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Playing to Our Strengths

By / December 20, 2022

Playing to Our Strengths

The first time I beat my dad in ping-pong was on his 40th birthday.  He proceeded to shellack me for the next few weeks, but I already digress.  I loved ping-pong and was pretty good at it as long as I didn’t have to go against any southpaws.  When I moved to Prague to do mission work, I bought a ping-pong table and set it up in my apartment living room as a way to reach out to folks.  It was a hit and we set up a lot of Bible studies over ping-pong.  Anything interesting from the world of ping-pong caught my attention, but one particular factoid I gleaned from somewhere during high school is still lodged in my head.  This is where I finally get on track.

Growing up, the Chinese were almost unbeatable in world-champion and Olympic ping-pong.  I read their strength came from focusing on their strengths and not trying to work on their weaknesses.  They became so overwhelming in their particular strengths they never gave their opponents the chance to exploit their weaknesses.

And it strikes me – in our Christian walk, do we play to our strengths or our weaknesses?  Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all the false stuff the world throws at me, the myriad “reasons” why it won’t follow Christ, and why I should just keep my head down and be quiet.  Truth be told, I can’t keep up with all the arguments people throw against following.  It’s bewildering – the information overload is too great to process, let alone combat.

We don’t have to – not if we play to our strengths.  And let’s face it, the reason why they are so powerful is because they aren’t “our strengths.”  They belong to Jesus, who strengthens us.  What did Jesus do?  He changed people’s lives by loving them into the Kingdom.  He didn’t coerce.  He didn’t go for any jugulars.  When He was critical, it was against people who should have known better – people with religious credibility who were keeping others out of the Kingdom by withholding compassion… mercy… love.

Think about this – we all have someone or group of someones we just can’t see coming to Jesus.  I submit it’s probably because we haven’t been playing to our strengths.  We haven’t been loving like Jesus….

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Of Dragons and Salvation

By / December 8, 2022
Eustice Scrubb

Of Dragons and Salvation

One of my favorite chapters in all of the Chronicles of Narnia is when Eustice is explaining to Lucy and Edmond how he became a boy again after his time as a dragon.  Eustice was not a very nice person, and upon sleeping on a dragon hoard thinking dragon thoughts he became a dragon himself.  This pathetic condition spurred him to think and he went through a time of repentance.  But he was still a dragon with all sorts of dragon problems.  Finally, in what seemed like a dream, Aslan, the Emperor over the sea, the lion who is not tame, and the Christlike figure in Lewis’ books, comes to Eustice and tells him he will need to undress if he is to become a boy again.  He enthusiastically scratches off a layer of dragon-y scales only to find he has another layer underneath.  He puts himself to it again, only to find another layer.  After several times, Eustice despairs of ever scratching the dragon off himself.  Aslan explains he himself will need to do the job.  Eustice is terribly frightened but submits to Aslan’s mighty claws.  They tear deep and hurt something fierce.  Aslan then throws him in water and it stings like only raw skin in water can – and he is a boy again.  But not the same.  He is changed.

I love this chapter because Lewis so powerfully captures the nature of what only Jesus can do for us.  Let’s understand clearly – we’re not good enough for the glory God has purposed for us.  We have ruined ourselves.  Maybe we don’t look too dragon like, but the dragon is there.  It’s called sin and it clings to us like our skin.  No effort of ours can remove it and this one single fact about who we are is the most important one we can ever know – we need saving.  The language in Romans 3 is instructive – in our sin we have fallen short.  We could stop there.  When we see our situation as it really is, it’s like looking across the Grand Canyon.  Crazy to think we can leap that.  We’ve never made it.  We can’t make it.  We won’t make it.  We need Jesus….

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A Story of Thanksgiving

By / November 28, 2022

A Story of Thanksgiving

Before I could read, my mom read to me almost every night.  We had a book of Bible stories, poems, and stories with spiritual themes throughout, and my favorite was the one with the boy at breakfast who thanked his mother for his nice brown roll.  The mother corrected him and told him he should thank the miller.  Well, the miller told him to thank the farmer, who told him to thank the rain, who told him to thank the sun.  The sun finally said, “Don’t thank me, thank God who made me.”

At the time, besides the picture of the smiling sun, I think I liked the mystery of it all.  Would we ever find out who was really responsible for the boy’s nice brown roll?  Even after I knew the story by heart, I still loved the sequencing, living through that little boy, running from one place to the next to give thanks to whom it was due until finally he got it right.  Pretty exciting for an almost four-year-old.

Today, I’ve heard a lot of people expressing gratitude.  Even in the car this morning a radio station thanked me for being a listener.  People on social media are posting what they are thankful for, and it’s lovely to see it all.  But the bottom line for all of us is the same as that of the little boy with his nice brown roll.  Whatever blessings we have, and they are myriad, they ultimately come from God.  Truly, from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things.  Let’s not forget that this Thanksgiving.

OUR DAILY BREAD

A little boy’s mother gave him a brown roll for his breakfast. The little boy said, “Thank you, mother. Thank you for my nice brown roll.” The mother said, “Don’t thank me, thank the miller.”

The little boy ran to the miller. He said, “Thank you, miller. Thank you for my nice brown roll.” The miller said, “Don’t thank me, thank the farmer.”

The little boy ran to the farmer. He said, “Thank you, farmer. Thank you for my nice brown roll.” The farmer said, “Don’t thank me, thank the rain. I only planted the wheat.”

The little boy saw the clouds in the sky. He saw the raindrops falling. He said, “Thank you, rain. Thank you for my nice brown roll.” The rain said, “Don’t thank me, thank the sun. I only helped a little.”

Just then the sun began to shine. The little boy said, “Thank you, sun. Thank you for my nice brown roll.” The sun said, “Don’t thank me. Thank God who made me.”

The little boy went back to the table. He folded his hands. Then he said, “Thank you, God. Thank you for my nice brown roll.”

Taken from Bible Stories of Love and Care by the Standard Publishing Company, 1967.  By Carol Ferntheil.

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Of Electric Poles and Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

By / November 17, 2022

Of Electric Poles and Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Not a quarter mile from home is an electrical pole that has been hanging by the wires since early June.  I don’t know what hit it.  But it’s just hanging there, suspended in the air, and supported on nothing from the ground.  It’s the wires and the poles on either side of it that are holding it up.  And I suspect what is keeping those poles from snapping is the support they are getting from others further down the road.  I’m very shocked (pun slightly intended) that no one has fixed that hanging, shattered pole.  Over five months is a long time for something like that I imagine.

But sometimes I feel like that pole.  I’m not sure what hit me and can’t find my feet.  I feel somewhat splintered and wish someone would hurry up and fix me as I’m just hanging there for what feels like dear life….

Ah.  But it’s never for dear life.  There are these other poles, you see.  Even in what seems like very precarious situations, even when I’m feeling broken, even when I’m not sure how I’m ever going to find my feet, God has given me my brothers and sisters in Christ, standing there with me when I can’t….

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down,

one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

and has no one to help them up.

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Faith and the Ultimate Trial

By / November 9, 2022

I’ll leave this deliberately vague, although many of you know the specifics.  We just lost a very dear friend and brother tonight.  When we last visited him, he told us he was ready to go home to be with God.  We know he was.  And it struck me then as it does now and as it did when my own grandfather said something similar – death is the final and ultimate trial; yet for those who love the Lord, when the time draws near, they don’t shrink away.  They are giants of faith.  They are ready.

In Bible class this past Sunday we hit an old, familiar theme – the interplay of faith and trial.  My wife simply stated as she looks back on her life, she can see where God was the one who got her through the toughest challenges of her life.  This is where she gains strength in present challenges – to know God will see us through because He always has.  The difficulty for us most of the time, I think, is that every challenge is slightly different.  It’s like the disciples in the boat on the raging sea – sure, Jesus could take care of the sick and demon possessed, but a storm?  Yes, a storm.  And so, each time God sees us through some new challenge, our faith is strengthened to see Him as more than able to handle what comes our way.  Until, finally, we come to face death, that biggest of trials.  It is the ultimate unknown and therefore takes great faith – yet God has seen us this far.  And just as every word He has spoken to us is true, just as He has kept every promise to keep us in His care no matter what, He will honor that promise not to the end, but through the end, as we are changed from glory into glory.

To our friend and brother – thank you for showing us the way.  We will see you again….

Heaven

He Himself Is Our Peace

By / October 31, 2022

He Himself Is Our Peace is the second in a continuing sermon series on the importance of the church from the book of Ephesians.  The outline follows after the video link.

He Himself Is Our Peace – Ephesians 2

Our relationship to God has changed

  • Previously….
    • Dead – 2:1
    • Followers of Satan – 2:2
    • Objects of wrath – 2:3
  • Now….
    • Alive with Christ – 2:4
    • A place in the heavenlies – 2:6
    • God’s workmanship – 2:10

Our relationship to each other has changed

  • Previously
    • The dead are apart from relationship
    • Separate from Christ – 2:12
    • Excluded from citizenship – 2:12
    • Foreigners – 2:12
  • Now
    • Near – 2:13
    • Unified – 2:14
    • Citizens – 2:19
    • One temple – 2:21-22

It is the language of community, the language of the church….

  • The whole chapter is plural!
  • No one is excluded… in Christ!
  • If He is our peace, our obligation is to us all….

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Psalm 62

By / October 27, 2022
tottering fence

Psalm 62

I love the imagery and metaphors of the Bible and the book of Psalms is chock-full of them.  One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 62.  It’s delightful to read by taking on the role of a poet tasked with interpretively reading to an audience as it seems to move through several different moods.  In part of it, David compares himself to a leaning wall and a tottering fence that his enemies are trying to tear down.  David really sounds keenly aware of his own frailty here.  Now – did the greatest king of Israel really feel that way?  Actually, I think he most certainly did, and I think that’s why this Psalm really speaks to people.  Sure, we like to think of ourselves as strong – and as long as everything is going fairly smoothly, we can talk ourselves into believing we are.  But life doesn’t go smoothly, does it?  Something is always trying to knock us down like we’re some kind of old, beat up, weathered fence.  We feel it; deep down we feel our own inadequacies and know we aren’t built for the long haul. 

But that’s okay – because our God is not an old worn-out fence.  David says here He is a fortress, a rock, a refuge; and in Him, in that fortress, refuge, and rock that He is… in Him – we find rest and salvation!

Compare that with those who are throwing at David everything they’ve got.  David has a metaphor for them too – the lowborn are just a breath – the highborn are just a lie.  Both of them weigh nothing.

Finally, in a crescendo of faith that cuts through the fluff, David provokes us to think of the one thing God has spoken and the two things David has heard.  It finally comes down to strength and love.  These two things can sustain us through anything!  God is strong enough to take care of us and loves us enough to actually do it.  In Him, we will never be shaken!

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Faith vs. Dogma

By / October 13, 2022

I have a kind of convergence of thought going on lately as I consider various questions.  As I process, I’m realizing a lot struggle people are having today is one of faith vs. dogma.  Young people my kids’ ages leave home and leave the church.  People who have been a part of the church their whole lives suffer through a pandemic never to return.  In a different vein, long-standing friendships are severed over politics or a stance on some social issue.  And it strikes me – churched or unchurched, we are living in dogmatic times.

I take issue with Merriam-Webster here.  I don’t equate dogma with doctrine.  I think rather we can approach doctrine faithfully or dogmatically.  And I think it’s critical to understand what’s at stake.  When we approach doctrine dogmatically, we shut down questions.  When we approach doctrine faithfully, we invite questions.  Faith breathes.  Dogma suffocates.  Faith moves.  Dogma sits.  Faith lives.  Dogma calcifies.  Faith is hard.  Dogma is easy.  Paradoxically, faith anchors.  Dogma is easily dislodged.

As I said, questions are catalyzing these thoughts.  Some of my questions I’m almost afraid to voice out loud because, as I said before, these are dogmatic times.  If you ask a thoughtful question, dogma oversimplifies difficulties and questions why you would raise such a question.  You can find yourself on the outside of a group you have a long-standing relationship with – you can find yourself shunned.   But that doesn’t stop the questions – and here is where I think the issue is….

I can answer my kids’ questions with dogma, giving them easy answers to complex questions.  I can question them as to why they would even bring up some questions, shutting down discussion and imposing a false peace – but that’s just what it would be – a false peace.  If the dogma doesn’t make sense to them (and dogma rarely does) the questions don’t go away.  And when they’re out from under my roof living far away from the church of their youth, they’ll look for answers to those questions somewhere other than the places they received dogmatic answers.  They’ll leave the church.

We can answer our brothers and sisters with dogma.  And when a pandemic comes and they can’t be together with the saints, they’ll go somewhere else when they can finally get out.  Maybe to a volleyball league or the Lion’s Club.

If we are going to survive… no…. let’s aim higher than that…if we are going to thrive, we’d better answer questions with faith.  Faith will wrestle.  Faith will deal with ambiguity.  Faith will breathe.  Faith will give life.

Okay.  So, I addressed the church issue.  I want to be clear.  We live in dogmatic times.  Have I said that?  It’s not just in the church where dogma exists.  It’s not even primarily in the church.  It’s out in the world too – neck-deep in spades as evidenced in a cancel culture that can only work in a dogmatic world.  Our political and social discourse is full of poorly supported dogma.  Do you hear what I am saying?  The world has always been dogmatic.  But unlike the church, it can’t be any different because it doesn’t have faith.  And this is our in.  Faith breathes.  Faith lives.  We may be excoriated for expressing ideas that fall outside the current dogmatic sphere, but we should be brave enough to do it.  Because as the mob does its worst and gives us up for dead, a few will linger.  And wonder.  And as our faith animates us and we, like Paul, get up off the ground and walk again, that wonder will turn into questions.  And they have then started down the path of faith.

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Monarchs

By / October 11, 2022

They don’t think of us at all of course, that’s just my wild overdeveloped right brain’s idea.  I’m talking about monarch butterflies.  You know them, don’t you?  Those orange with black striped powerhouses that migrate some 3,000 miles to Mexico from all over the country only to return in the spring from whence they came.  (Monarchs deserve words like “whence” I think.) 

Here at the Harrill household we’re a little crazy for monarchs.  We’ve torn up turf and planted a decidedly small meadow, complete with milkweed, the favored food of the caterpillars.  We’ve tagged the migrators for scientific research groups dedicated to monarch preservation.  My youngest has put splints on a couple of wounded-winged monarchs and watched them flutter off for parts unknown.  We’ve collected the caterpillars to protect them from predators at their vulnerable metamorphosis stage of chrysalis formation and released them when they hatch.  We do all this – but they don’t give us a second thought.  Not at all.  They just fly off to Mexico unaware that some of them owe us their very lives.

And it makes me think (because unlike monarchs I can) – how much do I think about what God has done for me?  Paul says this – “For in Him we live, move, and have our being.”  Simply put, we don’t exist without Him.  And yet, do I think about it?  Do I look at every breath as a grace given me from Him?  Do I go about my day consciously thinking of how He animates me?  Do I, in this existence of mine, place my whole self in relation to Him?  In the final analysis, I’m convinced God works for the attention He deserves from us every day.  Today, He even used monarchs… even though they didn’t think of me at all….

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Avoiding the Kool-Aid

By / September 23, 2022

Avoiding the Kool-Aid

This may be a little heavy.  I don’t think so much in words as I do in pictures and images – and of late my thoughts are an avalanche of cognitive dissonance.  Maybe you’re there too – that feeling you get when something is totally different from your expectations and experiences.  These days, I wonder sometimes if I even understand anything the world throws at me – I find it all quite bizarre.  The latest bizarre episode comes (circuitously) from someone who used to go to church and has stopped.  “Yeah, been there, done that, I’m just not drinking the Kool-Aid anymore.”  Exact words.  To one of her former sisters in Christ.  Huh?

Forget about the insulting implication.  We can expect that from non-believers.  It hurts more, however, when it comes from someone we were close to in the church, when they place us in the same category as a crazy suicidal cult group where over 900 people died for their unquestioning allegiance to a charismatic lunatic.  Sure, it’s hyperbolic and of course they are doing some major self-justifying.  But it makes me think – what was her faith built on?

I’m not sure.  But I suspect a lot of Christians look for easy answers.  They want to put their thinking on autopilot so they don’t have to wrestle so much with how God wants them to live in this world.  The problem with that is when not worked, spiritual muscles atrophy – and when harder questions come, these folks aren’t ready to deal with them.  And today, there are a lot of hard questions – and the easy answers are coming from a pathological world that would have us walk in its well-worn paths.  God answers our questions within the context of the cross – a decidedly hard set of answers requiring sacrifice, endurance, faith, and a kind of love so cosmically mind-bending the world can’t even see it.  We need to avoid those paths of least resistance wherever we find them because in the end, that’s where real destruction comes from.

Einstein purportedly asked, “Are they crazy, or am I?”  I’ve asked that.  But what I’ve found is, the peace I have, the joy I have, the love I’m capable of (and all-to-often imperfectly do) – all these things have all been forged in the pain of the cross – plain foolishness to the world, but rock-solid truth proven over time as I daily discover new ways to love God and my neighbors more perfectly.  Even to those who think I’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid….

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