Theoretical verse reality!

God proved to Jacob that his way wasn’t going to work when He disabled Jacob with a single touch that dislocated his hip. With his hip dislocated Jacob realized the greatness of the One with whom he wrestled. We know that Jacob realized that it was actually God he was wrestling because he said, “I saw God face to face...” (Genesis 32:30).

With his hip dislocated all Jacob could do was hold on and cry for a blessing from this God-man. The Bible teaching us some interesting things about being blessed. Hebrews 7:7 says, “Without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater.” So by crying out for a blessing Jacob was acknowledging that God was greater than him. By seeking God’s blessing he was humbling himself and exalting God. He realized that only God could provide the blessing he so desperately needed and he believed that God was sufficient. God said to the apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). In his weakened condition Jacob was able to believe in God and so God’s power was made perfect through his weakness. But so many times we find it so difficult to do something so simple as believe in God.

In college a student was asked to prepare a lesson to teach his speech class. He was to be graded on creativity and ability to drive home a point in a memorable way. The title of his talk was, “The Law of the Pendulum.” He spent twenty minutes carefully teaching the physical principle that governs a swinging pendulum. The law of the pendulum is: A pendulum can never return to a point higher than the point from which it was released. Because of friction and gravity, when the pendulum returns, it will fall short of its original release point. Each time it swings it makes less and less of an arc, until finally it is at rest. This point of rest is called the state of equilibrium, where all forces acting on the pendulum are equal.

The student attached a three-foot string to a child’s toy top and secured it to the top the blackboard with a thumbtack. He pulled the top to one side and made a mark on the blackboard where he let it go. Each time it swung back he made a new mark. It took less than a minute for the top to complete its swinging and come to rest. When he finished the demonstration, the markings on the blackboard proved the law of the pendulum.

The student then asked how many people in the room believed the law of the pendulum was true. All of his classmates raised their hands and so did the teacher. The teacher started to walk to the front of the room thinking the class was over. In reality it had only begun. Hanging from the steal beams in the middle of the room was a large, crude but functional pendulum made from 250 pounds of metal weights tied to four strands of 500 pound test parachute cord. 

The student invited the instructor to climb up on a table and sit in a chair with back of his head against a cement wall.  Then the student brought the 250 pounds of metal up to the teachers’ nose. Holding the huge pendulum just a fraction of an inch from the teacher’s face, the student once again explained the law of the pendulum he had applauded only moments before, “If the law of the pendulum is true, then when I release this mass of metal, it will swing across the room and return short of the release point. Your nose will be in no danger.”

After that final restatement of this law, the student looked his teacher in the eye and asked, “Sir, do you believe this law is true?” There was a long pause. Huge beads of sweat formed on his upper lip and then weakly he nodded and whispered, “Yes.”

The student released the pendulum. It made a swishing sound as it arced across the room. At the far end of its swing, it paused momentarily and started back. The student later testified that he had never seen a man move so fast in his entire life as the teacher literally dove from the table (Ken Davis, How To Speak To Youth, pp104-106). It was easy for this teacher to believe in the law of the pendulum when it was all theoretical. But when his life literally depended on the law of the pendulum he showed that his belief was only theoretical. How easy it is for us to believe in God’s sufficiency in church on Sunday morning or in a Bible study. But in the real world where our lives are on the line … too many of us demonstrate that our belief was only theoretical.

A long obedience in the same direction realizes that you have no one else to turn to besides God. You need to trust in God to provide for your needs instead of trusting in yourself. You need a belief that works in the real world with real problems and not just in the pew on Sunday morning. God is more than theory ... He is sufficient. Believe it.

You know I love ya, Don

Leadership knows when and when not to....

Two monks, Tanzan and Ekido, were walking down a country road on their way to visit a local monastery. They came upon a lovely young girl dressed in fine silks, who was standing in front of a muddy stream afraid to cross it.
 
“Come on, girl,” said Tanzan. And he picked her up in his arms, and carried her across. The two monks did not speak again till nightfall when they had returned to the monastery. Ekido couldn’t keep quiet any longer.
 
“Monks shouldn’t go near girls,” he said “certainly not beautiful ones like that one! Why did you do it?”
 

“My dear fellow,” said Tanzan. “I put that girl down, way back at the crossing. It’s you who are still carrying her! (Peter Pauper Press, Zen Buddhism, 1959).

This is a great story for the church today. There are many muddy paths that people must cross in today’s organizations and leadership needs to be clear, decisive and appropriate to the situation. Tanzan in the above story shows unique leadership. He sees the situation and is able to do what is needed. He is not encumbered by ideas, rules and procedures but looks at what is needed. Even more importantly, he is able to move down the road after the event with a clear mind. He lets go of any anxiety about whether he acted rightly or wrongly. Tanzan would have been able to see and respond to the next action because his mind is not still carrying his last action.

Ekido, however, is still carrying his judgements, thoughts and concerns. Ekido needs rules and procedures to control him in his journey. On the outside Ekido may look like the “perfect” monk – but inside he is torn by the rules of being a monk and needs these rules to manage his inner yearnings.

While concepts, rules and ideas may help guide a person in training, a true leader carries his/her mission in his/her heart – it is not external rules that make the person. The leader models the way not by following outer form but by seeing their work as their way of being. Our love to God, for each other, and for life needs to permeate every fiber of our being so that we can let things go that are not essential while passionately carrying dynamics of life that are essential!

You know I love ya, Don

Set Free By Excercising Faith!!!

  

Faith is Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Faith is facing the facts without being discouraged by them. It's NOT denying a diagnosis but defying a verdict. Faith is not hoping God will, but KNOW He will.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

Oswald Chambers wrote, “Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”

Living a life that is committed and dedicated to spiritual formation is NOT EASY....in fact, God's eye twinkles in the struggle because in the struggle we develop a reliance on God. In the struggle, our faith in God grows and our courage is realized by the ones around us. When the world grasps the benefits of what God is working in the believer, the world is amazed. The benefit is that God loves the journey and He never leaves us nor forsakes us, but walks with us on the path of righteousness and his name receives all the glory. It is God's presence in the Holy Spirit that brings a comfort and ease to being a Christian.

It is in our prayer, fasting, meditation, worship, righteousness, and our faith that we are bound as servants. It is also the means by which God transforms us into beautiful things.

Living in faith...you know I love ya, Don

Depth of Knowledge AND Extreme Home Makeover!

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”- Romans 11:33

It is amazing to watch "Extreme Makeover Home Addition." They were in Indianapolis and we don't typically watch this show, but since it was in Indy we watched. Of course, the tears started flowing at the beginning. The show was helping a Dad and his three sons. The dad is big on knowledge and education. It reminded me of this scripture.

I grew up in a home that taught, "learning does not ever stop." In fact, my parents demonstrated to us that most education comes outside of the classroom. I could not agree more with the reality that formal education is essential for a productive citizen...and also in the life of the Christ-follower. I also totally agree that in hard work, service, and true listening (everyday life) we learn the "how" for abundance in living.

This verse also tells me that there is a "depth" in God's wisdom and knowledge. Yet, so many times I try to use my own "know-how" in making choices. God's judgements are unsearchable and His path is beyond imagination. I learned so much at Pacific Christian College and Johnson Bible College. I also learned life skills and trust skills.

I can testify to how God uses our formal education to increase our life exprience education. I learned more in the seven weeks when Matthew was born than in the seven years of college and seminary. In Matthew's birth, open heart surgery, the people we met, the love of so many people, family, a wonderful mother, and a Godly wife...I learned to trust God. God's depth is deeper and it still is overwhelming me today.

"Thank you Father God for the depth of your love, knowledge and wisdom. Thank you for my formal education and thank you for my life education. I bow before you to take me deeper in every part of life. Amen."

You know I love ya - Don

I also think it is pretty cool that Sears paid off the McFarland's mortage. Thanks Extreme Makeover Home Edition for coming to Indianapolis.