The Barbie Effect

 Anyone who has not heard about Barbie must live on the moon. We have been inundated with trailers and clips and commercials about Barbie, the first live-action film about the iconic doll starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.  After years of production, Barbie, the movie, was released last week grossing $382 million at the box office.  Many years ago, the movie industry discovered the power of trailers, short clips and promotional scenes that entice us to spend money to watch their movies. 

 Perhaps we can learn something from Barbie.

The Australian writer, Michael Frost, argues that Christians and churches are like movie trailers for the Kingdom. We are to live in such a way that when others see us, they say, “I want to be a part of that,” or ”I wish the world was like that.” This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Let your light so shine that men may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Whether we like it or not, our churches and our lives are being viewed like movie trailers by others. When non-believers look at our churches and our lives, they are whispering to themselves and to one another saying, “I’ll have to check that out,” or, “I wouldn’t want to be part of that.”

Jesus presented the clearest preview of the Kingdom. He invited others to look at his life to see what the Kingdom looks like. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-21).

The early followers of Jesus practiced Kingdom living in such a way that others were drawn to them and to their churches. This is why the Christian faith exploded in the first three centuries. People saw previews of the Kingdom practiced in the churches and the lives of believers, and they wanted to be part of it. Across the centuries the Christian faith has been the primary source for charities that care for the poor and dispossessed.

This is also the reason Christianity is stumbling in our day. Too often churches and Christians are selfish and self-centered, fighting among themselves for control with a judgmental attitude toward others. When others see this, like patrons at a theater, they whisper to themselves, “That’s not for me.”

Every church and every believer must live in such a way that others see God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, “But thanks be to God, who … manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Cor. 2:14-15).

Bill's book of poems, Peole Places and Things, is FREE on Amazon eBook July 26-29.  His poems have won first place in the Colorado Open Poetry Contest and the Mimssissippi Valley Poetry Contest. 

God Is For You

 A few years ago my son-in-law participated in his first Iron Man race in Boulder, Colorado. It is a grueling event: a 3-mile swim followed by a 56 mile bike route and finished off with a 13 mile half-marathon, 72 miles start to finish.  We were there, cheering him on.  It was important that he knew we were “for him!”  We were proud of him.

 He had let his weight get out of control and drifted well above 200 lbs.  But he was determined to get into shape.  Setting a goal was important and the Iron Man gave him incentive.  He lost 50 lb.  It wasn’t easy.  It might have been impossible if he had tried to do it alone, without the support of family and friends.

 We see it everywhere, especially in sports, but it is also true in the classroom and on the job and in every family.  It matters when people are cheering us on, lifting us up, letting us know that they are for us!  My father did that for me when I was young.  I have sought to do the same for my children.  They have pursued different paths, chosen different careers, but always I have wanted them to know that I was in their corner. I was “for them.”

 How much more is that true for our spiritual journey.  We each need to know that God is on our side.  He is cheering for us.  I came across a very simple statement in the Psalms, one I have somehow overlooked.  Psalm 56:9b simply says, “This I know, that God is for me.” 

 This was the secret of David’s success throughout his life, whether facing wild beasts as a young shepherd, Goliath on the battlefield, the death of his best friend, his own moral failure or the betrayal of his son, Absolam.  Down deep, beneath all the terror and anguish of the moment, he was confident of one thing: “This I know, that God is for me.” 

 Wherever you are, God is for you.  He wants to redeem you, to save you from the abyss, to turn you from your own destructive impulses and set your feet on fruitful paths. He wants to rescue you from the depths of despair.  He will never leave you nor forsake you. “What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).   

 You may sometimes feel that you are all alone when facing difficulties and trials. The mountains may seem insurmountable. But this is not so.  God knows everything about you. He knows your fears as well as your dreams.  He knows your doubts as well as your hopes.  And, He has declared Himself for you! 

 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Life Expetancy

I recently read that the current life expectancy for the United States is 76.1 years.  I thought about that for a moment then realized I am 76.5 years old.  I am on borrowed time!  Global life expectancy is 73.16 years.

 There are exceptions, of course.  Jimmy Carter, 98 and Rosalynn, 95, just celebrated their 77^th anniversary.  Two of my best friends are 86 and 88 and I know of two centenarians who are 102. Mother Teresa remained active until her death at age 87. Billy Graham was 99.

 Eventually the years catch up to us.  No one is exempt. Regardless of gender, ethnicity, nationality, education, wealth, or position. We all grow old, and we will all die.  The Bible is clear. “We have finished our years with a sigh.  As for the days of our life they contain 70 years, or if by strength, 80 years. ...for soon they are gone and we fly away.” (Psalm 90). 

 So, at this age, where is my hope? What do I look forward to?

 My hope is in the next generation and the promises of God. This month we will welcome two babies into our neighborhood. We hosted their expectant parents and neighbors in our home last month for a celebration.  We prayed for a healthy birth for each mother and child and gave thanks for the miracle of new life. Their parents are thrilled.  If these little ones live as long as I have, they could see the year 2100!  What will that look like? What kind of world will that be?

 Most science-fiction scenarios predict a dystopian future. A dark place following near annihilation. I pray for a world of global peace and understanding, a world of acceptance between all peoples of differing ethnicities.  I pray it will be a world in which the next generation turns back the clock on global warming. A world where the abundant resources of the earth are shared so that none go hungry. 

 When Jesus sat on a hillside with his closest disciples, he looked down the corridors of time that stretched between his day and ours.  He saw wars and rumors of wars. Nations rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms, earthquakes and famine.  He painted a dark picture.  But, in the end He saw the sunrise of prosperity and peace at His glorious return. (Mark 13).  

 What do I have to look forward to? My hope is in Christ. I look forward to a few more years to bless these who are younger, and I look forward to His eternal home in the heavens.  He has said, “Everyone that lives and believes in me shall never die,” (John 11:26).  “I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish.  My Father who gave them to me is greater than all.  And no man can snatch them from my Father’s hand,” (John 10:28-29).

I have stood on the edge of eternity with family and friends as they drew their last breath. It is a beautiful place, not unlike the seashore, its ceaseless waves stretching beyond the horizon where the sun rises in a crimson sky. The sun will rise and the Son who rose from the dead will return.

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Like A Garden

When I lived in Texas, we tried our best to keep a flower garden out back on our patio.  The landscape seemed braced for the scorching heat that would surge past 100 when the sun reached its full height. The live oaks were covered with dust and looked tired.  I watered the flowers:  bachelor buttons, petunias, chrysanthemums, marigolds and periwinkles.   I kept a watering pot handy, and often left it filled the day before so I would remember to do this.  If I missed a few days, the plants showed it.  They become stressed, and, if neglected too long their leaves shriveled and the flowers began to fall from the drooping stems.  They withered and died.

 Flowers don’t respond well to alternate periods of drought and drenching.  Drowning them in water once a week simply doesn’t work.  They need watering every day, not necessarily a lot, just enough to keep the soil damp.  Watered frequently in this fashion they thrive, even in record setting triple digit weather.

 This may explain why American Christianity seems so insipid, (like salt that has lost its taste).  Many Christians depend on a deluge of spiritual watering for one hour once a week during a worship service at church.  And many more don’t even do this. The spiritual lives of many Christians may resemble the stressed-out flowers sitting on my patio in the heat of summer.

 For many years I have made it a practice of having a time of devotion early in the morning.  I like to spend this time outside, preferably at sunrise. There have been gaps when I missed.  The demands of the day were pressing, and I was unwilling to get up early enough for this discipline.   I have discovered that when I spend time for personal study of Scripture, prayer and reflection on what God wants to say to me, the day seems to go better.  My life has a healthier center and, when the day is done, it seems to be more productive. 

 David expressed this truth in Psalm 1. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers”

 Jesus said, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life,” (John 4:14).  “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost” (Rev 21:6).

 All of us need a little water every day, especially when the stress of life is most scorching. We all need a daily time alone with God, a quiet place to seek His presence and His promises in prayer.

Bill Tinsley's book We Beheld His Glory is free as an eBook on Amazon on July 4. Download a copy.  Tell a friend. 

When He Comes

 Beyond confessions of faith, hymns and sermons, we seem to pay little attention to the Second Coming.  We pursue our educations, work at our careers, raise our families, worry about retirement, and prepare for the inevitable: death and taxes. In the meantime, the lives of believers and non-believers often show little marked difference other than church attendance.

But what if he comes today? What if he comes tomorrow? What if he came yesterday? No, I am not suggesting you missed the “rapture.” But, he did, in fact, come yesterday and he will, in fact, come today. Jesus comes to us everyday if we are looking for him. He comes in small, imperceptible, and unexpected ways. He comes in the interruptions that beg for our attention and threaten to derail our pre-planned agendas.

This is exactly what Jesus taught his disciples before his ascension into Heaven. Jesus said when he returns, “the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 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.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:31-46)

Once He came to me in the person of a young Hispanic employee at Wal-Mart who needed words of encouragement. He came in the form of a Chinese woman named Chiu who was fishing on a pier with her mentally handicapped daughter. Another time He came in the form of a teenage unwed mother who had given birth to a son who died a few days later. He came in the form of Sultan, Abdelmassa, Saud and Moath, Muslim students from Kuwait. He recently appeared as a waiter who followed me to my car so I could give him one of my books. His daughter had just been born with complications.  How many times have I missed Him and failed to recognize Him? I don't know. He comes every day in many ways and forms that we are likely to miss if we are too focused on our own agendas.

If we live our lives alert and ready to receive Him in the small encounters with the “least of these” we will become salt and light, as Jesus described it. In the process, we will be ready to receive Him in that day, when He appears like lightning from the east to west. We might even hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” 

Respecting Women

 Last week the Southern Baptist Convention met in New Orleans.  88 percent of those present voted to confirm the ouster of Saddleback Church from their membership because the church includes women in pastoral ministry. Rick Warren, the founding pastor, spoke in defense of the church.  Warren led the church from a few friends gathered in his living room 40 years ago to an attendance exceeding 23,000.  He is also the author of The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life.

 I must admit I am mystified. Why would anyone want to prevent someone from doing good, male or female? Or why would anyone want to prevent a church from choosing someone to serve their congregation who has moral integrity and pastoral gifts. My cousin’s daughter was recently ordained in North Carolina.  We sent a card and a gift to encourage her.

 Jesus rose above customs and traditions to demonstrate the worth and value of women. When Jesus came to the well in Samaria, he remained alone while his disciples went into the nearby village searching for provisions.  A single woman approached.  She was taken aback to find a man at the well.  Refusing to make eye contact, she hoped to avoid any interaction with this Jewish stranger. She intended to fill her water jug quickly and be on her way. 

 But Jesus would not let the moment pass.  He asked her for water.  She was shocked. “You, a Jew, would ask water from me, a Samaritan woman?” Jesus engaged her more deeply.  This thoroughly confused the woman who challenged him with the Samaritan’s tradition of worshipping at Gerazim rather than Jerusalem.  Again His response stunned her.  He did not argue the point.  He did not put her down.  He said, “I tell you a time is coming when true worshippers will worship God neither in Jerusalem nor Gerazim but they will worship in spirit and in truth.”   He offered her living water from which she would never thirst. When the disciples returned, they were too amazed to speak.  It was unheard of that a Jewish man would be found conversing with a Samaritan woman. (John 4).

 In Jerusalem a woman was dragged to Jesus because she had been caught in the act of adultery.  Her accusers stood glaring, stones gripped in their hands, waiting for Jesus to condemn the woman. Instead, he bent over and wrote in the sand.  “Let him who is without sin,” he said, “cast the first stone.”  The men who were ready to stone the woman were overcome with guilt.  One-by-one they dropped their stones and drifted away.  “Where are your accusers?”  He asked. She responded, “There are none.”  Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.  Go your way and sin no more.”  (John 8).

 Following His crucifixion Jesus chose to show Himself alive first to the women and only later to the men. They carried the news to the eleven who were huddled in a secret room.  The men dismissed the women’s report as idle gossip.  Only later, when Jesus appeared among them did they realize the truth of the women’s report that He was, indeed, risen. (Mark 16:9-11).

 The Apostle Paul summed up the Scriptural position on gender when he wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus,”  (Galatians 3:28).

A Father's Gift

 This week sons and daughters of all ages are shopping for Father’s Day. Decades ago a tie would do. But few men wear ties anymore. When I was a child I could get by with a bottle of Old Spice.  I think my Dad had a shelf full. Today it is more complicated.

 My father passed away when he was 53. I haven’t shopped for a Father’s Day gift in many years.  But every Father’s Day I think about him. He was a wonderful father. He taught me to ride a bike and play ball. He took us to church, ran the sound system and helped the elderly up and down the elevator.

 Along the way, I became a father myself.  My first child was born two years before my father died. Five years later, another son, and eight years after that, our daughter. Today I have six grandchildren.  Instead of thinking about what I might buy for my father on Father’s Day, I think about what I want to give to my children.  I hope I give them some of the gifts that my father gave me.

 I hope I give them a good example of honesty, generosity, and friendship.  I have always cherished the example my Dad set.  He never went to college, never held an office or position, but he was a true friend to others.  I often saw him choose to be cheated rather than to risk cheating someone else. When he died more than 800 people crowded the church to express their grief.  For years after his death, our family received letters and cards from those who had been touched by his life.

 I hope I will give them encouragement. My father was a constant encourager. He believed in me, even when I did not believe in myself.  I still remember his hand upon my shoulder. His affectionate grin and his words of affirmation letting me know he believed I could do anything I set my mind to.

 I hope I will give them a legacy of prayer.  My Dad was not eloquent and was not a public speaker.  I only heard him lead in a public prayer once. But he always prayed at the family table, usually a memorized prayer that included confession, forgiveness and a petition for protection in Jesus’ name. I don’t think we ever ate a family meal without my father praying that prayer.

 I hope I will give my children and grandchildren a legacy of character.  I never heard my father speak disparagingly of another person.  He never complained.  I never heard him speak a single profane word. 

 I hope I leave my children a memory of joy.  When I think of my Dad I think of him grinning, with deep dimples in his cheeks.  I remember him laughing, out of control until he couldn’t breathe. I remember him making other people laugh simply by his cheerful outlook on life.

 When I think of fathers, and being a father, I think of Jesus.  He gave us the greatest honor when He taught us to think of God as “our Father who art in Heaven.”  He raised the bar when He challenged us saying, “Be perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.”