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Seven faith practices

My pastor is doing a series of sermons on seven faith practices. I thought that I’d share it with all of you.

1. Dwell in the word. Here are some Bible verses about the value of reading the word.

“Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:35 (ESV). Interestingly, this quote can be found at Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33.

2. Serving others without expectation of return. I think the actions and stories of Jesus are the best examples of this principle. On Thursday for Passion week, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. This was the job of a slave in a Hebrew household. Yet, Jesus served his disciples in this way.  (John 13) “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you (John 13:13-15, ESV)”

3. Worship weekly. I would prefer to change this to “live in community with God’s people” instead of how my pastor listed it. When we are baptized into the Lutheran Church-ELCA, either we or our parents promise that we will “live among God’s faithful people.” This is a gift from God to us his people that we find that we love and hate at the same time. If you have ever been part of a church dispute, you know how heated one can be. Yelling. Arguing in front of visitors. E-mail battles. However, we can grow in faith through the role models in our churches. The lady who always seems to be praying for everyone. The man who volunteers to fix things around the church. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)” As you can see from the last few words in this verse, this is advice for preparing for the end/return of Christ. However, I think this verse can still apply to today.

4. Encouraging others. The previous verse is also good for this part of the seven faith practices. Here is another one. “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) Besides, we never know what someone is going through and when he/she will need a word of encouragement. Think of a time that a few words made a big difference in your day or maybe even your life. Today, my pastor complemented my reading of the word in the service today. It made me really happy that he thinks that I am doing a good job of figuring out how to make the reading understandable.

5. Praying without ceasing. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV) Muslim tradition teaches that Mohammed negotiated God down to requiring prayer five times a day. I know that I would have tried to do the same thing if I even had the guts to be able to make coherent sentences. I have found that I can’t pray when making change for a customer or asleep. I also tend to forget to pray frequently.

6. Inviting others. “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nathanael said to him,’Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him,’Come and see.'” (John 1:45-46, ESV) My pastor brought in a power tool and shared that with us as part of his sermon. I found myself expanding on the idea and thinking that we are called to share our lives with others. If someone is struggling with something, sharing it with another will help that person and perhaps the person who hears of the struggle.

7. Give generously. When I searched for Bible verses for this portion, I was surprised by how many verses contain the word “give” in relation to God giving us something. Salvation. His peace. “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said,’It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” (Acts 20:35, ESV) “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV)   

Questions for you.

  1. Which one of these practices is your strength?
  2. Which one of these practices is your weak point?
  3. List some people that you know personally who live out these practices. 
  4. What can you learn from the lives of these people? 

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Three lessons from the time Elijah asked God to take his life

Elijah had just finished the most amazing miracle in his life. He challenged the followers of Baal to competition to see which god/God can burn up a sacrifice on command. If you know the story, the God of Israel manages to burn up the sacrifice even though it is soaking wet. Here are three lessons that I see in this text (1Kings 19).

1. Sometimes our worst moment follows one of our most amazing moments. In chapter 18, God showed the people of Israel that He is God rather than Baal. What an amazing high this must have been for Elijah. Then God brought rain and Jezebel declared that she will kill Elijah by tomorrow. When he heard this, he was afraid and ran away.

2. Sometimes an issue requires more than just faith. I have heard people say that Jesus is all you need. I think these people are sincere but wrong. When Elijah asked God to take his life, (19:4) He sent an angel. The angel fed him and let him sleep.  The angel did this a second time before sending him to journey to meet God. God shows that Elijah needed more than just a word from God. He needed food and rest before moving on. I think this reminds us how much our physical well being can affect how we see our life and world. 

3. Sometimes what one thinks is true is different than reality. After the angel had fed him two times, Elijah went to a cave in Horeb mountain.

God asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 

He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only left, and now they are trying to kill me too.:

(1 Kings 19:14)

Elijah thought that he was the only prophet left. But, God knew otherwise. He directed Elijah to anoint Elisha has his successor. He also states that he still had seven thousand followers who didn’t bow the knee to Baal (18).

God is working behind the scenes even when we think He is defeated.

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Nine lessons from the book of Job

The book of Job explores the question of evil happening to good people. It answers some questions and leaves other questions unanswered. Here are ten things that I have learned from the book of Job.

  1. God is in control in the midst of evil. In the first chapter of Job, God brags about Job to Satan. Satan responds with a challenge. “Strike everything he has and he will curse you to your face.” The angels are probably standing around watching this exchange in rapt silence.

“Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” replied God. I imagine His voice as powerful and authoritative.

Satan smiles and leaves heaven. The angels watch and whisper among each other. The scene shifts to show Job receiving the terrible news. Servant after servant runs in to tell him of the lose of his animals and children. All he has left is his wife and health. No livelihood. No more children. All gone in moments.

Job’s response? “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away” and fell on his face and worshiped God.

2. Evil will come to everyone Job experienced a level of evil that I hope no one has to suffer through. Yet, we all have lived long enough to know that bad things will happen to all of us. Job shows his understanding with the above response.

3. Words matter. When I was a kid, there was a chant that went “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Yet, we see that Job was seriously hurt by the words of his friends. One of my strongest memories is when my step-father told me, “You are too stupid to be a doctor.” I sometimes remember this event when I am feeling dumb at work. My mind goes crazy with thoughts of how I am too stupid to do almost anything. Any person who was abused as a child remembers hurtful words. Maybe their parents never physically or sexually abused them. So, they believe that they had a good childhood. But, words matter. Our brains remember those words from childhood just as Job felt more and more anguished as he listened to his friends” advice.

4. It is dangerous to assume that God is punishing you for a sin. The friends of Job told him that he had sinned in some way. If he repents, then God will forgive him. While God does punish people for sin, sometimes bad things happen for completely other reasons. We see that Job was a righteous man at the beginning of the book. He attempts to defend himself from his friend’s accusations. As the conversation continues, Job wishes he’d never been born (Job 3:11). and that God would just kill him (Job 6:9)

Later Jesus is asked a similar question. Jesus and his disciples are walking along and they see a blind man.

“His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'” (John 9:2) As you can see, this idea that God brought evil into a person’s life due to sin was very strong in that time.

“‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus.’but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'” (John 9:3) ironically this is true for Job too. The angels witnessed the amazing faith of Job. We never know who might be encouraged by our faith. For the blind man, Jesus healed him of his blindness. Then the pharisees had him brought before them. So, he had the privelidge of testifying about Jesus in the New Testament.

I think we tend to blame ourselves for the bad things that happen in our lives because we want control over our circumstances. If I am experiencing this because I committed a sin, then I can change this by repenting and living better. If the evil is there for no apparent reason, then I have no control of the situation. I have to trust that God is in control and He loves me.

5. God can handle your anger at Him. Job complains that He can’t take God to court. Even though Job was mad at God and wanted to take Him to court, God didn’t punish him. He instead revealed himself to him by talking to him from the midst of a storm.

6. God doesn’t answer all of our questions. Job demands answers and vindication from God. But, God questions him about where he was during creation. God refuses to answer his questions. He does the same with us when we asked “Why me?” I tend to ask this when something goes wrong in my life. I also wonder why He allowed the haulacaust or 911.

7. The things that God remembers and honors is different than man’s historical records or values. God felt that Job and his experience was important enough for him to be included in His word, the Bible. Our history books would have never mentioned him. We record wars, politics and famous people in our history. Yet, God remembers those who serve Him even in the small insignificant areas of our lives.

8. God created the world.  Genesis discusses God creating the world the most. Job reminds us of this fact. As a Lutheran, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America member, I believe that ‘God created the world but don’t attempt to explain how. I just trust his word that He created the world. Perhaps he did it through science. I don’t know.

9. God is all powerful. I have always believed that God is all powerful but the moment that I felt awed by this power was during a rain storm. I was walking to the bus depot in order to ride the bus somewhere. The sky was dark with clouds, rain and lightening. I started thinking about how Jesus was able to speak to the wind and calm it down. Professional fishermen were scared. It must have been a terrible storm to scare fishermen. Yet, Jesus spoke the winds into a calm sea. A powerful God is scary if you forget that God also loves you.

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Needing help, try the Hope Center

Let’s imagine a hard situation. Isabelle knows that her son doesn’t want to go back to school because he has no new clothes to wear. His current clothes are developing holes wear knees and necklines should be. So, she calls the 211 social services hotline and they recommend a place called Hope Center. She drives to the address and finds a building that looks like a funeral home.

“This is the place. I hope they can help us.” She helps her son, Brian, out of the car and into the building. Once in the office, she completes some paperwork and receives a new electronic id.

The lady receptionist comes around the desk. “Follow me, I will show you to the clothing area.”

“Oh, this looks like a thrift store.” The receptionist took her over to the children’s section.

While this client experience is fiction, the Hope Center is a real place in downtown Waukesha. I interviewed Al Luzi, Director of Community Development, for this post. The most memorable thing that he said to me is that anyone who comes to them is eligible for services. A client can get ten pairs of clothing per month. In 2017, 4,653 people used the clothing store for a total of 35,831 visits. “Approximately 41% of all visits were for children” like in my fictional account.

The Hope Center provides a meal program, clothing, financial assistance, legal services, and furniture for those in need in Waukesha. “Call or stop in today if you are in need of assistance. Valid ID and proof of Waukesha County residency required. Examples of proof residency include: lease, shelter letter, utility bill, etc.”

Hope Center 

HopeCenterWi.org

(262) 549-8726

502 N. East Avenue

Waukesha, WI 53186

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Bible Verses about hope

The new testament has two words that are translated as hope which are elpis (Strong’s number 1680) and elipzo (1679). The first word for hope (elpis) was used 53 times while the other (elipzo) was used 31 times. [Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible and Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary]

I have decided to use the World English Bible because it is in the public domain. I do not recommend it as the best Bible version or anything like that.

Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looks out on all inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions all of their hearts; and he considers all of their works. There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power. Behold, Yahweh’s eye is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his loving kindness; to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine. Our soul has waited for Yahweh. He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let your loving kindness be on us, Yahweh, since we hoped in you.  (Psalm 33:13-22, WEB)

Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me?  Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of presence. My God, my soul is in despair within me. Therefore I remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon, from the hill Mizar.  (Psalm 42:5-6, WEB)

Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him, the saving help of my countenance and my God. (Psalm 42:11, WEB)

Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him, my Savior, my helper, and my God. (Psalm 43:5, WEB)

For Yahweh says, “After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says Yahweh, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You shall seek, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” says Yahweh, “and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the places where I have driven you,” says Yahweh. “I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.” (Jeremiah 29:10-14, WEB)

Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope. It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “Yahweh is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.” Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Yahweh. (Lamentations 3:19-26, WEB)

Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope: and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has given to us. (Romans 5:1-5, WEB)

Let love be without hypocrisy, Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good. In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another; not lagging in diligence; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer; contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13, WEB)

Now may the God of hope fill all you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, WEB)

Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be haughty, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life.  (1 Timothy 6:17-19, WEB)

Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, WEB)

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Bible Characters who begged God to take their lives: Moses

I would like to begin this blogging adventure with a series about Bible heroes who begged God to take their lives.

There was a year when I begged God to not let me see the new year. So, I find it very wonderful to see that even Bible heroes have done this.

My first Bible character will be Moses. He did many great things in his life including confronting Pharoah who was the most powerful man in the world. He was able to command someone to kill another. He had the Israelites in slavery. Yet, Moses confronted him under the guidance of God.

Later in his life, he felt so overwhelmed by his responsibilities that he begged God to take his life.

Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom. as a nurse carries a sucking child, to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors?” Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, “Give us meat to eat!” I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me. If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once-if I have found favor in your sight-and do not let me see my misery. (Numbers 11:11-15)

Shocker: Those who have or are currently begging God to take their lives are not alone. Moses and I have also done this.

Moses felt overwhelmed by the demands of the Israelites. They demanded meat. While Moses remembered getting water out of a rock, crossing a river on dry ground and other miracles, he couldn’t see a solution.

How did God respond? I suspect some Christians would say, “Study your Bible more”, “pray more’ or maybe accuse him of having weak faith. Did God say anything like this? No. He provided meat for the Israelites with meat and told Moses to select elders to help him in his administrative duties.

Shocker two: God told him to get help from others in the community. If you feel overwhelmed, God might be encouraging you to find someone whom you can trust to share your struggles with. 

 

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Introducing me

This is me on a mission trip to Texas to help re-build after Hurricane Harvey.

Before I started school, my mom divorced my dad. A few years later, my mom married my step-father. While he loved me, he mistreated me. He yelled at me.

I blamed myself for his behavior. I thought that I had made him lose his temper. I suspect that sounds very familiar to some of you. It took me a long time to realize that he mistreated me.

My classmates picked on me too. Here are a few snippets of that.

Notes that say things like “Satan has his eyes on you.”

One time, a boy was throwing peaches at me during lunch. I ended up throwing away the food that the peach landed in.

I spent a lot of my recesses standing next to the teacher with my best friend, A.

One time a workbook disappeared from my desk and re-appeared at the end of the school year. I had to buy a new one.

At college, I feared that I was too stupid to go to college. Good grades weren’t enough evidence to disprove this belief. This was the first time that I saw a psychologist (diagnosis: dysthymic disorder)

My first depressive episode included fearing monsters coming out of my shower drain. I knew that the monsters were not real but couldn’t get rid of the thinking. I have wondered if this thinking was psychotic features that can be found in depression. The psychiatrist dodged this question. I never had the guts to ask my therapist though.  Gross images of me having stabbed my cat also popped into my mind.

Sometimes, I sat on the couch without moving. “Move, T.” I would blink my eyeballs. “There I moved.” During these moments, my heart rate seemed to be very fast and my mind seemed to be thinking really hard. But I wasn’t aware of any deep thoughts.

During my first depressive episode, I started taking anti-depressants. I still remember when my therapist said that maybe I had broken my brain.

I wish I could say that I am all better now. But, recovery doesn’t work that way. I feel perfectly normal and happy some days. While I feel overwhelmed on other days.