Imagine a New Year

 If this New Year’s Celebration at Times Square follows the pattern set since 1986, just before the ball drops and we turn our calendars forward, someone will sing John Lennon’s classic song, Imagine. It is a good thing to close out the past and look to the future by imagining the world as it could be. 

  John Lennon sat down at his piano in Berkshire, England one morning in early 1971 and composed the song that became his most popular single.  The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation named it the greatest song of the last 100 years.  Australians chose “Imagine” as the greatest song of all time. But for many of us, there is a greater vision of how the world could be.

 Every time we quote the Lord’s Prayer we are invited to imagine the world as it is meant to be.  Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven …” What would the world look like if that prayer were answered?  How would the world differ from the world we know? 

 If God’s will were done on earth, there would be no more crime. Theft, violence and murder would end. Prisons would empty.  Neighbor would no longer sue neighbor.  Court dockets would clear.

 Employers would forego extravagant profits in order to pay higher wages to their workers.   No child would go to bed hungry or unsheltered.  Those who possess the food and resources of the world would share with those who have none.

 Corruption, graft and greed would disappear. Wars would cease. Politicians would serve the best interest of others with honesty and integrity.  Fairness, kindness, forgiveness and generosity would prevail. 

 Husbands would love their wives seeking what is best for them and striving to please them.  Wives would love and respect their husbands, building them up and encouraging them. Children would honor their parents and obey them, trusting them in the knowledge that they want what is best for them.

 Racial, cultural and sexual prejudices would vanish.  Discrimination would disappear. Every human being would treat every other human being with respect.  The strong would help the weak.

 None of us are in the position to effect such a whole scale change for the world in which we live.  But we are each able to change our little corner of the world.  We can put into practice the answer to the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. His Kingdom can come and His will can be done in us and through us. 

 In 2024 we can be a part of the answer to the prayer that has been prayed for more than 2,000 years.  What if His kingdom were to come and His will was done on earth as it is in Heaven this day? Just imagine!

A Christmas/New Year gift: Bill Tinsley's children's book, Buddy the Floppy Ear Corgi, free eBook on Amazon December 26-30.

When the "Most Wonderful Time of Year" Becomes the Most Difficult

 For most of us, the holidays are a time of joy and celebration, stretching from Thanksgiving through Christmas and the New Year.  But for some, it can be the most difficult time of year.  We may feel the keen absence of a loved one, the anxiety of measuring up, the pressure of trying to please those we love with gifts we cannot afford. We are constantly bombarded with images of perfect families and happy faces exchanging perfect gifts. All of this can lead to “holiday depression.”

 Depression is widespread. For most of us it is temporary and seldom. For some, it is a lifelong and constant companion. It affects the rich and poor, the unknown and the famous.  Abraham Lincoln was well known for his bouts with depression. His law partner, William Herndon observed, “His melancholy dripped from him as he walked.”

 According to Mayo Clinic, “Depression is a medical illness that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.” We all know it when we feel it: the heavy weight that seems to bear down upon us, sapping our energy, dragging us down, emotional shackles that reduce our steps to a shuffle, the thief that robs us of creativity and destroys our dreams.

 Here are a few proven steps to combat depression, some from Lincoln himself:

 Refuse to surrender to depression’s emotions. Lincoln learned this discipline and encouraged others to follow it. In 1842, he wrote, “Remember in the depth and even the agony of despondency, that very shortly you are to feel well again.” In his famous letter to Fanny McCollough, he said, “You can not now realize that you will ever feel better. Is not this so? And yet it is a mistake. You are sure to be happy again. To know this, which is certainly true, will make you some less miserable now. I have had experience enough to know what I say.”  Get up and get out. Exercise, walk, run, play.  Exercise of the body somehow releases a wind within that can blow away the dark clouds that close in on us.

 Get with people. Loneliness is depression’s partner. When I was a teenager, I read a little known book by a Christian psychiatrist named Henry C. Link entitled Return to Religion. Basically, the book said that church is good for the human psyche.  Going to church is good for us. 

 Do something good for someone else. Guilt and depression are common companions.  The acts that make us feel guilty often become the seeds of depression.  Acts of altruism will punch holes in the darkness and let in the liberating light.  Accept God’s forgiveness for your sins, and then go out of your way to do something for others.

 If depression persists, seek professional medical assistance.  We are complex creatures with a complex chemical balance that affects our moods.  Proper medication, administered under the careful supervision of a doctor, can help. Speaking of his own depression, Lincoln said, “Melancholy is a misfortune. It is not a fault.”

 Trust in God who cares for you. Look beyond and beneath all the holiday hype to remember the basic message of Christmas.  God has loved you so much that He has given His only begotten Son, just for you.  God loves you just as you are.  He is reaching out His hand to you!

Where Christianity is Growing Fastest

 If I were to ask you where Christianity is growing fastest in the world what would you say?  No, not the United States.  Most of us are aware that Christianity is declining in the U.S. as well as Britain and Europe.  Several years ago, the geographical centers for Christianity shifted to the southern hemisphere: South America, Africa and Asia. 

 But what country is experiencing the greatest growth in the Christian faith?  Would you be surprised if I said, Iran?  Well, so am I. But that is what the reports indicate.  In the last few years Christianity has grown  faster in Iran than in any other nation.

 Some of us remember 1979 when the Shah of Iran was deposed and the Ayatollah Khomeini set up a strict Islamic state in Iran.  For the last 44 years Islam has held a tight-fisted control of the country. But recently, while the world wasn’t watching, a surge of faith in Christ has taken place in Iran.  A little over two years ago Newsweek quoted Shay Katiri of Johns Hopkins University who wrote of Iran, “Islam is the fastest shrinking religion there while Christianity is growing the fastest.” 

 Iran appears to be experiencing what other nations have seen under persecution.  The Christian faith goes underground.  Small cells of believers begin to multiply without clergy or buildings.  A rapidly multiplying network of disciples starts to spread, much like the early Christian faith under Roman persecution. Some estimate a million new believers in Iran.  Others think the number could be far greater.

 At the same time, Iran remains one of the most brutal countries for persecution of Christians. According to Open Doors, that focuses on the persecuted church, “The outlook for Iranian Christians, in particular converts from Islam to Christianity, is by no means improving. Pressure remains extreme against Christians in all spheres of life.”

 Lela Gilbert, an adjunct fellow for the Center for Religious Freedom recently wrote, “As I’ve learned about the many abuses suffered by our sisters and brothers in Iran, I have also been awestruck by their courage and boldness — and by the remarkable results. More than a million new converts — called Muslim Background Believers (MBB) — are reading the Bible for the first time, praying, gathering in small groups, and sharing their new faith with friends and family, despite the risks. Their faith is amazing, encouraging, and inspiring.”

 As we celebrate this Christmas season, we all remember the Magi, the Shepherds, and the angels singing.  But we overlook the persecution that fell upon Bethlehem. “Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent men and killed all the boys who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and she refused to be comforted because they were no more.’” (Matthew 2:16-18). 

 At this Christmas season when we freely, openly and joyfully celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us remember the millions of Christians world-wide who do not share this privilege.  While we attend our parties, concerts, family gatherings and gift-giving, let us pray for those who risk their freedom and their lives to embrace Jesus as their Savior.

Sunrise Season

 I sat in the pre-dawn dark, watched the gathering glow in the east and heard the first bird break the stillness with song. Soon others joined him in the gathering light until the air echoed with a chorus of calls celebrating the break of day. It was as if the birds had waited through the long hours of darkness wondering if the sun would return, and, once it did, they were delirious with joy.

We sometimes feel that way, when we consider the darkness in which our world exists: continued wars in the Ukraine, Israel, Myanmar, and Sudan; Jihadist insurgencies in Niger, Burkina Faso and Tunisia; daily reports of sexual abuse, domestic violence and prejudice.   We sometimes wonder, as the birds seem to do, if the dawn of light and goodness will again dispel the darkness of violence and suffering .

I have watched the sun rise over the snow-covered hills of Minnesota, painting the landscape with crimson and gold, its light sparkling like diamonds on ice covered limbs. I have watched the sun stain the eastern horizon with purple and gray before penetrating the breaking clouds with shafts of gold. I have watched the day dawn over the mountains of Montana and Switzerland. I have seen it transform the sea into pink and purple waves. I watched the sun rise on the first day of the new millennium, bursting above the horizon as a brilliant ball of light in a clear blue sky.

Sunrise is the perfect symbol for God’s intervention into our world at this Christmas season.

When the forerunner, John, was born, his father, Zechariah understood the importance of his birth. For nine months he had reflected on the angel’s announcement in the temple, that he would have a son in his old age. He had remained mute throughout Elizabeth’s pregnancy. But when John was born, his tongue was loosed, and he burst into praise. He said, “And you, child, also will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;  to give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:76-79).

Every generation has witnessed the sunrise of God. Darkness cannot conquer it. Corrie Ten Boom and Dietrich Bonhoffer saw it during the dark days of Hitler’s holocaust. Louis Zamparini discovered it after surviving the Japanese POW camps. Rachel Scott and Cassie Bernall bore witness to it during the massacre at Columbine. The light from on high refuses to be extinguished by the violence and suffering of this world.   

This is what John meant when he wrote, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:4-14).

The Master Potter

 A few miles north of Waco, Texas on the east banks of the Brazos River sits the Homestead Heritage, an agrarian Christian community committed to preserving nineteenth century craftsmanship.  The community offers shops where visitors can observe “artistry-in-action” complete with a pottery barn, blacksmith forge, grist mill and a carpentry shop.  George and Laura Bush commissioned the Homestead to construct and furnish their house at the Crawford Ranch. This year the annual Homestead Heritage Fair has been extended to 3 weekends through December 9.

 When we lived in Waco, Homestead was one of our favorite places to visit.  I especially liked the pottery shop.  I marveled at the talent of those who worked there. The artists applied water and shaped the clay spinning on the potter’s wheel in front of them. With nimble fingers and just the right amount of pressure, they brought the clay to life and shaped it into the form they desired.

 Pottery is an ancient art.  For thousands of years the trade was passed down from generation to generation in cultures around the world.  Communities developed around clay deposits in India, China and the Middle East.  Archeologists continue to excavate pottery from the earliest sites of civilization.

 Jeremiah must have marveled, as I did, when he visited a potter’s house in ancient Jerusalem.  When he watched the clay spin upon the wheel, he saw the potter’s ability to change the shape of the clay in an instant.  He sensed God speaking to him, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand.” (Jeremiah 18:6). 

 Isaiah made a similar observation. “Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay?

That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?” (Isaiah 29:16).

 God has made each of us unique.  We are, each and every one of us, special in His sight.  He never abandons us or gives up on us.  Like the clay, we continue to be molded in His hands.   With every pressure, whether success or failure, joy or sorrow. God is fashioning us for His purposes so that we can reflect His glory, bless others and be filled with joy. He wants us to love ourselves and one another just the way He made us.

 This is what Paul meant when he said, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  (Romans 8:28).  All things work together for good when we realize the Master Potter is shaping us for His purposes on the earth.

 “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

Thanksgiving 2023

 When we think of Thanksgiving, we usually think of Pilgrims and Indians gathered for a harvest feast at Plymouth, but it was Abraham Lincoln who gave us Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Prior to Lincoln, each state celebrated Thanksgiving on different dates according to the discretion of each state’s governor. In 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, Lincoln issued a Presidential proclamation for a national day of Thanksgiving.

After noting the many blessings of God in spite of the Civil War with all its suffering and severity, Lincoln wrote in his proclamation, “No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”

 We must never take the blessings of God for granted. He holds every nation of every age accountable.  We cannot descend into the chasms of corruption, deception, anger, prejudice, arrogance, greed and immorality and expect God’s blessings to remain upon us. 

 Thomas Jefferson’s words are inscribed on the Northeast Portico of the Jefferson Memorial: “Can the liberties of a nation be secured when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?  Indeed I tremble for my nation when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.” 

 Jeremiah counseled, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood … Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness?  Then it was well with him.  He pled the cause of the afflicted and the needy; then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 22:3,5, 15-16).

 Just over two weeks before his death in 1963,  John F. Kennedy issued a Thanksgiving proclamation on November 5.  He wrote, “Today we give our thanks, most of all, for the ideals of honor and faith we inherit from our forefathers – for the decency of purpose, steadfastness of will, for the courage and the humility, which they possessed and which we must emulate.  As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”   

 In an interview with Jeremiah Greever, Eric Metaxas, author of Bonhoffer and If You Can Keep It, reflected  on the failure of the German church to confront and oppose the rise of totalitarianism under Hitler. He referred to Alexis de Toqueville’s  assessment concerning America in 1835, “Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith … despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot.”

 As we enter the 2024 Presidential election year, it is important that we approach this Thanksgiving with humility, gratitude and prayer that as individuals and a nation we might fulfill God’s will in our treatment of one another and the nations of the earth.

For Thanksgiving, my newest book, We Beheld His Glory, free eBook on Amazon November 23-26.

November 22

 Next week will mark sixty years since a rifle shot echoed in Dallas altering the course of history.  It left John F. Kennedy dead and a nation in shock.    For those of us who are older, it is a moment frozen in time.  Each one who experienced it remembers where we were and what we were doing when we heard  that President Kennedy had been shot. This week will be filled with documentaries, flashbacks, stories, and remembrances of that event. But something else happened on that date that the world little noticed.

 On the same day, November 22, 1963, C. S. Lewis collapsed at 5:30 PM in the bedroom of his Oxford home and died one week before his sixty-fifth birthday.  Sixty years later, C. S. Lewis’ death is little noted.  But his writings may be more popular and more widely read than ever.  Both events marked by November 22 continue to shape our world: the traumatic assassination of President Kennedy and the writings of C.S. Lewis.

 An avowed atheist in his youth, C.S. Lewis came to faith in Christ in 1931, partially influenced by his friend and colleague, J.R.R. Tolkien.  By some estimates he became the most widely read Christian writer in history.  He is perhaps best known today for The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, a Christian allegory written for children in 1950.  

 I expect both Lewis and Tolkien would be shocked to discover their fantasies, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings have become blockbuster movies in the twenty-first century. And, I expect C.S. Lewis would be even more surprised to learn that he is one of the most quoted authors on social media.  Here are a few of his most famous quotes:

 “A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.”

 "Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done."

 "God has infinite attention to spare for each one of us. You are as much alone with him as if you were the only being he had ever created."

  "When Christ died, he died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only person in the world."

 Millions who have struggled with doubt and disbelief have found a path to faith through his best known book, Mere Christianity.  I first read Mere Christianity when I was a college student  55 years ago, along with The Screwtape Letters and The Four Loves.  Later I added his science fiction books, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength.  Like many others my faith and my thinking have been shaped by  Lewis’ writings.

 As the world pauses to reflect on that fateful day in Dallas sixty years ago, we are afforded opportunity to reflect on faith in Christ, as described so beautifully by C. S. Lewis. A faith that can carry us through any crisis, global or personal.