Douglas Young

I am the light of the world. Jesus. John 8:12

Jesus uttered these words shortly after the feast of tabernacles, a Jewish high holy day commemorating Israel’s dwelling in tents at Kadesh-Barnea. During tabernacles, oil lamps were set up all over the city. The Mishnah suggests that the lights radiated throughout the entirety of Jerusalem. The holy hill was lit up for all to see and remember.

I am the light of the world. Jesus was sending a message. Tabernacles was his backdrop, but he was the focus. He was the light of the world. Oil lamps couldn’t light up a covenant people like he could. Oil lamps couldn’t light up a covenant people like he would.

John had earlier penned, “The true light, which enlightens everyone,  was coming into the world” (John 1:9). Jesus enlightens. Jesus illuminates. His presence overcomes darkness, for he is the light of the world.

I’ve got one more week left in my first class as a student in ACU’s MACRR program and I’m ready for a break. It’s not been easy juggling ministry, family, and school. I’m getting used to it though. I have a newfound respect for those who do it well.

This program has restored in me the hope of fulfilling God’s mission. Ministry is about reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19), but reconciliation hasn’t always been my ministry. That’s unfortunate, given what I’ve been doing the last 10 years.

Blessed are the peacemakers…Matthew 5:9.

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22.

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:18.

These passages haven’t always been central to my life or my ministry. But God is at work- ever so slightly and at times quite abruptly- realigning, reorienting and renewing His mission in my life. He’s been extremely patient, and for that I am immensely thankful.

If peacemaking hasn’t been your forte, it’s not too late!

We should give thanks on more than a single day noted by a calendar, the government, and our employers. Why? God would have us to give thanks daily, in all circumstances, not just on a consecrated day (1 Thessalonians 5:18). But there is also more to it than that…

If we save all our thanks for a single day, and when that day comes tragedy hits a family member or loved one, so much for your day of  “Thanksgiving.” I say this because last week it was hard to have the kind of Thanksgiving we wanted to. It was hard to laugh, have fun, and joke around with each other when you know that your own family members are mourning the loss of friend.

Tragedy struck a George West, TX, family on Thanksgiving morning. A father and mother lost their 19-year old son. Friends lost a friend. All we could do was give thanks for the very lives we possess, but that doesn’t do much for the hurting. In fact, it probably pretty pathetic. It’s tantamount to saying, “At least we’re not dead!” Sure, we should appreciate the life God has given us, but in the face of tragedy isn’t the time to revel in it.

Thanksgiving is more than a day. I appreciate those who speak of life as Thanks-living. In fact, Justin Gerhardt cited this very thought here. Such ones don’t simply give thanks on a Thursday in late November. They understand that thankfulness is an art set aside for each and every day. That way, when the unexpected happens, their “day” of “thanks” isn’t lost.

I am glad we were there with family on Thursday. I am glad I could hug and console a niece who was hurting. I am glad that doors were opened up to discuss things that matter most in life. My day wasn’t shot because I’ve learned, though I’ve not yet mastered, that we should give thanks more than one day a year.

“Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them. And while He was blessing them, He left them and was carried up into heaven. After worshiping Him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they were continually in the temple complex blessing God.”

Luke 24:50-53

Blessing begets blessing. As Jesus departs from his disciples to ascend to the throne of David upon which he now sits (Acts 2:30-31), he pronounces a blessing upon them. The act of blessing is born of the Greek eulogeo. To us, a “eulogy” is a message uttered at a funeral, but to Jesus it was much more. His “eulogy” was a praiseworthy commendation of those he dearly loved. They had spent three intimate years with Jesus. Now he was leaving things in their hands. So how does he send them off? He lifts his hands and blesses them. It must have been a blessing like none other.

Blessing begets blessing. What Jesus did shortly before his ascension triggered something special. Their immediate response was worship, homage to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This brought them unspeakable joy. In turn, the blessing they received manifested itself in blessing back to God, as well as blessing towards others. The blessed with grace, the gospel, and the benevolent goodness of their hearts.

Blessing begets blessing. Let us remember this all of our days!

Bovina Bulletin Board

I believe it’s important that followers of Christ be concerned with not being offensive to people as they live out their faith. Unnecessary barriers simply do not help. But I also believe Christians can profess the gospel in a “non-offensive” way, yet people still get offended. More often than not, though, those who refuse to profess the Truth lest they offend another are simply deceiving themselves. Generally, fear is responsible for this excuse.

We simply cannot please everyone. At times our efforts are genuinely offensive and I don’t think Jesus is pleased when they are, especially, when we are dealing with delicate souls. How Jesus dealt with the religious “know-it-alls” of his day- the Pharisees, Sadducees, and etc.- shows us that sometimes people need to have their worlds rocked. But he didn’t treat the woman in John 8 like he did outspoken religious hypocrites. They needed what she didn’t!

Consequently, there are those looking to be offended. They are critical of anybody and anything. Nothing can please them.

Still others stumble at the mere fact that what’s being said or done doesn’t jibe with their preconceived notions about things. Such was actually the case with John the Baptist.

John’s depiction of the Messiah in Matthew 3:12 didn’t necessarily reflect how he actually came. In fact, Isaiah 42:1-2 suggested that the Messiah would come in a gentle fashion, not heaving a winnowing fork. Jesus himself told Nicodemus, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). So when John sends word to Jesus inquiring as to whether or not he was truly the Messiah or should they wait for another (Luke 7:20), Jesus tells John’s messengers to inform John of what he’d been doing. But the last thing he told them to mention to John was, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me” (v. 23). Numerous translations render “fall away” as “offended.” What did Jesus do to cause John to question and become offended? He simply didn’t live up to John’s expectations.

Some people are going to be offended whether it’s justified or not. Let us make sure we do not give the grounds to be offended.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:15-16.

…was all it took.

Well…It began with a text and then a phone call. Nevertheless, I spoke with a friend yesterday about a matter that bothered us both. He was somewhat upset with me and I was disappointed with him. As it usually goes, though, there was more going on than I knew. The great thing was that we talked about it, and now I’m informed and he feels better.

We know in our heart of hearts that there is a lot going on under the surface of our lives. The situation with my friend is just a single example. The same rings true with me, you, and whomever else for that matter. The tension underneath the surface can only be suppressed for so long. It is going to surface. And when it does, it can be for good or ill.

For the third time now, each instance starting all over from the beginning, I’ve set out to read Ruth Haley Barton’s, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. Last night, as I read chapter 2 for the third time, I made an instant connection between what happened earlier in the day with my phone call to a friend and the Barton text. Chapter 2 is entitled, “What Lies Beneath.” Barton discusses Moses’s first 40 years and how it must have produced a significant identity crisis for him. He’s a Hebrew given up by his mother and raised as an Egyptian prince. In defense of his people, he kills an Egyptian and buries him in the sand in an effort to cover up his actions. The next day he visits the Hebrew people again. An effort to prevent two Hebrews from fighting proved futile. In fact, they want to know if Moses is going to do to them what he did to the Egyptian (Exodus 2:14). To this Barton states,

And Moses was afraid, as well he should have been. He was afraid that he would be found out, that he would be seen for who he really was. What had been present under the surface of his life was now on the surface, and it could no longer be ignored.

So Moses flees to Midian. And in solitude and silence he finds himself. Later, after another 40 years of living in the purgative way, God would find him in the midst of solitude. And through Moses, God would do great things.

Barton tells a story about a trip she took to Florida. One day, while swimming in the ocean, she heard the scream of a man running along the beach telling her to get out of the water. She did. But why? There was a saltwater alligator patrolling the coast, just under the surface.

To this, with Moses also in mind, Barton states,

The moral of the story as it relates to leadership is this: what lies beneath the surface- of the ocean of our lives- really matters. Whether I know something is there or not is in some ways irrelevant. My awareness of it or lack of awareness doesn’t make it any less real. It doesn’t much matter whether I have ever heard of what is lurking beneath the surface, and it could even be that others are seeing these things though I am not. If, by God’s grace, we become aware of the dark creatures lurking below, the best thing we can do is to get out of the water- fast!

This is exactly what Moses did when he got a glimpse of the dark thing that had been lurking under the surface of his consciousness and was starting to surface so powerfully. That one glimpse of the destructive power of his raw and unrefined leadership was so frightening to Moses that he fled into solitude. He did not walk. He did not jog. He did not take time to figure out what it was or put his affairs in order. He fled into solitude. He said, in effect, “This part of me, if left as it is, will be no good for anyone.” Yes, he ran because he was afraid of Pharaoh, but oftentimes it is the fear of being found out or the actual experience of being found out that alerts us to what lies beneath. It actually places us on the path of self-discovery and (hopefully) forces us to do whatever work we need to do to take more responsibility for the dark forces that have propelled our bad behavior.

I don’t think it was simply coincidental that I found myself entrenched in this aspect of Barton’s book after having talked things through with my friend earlier in the day. His point was that there were things under the surface that compelled him distance himself for a bit. Once I was apprised of this, I actually found myself appreciating what  he had done.

I’ve been way too quick to formulate opinions about people and why they do the things they do. Because of such, I’m inclined to equate myself with Bildad, Zophar and Eliphaz from the book of Job. They were Job’s friends. They engaged Job in his plight, but they spoke without gathering the facts. Much of what they told Job about the wicked not prospering was principally true, but they erred in presuming that Job had done something to bring his pain upon himself. In the end, they were wrong about Job, because they didn’t take into account what was under the surface. God wasn’t punishing Job; he was showing the devil that the devil himself was wrong about Job. Bildad, Zophar and Eliphaz learned the hard way.

My hope is that we’ll keep in mind that things are always lurking beneath the surface. Actions are often a response to unseen stimuli. We need to remember this at all times.

Bovina Bulletin Board

In an effort to foster growth, the church has found itself resorting to various approaches and sundry tactics. These often generate sparks of interest and increased numbers, but the sparks seem short-lived. Too, authentic discipleship in Jesus is rarely a result. In a sense, I agree with those who cry, “It Never Worked Before,” especially, when we’re talking about unbiblical growth.

Jesus simply wasn’t about gimmickry. He worked relationally, fostering genuine relationships through discipleship. His approach was for long-term commitment, not short-lived numbers. The fact that he let the Rich Young Ruler walk away is proof. If in our appeal to the Way of Jesus we develop a resolve to approach people on Jesus’ terms, I believe we would never say, “It Never Worked Before.” The New Testament evidence simply won’t allow for it. It has worked, and I believe its something we need to get back to.

Most assuredly, especially with the general population, combativeness has never worked over compassion. There’s a time to take a stand and make a “defense” (Philippians 1:17), but we weren’t made to live in a defensive posture 24/7.  I’ve found in my own past that I’ve often closed doors before they were ever even opened. How self-defeating! That is something that never works. Listening doesn’t mean we cave, it means we care.

There are things that aren’t working for us, but our plea isn’t the problem. Our plea is the rallying cry of Jesus. What I’ve had to do is seek His love to replace mine, so that the plea can be practiced as well as proclaimed. That is something, truly, that will work!

The dream goes something like this…

I’m standing in front of four doors. Only one is the correct door that will lead me to the place I need to go. The other three open into a deep, dark chasm, a lot like Tolkien’s Khazad-dum. I’ve only got one opportunity, and there’s a 75% chance of picking the wrong door. There’s no peeking either. Once I open it, I’m thrust through the doorway, either plunging headlong into darkness or into whatever place or situation is right.

This is a dream I tend to have when I find myself in my own “valley of decision”  (Joel 3:14). It’s terribly frustrating, because in the end I’m often left with more questions about what’s before me. Invariably, I cannot escape the desire to constantly doubt. What if I make the wrong decision?

Last week, having lunch with friend, I was reminded that regardless of our choices, God is behind every door. It’s true. God can make good of whatever decision I make. The list of biblical figures who prove this is too great!

Before us all are a myriad of choices. Some impact us less than others. But everyday we make them nonetheless. Some days we’ve got big choices to make. Do you leave a job for another? Do you move your family across the globe to become a missionary? Big and small, the choices are always before us. We pray asking for guidance so that we don’t make the wrong decision. Is there really a wrong decision to me made?

Naturally, and it pains me to have to qualify this but I know how some think, I’m not talking about decisions that involve sin. We shouldn’t choose that door anyhow. Even if we do, though, God can rescue us.

So my point is…God isn’t just behind one door, hoping we make the right decision. He’s behind every door, waiting, regardless of the choice, to turn into something whereby he is glorified. “And we know that for whose who love God, all things work together for the good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

God finds ways to work things out for us! For those of you who are confronted with doors to open, but you are uncertain as to which one is the right one…trust in the One who redeemed you and He’ll be behind whichever door you choose.

At the close of the Civil War, the following was found in the pocket of a Confederate soldier,

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve;

I was made weak, that I might learn to humbly obey.

I asked for health, that I might do greater things;

I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches, that I might be happy;

I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men;

I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing I asked for but everything I had hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am, among men, most richly blessed.

What we have in mind for ourselves, and what God has in mind for us, aren’t always the same. Moses seemed content as a shepherd in Midian, but God saw greater things for him (Exo. 3). Paul had Bythinia in his preaching sights, but God’s alternative was Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10). I suppose the sooner we accept that God might have something else in store for us, the sooner we’ll be able to recognize what God might be doing in our lives for our benefit. This is the beauty of God’s direction. Do we see it for what it is? Can we accept life’s alternatives?

It’s often said that the Bible is an antiquated book that lacks the ability to speak to us today, but this is hardly the case. The biblical narratives afford us with real hope for real problems. Consider the following:

1. The Effects of Infidelity (Genesis 16)
2. How to Cope with Complete Bankruptcy (The book of Job)
3. How to Cope with the Loss of an Infant Child (2 Samuel 12:15-23)
4. When You Can’t Forgive Yourself (John 21:15-24)
5. Hope to Not to Cope with the Loss of a Job (Story of King Saul)
6. When You Question Your Convictions (Matthew 11:1-15)
7. Where To Go When Your Depressed (1 Kings 19:1-18)