When the Elephant Goes on a Rampage

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Thursday, January 23, 2020

The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid?  The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?  When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.  Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid.  Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.  The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.  For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary.  He will place me out of reach on a high rock.  Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me.  At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.  Psalm 27:1-6

In 2007 I took a little trip with a group of Baptists, Methodists, and Assembly of God folks to Zimbabwe, Africa.  Our mission was to teach End Times theology to pastors in a seminary, build a building in 10 days for future students, and (in our spare time) hold a Vacation Bible School for 150 kids in 110^◦ heat.  I learned a lot in that 10-day adventure, particularly about dealing with adversity.  On that trip I met people whose daily tasks were dictated by whether there would be food somewhere in the coming week.  When you live in American culture, adversity is only having a 4G network.  By the end of the week I was feeling guilty about missing the comforts of my home when my new friends were grateful just to have a roof over their school building to shade them from the relentless midday sun.

We got one day being tourists; we got to ride in an open, jeep-like vehicle for a mini-safari into the bush.  Seeing wildlife in the wild is spectacular!  Our ride through the African plains to an engedi of a watering-hole was surreal. 

On that little excursion I learned something very important to the life of following Jesus as a disciple when we were threatened by a beast that could have squashed our huge jeep wagon and the dozen occupants without even breaking a sweat.

The elephant blocked our pathway through the brush as we were headed towards the oasis/watering hole…not quite a lake really, more like a mudhole.  But that elephant considered it his mudhole, and he stood firmly unmovable, ready to defend his home and herd.  We hadn’t seen him until we only 20 feet away.  Suddenly being nose to trunk with a 10-foot tall, ten-ton behemoth with an attitude, our guide stopped the vehicle and said in a low, steady voice:  be very quiet and still[2].  I had no problem with that; my legs wouldn’t have moved if you beat me with a baseball bat!

After several looks at us with eyes that resembled something I’ve seen on a tv show about zombies and devils, the mountain of grey with a tail at both ends snorted and lumbered off, leaving a dozen American sets of eyes frozen open in disbelief at how fragile our lives were…and how calmly our African host remained when borderline rage was staring us down, and fear had imprisoned his passengers.

That was the first time I’d connected the dots with King David’s Psalm, and how, if attacked (or even just threatened), he would remain confident.  Perhaps this confidence grew from years of being protected in the wilderness from bears and lions as he protected the sheep he was tending.  David understood the power of his God to keep him, no matter the circumstances. 

There is a difference between presenting a confident image for others to see, as opposed to having a non-anxious spirit because you’ve entrusted your life, past, present, and future, to the God nobody sees.  David could rest his spirit in the presence of the Lord, because that presence was always there. 

For You Today

When you’ve lived long enough and sinned big enough to know how much you are in need of God’s forgiveness, providence, and protection, like David, you’ve probably discovered God’s been doing that for you since long before you even suspected it!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image:   Russell Brownworth (original photograph)    Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

[2] See Psalm 46:10

A Firm Foundation

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Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you.  Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.  Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.  And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.  In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders.  And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.  Stay alert!  Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.  Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.  In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus.  So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.  All power to him forever! Amen.  1 Peter 5:2-11

Peter’s instructions are a legacy of leadership for those who would come behind as servants of Christ.  He builds a mighty case for the right attitude as an elder; it’s the kind of attitude filled with adjectives describing the character of Jesus, which builds a firm foundation for the household of faith.  And what a list it is:

     ·      Caring for God’s family willingly and eagerly

     ·      Choosing positive example over authoritarian demand

     ·      Accepting leadership of others with humility

     ·      Having humility in all relationships

     ·      Keeping a non-anxious presence as you lead, trusting in God.

     ·      Attentiveness that recognizes your own vulnerability in spiritual matters

     ·      Awareness of other believer’s suffering and need

For You Today

The servant of God must be clothed in this kind of attitude, otherwise whatever is built does not glorify God; it is merely a display of human talent and work.  Frankly, that falls far short of the glory God wants to do through you!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com    Unless noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

Anxious Moments

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Wednesday, July 11, 2018

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”  Psalm 46:10^(NLT)

Yesterday’s devotion on patience revealed how “anxious” a control-freak pastor can get when stuff happens to turn a worship service on its ear.  I’d like to revisit that today for a few moments to pull back the flap of an introvert’s quiet, control-loving insides.

That thing the Psalmist wrote about being still is something that comes naturally to me.  Introverts prefer – uh, change that to love, crave, and would sometimes actually consider killing for – quiet!  Well, not really, but you get the picture.  My traditional response to seeing high-energy interactive opportunities is to grab a book and head for the nearest quiet corner!

The difference between “type-A” and “type-B” (extroverted vs. introverted) personality types is well-documented.  The A-types crave interaction and being with as many others as can fill a noisy room.  Type-B’s prefer one-on-one, and a much quieter experience. 

Some research about pastors indicates there are many more introverted pastors than the other.  Strange, isn’t it?  You know that old saying about the pickup line in a bar:  What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?  It applies here:  Hey, pastor, what’s an introverted book worm like you doing leading a frenzied mess we call church?

Now that may say two things:  the first is that you don’t choose ministry; it captures you when God taps you on the shoulder and says:  Saddle-up, bucko…it’s time to ride.  The other thing has to do with God’s sense of humor; only God would choose a quiet-loving person to be a pastor, where he has to stand in front of a crowd, and stand-up even in the awkward moments to push for the right thing to be done.  You gotta love God’s sense of humor!

Now, it’s not that introverts can’t function in a crowd; we just prefer the quieter ways.  But when we do find ourselves in the fast lane, we will hunt the quickest exit ramp.  That’s because socializing really takes the energy out of an introvert’s batteries.  After the ball is over it takes a lot longer to recharge our batteries than the average extrovert.

So, what does that mean to the introverted pastor who wants to obey God’s call to share the Good News, but still maintain sanity, relevance, and transparent integrity?  In short, how can I still be who I really am, if I must continually work against the natural tendencies I was born with?  I’m quiet by nature, but I must speak up.  I’m shy in social situations, but I’m called to engage anyway.  I prefer thinking, but am expected to talk.

Well, it IS a problem, but, before we gavel the Russell pity-party to order here, let’s take a look around.  What other kinds of “natural” tendencies do we see that God seems to want us to “overcome” in favor of something opposite? 

·      What about tempers popping-off at the slightest offense? 

·      How about gluttonous appetites going back for a fourth time at the buffet line at the annual homecoming dinner on the grounds? 

·      What about the anger that crushes a spouse’s hopes and dreams, or even her eye socket and collarbone? 

·      What about the tendency to give up on people or even church? 

·      What about the child learning to go through life as if everyone else is unimportant…only to be screamed at if you don’t get the toy you wanted? 

·      What about striking-back when the world has done you dirty?

·      And, lest we forget the current ruckus in which the United Methodist Church is embroiled – sexuality issues.  What about our tendencies to do, (and be) what we want – the way we were made…work out all that animal lust our way, and not God’s way?

In the same way this introvert, flawed, sometimes petulantly quiet and moody, needs to get a life, put on a smile, shake a hand, and give a hug to someone who needs it, all of us need to keep our natural tendencies under the influence of self-discipline. 

God calls all of us to that!

For You Today

Paul told the Ephesian church this about their natural tendencies that made them selfish and less than Kingdom stars for Jesus:

We are to grow up and be more like Christ. He is the leader of the church.  

Ephesians 4:15b^(NLV)

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

Patience

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Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return.  Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring.  They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.  You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.  James 5:7-8^(NLT)

One of the hardest things to do is wait patiently.  The fact is we have conditioned ourselves against patience.  Everything manufactured these days requires little assembly or consideration.  The computer I use came with only a single page instruction sheet, and the rechargeable battery was already charged…plug-in and get going!

We are in a hurry today.  That “hurry” builds tension and uneasiness into our daily lives which can only be measured with a bucket loader.  There is hardly an un-anxious person to be found among us.  Yet that is exactly the advice given to pastors, to be a non-anxious presence as antidote to the fear and worry that pervades anxiety.

I had a hard time with that this past Sunday.

One of our churches uses multimedia to enhance worship; you could have fooled me.  At the first church (without screens and projector) the service went well, with several changes and unexpected shifts; it’s ok, we get used to last-minute hiccups! 

Elizabeth and I jumped in the car and noticed it was still early…we had a whole, extra two minutes to enjoy, getting down the road 11 miles to our second church.  That was the last bit of non-anxious in the day! 

Our choir-director, along with her son, the sound/multimedia technician, were gone on their annual vacation.  So, Russell, ever ready to take on much more than he is able, or qualified to do, said sure – I’ll run the computer for those two weeks; no problem! 

Poor, deluded monkey! 

Disclaimer:  if you’re not a technology genius, never agree to this; it’s difficult enough to stand before even a small church and stay sane while conducting a worship service.  If you throw-in having only 11 minutes once you arrive at church to set-up the laptop with the PowerPoint presentation, connect all the thingamajigs, turn-on the projectors, set-up the camera, video your wife standing at the piano saying “hi” to cousin Billy in Arizona, get to the bathroom (hey-it’s a long morning), and rush back into the sanctuary in time for the call to worship…you have a perfect storm waiting when you begin to lead the congregational call-to-worship printed in the bulletin – especially if you have in your hands the bulletin from the first church, and you’re trying to lead the congregation at the second church. 

And then, of course, the batteries in the remote control choose that exact moment to go belly-up!  And there you stand, non-anxious presence smile on your face, created in the image of God, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Super-pastor….and you just want to cry.

Note to self:   If you’re going to be a non-anxious presence, it would be a smart thing to stay within the boundaries of common sense and follow the advice you give to others from Scripture:  what makes the church THE CHURCH is not a Super-Pastor, able to do it all.  Rather, it is the Body of Christ being THE BODY OF CHRIST with each part doing that loving task to which it has been called. 

Stay in that; live in that; proclaim that – trusting God with everything.  That’s how the peace of God, which passes all understanding will create a non-anxious presence even in the midst of technological chaos!  It’s called the gift of patience.

For You Today

Waiting patiently may be the most anxious thing we do…and the most useless when we wind up faking the “patiently” part.  So, come with me; let’s take a deep breath and recite the Lord’s Prayer early this morning.  Call on the Father; fellowship with the Son; let the Holy Spirit have all that anxiety, and rest in His peace…patiently!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com