"Be the Man!" Week 14

George Jenkins, Sampson Davi,s and Rameck Hunt call themselves “The Three Doctors.”  They are all products of broken homes from Newark’s inner city.  Their fathers were mostly absent.  Their trajectory could have easily been predicted by any sociologist or social worker, except for one remarkable pledge.  As high school seniors they made a pact with each other to go to college and then on to medical school.  Each accomplished his mission, but something still ate at their souls.  They missed their dads.  They were hurt by their dads’ absence and wounded by some of their actions in the past.  But instead of seething in bitterness or burying painful memories, each of these young African Americans decided as a son to bridge the gap with their fathers.  Though the results were less than perfect, as they document in their book The Bond, the effort has reverberated with the promise God gave to all children who honor their parents:  “...that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:3)  Even stumbling upon this life-giving truth—perhaps not even realizing it was from the Bible-- transformed the lives of these young men.  How much more would be the impact of deliberately choosing to honor one’s parents in conscious obedience of the fifth commandment.  Long life, vitality, and safe habitation are the powerful incentives that induce this honor toward parents.  We ignore it to our peril, but we can practice it for our blessing! Roger

"Be the Man!" Week 13

I bow the knee to the Geek Squad. They flipped my switch from “no” to “go.” They rescued the hopeless and gave new life! After many unsanctified frustrations and fulminations with my new desktop computer that was not linking with the internet, talking to my laptop, or printing, I made the call. A very few minutes after arriving a respectful, be-speckled twenty-something had me up and running. He never broke a sweat, and gave no hint of condescension for my lack of computer savvy. The transformation in both my computer and my attitude was nearly miraculous. It was money well spent (ask my wife). This was yet another teachable moment for problem-solving, self-sufficient, I-can-figure-this-out me. How many times have I expended prodigious but hapless energy trying to figure it out, measure up, get it done, or make it work? Then, in utter frustration and defeat I ask someone with expertise for help, and they make the impossible look like child’s play. Lesson learned. Again. Humility really is a grace that gives in all directions, both to the humble who ask, and to the strong who help. Everyone wins and the humble learn. It’s the difference between night and day.
Roger

"Be the Man!" Week 12

“A tool’s got to work where the work’s being done!” This was my Dad’s proclamation when I questioned him about drawing a line the length of a sheet of plywood using his Parker ballpoint pen. He had just a few minutes’ time between the office and dinner to work on the trailer he was building. Rolling up his sleeves and taking off his tie, he then grabbed for the only marking tool he could find; his pen. From one perspective this would seem an unwise deployment of this particular implement. Technically, it was designed for use on paper, in the office, not for the dusty environment of the garage and the rigors of carpentry. However, from another angle, because the need was urgent, and nothing else was available, the pen could serve the purpose. Surprisingly, it worked, and the scene was repeated many times! This calls to mind how often I have questioned the Father’s deployment of me in a similar situation.  Lord, why don’t you wait until you have a better tool? Can’t you send someone with more wisdom, training or time? What am I doing here when I feel so outgunned and overwhelmed by the challenge? Why don’t we wait until we are ready, all the proper tools are gathered, and all the conditions are right before we tackle this problem. But, time after time He seems to be saying: “You are here, and I need you now: work where the work’s being done. And, surprisingly, under that pressing urgency, a capacity and endurance is discovered that I never knew existed. He can use His tools wherever, and whenever, they are needed! The question is: am I willing to be deployed according to His purposes, not just my preconceptions?
Roger

"Be the Man!" Week 11

Pondering God’s forgiveness got me thinking about tankless water heaters. Hang with me on this. Tankless water heaters offer instant, on-demand hot water where and when it is needed.  As appliances they are marvels of efficiency.  Many believers, I fear, think God’s gracious forgiveness works the same way: it’s on-demand, and newly heated for each application. The problem this image creates is that we feel we are imposing on God’s patience and goodness when we confess our sin. We don’t want to bother him with yet another call for his grace, so we delay, waiting for a more legitimate use of his forgiving warmth. This causes us to try to manage our sin and call upon God’s grace only when we really, really need it. Instead, we ought to think of God’s forgiveness as a standing reservoir of pre-heated grace, purchased by Jesus Christ through his work on the cross, ready to flow into our lives. We call for this grace when we feel convicted of sin, not worrying that He is inconvenienced or surprised, or that some new work needs to be initiated. He has already stored up all the grace, forgiveness and restoration we will ever need, and graciously waits for us to agree with Him that it is needed here and now. 

Roger

"Be the Man!" Week 10

“Attention management” is a way of prolonging a comfortable view of self and one’s world by deliberately making choices about where to direct your attention. This is not the same as the positive control of attention where I choose to polish the upcoming presentation for tomorrow’s board meeting instead of channel surfing until 1am. No, this kind of attention management is in cahoots with self-deception. It aids and abets the bias, or the self-concept, or the worldview I have acquired and that works for me by allowing only a narrow field of data into my consideration. Attention management screens out disturbing or upsetting realities so that I can pursue the course of my choosing without dissonance or contradiction. It’s not a love and quest for truth, but an infatuation with comfort. It is peace at any price. Stark, unvarnished truth might upset what I would like to believe. Better not to think too deeply about it, or consider its implications!

Roger

"Be the Man!" Week 9

The website http://www.despair.com/ drips with cynicism and dark humor. It takes great words like “motivation,” “perseverance,” and “team” and projects them to their most Dilbert-like, distorted caricature. The “Mistakes” poster has this caption: “It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others.” Tragically, that may be true of Old Testament miscreant Absalom. In many ways ignored, isolated and wounded by his father David, Absalom finally took his identity and legacy into his own hands. He decided his life really was about him, and him alone. He awarded himself a self-produced trophy, but it proved to be his gravestone. He proved Jesus’ words true: if you want to save your own life, you will lose it. It is only in giving it away that you find it. Poor Absalom! Offended, wounded, ignored, he then became vengeful, scheming and proud. His pillar of fame became his epitaph of futility. (2 Samuel 13-18)
Roger

"Be the Man!" Week 8

Swing thoughts: A wide take-away. Pausing at the top. Keeping your head still. Hitting the sweet spot. Staying down on the ball.

Every golfer is both helped and bedeviled by hundreds of swing thoughts. The paradox is that the more you concentrate on each component of your swing the less likely you are to actually hit the ball! That’s why golf is so mental. Success in golf, we learn, is indirect. We practice the specifics over and over so that we can forget about them and just concentrate on hitting the ball. Life with God is somewhat like this. We want to go deeper, to be more effective, to improve our discipleship. But laboring at a detailed list of improvements does not yield the life and power we so desire. It is only when we look away from all these pieces and concentrate on the object of our desire that we experience the joy and freedom called new life. 

Roger