Month: January 2018

4 Promises from God to You

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment

 

            When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it’s good to know you are not alone.  When you feel that no one really gets what you’re going through, its good to know that there is a powerful Protector and Provider who is present with you in the valleys of life.
            God has promised to be with his people.  I don’t think there is any better place to turn than Psalm 23 for some solid robust theology that can help you through every adversity, each trouble and time of need.
            Psalm 23, unfortunately, has been so closely associated with death and dying that it does not get the attention it deserves.  More than once, I’ve been told by grieving families to not use Psalm 23 in the funeral because it’s so tied in their minds to sadness.  We need a fresh reading of the psalm, in times that we aren’t in distress, to begin appreciating it and using it when we do face the unwanted and the unthinkable in our lives.
            One of my bedrock assumptions in ministry is that people need God.  They need to discover Him, get to know Him, grow in their understanding of Him, and learn to completely place their trust in Him.  I have that presupposition going into ministry because another foundational truth I believe is that God is good – there is never, and I mean never, a time when God is not always good, just, merciful, gracious, and kind.  God is pictured in the psalm as a Good Shepherd, the One who lovingly and pastorally leads us.  Psalm 23 is a great fortifier of faith, giving you and me the stout knowledge which we need to navigate the valleys, as well as the peaks of our lives.
            Take some time and carefully read the psalm several times, preferably in several different translations.  You will find characteristics of God which come shining through – attributes which we can internalize for our own connection and help, and externalize to others in their trials of life.  Here are four promises based in those attributes to bank-on through any circumstance:
1.      God is present with His people.
            God wants to be with you.  He really likes you.  He doesn’t begrudgingly put up with you.  God is not fickle.  He doesn’t promise to be somewhere with you, then not show up.  It does not matter whatsoever what valley you’re walking through – family discord, marriage problems, church strife, work issues, prison-time, or financial ruin – He is there.  God goes before you, with you, and after you, every place you go.
2.     God’s power is available to His people.
            God super-duper wants to empower you through your valley.  But we must understand this: God has never promised to overpower a situation and leave you unchanged.  Instead, God uses His good and benevolent power to buoy you through your trouble.  He’s more interested in developing your character and perseverance.  God wants your faith to be strong enough to serve you well throughout your life.  Faith can only grow if it is exercised and put under strain.
3.     God is in the protection-racket for His people.
            God, as the Good Shepherd, uses his shepherd’s rod to make us feel safe and secure in the middle of any hardship.  Whereas you and I tend to about the business of seeing God beat up our enemies and give ‘em a decent spanking they won’t forget, God turns the attention to us.  Judgment and wrath are God’s business, and He makes it clear it isn’t ours.  The wolves out there seeking to take advantage of us will be taken care of by God.  We can rest our heads on the pillow at night secure in the knowledge that God never sleeps and stands watch over us all the time.
4.    God surrounds His people with abundant provision.
            God more than meets our needs – He meets them lavishly.  Maybe we can survive on thin porridge and water, but God wants you to thrive, flourish, and be satisfied with a feast.  This is all done with people who don’t like us right there to watch.  God doesn’t just fill the cup, He causes it to overflow.

 

            Sometimes we dream of having a miracle.  Those are great.  I’d like to see more of them.  But the greatest need we have is of God Himself – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – working to manifest His good presence among us with power, protection, and provision for each day.  This is what the church needs to hear, experience, and pass-on.

Jeremiah 20:7-13

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            The prophet Jeremiah had a tough gig.  God didn’t give him much choice about his life’s work.  Jeremiah was commissioned by God with a message of doom and destruction.  If that weren’t enough, God promised him that no one would respond, nobody would repent, and not one person would listen to what he had to say.
            The reality of Jeremiah’s life-work is what makes his response in our Old Testament lesson for today understandable: “Sometimes I tell myself not to think about you, LORD, or even mention your name.  But your message burns in my heart and bones, and I cannot keep silent.”
            Maybe you can relate in some small way.  It isn’t always easy talking about God to others, let alone talking about some subject pertaining to Him which other people really don’t want to hear.  Yet, as the people of God, we discover it is much more painful to keep it all inside than it is letting it out and taking the consequences as they may come.
            Or, it could be that you resonate with Jeremiah’s trying to distance himself from God.  You were hurt, wounded in some way, and no matter how hard you run away from him God is the hound of heaven that tracks you down and won’t leave you alone.
            Don’t keep silent.  Speak.  Let out what is important to you.  Ignoring it, wishing it would go away, or thinking God will eventually give-up isn’t going to happen, my friend.  Let the message burn in your heart.  Do something about it… today!

 

God Almighty, you have your ways in this world and they don’t always make sense to me.  Sticking my fingers in my ears trying to pretend you’re not there isn’t working – my heart burns within me.  So, enable me to speak with all the confidence of the message I have; through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Spirit.  Amen.

My Dog has FOMO

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

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Drives me nuts.  There are too many times when my dog, Max Power, sits at the door and annoyingly whines because there is another dog or some person or something going on outside that he wants in on.  I don’t like whining.  I don’t like it that the dog has more toys than he needs, plenty of food, generous times of walking him, and more lap-time and pets than you can imagine – and he still sits at the door and whines like some disadvantaged creature who needs to be out there.  I think my dog suffers from FOMO.

FOMO is an acronym that means “Fear of Missing Out.”  Well, then, my dog has it bad.  The term “FOMO” came into being because of social media.  The “fear of missing out” is anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, usually aroused by posts seen on social media sites.  It happens when Zelda sees on social media that Xena or a group of friends are having some interesting, rewarding, or amazing experience and Zelda is not a part of it – she’s missing out.  More than that, now Zelda is glued to her electronic device with the apprehension and compulsion to keep abreast of all that is going on in her social media world so that she will not miss out on the fun, the experience, the happenings that are going on.  Zelda is determined to make the right decision about her time that allows for the maximum amount of enjoyment in life, and not to make the wrong decision that will leave her whining at the door with anxiety about what’s going on outside.  Thank God Max Power doesn’t have an iPhone!

Maybe we need a “come to Jesus meeting” about FOMO – not about social media (because that’s not the heart issue) but about the age-old condition of envy.  Its envy not about a physical object that another person has that you want, but an experience that someone else is feeling that you or I want to feel and experience.

The garden of Eden was the original place of FOMO.  Adam and Eve enjoyed unhindered relationship with God and each other.  Everything they needed was right there in front of them.  But the serpent put his post on FaceGarden: “God understands what will happen on the day you eat fruit from that tree [the one tree in the garden they were not allowed to eat from].  You will see what you have done, and you will know the difference between right and wrong, just as God does.” (Genesis 3:4-5).

The temptation was the fear of missing out – the anxiety that God was having a party for which they weren’t a part – that somehow God was holding out on them.  The term “FOMO” might be a recent acronym, but the compulsive feelings and behavior is nothing new.  Previous generations called this believing that “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.”  It is the social envy over what we do not have, instead of resting content with the largess which we do have.

I’m neither here to rail on the sin of envy, nor to be a crank-a-saurus about technology and social media.  Yes, the Scripture says that envy rots the bones.  But the gracious way to look at this is that people, all people everywhere, crave meaningful connection with other people.  We were built and designed for relationships and enjoyable experiences.  It’s just that, like anything in life, we take a good thing and fixate on having more – more friends, more experiences, more connection, more fun, more memories.

Today I was reminded of the middle of one Bible-verse tucked away at the end of a small epistle by the Apostle Paul: “Encourage anyone who feels left out.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, CEV).  We can turn FOMO on its head by seeking to include, help, and come alongside the timid and the marginal, the outsider and the loner, the newbie and the plain-Jane, rather than only seeking to get our foot in the door of society for ourselves.  Unlike listening to the serpent, who encouraged an aggressive taking of the forbidden fruit, we can invite and include others into our little garden of paradise.  The Holy Scripture calls it “hospitality.”

Our spiritual development is not only formed through solitude and silence, but through active communal inclusion of the other person into our lives.  Showing hospitality is the true antidote to FOMO.  It is the focus on others which alleviates the anxiety of the age we live in.  Maybe Max Power just needs a few of the people he hears outside to be invited inside.  After all, why pluck some other tree’s fruit when there’s plenty in my own garden.

The Power of Metaphors

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 “But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don’t get tired,
they walk and don’t lag behind.”
(Isaiah 40:31, The Message)
 
            Language is a beautiful thing.  It’s able to evoke powerful images within us, emboldening us and encouraging us.  This biblical verse from the prophet Isaiah demonstrates the enduring quality and strength of words to communicate wonderful truth and soothing grace to our hearts.
            Our choice of words and our selection of stringing those words together in metaphors is vital and important.  A metaphor is simply a figure of speech, an image of something that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.  Isaiah used the eagle to picture what God can do for us when we are weak and weary and need fresh strength.  We can’t literally soar above everything, but metaphorically, we can transcend our earthly circumstances and wait on God to invigorate us.
            We can use metaphors in funny ways.  I’m a cartoon connoisseur.  One of my favorite characters, Foghorn Leghorn, is a master of metaphor: “That boy’s about as sharp as a bowling ball.” “Nice boy but he’s got more nerve than a bum tooth.” “That woman’s as cold as a nudist on an iceberg.” “His muscles are as soggy as a used tea bag.”
            We can use metaphors to impart wisdom and cause us to think about things from a different angle:  “The moon does not care if the dog barks at it” (Czech proverb). “However black a cow is, its milk is always white” (African proverb). “When the root is deep, there is no need to fear the wind” (unknown). “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life” (Proverbs 13:14). “You are the salt of the earth” (Jesus, in Matthew 5:13).
            Metaphors take us on a journey toward an expected end or outcome.  It’s why we ought to be careful and not careless with our words.  Consider some of the common metaphors we use, and think about the trajectory of those words.
“She battles cancer.”  This is clearly a military metaphor.  It might be great if you “beat” the “invading” cancer cells and “win,” achieving a cancer free status.  But, is cancer really within your control to beat? Is it your choice to win or to lose?  What if you don’t win?  Is there something wrong with you?  This metaphor communicates that if you lose your battle, you’re a loser – and that’s neither comforting nor helpful.  Methinks we need a different metaphor for cancer.  John McCain, a person familiar with both war and cancer, interestingly said this about the two: “For me, cancer never felt like a war. Cancer wasn’t something I ‘had,’ but a process my body was going through.” In his metaphor, cancer is a journey that he needs to take, a “process” he must go through.
            What if we changed the metaphor (for any disease or condition) and, for example, said something like, “I did not invite fibromyalgia into my life; he is an unwanted guest, but I will sit with Fibro Fred (go ahead and name it an actual name) for awhile and listen to him.”  Now we aren’t attempting to conquer, but explore, and in discovery you might find new, fresh, or just mindful ways of coping with a reality you did not choose.
            Another example of metaphor is describing a difficult reality for many people: depression.  Oftentimes we image depression as “a thick fog” or “the invisible enemy” and, in many corners of society it is still just referred to as “sin,” or “the demon of depression.”  Again, think about the direction these metaphors take us.  The thick fog implies there is nothing we can do but sit and wait for it to lift.  The invisible enemy implies just the opposite, and brings us yet again to the military metaphor, as if we can simply choose to drive it out.  But depression is neither a condition which we can do nothing about, nor a sinful enemy which we can fight and exorcise out of our lives.
            Having been through a major depression myself, I would look back and describe it as having a dead car battery.  It doesn’t help to swear about it, do nothing about it, think you can magically will the car to start with the power of your mind, or quote Bible verses at it in the belief it will spring to life.  Nope.  When your car battery is dead, you immediately find a way to jump start it, head to a place that can help you replace it with a new battery, and move on down the road of life knowing that you have fresh power to keep going, not forever, but at least for few years.  It’s not sinful or evil to have a dead car battery.  It just is, and there are choices you can make when you’re in that unwanted and awkward situation.
            The church needs a solid toolbox of metaphors to use in all kinds of situations, so that she can encourage, comfort, help, support, build-up, and walk with hurting people, for whatever reasons, through their intensely personal experiences toward fresh hope and vital spiritual health.

 

            What are some metaphors that have served you well?  What are some which have been hurtful to you?  Can you think of different metaphors to describe your condition, or the condition of your friend or family member?