When I was a kid, Evel Knievel fascinated me. I had an Evel Knievel action figure, a stunt bike and a car that “blew up” when you ran it into a wall. I even faintly remember watching him try to jump the Snake River Canyon with his Jet Bike (and that was in 1974 when I was only 5 years old).
Of course, things did not always go well for Knievel. Most of us have seen the footage of his December 31, 1967 jump over the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He landed short, was thrown over the handle bars of the motorcycle and ended up crushing his pelvis and femur, fracturing his hip, wrist and both ankles and sustaining a concussion that kept him in a coma for 29 days.
Daredevils get attention because they do what the rest of us will not. They gather crowds by standing on the edge of their own mortality and pushing the limits.
While most of us will never be tempted make a living as a daredevil, I do think that there is a huge temptation to live as a “Spiritual daredevils”. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to take risks with our spiritual health and well-being by pushing the limits of what is Godly and acceptable. Even though the Bible says, “This is not a good idea”, it is easy to think, “This will not really hurt me” and do it anyway.
To a bunch of people who were careless about their spiritual walk, the Apostle Paul writes, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12) In other words, you are not as strong as you think you are! You may think that questionable practices are having no effect on you, but maybe they are.
I am not trying to say that we can work our way to heaven by being good. Nor am I trying to say that we can live perfect lives and never make a mistake.
My point, however, is that our Spiritual life is too important and too precious to risk by being silly, careless or reckless about it.
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15).
That is still good advice for everyone.
Incidentally, Evel Knievel became a believer in God and was baptized before his death in 2007. Apparently, even he was not silly enough to go into eternity without making the things of God a priority in his life.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Clearing Some Space
We live in amazing time. Thanks to airplanes, we can be in a Saskatchewan blizzard in the morning and be sitting on a beach in the Caribbean later that afternoon. Microwaves can take a piece of meat that is frozen as solid as a bowling ball and thaw it in a few minutes. We can email people all over the world and expect an answer in minutes. "Facebook" allows us to keep track of every last little thing our friends are doing or thinking (Ok – maybe I could do without that one).
Compared to the world that my ninety-year-old Grandma grew up in, life has sped up a lot. We can do more, see more and have more. In most ways, that is a good thing. However, busyness can have a price too. As we do more and more, important stuff can be squeezed out.
Luke 10:38-42 tells the story of two sisters, Mary and Martha. One day Jesus came to their home and, right away, Martha got up and got to work. Mary, on the other hand, decided to sit and listen to Jesus. As Martha continued to work, she is described as being “distracted” (verse 40), “worried” and “upset” (verse 41). Her busyness was making her miserable. In fact, her busyness caused her to be mad at her sister and to miss the most important thing of the day; visiting with Jesus.
The fact is that busyness will always push out faith. Faith will never seem like an urgent thing (I can always straighten that out later, right?), so we have to make room for it. In the middle of our busy, hectic lives, we need to find a way to slow down, listen, pray and think about the things of God.
In a world where many people are “distracted, worried and upset”, hurrying from one thing to the next, you can find peace and joy by slowing down and clearing some space for God.
Try it. You may be surprised at what God does when he has some room to work in your life.
Compared to the world that my ninety-year-old Grandma grew up in, life has sped up a lot. We can do more, see more and have more. In most ways, that is a good thing. However, busyness can have a price too. As we do more and more, important stuff can be squeezed out.
Luke 10:38-42 tells the story of two sisters, Mary and Martha. One day Jesus came to their home and, right away, Martha got up and got to work. Mary, on the other hand, decided to sit and listen to Jesus. As Martha continued to work, she is described as being “distracted” (verse 40), “worried” and “upset” (verse 41). Her busyness was making her miserable. In fact, her busyness caused her to be mad at her sister and to miss the most important thing of the day; visiting with Jesus.
The fact is that busyness will always push out faith. Faith will never seem like an urgent thing (I can always straighten that out later, right?), so we have to make room for it. In the middle of our busy, hectic lives, we need to find a way to slow down, listen, pray and think about the things of God.
In a world where many people are “distracted, worried and upset”, hurrying from one thing to the next, you can find peace and joy by slowing down and clearing some space for God.
Try it. You may be surprised at what God does when he has some room to work in your life.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Go and do Likewise
When asked to summarize the teaching of the Old Testament, an expert in the law replied, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’” (Luke 10:27).
That is when the trouble started.
This man figured that “Love the Lord” was not that hard, but he was concerned about the “Love your neighbour” part. That did not sound like quite as much fun, so “looking for a loophole” (as a modern Bible translation puts it) the man asked, “And who is my neighbour?” (Verse 29).
Jesus responds by telling him the story that we call “The Good Samaritan” (verses 30-37).
In the story, a man was attacked, beaten and left for dead at the side of a road. Soon a religious man, a priest, came along, but instead of helping the injured man, the priest passed by on the other side of the road. Then another religious man, a Levite, came. He too saw the man, but passed by on the other side.
Then Jesus says that a Samaritan came down the road. Now, the Jewish people of that day would have expected the Samaritan to be the “bad guy” in the story. However, Jesus says that the Samaritan helped the man, put him on his donkey, took him to an inn and paid for his care.
In the end, Jesus asks the expert in the law, “Which one of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” (Verse 36).
“The man who had mercy on him”, the expert replied.
Then Jesus hammers home the point of the story so that no one will miss it. He turned to the man and told him, “Go and do likewise!” (Verse 37).
Note that he does not tell him to “teach likewise” or “think likewise” but to “do likewise”.
The danger for religious people is that we can know more than we do. In other words, our faith can become something to think about and talk about, but not something that we live.
Could it be that faith begins to grow when we stop “looking for loopholes”?
“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling that you have received” (Ephesians 4:1).
That is when the trouble started.
This man figured that “Love the Lord” was not that hard, but he was concerned about the “Love your neighbour” part. That did not sound like quite as much fun, so “looking for a loophole” (as a modern Bible translation puts it) the man asked, “And who is my neighbour?” (Verse 29).
Jesus responds by telling him the story that we call “The Good Samaritan” (verses 30-37).
In the story, a man was attacked, beaten and left for dead at the side of a road. Soon a religious man, a priest, came along, but instead of helping the injured man, the priest passed by on the other side of the road. Then another religious man, a Levite, came. He too saw the man, but passed by on the other side.
Then Jesus says that a Samaritan came down the road. Now, the Jewish people of that day would have expected the Samaritan to be the “bad guy” in the story. However, Jesus says that the Samaritan helped the man, put him on his donkey, took him to an inn and paid for his care.
In the end, Jesus asks the expert in the law, “Which one of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” (Verse 36).
“The man who had mercy on him”, the expert replied.
Then Jesus hammers home the point of the story so that no one will miss it. He turned to the man and told him, “Go and do likewise!” (Verse 37).
Note that he does not tell him to “teach likewise” or “think likewise” but to “do likewise”.
The danger for religious people is that we can know more than we do. In other words, our faith can become something to think about and talk about, but not something that we live.
Could it be that faith begins to grow when we stop “looking for loopholes”?
“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling that you have received” (Ephesians 4:1).
Skiing Lessons
It was cold at 6 am, but we got up, went to the school and loaded the bus. My daughter’s school was going skiing and she wanted me to come along, so I re-arranged my week and headed to “Mission Ridge” with them.
Within an hour of getting to the hill, most of the kids could “snowplow” and turn well enough to take the chair lift, go to the top and ski the day away.
Interestingly, about 27 years ago, I learned to ski at “Mission Ridge”. I took lessons on the same Bunny Hill. I spent most of my first day on the same “green” (meaning “easiest”) run that Katelyn and her friend were skiing. It was really special to pass on something that I really enjoy, so that my daughter could experience it too.
To me, evangelism, or the sharing of our faith, should look a lot like me teaching my daughter to ski.
It starts with a relationship. If I did not have a good relationship with Katelyn, she would not have asked me to go on the trip with her. One of the problems with many of our “evangelism techniques” is that they miss this crucial step. If we are ever going to influence anyone, it is most likely going to be done in the context of a relationship.
Secondly, I had to make the effort to go. It would not have done much good for me to sit in our living room the night before and tell Katelyn about “snowplowing”. If she was going to learn anything from me, I had to go to the hill with her. Advice from afar can be helpful at times, but it is much more effective to “walk with someone” through their life and struggles. That may take an effort, but it is worth the time.
Thirdly, I had to know something about skiing before I could teach anyone else. Spiritually, this means that if I am ever going to influence anyone, I had better take my own faith seriously.
Evangelism, passing on faith or influencing others (whatever you prefer to call it) does not have to be as hard as we often make it. What if it is all about being close to God, close to others and then passing on the good things you know so that they can experience them too?
It works on the ski hill.
“Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Within an hour of getting to the hill, most of the kids could “snowplow” and turn well enough to take the chair lift, go to the top and ski the day away.
Interestingly, about 27 years ago, I learned to ski at “Mission Ridge”. I took lessons on the same Bunny Hill. I spent most of my first day on the same “green” (meaning “easiest”) run that Katelyn and her friend were skiing. It was really special to pass on something that I really enjoy, so that my daughter could experience it too.
To me, evangelism, or the sharing of our faith, should look a lot like me teaching my daughter to ski.
It starts with a relationship. If I did not have a good relationship with Katelyn, she would not have asked me to go on the trip with her. One of the problems with many of our “evangelism techniques” is that they miss this crucial step. If we are ever going to influence anyone, it is most likely going to be done in the context of a relationship.
Secondly, I had to make the effort to go. It would not have done much good for me to sit in our living room the night before and tell Katelyn about “snowplowing”. If she was going to learn anything from me, I had to go to the hill with her. Advice from afar can be helpful at times, but it is much more effective to “walk with someone” through their life and struggles. That may take an effort, but it is worth the time.
Thirdly, I had to know something about skiing before I could teach anyone else. Spiritually, this means that if I am ever going to influence anyone, I had better take my own faith seriously.
Evangelism, passing on faith or influencing others (whatever you prefer to call it) does not have to be as hard as we often make it. What if it is all about being close to God, close to others and then passing on the good things you know so that they can experience them too?
It works on the ski hill.
“Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Monday, March 2, 2009
Fill ‘er Up
“Rrrrr-Rrrrr-Rrrrrr”. Nothing!
That is the sound of me trying to start my motorcycle one day last summer. It simply would not go. I took mechanics in high school and I am not afraid to tear things apart, so I started checking everything that I could think of on that bike. Still nothing worked.
Finally, I remembered that when I parked it a few days previously, the “low fuel light” had just come on. Sure enough, it was out of gas. After all my goofing around, testing and changing things, there really was nothing wrong with my motorcycle. It was just out of gas.
If my life had a “low fuel light”, it would be on today. I am tired. Sundays, of course, are big days for me with lots of people, lots of activity and lots of adrenaline spent. Mondays (today) are often sort of “hard to start”.
As I sit in front of my computer trying to come up with something interesting to write about, I have got nothing. I feel pretty empty. I gave out all my inspiring insights yesterday. I used all my funny stories. I am done.
That is not an unusual situation though. In fact, the Bible often shows God’s people needing to taking time out to refuel, refocus and start again.
Take Elijah for example. In 1 Kings 18 we see him winning a great victory over the prophets of the false god “Baal”. The people get to see the power of the real God. Yet, a few days later, we find Elijah tired, worn out and saying, “I have had enough, Lord… Take my life (1 Kings 19:4). The weariness of work caught up to him and he needed some refreshment.
The Gospel of Luke often shows Jesus getting away to spend quiet time in prayer and refreshment. “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:15-16). Jesus had lots to do, but he also found time to be “filled up” in prayer and time with God.
If you are “running on empty” today, do not be discouraged. It does not necessarily mean that something is wrong with your spiritual life. Maybe you just need to slow down, listen and spend some time being filled up again. After all, if Jesus, the Son of God, needed it, we likely do too.
“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
That is the sound of me trying to start my motorcycle one day last summer. It simply would not go. I took mechanics in high school and I am not afraid to tear things apart, so I started checking everything that I could think of on that bike. Still nothing worked.
Finally, I remembered that when I parked it a few days previously, the “low fuel light” had just come on. Sure enough, it was out of gas. After all my goofing around, testing and changing things, there really was nothing wrong with my motorcycle. It was just out of gas.
If my life had a “low fuel light”, it would be on today. I am tired. Sundays, of course, are big days for me with lots of people, lots of activity and lots of adrenaline spent. Mondays (today) are often sort of “hard to start”.
As I sit in front of my computer trying to come up with something interesting to write about, I have got nothing. I feel pretty empty. I gave out all my inspiring insights yesterday. I used all my funny stories. I am done.
That is not an unusual situation though. In fact, the Bible often shows God’s people needing to taking time out to refuel, refocus and start again.
Take Elijah for example. In 1 Kings 18 we see him winning a great victory over the prophets of the false god “Baal”. The people get to see the power of the real God. Yet, a few days later, we find Elijah tired, worn out and saying, “I have had enough, Lord… Take my life (1 Kings 19:4). The weariness of work caught up to him and he needed some refreshment.
The Gospel of Luke often shows Jesus getting away to spend quiet time in prayer and refreshment. “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:15-16). Jesus had lots to do, but he also found time to be “filled up” in prayer and time with God.
If you are “running on empty” today, do not be discouraged. It does not necessarily mean that something is wrong with your spiritual life. Maybe you just need to slow down, listen and spend some time being filled up again. After all, if Jesus, the Son of God, needed it, we likely do too.
“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
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