Dust from His Sandals

While headed towards a mediation in New York City last week, I looked out the window of the car that I was in to see a Dad and son walk out of their apartment building. The Dad was carrying a briefcase and obviously was on his way to work. The boy, who was probably about nine or ten (the same age as my son), had one of those roller backpacks and was pulling it behind him. Within a few seconds, the Dad was well ahead and I heard the boy yell "Dad" to get him to slow down and wait. Traffic moved slowly and I watched them walk up the block. The Dad always about thirty feet ahead and the son trudging along behind. It was kind of sad.

I thought about myself and my interaction with my son. The number of times that I just keep pushing ahead with him trailing behind. The number of times that I yell for him to hurry up. It is time to go. Get your shoes on. We have to go. Get your stuff. We are going to be late. Come on. I'm going out to the car now.

The Dad continued up the block ahead of his son (and ahead of me in the car - love that traffic), until he came to the corner. The light was green in the right direction, the Dad could cross. But, his son was still too far behind. Of course he didn't cross, he waited for the boy. And, when his son caught up at the corner, Dad didn't complain. He didn't look mad or annoyed, he just started talking to his son. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but from the looks on their faces, I imagined something along the lines of "what is going on in school today" or "it sure is a nice morning."

My view of the situation changed. It was no longer sad - it was just a Dad doing what a parent has to do sometimes. Pushing their kid towards where they need to go. Leading them, gently pulling them along. When it got to where it was dangerous, Dad waited to be side-by-side to help.

I thought about all of this again this weekend. At one point during a prayer at church, the pastor said "may we walk close enough to You to be covered by the dust from Your sandals." In my own walk following Jesus, I thought about how often I am like that boy on the street, or like my own son. How often I am saying "just a minute" or "can I just finish this" or "I'll be there in a second" or "I don't want to go, I want to stay here." But He is always leading, gently pulling, doing what it takes to move me along. Sometimes I get distracted and He is thirty feet ahead of me, or walking just outside - never actually walking away, but showing me that I am letting the distance between us grow greater. But, when it comes to the dangerous parts, to the places where I have to cross that road in New York City, He waits to hold my hand and help me across.

Just like I always hope that my son will be ready when it is time to go and we can just walk together out to the car, or where ever we need to go, I know that God always hopes that I will be walking with Him. And, though I often fail and let that distance grow too great, I know that I long to always walk in that place of comfort and safety close enough to Jesus that I can hold His hand and be covered by the dust from his sandals.

Psalm 23 seems particularly appropriate this morning:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Perspective

This weekend, my family went to the opening celebration of the Lorton Workhouse. It was a lot of fun and people have done a fantastic job working through everything that needed to happen to make this incredible transformation from a dangerous prison to a place of the arts. A few of those individuals were called out on Sunday night and recognized for their vision, persistence and hard work over the years it has taken. Then the event was marked with a gorgeous fireworks display - definitely rivaling what you would see anywhere on the Fourth of July.

As we were leaving, I was thinking about how great it must feel be one of those people, what a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. But, I was also thinking - how cool would it be to have a giant fireworks display for me? Now, I need to say clearly that this is not what was going on. The fireworks were for the community and were to celebrate the event, they were not for the individuals. And, since I know some of the people involved at least a little bit, I know that the people involved certainly saw them that way, not as some sort of tribute.

The point here is that I was thinking about me and how much I would enjoy being in that kind of spotlight and celebrating earthly achievements. It is kind of that want to be celebrity mentality. In my work life, I get caught up in all of that and don't even think about it. I don't think twice about having a car service pick me up at an airport, spending hundreds of dollars on a dinner with clients, flying half way across the country for a cocktail party, having dinner at the best restaurant in town, or staying in fancy hotels. Sometimes it seems like it is just what you do - it is not even special.

But sometimes you stop and think about it.
And wonder about it.
And pray about it.
And try to reconcile it with what you know is much more important.

Over the past few days I have heard "Lose My Soul" on the radio a number of times - including when I got in the car this morning. The song is by Toby Mac with Kirk Franklin and Mandisa. The entire song is full of great lyrics and I recommend that you check them out on the web. One part says:

The paparazzi flashes, and they think that it's you,
But they don't know that who you are is not what you do

The chorus is "I don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul" and it is based on Mark 8:36 - "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?"

All of us know people that work tirelessly in support of various organizations and causes - religious and secular. One thing that I have found that they have in common is that they are entirely uninterested in recognition. They don't want the admiration of others or fireworks to honor them. They want the focus on the issue or the problem that they are passionate about.

The Bible tells us many times that power and recognition in this world mean nothing by themselves. Jesus says "many who are first will be last, and the last first." Mark 10:31; Matthew 19:30 ("many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first"). Jesus gently rebuked the seventy-two who were celebrating their power over demons by saying "do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:20

Catching myself thinking about how cool it would be to have people celebrating something I did served as a reminder to me of how often, and how quickly, my focus can get out of whack. So, I am writing today simply in another of my attempts to refocus and stop thinking about me.

Stop Playing Church - Greater Things Have Yet To Come

Yesterday morning at church, our Pastor spoke about passing on a legacy. Since it was part of the Faith at Home series of sermons, the general message was that our children and others learn to model the behavior that they see. If they see someone living out their faith and living a life of faith, they are more likely to do the same. If they see someone who works hard to make an honest living, they are likely to do the same. If they see someone who takes shortcuts and never does more than just enough to get by, they are likely to do the same.

I thought it was a very good sermon, and the message kind of fit with some of the things that I have said here. But, the part of the sermon that most reached me was our pastor emphasizing the importance of the role of the church in supporting people to pass on that legacy. As he said it - "I don't have time to play church!"

When the sermon ended the band came back with a choir and we sang "God Of This City" by Chris Tomlin (I think). The song has special meaning to me because we used it in worship multiple times when I was with the high school youth in Atlanta a few months ago. I vividly recall standing in the old warehouse that had been converted into a homeless shelter and singing this song with that group of people. The chorus says:

Greater things have yet to come,
Greater things are still to be done,
In this city
Greater things are still to come
And greater things are still to be done here

That song, and the memory of being in Atlanta, combined with the phrase "I don't have time to play church!" really hit me yesterday, and brought tears to my eyes. Sometimes it seems to me that so much of what we do with religion in our lives is play church. We get together on Sundays, we sing songs, perhaps we are in a Bible study, whatever it is - but we get lost in the events, in the process, in the trappings of church. We go through the motions without necessarily making it more than that.

If we can focus on the idea that "greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done" how much more can we do? We have to think beyond the programs to the people. We have to think beyond the words to the deeds. We have to think beyond us to others. We have to think beyond the walls of our churches or the boundaries of our neighborhoods to the world. We have to think beyond the now to the future.

I agree with my Pastor that we have to stop playing church. There are greater things still to be done here. While it is incredibly important to be secure in our faith, to renew and refresh our strength in our faith and to grow in our own faith, we have to let our faith out, and our churches should train us and empower us to do just that, in whatever way is right for each of us.

"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-13

All of us have a part to play in this. We all - definitely including me - need think about how we can stop playing church and be part of those greater things that are yet to come.

Stand Up For What Is Right

Over the last couple of days, for reasons that are not important here, the names of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego have come up a couple of times. This caused me to read from the book of Daniel, where they are discussed. With the disclaimer that this is only a summary of certain parts of the first four chapters of Daniel, it goes something like this:

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, laid siege to and ultimately took Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar ordered one of his chief civil servants to gather up some Israelites from the royal family and nobility and bring them to the palace and train them so that they could enter into the king's service. Among those that were gathered were Daniel (who the Babylonians renamed Belteshazzar), Hananiah (renamed Shadrach), Mishael (renamed Meshach) and Azariah (renamed Abednego). They were to be given a daily amount of wine and food from the king's table, but they refused to defile themselves with this food and wine and asked to be fed only vegetables and water. At the end of a ten day test period, they looked more well nourished and healthier than any of the others.

Ultimately, all four entered into the king's service. After Daniel interpreted the king's dream of the statue, the king made Daniel ruler over the province of Babylon. At Daniel's request, the king made Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators.

From there, we get to the most famous part of their lives. Nebuchadnezzar had an idol made of gold - ninety feet high and nine feet wide - placed it on the plain of Dura and ordered that at the appropriate time, everyone should "fall down and worship the image of gold." Daniel 3:5 He commanded that whoever did not do this would "immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace." Daniel 3:6

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the idol. The king was furious. He called them - his trusted administrators - before him and essentially told them that they had better do what he said and worship the idol, or he would have them thrown in the furnace to burn to death. Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego told the king:

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Daniel 3:17-18.

Wow. Talk about standing up for what you know is right and what you believe in. The king was very clear that he was going to throw them into the fiery furnace where they surely would burn to death. All they had to do to save themselves was fall down and worship the statue. But they refused. They refused to do it because it was not right and - this is the important part to me - although they believed God would save them, they were willing to give their lives if He did not.

I've always admired that quality in people. I particularly think about people involved in the Civil Rights movement in our country. They risked everything, and many gave their lives, to stand up for what was right. I think about the man in Tiananmen Square in 1989 who stepped out to stand in front of the advancing tanks. I have often wondered if I would have the strength of faith and character to do that. I think I generally try to stand up for what I believe in and that I do not just decide that it is too hard to stand in the way. I hope if ever truly put to the test, I would show the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The faith to believe that the God that I serve would rescue me, but the willingness to say that even if He does not, I will not do what I know to be wrong. I also hope and pray that we are able to raise our children in a way that they recognize the importance of doing the right thing and standing up when necessary.


It seems worth sharing the rest of the story here for people that do not know it and who do not have the time to pull out their Bible and read it.

Not surprisingly, the king grows even more furious with this reaction and orders that the furnace be made seven times hotter than usual and that his strongest soldiers tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the furnace. The furnace is so hot that the flames kill the soldiers and the three fall into the furnace. Looking into the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar jumps to his feet and yells to his advisers that although they threw three men into the fire, there are now four there walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed - "and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." Daniel 3:25 Nebuchadnezzar calls for the three to come out and all who were there "saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them." Daniel 3:27

As Nebuchadnezzar said:

"Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, who sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God."

Daniel 3:28

I can't think of a better way to end today than that - Praise be to God! Have a great weekend!

So Long

Today was a sad day at work. A close friend of mine decided that rather than staying with us through the merger that we are going to go through, she would join some other mutual friends at another firm. It was absolutely the right decision for her personally and professionally and, in fact, I was among the people that told her that. I'm proud of her for the decision that she made and very happy for her. But, that doesn't make it any easier.

I have been blessed to work with a lot of people that have become very close friends. While a number of them are still here, some have left over the years. They leave for various reasons - to pursue other interests, to move to another area, or just to change jobs. But friends, in the workplace, like in life, are very important.

"If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" Ecclesiastes 4:10

There are lots of times in life when we move on or when friends move on - moving as kids, going to college, getting married, a job change. But, that doesn't have to mean the end of a friendship. In the last several years I have had the pleasure of rediscovering a friend from high school that I had not spoken with in many years. It is just a change. The different paths that you take give you different perspectives to share and different experiences to learn from.

There are some very powerful quotes out there from a lot of people about friendship. I don't want to go there, though. Instead, I want to share some wisdom from my grandfather. He used to always tell me "Never say goodbye, say so long, because goodbye is forever." So, since my friend and I largely avoided parting words and, at least from my side, attempted to pretend that it was not happening, I just want to say "so long." If you ever fall and need help getting up, you know who to call. The really good thing is that I do too.

To everyone and anyone reading - think about your true friends. Make it a point to be there for them.

Family Mission Statement

As part of our family small group last night, we created a mission statement for our family. We talked to the kids (Alex mostly, Anya is a little too young) about how we would want to be described by other people and what is important to us about who we are. It is a good exercise - in a way it is kind of like writing your own eulogy, but about what you want to accomplish and be remembered for. I've read ours a couple of times last night and this morning and thought about places that we, as a family, and I, as an individual, fall short of that mission statement. It is going to serve as a good reminder.

This is what we came up with:

The Jones Family

We are a family that loves and supports each other, has a strong faith, stands up for what is important, and does the right thing, not the easy thing.

We are honest, generous and caring.

We are good friends and good neighbors.


Like I said, I'm not sure we always live up to those ideals, but they are what we want to live up to.

At the end of the session, almost everyone read their family's mission statement to the group. There were a lot of things that people had in common and a lot of times someone would say something and I would think - that was a good one, we should have added that.

Anyway, I kind of thought about this as an extension of the Who Am I question that I was asking in these posts a little while ago. Who are we? What parts of our family are essential and non-negotiable? What do we value? What will we cling when the chips are down?

I think it is interesting that, without really thinking about it, we used the phrase "has a strong faith." Most families said something more specific like "a Christian family" or "follow the teachings of Jesus" or "read from the Bible" or something like that. I'm not sure what to really make out of the distinction, if there even is a distinction, I just find it interesting.

Anyway, I'm kind of rambling this morning and thinking about other things going on today. Based on our experience, I recommend the exercise of coming up with a family mission statement, or at least thinking about it and discussing it with others. I think that we will refer back to ours often and I look forward to coming up with ways to incorporate it into our lives.

Welcoming

I've been thinking about this topic for some time, but it never seemed to be the right time to write about it until yesterday evening. On my drive home last night I was thinking about when we first started attending the church where we are members now, and when I first started becoming more involved. We knew a number of people at the church already, so that made it easier, but what impressed me the most was how welcoming it felt. How comfortable. We loved our former church and it played a very important role in our lives (getting us to church, helping me to discover that religion was not always something to be feared, etc.), but we have remarked to each other a number of times that we never really fit in - we didn't have a lot in common with many of the members and we never developed all that many personal connections (certainly with some notable exceptions).

That being said, any church, like any organization, has its cliques. People expect each other to, within a range, look a certain way, act a certain way, worship in a certain way. I remember the pastor at our former church asking more than once - what would we do if Jesus walked into our church right now? Think about it. He'd probably be dirty from the road. He may look a little unkempt. He may have some of his friends with Him - tax collectors, prostitutes, etc. Would we recognize Him? Would we welcome Him? Or, would we all look at Him kind of funny and slide as far down the row as possible?

Now make it easier, or harder. What do we do when someone that we do not know walks into our church? Suppose they are dressed differently? Or look different? Or for one reason or another, just stand out? Casting Crowns has a song called "If We Are The Body" that talks some about this. The song ends with the following:

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ

If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

There are lots of references in Paul's writings in the Bible to the same idea - breaking down the barriers, recognizing that we are all one:

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." Ephesians 2:19-20

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." Romans 15:7

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28

I know that I could do a better job at this - being more accepting and welcoming. And this is not limited to Church - being more welcoming to a new person in the neighborhood, a new person at work, a new person in whatever groups we are members of. Rather than focusing on differences, focus on similarities. Opening the cliques that I am a part of.

If we just think about it, and focus on it, we can all make people feel more welcome. That little effort could make a big difference in someone's life.