Mary

 I was pleased when I saw that Netflix was offering a new movie about Mary for the Christmas season.  Her story is one of the most beautiful, best known, and most celebrated in all of history. 

 Both Luke (chapters 1-2) and Matthew (chapters 1-2) record the extraordinary events surrounding the birth of Jesus.  Mary is the most likely source for this information.  Most scholars are agreed that Mary was a young woman when she gave birth to Jesus, perhaps no more than a teenager.  All evidence indicates that she lived a number of years after Jesus’ death. 

 Matthew, as one of the 12, would have been well acquainted with Mary. Luke tells us that he conducted careful research and personal interviews with eyewitnesses. (Luke 1:1-4).  Mary would have been an essential eyewitness. When we read Luke 2, the words reflect the personal touch and feel of one who was there, one who experienced what no one else has ever seen or felt:  the announcement by the angel Gabriel, the visit with her mother’s cousin, Elizabeth; the misunderstanding and confusion concerning her pregnancy; Joseph’s courageous decision to marry her;  the long journey to Bethlehem in obedience to Roman law; the birth in a stable followed by extraordinary visitors: shepherds from the nearby fields and astronomers from the East.  Afterward the couple present an offering in the temple, all they can afford, a simple pair of doves.  They are astounded by the prophecies of Simeon and Anna who recognize the child as the Messiah.  Joseph is warned in a dream to depart for Egypt before Herod unleashes his rage on the infants of Bethlehem in response to the Magi’s message.

 So, we sat down the other night, signed in, and watched Mary with anticipation.  But the writers of the Netflix version went beyond elaboration into the realm of fantasy.  They created an entire prequel regarding Mary’s parents including multiple appearances of the angel Gabriel and Lucifer.  They invented a story about Anna the prophetess and Mary’s childhood in the temple. Some elements of the movie left me shaking my head.  Mary and Joseph riding to Bethlehem in a horse-drawn wagon? Galloping across the desert on a stallion?  And Joseph, a common worker in a stone quarry fighting his way through a fiery battle against Roman soldiers?  What happened to the carpenter from Nazareth?

 I am afraid that our theatrical fantasies have caused us to lose touch with reality.  We have a tendency to confuse historically authenticated records with Marvel super-heroes and imaginary worlds. 

 I am all for using imagination to try to grasp the reality of the incarnation.  I thought The Chosen did a good job of helping us see the 12 disciples as real people living in an extraordinary moment.  I even attempted to do the same in my novel, We Beheld His Glory.  But our understanding of what occurred on the earth 2100 years ago must remain true to the documents produced by those who were there.

 This coming week we will remember that one life that changed the world.  We will celebrate with lights and singing and gift-giving.  The reality of God’s intervention into our world through His Son is the most important event in human history.  Jesus’ birth, His sinless life, sacrificial death and resurrection from the dead changed everything! 

Making Life Meaningful

 Ever since 1988 when Tom Hanks starred in Big, we have enjoyed his acting career.  Forest Gump, Castaway, Saving Private Ryan, A Man Called Otto.  To name a few.   Whenever a new Tom Hanks movie is released, we want to see it, or at least, check it out. So, we went to see Here, his newest movie released in October starring Hanks and Robin Wright who played Jenny in Forest Gump.

 As usual, we were late comers.  The movie had been out several weeks before we found a day and time that worked for us.  When we arrived, the fact that there were only 7 people in the theater should have been a clue.   Despite impressive technical effects, Here has apparently been a Box Office bomb.

 The story line focuses on a particular spot on the earth, “Here,” and all that happened on that spot including a Native American couple who fell in love, had children, grew old and died.  The same can be said for other families that occupied the house built on that spot. Each of them, falling in love in their youth, having children, settling for jobs to make a living, growing old and dying. The stories are told in a non-linear script, with constant flashbacks, and flash-forwards. But in the end the stories are all the same.  When I left the theater, I felt depressed.

 Is this all there is to life? Disappointment, misunderstandings, unrealized dreams, constant struggle to make ends meet, old age, illness and death?  Perhaps this is the way most people live.  I hope not.

 Six years ago, for our 50^th anniversary, I wrote “Our Story” for our children and grandchildren.  We realized that our children and grandchildren know their stories that intersect with ours, but, by and large, they did not know “our story.”  It was a good exercise in reflection.  At the conclusion, after 50 years of marriage and more than 70 years of life, we wrote, “God has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams and imaginings. We have loved and enjoyed one another every step of the way. He has blessed us with beautiful children and grandchildren of character and faith. They are kind, thoughtful, honest and generous.” Other friends with whom we started our journey more than fifty years ago could say the same.

 Jesus teaches us all how to make something special out of our lives by forgiving, encouraging and believing in one another.  He teaches us to live our lives with a focus on something more than “getting by” or “making a living.”  Just as Peter wrote,  ^“For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘all flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever.’” (1 Peter 1:23-25).

 Jesus’ promise is ever true. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you,” (Matthew 6:33).  “The Lord is good. His lovingkindness is everlasting and his faithfulness to all generations,” (Psalm 100:5).

White Space

 Life starts out fairly simple.  When my wife and I married we could, quite literally, pack all our possessions in the back seat of our car.  But along the way, we picked up clutter.  The closets and attic overflow. Once, I rented a storage unit so she could get her car in the garage.   “Stuff” seemed to multiply.  It filled every nook and cranny.  It is hard to throw it away.  Worn out baby shoes, broken toys and scribbled scraps of paper represent my life.

 The calendar is the same.  Business, or “busy-ness,” claims every minute. Millions start the day with a swig of coffee while they maneuver onto the freeway munching a breakfast burrito.  Memos, phone calls, meetings and long hours on our feet are followed by a weary commute home to pick up kids for practice sessions.  No wonder we are exhausted. 

 Christians are especially vulnerable. Richard Foster wrote, “We are trapped in a rat race, not just of acquiring money, but also of meeting family and business obligations. We pant through an endless series of appointments and duties. This problem is especially acute for those who want to do what is right. With frantic fidelity we respond to all calls to service, distressingly unable to distinguish the voice of Christ from that of human manipulators."

 We need white space!

 Look at Google’s homepage.  Google keeps it simple.  We need to learn how to live Google lives, with plenty of white space, space in our lives that gives us freedom.  We need deliverance from crammed calendars and cluttered closets. 

 It takes discipline to create white space, room for flexibility and freedom, margins in which to breathe.  Jesus knew how to order life with “white space.”  He took time to listen to children, to help a desperate woman who risked touching his garment, to heal a paralytic passed over by the crowd.  He had time for people.   When he died, his robe was his only possession.  He never punched a time clock.  He did not wear a watch. He was never rushed or in a hurry. 

 It is entirely possible that, with our breakneck race to “get somewhere” that we might end up “nowhere.”  Jesus said, “… you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.” (Luke 10:41-42). 

 And again, ““For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ... And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” (Luke 12:22-30).

Best Thanksgiving Ever

 I glanced at the magazines on the rack, and there she was, Martha Stewart, promising the “Best Thanksgiving Ever.”  She was offering a perfect piece of pie while smiling a perfect smile with perfect teeth, wearing a perfect dress with perfect hair, surrounded by a perfect kitchen with an open window that looked out on a perfect garden.  Every wrinkle and excess pound had been photo-shopped away so that she looked decades younger than her actual age.

Unlike Martha, when we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner we show up with wrinkles, warts and all. We look our age. The kitchen is a mess with spilled flour on the cabinet and a sink full of dirty dishes. The food, of course, is great because my wife is a great cook: baked turkey, mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, her famous dressing passed down from her mother, green beans, fruit salad, cranberry sauce. Best of all, the pecan pie my granddaughter helps bake using a recipe passed down from my mother!  

But it occurred to me, when I saw Martha Stewarts’s magazine, that Thanksgiving isn’t about the food or the perfect picture. Real Thanksgiving is about the heart. It is difficult for a heart that is not thankful every day to be truly thankful on Thanksgiving Day.

Which brings up a concern about Thanksgiving. Our tradition of gathering around bountiful tables with family and friends seems more like a brief interruption to the more important business of shopping.  We can hardly push back from the table fast enough to hit the stores for Black Friday door busters that start on Thursday.

 Apparently the earliest “Black Fridays” took place in Philadelphia in the 1950s when hordes of shoppers descended on local stores ahead of the Army/Navy football game. The national push started in the 1960s. It gained momentum and became a well-fixed tradition by the 21^st century.  While most stores still remain closed on Thursday, others will throw open their doors on Thanksgiving.  Black Friday has become a 5-day marathon including Cyber Monday.

 Our forefathers knew nothing of this.  They hunted and harvested and cleaned and cooked, but they never stood in lines in front of glass doors waiting for the opening bell. They never rushed through aisles searching for treasures that were sure to disappear.  They never stood in check-out lines that stretched to the back of the store. They had it easy.  I relent, however, when I see how happy my grandchildren are to go shopping with their grandmother.

 Nevertheless, I am nostalgic for the traditional American Thanksgiving we knew when I was a child. All the stores were closed. Workers spent the day with their families. No one had to shop for presents or send cards. All we had to do was enjoy getting together with those we love and be thankful.

 I hope this holiday season we cultivate a thankful heart and grateful spirit and take time to truly “be” with family and friends so that this is “the best Thanksgiving ever.” (Colossians 3:15)

For Thanksgiving, Bill Tinsley's book, We Beheld His Glory FREE as an eBook on Amazon November 26-27.

What Is God Like?

 What is God like? It is an important question. Our answer determines our worldview, how we see ourselves, how we see others and how we measure what is important.

If God doesn’t exist, as some assert, we can only view the world as a collision of random accidents. We live accidental lives on an accidental planet in an accidental solar system moving through accidental galaxies. Ultimately our lives have no reason or purpose. We simply are, for a few short years, and when we die, we are no more.

Others see God as the “prime mover.” He designed the physical laws of the universe and set it in motion like a wind-up clock or toy. But, He is not involved in His creation. It is simply unwinding itself, spinning along according to its primal design. We each live our lives as infinitely insignificant cogs in the master machine.

Some view God as an “all seeing eye” watching us. He is personally cognizant of our lives and our actions and He is watching everything we say and do. We each live our lives like Truman Burbank, Jim Carrey’s character in “The Truman Show.”

Still others envision God as a god of vengeance. He delights in taking note of our sins and punishing us. Our journey on this earth is little more than a process of being beaten into submission by a god who punishes us for every sin we commit. Entire religions have been built around methods of sacrifice and penance to appease this angry god.

Jesus had a different answer. If you want to know what God is like, Jesus said, think of your father. Of course, not all fathers are good. There are some deadbeat dads out there who spoil the image. But most fathers love their children and would do anything for them. I was one of the fortunate ones to have a good father. He was, and is, my hero. He was neither famous nor rich. He had no lasting achievements. He died when he was 53. But he was a good man, one of the best men I ever knew. He corrected me when I was little and did wrong things. He taught me a better way and set a better example that has served me for a lifetime. If I needed anything, he was there to help. That is why Jesus said, “Don’t worry. Your Father who is in heaven knows what you need.”

Now that I am a father with children and grandchildren, I better understand what Jesus meant when he said, “If you being evil know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give what is good to you!” This helps me enormously. If God is like that it changes how I see myself, how I see others and how I see the world.

 Better yet, what if God is like Jesus?  Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”  “He that has seen me has seen the Father.”  John, His youngest disciple wrote, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was revealed to us," (1 John 1:1-2).

Replenishing the Earth

 The first photos of earth sent back by the Apollo crews in the 1970s dramatically impressed us that our tiny blue planet rotating in space is precious and fragile. The thin layer of air that surrounds us not only contains the oxygen essential to life but protects us from the sun’s ultraviolet rays and regulates earth’s temperature.  Three-fourths of the atmosphere lies within 9 miles of the earth’s surface.  Outer space is considered to exist 62 miles up. We are dependent on an amazingly thin film of atmospheric gases to sustain life on our planet.

 Thirty-three years ago, we took our children on one of those vacations-of-a-lifetime to Disneyland in Los Angeles.  We bought a used van for the summer and coaxed it across the desert to the west coast.  When we took the kids to the beach, we were unable to see the surf on the horizon because of the greenish-yellow haze trapped against the coast.

 At some point TV weather forecasters in Dallas added reports on the day’s pollution index to the routine reports on temperature, rain and humidity. For years I commuted to work listening to reporters often declaring orange and red alerts for air quality.

 In 2013, the smog alert in Beijing, China went off the charts.  Visibility dropped as pollution blocked out the sun.  Tops of buildings disappeared in the murky haze that settled over the city. The air smelled of coal dust and car fumes.  Most stayed indoors and ran air purifiers to escape the toxic conditions.  Those who ventured out greeted one another behind masks. 

 It appears we have made progress.  According to Environmental Protection Agency the U.S. has achieved a 37% reduction in air pollution since 2000.   Since 2013 China has achieved a 30%-50% reduction. Most industrialized nations have seen improvements as well. But the challenge remains. 

 Like many in my generation, we are concerned about the earth that we will bequeath to our grandchildren.  When we retired in 2012, we bought a hybrid Prius that achieved up to 50 mpg.  After 100,000 miles we replaced it with a more comfortable hybrid that took us another 100,000 miles.  A month ago, we leased an all-electric Hyundai Ioniq-5.  I told our children we wanted to go out “on the cutting edge.” 

 The Bible clearly predicts that the earth will “wear out like a garment,” (Isaiah 51:6).   Of course, I also know that one day I will wear out. We are all mortal. None of us lives forever. But my own mortality doesn’t mean I should start smoking, drinking, indulging in high fat foods and refusing to exercise.  Instead, I am motivated to discipline my body so that I can experience greater health and longevity.  In the same way, we must learn to discipline ourselves regarding the creation that God has entrusted to our care.  In the very first chapter of the Bible, with His very first words to mankind, God instructs us to “be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.” (Genesis 1:28, KJV).

Flying In Formation

 I was outside on our deck at sunrise in Colorado.  An hour before, a meteorite streaked across the sky among the brilliant stars before they faded and disappeared.  The morning star was still visible. The eastern rim was streaked with crimson and gold against a faint, robin-egg-blue sky. 

 I heard geese in the distance and watched as a long line winged their way against the dawn.  Then more.  Hundreds of Canada geese continued in small and large groupings, one squadron emerging behind another in vee formations, sculling the air with their wings, honking their encouragement to those who led them south and west.  I suppose they were headed to feed in the foothills. Migrating geese is one of the things I love most. Another aspect of nature’s beauty and mystery. 

 Who taught them to fly in formation?  Scientists who study this phenomenon say the V formation reduces drag and adds lift for each goose.  By flying together in this way, they increase their range by 71%.  And, since the lead birds must put forth the greatest effort, they rotate the lead position. They do this voluntarily.  No one commands them.  No one trains or instructs them.  It is their God-given nature.

 Watching the geese at sunrise reminded me of the unique global challenges we all face including global warming, poverty, famine and the aftermath, whatever it is, of this week’s election.  To survive and thrive we need to fly in formation.  During Covid, that meant wearing a mask, washing our hands, remaining six feet apart. We did a pretty good job.  It always means adopting environmentally friendly practices, providing for the poor, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, opening doors of opportunity for the underprivileged, encouraging the young.

 The Bible consistently teaches us the importance of “flying in formation.”  John the Baptist who introduced Jesus said, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same,” (Luke 3:11). 

 Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” … “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:35-40).

 The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do nothing out of selfishness or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you looking to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

 Peter gave us these instructions: “Applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,  and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (2 Peter 1:5-8).

Tinsley's book, The Jesus Encounter, is FREE as an eBook on Amazon November 5-6. 

Halloween That Changed the World

 It was Halloween, October 31, 1517.  A little-known monk left the monastery in Wittenberg, Germany and walked, almost unnoticed, the few blocks to a church at the end of the street.  He nailed a handwritten document to the wooden door for all to see.  Like a single flaming match dropped into the dry straw of a forest, Martin Luther’s 95 theses ignited a conflagration that engulfed all of Europe and continues to this day.

 Many believe that this was the event that catapulted Europe out of the Dark Ages. Historians point to tiny Wittenberg as the cradle where the modern Western world was born.

 I visited Wittenberg a decade ago.  The ancient village is surrounded by modern development.  But the old streets have been preserved, much as they were over 500 years ago.   I sat in the courtyard outside the monastery where Martin Luther studied the book of Romans and wrestled with the words, “The just shall live by faith.”  (Romans 1:17).  I walked from the monastery to the church, the same path Luther took.

 Luther was a young priest, only 34 years old, assigned to an obscure village.  He was devoted to the Roman Catholic Church.  But when Johann Tetzel came to town promising parishioners that their deceased family members would be released from Purgatory if they would make a contribution to the church, he could not contain himself. Tetzel’s efforts had been wildly successful in raising money. But, to Luther, it was wildly heretical.

 It was a paradigm shift, 14 centuries after Jesus was born. The manuscripts recorded in the first century by those who saw Jesus, who listened to his words, who watched Him crucified and witnesses His resurrection had been buried beneath religious tradition and ritual.

 His discovery changed everything.  Heaven, the one thing he desired most, could not be earned by good works and penance, nor by contributions to the church.  It could not be bestowed by the words of any man, priest or pope.  Heaven was a free gift to anyone willing to repent of their sins and place their faith in Jesus Christ.

 Heaven could not be earned by our efforts or bought with our money.  The Bible was clear. Peter had stated it to Simon, a Samaritan magician who wanted to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit, “May your silver perish with you because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money.” (Acts 8:20).

 From the first century until now it has always been the same, for rich or poor, for people of every nationality, language or ethnicity, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;  for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13).

Transfer of Power

 The presidential election is only days away, and we are nervous.  The January 6 event four years ago has eroded confidence in our electoral process and the peaceful transfer of power. We long for a better day and a better way.

 In 1992, President George Herbert Walker Bush lost a tough election to Bill Clinton.  Two years earlier, President Bush led the nation through Operation Desert Storm after building a coalition of global powers to stop Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. Poised on Iraq’s border he refused to push further, knowing invasion of Iraq would destabilize the balance of Arab powers in the Middle East.  He paid a political price.

 The 1992 campaign was hard-fought.  His opportunity to serve a second term was lost to the young Arkansas Governor, Bill Clinton.  When he walked out of the Oval Office on January 20, 1993, he left a hand-written letter on the President’s desk addressed to his successor.  This is what he wrote:

 “Dear Bill,         

    When I walked into this office just now, I felt the same sense of wonder and respect that I felt four years ago.  I know you will feel that, too.   I wish you great happiness here.  I never felt the loneliness some Presidents have described.  There will be very tough times, made even more difficult by criticism you may not think is fair. I’m not a very good one to give advice; but just don’t let the critics discourage you or push you off course.

   You will be our President when you read this note. I wish you well.  I wish your family well.   Your success now is our country’s success.  I am rooting hard for you.

Good luck,

George/”

 It is refreshing to remember that we have had statesmen serve in our nation’s highest office.  Bush’s letter to Clinton embodies the American values I learned as a boy, beginning with the legends of George Washington who refused to be called “Your Highness,” “Your Excellency” or “Your Majesty” and chose the simple title, “Mr. President.”

 Bush’s letter echoes the words of another letter penned two thousand years ago by the Apostle Paul:

 “ Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

 This year’s election has been filled with venom and vitriol, not just between the candidates, but between private citizens with opposing views.  Strangers stare at one another with suspicion across great chasms of distrust.

 We will find our way forward when we demonstrate in our homes, our streets and our highest offices the greatness of character that overcomes anger, resentment, retaliation, prejudice and fear. Like George H. W. Bush in 1993, we need to rise to a higher plane of character and conduct. In all places and in all things, we need to apply the exhortations of 1 Corinthians 13.

Leadership and Character

 The political cauldron is boiling.  Presidential and congressional candidates are in full campaign mode. Each candidate tries to persuade us they can guide us through the threatening storms of war, social unrest, climate crises and economic recovery.  Some cite their business success and financial achievements. Others tout their political experience.  But the most important element for effective leadership might be the most difficult to discern.  In his book, Return on Character:  The Real Reason Leaders and Their Companies Win, Fred Kiel concluded that the most important trait for successful leadership is character.

 According to the Harvard Business Review, “In this groundbreaking book, respected leadership researcher, adviser, and author Fred Kiel offers that evidence-solid data that demonstrates the connection between character, leadership excellence, and organizational results.”

 Kiel identifies four basic traits that set effective leaders apart:  integrity, responsibility, forgiveness and compassion.  Leaders with character tell the truth and own up to their mistakes.  Most importantly, they care about people.

 By contrast, those with weak character demonstrate a negative view of human nature. Their behavior is fear based.  “They assume that they know better than anybody else what people should be doing.”  They are judgmental, quick to place blame on others.

 The positive and negative traits identified by Fred Kiel are consistent with the Bible.  Among the negative “deeds of the flesh,” the Bible lists “enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions.”  The positive fruits of the Spirit are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:19-23).   

 In 1908, Leo Tolstoy identified Abraham Lincoln’s greatness when he wrote, “Why was Lincoln so great that he over-shadows all other national heroes?  He really was not a great general like Napoleon or Wahington; he was not such a skillful statesman as Gladstone or Frederick the Great; but his supremacy expresses itself altogether in his peculiar moral power and in the greatness of his character.”

 King David had his flaws. His shortcomings are clearly laid out in Scripture. But He remains one of the great leaders of history. The Bible says of David, “He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. (Psalm 78:70-72).

 The way forward will ultimately be determined by the character of our leaders, our nation and ourselves.  The Scripture says, “We know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts” (Romans 5:3-5).

Bill Tinsley's novel, We Beheld His Glory is FREE as an eBook on Amazon October 15-16.  Join the 12 on their journey with Jesus. 

Menagerie

 Life’s priorities change when you get old. I called my 81-year-old brother who has been homebound for 5 years as a double-amputee diabetic.  He asked me to hold on a minute.  The stray dog that wandered over to their house was hungry and needed to be fed.  And the stray cat that his wife hauled to the vet where she spent $200 to have its ear infection treated was also there.  The cat, which they call Catter, always wants to watch the dog eat.  And, of course, afterward, the cat wants to be fed.  And the birds!  The birds are emptying the bird feeder every other day.  “It’s like Grand Central Station,” he said.  So, I hung on until they cared for their menagerie.

 I informed him that they aren’t the only ones who feel the pressure.  I told him I have started feeding the  rabbits that live under our deck. I even had to rescue a bunny that fell into our window well. So, now I chop up a carrot, peel off a leaf or two of lettuce and leave it on the deck for them.  And, then there are the birds, the squirrels and the mice. We have a bird feeder out back that I have been able to hang from a limb so the squirrels can’t get it, and another outside our kitchen window I built for my wife on Mother’s Day.  I mounted it on a pole which I greased to dissuade the squirrels. Those critters can empty a bird feeder before you know it.  And the mice. When I went to retrieve the sack of bird seed from our shed it had a hole in the bottom where the mice have been gorging themselves in secluded safety.

 When we were working and raising children, we did well to feed the family cat.  We didn’t have time to notice these wild and roaming creatures.  I assume they would get along just fine without us.  But it brings us pleasure to help them out with a few scraps, some bird seed and a little attention here and there.

 Since we moved to Colorado, we have made an annual pilgrimage to Estes Park to view the elk in the fall.  They come ambling out of the woods into scattered clearings, the bull elk’s bugle call echoing through the canyons.  They make themselves at home, not just in the open spaces, but on the golf course and in the streets.  One bull elk walked into a store and sniffed the merchandise.  Once we were delayed while the local police directed traffic through a herd that blocked the road.

 It is humbling to realize that we are but one species of God’s marvelous creation.  These animals, and millions more, have occupied this earth and survived for eons.

 According to Genesis, God takes pleasure in all of his creation and allows us to have a part in it.   “Then God said, ‘Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”  … God made the animals of the earth according to their kind, and the livestock according to their kind, and everything that crawls on the ground according to its kind; and God saw that it was good,” (Genesis 1:20-25).

Liberty and Justice

 Every time we voice our pledge to the flag, we are reminded of our American commitment: “one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.”  Justice is important.  We cannot have liberty without justice.

I once stood beside the execution table in the death chamber at Huntsville, Texas. The sense of the place was haunting.  Many have gone to their deaths in that room guilty of the crimes for which they were convicted.  Others, it appears, were innocent. John Grisham’s novel, “The Confession,” underscores the difficulties.  Although a work of fiction, his story of a young black man wrongly convicted in Texas and executed in Huntsville is chilling.  It is reminiscent of scenes from Steven King’s novel, The Green Mile. 

 Last Tuesday, September 25, the state of Missouri executed Marcellus Williams even though the victim’s family and the jury that convicted him opposed the execution. The prosecutor’s office that convicted and sentenced him also admitted they were wrong. 

 The best-known person ever condemned and executed for crimes he did not commit was Jesus.  He was wrongly accused before the courts of his day and appeared before the Roman governor, Pilate, who, after yielding to social and political pressure, sentenced him to die.  He was then tortured and crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem according to Roman law.

 I still believe we have the best judicial system on earth.  But no system can rise above the people involved in it, including lawyers, judges, juries, officers and those called upon for testimony.  As believers who worship the One who suffered the world’s greatest injustice we need constantly to commit ourselves to truth, honesty, integrity and ethics that preserve the freedoms we hold so precious.

 Justice, of course, extends beyond the courtroom.  We establish or erode a just society every day by the way we live, by being truthful and honest in all our dealings.  My middle son once stood in line for more than half an hour to return a few dollars to a department store that the clerk had mistakenly given him in change.  When he finally reached the counter, the workers in the service department were dumbfounded.  No one had ever stood in line to return money.  Their system wasn’t set up to handle it. An older man standing in line behind him and watching, stopped him.  “Young man. If you ever need a job, you call me.”

 Every lie, every slander, every dishonest deed destroys a nation. Every truth, every encouragement, every honest action, builds up a people.  Deuteronomy 16: 20 says, “Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.”  Micah 6:8 states, “What does the Lord require of you?  To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

What Dogs Can Teach Us

 Over the years our family has included both cats and dogs that helped us raise our kids.   They became our companions. Our cats seemed willing to allow us the privilege of living with them.  Our dogs seemed grateful for the privilege of living with us. They taught us the difference between dog theology and cat theology.  

 It might sound strange, even sacrilegious to a few, but Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison have developed whole seminars and books around “cat and dog theology.” Simply put, cats say, “You feed me, shelter me and care for me.  I must be god.”  Dogs say, “You feed me, shelter me and care for me.  You must be god.”  If you have ever had a cat and a dog you know what I mean.  Cat theology is me-centered.  “What can God do for me?” Dog theology is God centered. “What does God want me to do?”

 A tri-color corgi named Buddy was a member of our family for 14 years until dog years caught up with him in 2022.  Here are a few things I learned from Buddy.

 I need to trust God.  Whenever I got in my truck he jumped in and took his place, ready to go.  He didn’t know where we were going or what we were going to do. But if I was driving it was okay. I always want to know where we are going, when we are going to get there and what we are going to do once we arrive.  I need to jump in the truck with God and give him control of my life.

 Buddy wanted to be with me.  He didn’t care if he was at the lake running, splashing and rolling in the mud, sitting in a chair next to me on the patio or in my study lying at my feet while I write.  He just wanted to be where I was.   I need to spend time with God.  What made the early disciples different was the fact they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).

 Buddy followed me.  He even followed me from room to room in the house. Whenever we went for walks on an empty beach, I let him off his leash and he ran free.  But he kept an eye on me.  He developed a radius of his own, about thirty yards from wherever I was.  Within that radius he felt comfortable sniffing washed up driftwood and marking sand dunes.  When I called his name he came running. Not real fast, but as fast as he could. After all he was a Corgi.   He reminded me of what Jesus said to His disciples, “Come, follow me!”  “My sheep know my voice.” 

 Dog years are not people years and we had to lay Buddy down, but Buddy left behind his own book, Buddy the Floppy Ear Corgi, on Amazon that tells how he was rescued off the streets and how he learned to love himself and others just the way God made them. I wrote it “just the way he told it to me.”  Since God has rescued me, I can love myself and others too, just the way He made us.

God Is Bigger Than You Think

 We like to keep God in a box.  We use different labels. Some are religious: Hindu, Buddhist, Islam, Christian, Jew.    Some are denominational: Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Pentecostal, Non-Denominational.  Some are theological. Some are philosophical.  But God is bigger than we think.  God cannot be defined or contained in any box, religious, theological, philosophical, or physical.  God is bigger than any nation, any generation, any time, any galaxy or universe. God is greater.  

 We sometimes use our God boxes to decide who can be included and who must be excluded.  Do they believe what we believe?  Can they be included in our God box? Are they one of “us?” 

 God is always blowing up our boxes.  This is the reason He sent Jesus.  He is beyond theology and religion.  John writes of Him, “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind.  And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it,” (John 1:1-4)

 Jesus continually blew up the God-boxes of His day. For this reason, He was taken to the Cross and crucified.  He had blown up the “God-box” of the Jewish authorities, and they would not stand for it.

 He continually did this with His own followers.  He did so when He stayed behind at the well in Samaria and conversed alone with a Samaritan woman, remaining two days and including the half-breed Samaritans in His Kingdom. 

 He did this when He responded to a Roman Centurian who sought help for his ailing servant. “Truly I have not seen so great faith in all of Israel.”  He did so when He touched and healed lepers and included tax collectors among His followers. He did so when he told the story of the Good Samaritan and redefined what it means to be “neighbor.”

 Whenever we encounter questions that we cannot answer or problems we cannot solve, we can always know that God is bigger than we think.  He is bigger than our own God-box. God is bigger than your biggest dream, greater than your greatest joy.

 The Bible gives us clues about God.  He is beyond time.  While our lifespan is approximately 78 years, He is eternal.  A thousand years in his sight is like yesterday to us, or like a single hour in the night. (Psalm 90).   He is not merely “omni.” Omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent. He is personal.  His character is best revealed in the person of Jesus.  “He that has seen me,” Jesus said, “has seen the Father.”

Surprised by Oxford

 I have always loved to read. When I was a boy, I built a treehouse in the persimmon tree outside our kitchen window, a haphazard assembly of used boards that made a comfortable platform between the limbs where I sat concealed and shaded above the roofline of our house.  I spent hours in that tree reading. It was like a time machine, transporting me to distant places, past and future.  I still read constantly and enjoy a pretty wide spectrum.  I appreciate a good book.  

 A few weeks ago, a good friend, a retired physician, suggested a book he thought I should read.  On the strength of his recommendation, I downloaded a copy of Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Webber. Carolyn grew up in Canada.  Her mom raised her and her sister in a single parent home after her father’s alcoholism destroyed the marriage.  Her home life was poor, but Carolyn emerged as a particularly gifted and brilliant student.  Upon graduation she was awarded a full scholarship to study literature at Oxford University.

 She arrived in Oxford, a starry-eyed freshman with a healthy case of skeptic agnosticism. She says she grew up in a loosely European Catholic household.  The last thing she expected to discover in her studies at Oxford was faith.  She says of herself, “I had been so focused on the head that I did not see what was coming for the heart or, perhaps for all of me. … I had no real need for believing in men, God incarnate or otherwise.” 

 Years ago, my young nephew asked to meet with me.  He was in college and had chosen to study literature. He said he discovered that most great English literature makes constant references to Scripture.  He said he felt at a loss.  He had never studied the Bible and knew little about it.

 In the context of her literature studies at Oxford, Carolyn Webber began to read the Bible. She says, “I found it the most compelling piece of nonfiction I had ever read. … It unwinds and recasts the world and our perception of it: that the Holy Grail is more likely to be a wooden carpenter’s cup than the golden chalice of Kings.”

 In her book, Surprised by Oxford, Carolyn Webber articulately and honestly describes the journey that led her not only to MPhil and DPhil degrees at Oxford, but to a genuine discovery of abundant faith, a faith that other Oxford scholars have known, including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

 She wrote, “To be one person one moment, lost. Then to be another person the next moment, found. It is the difference, as they say, between night and day. Outwardly, I seemed the same, but inwardly everything had changed.”

  She went on to teach Romantic Literature at Seattle University.  She also taught at Westmont College, University of San Francisco and Oxford University.  She was the first female dean of St. Peter’s College, Oxford.

 Her book won the Grace Irwin Award , the largest award for Christian writing in Canada.  Surprised by  Oxford was made into a movie and released in theaters in September 2023.

Love Never Fails

 Five years ago, Amber Guyger was found guilty of murder.  She had returned to her apartment after a long day as a Dallas police officer to find what she thought was a intruder in her home. She drew her gun and fired, killing a young black man, 26-year-old Botham Jean.  But, it wasn’t her home. The apartment she entered was one floor directly above her own and the man she killed was her neighbor, at home eating a bowl of ice cream.

 Amber, who is white, was fired from the Dallas Police force.  It took a year for the trial to work its way through the courts.  The jury unanimously found Amber Guyger guilty of murder.  She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.  Many celebrated the fact that a police officer was held accountable for killing an unarmed and innocent young black man. 

 But the courtroom was stunned when the victim’s brother, Brandt Jean, asked permission to speak.  Nervously tugging at his collar, Brandt looked at Ms. Guyger and said, “I personally want the best for you. And, I wasn’t going to say this in front of my family or anyone, but I don’t even want you to go to jail.  I want the best for you. Because, that is exactly what Botham would want you to do.  And the best is to give your life to Christ.” He paused, wiped his eyes and spoke to the judge. “I don’t know if this is possible, but, can I give her a hug?” The judge consented.

 Brandt Jean met his brother’s killer in front of the judge’s bench.  He said to her, “If you are truly sorry, I know … I speak for myself, I forgive you. And I know if you go to God and ask him, He will forgive you.”  They embraced one another as they wept.

 The courtroom that a few minutes before was jubilant with vengeance fell silent except for the sound of people sobbing.  After the courtroom was cleared Guyger asked the judge, Tammy Kemp, if she thought God could forgive her.  Kemp told her, “Yes, God can forgive you and already has.” The judge then gave Guyger one of her personal Bibles.  None of this, of course, changes anything in terms of the verdict and the sentence that Amber Guyger is serving. But it changes everything in the matters of the heart. 

 Five years ago, in a Dallas courtroom the conversation changed from prejudice, vengeance, resentment and rage to acceptance, forgiveness and love. 

 Jesus said, “For if you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions”

 Jesus gave us the supreme example when he hung upon the Cross, lifted His eyes to heaven and prayed, "’Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’” (Luke 23:34).

William Tinsley's Civil War Novel,  BOLD SPRINGS is FREE as an eBook on Amazon September 3-6. Click the image to the right. 

Significance of Labor Day

 Next weekend our nation will pause to observe Labor Day.  First proposed in 1882, it became a Federal Holiday in 1894 and has been celebrated on the first Monday of September ever since to honor labor and recognize the significance honest work adds to our lives.  We celebrate it with the scent and sound of sizzling steaks at the lake, rooting for our favorite football and baseball teams. And, of course, America’s favorite pastime, shopping. 

Labor has always been an important aspect of the Christian faith. Jesus grew up in a carpenter’s home and continued in the trade after Joseph’s death. Those who knew him in Nazareth referred to him as “the carpenter,” (Mark 6:3).  The Apostle Paul worked as a laborer mending tents in Corinth. He wrote to the Colossians, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve,” (Colossians 3:23-24). 

Our work can be the most effective means for improving the world and sharing the message of the risen Christ.  A few years ago I met Debra.  She went to Uzbekistan on a short-term mission assignment and decided to stay.  She started a tailoring business, enlisted two women to work for her, mentored them as followers of Christ and helped start a new church.  After two years, she gave the business to her co-workers and returned to the United States.  I asked her what her church thought about what she did. She said no one asked.

When I served as interim pastor in Nuremberg, Germany, I met Kim. She and her husband had moved to Nuremberg a year and a half before.  She said they were “firmly convinced that God was using my husband’s company to bring us over to be “believers on the ground in this country.  We are very involved in our German church, seeking to help them develop a strong gospel and cross-centered emphasis, to support and help in any way we can.”

I was reviewing my sermon notes prior to the church service in Nuremberg when Eddie Wong walked in.  I introduced myself and asked if this was his first time to the church. He said he had attended the Nuremberg church a couple years ago, before going to China.  He came to Germany and worked in a bakery to learn the trade, then moved to China where he worked in a bakery as a means to share the gospel with others.

Debra, Kim  and Eddie are examples of a multitude of believers from all over the world who are discovering that work is far more than a way to make a living.  It is the place where we demonstrate daily the character and presence of Christ and it can be the vehicle that enables us to share our faith anywhere in the world. Perhaps this Labor Day can serve as a reminder that our work can be far more effective in communicating the gospel than many church programs.  How we use our professions to honor God and to serve others can change the world.

The Wedding

 It is an American rite of passage, the ultimate moment when dreams come true.  No expense or effort is spared to make the wedding the perfect moment.  Family and friends travel hundreds of miles just to be there.  Parents go into debt to provide the perfect cake, the sit-down dinner, a gala reception, not to mention the bride’s dress and decorations. 

 We have added our twists to the wedding traditions. While many weddings are still held in cathedrals, churches and chapels, they have moved beyond church walls in search of exotic places to “tie the knot:” on mountain tops, in the ballpark at home plate, on beaches and boats. Wedding music is no longer limited to the bridal march.  We have opted for country western, hip-hop and pop. We have added unity candles and unity sand.  But one element remains unchanged in every wedding ceremony: the high point of the event is the entrance of the bride! Everything leads up to the bride’s entrance adorned in an elaborate dress that enhances her beauty.

 I like weddings held outside.  In one I attended, the flower girl entered the gazebo under a bright blue sky scattering her petals on the bride’s path. She stopped at the entrance, tugged on a rope to ring an overhead bell then shouted with excitement, “She’s coming!  She’s coming!” The crowd giggled and smiled as they always do when children perform, then they turned their heads searching for their first glimpse of the bride.

 It reminded me of Jesus’ love for weddings.  He performed his first miracle at Cana in Galilee, turning water into wine so that the wedding moment would not be spoiled.  It also reminded me of the wedding scene predicted in the Bible.  The Scripture is clear.  One day Jesus will return like a bridegroom prepared to receive his bride.  Jesus said, “I will come again.” (John 14:3).  He urged us to be perseverant and patient, waiting for the bridegroom’s arrival. (Matthew 25:1-13). 

If Jesus is the bridegroom, who is the bride?  According to the Bible, we are. Scripture teaches that everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ and follows him helps form the bride of Christ.  We are the bride of Christ as members of his church. Paul wrote, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)   We are the bride of Christ as citizens of the Holy City built by God in Heaven. (Revelation 21). Like a bride who prepares for her wedding, we need to prepare ourselves for his coming.

I can hear the flower girl’s voice ringing in my ear: “He’s coming!  He’s coming!”   “The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17).

Back To School

 Children and youth are headed back to school. Summer break is coming to an end. It is time to put away the lazy days of sleeping late, TV, video games, camp and vacations. Children will soon wake before sunrise and wait for the bus. 

 Silent buildings and empty playgrounds roar to life with children’s laughter. The smells of erasers, crayons, markers and freshly painted classrooms, along with the rumble of yellow buses mark an annual rite of passage.  It is the rhythm of our lives, as surely as the first crisp scent of fall and the turning of green leaves to gold.  We wake up to the echo of school bands, coaches’ whistles and the smack of shoulder pads practicing for the big games.  

 It is a time of deep emotion filled with conflicting currents of freedom and fear, opportunity and obstacles.  Preschool children are finally old enough to follow older brothers and sisters off to school with their own backpack of books.  Babies become children, let go by weeping parents.  College freshmen leave home, off on their own, their heads spinning with dreams and doubt, soon to be shocked with the stab of homesickness.  Houses that vibrated with teenage noise surrender to the silence of an empty room.  It is the stuff of life: joy and sorrow, celebration and challenge, learning and growing.

I am a fan of public schools.  I like the fact that, in our imperfect system, every child has a chance to learn. I love movies about public school teachers and the difference they make in students’ lives, like Freedom Writers or Mr. Holland’s Opus. My wife is a retired public-school teacher.  Across the years she taught kindergarten, third grade, and high school.  Her last assignment was a drop out prevention program for pregnant and parenting teens who achieved a 96% graduation rate.   

Even though schools take summer breaks, school is never out.  Children and youth are always learning, and sometimes the most important lessons they learn are the moments when parents and adults are least aware.  They learn honesty, generosity, courtesy and faith by watching us in check-out lines, in traffic and in the home.  They are always watching and always learning, even when we think they are tuned out.

Peter learned the greatest lesson of his life by watching the Master Teacher in His most crucial hour.  He sums up what he learned, “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps,” (1 Peter 2:19-21).

Order Bill Tinsley's book, The Jesus Encounter FREE eBook on Amazon August 13-15. 

Every Nation Tribe and Tongue

 The Olympics remind us that we are a global community.  The youth from the nations of the earth inspire us as they compete at the highest levels of sportsmanship.

 When I served as pastor of an English-speaking church in Nuremburg, Germany, we were surrounded with history, culture and beauty. The church was composed of people from Germany, Ireland, England, Romania, Ukraine, China, Cameroon, India, Sweden, Austria and others. Most were in their twenties and thirties.

The church reminded me that Jesus Christ was sent for all people of every nation in every age. When God called Abraham, He promised to make him a blessing to all the nations. Isaiah said, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.” (Isa. 42:1) And again, “The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.” (Isa. 52:10) Those promises are fulfilled in Jesus.

The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost reflects the fact that Jesus came for everyone. Shortly after His resurrection, many people gathered in Jerusalem from many nations, and they all heard the message of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection in their own language. “Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2)

When John saw the vision that he recorded in Revelation, he declared, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Clearly, God wants people from every nation to experience His salvation in Jesus Christ. To accomplish this purpose, God is moving people all around the world and exposing them to opportunities to hear the gospel. According to a study by Lousanne World Pulse, Christianity as a whole has been growing faster than the global population with the fastest growth in Asia and Eastern Europe. The majority of Christians live in South America, Africa and Asia.  We are living in one of the most exciting eras of human history, when more people are discovering faith in Christ from all over the world than ever before.

Our daughter went on a mission trip to Andhra Pradesh in India. At the same time I visited Lubbock, Texas. When I checked into the hotel, the clerk who greeted me was from Andhra Pradesh.  I gave him one of my books, The Jesus Encounter, and spoke with him about Jesus.

Whether we are in Dallas, Houston, Lubbock or Nuremberg, Germany, every believer needs to reach out to international visitors around them, to welcome them, to love them, and to share with them the life-changing difference Jesus Christ makes in our lives

Paris Olympics 100 Years Ago: The Race That Counts

 The world is focused on Paris.  Celine Dione’s solo from the Eiffel Tower set the bar.  Performing for the first time since 2021 following a neurological disorder, Dione’s voice echoed through the streets of Paris and around the world, inspiring young and old alike.

 Within hours the youth of the world took the field, competing at the limits of human strength, speed, agility and endurance, striving for the gold.  Few things, if any, are as inspirational as the hopes and dreams of every generation’s youth.

 This is not the first Olympics in Paris, nor the first labeled ’24.  One hundred years ago another generation sent their youth to Paris in 1924 to compete for the gold.  Among them a young missionary from Scotland.  Eric Liddle who was believed to be the fastest man in the world in the 100 meter dash.  None had beaten him at that distance.

 A committed Christian, Eric Liddle had given his life to serve as a missionary to China.  His sister, Jenny, tried to persuade him to forego the Olympics and fulfill his calling to China.  He responded, “God made me.  And he made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”

 At the Olympics in Paris, he had a problem.  His event, the 100-meter dash, had been scheduled for Sunday morning, the Lord’s Day.  His Christian commitment in the 1920s forbade him from competing on Sunday.  He had a crisis of conscience.  He refused to run.  As a compromise, the Olympic Committee allowed him to switch to the 400 meter, a race scheduled during the week.

 No one thought he had a chance in the 400.  It was a different race. His body was not conditioned and he had not trained for the much longer distance.  Critics said, “They’ll have to drag him in with a rope.”  But he ran.  Not just for himself, or for his country, but for God, and set a new Olympic record.  The 1982 Academy Award winning movie, Chariots of Fire, captures the drama.

 There will be many similar dramas playing themselves out these two weeks in Paris a hundred years later.  Young men and women, will run, inspired by their hopes, dreams and their faith.  What matters most is the race they continue to run long after the Olympics are over. Following the Paris Olympics in 1924, Eric Liddle fulfilled his commitment as a missionary to China where he died in a Japanese internment camp in 1945.  His grave was recovered in 1996 in Weifang, China and marked with a simple stone of Scottish granite, a testimony to one who ran his race for the pleasure of God!

The Olympics

 All eyes are focused on Paris for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Games next Friday, July 26.   The best athletes of the world will compete to the limit of their talent and determination.  Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, will again compete for the gold in women’s gymnastics.  LeBron James, 39, competed in his first Olympics 20 years ago.  He will return to lead the U.S. in its search for another gold.

 The Olympic Games date back to 776 BC and were expanded in the first century by Augustus Caesar, the Emperor of record at Jesus’ birth.  Writing to Greeks in the first century, the Apostle Paul drew on Olympic metaphors to help them understand how to live the Christian life: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” (1 Corinthians 9:24).

 Christianity is not a spectator religion. We all must run!  Our churches are arranged so that most of us appear to be spectators watching a few performers on the stage. The truth is that we all must compete in the race every day. Sunday services are more like team meetings in the locker room, or a pep rally before the big game, preparing us for the main event that starts on Monday. 

 The Academy Award winning movie “Chariots of Fire” was based on the 1924 Olympic competition between Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, the two fastest men of their day.  Abrahams had never lost a race until Eric Liddell beat him in the 100-meter dash by a single step.  Mortified by the loss, he later sat in the empty stands with his fiancé.  She kept trying to encourage him, but he finally snapped at her, “You don’t understand.  If I can’t win, I won’t run.”  Stunned, she paused for a moment then responded with typical feminine insight. “If you don’t run,” she said, “you can’t win!” That is the Apostle’s point.  If we don’t run, we can’t win.  We must all live out our faith in Christ in such a way that we “run to win!”

 This requires discipline. Paul continues, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.(1 Cor. 9:25). The athletes we are watching in Paris must exercise great discipline in diet and training. Only by imposing discipline upon their bodies can they compete for the gold. 

Too many Christians think that once they accept Christ by faith and receive the assurance of heaven that they can live however they wish. They are like someone who has been accepted to the Olympics and prepares for their event by eating Blue Bell ice cream and watching others practice. They might be at the Olympics, but they won’t win. The Apostle concludes, “I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:27).

the Assassination Attempt

 The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has shocked and, hopefully, sobered our nation.  For too long our national politicians have indulged in violent and acerbic rhetoric.  An entire generation has come into their adult years listening to Presidential candidates characterizing one another as dangerous extremists. 

 Fortunately, the would-be-assassin’s bullet missed its mark by a fraction of an inch and Donald Trump was spared.  Tragically the other bullets he fired took a heroic father’s life and left two others seriously wounded.  Hopefully the shock of the scene will cause everyone to rachet down their assumptions and accusations, both in public discourse and in private.

 Some of us, who are a dwindling number, remember the 1960’s: the paralyzing report that President Kennedy had been killed on the streets of Dallas November 22,1963;  Martin Luther King, Jr. shot down by a sniper’s bullet at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, April 4, 1968;  and Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy dying in a pool of blood at the hands of an assassin in  the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, June 5, 1968.  Emotions were high.  Thousands were dying in Vietnam.  Protesting students were gunned down at Kent State.   Those were tragic times we hoped would never be repeated.

 Words matter.  Jesus was clear in His instructions and warnings.  “You have heard it said, you shall not murder, but I say to you everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court, and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good for nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell,” (Matthew 5:21-22).

 A 20-year-old young man fired the bullets that killed one and wounded others, including former President Trump, but everyone who has engaged in denigration of opposing candidates in both parties had their finger on the trigger.  We must do better.

 Our politicians and journalists must lead the way, treating one another with courtesy and respect.  Listening with consideration rather than shouting and dismissing.  Again, as Jesus instructed, “There is a saying, ‘Love your friends and hate your enemies.’ But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!  … If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much. If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even the heathen do that,” (Matthew 5:43-48 Living Bible.)