananias had a big target on his back. So, he did what Christians facing danger should do—he prayed.

 

Scripture only relates what Ananias said once God answered. We don’t know with certainty the content of the beginning of his prayer. Nevertheless, we can place ourselves in his position. While there, we should think about how we might respond to the stresses we face. That is how meditation on the scriptures works to grow our faith.

 

Many things may have occupied Ananias’ mind and prayers that day. It’s not a huge leap of either faith or logic to guess that the coming danger occupied a good deal of his prayer. We can be pretty sure of that given his initial response to God’s answer. A man of faith, Ananias trusted God to answer his prayer and protect the Christians in the city.

 

Plot twist! God’s answer is for Ananias to go look Saul up and pray for him. Saul, the man he sought protection from—go pray for him?

 

I know how I’d respond. “God, are you sure about this? I’ve heard of this man. He’s been party to killing Christians. I know we’re supposed to pray for our enemies, but isn’t this a bit extreme? Couldn’t I just pray from here?”

 

Ananias is a better man than I am. He said Amen, went on his way, found the house, laid hands on Saul, and called him brother. God answered Ananias’ prayer. He protected him, and his fellow Christians from Saul. God did not do it the way anybody expected Him to.

 

We should expect God to answer when we pray. We should not limit God by thinking the answer must be the one we imagine. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways, However, His thoughts toward us are peace and love. God’s answer is always the best one for us, and it will always change our life if we receive it.

Maranatha

Know Jack #441 Marks of Character

About two months ago my car was pummeled by a sudden, rather violent hailstorm. I replaced the windshield, the taillights, and a mirror. I decided to do nothing about the roof, hood, and passenger side that are as dimpled as a golf ball.

 

I could have had the car declared a total loss, but why? The engine still runs as well as ever, the brakes still work, the steering is still true, and the tires are still round. It can still do all the things it did before. The car always had personality. It’s a hyper-green Jeep with a license plate that says its name is Ugene. (Fans of Popeye will understand.)

 

I am of the opinion that the remaining damage adds character to its personality. It says, “I have weathered the storm”. I like to think that’s a positive reflection on the owner. I’ve been around seventy years now, and although many cannot be seen on the exterior, I have the scars to prove it.

 

The acquisition of scars reflects character. Scars remind us of how far we have come and what we have endured. They are tokens, written on our body and soul, of having dared to live, love, and survive. There is a scene in the movie Jaws where Quint and Hooper compare their scars. It is meant to be humorous and give the audience a light-hearted moment before things really go wrong. It reveals how the characters take each other’s measure and decide trustworthiness.

 

Perhaps that’s a totally guy thing to do, but then I’m a guy, so there’s that. My friends and I have our own version of the scene. Some call it telling war stories, to us it's just how things were. Say what you will, it makes us better together because it speaks not only to shared experience but stamps us with a seal of brotherhood. It is a mark of character obtained in no other way.

Maranatha

 

 

Lost Crusader #231 Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”  1 Kings 18:21

 

Making a decision can sometimes be difficult. Living with the consequences of your decisions can be even more difficult. Being unable or unwilling to make decisions demonstrates the lack of personal courage and an established sense of personal morality. While we make multiple decisions each day, there are three decisions that define the ultimate course of a person’s life, and they all involve taking sides.

 

The first of these decisions took place in a garden paradise. Free of problems and stressors, a man and a woman decided to ignore God’s plan for them and be their own sovereign judge. They decided to go their own way, choose their own truth, live by their own rules—to be as gods.

 

Since that day, every person has been born into that rebellious nature and lives in it until they consciously choose to submit to God’s sovereignty. The Tree may be moved beyond our reach, but we live among many others called by all manner of names. We face the same choice to live in a state of rebellion against the Creator or make peace with Him.

 

Many years later, in yet another garden, one Man decided to submit to the plan of God rather than rebel against it. He was betrayed, reviled, spit upon, beaten, and crucified for His decision. Because He stood by that decision and endured the shame it brought, God forgave the rebellion of all humanity and offered peace to all who would receive it.

 

Why God did this is hard to fathom. His ways are not our ways. He is not the man upstairs seeing the world as we do. He is something infinitely more. He is love that passes all understanding, extending saving grace to His enemies.

 

The final decision we face is to choose whose side we are on. Rebel or submit, God’s kingdom or one of our own making, conformity or transformation, the choice is ours. As the prophet pointed out, there is no neutrality. Choosing not to answer is a refusal of God’s offer of life and peace. “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”

“Who is on the Lord’s side?”

 Maranatha

Know Jack #440 Duty

I do not wish anyone reading this post to think I am trying to tell them what to do or think. If a person’s own heart cannot tell them the path to take, I certainly cannot, nor do I wish to try. We are born with the right to choose our own way. We are not free of the consequences of our choices, but we are free to choose. So, when I speak of duty here, I speak only for myself.

 

By definition, duty is obligatory in nature. It is conduct due to parents (yes, that is in the definition) and superiors; obligatory tasks, or functions that arise from one’s position. It is a debt to be paid to others and myself with honor, integrity, and fidelity. I will point out that my duty to superiors is not limited to people. I have a duty to higher ideals as well.

 

When St. Paul said to “Owe no man any thing…” he was speaking about duty. I am to leave no debt of duty, but render unto everyone what is due them, not only by reason of station in life, but as human beings. It is tempting to interpret that as an invitation to vengeance or justification for the evil my baser nature might conjure up.

 

However, I have no duty to wrong others. As an imperfect soul capable of every act of a selfish will, duty demands I lift up every other soul in prayer and action with grace, peace, and charity. I have worked for all I have, both good and bad, but in a grander sense, all the good has been a gift. I have certainly not merited the good things given to me by a benevolent Creator.

 

“Freely you have received, freely give…” may be the most difficult command of all. The good things in life are not a treasure to be hoarded. They are a treasure to be shared and it is my duty to do so. If that duty moves me to say things that offend the conscience of others, that does not excuse me from my duty. Better to offend with the truth than to lull with silence.

 

Over the course of my life the consequences of doing my duty, at times, exacted a harsh toll. Thankfully, I was never told doing the right thing was easy or popular. I have no expectation of such outcomes. It seems to come as a surprise to some, that my having taken a stand in support of an unpopular decision, I have not relented or sought to compromise to soften criticism. They were surprised only because they don’t know Jack.

Maranatha

Author Antics A Novel Idea

“I would say to get the character in your mind. Once he is in your mind, and he is right, and he’s true, then he does the work himself. All you need to do then is to trot along behind him and put down what he does and what he says.”

William Faulkner

 

That bit of advice, according to Faulkner, is how to start writing a novel. But where do you find these “people” to follow around? Is there a character bar where they hang out trying to pick up authors? Or a “meet and greet” day at a local writer’s group? Do they have a character church group authors can visit on Sunday?

 

Romance writers might get a jump start by going to conventions and meeting fantasy-worthy cover models. For horror and thriller writers that approach might be dangerous. Can somebody who dresses up as a zombie or a vampire really be trusted not to bite you? The chances of encountering a pooka leaning on a corner streetlamp are slim, but never zero

 

I have found that characters, even the straightest of straight shooters, enjoy lurking in the shadows just so they can leap out and shout, “Gotcha!” It’s a heck of a way to start a friendship. It works though, if for no other reason than it’s hard for an author to ignore an introduction like that. The shock value is all the more real when the author figures out all the shadows are in his/her own mind.

 

I can’t speak for others, but my characters all spring from me, or at least some part of me. Let me be the first to admit some of those characters are not nice people. All of them are flawed, even the good guys have problems. I’ve heard people talk about dreams in which they are walking around naked in public. I’ve never had that dream. I credit that to the fact that my private parts are on display in every story I write.

 

I won’t admit which parts of my characters’ personalities I share. I have made an effort to avoid Ed Landry, Vern Carson, and Kit Mann from acting too much alike. I can’t say I found any of them. I can tell you their story began when they found me. So, I’m in agreement with Mr. Faulkner that a novel begins with a character to chase after.

Jack LaFountain

Lost Crusader # 230 The Rocks Cry Out

“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…”

 

God’s existence is written on the Creation in a language that is more powerful than words. However, the handwriting of the Creation, while awe-inspiring, is not the message of comfort some would have us believe. The Creation speaks of an Almighty God who by the power of His spoken word brought into being all things. So, as His creation, we owe Him thankful reverence and total obedience—that is nature’s message.

 

Yet, we do not give God that reverence and obedience. When confronted by the message of nature, we understand it’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living Creator. We see God all around us, and do not give thanks for our existence. We know we are made for fellowship with Him, and yet, refuse to engage with Him. He asks a simple act of fealty—we refuse to give it. We do well, then, to be afraid and avoid acknowledging God existence.

 

What can we do? The gospel reveals the answer as surely as nature reveals the problem. The good news of the gospel is that God, in His mercy and grace, has forgiven us and provided atonement for our wrongs. He offers heaven and eternal fellowship and asks one thing in return. If this sounds like a revisitation of the rejection of God at the tree in the garden, you’re right. One selfish human choice to do things our way set humanity at odds with God. One selfless choice, in a different garden, unleashed the power to set it all right by doing things God’s way.

 

God Incarnate entered Jerusalem and people cheered. If they had not welcomed Him, creation would have—the stones would have cried out His praise. And why not? They continually call us to God. If it seems a hard thing for stones to speak, know also that it is easier to believe in God than to accept Him. That is why people “ooh and aah” over the creation rather than do as nature does and proclaim Him as Lord of all.

Maranatha

Know Jack #439 We the People

Many Americans spent last weekend celebrating the signing of a document that declared our country’s transition from a group of colonies into a group of sovereign states. The document did not begin a revolution. It declared the intent and guiding principles of a revolution already underway.

 

On July 4, 1776, Washington already had an army in the field. However, the birth of the American revolution took place before that of the Continental Army. It began as an idea, a new way of seeing the relationship between citizens and the institution of government.

 

In declaring our status as an independent nation, the document was a bit premature. That would have to be won on the field of battle. The Declaration of Independence outlined what we were fighting to build and why we felt it necessary to do go to such lengths.

 

No matter what you learned in school, the American revolution wasn’t primarily about taxes. They were a symptom, not the disease. The schism that launched the war had to do with the source of individual rights and the relationship between those rights and the government.

 

The first three words of our Constitution, We the People, address that issue. They mean our rights are given to us by God—not the king acting by divine right—not by edict from Parliament—but directly from God as Creator. Government’s job, said the Revolutionaries was to secure and to protect those rights, period. In America, the people are sovereign. The government gets its rights and duties from us, not the other way around.

 

When people talk about first amendment rights or second amendment rights they usually sound as though they believe that the amendments to the Constitution somehow granted those rights. That is a false idea. The amendments didn’t grant the rights, they were written to defend those rights against abuse by the government. Government of the people, for the people, and by the people is what we should be celebrating this weekend.

 

Someone will say to me, “But that’s not how it works anymore. Washington runs every thing.” I would not debate that statement, there’s too much truth in it. I will say that if things are not as they should be, the Declaration of Independence has in its text the remedy.

Maranatha