Barbarians!

1 Corinthians 14:10-11 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a barbarian to the speaker and the speaker a barbarian to me.
We tend to think of barbarians like they are presented in movies and comics, guys in furry vests with horns on their helmets, primitive and violent, (and speaking English like a Schwarzenegger) but the word itself has a slightly more high class origin.
“Bar-bar-bar”. That’s the source of the term “barbarian”. Greeks thought it funny to mock non-Greeks by saying that that’s what their native tongues sounded like, and to them, anyone who wasn’t Greek was a “bar-bar-bar-barian”, no matter how they dressed. Most of us are familiar with similar thinking today. Not long ago, a news service got into trouble by reporting that the pilot of a crashed Asiana airplane was named “Sum Ting Wong” (bad pidgin for “Some Thing Wrong”), along with crew members “Wi Tu Low” (we too low), and “Bang Din Ow” (you figure it out). They broadcast the report before anyone noticed someone had been pulling their leg. Making bad jokes out of unusual accents and unknown languages has been around for a long time.
Genesis 11:9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
Language is primarily about the exchange of information. Ever since Babel, there have been misunderstandings between people - some catastrophic - because of breakdowns of language. If you are at the beach in Cancun and suddenly people are screaming “tiburon”, if might take you a very important minute to discover you should get out of the water now, since the "Jaws" theme music is about to start playing! (You could make a case that their should be some universal across-every-language words that are the same everywhere, and “shark” is one of them!)
Most of us are actually multi-lingual in some measure. We speak Japanese: “Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki”, Cooking: “2 tsps. salt, 4 lbs. flour, microwave on high”, Religious: “Rapture, Saved, Baptize”, Music: “Rap, Rock, Folk, DJ”, and many others, with varying levels of fluency.
I heard recently that one way to stave off senility was to keep learning, and learning language was touted as one of the better ways to do that. Let me suggest that one of the best languages we can spend our time learning is the language of Heaven.
I’m going to set your mind at ease, I’m not talking about Greek or Hebrew, or any other human tongue. I’m talking about a way of communicating that we can practice on Earth that will be essential in Heaven, as it will be the only one in use: Love. I could (and often do) talk about the various Greek words and what they mean, but the bottom line is that it is THE language that distinguishes God’s people from the World’s people.
John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Put your energy into learning this, and you’ll be ready for Heaven when you get there!

What’s In Your Ark?

Hebrews 9:3-5 After the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we can’t speak now in detail.
A fedora, a leather jacket, a (toy) revolver, and a (Dad-gineered) bull whip, and my son had his favorite Halloween costume of all time. He wore it “trick-or-treating" at least twice and would have worn it more but he out grew it. He still has the hat.
We were all big fans of the first Indiana Jones movie, wore out at least one VHS tape, but it was not a great place to get your Biblical history fix. For the record, there were no laser beams or face-melting angels associated with the Ark in the Bible - or any other piece of literature prior to the movie. That was all Hollywood.
But the Ark was real, and it had a real purpose, one worth knowing about today.
Take the jar of manna. They were to remember for all generations that God had miraculously provided sustenance for them in the harshest of environments - and not just survival food, but delicious and nutritious never seen before or since prosperity food. The honey-and-wafers taste was a hint of the milk-and-honey promise, and God fed over a million of them for 40 years in a desert. Seeing that, we ought to know that our piddling little problems are no match for His incredible power.
Then there was Aaron’s budding rod. When fearful and jealous people grumbled against Moses and Aaron, God demonstrated His calling by making Aaron’s rod - a dry stick that he had most likely been carrying for years - sprout with leaves, flowers, and almonds. Two things about that. One, the God who appoints a leader is able and willing to support that leader, and ‘B’, it’s never a good idea to bad-mouth God’s chosen ones.
And of course, there were the stone Tablets of the Law. Written on them were the Ten Commandments that expressed the heart of God’s covenant - His responsibilities and promises and those of His people. Oh, and He wrote it Himself with His finger, you might say His Signature, that He would do what He said. Now follow that up with the miracles He worked as the Ark went before the people - the River Jordan standing up to let them pass, the walls of Jericho falling down, and you begin to see its power and value, that it represented not only what God could do, but what He had done, and more than that, His active presence working and defending His own.
Don’t you wish you had one of those? Well, you can, and you don’t even need acacia wood to build it. For the believer, we carry the Ark of God in our hearts, as we remember the good things He has done for us, the times He has rescued us, and the times He has forgiven us. Our Ark is the Cross, covered in the precious blood of Christ, marking the once-for-all sacrifice that leads us into the Land of His Promise and Provision. What He has done before, He is still doing. Remember that, and let this new Ark go before you to bless your way!

​Professional?

​​​​I love the LORD ​​​​​​because he heard my plea for mercy, ​​​​​​​and listened to me. ​​​​​​As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help. Psalm 116:1-2
Heard this not long ago: The professional is paid to be good. The amateur is good for nothing.

It was worth a chuckle, but then it started me thinking. Since I receive a salary to serve as pastor, do people consider me to be a "professional Christian"? Honestly, I don't feel very "professional" when it comes to matters of faith. Like you, I find it easier to preach 10 sermons than to live out one! But I'm not like one preacher I heard about. His first sermon at his new church was delivered to great approval from the congregation. The next week, he preached the same message. The third Sunday, same thing. When the peeved members asked him about it, he said, “When you start doing this one, I'll preach you another one.” I'd probably get tired of that long before my listeners, so no risk of that!
Then I asked myself, "What IS the difference between an amateur and a professional, other than cash?" Both have natural talent. Both have skills. Both have admirers. Usually, the professional began as an amateur, then through practice, training, and sweat developed skills that took him or her to the next level, the level where they pay you to do what you love - in the best case scenario, anyway.
So, am I a "professional"? Yes. And no! I receive a salary to enable me the freedom to do what I love in response to God's call, which makes me a professional Pastor. But I'm an Amateur Christian, in the best sense of that word.
Originally, an amateur was "someone who does something out of love". In my piano- and guitar- playing, I'm strictly an
amateur. In singing, maybe I'm "semi-pro", but in matters of faith I'm gloriously, blessedly, amateurishly living for love!

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman

What has made me "come alive" is not the preaching event – though I love it - or the fancy wardrobe – yeah, right - or the respectful titles – not hardly! - but the Savior who reached out to me in my ignorance and rebellion, forgave my sin, enlivened my soul with His joy and then called me to join him. No matter how I make my living, I hope to always be an Amateur for Jesus, and I hope you are too!

Better Than Biscuits

Matthew 6:5 “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!
I try to avoid “preaching” through my prayers. There's a real risk I'd be praying to the wrong audience – people. It's like the little boy saying his prayers before bed one night. His mom said, “I can't hear you, son.” He answered, “I wasn't talking to you.” Real praying is talking to God from the heart. It's not usually fancy or pretty. It is often a struggle, desperate, and not worried about public critique, “Lord, if you don't do something, we're sunk!”
I suspect we've all heard someone telling us what he thinks we should do under the pretense of talking to God, usually with good intentions, but it's risky. However, I came across this one that I thought was too good not to share, so here you are:

The new pastor called on one of his older deacons to lead the opening prayer. He stood, bowed, and prayed most uniquely, “Lord, I hate buttermilk, and Lord, I hate lard, and I'm not crazy about plain flour, Lord, but when my wife mixes them together and bakes them just right, I just love hot biscuits!
Lord, help us realize that when life gets hard, when it's sour, or bitter, or tasteless, whenever we don't understand what you're doing, that we need to wait and see what you're making. After you get it all together and put it through the fire, it'll probably be something even better than biscuits. Amen.”

Pretty good sermon material, isn't it? I'm guessing that deacon thought the congregation needed that message, and took the opportunity to share it. After all, our perspective is pretty limited, and we often don't know how any particular event will fit into God's eternal plan. We do know and believe that whatever is happening down here in this life is preparation for what is coming in the Next. We should know that He knows what He's doing, and when He's done, it will be wonderful. It's a good reminder to us to take the long view. Like Peter and the Apostles, “...we have believed (faith-ed) and come to know (are certain)...” that God through Christ Jesus is in control.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Two requirements for the Called, Love God and Trust God. His “biscuits” will be so good, you don't even have to bring your own gravy! He's got this, so trust that He will work it together for Good!

A Tempest

Psalm 55:8 I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest.”
Whenever there is a storm, and especially if we come under a Tornado Watch or Warning, we glue ourselves to the weather reports while we make what preparations we can, and then we wait to see what will happen. Last week, our nerves were tested once again as reports flew about the oncoming storm and we wondered if we would see a repeat of 2011.
For most of us, the answer was “No”, but a few miles away in Pickens County the Bomb dropped. We know what that looks like. Roofs ripped off. Walls collapsed. Mobile homes turned into confetti. Mighty oaks become toothpicks.
Driving through the Sapps community above Aliceville was a rewind of Tuscaloosa, and I wondered how anyone survived this.
Then I saw the Shelter.
The Shelter was a carefully engineered and built concrete and steel structure, rated to hold 96 adults while withstanding winds in excess of 240 mph, and it stood solidly in place while a structure just 50 feet away was reduced to kindling. During the storm, it was packed to the gills, with over 200 people crammed in. That's right, well over 200. I was able to chat with a couple of men who were among the last to enter, and in their words, they “just barely got in.”
Knowing human nature as I do, I suspect there were some inside that wanted to complain about close quarters or someone stepping on their feet, but no one ever said so to me. After seeing what became of their world outside, I doubt any of them had anything bad to say about their experience – except their determination to build a second shelter and make sure that everyone had access. The few who rode out the storm in their homes – surprised by its speed, caught trying to help someone moving too slow, or not believing the warning – dramatically tested their prayer life.
One of the men from the shelter told me that the storm came and went in minutes. There were hours and hours, even days of warning, but the storm itself did not tarry in one place for long. It was over almost before they knew it, leaving rampant destruction in its wake, and many surprised with the joy they felt in surviving even though they had lost almost everything.
They were glad they had heeded the warning and hid themselves from danger. I know about that.
As a child, I heard the warning of impending doom and sought Shelter in Christ. Ever since, my mission in life is to warn others of the Tempest and open to them the Door of Salvation. Don't wait until the Storm is upon you! Come into the Shelter while there's still time! One day very soon, it will be too late!

Matthew 7:26-27 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

My Hero

Mark 2:3 Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him.
I love me some hero stories, where a noble and self-sacrificing soul overcomes great dangers, snatching victory from the slathering jaws of defeat, and triumphantly wins the fair maiden. OK, I have caught my limit of “fair maiden”(one little Pie Baker), but I still love the danger and the triumph, and I love the Heroes.
I suppose it goes back to The Lone Ranger, which me and my buddies watched religiously every day after school. “Return with me now to those thrilling days of yesteryear...with a cloud of dust and a mighty ‘HiYo SIL-verrrr! Away!'" Never missed him riding by that one big rock that must have followed him all over the West, but then he never missed with those silver bullets and always whipped the Black Hats and sent them off to their Just Reward. Plus he had a great theme song: Brum didee brum didee brum didee brum BRUM... It took me awhile to figure out that most heroes don’t come with theme songs, but that’s a story for another day.
Of course, I’m not the only one who loves heroes. Even Jesus noticed them and honored them!
Heroes like those 4 who tore off a roof to get their paralyzed buddy to Jesus: “And seeing their faith...” He didn’t admire their inventiveness, their roofing skills, or their unity. He never even mentioned their wardrobe choices. He rejoiced to see their FAITH - faith that He could help, that He would help, and that there was no one else to turn to. His admiration for their surprise entrance is obvious and immediate, and a bit surprising.
Mark 2:5 Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
To be fair, their faith in Jesus had some reasons behind it. He had been healing the worst diseases in their world right and left, but His first response addressing the internal (and Eternal) problems of their friend was probably not what they were looking for. It certainly took everybody else off guard, but He didn’t stop there. He went on to meet the obvious need, the one they thought they were there for, but He began with the one He saw most clearly - the Spiritual Need of one who was guilty.
Only the Lord knows the names of ANY of these men. Like our modern heroes, they keep their anonymity. They weren’t there to be noticed or glorified, but they have absolutely been remembered. Just so you know, when you come to the Lord with your troubles, be they large or small, He sees what you really need most, and for most of us it’s exactly what that paralytic needed: acceptance and forgiveness.
The heroic faith of these four “roof-raisers” inspires me, because I see me in them, and I want to be a Jesus kind of hero. My job is also to bring people to Jesus as they are, and let Him work His miracles in their lives. My understanding of their real need may be faulty, but His never is. He always does all things well.
Mark 2:12 ...they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

The Glory

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11

Glory: Beauty, Majesty, Splendor, Light. All of these parts of Webster's definition got me to thinking. How could anyone add to the Glory of God? After all, He's the source of it all. It's a mind-boggling thing, and hard to imagine, but when the twenty four elders drop to their knees and cast their crowns at the foot of God's throne, that's what they're trying to do, give Him more Glory.


So I tried to imagine what that was like.


Remember the moon landings? I was just a kid in '69 when Neil Armstrong made the first human footprint there. The pictures showed a gray surface that stood in marked contrast to the white spacesuits of the astronauts. Think about a full moon. Am I the only one who wondered how that dingy looking surface gave us the brightness and whiteness that we could see in the sky once a month?


I decided to refresh my memory by looking up some moon pictures on line. I got some bright full moon shots that reminded me of how beautiful it is – and why we have so many romantic songs and notions about it. “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore!” Sing it, Dean-O! But I also got some less romantic pics. They showed not only the gray and dingy look, they also showed craters. Lots and lots of craters. Remember Complexion Drama? I know it's been awhile, but “zits happened”. One of the less appealing nicknames that flew around then was “Crater Face”, because when we saw closeups of our oldest satellite, we saw evidence of damage. Meteors have been smacking the moon in the face since she was born – better her than us – and leaving big ugly holes everywhere like she was teenager. But when we see the full moon in all her (ahem) GLORY, we don't see her flaws OR her short-comings, only her beauty.


The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Isaiah 60:19


In years past, some idio...uh, I mean, critics have scoffed at the Bible's account of the moon giving light by saying that the moon is just a big rock with no light source. Nit-picking at the use of figurative language helps them miss something pretty cool, not to mention important. Where does the moon's light come from? It reflects the sun. In the sun's light, she is gloriously beautiful, her flaws invisible.


How can I give glory to God? By being in the Light. Out of that Light, my flaws are painfully obvious, and I prefer to hide, but in His Presence, the Glory transforms me and brings honor to Him. Let me just say to you who think “My flaws and failures are too much”, take a look at the moon. If the sun can make that much difference in that dirty old rock, how much more can the Son make in you?