Big C Church

 A month ago, I posted about our loss of Ann Joyner, my son-in-law, Trey's, mom.  This past weekend, we attended her celebration of life ceremony in Brunswick, GA.  Trey, a close family friend, and Ann's husband, Rocky, all spoke about their memories of her.  She loved to fish, lead worship and teach women's Bible study, which she did for 35 consecutive years.  But most of all, she loved spending time with her children and her five grandchildren.  All of the speakers acknowledged their intense pain but expressed hope, certain they will see her again in heaven one day.   The service was held at a nearby church instead of their home church, because the family was concerned the smaller sanctuary would not accommodate everyone.   After the service, which over 200 people attended, the pastor invited everyone to a meal in the fellowship hall and outside under tents brought in for the occasion.  Everyone gathered around tables and shared stories that didn't make it into the official order of worship. I later learned that the whole meal which included fried chicken, sides and a whole table of desserts, was provided and served by members of the host church.  Some of them knew Ann, but many did not.  The whole day was a beautiful portrait of what the Church is supposed to look like, and I am honored to have witnessed it.  I can't imagine what this day would be without the Church and without a relationship with the One who designed it.

Healing Power

 

Our church is currently studying the Gospel of Mark, and we recently reviewed one of my favorite stories. Jesus was traveling on foot while a large crowd followed and pressed in on him.  A woman who was "unclean" due to 12 years of bleeding knew about the healing miracles Jesus had been performing and believed that touching the hem of his robe would heal her.  She made her way to him, touched his robe, and was immediately healed.  Jesus felt the power go out of him and asked who had touched him.  Trembling with fear, the woman admitted it was she.  Jesus told her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."  Beautiful.  But the story is bookended by another story of healing.  Jairus was a synagogue leader.  He had a daughter who was dying and asked Jesus to heal her.  Jesus was on the way to Jairus' home when the "unclean" woman touched his robe.   After healing the woman, they were told that Jairus's daughter had died.   Jesus told Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe."  They made their way to Jairus' house, and Jesus reached for the girl's hand and said, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"  And she did.  

I wonder what Jairus was thinking while Jesus stopped to heal the "unclean" woman on the way to his house to heal his daughter.   Mark isn't clear about that, but it would be natural for Jairus to be angry, or at least frustrated, thinking, "Why is Jesus stopping to help this woman when my daughter is dying? The woman has had the bleeding condition for 12 years.  Can't this wait?"  But the producers of The Chosen television series chose something different, and I hope they got it right.

I want to give a shout out to my good friends, Ed and Linda, who lead our small group at church and encourage us to know Jesus better.

Life is hard?

 

I don't watch much professional football, but I was aware that the Miami Dolphins lost the first five games of this season.  The last time that happened was in 2019, but in 2007, they started 0-13, so I guess it could be worse.  Malik Wilson is leading the team at quarterback after signing with Miami in March of this year.  Malik attended Roswell High School in my home state of Georgia and then played at Auburn and Liberty University.  Apparently, Malik was taking care of business on and off the field at Liberty, winning the Dudley Award (best college football player in Virginia) and the Bobby Bowden Award, which honors the person who epitomizes being a Christian student athlete.  When teams have bad starts, I am used to seeing athletes with chips on their shoulders whining and complaining about how hard their life is and whose fault it is that they are losing.  When Malik was asked in a post-game interview how he overcame adversity during this week's comeback win, he credited his faith and stated, "Jesus had it way harder than I do."   I love that Malik feels that way and has the courage to use his platform to tell others.  I want to try to live that sentiment better today.

The Soul Remedy

 

In October of 2014, our small group at church was reading and discussing a book by John Ortberg called Soul Keeping.  I posted some of my thoughts about the soul here.   I am currently reading Dallas Willard's The Great Omission, and this week's chapter discussed the relationship between the soul and the Holy Spirit.  His words reshaped how I visualized my soul in 2014.  Willard describes the soul as the control center for our mind, will, and emotions.   He used the analogy of a computer controlling components of a larger manufacturing process.  If that computer goes down or has a hiccup, the output of the manufacturing process will be limited or shut down completely.  The computer is the soul.  It is intended for good, but it can also go bad.  I extended the analogy in this way.   When the computer malfunctions, you have a choice in how to address it.  You can ignore the problem and hope that it was just a glitch that will correct itself.  You can apply a bandaid fix using inexperienced in-house resources, or you can spend more time and money and invest in the one who built the system and has intimate knowledge of how it is supposed to work.  Recognizing the One who made us and trusting that He knows best how we should operate allows the Holy Spirit to set up shop permanently in our soul so that we can grow ever closer to operating just as our Creator intended.

Heavenly Home

 

Our family suffered a great loss this week.  My daughter Lizzy is married to Trey.  Trey's mom, Ann, was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer in May of this year.  She passed away on Sunday night in Brunswick.  Lizzy, Trey, and their three daughters were there to say goodbye.  Lizzy's middle daughter, Blakely, told Ann, "When you get to heaven, you are going to have a beautiful home."  - an amazing sentiment from a 7-year-old.  Caroline and I saw Rocky and Ann regularly, mostly at family events or holidays, but this photo captures how I remember Ann - with grandkids in her lap.  They loved her deeply and will miss her, but they know that they will see her again in her beautiful home in heaven.

Carved In Stone

 

I was born in 1961.   Before that year, thousands of Bible skeptics claimed that Pontius Pilate was a figment of the imagination of the gospel authors: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  These skeptics believed that the four of them must have colluded to create a story about Pilate's involvement in Jesus' crucifixion.  Some skeptics who acknowledged Pilate's existence claimed the gospel authors were wrong about Pilate's title.  The gospel authors described him as a prefect, but the skeptics claimed historical evidence showed he was procurator.  In 1961, archaeologists discovered a 2,000-year-old tablet with the words "Pontius Pilate, Prefect."  As it turns out, during the time of Jesus' crucifixion, Pilate's title was prefect, but sometime later, the title for those in his role was changed to procurator.  Today, 65 years later, no credible historians question the existence and title of Pontius Pilate.  Why is this so important?  The same four guys that wrote about Pontius Pilate also wrote about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  And if Jesus arose from the grave, I also believe He must have been the son of God.  I pray that people who might not believe like me, will start to consider that Jesus died and rose for them as well.

Preparing For Battle

 In Paul's letter to the Galatians, he states: "what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want".   This might seem to be a pretty bleak outlook.  It's almost like there's a battle going on between the Spirit and the body, and that would be true.  We constantly face temptations that demand a response.   Our fallen world prevents us from escaping temptation or consistently responding appropriately.  Our bodies can either indulge in temptation or resist it, but relying solely on our strength in the moment is a recipe for failure.   We must prepare ourselves for the battle, which involves constant attention to the spiritual disciplines including Bible reading, prayer, meditation, service, and fellowship with other believers.  Not blowing up at someone who cuts me off in traffic requires me to have thought about the fact that every human is created in the image of God so much, that it is ingrained in me.  How well I have done that in the past dictates my response.  I want to spend time thinking about that today.

My thoughts today were inspired by Chapter 8 of Dallas Willard's, "The Great Omission".