HH lifestyles

HH lifestyles

                On the sole of my resting co-worker’s safety boot is the logo, “HH”.  Doing spins on the mental “parallel bars” I hear these – “Hugh Hefner” or “Howard Hughes” or … (need a good one contrasting these two…) “Holy Hallelujah’rs” (alliteration too forced?!)  But, these three HH’s represent three lifestyles:  two popular,  one nobler.

                The first HH, Hefner, is an icon, albeit infamous, in our culture.  (the Muslims like to call it “decadent”; but, while not wrong, they are no better)  Sex sells – cars, hamburgers … watched any Hardee’s commercial lately.  And then there are the Viagra and Cialis commercials pitching to demographics worth the cost.  Old Hugh may think that he has taken enough of these that the casket lid may be trouble to close; but, even he will “go the way of all the earth”.  And, he will stand before God, and kneel before the Christ.  May God have mercy on him.  Porn addiction is epidemic.  Though Jesus warns us, far too many are “looking”  (Mt.5:28)  Sad, hollow eyes look out of the faces of many a desperate, merchandised daughter.  HH#1 is not the way, unless your goal is a hot hell. (Heb,13:4)

                The second HH, Howard Hughes, is synonymous with wealth, financial success, money, the “almighty dollar” -- our American god!  Jesus, the poor carpenter/preacher, who died with only the shirt on his back (gambled away by his executioners) warns that one CANNOT love God and love money.  (Mt.6:24)  Paul warns that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. (1Tim.6:10)  Judas, walked with the Lord, but had his “hand in the bag”(Jn.12:6) and sold the Savior for thirty pieces of silver.  (Mt.26:15)  How did he get there?!  I do not want to go there.  Fools die with full barns.  (Lk.12:16)

                The third HH, the “Holy Hallelujah’r” is difficult to alliterate and, moreso, to imitate!  But, make no mistake, the other two are false, lies, deceptions.  Praising Him and personal holiness is the way.  He washes us, whiter than snow!  We rise up and sing with the “heavenly host” (another HH?!) “… holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty…”

COVER or Communicate

HIDE or HERALD

(or, Cover or Communicate)

                At work we have some good artists.  Football season creates some interesting bulletin board illustrations.  “Roll Tide Roll!”   “War Eagle!”  “yah, yah, yah…” It is fun and funny.

                Somewhere, there is a woman feeling betrayed, broken-hearted, embarrassed.  Her husband, on a company trip to NOLA, woke up to an empty motel room, with a hangover.  Evidently a new acquaintance who followed him to his room, waited until he passed out and then she cleaned him out – his clothes, his billfold (with company card!), everything!  Also gone were his dignity and respect.  And his manager was miffed when he failed to show for the morning meeting he was to direct.

                Meanwhile, back at the mill, a new cartoon appeared with him in a barrel, and a hooker flashing his billfold, with company card protruding!  It has been copied, smart-phoned, emailed, pinned on many a bulletin board.  “Now, that is funny!” is the most common response.  Another response, surely more appropriate, certainly more compassionate, is “I must pray – for him, for his family, for his job, for his soul …”

                Why the difference in response?!  One is calloused; the other compassionate.  One is hardened; the other is heart-felt.  One sees the situation as an opportunity for another laugh.  The other sees the predicament as call for concern, prayer, and compassion.  One wants to parade the poor, fallen fool around for everyone to laugh at like some court-jester.  The other wants to take off his coat and cover up the struggling sinner, perhaps even standing between him and his mockers, calling them to higher ground.

                “… love does not rejoice in evil…”  “… love covers a multitude of sins …” – such verses from Holy Scripture come to mind.  It is godly to hide, to protect, to console, to encourage.  To mock, jeer, scorn – these responses come from a dark place.  (It is a little discouraging that is the common response.)  I am not saying that one should hypocritically “sweep things under the rug”.  But, one should not “kick a man when he is down”?! Pick him up!

                I suspect that the jokers are justifying their own sin by looking down on his wrong.  “ … don’t judge me … don’t preach to me … ” (read – “I am not as bad as THAT!)  It seems to help them justify in their own mind their own rebellion and perversion?

                The second, higher, nobler, Christ-like response is mirrored in the words of D. Moody as he answers someone disgustingly judging and condemning a drunk in the gutter – “… but for the grace of God, there go I …”  Wow!!  This godly man, ministering in “Hell’s Acre” (Chicago borough in 1800’s; well named!) knew the strength of Paul’s admonition in Galatians 6:1-2 – “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.  But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  Notice the verbs – restore, carry.  Notice the adverb – gently!

                In Luke 18, Jesus tells of these two different perspectives.  One man, self-deceived, thinks he is not like other men.  The other man, self-depreciating, thinks he is “THE sinner!?!”  And, as we appreciate, accept, acknowledge, assess forgiveness, we will pass it on.  None of us needs to carry stones.  Drop them.

                Some look at others stumble and rejoice, “he’s worse than me!”  Others see the same stumbler and moan, “he’s like me; God help him!”  Will you hide, or herald?  Cover or cackle?

Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly,

While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.

Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past;

Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.

GONE FISHING

GONE FISHING

“…when the cat’s away, the mice will play…” is an old adage concerning what psychologists call external restraint (vs. internal restraint).  Another axiom is “real character is revealed when alone” (or, at least when one thinks he is hidden?!).  How does one live during the long stretches, during the lonely times, during the lulls, during the losses?  Does one exult on the mountain, or hide in the cave, like the prophet?  (Actually, Elijah did both; and James says we are not so different.)

Character is formed and revealed in a long series of life circumstances and choices.  One must ask, “do I routinely turn to the ‘dark side’ or rather to the ‘Light’ when confronted with difficulties and decisions?”  When one is down, does he wallow in the mud?  When vileness has been expelled, does one walk away disgusted, or like the proverbial pooch, return to the puke?!

I gently counseled a work buddy to think on his freshly restarted dipping and smoking.  His family life has “gone to Hell” and he seems to be returning to old haunts for the comfort he will find only in his Father, not his old failures.  When I kindly confronted him, he quickly, and aptly, replied, “you remember where Peter went right after his denial and His death?”  Peter, the Galilean fisherman, had gone fishing.  It’s not that fishing is sinful, it is just wrong – wrong for the man who “left his nets” to become a “fisher of men”!!  In other words, let’s not “put our hand to the plow, and then look back.”  And, let’s not “become entangled with civilian affairs.”

Being “gone fishing” can take on many forms.  It is likely different for each struggler.  We can lose ourselves in many different vain pursuits.  And, at the same time, these pursuits can be deeply meaningful in the Master’s scheme of things.  The difference seems to be in the purpose – losing ourselves, or finding ourselves.  Likely, some things will always be nothing but some fruitless escapism; but, many things can be redeemed for His purposes.

And, in Him, one finds true purpose, power, pleasure, peace.  The fleeting pleasures of sin are at best a mirage and at worst a quagmire.  The Liar is deceptive.  And too often, we enjoy his lies all the while suspecting them for just that?  We go to what is “seen” and “felt” instead of the unseen and spiritual.

Mixing the metaphors, let’s “swim upstream”.  Continuing the animal theme – choose:  hog to the mud, or dog to the puke, or soaring with the eagles?!  And, yet, have you ever watched an eagle fish?!  Gone fishing?  Think about it!

CONTACT

CONTACT

As I age, I can better understand my dad – why he did not want to throw a ball anymore, walk around at the city-fest, … You see, his joints ached.  More importantly, I can appreciate the sense of isolation he must have felt while sitting at many a family gathering, just smiling and staring at the floor, alone in his own little world.  Years in a mill, pre-PPE, had robbed his hearing.  But, he wore a peaceful smile, as if listening to a friend talk of good times, before and ahead.

  Last week I sat on a pick-up tailgate with a friend, after helping him move some roofing materials.  I asked about his preaching son, and the conversation quickly and deeply dove into the depths of doubt.  Like my dad, he could hear the din of noise, but could not discern the truth.  Although his son was a preacher, he is not a church going man.  But, he is listening.  “Which religion…?”  “Mistakes in the Bible …?”  “… opinions of men…?”  “…which books belong in the Bible…?”  He was looking for truth and purpose.  He admitted regret over a profligate life, salvaged by a good woman.  We talked of Moses (Heb.11) choosing suffering over sin.  But, he had dulled his hearing and lying voices of regret and defeat were screaming at him.  The noise made the voice of truth indiscernible?

Like Helen Keller, we need a “miracle worker”, we need an Anne Sullivan to open up our vistas and horizons, to open our blind eyes to the world we cannot see.  We thrash about in our personal darkness – frustrated, fearful, falling.  Keller could not read the news, listen to music, see where she was going.  But, Sullivan opened up her world, helping her make contact with what she could not see nor hear.

Thinking on these things while driving to work at 6:30 in the morning, I came around a pine tree lined curve, and a bright, orange orb on the horizon nearly blinded my sleepy eyes.  But, I heard a voice say, “good morning!  I’m still here!”

I read to my dad on his death bed of the resurrection, of salvation, of heaven.  But, I am not sure he was listening to me.  Maybe he could already hear the angels singing?!  

“Father, open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth thou hast for me…”

CHOICES or, Moses' Example of Decision

CHOICES

or, Moses' Example of Decision


“Choose.”  This is perhaps the most powerful imperative, in any language.  Is it an illusion?  A cruel joke?  A stacked deck?  For sure, choices effect options downstream.  But, the imperative remains to swim upstream.

Joshua ended his faithful career with this admonition, “choose ye, this day, whom ye will serve…”  (Josh.24:15) We, too, have life and death set before us as Moses had challenged the nation of God a generation earlier.  (Deut.30)  Joshua had learned well the importance of volition from his mentor.  Now, how will we respond?

In the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 11, the “Faith Hall Of Fame”, the writer reminds his readers of the choices made by Moses:  the Red Sea, the bloody door, the desert, the unseen, the suffering, the priesthood.  Each of these built upon earlier choices.  The same is true for all of us.  Examine the choices of Moses.

(11.29) Visualize the Red Sea standing up in a heaping watery wall on either side of the fleeing, fearful exiles leaving the land of bondage.  Their yellow spines stood in clear contrast to the bold, “stand still and see the deliverance of the LORD” issued fearlessly from the mouth of Moses.  What are our colors?  Red? or, yellow?!  Do we stand in faith or cower in fear?  See the fiery-cloudy pillar!  Anticipate the dry ground through the sea.  Fear the drowning of the foreigners.

(11.28) How could they forget the bloody doors in Egypt?  Moses chose, confidently, the bloody door over the destroyer, the death angel.  He sat with his family eating the unleavened bread of haste and celebrated, in faith, their deliverance from bondage.  An ocean of water was nothing to him who had chosen against the mysterious death that flowed through the land of his captors, taking the first-born of every house not marked with the blood.  Perhaps, like the snl’s of Lot, generations earlier, some had thought the call to leave was a jest, a joke, a rube's ruse.  How wrong they were. In faith, Moses chose the blood.  This is no joke.  The SNL approach to life will end in death.

(11.27) A bloody door was the obvious choice for the man Moses who had spent forty years in blood, sweat, and tears in the desert.  Moses chose the desert, with all its unknowns, for the position in the palace to which he had become accustomed.  Perhaps many days he thought on the life he had left and the life he was enduring in the sand and heat.  But, he remained faithful to his choice.  There he encountered the unconsumed bush displaying the all-consuming Fire!  There a passion was ignited in his heart, a passion for freedom, for faith, for fearlessness.  The choices were building a rock in the sands of Sinai.

(11.26) Back up four decades and think on the choice Moses made between disgrace for God and the diadems of Egypt.  He could see the treasures of Egypt, was likely wearing some of it!  And, Moses had seen the afflictions of the Hebrews, his people.  But, Moses chose the unseen over the seen. 

The choice of his nurse maid, decades earlier suggested by his sister to the princess, had born fruit.  Surely the childhood stories told him by his motherly nurse maid, were emblazoned on his heart, unseen, but believed.  And Moses chose to believe her voice!  Thank the Lord for godly mothers who tell the stories of faith to the little ones.  And when they are older, they come to mind.  Choose to listen.

(11.25) Fundamentally, Moses had made a choice between the eternal and the temporary, the difficult and the easy, the upstream and the slide, the suffering and sin.  Sure, sin is real, fun, exhilarating, intoxicating, thrilling.  But, the results are real:  disappointment, brokenness, addiction, hangovers, dissatisfaction, and, lastly, death.  Choose.  Rather be a martyr or a meth-head?  A saint or a sick addict?  A warrior, scarred and bleeding, or a wimp, shriveled and diseased?  Satan lies.  Hollywood lies.  Madison Avenue lies.  Choose truth.

 

(11.24) Imagine DeMilles’ “The Ten Commandments” visualization of a royal-robed Moses examining the coarse Levitical garment he has found.  Have you found who you are, who you really are?  Moses chose between Prince and priest that day.  You need to choose who and what you really are.  There is power in knowing who you are, where you are going, and from where you come. (Jn.13.1-5)

(11.23) A generation earlier, Amram and Jochebed made a choice between life and law, between faith and fear.  The parents of Moses chose God.  The choices we make ripple through the generations.  A&J effected Moses, effected Joshua; and now we have come full circle.  It is so in our lives.  R&M choose Christ, effecting J who marries faithful M, effecting S, J, and S, who marry believing D, H, and L; and along come J, S, D&B, H,  and …  (may the chain go on, unbroken, until He comes!)

God surely allows resets.  We must choose repentance and make the 180’s when needed.  But, let’s choose “option F” – fast and furious, focused and forceful, fearless and faithful!

“Choose ye this day…” 

Listen to the “voice of truth”!