Does My Position Here & Now Matter in the Hereafter?

With my dad here in town, a baptism at church, and extended family gatherings, I've recently been giving some thought to my family history. I find it easier to listen than to read the "family tree" so I asked my dad to tell me about his recollections of his relatives - you know, oral history.

After hearing the memories and looking backward, I would confidently conclude that the Miller clan cannot claim the "pull-myself-up-by-the-bootstraps" or pioneer mentality throughout its 20th century generations. Living in dark shacks, in the grip of alcoholism, and other self-destructive behavior - this was the legacy until Grandpop - my dad's dad.

Now I have a bunch of questions: What happened at the point of my Grandpop's life to change the pattern? How does one get where he or she is at in life? Is it just happen-stance? How can my family of origin be doing so well? Define "well" by most people's standards: My health, Roof over the head, Safe area to live, Healthy children, Food on the table, Clean water, 24/7/364 Electricity (we live in Florida, hence the outage factor of 1 day), Steady job, Bills paid, Friends, Reliable transportation.

Answers??

• If I believed in Hinduism, then I would accept this as "karma," that somehow I had done something right in another life and was benefiting now for past actions.
• If I were a humanist, then my family must have worked real hard and had many who helped them to this place.
• If Taoism were my central belief, I might believe that sacrifices to my deceased relatives had somehow curried favor with eternal entities and now I find myself in the flow and balance of the life with the universe.
• If I were an evolutionist or pragmatist, I would believe that my family evolved in their thinking in each succeeding generation and loosened their bonds to poverty.
• If I believed in Zoroastrianism, then I must have had enough good thoughts, good words, and good deeds to have brought on this station in life.
• If I was a post-modernist, I'd be skeptical of any ideas on how this happened.
• If I were silly, then I'd think I was "lucky."

As a Christian, however, I am closer in life to the lyrics that Chris Rice writes in his song, "Face of Christ":

How did I find myself in a better place
I can’t look down on the frown on the other guy’s face
‘Cause when I stoop down low, look him square in the eye
I get a funny feeling, I just might be dealing
With the face of Christ

See you had no choice which day you would be born
Or the color of your skin, or what planet you’d be on
Would your mind be strong, would your eyes be blue or brown
Whether daddy would be rich, or if momma stuck around at all

The apostle Paul wrote:

"And he made from one man every nation of mankind
to live on the face of the earth,
having determined allotted periods
and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
that they should seek God,
in the hope that they might feel their way
toward him and find him.
Yet, he is not far from each one of us, for
'In him we live and move and have our being...'"

Acts 17:26-28 (ESV)

As much as I think about the station in life from whence my family recently occupied, my attention is captivated by the truly remarkable present contrast:

My family tree was taken from the kingdom of darkness
and brought into the kingdom of light,
and made a Covenant Family
by the God Almighty, through Jesus Christ His Son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The life given to me, I am told, is a gift.

"For by grace you have been saved
by faith (in Christ).
And this is not your own doing
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast."
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) (italics mine)

How I am grateful! Soli Deo Gloria - To God be the Glory!

--CFM

In The World

Have you ever wondered what demons converse about? In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis vividly portrays a demon and his reactions to certain situations. HarperCollins published the book in 2001. Interestingly, this book is fiction, but feels authentic. While reading this book, C.S. Lewis, who was born in Ireland on November 29, 1898, paints a vivid picture of a demon's attempts to influence a human. Using humor, Lewis keeps his book lively when it could have been foreboding.

Screwtape is the author of the letters written in the book. Closely, he oversees his nephew Wormwood's temptation techniques. Throughout the book, Screwtape shows his growing disgust of Wormwood's rookie attempts at enticement. Although we never hear directly from Wormwood, we are able to picture, from Screwtape's responses, a "field agent" who is trying to please his uncle. Failing miserably, he comes to an unhealthy end. The "patient," the human Wormwood is "working" on, is completely oblivious to the spiritual struggle for his soul. He doesn't realize how his thoughts and actions are influenced by Wormwood. His story line ends happily. Of the three main characters, the "patient" changes the most while Wormwood "works" on him.

Prepare to enter the demented mind of demons. Screwtape shows Wormwood, as well as the readers, the many ways to turn Christians from their spiritual lifestyle. Unsurprisingly, most of the temptations use our pride and selfish thoughts to reverse our direction from God to physical pleasure and gain. In the "patient's" life, the law of undulation is a powerful tool. As humans experience life's joys and pains, they exhibit the law of undulation through peaks (joy) and troughs (pain), which is also how God strengthens our faith in Him. Demons use it differently. Tempting us, demons manipulate the desires of the flesh to turn us to sinful thoughts and actions. While in the troughs, our resistence to sin is at its weakest, leaving us open for attack. God wants us to turn to Him in these troughs, trusting in Him to get us through. Screwtape states that our sinful nature makes us feel inadequate in contact with God. Not surprisingly, the "patient" experiences the same inadequacies.

Screwtape fears. Wormwood fails. The "patient" succeeds. Interestingly, Screwtape instructs Wormwood to keep the "patient" safe from physical harm. His reason is that if the "patient" dies, he will surely be lost to them. During life, the doldrums of middle-age are, in Screwtape's mind, the best time to have a human die. "The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or...adversity are excellent campaigning weather," Screwtape states. A reason for his anger against Wormwood is that the "patient" has a Christian woman he loves. "Such a Christian," Screwtape moans. Sadly, all stories come to an end. During an air raid, the "patient" dies. Understanding instantly "how all his doubts" were "ridiculous," he is joyfully received in Heaven. Wormwood doesn't have such a happy reception when he returns to Hell.

Thomas More wrote that "the devil...cannot endure to be mocked." This thought-provoking book is definitely a mockery of the devil. Using parody, Lewis makes it look like Satan, "Our Father," is mirroring Heaven. Throughout the book, the letters written by Screwtape could be seen as parodies of the letters written in the New Testament. Interestingly, the temptations, which are used by Wormwood, create, in this book, a genuine feeling. Do we fall into sin by being prideful and selfish? The only answer is yes. Many, if not all, of the temptations in The Screwtape Letters have been experienced by us or by someone we know. The most important part of this book is that even in the hard times, the "troughs," God is still there. While in "troughs," humans feel alone and afraid. Things happen to us that we don't enjoy, but we need to step back and ask, "What is God telling me and what am I supposed to learn from it?" In this story of demons tempting man-kind, Lewis reminds us that we are in the world, not of the world.

--JFM

"Cheese, please?"

"Cheese! Cheese, me? Cheese, me, please?"

It may sound like a line from a Dr. Seuss book but it is actually the daily verbiage of my two, almost three, year old sister. A girl after my own heart she enjoys a good hunk of cheese as an appetizer before dinner. In fact, if she hears us in the kitchen, she will begin her pleading for cheese before she even reaches that room. Down the hall she comes chanting, "Cheese, Nan!"

The other day I was slightly irritated, okay perhaps just plain irritated, at how she constantly seems to repeat the cheese question until she actually receives her piece. I can even have said, "Yes, Grace, I will give you a piece of cheese", and she will still keep on asking for it.

I said to Mom, "Doesn't she believe us? Doesn't she know that when we say we will give her cheese, she will receive it?" In a calm, cool, and collected way, Mom replied, "We do the same thing to God."

Musing upon this, I realized that nothing could be closer to the truth. We beg, plead, pray that God will give us what we need and yet we don't always trust that he will actually give it to us. I've feared I haven't had enough faith. What if I die and find out that whoops I just didn't believe hard enough?

For starters, that's not how Christianity works. We don't will ourselves into Heaven. Faith is not something that I can conjure up on my own and it is not based upon the mood of the moment. Sometimes this is a whole lot easier to say than to believe which is where faith comes into play.

Moreover, God promises that he will supply the faith we need. From him come the desire to do his good will and pleasure. "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24). "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful" (1 Corinthians 1:9). "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).

Yet on a daily bases, I struggle to trust that God will do what he says he will do in his Word. Mercifully, he does not treat me as my doubt deserves. He, instead, is more like my mom. Grace is continually asking for her aged dairy even though she has been guaranteed a piece. Mom continually tells her yes, and hands her a chunk of cheese.

Happy Reformation Day

"Spiritually earnest people tried to justify themselves
by charitable works, pilgrimages, and all kinds of religious
performances and devotions, but they were left
wondering if they had done enough
to escape God's anger and punishment."
- from http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/MP3-Audio--Multimedia/Celebrate-Reformation-Day/

"For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God, not as the result of works,
so that no one may boast."
- Ephesians 2:8-9, NASB

Reformation Day celebrates the reform of the church that occurred in the 1500's, captured in the storyline of Martin Luther nailing the 95 theses to the Castle Church doors to debate, among a number of issues, the ongoing practice of indulgences, basically explained as paying to have your sins removed.

The Reformation is also known for the "Solas"- 3 of the 5 listed here:

• Sola gratia. Salvation by grace alone.
• Sola fide. Justification by faith alone.
• Solus Christus. Through Christ alone.

Having grown up Lutheran, the denomination that grew out of Luther's bent on the Gospel, the grace theme of Ephesians 2, verses 8 through 9, runs strong in my blood. A free, unmerited gift of God is how grace was explained to me as I grew up. No way for me to earn salvation.

End result of grace:

• Christ's perfect life of obedience to God's Law for my life disobedience
• Christ's suffering God's wrath which I deserved for my disobedience
• Christ's perfect sacrifice to satisfy the necessary requirement to pay for my sins
• Christ's resurrection to conquer once and for all, sin, death and Satan and emphatically show He is the perfect Lord and Savior
• Christ's giving of the Holy Spirit, third member of the Trinity, to empower me to live a Christ-like life, change me into the likeness of Christ, and preserve me until Christ comes again
  

So, what's my response?

I believe in all that Christ did and that it all applies to me. Thank you, Jesus, my Lord and my Savior. Amen.

-- CFM

Rolling Around

One night I was lying in bed listening to The Horse and His Boy, a radio theater production. As I attempted to fall asleep, I mused upon a certain section of the story: when Bree and Shasta are at the beginning of their journey to "Narnia and the North". After a hard night's ride, Bree desires to take a roll in the grass before donning the saddle once more. The conversation goes like this:

When Shasta had finished his breakfast..., Bree said, "I think I'll have a nice roll before we put on that saddle again." And he proceeded to do so. "That's good, That's very good," he said, rubbing his back on the turf and waving all four legs in the air. "You ought to have one too, Shasta," he snorted. "It's most refreshing."

But Shasta burst out laughing and said, "You do look funny when you're on
your back!"

"I look nothing of the sort," said Bree. But then suddenly he rolled round
on his side, raised his head and looked hard at Shasta, blowing a little.

"Does it really look funny?" he asked in an anxious voice.

"Yes, it does," replied Shasta. "But what does it matter?"

"You don't think, do you," said Bree, "That it might be a thing talking
horses never do -- a silly, clownish trick I've learned from the dumb ones? It
would be dreadful to find, when I get back to Narnia, that I've picked up a lot
of low, bad habits. What do you think, Shasta? Honestly, now. Don't spare my
feelings. Do you think the real, free horses -- the talking kind -- roll?"

Now, Bree had an honest, legitimate fear. What if he can't do something like rolling which brings him great delight in Narnia? What if real horses don't roll?

Translate that to the Christian life. In many ways, Christians believe that doing certain things shouldn't be done by "real" Christians? At times We can be a bit like the town folks in the film Babette's Feast who fear enjoying the feast because if they enjoy it, they may fall into sin.

As Bree forgot that though he is a Narnian horse, he is a horse, we forget that we are human beings as well as Christians. We were made, created to enjoy the world around us, even more so than those who are not believers. Christians should find delight in everything from a well, crafted dessert to a beautiful sunset, a stunning painting to a fragile butterfly. There is no shame in reveling in the good gifts God has given us, "for everything God created is good" (1 Timothy 4:4) and he has "richly provided us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17).

So by all means Bree, roll!

Blasphemy

Over the past couple of months I have watched the Bourne trilogy. Though well crafted with excellent directing and storyline, they are intense to watch. The first two movies were rated PG-13 for intense sequences, language, and action violence. The last one, I noticed, was rated the same but did not mention language.

Good, I thought. I don't like language and it isn't necessary. So I settle down to watch the final installment. Shortly into the film, I am rudely jarred by the unremorseful taking of God's name in vain. I thought to myself, they said no language on the rating. Then I remembered, blasphemy isn't considered language in our culture.

Truth be told, movies can take God's name in vain in one breath and then thank Him in the next. The "thank Gods" of cinema are almost as blasphemous as the actual blasphemes: the 'thank yous' mean absolutely nothing since the characters obviously are not grateful to God.

I often remember Exodus 20:7 when I hear such irreverence: "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." As a young child, I realized the gravity of those words. I had heard God's name misused in the movies and could only think what would happen if those souls did not repent. Even now, I send up a prayer similar to Jesus: Forgive them, they don't know what they are doing.

Blasphemy isn't language; it is much, much worse. If only they would label the movies "PG-13 for action violence, thematic elements, and blasphemy," it would make my movie selections easier.

--HM

Sleep

Over the past week and a half, I have had difficulty sleeping. My symptoms would include not being tired, feelings of anxiety, rapid pulse, feeling pulse in my neck, and adrenaline rushes. None of these are conducive to sound sleeping.

It hasn't been easy to deal with the symptoms; but, I realized after my second short night that I had before me an opportunity to trust that God was in control of even my sleeping patterns. And even in my sleeplessness, I could give Him glory.

Perhaps I was more acutely aware of this because the week before my brother's appendix burst, the closest any of us have come to facing death. Yet in the situation, all of us were cognizant of the fact that God had everything in control, was working it for our good, and was bringing glory to Himself.

Sure, it doesn't make sense to me why an appendix needed to burst or that I should have trouble sleeping. During my wakefulness, I was confident that God could still my being and cause me to sleep just fine if he so wanted. But my restlessness continued.

As my mom reminded me, God is in charge of our sleep. "For he grants sleep to those he loves" (Psalm 127:2). I know that my emotions are a huge part of the stress I personally deal with. Sometimes it is self-inflicted: getting worked up over situations that don't require that kind of response; ruminating about problems as if dwelling on them further will solve them.

The other night I was very stressed and anxious about the prospect of another uncomfortable rest. I was tired of feeling this way. In that struggle, I prayed aloud that God would grant me peace, having mercy on me; and that I would give him the glory. I calmed down and had a better night of sleep. The next night, I slept normally. To God be the glory!

A good nights sleep is relative. Children need 10 to 12 hours. Most adults need 7 to 8 hours. Some people have the remarkable ability to be rested after only 5 hours of sleep. God knows exactly how much sleep I need and for purposes only He knows right now, that is less than what I think I need.

A dear friend of ours reminded my mom during my mom's episodes of insomnia, "It's just sleep." How true! Another great saying also puts sleep in its proper perspective: as one of the chipmunks from Alvin and the Chipmunks tells Dave, "You can sleep when you're dead!"

--HM