Friday, November 29, 2024

An Apprentice to Jesus Says “Thank You”

 


(It's the day after Thanksgiving!)

I have a habit of making lists of things I am thankful for. I put the list in my  pocket, and carry it with me. I pull it out and re-read it. As a disciple of Jesus, He has given me much to be thankful for!  

I was taught thankfulness by my parents. They trained me to say the words, "Thank you." Whenever I received a gift, my mother would make me write a thank you note to the giver. Thank you, mom, for doing this.  

My parents had thankful hearts. I remember my mother telling me how, when a little girl, she once received an orange from her parents as a Christmas gift. That was it! Her family was poor. She treasured the gift, and was thankful.  

Whenever someone helped my dad by lending him a tool, or working on a project, I could see gratitude on his face, and in the way he talked about the people who helped him. Dad lent tools out to many people. At his funeral, I addressed the people and said, "If any of you has some of my father's tools, please return them."

 The attitude of a disciple is one of gratitude. I could never understand the ingratitude of nine of the ten lepers in Luke 17.  They see Jesus, and call from a distance because they are unclean, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" The Greek word for 'pity' is eleison, like "Kyrie eleison" - "Lord, have mercy!" "Bend down to our level and rescue us!"  

He does. Jesus heals them. And then, nine of them just walk away, without saying even a simply "Thanks for the healing."    

Then we read: One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him...  And here is the shocker - he was a Samaritan

When I wake in the morning, get out of bed, walk down the stairs, prepare breakfast, I find myself, in my mind, and sometimes whispering quietly, these words: "Thank you." Jesus rescued me and became my lifetime Mentor. Thank you!  

For Linda and I, one of our Christian heroes is Dallas Willard. Even though we never met him, he is a mentor to us. Not just with his words, but with his life. We both read Gary Moon's excellent book on Willard. Gary Black, one of Dallas's close friends, was with Dallas when he died. Moon writes:

"Then, as Gary [Black] describes, “in a voice clearer than I had heard in days, he leaned his head back slightly and with his eyes closed said, ‘Thank you.’” Gary did not feel that Dallas was talking to him, but to another presence that Dallas seemed to sense in the room."  (Moon, Becoming Dallas Willard, p. 240)

 Thank You Jesus.

 I bless you with a renewed heart of gratitude.


DECLARATIONS

 I am going through this day with a heart overflowing with thankfulness.

 My constant attitude is one of gratitude to God.

 I remember what God has done for me and given me.

 I am thankful for knowing Jesus, my Lord and my Savior!

 I have lists of things to thank God for.

The words "Thank you" are never far from my lips.

 I throw myself at the feet of Jesus, and praise Him, with thanksgiving!


(From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Discipleship.)  

Thursday, November 28, 2024

Praying on the "Thank God Ledge"


(I'm re-posting this. It's from my book Praying: Reflections on 40 Years of Solitary Conversations with God. Linda and I saw "Free Solo" at the Imax in Ann Arbor. It's about Alex Honnold's rope-less climb of El Capitan. Amazing, and frightening!) 

Several years ago I watched a "60 Minutes" segment that fully engaged me. I dvr-ed it and showed it to several people. It was on rock climber Alex Honnold's "free solo" of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.

Half Dome is a nearly vertical 2000-foot sheer granite wall. Alex climbs it... without the assistance of ropes or harness. It's just him, his hands, and his tennis shoes. It made me nervous watching him, even though I knew he survived. The shots of him clinging to the wall, with the trees and river a half mile below him, are astounding.

No one else in the world has done this. Perhaps no one else can. Alex's focus is amazing! One cannot help but think: one mistake and you are dead. No second chance. It's either perfection and completeness or total failure. This sport is unforgiving. To conquer Half Dome you have to be perfect.

Nine-tenths of the way up Half Dome there is a place climbers call "Thank God Ledge." This ledge is a 35-foot-long ramp that is anywhere from 5 to 12 inches wide. If a climber can get himself on this ledge he can jam his fingers into small cracks in the wall and "take a break." "Thank God Ledge" is a place of relief. It's a slim moment of mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

Alex Honnold on
Thank God Ledge
Fortunately, when it comes to God, it's all about forgiveness, mercy, and grace. In Matthew 18 we read: "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."" (vv. 21-22) Which means: we just keep on forgiving other people when they fail and when they fall. Why? Because we have been forgiven. Of much. Paul writes, in Colossians 3:13: "Forgive as you have been forgiven."

Thank God that he is forgiving! His forgiveness is not narrow. God's love is wide. 

Back in the 70s I wrote a song called "How Many Times?" The words go: "How many times we all fall down, broken and bent by the wind. How many times His love comes down, lifts us up again." 

In the forgiveness of the Cross God has placed us on "Thank God Ledge." When we experience his forgiveness we are lifted up to this place of beauty and rest. It is a place of restoration and healing. When experienced and understood, it provokes praise. When we forgive others we invite them to join us in this place. Unforgiveness lets people fall to their destruction. Forgiveness rescues.

In the Cross of Christ you have been conquered by God.

There's plenty of room on Thank God Ledge. Pray there.


Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Two Modes of Thankfulness

 


("The One Who Showed Mercy")

Not every mode of thankfulness is to be applauded.

One misguided form of thankfulness is seeing a beggar on the street, and thinking, "Thank God I am not like this beggar; that, while she does not have a roof over her head and food to eat, I do. And for this, I give thanks." 

This is hierarchical gratitude. One sees people who have less than I. This is accompanied by a feeling of gratitude for having more than they. 

"More than they" means things like: more giftedness, more opportunity, more stuff, more money, more beauty, more experience, more square footage. The "prayer" that rises to God out of one's place on the status-honor hierarchy sounds like: "Today, God, as we approach Thanksgiving Day, we know there are people who do not have food enough to eat. We see them on TV. We read about them on the internet. But we do have enough to eat. For this bounty, we give You thanks."

That is Pharisaical thankfulness. It's a gratitude that grows in the soil of confidence in one's own righteousness and status.

Luke 18:9-14 says, "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'  "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."" 

Pharisaical thankfulness is comparative, based on the idea that one's physical condition and circumstances indicate the approval or disapproval of God. The man born blind must have sinned, or at least his parents must have sinned. Thus, he deserves his blindness.

"The Pharisee stood up and prayed about." His self-prayer ("I... I... I...") only makes sense on the honor-shame hierarchy. His occasion of thankfulness is someone else's infirmity. Pharasaical thankfulness looks like this: I see someone who has less than me, and I thank God that I am not them.

This is not true gratitude. Real thankfulness, having a thankful heart, comes out of one's relation to God and not to others. The core recognition is: I need God, and God's love came down and rescued me. This kind of praying says:

  • God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
  • You have had mercy on me!
  • Thank you God.
True thankfulness is a function of an awareness of one's own neediness, and not that of others. It contains the realization that God has displayed, and is displaying, his mercy towards me. When you realize how in need of rescue you are, and rescue comes, you will feel thankful

At this point prayers of thanks can become passionate. One outcome of a God-directed thankful heart is the heart-desire to be used of God to rescue others, rather than looking at them and feeling good about your own abundance. 

There's no honor-shame hierarchy in the kingdom of God. We're all beggars in need of bread. Give thanks in the right direction, and for the right reasons. 

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Now Reading...

 


I'm now reading Critical Dilemma: The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology—Implications for the Church and Society, by Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer.

Here are the reviews.


"Critical Dilemma does a better job of addressing the underlying influences on how we've gotten here than any other book I've read. Shenvi and Sawyer have done the church a great service. They unequivocally demonstrate that you can be knowledgeable of historic factors relating to racism, sympathetic and engaged in wanting to work to make things better now, yet resistant to unbiblical ideas and solutions offered by critical social theory, recognizing that those approaches will ultimately prevent us from dealing with the issues constructively. A truly excellent work. A must read."
--Ligon Duncan, BA, MDiv, MA, PhD (Edin), chancellor and CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary

"A charitable parsing of contemporary critical theories, Critical Dilemma untangles what's useful from what's ineffective among the teachings associated with racial, gender, and economic equity. The work roundly denounces racism and other systemically abusive antihuman evils, yet argues that critical theories struggle to provide meaningful solutions without creating de-humanizing inequities of their own. Critical Dilemma engages popular ideas without hurling invective, making it unique in the discussion. Those who have been wrongly labeled as Marxist, or as upholding white supremacy, or (astonishingly) as both, will appreciate the authors' careful definition of terms; insiders struggling with the systems' inconsistencies and fearful of the backlash that accompanies critique will draw courage to voice concerns and find themselves introduced to a true pro-human approach to equality that liberates body, mind, and soul."

--K.A. Ellis, director at The Edmiston Center at Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta, GA

"Critical Dilemma offers an outstanding crash course in all things woke and social-justice related. If you want a deeper, more nuanced, and clearer understanding of the culture war and what's become the dominant moral ideology, then read this book. After 500 pages, you'll have a master's degree in contemporary madness."

--Peter Boghossian, founding faculty fellow of University of Austin, TX

"In the past few years, we have experienced a cultural upheaval surrounding issues of race, sexuality, gender, identity politics, and social justice. I urge everyone to read Critical Dilemma, a thorough, well-documented, fair, and truthful resource that will likely become the go-to primer for understanding the infusion of critical theory into Western society. For anyone left feeling confused, frustrated, and bewildered by the radical shift in culture, this book will be a helpful guide. For anyone buying into the tenets of contemporary critical theory, this book will be a force to be reckoned with."

--Alisa Childers, host of The Alisa Childers Podcast, author of Another Gospel? and Live Your Truth and Other Lies

"Encyclopedic! Exhaustive! Excellent! Essential! These are four words that come to mind concerning this book. It is encyclopedic. I will refer to sections of it again and again in the years to come. It is exhaustive. The research is both broad and in-depth. No stone is left unturned. It is excellent. It is well written, charitable, honest, and fair in its critiques. It is essential. It is a must-read for anyone who wishes to accurately understand all the many disciplines and movements that now reside under the umbrella of critical theory. The umbrella is large, and the residents are numerous. There is much to consider, and this book provides exactly what we need. Shenvi and Sawyer have rendered a valuable service to the academy, culture, and church. We are in their debt."

--Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC

"This work is a tour de force. Written with the erudition of careful scholarship, the thoughtful insight of careful reflection, and the gracious wisdom of pastoral care, this book contains all that you need to know to engage meaningfully in this conversation. As a pastor, I found it particularly helpful. It is balanced, fair, and very compelling. Drs. Shenvi and Sawyer let critical theorists explain themselves in their own words, and then they note both the positive contributions and negative pitfalls of critical theory. I was amazed at how Shenvi and Sawyer took even the most complex philosophical concepts and made them understandable and memorable for the lay reader. This might not be the only book you ever read on this subject, but it should definitely be the first. This will be my first recommended resource for anyone wanting to engage in this very pressing conversation."

--J.D. Greear, PhD, pastor, The Summit Church; 62nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention; author of Essential Christianity: The Heart of the Gospel in 10 Words

"Thorough and well documented! This is the Christian critique of critical theory that is needed in our churches today. Shenvi and Sawyer's in-depth inspection of critical theory shines a light on the framework's failures and why, as believers, we cannot adopt it."

--Monique Duson and Krista Bontrager, cofounders of The Center for Biblical Unity

"Critical Dilemma is substantive and rich in content, possessing the rare combination of first-rate scholarship and broad accessibility. Shenvi and Sawyer provide a well-crafted treatment of some of today's most important yet controversial topics, such as race, gender, unity, and justice. They introduce the reader to the complex world of contemporary critical theories and do so with prose that respects the depth and nuance these subjects require. Critical Dilemma not only exposes the flaws of contemporary critical theories but also compellingly directs the reader toward 'a more excellent way.' With feet planted in both the scholarship of the academy and the sound doctrine of the church, Shenvi and Sawyer have given both the church and society an indispensable gift. In my view, Critical Dilemma will prove to be one of the most important works of our day."
--William "Duce" Branch (aka The Ambassador), assistant professor of preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

"I have long appreciated Neil Shenvi's articles analyzing critical theory. He consistently handles contentious issues calmly, clearly, and carefully. In this book-length treatment, he and Pat Sawyer have teamed up to create an important resource for anyone seeking to craft an intelligent critique of critical theory."
--Nancy Pearcey, professor and scholar in residence at Houston Christian University, author of several books including Total Truth and Love Thy Body

"One of Critical Dilemma's greatest values is in its clear and concise run-down of contemporary critical social theory. The authors give a balanced view of critical social theory--the good and the bad--but show how the detriments often outweigh the benefits. One need not be particularly religious to see the value in this book. However, the authors thoroughly and effectively remind readers of the benefits of Christianity while calling into question the sanctity of contemporary modes of social justice. Thus, it serves as a valuable resource and guide for those with evangelical sensibilities. For both Christians and non-Christians trying to understand and navigate the world of DEI, Critical Dilemma is a must-have."
--Erec Smith, PhD, associate professor of rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania, president and cofounder of Free Black Thought

"There is a growing sense of global confusion about the meaning of words and ideas. What sounds benign in the classical sense has become toxic; 'tolerance' now demands 'acceptance and affirmation, ' 'disagreement' is now 'intolerance, ' and 'visual diversity' has replaced 'diversity of thought' in many of our civil institutions. Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer offer a thoughtful and balanced analysis of the ideologies behind the deconstruction of the core values on which our society was built--values without which movements for true justice would have never succeeded. Critical Dilemma is an indispensable tool to clear the fog of cultural confusion--a fog that, left unchecked, will further destabilize our institutions and tear our culture apart."
--Carl F. Ellis, provost's professor of theology and culture at Reformed Theological Seminary

"Critical Dilemma is a tour de force. I found Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer's masterful distillation of critical theory refreshing. Their sympathetic and humble, yet powerful, dissection of the claims advanced by these fashionable race, gender, and sexuality theories is first class. Readers seeking to understand and rebut illiberal progressive arguments will find a quiver full of ethical arrows to do so, be these from secular philosophy or the Bible. The authors argue that the new social justice religion tears down much that is valuable for human flourishing in the name of a retributive, levelling-down egalitarianism. Evangelical Protestant Christianity, they aver, with its 'vertical' individual-to-God relationship, is fundamentally incompatible with the 'horizontal' oppressor-oppressed worldview of the woke faith--even if it contributes some positive insights. As a secular reader, I found the window into progressive evangelicalism and its critics fascinating, and emerged with an enhanced understanding of the Christian perspective on race and gender activism. I very much recommend this book."
--Eric Kaufmann, professor of politics at Birkbeck College, University of London

"Knowledge is power and ignorance is not bliss within or outside the church. If you truly want to understand the cultural forces ripping apart American institutions, I urge you to read and devour Shenvi and Sawyer's outstanding analysis of critical theory, its roots, and its destructive manifestations. Critical Dilemma offers a thorough and accessible tool to educate pastors, church leaders, and congregants. High school and college students can learn much by reading this book and using it as a reference tool."
--Dr. Carol M. Swain, distinguished senior fellow for constitutional studies at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, retired professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University

"For the past five years, Neil Shenvi's website has been enormously helpful to me as I have tried to better understand the 'contemporary critical theory' cultural revolution. Most of us don't have the patience and expertise to engage so many technical primary sources that are incompatible with Christianity. In this book, Shenvi and Sawyer update their years of research to give us a resource that is clear, meticulous, responsible, reasonable, penetrating, loving, and discerning. Their work is especially helpful for pastors and teachers, for God calls us not only to give instruction in sound doctrine, but also to rebuke those who contradict it (Titus 1:9)."
--Andy Naselli, professor of systematic theology and New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary, one of the pastors at The North Church

"It seems that the church mistakenly believed that she could win the world without understanding philosophy, and, God help us, as a result, the world's philosophies have won us. Shenvi and Sawyer are fortifying what I believe is the biggest breach in the defense of the faith today--the philosophy of the Christian worldview. Whether you are a lay person or an academic, this book could save you from deception and despair."
--John L. Cooper, front man for the Christian rock band Skillet, author of Awake and Alive to Truth, host of the Cooper Stuff Podcast

"Critical Dilemma achieves what many books and much commentary on the subject of critical theory do not: A comprehensive critique of critical theory that is careful, fair, impeccably researched, thorough, rhetorically calm, and surgically precise. Shenvi and Sawyer do yeoman's work in explaining just how saturated our culture is in critical theory categories. Invoking critical theory in social discourse all but guarantees its defender an unfalsifiable forcefield of infallibility. But the authors of Critical Dilemma expose critical theory for what it is: An acid whose tenets are unreconcilable with biblical Christianity."
--Andrew T. Walker, PhD, associate professor of Christian ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, fellow in Christian political thought at The Ethics and Public Policy Center

"For Christians who are willing to go deeper to understand the complexities of critical theory beyond popular-level talking points, there is no better book than this. Shenvi and Sawyer go to extensive lengths to explain the nuances of critical theory accurately and fairly. They then show how it compares and contrasts with a biblical worldview on multiple levels. If you read just one book on the topic of critical theory from a biblical perspective, make it this."
--Natasha Crain, speaker, podcaster, author of four books including Faithfully Different

"Critical Dilemma is a well-researched, carefully reasoned work deserving slow, thorough reading and consideration. Many evangelical critiques of contemporary critical theory are unwilling to acknowledge the slightest elements of truth. This volume does, while offering sound arguments as to where and how the primary ideas of critical social theory are incompatible with biblical doctrines and destructive to Christian unity. Shenvi and Sawyer accomplish this with refreshing candor and humility, neither omitting nor minimizing extraordinarily ugly elements of our nation's past and present. This is timely scholarship in service of the church."
--Keith W. Plummer, PhD, dean of the School of Divinity, Cairn University

"Perhaps you've heard terms like wokecritical race theory, and intersectionality, but like many, don't quite understand them. Critical Dilemma is among the most important books written to help us understand and respond to the cultural revolution taking place in America that is threatening our families, churches, and civilization. While accessibly written from a distinctly Christian perspective, it is also charitable and fair in the views it critiques while remaining firm in sounding the alarm about the perils of contemporary critical theory."
--Corey Miller, PhD (University of Aberdeen, Scotland), author, former university professor, current president of Ratio Christi

"We are living through an epoch shift in which the 'anything goes' relativism of the 1990s and 2000s have given way to a highly moralistic, quick-to-judge, all-encompassing narrative that has now broken mainstream in corporations, schools, politics, entertainment, and even churches. Exhaustively researched and evenhanded, Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer offer a probing and timely study of the critical theories that have captured the popular imagination. Not only are they rigorous and fair, they also chart a course toward more biblical, and, therefore, more hopeful and Christ-exalting answers to the injustices that haunt society. For anyone seeking to understand our cultural moment and bring the good news of Jesus to bear in our ideologically charged and divided age, Critical Dilemma is essential reading."
--Thaddeus Williams, author of Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice, professor of systematic theology at Biola University

"Critical Dilemma is the right book at the right time. In fact, it's overdue, given how influential the pop culture versions of critical social theory ideas have become and how poorly these ideas are understood and engaged in an age where people are more committed to political wins than to truth, justice, or love. This book is well researched and well written. Shenvi and Sawyer have given us all a tremendous gift."
--John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center, host of BreakPoint

"Critical Dilemma is a potent, carefully documented Christian assessment of a variety of ideological perspectives, such as critical race theory, transgenderism, decolonial theory, and queer theory. Shenvi and Sawyer offer a discerning comparison between these types of contemporary critical theory and the biblical worldview of evangelical theology. A clear and fair-minded account of how critical theory has become so influential and yet why its diagnoses and proposed cures for the disparities, injustices, suffering, and other predicaments that have differentially impacted the human condition end up far afield from a biblical perspective."
--William L. Hathaway, PhD, executive vice president for academic affairs, professor of psychology at Regent University

"Expertly sourced and thoroughly cited, Critical Dilemma provides Christians with the background knowledge they need to heed the warning of Colossians 2:8 to beware of philosophies and vain deceits, such as attempts to redefine oppression or privilege. As Shenvi and Sawyer eloquently explain, the only privilege that really matters is to know and be known by an omniscient, omnipresent, and ever-loving God. No philosophy ever saved anyone. The truth of the gospel, 'Jesus in my place, ' can save and is open to everyone who will accept it."
--Dr. C.A. Tuggle, Stembler Distinguished Professor of Broadcast Journalism, senior associate dean at UNC-Chapel Hill

"Whether you are a Christian, an atheist, or something else entirely, Critical Dilemma is an invaluable analysis of the extraordinary (and some would say, religious) transformations rippling across our culture and society. An extremely clear and illustrative contemporary guide for the perplexed, this book is ultimately a wholehearted defense of genuine empathy, unity, and justice for all."

--Thomas Chatterton Williams, contributing writer to The Atlantic

Potato Chips and Thanksgiving

 

(From my book, Praying: Reflections on 40 Years of Solitary Conversations with God, Kindle Locations 3590-3612)

There was a man in our church named Floyd. Floyd died several years ago. It was my privilege to do his funeral. 

When I met with Floyd’s wife, Grace, she shared something I had never heard before. “Floyd,” she said, “was a thankful person who was always thanking God for what he had been given.” 

Floyd had not come from a wealthy family. As I heard about him and his thankful heart, it reminded me of my mother who, as a young girl, sometimes received only an orange for a Christmas present, and cherished and savored it, and was thankful. 

How deep did Floyd’s heart of thanks run? 

“Whenever we had snacks, like potato chips,” said Grace, “Floyd would stop, bow his head, and thank God as the bag of chips was passed to him.” 

“You’re kidding me, right?” I said. “Floyd would give thanks, in front of everyone, for potato chips?!!” 

“Yes. He was grateful to God for anything that came his way.” 

I thought: I’m not that thankful. I take too many things for granted. 

“For granted” - to expect someone, or something, to be always available to serve you in some way without thanks or recognition; to value someone, or something, too lightly. To “take something for granted” - to expect something to be available all the time, and forget that you have not earned it. 

A “for granted” attitude presumes. A “for granted” attitude has a sense of entitlement. Like: “I am entitled to these potato chips.”

“For granted” - to fail to appreciate the value of something. 

“Entitlement” - the belief that one is deserving of certain privileges. Like: “I deserve these potato chips.” 

Floyd, it seems, had no sense of entitlement, as if God owed him something. He didn’t take provision, in any form, for granted. From that framework, giving thanks logically follows. And, in yet another “great reversal,” God is deserving of, and entitled to, our praise and thanksgiving. God, for Floyd, was not some cosmic butler whose task was to wait on him, and make sure he was satisfied with the service. 

The apostle Paul instructed us to “always give thanks for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “For everything” is all-inclusive. Nothing exists outside the realm of “for everything.” Everything is a gift from God, even my very life, even my eyes as I read this, and my breath as I inhale. If I gave thanks for everything, my gratitude would be unceasing. 

If I realized how God-dependent I actually am, I would stop now and say, “Thank you.” And then, in my next breath, I would say it again.

Monday, November 25, 2024

My Christmas Devotional Book Now Available


My Christmas devotional book (with the correct cover) is now up and available.

The Great Invasion: Thirty-One Days of Christmas

PAPERBACK ($5.99)

E-BOOK/KINDLE ($4.99)


This is a 31-day devotional book, 

based on the life of Jesus.

The book's thesis is: The more we know about Jesus, 
the greater our worship of Him will be.

This book offers a deep dive into the story of Jesus.

Thirty-one days that will enrich the Christmas season!



 


Prayer, Poverty, and Thanksgiving

 


(A meal of rice and vegetables in Kenya)

(I'm re-posting this for the Thanksgiving season.)

I embarrassed myself when I was in Kenya. 

I was leading a Pastor’s Conference in Eldoret, with sixty wonderful men and women from Kenya and Uganda. They were part of New Life Mission, a network of over 150 churches in Kenya and Uganda. 

We ate many meals together. This was real Kenyan food – vegetables, cooked raw bananas, rice, maize… I loved it!

I noticed many of the pastors taking very full plates of food. A lot more than I took. I made a joke, saying “Kenyans and Ugandans eat a lot, but still are slim and run so fast!” My host, Cliff, later told me the reason they load their plates with food is because they only eat two meals a day. When they have the opportunity, they eat a lot.

Inwardly I sank. Who am I, that I am so out of touch? 

The prayers of many Kenyans and Ugandans are for food to eat, today. I, on the other hand, fight overeating. My problem is not securing my next meal. It's that there is so much food available, and I approach our American Thanksgiving Day hoping I do not overeat.

I live the land of over-plenty, over-eating, and struggling to diet. In the midst of abundance, I am being processed by God. Here are some things God is showing me. 

1. I am no longer to see someone who is foodless and thank God that I have food. I am to thank God for food, for a roof over my head, for clothing. But this thanks is not to come at the expense of someone else’s poverty. There is something wrong about this. It uses another person’s bondage as an occasion for my thanksgiving. 

Jesus never looked on sick or hungry people and said, “Thank God that I am God and not like these sick people.” Instead, he had compassion on them. Actually, he became one of them, for “the Son of Man had no roof over his head.” 

My focus must be on my own need for God’s mercy, rather than giving thanks that I am not among the mercy-deprived. I am not to be like the Pharisee who prayed, “I thank you God that I am not like these other people.”

2. If this thought comes to me - "Thank God that I have more than these poor people"  - I must assume this is God calling me to help. Why would God show me someone poorer than I as a way to make me give thanks? Authentic thankfulness results in overflowing, sacrificial giving. To those who have much and thank God for it, much is expected. Thankfulness is hypocritical and meaningless if it does not overflow to others. Pure Pharisaic “thankfulness” thanks God that I am not poor; true thankfulness to God impacts the poor. Self-centered gratefulness is faux-gratitude.

3. At one of our recent worship gatherings God was speaking to  me about such things. It was a beautiful time of intentional thanksgiving to God for how he has blessed us as a church family. That day God told me, “John, when you see someone who has nothing, and then give thanks for what you have that they don’t have, that is the spirit of poverty on you.”

A spirit of poverty, a spirit of “lack,” whispers to me, “You do not have enough.” This heart of not-enough-ness, when it sees someone worse off than me, feels thankful. This is the spirit of poverty’s solution to my dilemma; viz., to keep me perpetually enslaved to a poverty mentality by comparing me with others. 

Some drive new cars and I feel deprived; some have no car and I feel thankful. A spirit of poverty is never satiated, and in this way it continuously punishes. 

Feeling thankful when I see someone who has no food comes from feeling I do not have enough. One thinks, “Whew, I’m not so bad off after all!” We only say words like that when we feel “bad off.” 

Real thanksgiving has nothing to do with any of this. I’ve been living under a spirit of poverty, and renounce it.

Friday, November 22, 2024

My War to Rescue 'Deconstruction'

 


I am waging a small and enjoyable war to retain the meaning of the word 'deconstruction'.

It does not mean 'dismantling', or 'tearing down'. (See here.) If the word were simply another, more impressive-because-you're-using-a-big-word synonym for dismantling, it would be supremely uninteresting and self-promoting.

Here it is, from the OED: to analyze (a text or a linguistic or conceptual system) by deconstruction, typically in order to expose its hidden internal assumptions and contradictions and subvert its apparent significance or unity. For example,

"She likes to deconstruct the texts, to uncover what they are not saying."

That's it! With several implications to follow.

The Many Benefits of Thankfulness



Gratitude is greater than bitterness. Thankfulness is better than resentment. 

Colossians 3:15 says:

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

A heart of thankfulness positively affects one’s entire being. Some scientific studies confirm this. Here are some of them.

From “Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier” (Harvard Medical School)

  • “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
  • Dr. Martin Seligman (University of Pennsylvania) says most studies on showing gratitude to others support an association between gratitude and an individual’s well-being.
  • Gratitude can improve relationships. “For example, a study of couples found that individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive toward the other person but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.
  • Gratitude is associated with emotional maturity.
  • “Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier, or thinking they can’t feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel contrived at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.”

Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis.
·        Write a thank-you note.
·        Thank someone mentally. (“It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.”)
·        Keep a gratitude journal. I make lists of things I am thankful for and carry them with me.
·        Count your blessings.
·        Pray. “People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude.”


Research reveals that gratitude can have these benefits.

  • ·        Gratitude opens the door to more relationships.
  • ·        Gratitude improves physical health. “Grateful people experience fewer aches and pains and they report feeling healthier than other people, according to a 2012 study published in Personality and Individual Differences.”
  • ·        Gratitude improves psychological health. “Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, ranging from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., a leading gratitude researcher, has conducted multiple studies on the link between gratitude and well-being. His research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.
  • ·        Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression. “Grateful people are more likely to behave in a prosocial manner, even when others behave less kind, according to a 2012 study by the University of Kentucky. Study participants who ranked higher on gratitude scales were less likely to retaliate against others, even when given negative feedback. They experienced more sensitivity and empathy toward other people and a decreased desire to seek revenge.”
  • ·        Grateful people sleep better. “Writing in a gratitude journal improves sleep, according to a 2011 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. Spend just 15 minutes jotting down a few grateful sentiments before bed, and you may sleep better and longer." 
  • ·        Gratitude improves self-esteem.(Acc. to a 2014 study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.)
  • ·        Gratitude increases mental strength. (Acc. to a 2006 study in Behavior Research and Therapy, and a 2003 study in the Journal of Personality and social Psychology.


From “Giving Thanks: The Benefits of Gratitude” (Psychology Today)
·        
Psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough “point out the benefits of expressing gratitude as ranging from better physical health to improved mental alertness. People who express gratitude also are more likely to offer emotional support to others.

·        “Expressing gratitude in your daily life might even have a protective effect on staving off certain forms of psychological disorders. In a review article published this past March (see below), researchers found that habitually focusing on and appreciating the positive aspects of life is related to a generally higher level of psychological well-being and a lower risk of certain forms of psychopathology.
·        Increase your gratitude-ability by looking for small things to be thankful for.
From “Expanding the Science and Practice of Gratitude” (University of Berkeley)

·        It’s easy to take gratitude for granted. “That might be why so many people have dismissed gratitude as simple, obvious, and unworthy of serious attention. But that’s starting to change. Recently scientists have begun to chart a course of research aimed at understanding gratitude and the circumstances in which it flourishes or diminishes.”
·        Recent studies on people who practice thankfulness consistently report a number of benefits:
·        Stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure;
·        Higher levels of positive emotions;
·        More joy, optimism, and happiness;
·        Acting with more generosity and compassion;
·        Feeling less lonely and isolated.

From “Thanksgiving, Gratitude, and Mental Health” (Psychiatry Advisor)
Gratitude can have a positive effect on a person’s emotions in four significant ways.

·        First, gratitude magnifies positive emotions by helping us to appreciate the value in something; thus gaining more benefit from it.  

·        Second, it blocks toxic, negative emotions, such as envy, resentment, and regret - emotions that can destroy happiness.  

·        Third, gratitude fosters resiliency.

·        And lastly, gratitude promotes self worth. 


·        
  • Gratitude is good for your heart. “According to a recent study at the University of California, San Diego, being mindful of the things you're thankful for each day actually lowers inflammation in the heart and improves rhythm. Researchers looked at a group of adults with existing heart issues and had some keep a gratitude journal. After just two months, they found that the grateful group actually showed improved heart health.”
  • ·        You’ll smarten up. “Teens who actively practiced an attitude of gratitude had higher GPAs than their ungrateful counterparts, says research published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.”
  • ·         It’s good for your relationships. “Expressing gratitude instead of frustration will do more than just smooth things over—it will actually help your emotional health. Expressing and attitude of gratitude raises levels of empathy and abolishes any desire to get even, found researchers at the University of Kentucky.”
  • ·        You’ll sleep more soundly. “ Writing in a gratitude journal before turning in will help you get a longer, deeper night's sleep, says a study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being.”

See also: