Category Archives: belief

How my mom lives hope.

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My mom has a disease that gradually sucks your mind away. It often helps you remember stories from the past, then disables the counter that keeps track of telling stories.

I’m intrigued by the stories mom finds important to tell me each time I visit and often when we talk on the phone. She talks about the night in December when we sat around a table and her granddaughter Hope talked with great clarity about the idea of church and young adults today. She talks about her prayer for peace as my dad was dying, and the sense of peace that she feels every day since then. And she talks about the time she went to college.

Mom had gone to college for two years, received a teaching certificate, and then taught for a couple years. She decided, somehow, that she needed to finish her four-year degree and so, in the mid-fifties, went to Bethel College in St Paul.

On leaving day, she packed everything in her car. She had a job lined up and thought she had a place to live. In the hesitation that came from leaving rural Wisconsin and heading to the big city, her mother said, “You don’t need to go.” “Yes, I do,” my mother said.

When she got to town, the place to live was gone. At 1pm, she went to work at Blomberg’s Pharmacy with a fragile lead and constant prayer. At 3:30, friends of her sister walked into the pharmacy, recognized her, invited her to supper at their house and offered her a place to live. She didn’t know they lived across the street.

This story she keeps telling me is a simple story of God providing when she didn’t know where to go. I think she tells me because she’s still there.

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How compassion can get you killed.

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When the first stone hit his shoulder, Stephen flinched. As the stones kept coming, he prayed. When he couldn’t stand any more, he dropped to his knees. He asked God to forgive the people who were killing him. And then he died of blunt force trauma to every part of his body.

Stephen was recognized by many for his thoughtfulness, compassion, and ability to build bridges in difficult situations. At the beginning of the church, when choosing to follow Jesus crossed political and cultural divides, he was chosen by reputation to run a feeding program for minority widows. Meeting this need averted a crisis.

In this public role, Stephen started to engage in public conversations about Jesus. He did miracles of some sort, and when people tried to argue with him, he was so articulate and knowledgeable that no one could refute his teaching.

He was enough of a threat that false charges were made and people were paid to commit perjury. After a lengthy statement in court, he accused the people in front of him of murdering Jesus. Though this was accurate, perhaps because this was accurate, the courtroom exploded and Stephen was dragged out and killed.

Everyone who follows Jesus isn’t killed. Many live long lives of following. But it is important that everyone who decides to follow Jesus and obey his teaching understands that it is a risky thing. Leadership means pursuing justice for widows and explaining why. When the why is “Jesus”, it divides.

Not every situation is something to escape. Sometimes sticks and stones are the weapon of choice, not words. Stones kill you. Sometimes the happy ending doesn’t come in our lifetime. And sometimes the prayer that God answers is the one that sounds exactly like Jesus. “Father, forgive them.”

Right before you die.

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From Acts 6-7

How Jesus would run a blog

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Jesus would take into account that everything he wrote would be read by a wide range of audiences.

Jesus would tell stories that had clear meanings, meanings that were intentionally divisive, meanings that were hope to some readers and a dagger to others.

Jesus would leave some comments unanswered.

Jesus wouldn’t try to persuade.

Jesus would make the core of the blog be as accessible as possible.

Jesus would make the core of the blog be all that he talked about.

Jesus would spend time praying about every post, every word, every question.

Jesus would completely ignore statistics of clicks and readership.

Jesus would write in a way that made people think that he knew exactly what was going on in their hearts.

Jesus would figure out how to livestream from time to time, so that people could see as well as just read what he was saying.

Jesus would have many people who were sure they understood him and that he was on their side.

Jesus would not be on anyone’s side.

Jesus would have huge spikes in the number of readers after a really touching post, and then have almost everyone unsubscribe when he suggested that clicking “follow” wasn’t the same as actually following.

Jesus would make people think and want to comment.

Jesus would have many readers who would be afraid to let anyone know they were reading.

Jesus would get emails in the middle of the night, and would answer them honestly and pointedly, but always leaving a sense that he loved.

Jesus would write for the long-run, for the deep change.

Jesus would be downplayed by people who were thought to be smart people, though they would keep reading what he said, “Just to stay informed about the enemy.”

Jesus would ask almost too much.

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How a doubting Thomas believed

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On Sunday night, ten disciples were gathered in a room.

Okay, there may have been more than ten, but only ten of The Twelve were there. Judas was dead.  Thomas simply wasn’t present.

It was a gathering of uncertainty. The door was locked. The disciples had heard that Jesus was alive, but weren’t sure what that meant. And they were trusting more in locks than in stories that night.

Suddenly there was another person in the room. Jesus said, “Peace.” Jesus held out his hands. Jesus pointed to his side. The disciples were thrilled.

Sometime during the next few days, the ten tell Thomas, “you should have been there! We saw Jesus! He’s alive!”

And Thomas, with the words everyone thinks should go on his tombstone, says, “Unless I see his hands and touch his hands and side, I won’t believe what you are saying.”

And we talk about doubting Thomas. And we get frustrated with the people around us who aren’t as spiritually trusting as we are, as jumping up and down happy to believe as we are.

But wait a minute.

What was Thomas asking for, other than what the other disciples had already seen? And who was Thomas talking to, other than guys who had wanted to hold back when Thomas followed Jesus into danger at Lazarus’ tomb?

Be honest. You would have been skeptical of Peter, too.

The real measure of Thomas is not his honest skepticism about seemingly unreliable witnesses. The real measure is that, when given the kind of evidence he said he wanted, evidence provided more in Jesus’ words that showed Thomas’ heart than in the actually touching, Thomas acknowledged who Jesus was.

An honest skeptic can see evidence. Thomas, seeing, believed. Still others, believing, see.

A professional skeptic, however, often won’t look.

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This was first posted April 9, 2009.

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Relax. Peter struggled too.

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(Repost from July 10, 2009. )

In verse 17, Peter gets praised. In verse 22, Peter gets scolded. In verse 17, Peter is on the mountaintop. Forget it. He IS the mountaintop. In verse 22, he’s in the depths. Forget it. He IS the depths.

Matthew 16:13-23 should comfort and encourage you, dear completely human friend of mine. In verse 18, Jesus makes it clear to Peter that he has been listening to God. In verse 23, Jesus makes it clear that Peter has been listening to satan.

How is that comforting?

Because it may be that our wisest times and our stupidest times come when we make choices about who we are listening to. When Peter was tuned in to God, he had discernment far beyond his own capacity. He was able to move beyond all the other voices, all the other explanations for who Jesus was. He was able to see the truth. Because God showed it.

On the other hand, when Peter was tuned into what made sense, into impression management, into good public relations, he had obtuseness that could only come from a master distractor.

Jesus began to talk about his death. He began to talk about resurrection. He began to talk about what would give the gospel its incredible power, what would actually give hope to death. He began to talk about what would mark the end of his enemy’s unbridled empire. And at that moment, Peter started to change the plan. He couldn’t see the truth.

As we look at our lives as followers of Jesus, we see that same sense of spiritual whiplash. We get it, and then we don’t.  I think we must learn to listen well.

Oh yes. One more comforting thought. Jesus scolded Peter, but he didn’t cancel the blessing. That, dear friends is good news to those who need to hear it.

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For 7×7, see 3.1.12