Jeff Noble's Blog, page 15

The Capitol Incursion and Vengeance

These are sketchy days for our nation. Wednesday, January 6, began as a momentous day as Congress convened to recognize and count the presented electors that would bring the 2020 election to a formal conclusion. There were significant concerns that election fraud had taken place, and Republicans were in the process of their Constitutionally-permitted and privileged objection of some of the states’ slates of electors.

Meanwhile, the President had called for a “March on Washington,” and over 700,000 expectant and hopeful conservatives had obediently and enthusiastically poured into DC. All morning and early afternoon, speeches were made. It was a political pep rally intended apparently to bolster and support the minority of Representatives and Senators in their objections and to demonstrate that the 75 million people who voted for President Trump’s reelection had very real doubts about the election’s integrity.

Credit to Sky News

What happened next will be studied and questioned for a long time. The Capitol was breached. Hundreds poured into the Capital, and in an insane commentary on the banality of day… began taking selfies in the Rotunda, House and Senate Chambers. Others invaded offices and infamous pictures show unmasked individuals with their feet on Nancy Pelosi’s desk, leaning back in her chair while others portray a Viking pontificating from the President of the Senate’s platform, replete with a horned helmet.

In the chaos, four people died. One was shot to death by a cop through a doorway, and footage of the event isn’t pretty. She was unarmed, and Capitol Hill police were actually in the hallway with her. Another officer died on Thursday from injuries received during the brief occupation.

While the Congress was evacuated and later reconvened that evening to continue the conversation, debate and recognize electors, the country sat in stunned and dismal silence. It was all so ugly.

The President was not the leader we needed him to be, and his call for calm and peace was laced with continued barbs about election fraud. His public condemnation of the Vice President for refusing to do what he wanted him to do was the ultimate cry of a man who lashed out in heated frustration and anger.

A Failure to Communicate

I can grasp all that happened. I understand it even as it sickens me. This is SUCH a broken world.

I do not approve of the president’s rhetoric. Neither do I approve of the media’s and Democrat’s blatant hypocrisy. I am sick of Republicans who do nothing but focus on economic gain without genuinely offering solution-based approaches to healthcare, education, and prison reform.

But what we have here is a failure to communicate. Each side wants to beat the other into submission.

In the 1967 movie classic Cool Hand Luke, Paul Newman stars as a southern man put into a prison camp’s chain gang. He continues to escape, and his fellow prisoners admire him because, “You’re an original, that’s what you are.” In one scene where he’s recaptured, he’s beaten down by the prison boss who then explains the reason for the beating, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”

The narrative of Wednesday turned quickly. Some wondered why the condemnation of the Capitol breach was so uniform when months-long riots and occupations of cities in 2020 were upheld as peaceful protests and needed catalysts for reform. Others wondered about how the Capitol incursion would have been treated if it had been an overt BLM protest.

For me, the most disheartening spectacle was that in a time of high tension, the President could not rise to the occasion and be a statesman. Trump was, well, Trump. He DID appeal for calm, but it was too little, too late. His Thursday address was much more well-spoken and conciliatory. However, after Congress confirmed Joe Biden as the 46th President, he too had an opportunity – as did Democrats to move for healing and peace, to unite. Instead, he competed Senators Hawly and Cruz to Nazis. Democratic leaders began suggesting that all Republicans who had supported the President be rounded up and driven out.

Big Tech joined the feeding frenzy by deleting the President of the United States’ social media accounts. By Friday evening, the digital stratosphere echoed with cries of alarm as people discovered thousands of conservative accounts were being banned and deleted from platforms.

The Orwellian nature of it all was stunning. In the hours and days since, it has felt like the “winners” have beat down anyone suspected of supporting Trump (or even suggesting election fraud) with the same mean-spirited heavy hand of the prison boss, with a sneering, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” This is nothing less than censorship.

Censorship

“Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.” ― Henry Louis Gates Jr

Russian author and Gulag survivor Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “To destroy a people, you must first sever their roots.” He also asked, “Such as it is, the press has become the greatest power within the Western World, more powerful than the legislature, the executive and judiciary. One would like to ask; by whom has it been elected and to whom is it responsible?” (A quick review of some of his more well known quotes are inspiring and sobering.)

Perhaps the most famous and beloved poet of Nicaragua, Pablo Antonio Cuadra, said, “Let us be clear: censorship is cowardice. … It masks corruption. It is a school of torture: it teaches, and accustoms one to the use of force against an idea, to submit thought to an alien “other.” But worst still, censorship destroys criticism, which is the essential ingredient of culture.” (His essay Responsibilities of the Church in Central America from 1986 is a phenomenal read.)

Truth

John 8:32 is inscribed on the facade of the CIA building in Langley, Virgiina: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” These words of Jesus mean far more than the investigatory process of deducing truth. Jesus was speaking to His disciples prefaced them with ““If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus Himself is the Truth.

As a Christian, I’ll admit there are voices that I prefer to be silent. One day, all wicked rebellion will be silenced. But this is not that day, and the recent Brutal Digital Suppression Campaign by political victors is untenable. Some may celebrate the silencing of voices they deem virulent or vitriolic. But tomorrow it may be your voice.

I appreciate how John Piper asked this in his devotional The Limits of Love:

How does this affect our love toward incorrigible sinners? Jesus calls us to imitate God’s common grace toward his enemies, not his acts of judgment (Matthew 5:45). “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. If your enemy is hungry feed him.” We are not to do all that God does. God may be planning vengeance according to his wisdom and justice for the sake of some greater work of love. That is not our business. Ours is to love our enemies.

I pray for the freedom to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ whenever and wherever. Some of our world Christians do not have that freedom, and the church grows in spite of it. I also want the freedom as a citizen to criticize the President (whomever he/she may be) when I think they are off or wrong about an issue. While we have it here, let us labor lovingly to defend ours and others freedom of expression in all marketplaces and platforms, while being consistent in our opposition to violence and destruction. And let us speak the truth in love, leaving vengeance to God.

(Visited 36 times, 38 visits today)

Top Books I Read in 2020

I use Goodreads to help me keep track of my reading, leave brief reviews and get book recommendations. It’s really a fantasist resource.

I set a goal of reading 30 books this past year after reading 43 in 2019. I wanted to be realistic, thinking this would be a very busy year. And yet… pandemic and sabbatical. I rediscovered some books this year which you’ll see below. And I found some news ones that may make my shortlist of all-time favorites. I need a bit more distance from them to decide.

By the end of 2020, I had read 58 books! That is a bit stunning to me. I am a fast reader, but I read every word of a book. I don’t skim. And non-fiction books are usually read with a pen in hand (unless they’re from the library).

I hope you’ll consider some of my recommendations for your next book. If you need a soulmate, a book can make a good companion. It’s not perfect (well, there’s one that is), but it will occupy you in the quietness of your day/night when people are drifting off and conversations and chats cease.

Here’s the pretty graphic from Goodreads, but keep scrolling for my top 10 books of 2020:

Here’s my top 10 books I read, with 10 being the best:

This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti

This was a re-read. This book was all the rage in Christian circles back in the late 1980s. It’s a vivid tale of a small-town pastoring encountering spiritual resistance and controversy, as well as a town embroiled in intrigue and turmoil. I think it’s what C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters would look like as a single storyline. It dramatically depicts the activity of demons and evil operating behind the scenes of this pastor’s attempts to build his church and determine what is going on in Ashton.
A Prophet with Honor by William Martin

This biography of Billy Graham is sweeping in its portrayal of the very real man behind the modern world’s best-known evangelist. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was humbled by Martin’s accounts of Graham’s struggles of how to influence culture.
Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

It was one of the most refreshing reads about Jesus and His characters that I’ve read in a long while. It reminded of how simply wonderful it is to read about the Savior. I haven’t enjoyed a book about Jesus (outside the Bible) like that since Rejoicing in Christ by Michael Reeves.
Road to Nowhere by Paul Robertson

I could go on and on about Robertson’s writings. Granted, he’s a friend and church member, but after sitting down to read his account of a small two struggling with a major highway being built through it, I fell in love with his prose and characters and promptly purchased his other four books. If you want to “meet” Paul, listen to this episode of Ordinary Celebrity I did with him last fall.
Plague of Corruption by Kent Heckenlively and Judy Mikovits

After all the contradictions of COVID mitigation and controversies related to restrictions, I enjoyed reading this account of the seamy and seedy side of science which implicates some major players that have had a lot of limelight in 2020. It reminded that scientists and doctors are still human and bring their own viewpoints to data.
Reforming Journalism by Marvin Olasky

I thought this would be a book about “how to reform journalism.” After an insane amount of revealed bias and forced narrative from the MSM over the past several years, such a book is sorely needed. However, Olasky’s book is written as a primer for the would-be Christian journalist. It’s got basic instructions on how to do good journalism. It’s last few chapters on the history of journalism and how freedom of the press is a distinctly Christian by-product are fascinating and worth reading.
Desiring God by John Piper

I think this is the third time I’ve read it. It was a book I read during my sabbatical (a lot of these were). It continues to stand tall as one of the best and most influential books I’ve ever read. It’s on my top 5 list of recommended books for young believers.
Pastoring Men by Patrick Morley

Years ago I was profoundly influenced by his book Man in the Mirror. This book was a huge encouragement to focus on discipling men. Discipleship is the lens through which all ministries of the church should be evaluated. Are you making disciples? I highly recommend this book to all pastors wanting to know how to reach the men in their church. It won’t be done by breakfasts, golf outings and service projects. Include those, but don’t expect them to produce spiritual fruit without intentional discipleship.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

This delightfully uncomfortable collection of letters from a senior demon to his protege helps you see just how insidious the plans and schemes of Satan are (2 Corinthians 2:11, Ephesians 6:11). 2020 brought with it a growing awareness of the activity of evil around us all. This book and This Present Darkness were good reminders that our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12).
Fortitude by Dan Cranshaw

This sitting Republican Senator and former Navy SEAL has a lot to say about “suck it up, buttercup.” That’s how I would sum up his book. It’s very well-written and boldly confronts the overly-sensitive and easily-offended cancel culture of our day. He not only confronts and speaks truth to how we should re-learn to dialogue, but he also offers good insight into ways citizens can elevate discourse and impact their communities.

I’d really love to hear in the comments about books you read in 2020 that you would recommend. Also, if you decide to read one that I recommend, please let me know!
Honorable Mention

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment  by Jeremiah Burroughs

I can’t say enough about this book! It was a re-read, and I’m so thankful I did. It was written back in the 1600s, but it’s as relevant today as ever since contentment is both a gift and mental discipline for the Christian. I highly recommend it!
The Common Rule by Justin Earley

The author’s encouragement to adopt a daily rituals in life for the peaceful ordering of your day/week is really helpful. I recommend both the book and the consideration of his “rules” for living, especially his admonition to seek no apps before prayer/scripture.
The Guardians by John Grisham

I’ve always enjoyed Grisham’s thrillers, and this one about a death row inmate and the Christian ministry seeking to clear his name is riveting.
Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen

It was a helpful and encouraging read. Recommended.

Here are some series that I read:

3 books in C.S. Harris’ series about Sebastian St. Cyr, an unlikely detective in the 1800s: What Remains of Heaven, Where Shadows Dance, and When Maidens Mourn.
Like John Grisham, I enjoy Brad Meltzer’s fiction so much. This wasn’t in a series… but since I read something by him each year: The Book of Lies.
In Michael Scott’s (not the boss of The Office) series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, I read The Necromancer (#4) and The Warlock (#5).
I read the third book in the Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn, Transfer of Power (#3).
David Baldacci’s series about John Puller is great as well – The Escape (#1) , The Forgotten (#2) and No Man’s Land (#3).

Books I Stopped Reading:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I know. I know. How could I? This is supposedly one of the best and most popular books in the last few years. I couldn’t get into it at all. The personification, the plodding writing… just nah.
The Gospel Coalition’s Booklets Series … I drove myself to read through them. I got through several, but finally, I just stopped. Most are drier than corn flakes. I have always felt that if you make theology boring, the writing is not worth reading, because God is infinitely un-boring.
Uncommon Ground by Tim Keller

I didn’t stop reading this one simply because it was edited by Keller, but this collection of writing seemed rushed, and overall unhelpful. Color me unimpressed.
How to Be a Perfect Christian by the Babylon Bee

Don’t get me wrong. I love the Bee. However, this book was simply stupid. The Bee is best consumed in tweets, not in prose.

 

(Visited 9 times, 9 visits today)

4th Annual Christmas Tree Toss

This year tossing out the tree was also symbolic with tossing out 2020.

(Visited 17 times, 17 visits today)

Reflections on 2020: the year we all went viral

I remember the first few heady weeks of 2020. I was preparing for a message/presentation for our annual State of the Church Sunday that, of course, included the cheesy “2020 Vision” that most other pastors also embraced like a juicy steak. Casting vision in such a precipitously-named year was the thing to do. It was especially significant for our church since construction on our first church building had just begun in late 2019.

I was still walking through some personal heartache that had involved cancer, leadership issues and relationships, and I found myself still encountering relational and emotional cobwebs every I turned.

As I stood and shared on January 28, 2020 with my church family, none of us had any idea how relevant and pertinent the passage I preached from would be for the rest of the year. In it, I stated, “Our 2020 vision as a church is to grow deeper in spiritual maturity by embracing ministry instead of activity.” Little did I know how soon the ministry “activity” would screech to a halt.

In March, the iron curtain fell in Virginia, and our state went under a governor-imposed lockdown that would supposedly keep us safe and alleviate overcrowding in hospitals. Nine months is long enough to make a human, but it’s not long enough apparently to emerge from the fear cocoon that this virus has wrapped many regions of our world and states in.

Due to ongoing pandemic restrictions and canceled venues, my son and his fiancee elected to move up their wedding, and in April they had a beautiful backyard ceremony in North Carolina that I was blessed to officiate and celebrate with them. It was the first wedding reception car parade I’ve ever experienced. It was actually pretty moving (see what I did there?) to watch their friends in banner-bedecked cars drive through the circle driveway, visit briefly, and drop off wedding gifts.

 

Our church began live-streaming with the rest of Christendom. I’m still in awe and so deeply grateful for our volunteers and tech-savvy leaders who ensured we didn’t miss a single Sunday from the onset of lockdowns and helped us transition seamlessly to a new world of video production to ensure that in uncertain days our church could still “gather” and broadcast the wonderful message of a certain Savior who holds our days in His loving hands.

It was the people of that special church who watched girders rise from dirt in the early days of the pandemic, saw concrete poured, and continued to give sacrificially so that our first church “home” could continue construction in strange days. We were all confident that our community and world would continue to need a place to gather in the future to worship, encourage, be instructed and grow in our faith and love for Jesus. It’s humbling to see the days of construction nearing completion with an anticipated move-in date of early February.

In June, I stepped away.

For the first time in over 30 years of full-time ministry, I stopped. I’m took a sabbatical. Since I was a college student, I’ve worked and served in local churches. I went to seminary and graduated in 1991. I never looked back, loving and rejoicing and discipling and serving the body of Christ with hopeful humility and determined joy. Churches and campus ministries in Dallas, southeast Arkansas, and Blacksburg, Virginia have been recipients and blessers of me and and my family. When I became the pastor of Northstar, I helped create a sabbatical policy that encouraged time off every seven years. As of June, it had been 11, and I’d not taken a sabbatical. It was past time, and I walked out of the office, thankful for a warm, unified and gifted staff and leadership team, and spent the next 10 weeks away. I learned (and continue to learn) so much. You can read more on life lessons here, but home projects and a new book writing project occupied most of that time.

Reentry was harder than I conceived. Some relationships felt “off” or different upon my return. I was uncertain of my footing for a few weeks. The staff was tired. They hadn’t had rest AND they had been serving during some difficult days of pandemic restrictions, decision-making and even cultural turmoil related to issues of racism and political division. I wore more than one mask in those days. The cloth one was put on as needed, but another one emerged that helped hide my uncertainty about whether I even wanted to lead again in such a time.

The last few months have seemed a blur. I settled back into leadership and have been truly grateful for 2020 in many ways. Our church has shrunk and grown. We’ve not seen many of our members since March. It’s been sobering for most pastors this fall to oversee multiple churches in one church – those who won’t return until the pandemic is “over,” those who are ready for life as “usual,” and those who are somewhere in-between. I’ve been grateful that God has graciously added to our church even in these strange days as new members have replaced those who have moved or communicated they’re not coming back.

As December arrived, I rejoiced in Christmas. This year, more than any other since I’ve walked the planet, I was significantly aware of my/our DESPERATE NEED FOR A SAVIOR. I exulted in the lights and music and quiet hopefulness that Christmas season instilled. Our church walked through three Songs of Advent together to anchor our souls in the reality that Jesus has come to save us.

Soon after 2020 tried to throw a wrench at us with a contested election, we were blessed with a new future son-in-law. He proposed to our youngest at the Virginia Tech Inn on December 19. We’d had a full house for Thanksgiving with new family from North Carolina, and we rejoiced in new relationships and another future family in December as the newly engaged couple came back to find their friends and family ready to celebrate with them that evening at our home.

Goodbye, 2020

365 days. Another year. A momentous one. It’s made more so because we all experienced it TOGETHER. No matter your perspective on the pandemic and its restrictions, cultural issues, politics, or conspiracy theories, 2020 will forever be etched in mental glass as a collective year. Even amidst such division, we’ve experienced it together.

It’s in these strange epochs that we must remember our Creator and rejoice in our frailty. Years such as 2020 are gifts because they remind of us our helpless humanness. I’m reminded of scripture that seems to sum up our joint life parantheses called “2020” succinctly.

“Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” …

I will remember the LORD’s works; yes, I will remember your ancient wonders.

I will reflect on all you have done and meditate on your actions.

God, your way is holy. What god is great like God?

You are the God who works wonders.” (Psalm 77:9, 11-12)

I am grateful that this wonder-working God sent a Savior! I hope that His kindness provokes you to embrace an intimate love relationship with Jesus that will carry you through this next year and the looming days ahead.

(Visited 11 times, 11 visits today)

A numbered family and numbered days

It’s the Eve of the Eve, and I’m at a coffee shop. No big surprise there. The last few days, however, have been momentous personal ones. Our daughter is a senior at Christopher Newport University. Saturday evening Adelyn got engaged to an outstanding young man, and the 12-month countdown to a December 2021 wedding began. Our son got married in a backyard beautiful pandemic wedding in April (complete with a drive-through reception!). So our family is growing in number. Everyone has been spending the last several days at our house for the holidays. It’s been full and fun.

2020

It’s been a full, crazy, tumultuous year. I don’t need an adorned paragraph of prose to summarize it for you. “2020” says it all.

Most of you who follow me know that we determined early on as a family to continue living, abundantly, during this pandemic. People can quibble or argue with me over my reasons and motives and science and masks and all, but ultimately, it’s all just blah, blah, blah. I’m not uncaring or insensitive. It’s just that there’s too much negative and too little time to truly live in this world to abandon relationships and face-to-face and joy and love and beauty and freedom.

So there’s that.

Long after the masks come off, people will continue to wear masks. I don’t mean physical ones. We all hide to some degree. We hide our frailties and fragilities, our failures and fears, our hangups and heartaches. We don’t like being vulnerable.

This mental and emotional resistance to living a revealed life seems to have carried over into the physical realm during the pandemic. I am active on Twitter and was stunned to discover hundreds of tweets the other day from people who say they will continue to wear masks in public long after the pandemic is over because they feel “safer” and more comfortable behind them. Do they understand that safety is an illusion? Everyone seems to think we actually can lengthen our days and prolong our lives through self-effort, healthy eating, exercise and affixing fabric on our faces. Yes, take care of yourself. No, don’t live in fear.

My numbered days

I take great comfort at Christmas that God has numbered my days before I was born. He created the beginning and the ending parentheses in which I would live. No great effort on my part can thwart His will and love for me. That’s not fatalistic. It’s an act of faith to live life fully and freely in His loving gaze and care.

“…a person’s days are determined and the number of his months depends on You, and since You have set limits [beyond which] he cannot pass…” (Job 14:5)

David prayed/sang in the Psalms:

“LORD, make me aware of my end

and the number of my days

so that I will know how short-lived I am.

In fact, you have made my days just inches long,

and my life span is as nothing to you.

Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor.Selah

Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.

Indeed, they rush around in vain,

gathering possessions

without knowing who will get them.

“Now, Lord, what do I wait for?

My hope is in you.” (Psalm 39:4-7)

So as I reflect on a growing family, growing faith and a crazy year, I am both sobered and satisfied. I’m thankful even as I’m burdened. I cast my cares upon Jesus, for I am completely confident that He cares for me. I cast and I pull up the serving of life that God has served me, and I dine freely. Sometimes it’s cake (yum). Sometimes it’s sushi (yuck).

Some numbers grow – like in a family due to marriage or engagement. Some numbers shrink – as in our days as they tick by. When we recognize increase and decrease and are thankful for both, we grow in spirit and perspective.

I wish for you at Christmas a full, joyful, carpe diem life.

The theater here in Blacksburg opened up under new ownership last week. I was beyond excited. We all went on Monday and saw Elf on the big screen. With lots of popcorn. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when the store Santa walks in, and Will Farrell ecstatically screams, “I know him!” (lots of spiritual implications there)

Some may say this kind of living is blind, naive, or even reckless. That’s ok. They can turtle if they prefer. I have a different perspective. Even as my family’s number is growing, my numbered days are shrinking. I choose to celebrate both in faithful thanks.

(Visited 32 times, 32 visits today)

COVID Chronicles: Three commitments

I haven’t lived through a cultural crisis of this nature before. “Back in the day” when we disagreed about issues, politics, sports or raising kids, we’d do something pretty novel – we’d argue. Point and counterpoint. Debating anything was just that – a debate. We didn’t have Google in our pocket to disprove a point. Often we’d walk away from a disagreement frustrated, because we may have felt that our point of view was right, but we had no way of proving it at that time.

These days, we search the internet. Answers are found in milliseconds. Wrong statements are corrected in an instant. We may be “righter” quicker, but we’ve lost the relational capacity to hear and listen to one another. You can be right in the wrong way, in other words. Truth is not meant to be used as a weapon to belittle or bash. That’s why in the last post in COVID Chronicles, I said:

A wonderful approach to dialogue is revealed in Paul’s writing in Ephesians 4. It’s one of my guides. In the context of God giving the church leaders to equip the church to serve and grow, he says that the resulting spiritual maturity and intimacy with Jesus has a benefit:

“Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.”

It’s his next admonition that applies to Christian conversation wherever we have it:

“But speaking the truth in love…”

We must speak truth… in love.

What is truth?

That’s a big problem these days. Back in simpler days, we talked about postmodernism and how as a worldview it rejected the notion that you could have objective, external truth that applied to everyone everywhere. Postmodernism was inherently full of contradictions, but debating with someone steeped in postmodernism was like trying to nail Jello to a wall.

Consider the source

“Consider the source.” It used to be a well-known tidbit of wisdom. It’s even biblical. Jesus said, “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.” (Matthew 7:18)

During these monumentally long days of pandemic, I would ask you, “Where do you get your information?”

If it’s main stream media (MSM), I tend to scoff. They have been supremely divisive and unhelpful during 2020. They have stoked fear, almost seeming to revel in publishing panic porn in an attempt to keep viewers addicted. In my interactions with people about COVID, I get an incredulous look when I make points that are counter to the narrative that is being foisted upon us by MSM.

It’s disturbing to be be marginalized by others when I hold views that disagree with what we’re being told. In the past, we’d be able to argue. These days, we don’t do that. We get canceled or censored. Opposing viewpoints – based in data, science, research – are literally deleted. On a personal level, I feel discredited, discounted and disrespected. On a societal level, we are in great danger of losing the ability to think for ourselves.

“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

THINK. People. For yourself.

Let’s reason together. In Isaiah 1:18, God speaks and says, ““Come now, let us reason together.” There’s a beautiful reality to His invitation. First, He doesn’t have to invite us to “reason” with Him. He could just rule. Yet, the God of the universe invites us to think. And not in isolation from Him. He says “together.” This divine invitation to see what He sees and to mentally dwell on what He offers is amazing. It’s relationally refreshing to realize that our God wants us to exercise our mental faculties in relationship – together.

On a human level, it’s also what we deeply need in these days. We need to be able to reason… together. Let’s stay engaged with one another. Let’s not turn people off or post warnings on their social media. Let’s not “cancel.” Let’s listen.

What is the deal with all the positive COVID tests? Are they really indicating that that many people are contagious?
Why is there so much conflicting data about the efficacy of masking? (and did you know that there is a TON of data that shows that universal masking does not reduce the spread of COVID?)
Why are schools closed when over and over studies show that children are not at risk, and that even the CDC recommends in-person, full schooling?
Why are leaders still resorting to lockdowns when they have been proven to not only be ineffective but deeply harmful?
Why are we not adjusting our mitigation strategies in light of new data?
Why is the Great Barrington Declaration not being pursued in light of its support by over 100,000 scientist and medical practitioners globally?
Why are we tolerating the horrible ruin being done in areas of health, mental health, financial by pandemic overreaction?
Why are doctors, virologists, epidemiologists, scientists and other thinkers being silenced and censored when they offer different views?
Why are people being ridiculed who ask questions?

Our MSM and governmental leaders have served up news and information that seems to have more of a “Ready-Fire-Aim” approach than a measured, data-driven and an optimistic responsiveness that is able to course-correct as new information becomes available. What we have seen since the second week of March is decisions made and then double-downed on in spite of new discovery, experience and awareness.

Three commitments

It’s beyond time to remind ourselves that we are all human, finite, and in great need of togetherness again. The way to foster relational health is through three commitments, in my book:

A commitment to one another

Staying in relationship with one another is key. When things devolve to an us vs. them, we’ve lost. We must work together and find common ground.
A commitment to a reduction of volume

We’re shouting too much – mainly over social media. We need to go back to manners school or something. Maybe reading All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulgham would help?
A commitment to thinking  

Too many of us are drinking instead of thinking when it comes to information. You can’t drink at the well of the MSM and become a positive, well-informed, optimistic person. These days, you need to do more work – read widely, and research well (don’t just look at the first three pages of a Google search which is served up to you and think they are more legit than what’s buried on the fifth page). Ask questions and dialogue. If it doesn’t make sense to you, that may be a good indication it doesn’t pass the “sniff” test, and someone is simply hoping you won’t think.

There’s hope

Whether it’s another Trump term or the first Biden term, someone will claim credit for defeating this pandemic. In the meantime, we need to be people again. Let’s discuss, not shout and reason, not ridicule. That person you vehemently disagree with today may just be exactly who you need to encourage you tomorrow.

(Visited 15 times, 15 visits today)

A pandemic thanksgiving

I traditionally write a Thanksgiving post on the blog. You can see a link of prior posts below. When I perused a few of them, I was struck by one thing: innocence.

I’ve written before of choosing gratitude in the midst of cancer battles and financial struggles. I’ve celebrated fantasy football seasons and kids’ graduations. I’ve written about fireplaces, candy corn and how good it is to spend time with family.

Reading my throwback Thanksgiving posts is like stepping into Narnia. Things feel lighter. Both in weight and luminescence. As I ponder here at Panera, I glance over and see my Razorback mask lying on the table. It’s a visual and visceral reminder of how this year of 2020 has played out.

I remember prepping for my State of the Church message in January, and cheerily and cheerily casting a “2020 Vision” for our church family. We knew this year would be a year of construction, and we wanted to prepare for moving into our first church facility (after 17 years of meeting in Blacksburg Middle School) and the expected growth of 2020 and 2021.

As the first three months of 2020 raced by, rumors of a virus began to swirl, but in my neck of the woods in southwest Virginia, things rolled forward as normal. Until they didn’t.

Our church shifted (it felt seamlessly) to online services, and I learned to preach to a camera, along with every other pastor across the nation, as we all embraced “two weeks to bend the curve.”

Eight months later, these United States are not so united anymore. Racial tensions, mandated masking, economic collapse, a rising mental health pandemic rivals the COVID pandemic, and an election in challenge have cratered our culture and gobsmacked our globe.

There’s a scene in Horton Hears a Hoo that portrays my perspective well in these welcomed, waning days of 2020:

(I highly recommend the movie! You will get a much-needed perspective boost and discover some distinctly Christian themes in it.)

You need big ears to “hear” thanksgiving this year. However, when I get quiet and reflect, the head banging clash of 2020’s disappointments falls away, and I begin to hear and remember so many things for which I’m grateful in 2020:

A wedding. My son Sam and his fiancee Sidney had big plans. They were to wed in May, but as pandemic restrictions kept dropping into place like an iron curtain, they made the difficult choice to release big plans and move their wedding up several weeks. Watching them navigate those decisions and getting to officiate their beautiful backyard ceremony was a sublime moment of sheer wonder. The ensuing reception was a car-parade, where their friends who hadn’t been able to attend drove around the circle driveway, dropped off gifts and blessed and congratulated them.A construction project. Throughout 2020, our church has been blessed, favored and even spared of delays on our first-ever church facility. We’ve seen God do SO very much over the past five years of this faith journey with this dear church family. We are praying earnestly for God to raise the rest before we move in sometime in early 2021! [Please consider giving to or sharing our adventure with those who are kingdom-minded!]

Coffee mugs. I am a coffee mug nerd and love seeing different coffee mugs that folks drink out of. One of my favorite mugs was given to me this year after doing a wedding for a couple in our church. It’s my go-to. What’s yours these days?A sabbatical. Our church has a gracious sabbatical policy for its ministry staff. Every seven years, we are encouraged to take some extended time off. I was four years late, but for nine weeks this summer, I rested, read, wrote, worked on home projects, spent time with family and truly reconnected with who “Jeff” is. It gave me a deep sense of appreciation for other pastors who were not able to pause during this pandemic.A new book. Since I wrote Super Center Savior in 2012, I had not sensed momentum in a writing direction. But over sabbatical, I made significant progress on my next book with the tentative title From Fisherman to Shepherd: Why Denial & Doubt Don’t Sideline You about the life of Peter the apostle.A respite from lymphoma. The end of May marked more than shuttered restaurants and movie theaters. It also marked a year since Carolyn’s last chemo treatment after a horrific cancer battle from November 2018-May 2019. A CT scan in October also prompted praise for its confirmation of cancer’s quietness.Our daughter home. Adelyn came home in late March/early April from college after it shuttered due to COVID. She then came home at Thanksgiving and will be home throughout the rest of the year. Apart from COVID, we would have not gotten to spend so much more time with her during this, her senior year!A podcast. I’m a reader. I’ve never been a big podcast listener. Apparently, however, they’re a big deal. I flexed some creative muscles and started one called Ordinary Celebrity . Admittedly, my goal is to eventually get coffee with Tom Cruise, but along the way, I’ve already interviewed some special friends that you’ll be delighted to meet and celebrate with me.Persistent prayer. I have learned afresh what it means to pray before I pout. To pray before I criticize. To pray after getting lost in frustration over pandemic issues, cultural darkness and political upheaval. It’s way too easy for me to blab about my thoughts (I think out loud) and go down social media rabbit holes tracking information. Prayer is where I cast my cares on Jesus. Prayer is where I STOP. So whether it’s just 2020 junk or heart issues I’m crying out for, I know my prayer muscle is being stretched these days.What’s one thing for you that you are grateful for in 2020?

Think about it. Write it down. Leave a comment here if you like, but the important thing for gratitude to lodge in your heart and to displace discontent is for your to tell someone what you’re grateful. Gratitude unexpressed evaporates. Gratitude expressed grows you and prompts others to shift from the sour to the savory of life.

Then try this…. think of one more thing you’re grateful for. And tell someone! It’s even better when it’s a person. Sit down with another human and sincerely relate to them how and why you’re grateful for them.

You’ve heard of “turning that frown upside down?” If a LOT of us express gratitude to others today and in days to come, we may be shocked to see that our tiny moments of gratitude are heard by someone bigger than we ever dreamed. Horton heard a Hoo, but how great is it that God hears you?!

“Therefore let us be grateful…” (Hebrews 10:28)

Prior Thanksgiving posts

(a bit surreal to journey through this year)

2005: Juanita’s, hot tea, and thee… aaaaah2006: Better late than never… thanksgiving2008: Giving thanks2009: What a difference a year makes2010: The Thanksgiving Chair2011: Very Thankful2013: Thanksgiving 20132014: Thanksgiving past2015: Another thankful year2016: Choosing Thanksgiving2017: The humility of Thanksgiving2018: Thankful for pardon2019: Ye olde traditional Thanksgiving postNo visits yet

A pandemic Thanksgiving

I traditionally write a Thanksgiving post on the blog. You can see a link of prior posts below. When I perused a few of them, I was struck by one thing: innocence.

I’ve written before of choosing gratitude in the midst of cancer battles and financial struggles. I’ve celebrated fantasy football seasons and kids’ graduations. I’ve written about fireplaces, candy corn and how good it is to spend time with family.

Reading my throwback Thanksgiving posts is like stepping into Narnia. Things feel lighter. Both in weight and luminescence. As I ponder here at Panera, I glance over and see my Razorback mask lying on the table. It’s a visual and visceral reminder of how this year of 2020 has played out.

I remember prepping for my State of the Church message in January, and cheerily and cheerily casting a “2020 Vision” for our church family. We knew this year would be a year of construction, and we wanted to prepare for moving into our first church facility (after 17 years of meeting in Blacksburg Middle School) and the expected growth of 2020 and 2021.

As the first three months of 2020 raced by, rumors of a virus began to swirl, but in my neck of the woods in southwest Virginia, things rolled forward as normal. Until they didn’t.

Our church shifted (it felt seamlessly) to online services, and I learned to preach to a camera, along with every other pastor across the nation, as we all embraced “two weeks to bend the curve.”

Eight months later, these United States are not so united anymore. Racial tensions, mandated masking, economic collapse, a rising mental health pandemic rivals the COVID pandemic, and an election in challenge have cratered our culture and gobsmacked our globe.

There’s a scene in Horton Hears a Hoo that portrays my perspective well in these welcomed, waning days of 2020:

(I highly recommend the movie! You will get a much-needed perspective boost and discover some distinctly Christian themes in it.)

You need big ears to “hear” thanksgiving this year. However, when I get quiet and reflect, the head banging clash of 2020’s disappointments falls away, and I begin to hear and remember so many things for which I’m grateful in 2020:

A wedding. My son Sam and his fiancee Sidney had big plans. They were to wed in May, but as pandemic restrictions kept dropping into place like an iron curtain, they made the difficult choice to release big plans and move their wedding up several weeks. Watching them navigate those decisions and getting to officiate their beautiful backyard ceremony was a sublime moment of sheer wonder. The ensuing reception was a car-parade, where their friends who hadn’t been able to attend drove around the circle driveway, dropped off gifts and blessed and congratulated them.
A construction project. Throughout 2020, our church has been blessed, favored and even spared of delays on our first-ever church facility. We’ve seen God do SO very much over the past five years of this faith journey with this dear church family. We are praying earnestly for God to raise the rest before we move in sometime in early 2021! [Please consider giving to or sharing our adventure with those who are kingdom-minded!]
[image error]Coffee mugs. I am a coffee mug nerd and love seeing different coffee mugs that folks drink out of. One of my favorite mugs was given to me this year after doing a wedding for a couple in our church. It’s my go-to. What’s yours these days?
A sabbatical. Our church has a gracious sabbatical policy for its ministry staff. Every seven years, we are encouraged to take some extended time off. I was four years late, but for nine weeks this summer, I rested, read, wrote, worked on home projects, spent time with family and truly reconnected with who “Jeff” is. It gave me a deep sense of appreciation for other pastors who were not able to pause during this pandemic.
A new book. Since I wrote Super Center Savior in 2012, I had not sensed momentum in a writing direction. But over sabbatical, I made significant progress on my next book with the tentative title From Fisherman to Shepherd: Why Denial & Doubt Don’t Sideline You about the life of Peter the apostle.
A respite from lymphoma. The end of May marked more than shuttered restaurants and movie theaters. It also marked a year since Carolyn’s last chemo treatment after a horrific cancer battle from November 2018-May 2019. A CT scan in October also prompted praise for its confirmation of cancer’s quietness.
A podcast. I’m a reader. I’ve never been a big podcast listener. Apparently, however, they’re a big deal. I flexed some creative muscles and started one called Ordinary Celebrity . Admittedly, my goal is to eventually get coffee with Tom Cruise, but along the way, I’ve already interviewed some special friends that you’ll be delighted to meet and celebrate with me.
Persistent prayer. I have learned afresh what it means to pray before I pout. To pray before I criticize. To pray after getting lost in frustration over pandemic issues, cultural darkness and political upheaval. It’s way too easy for me to blab about my thoughts (I think out loud) and go down social media rabbit holes tracking information. Prayer is where I cast my cares on Jesus. Prayer is where I STOP. So whether it’s just 2020 junk or heart issues I’m crying out for, I know my prayer muscle is being stretched these days.

What’s one thing for you that you are grateful for in 2020?

Think about it. Write it down. Leave a comment here if you like, but the important thing for gratitude to lodge in your heart and to displace discontent is for your to tell someone what you’re grateful. Gratitude unexpressed evaporates. Gratitude expressed grows you and prompts others to shift from the sour to the savory of life.

Then try this…. think of one more thing you’re grateful for. And tell someone that! It’s even better when it’s a person. Sit down with another human and sincerely relate to them how and why you’re grateful for them.

You’ve heard of “turning that frown upside down?” If a LOT of us express gratitude to others today and in days to come, we may be shocked to see that our tiny moments of gratitude are heard by someone bigger than we ever dreamed. Horton heard a Hoo, but how great is it that God hears you?!

“Therefore let us be grateful…” (Hebrews 10:28)

Prior Thanksgiving posts

(a bit surreal to journey through this year)

2005: Juanita’s, hot tea, and thee… aaaaah
2006: Better late than never… thanksgiving
2008: Giving thanks
2009: What a difference a year makes
2010: The Thanksgiving Chair
2011: Very Thankful
2013: Thanksgiving 2013
2014: Thanksgiving past
2015: Another thankful year
2016: Choosing Thanksgiving
2017: The humility of Thanksgiving
2018: Thankful for pardon
2019: Ye olde traditional Thanksgiving post

(Visited 17 times, 17 visits today)

New Podcast: Ordinary Celebrity

I went and did a thing.

I started a podcast. I’m excited about Ordinary Celebrity. I am a reader. I don’t listen to a ton of podcasts. When I do, I typically listen at 1.5x speed. I know I can read faster than I can listen, and when I’m digesting content, sometimes I want to do so at my own speed.

However, I think the podcast thing may be a thing. Apparently the rest of you enjoy them.

I’ve been encouraged by some (and dreamed with others) about starting a podcast. I floated the idea of a stand-up routine to a few folks, but that met with seated silence. Years ago, I commiserated with a few folks about having a radio show to talk about fantasy football and my valuable opinion about everything else. That didn’t take either.

But anyone can start a podcast. Thus, Ordinary Celebrity.. I was featured on the Life Experienced podcast a while back, and Ethan’s know-how was a nudge for me as well! I was brainstorming with Jonathan Kabongo a few weeks back, and I confessed to him my desire to have coffee with Tom Cruise, to visit with him, and how much fun it would be to have a podcast where I talked real life with celebrities. He mentioned that everyone has a story. When I looked into the word “celebrity,” it simply means “someone/something worthy of celebrating.” And that’s when it hit me, and this new podcast was birthed.

Whether someone has achieved public celebrity (Tom) or your next-door neighbor, classmate, parent, or co-worker, everyone deserves celebrity. And that’s what this podcast will be about.

Maybe it will get big enough to allow me to sit down with Tom over a cup of coffee and a microphone.

I want to invite along for the journey.

A few deets:

I’ve chosen to podcast through Anchor at the recommendation of Sam (who beat me to a fantasy football podcast) and Ethan. One nice feature: you can use Anchor to leave voice messages that I can use in future podcast episodes for a “look back” at previous episodes.

[image error]Hat Tips:

Ethan Smith’s Life Experienced podcast and his Terms and Conditions podcast
Sam Noble’s The MyFantasy Football podcast 

Here’s the links:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Anchor

(Visited 8 times, 11 visits today)

Missing nearness

“That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.” (Luke 24:13-14)

Two men walked on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Recent events in Jerusalem surrounding the Passover was the topic of conversation. It was all hard to believe. Chaos. Injustice. Mob rule. Corruption. In one 24-hour period, the man they’d believed to be the Messiah went from the acclaim of crowds to the jeering of the same under shouts of “Crucify him!”

The entire past week leading up to the Passover had been crazy. A week before Jesus had entered Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey. “When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar, saying, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:10-11)

Jesus had confronted the religious leaders directly. Their reputation had been tarnished. Two days before the Passover, the final death plot emerged and took form, aided by one of Jesus’ own disciples coming to the religious leaders with inside information about where Jesus would be the night of the Passover meal. They need to do this secretively “lest there be an uproar from the people.” (Mark 14:2)

Jesus had been captured, unjustly tried and sentenced, crucified and buried. It has been three days since. It was the only topic of conversation that made sense. And then Jesus showed up to walk with them down the dusty Emmaus road.

“While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.” (Luke 24:15)

Jesus asked them what they were talking about, and they responded sadly, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” Then they related the series of unfortunate events that had crushed their hopes in deliverance.

Missing the nearness of Jesus

We don’t know how they missed understanding that the man talking with them was Jesus. It was supernatural. That much is clear in the text. (“Their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.”) However, while their eyes failed to grasp, their hearts kindled. They just knew something significant was afoot. They just didn’t know in those road-weary, emotion-laden moments how near God was.

Isn’t that just like us? We focus on the chaos, corruption, confusion and disappointments around us, and we miss the nearness of Jesus. It’s a strange disconnect between our eyes and our hearts. We know that one of Jesus’ names is Emmanuel – “God with us” – and yet we allow circumstances to obscure our faith sight. Like Peter sinking beneath the wavy Galilee, when we turn from looking at Jesus to the storms around us, we too sink.

It was finally revealed to the men over supper that Jesus was with them. Powerfully, it was in the very moment that Jesus prayed, broke the bread and gave it to them. At that, He disappeared. They were stunned. They held bread in their hands and a burning awareness in their souls. ““Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” they asked one another.

Awareness of nearness displaced fear and disappointment.

There was nothing else to do but completely reinterpret everything they had been thinking about the past three days. JESUS WASN’T DEAD. HE WAS ALIVE. That changed everything. It meant there had been a bigger plan than the one set in motion by the religious leaders. It meant God was in control in spite of chaos, injustice, mob rule and corruption.

In a new moment of clarity, the cross made sense. The Messiah hadto die for us to be free. Jesus had explained it to them before they recognized Him, “Was it not necessary that the Christ should sufferthese things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26)

These days of pandemic, politics and cultural turmoil have produced such deep rooted fear, anxiety, anger and division – not just in our culture but in our churches.

And yet…

Jesus is near. Jesus is here.

When we don’t recognize His presence, however, we cannot enjoy His assurance. When we focus on circumstances, we miss the promises of His Word in scripture.

Like the two travel-weary disciples, we also can be near Him and yet miss Him. Jesus is easy to miss if you don’t expect Him to be there.There’s a danger for us “modern” Christians. Think about it. Jesus walked with these two men, freshly raised from the dead. He was the Resurrection Life. Yet they were still living in sadness and fear and disappointment.

A recent Kim Walker-Smith song has a beautiful chorus that reminds us of the constancy of Jesus and it proclaims the necessity of our fear and anxiety bowing before Him. Even when everything “gives way,” Jesus walks with us, instructing and tenderly waiting on our moment of recognition of His nearness.

You’ve always been, and You’ll always be
The God who gives, such perfect peace
So, all my fear, and anxiety
Will bow to my God
The King of Kings, oh, my Prince of Peace

I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid
‘Cause everything gives way, when I speak Your name

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)