Casting Spells

All my life I've done it,
And to this moment I persist.
Now rarely with much malice,
And sometimes with innocence.

Syllables are spoken,
Strung together with a plan,
Characters on pages
With a purpose so they stand.

The mystery of thoughts expressed
By magic known as words,
Somehow makes a change in you,
And now you understand.

I take you to another realm
Or plant it in your mind.
We walk together in our thoughts
And find new space and time.

The mystery of words is great
When placed together well.
You may not know that when you speak,
You also cast a spell.

Minority Report

I have been captivated by The Bible Project podcast, and I wish I had found it years ago. Around episode 46, the hosts describe the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) as a minority report from the people of Israel. The majority of the Israelites did not perceive the nation's history as it was reported by Moses.

I have always thought that each generation of Jews would carefully teach the Torah to their children, as the highest priority. But alas, they did not. As important as the Torah was, it became lost over the years. Generations of Jews never knew it existed. Then finally around 600 B.C., during the reign of King Josiah, the scrolls of the Torah were discovered somewhere in the Temple. (See 2 Kings 22.)

When Josiah heard the scrolls read to him, he was so upset that he tore his robes. For generations, the Jewish people did not know their own history. They did not really know where they came from. It is no wonder that the Jews had so many evil kings. It is no wonder that the people did not rise up to find more righteous leaders. They did not know their own story. They did not know God's calling upon their nation.

The Hebrew Bible, or the Old Testament, was carefully and providentially preserved in spite of the carelessness of some of its stewards. It only took one generation (although it was certainly many) to neglect the written history for the whole nation to lose touch with their identity. By the time of Jesus, Jewish scholars had put their Bible at the center of their faith. But they needed Jesus to show them what the scriptures were really all about.

When I read the Old Testament Bible stories of Jewish faithlessness, I need to remember that I may know more of their history than they did. 

I wonder what stories we are missing today from our own history.

Can Love Stop War?

It worked. I persuaded myself that Love is a Superpower. Last month I preached a series on Love, and more than ever I believe that Love works miracles. Love breaks through hard hearts. Love gets attention when all else fails. Love builds unity and community. Often Love takes time to make a difference, but Love makes a lasting difference.  I witnessed the power of Love, reaching hearts of those who felt forgotten, those who felt overwhelmed, those who felt rejected. A Loving response confounds those who practice violence and hate. Yes, Love is the Superpower.

Jesus tells us to Love one another. He also tells us to Love our enemies. And that's where it gets tricky.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine may be a test of the power of Love. The Church is strong in Ukraine. Christians in Ukraine and around the world are praying for the Russian invasion to fail. I have been praying for the invading forces to be confounded, disoriented, ineffective. I'm praying for equipment failure and confusion in strategy. I'm praying for other Russian leaders to stand up to Vladimir Putin and refuse to carry out orders.

And what if the invading Russian soldiers encounter such powerful Love that they lay down their arms? Could that happen? I believe it can. I also believe it would be a miracle. It is so unlikely that--if I lived in Ukraine--I would probably be pulling out my guns. I would be gathering up my ammo. I would be planning to respond in Love, but ready to protect my family. 

How far can we push these utopian ideas of Jesus? Do they work in the real, 21st century world? It's one thing to practice Love in the boardroom. What about the battlefield? A Loving response in battle may be one of the highest risk moves in the world.

But then Love always involves risk and vulnerability, in the boardroom, the bedroom, and breakroom. I can only imagine the heart struggle of watching tanks roll through my town. For me this is all philosophical, religious theory. There are real live people right now, grappling with these life and death dilemmas. May God have mercy.

Superpower

Which is the best superpower? I had to do some research to find the recognized powers in the Superhero world. Some of these powers are familiar.

• Flying
• Force fields
• Invisibility
• Time travel
• Super speed
• Super strength

Then there are more obscure powers like:

• Elemental control
• Absorbing powers
• Intangibility

I would probably pick Invisibility for my superpower. I like to be sneaky.

But I want to make the case that there is a real superpower. It is a power that we can all wield. This power can:

• Change a heart
• Defeat evil
• Get someone's attention
• Turn enemies into friends
• Reveal truth

And that's just scratching the surface. This superpower is Love.

Join us on Sundays this February as we dig into 1 Corinthians 13 and the power of Love.

February 6, Nothing Like Love

February 13, Looking at Love

February 20, Forever Love

February 27, Love Above All

Freedom and Violence

How did the U.S. Capitol stormers justify their violence on Jan. 6, 2021? In American history we learn that the first patriots took up arms against the British, fighting for freedom.

Our country has a long history of standing up against overreaching government. The violent crowd at the Capitol last year may have imagined that they were continuing that fight. 

What they failed to grasp was that the U.S. Revolutionary War laid the foundation for representative democracy. Within that system we have the means to protest government without violence. They ignored the system of American freedom while fighting in the name of American freedom. The rioters claimed to be fighting for the very thing they were fighting against. The cause of that day was doomed from the beginning.

We have to acknowledge that violence began this country. But real freedom lives where violence has no place.

Wandering by Faith

I'm finding new appreciation for old Abraham. According to Genesis, God told Abram/Abraham to leave his country and his father's people and go to a land that God would show him (Genesis 12). This Abram did, and when he arrived in Canaan, he had done what God had asked. 

And he spent decades wandering around this land, even leaving it to live in Egypt for a while. God spoke to him and appeared to him during these wanderings. But it seems like there were long stretches when he heard nothing from God. All the while he had to trust God. Even during the silence.

I think following God for the long haul leads us to places like that. We have followed God, but we don't know what to do next. We wander and wait. We have to trust God that he will meet us again, direct us again. And during that time we learn to believe. We believe him in the silence. We have to remember what God has said. We have to hold on by faith.

God has not forgotten you. While you are waiting, just wander by faith. 

You Better Watch Out

Yes, I know that Santa won't be coming for another 356 days or so. But this might be a great time to notice your watching.

What are you paying attention to?

We are tuned into every sort of message from our phones: beeps, dings, vibrations, alarms. Ever been in public when a stranger’s phone sounds with your ringtone? We are like trained dogs, jumping to deal with the interruption. But this high alert may keep us from tuning in to the most important aspects of life.

So, maybe we need to begin the new year with a different kind of alertness.

Notice what you notice.
As you live life, what gets your attention?
Your phone (obviously), traffic, TV, problems, annoyances, weather, pets, kids, responsibilities...

Notice what you ignore.
Beauty, pain, heartache, your hidden talents, your flaws, love from your family, the gift of breath, symmetry, a car that starts, relationships, patterns in random events, similarities, sunshine, opportunity.

Take some time to slow down and see the life around you. Experience it. Engage with it.

As Yogi Berra says, “You can observe a lot by just watching.”