I saw the strangest thing this week. For about three miles, I drove behind a man on a scooter who was balancing two 2" by 4" twelve foot pieces of lumber, creating a huge V. Each time he turned a corner, I expected him to topple over. Staying a safe distance behind, I kept praying he would keep his balance so I would not run over him. At the first stop sign, I desperately wanted to jump out of my car and scold him for his lack of common sense. Once a mother, always a mother!
Yet what a metaphor for our lives! If we can maintain our balance, we can live in the V, the victory. Storms, sharp turns, and our own weaknesses attack our spiritual equilibrium. The apostle Paul anticipated such a ride for his brothers and sisters in Christ, because his letters offer both exhortation and encouragement. Note his balanced approach when writing to the Corinthians.
"He [Jesus] will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought."
1 Cor. 1:8-10, NIV.
In this passage Paul prefaced his "criticism" with a victory declaration. He had no doubt they would overcome in Jesus Christ. His intent was to remind them who provides the balance and the victory, which is also ours in Christ. Let's live in peace, unity, and strength, perfectly balanced in our journey.
By the time the man on the scooter turned his last corner, I had traveled from criticism into awe. Let's show the world the same kind of balance.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Butler Way
The Butler Way, advocated by Butler University's young but extremely successful basketball coach, preaches its own set of values that have in the past two years captivated the national college sports scene. Religious and values reporter for the Indianapolis Star, Robert King's recently interviewed Stevens about his faith. The article in yesterday's paper [The Indianapolis Sunday Star, May 15, section B, 1-2] reminded me of another coach making a huge difference 2,000 years ago.
How like the apostle Paul is this Stevens' comment: "Don't talk about it. Do it. Be it." When Paul grieved over all of the Corinthian church's misunderstandings and mistakes, he kept reinforcing the same sentiment: "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ. . ." 2 Corinthians 3:2-3b. NIV. This concept reminds me of writing guru Donald Murray's best advice ever: "Show, don't tell." Our actions always speak louder than our words in the Christian walk. As writers, our words have to align with what's written on our hearts and manifested in our lives.
Another life principle Stevens understands is conveyed in his quote: "If you win or if you lose, it's not going to matter as much as the relationships. And the result is not going to matter as much as the lesson." [King 2] That's exactly why Paul writes his letters to the churches. He has a close relationship with them, and he wants them to learn from their mistakes. Lessons from the letters provides us, 2,000 years later, much wisdom and much application to both our lives and our writing. Thanks, Coach!
The Stevens Way -The Indianapolis Star
How like the apostle Paul is this Stevens' comment: "Don't talk about it. Do it. Be it." When Paul grieved over all of the Corinthian church's misunderstandings and mistakes, he kept reinforcing the same sentiment: "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ. . ." 2 Corinthians 3:2-3b. NIV. This concept reminds me of writing guru Donald Murray's best advice ever: "Show, don't tell." Our actions always speak louder than our words in the Christian walk. As writers, our words have to align with what's written on our hearts and manifested in our lives.
Another life principle Stevens understands is conveyed in his quote: "If you win or if you lose, it's not going to matter as much as the relationships. And the result is not going to matter as much as the lesson." [King 2] That's exactly why Paul writes his letters to the churches. He has a close relationship with them, and he wants them to learn from their mistakes. Lessons from the letters provides us, 2,000 years later, much wisdom and much application to both our lives and our writing. Thanks, Coach!
The Stevens Way -The Indianapolis Star
Monday, May 9, 2011
An Amateur Tries Poetry
Two hours of prayer. Two hours of listening to God speak. Unfortunately that doesn't happen very often in my life, but recently my husband, daughter, and I were privileged to have that consecrated time in the prayer room at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City.
Quiet time leads to inspiration. God gave me a poem, a creativity that rarely travels my way. So this one is for all of you poets out there. Try not to laugh, OK?
"Go!" the Holy One of Heaven,
looking at His son, said.
Messiah King nodded,
descending in both joy and dread.
Thunder roared. Lightening raged.
Angelic host applauded.
A star glowed over Bethlehem,
highlighting the newborn's straw bed.
Wondering why a king seemed so frail,
shepherds and wise men followed where led.
Growing up a carpenter's son,
but in God's Word, Jesus continually read.
Crowds gathered in dire need.
The blind saw, the hungry were fed.
Focused on the cross,
Jesus to Jerusalem was headed.
Stretched out, crying out,
the Christ to Abba Father plead.
"Let this cup pass from me!
Not my will, but yours instead."
Between two thieves,
he hung in death and bled.
Buried in a rich man's cave,
he soon left the linens and fled.
"Go! Make disciples. Baptize them.
teaching them to obey everything I've commanded."
"I am with you always, to the very end of the age"
the risen Savior said.
For More Christian Poetry. . .
Quiet time leads to inspiration. God gave me a poem, a creativity that rarely travels my way. So this one is for all of you poets out there. Try not to laugh, OK?
"Go!" the Holy One of Heaven,
looking at His son, said.
Messiah King nodded,
descending in both joy and dread.
Thunder roared. Lightening raged.
Angelic host applauded.
A star glowed over Bethlehem,
highlighting the newborn's straw bed.
Wondering why a king seemed so frail,
shepherds and wise men followed where led.
Growing up a carpenter's son,
but in God's Word, Jesus continually read.
Crowds gathered in dire need.
The blind saw, the hungry were fed.
Focused on the cross,
Jesus to Jerusalem was headed.
Stretched out, crying out,
the Christ to Abba Father plead.
"Let this cup pass from me!
Not my will, but yours instead."
Between two thieves,
he hung in death and bled.
Buried in a rich man's cave,
he soon left the linens and fled.
"Go! Make disciples. Baptize them.
teaching them to obey everything I've commanded."
"I am with you always, to the very end of the age"
the risen Savior said.
For More Christian Poetry. . .
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