Mission Faithwalk

  For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.   (II Timothy 1:7)           What is the difference between being timid and being humble? I’ve read numerous translations of today’s verse many times over the years, but the question about timidity versus humility only came to mind today. To be humble is to choose not to put oneself forward. As an example, let’s say that you can bench press (raw) 750 lbs. It’s not quite a world record, but you know you can do it. You did a set today. Suppose you went to the gym and someone bench pressed 500 lbs., or 250, or 50. If you’re humble, you choose not to show him how it’s done. You don’t tell him, “Yeah, I remember when I was at that level.” At the moment, what matters is the other guy’s victory. On the other hand, timidity would involve not being able to tell him. Humbleness turns the focus on the other person. Timidity turns the focus away from oneself. “I’m a worm!” (in its normal meaning)

  Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) Jesus called them together and said,  “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.   Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, (Matthew 20:25-26)             OK, so what we need is for the government to guarantee… “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” … “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.   Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…           OK, so what we need is for the government to make it illegal to… “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” …           OK, but what we need is for the government to provide an equa

  “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)           You know the story. A Pharisee – a goody-two-shoes, a do-gooder, a pillar of the community who thought it his duty to guide the community and to ferret out pretenders, imposters, and hypocrites – went to visit Jesus, to find out who and what this new preacher was all about. And it became clear pretty quickly that Nicodemus was in over his head. Either this guy was crazy, or he was demon-possessed, or – maybe, just maybe – he was the Messiah.           He spoke of being born again. How could a full-grown man, whose mother was probably either an ancient crone or dead, be born again? That’s just crazy talk. Not that crazy talk was unexpected. I’ve read the sayings of quite a few Messiah wanna-bes, and quite a bit of it is crazy talk. But when Nicodemus tried to pin him down, Jesus made it clear he wasn’t speaking of the physical. It wasn’t crazy talk. Jesus was taking Nicodemus back t

  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)           With all that is going on, today’s passage is a basic to which we need to return. For the past four years, we’ve been told that Mr. Trump was the problem, along with anyone who disagrees. Now those who didn’t think Mr. Trump was the problem are proclaiming that Mr. Biden is the problem, along with anyone who disagrees. The reality is that Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden, and even those who disagree are not the problems. The problem is the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.           Reading that, it’s easy to say, “Yeah, the rulers, like Mr. Trump/Biden.” But the president doesn’t rule. He is ruled by those who bankrolled him, putting him in office. He is also ruled by the philosophy or

  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up . (James 4:10)           “I’m a Worm!”           “I’m a piece of filth!”           These are the sorts of statements we tend to associate with humbleness. I’m nobody, useless, helpless, worthless… In comparison with God, all of those are true. But have you stopped to consider how important worms are to the environment? They dig burrows, which allow air and water into the soil and to the roots of plants. They eat their body weight in waste every day, and their castings (excrement, poop) is among the best fertilizer available. And they provide food for other critters.   The humble worm is more valuable than we tend to give it credit for.           C.S. Lewis described being humble not as thinking less of ourselves, but of thinking of ourselves less. That’s hard to do when you’re trying to figure out how to take care of yourself better unless you think of yourself as you would think of anyone else you want to take better

  Rejoice always, pray continually,   give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5:16-18) I got a phone call this afternoon, a friend letting me know that my dog was at her place safe and sound. She’d torn out the window screen over my bed and squeezed out sideways, falling more than 5 feet. Since there was stuff under the window, I’m amazed she didn’t break her leg or her neck. We’re near the back gate, and the road outside the gate is busy. Fortunately, she doesn’t seem to have gone out said gate. She did this last year, with a window much closer to the ground, which is why I either put a metal grate over the window or close it and turn on the air. I never thought she could get out the bedroom window, with its jalousie windows. So, at the moment, I’m rejoicing and thankful that she seems none the worse for the adventure, and I’m giving thanks for that and for the friends and neighbors who caught the little brat. And I’m pr

  Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. (Galatians 6:1) “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.   But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’   If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17)           Four definitional issues seem to call for attention this morning: caught in a sin, restore, gently, and tempted. Each of us has a slightly different understanding. For example, what does it mean to be caught in a sin? If A catches X in a sin, should B be involved?   According to the passage from Matthew, not immediately. But if they d

            But you are a chosen people, a  royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (I Peter 2:9)     “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the  Lord  Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name.” “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the  Lord ’s table is contemptible.   When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the  Lord  Almighty. (Malachi 1:6-8)   Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as

            Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.   “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?   If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!   (Matthew 7:7-11) We all tend to like to pull the first and second verses in this passage out of context. Everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks finds. To everyone who knocks the door is opened. So, here’s my prayer… “Father, will you please give me a Tardis with a replicator [1] , so that I can fit a gourmet kitchen with a walk in pantry and freezer, a master bedroom with a sitting area and fire place, a full-sized bathroom with a sunken tub and separate shower, a nice cozy parlor

            for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:13)             When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. (I Corinthians 13:11)   Once upon a time, I watched Captain Kangaroo and Bugs Bunny. I outgrew Captain Kangaroo much sooner than I did the Bugs. At one point, my favorite books were Clip Clop’s New Shoes and The Ugly Dachshund. There was a time in my life that I loved the song, “My Way.” I may have even liked the song “Imagine.” I briefly thought Cohen’s song “Hallelujah” pretty. That was before I heard the lyrics. Now, only the music is worth listening to, and I feel obliged to key people into the fact that the use of the word “Hallelujah” and the mention of David does not make it about faith, or even about anything positive. My goal here isn’t to attack these shows, books, or songs. It’s to point o

            Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2-3) Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”           Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.   If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:15-17)             I am not a prophet. This is not (to my knowl

            So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)           Do you realize how hard this is? Consider it literally. Chances are good that you want people to do some or all of the following to you or for you: Love                                          Like                                           Agree with   Leave you alone                        Pay you what they owe you       Entertain Appreciate                               Give the benefit of the doubt     Listen to Entertain                                  Educate                                    Care for Be polite                                   Consider your feelings               Accommodate Believe                                      Consider your preferences         Forgive Help                       The list could probably continue for the rest of the page. Of course, some of them aren’t necessary all the tim

            No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13)   When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.   (Genesis 3:6) Sadly, there’s not much that more basic than temptation. It’s a negative basic, but it may be that the only thing more basic, or more omnipresent, or more omnipotent is God. If you read through Genesis 3, the serpent’s temptation of Eve involved many factors. The tempter ambushed her. She didn’t see it coming. He asked her questions and called God’s goodness into question, but that doesn’t seem to be what finally tripped her up. It wasn’t so much what the tempter said, but the game sho