What Do They Need to Hear?

A key military principle is that battles are not won by simply defending your position.  You must go on the offensive.

In today's society, many people have a "cause" or even a worldview that they identify with and work to defend and promote. 

The hottest issue now is transgender rights, which is part of the bigger LGBTQIA matter.  In recent years, evolution, abortion, racial equality, and many others, were, and continue to be, causes that are either championed or fought against.    

We all run into people who talk on and on about their cause or their take on life, whatever that view may be.  Occasionally, I "take the bait" and engage in a conversation, attempting to change their mind.  More often, I think, "How can I get away from this person, as quickly as possible?"

I once read that instead of avoiding a person who is always on a soapbox, or in dealing with any type of non-stop "talker"- I should first listen, and then ask myself, "What do they need to hear?"

I know they need to hear the gospel.  But I also know that sharing or defending the Christian faith to someone "with a cause to advance" or "an ax to grind" gets me nowhere but frustration.


Jesus said that the second greatest commandment, after loving God, is:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  Mark 12:31

All these people, the people with causes and the talkers, have the same desires, the same motivations as me - the desire for fulfillment and purpose in life, to be noticed, to have an issue to fight for, to matter.

I love them as "my neighbor" by just listening to them, getting to know them and caring about them.  Instead of "taking the bait" and trying to make and win points, I can change the direction of our talk by asking, "How's your family?  Is your health good?  Any job issues?"

You see...the thing about causes...they have the appearance of meaning and seem important.  Until....

You lose your job.  You cheat on your spouse.  Your son ends up in jail.  Or, you find out that you only have 3 months to live. 

When a person is in the midst of suffering and is hopeless, a cause doesn't save them and it offers no comfort.

But the Christian has that good news to share.  And when the impact of our broken and sinful world becomes personal to someone, when a person is hurt by relationships or life and death issues, when a person is in despair...that's the time for a Christian to "take the offensive" and share the gospel.  

And the "Gospel" is "What the person needs to hear."

And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31-32

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”           Matthew 11:28-30

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4

Service and Satisfaction

May 23rd is the day, many years ago, that I graduated from the Naval Academy and entered the Marine Corps.  Coincidentally, we have friends whose son left yesterday for Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island.

 There's something about the military that instills a person with a sense of duty.  Maybe it's that initial entry into military life - when a person is trying to figure out what's going on, how to cope, how to survive.  That previous civilian life is quickly forgotten, and honor and duty become "just what you do."  

Our recent sermons at church have focused on society's view of "living for self-fulfillment" vs the Christian's view of living for God.   As I listen to the sermons, I hear and I know that "living for self" isn't really fulfilling.  No matter what society is saying or doing, the focus on pleasure, success, popularity...the idea that it's "all about me" just doesn't last and doesn't meet the deep need that each person has.

One of the most fulfilling positions I had as a Marine was as a series commander, "running series" at Parris Island.  For each series, I had 8 drill instructors and about 120 recruits, and I was charged with overseeing the recruits' training. "Running series" was a headache - long hours, time crunch issues...and always dealing with some unexpected crisis.

As a new series would start I'd think, "I can't believe I'm doing this again."

On the afternoon of recruit pick-up, when I would introduce myself and my drill instructors to the new recruits...I had tunnel vision.  I would envision graduation day, three months later, when I'd stand on that parade deck and give the final command, "Senior Drill Instructors, dismiss your platoons."  

My goal for each series was to keep the drill instructors on track and out of trouble, to get those recruits to graduation, and to do it all as smoothly as possible.  Inevitably, stuff happened.  I never heard "Good job" but often heard "You got written up."

But there was something about that moment on the parade deck...seeing those recruits become Marines...when all the work was done, after giving your all...something about not living for self, but "spending yourself" for others...that moment was satisfying.

 "Running the Christian life" is not unlike "running series."  The Christian life, no matter one's vocation, is a life of sacrifice, love, and service to others - including family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.  It's not about "what's in it for me" or "who I can become."

As a Christian, I know that Jesus came, loved, served, and sacrificed for me.  The "for me" part is done - I don't have to worry about it.  I'm free to not think about me, and free to serve others...for God's glory and His kingdom.

Like "running series" it's not easy.  But the Christian's impact is far greater - the care of eternal souls.  And it's satisfying because it's His work.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:8-10

Praying for my church...

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 
1 Peter 4:8

My church has a beautiful sanctuary and a gorgeous stained-glass window.  I've spent many evenings and hours, alone, praying in that sanctuary.  

 
Being there is comforting.  It's also scary, with creaks filling the emptiness...I often peek back at the choir loft, expecting someone to be up there.
 
Eventually, I look at the empty pews, noting where everyone sits...then I pull out my church directory and start praying for the people who will worship there come Sunday morning.

I pray for the faithful widow, who still sits in the same spot as she sat with her husband.

I pray for the man who's now in a wheelchair. 

I pray for the young family with kids - the kids who can't sit still, and the mother who's often in the nursery with one of her kids.

I pray for the mother sitting alone with her children.

I pray for that one couple who never miss a service.

I pray for the family who sit behind us and can sing, helping me also to sing.

I pray for the many multi-generational families we have.  

I pray for the married man who comes alone. 

I pray for our shut-ins, whose spots are now empty or are beginning to be filled by new members.

I pray for the visitors, who often sit near the back, close to the exit.

I pray for the family who's been missing lately - Where are they?

I pray for my pastor, that he's encouraged and his faith strengthened, even as he serves us.

I pray for our elders who help serve communion each week.

I pray for those who help set-up communion, and the ushers and greeters who also ensure that the service runs smoothly.

I pray for all of our married couples, that they will have strong, faithful marriages and children and grandchildren who keep the Christian faith.  

I pray for all our children to keep and grow in their faith.

I pray for our young members who are away at college or who are serving in the military.

I pray that, as a church family, we will know, love, and care for each other.  I ask forgiveness for those many times when I've fail to show that love.

I pray that God will provide for and meet all our needs, individual, family, and church needs.  

I pray that He gives us a heart to serve outside the church.  I pray that He will do good things with our service to others.

I pray for those relationships that need care and healing.  
 
I thank God that He has forgiven my sins and our sins, and that, through the blood of Jesus, He has made us, who are not a people and not a family, into a family, His family, His church.

I pray that my church family members will know God's peace and will grow in their faith, in their love for each other, and in their love for others, outside of the church.
    
In all of this, I pray for His will, not mine, to be done.  In Jesus' name. 
Amen.

Transgender - What's a Christian to think?

When I was a teenager, a tennis player named Richard Raskind had a sex-change operation and became Renee Richards.  My young mind thought that was similar to a man walking on the moon:  "Wow.  How could that happen?"

Today, transgender people are often in the news relating their stories of gender dysphoria.

Gender dysphoria is a condition in which a person experiences distress because of their bodily gender.  The transgender woman says that her brain doesn't match the body she was born with - she feels like a woman inside a man's body.

So, the question I then have is, "What makes a woman be a woman?"  

As a kid, I was a bit of a tom-boy, but also a cheerleader who played with dolls.  In my opinion and experience, women are diverse and can't be stereotyped based on how they look or dress, or based on their behavior or feelings.

So, "What makes a woman be a woman?" My answer - "A woman is a person whose body was made to bare children."  That's the trait women have in common.  I don't see how it has anything to do with how a person feels.

While I can sympathize with the transgender woman and her struggle of not feeling right, I can't relate or understand.  Nor can I judge what she's experiencing, because I just don't know.

But this I know.  We all have the same struggle, which is a desire for satisfaction and fulfillment in life.
  
And we all think the solution to our struggle is: 

"If I just had this...(fill in the blank)...then I would be satisfied, I would be happy, life would be good."

But the answer to "What ails you?" is always simple, always the same. 

...For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...Romans 3:22-23

Sin ails us all - we live in a fallen, broken, sinful world.  It's never going to be right or fixed...until Jesus returns.  

Jesus is our comfort; Jesus is our hope, our fulfillment, our satisfaction.  He came for all people.   He came for me, and He came for the transgender woman.  

And what do I, as a Christian, think about the transgender issue?  

I'm reminded of the question Joshua asked, to a man with a sword...

"Are you for us, or for our adversaries?"  Joshua 5:13 

And the answer was, "No," because the question was wrong.  The battle is not against each other.  It's against sin, Satan, death.

No, I don't think gender surgery is the answer.  It may provide some relief, some satisfaction, some happiness in this life.  But Jesus is the answer; He's the one who gives a new heart, the one who provides lasting satisfaction and eternal life.  If you're looking for it anywhere else, you'll always be disappointed.  

His Nametag said Bruce...

I love that Walmart workers have name tags. I still remember the day, many years ago...the store was crowded, and we chose Bruce's check-out lane because Bruce was fast.  While it may seem out-of-the-ordinary to become real friends with a store cashier, that day was the start of our friendship.

Over the years, Bruce and I talked about many things, including family and faith, and what ails us.  Sometimes our conversations were casual and sometimes they were more personal, on a deeper level. 

I was surprised and excited to find out that Bruce played both the piano and the organ, and was the organist at a Baptist church.  My youngest son also plays the piano and was soon to start organ lessons.  I gave Bruce a Lutheran hymnal, and he said that the Baptist songs he played were more upbeat and lively than the Lutheran hymns.  We laughed.

Bruce often spoke of his daughter and was proud of her.

I remember when he told me that he'd lost his son some years before...then he said, "You should always have a spare."  That gave me a different perspective and a greater appreciation for the sons God has given me.  I think of that often and of Bruce's pain in his loss.

A few years ago near Christmas, I gave Bruce a thank-you card.  And I told him, "You minister to people here."  I'm not sure he believed me, but I meant it.

Sometimes, when he hadn't seen me in awhile, Bruce would say, "Where you been?  I haven't seen you lately?" 

Last week, as I was leaving Walmart, I looked for Bruce, thinking I hadn't seen him in awhile.  The next day, I read the notice for his funeral.  

I already miss seeing Bruce.  I miss his smile; I miss his service; I miss his voice.  

But we do not grieve as people who have no hope.  1 Thessalonians 4:13

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17