Monday, Monday

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;

Fight against those who fight against me. 

Take hold of buckler and shield

And rise up for my help.

- Psalm 35:1-2

Wow! What a day!

I've gotta say, I think today was the definition of a Monday. In fact, I don't really know why I'm staying up to write this post. I oughta just go to bed and start over tomorrow.

Without going into detail, it had some of everything. Time pressure. Unexpected obstacles. Meetings that ran longer than they were supposed to. Rescheduled meetings. Misunderstandings. Personality conflicts. Abrasive emails. And on and on.

There was a time today when I lifted up a prayer of exasperation. I just wanted to God to resolve it all and make my day easier. Is it worth it? Why, God, would you put me through a day like this? 

And then I went to the Psalms.

Now, that's a good thing to do when we pray. The Psalms have about every range of human emotion, and they are all expressed to God - which is the right place to go with our joys, sorrows, triumphs and frustrations. So that's where I went. Looking for just the right prayer of desperation, crying out to God for relief.

As you can see at the top, I did not find support for my whining. I found perspective.

Psalm 35 is just one of many Psalms where King David prayed to the LORD for help. For rescue from his enemies. For relief.

But unlike me, there were actually people trying to kill him. He had enemies trying to overthrow his reign on the the throne God had established. There were people attacking his character and good name. Real trouble.

Me? I had a bad day. Stress. Woe is me.

Now don't get me wrong, I believe the Psalms are there to give us the words to pray on days like this. No, nobody at my office is really my enemy. Nobody is trying to kill me, or even get me fired. I work with great people and I enjoy them all. 

But I do have enemies and they are out in force on days like this.

Satan.

My flesh.

The forces of evil.

They're trying to tear me down. They're trying to tear you down. And they would love for us to end a day lie this feeling defeated.

So we pray. We go to the Scriptures for the words to pray to a real God who is really there and has really revealed himself.

And he comes to our rescue. And that makes Monday not quite so, well....Monday-ish.

Taking attendance?

Do you remember your school days? Calling roll...it's one of the most consistent aspects of being an elementary school child. Day after day, waiting for the teacher to call out my name so I could say one word.

"Here."

I also remember one Sunday morning when I was in Junior High (now known as Middle) School. I had registered for a chess tournament, with five rounds. That Sunday, I figured I could beat my opponent in short order and get to church, no problem. Only I didn't. And when I failed to put the game away and realized I was not going to make church, my eyes started to well up. I hated to miss church, and I got so distraught that my chess game fell apart. I did not win that tournament.

Taking attendance. Does God take attendance? Is there some sort of scorecard tracking our Sundays?

I don't object to the concept of a deity, but I'm baffled by the notion of one that takes attendance.

- Amy Farrah Fowler, The Big Bang Theory 

Now, while Amy and I are miles apart in our understanding of God, in my opinion the character makes a good point here. When I was at that chess tournament, there was a part of me that thought of God sitting up there like my elementary school teacher. Calling out my name, but getting only silence. No answer from Donnie, he's playing hooky.

So if God is not taking attendance, does that mean church and corporate worship are unimportant. Far from it!

The Scriptures are very clear that the Christian life is not meant to be a solo endeavor. Jesus came to call a people to himself, not a collection of individuals. Jesus told Peter that he would build his church upon the rock of Peter's declaration. Peter in turn wrote that followers of Jesus are "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession." The writer of Hebrews wrote that God's people should stir one another to love and good deeds and not give up the habit of meeting together. Habit - something that happens only by repetition. And the church - not individuals, but the church - is called the body of Christ.

The fact is that our relationship with God is corporate, not just individual. We need each other. when we come together to worship, several important things happen. We give God glory through our praise. We encourage one another to stand strong. We hear words of wisdom from leaders and from each other. We participate in the Lord's Supper, remember Christ's death through the bread and wine as he commanded.

In short, we love God and love each other at the same time. And then we go out into the world to express that love and build his kingdom.

If you are a follower of Jesus, it is your lifeblood. It is as if you breathe in by gathering to worship, and breathe out by scattering to share his love. Breathe in, breathe out. Gather, scatter.

So no, Amy, I don't think there's any attendance book. That's not the point. But there is a world that needs the Gospel, and there is a soul inside me that needs to be fed.

For that, I need the body of Christ.

See you Sunday.

An audience of one

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions. I think becoming the person God wants me to be is a day by day process, and I should be just as likely to find a weakness and work on it on, say, August 22 as I am on January 1. What's so magic about that one day a year?

But it can happen that an important concept for improvement arises right at this time of year. And it's probably not a coincidence. We hear lots of encouragement for improvement as the calendar turns over. Especially from the pulpit.

So this past Sunday, our pastor was teaching from Proverbs 3. And as he came to verses 5 and 6, a different twist emerged. Well, for me at that moment it was a little different.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

So here's the question I was dealing with: who do I want to please? Oh, I'm a people pleaser. Big time. I want everybody to be happy. My father. My sisters. My nephew. My nieces. My brothers-in-law. My friends. My boss. My co-workers. On and on it goes. All of them, happy at the same time.

Yeah, right. That's going to happen.

So here's the point Pastor Tim was making from the passage: Trusting in God and acknowledging him in all my ways is a much better path than trusting in my family, friends, and colleagues. If I am going to have a straight unwavering path to the life I'm meant to live, I can't live for them, to please them. I need to live to please one person.

Me, right? Ricky Nelson sang that he learned his lesson: you can't please everyone so you have to please yourself. Wrong - that's a dead end too. The only straight path in this life, the only path that leads to life is to live to please God.

An audience of one - my Creator and Redeemer. Live to please him and everything else falls into place.

So, as the new year begins (coincidentally, of course), I pray that I may clean out the clutter. The clutter of trying to make everyone happy.

I mean, every Jesus couldn't do that. Religious leaders thought he partied too much and hung out with the wrong crowd, his family tried to get him to stop stirring up trouble, and the people ended up crying out for him to be crucified. But he lived in perfect  harmony with his Father, that audience of one. And that's all that mattered.

So I'm listening not for the applause of the masses, but for that single hand clap. May I hear it loud above the roar of the crowd.

It was a great year...

...thanks for being a part of it.

Yes, it seems everyone on Facebook is sharing about their 2014, mainly because Facebook has written code that compiles pictures and makes it really easy. In some cases, it has even caused some unintended heartache. But it's definitely the thing to do.

Well, while I'm not going to click the button for one of those automatic slideshows, there is some value in looking back over the last year. Life is short, and what happens to each of us in a given year has incredible significance. Sometimes good, sometimes bad...but definitely loaded with significance. So, as we come to the end of this year, what stands out about 2014 for me?

There were definitely events and activities that I will remember, both fondly and otherwise. Trips to other parts of the world, exciting sports events, a few days skiing, and a short trip to my favorite big city in the USA. Those were awesome, and they are are the kind of things we usually use to "bookmark" years. ("2014 - It was the year that I.......")

But there are four things about 2014 that make it a remarkable year for me. Two of them are events, and the other two were more of a pattern:

• The graduation of my niece Brooke from nursing school at the University of Alabama. As watched her walk across the floor of Coleman Coliseum, I was so proud of her. It may be the moment from 2014 that stands out.
• The engagement of another niece Macy, and watching her go through the preparations for the wedding. In a way it's hard to realize that these young adults whom I've loved for about 25 years are moving so fast into the world of work, marriage, and building of their own families. But any melancholy is overshadowed by happiness for them. Macy's wedding will certainly be on this list for 2015.

Now, the more subtle:

• I have had such a good year of learning and growing in my knowledge of God and his purposes for the world. I read several outstanding books that expanded my view of salvation, the nature of the universe, and just how big and awesome God is. There has been a growing appreciation in the areas of the work of creation, God's ultimate plan for his kingdom, and my role in it. I am not looking up at the night sky the way I did a year ago. Books, videos, and long talks with friends have opened my eyes to a new sense of wonder.
• And I have had a wonderful year of experiencing the sense of community that God has blessed us with. Regular time with family and close friends, visits to close friends who don't live so close, and developing deep friendships while serving in Ethiopia - I can't even put into words how much these things mean in my life. It's like they are sacraments - means of grace where God speaks to me and draws me closer to himself. I don't mean to put this on a level with the Eucharist. But it does seem to have a similar effect. Every time I get to bask in the glow of people who I know love me with the love of Christ, I am renewed. Even when I go through the struggles of life alongside others - helping and being helped, praying and being prayed for - I am renewed. There is no doubt, I have been blessed with a lot of renewal this year. Thankful.

Yes, to quote the Facebook phrase, it was a great year. One great year - just one. May God grant that I will sense his purpose in 2015, as I did this year.

Happy New Year!