“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7
What does it look like to live with a spirit of fear and timidity? For me, it looks like the morning I opened my apartment door at 6 am to take my dog outside for a walk, and there was a homeless man sleeping on my doormat, and I didn’t know what to do or say. I was fearful, and so was he. He asked me to not call the police. I didn’t. When I returned, he asked me the time, which I gave him, and then I scurried back inside my warm apartment. I texted m y neighbor to warn her about the homeless man, and then after he packed up his belongings, her delayed response was, “Oh, I wish I’d know earlier so I could do something for him.” I thought about giving him a hot cup of coffee, or even more conversation time, but I was too afraid and timid. I am forgetful. I forget that God gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. I forget that the Kingdom of God is here now and lives within me.
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Have you ever noticed so many horrible events happen during the month of December? There always seems to be massive job losses, loved ones dying from cancer or old age, shootings, tornadoes, and this year Aleppo, along with all of the regular devastations. For many years now, almost since I’m really able to remember, I’ve had a huge dislike for December. I’m a bit of a Scrooge, and the “Bah Humbug” is a virus I seem to catch every year. Some years, I’ve allowed the Bah Humbug to take its course, and other years, I fight against the Bah Humbug melancholy. I’ve thought that perhaps it’s a touch of seasonal affective disorder, or maybe all the abnormally happy people who thrive in the midst of candy canes and annoying Christmas tunes, but I have another option that I lean into throughout December.
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Presidential Election week is possibly the least desirable week in the 2016 calendar to be scheduled to write a blog for a faith community, or possibly the best week to have the opportunity to remind our church family of our identity in Christ. Whether you feel like a loser or a winner this week, I will attempt to convince you that our God is the God of hope.
Earlier this week, I was arguing for the hundredth time this year with my mom on the phone about the election. We both have very strong opinions about this election. She’s a Baby Boomer, I’m a Gen-Xer. She’s the baby of her family, I’m the firstborn. She remembers the fear of the Cold War, I remember the fear of anthrax. She remembers JFK’s death, I remember 9/11. She remembers Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, I remember the Challenger exploding. She’s a wife and mother, I’m neither. I could continue with the contrasts between our lives, but hopefully you get the picture. We are two very different stories. But, we both share the story of God’s redeeming love and endless grace.
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2016 has been a tough year in our world. With only 4 ½ months to go until 2017, I have to admit, I will be glad to greet a new year. I think it is true what “they” say…the older you get, the faster the years go, yet, with the years, pain becomes brighter and more felt. The high pain tolerance of youth fades as age accumulates experiences, friends and family, and love for this world. The “race that is set before us,” from Hebrews 12:1b truly requires perseverance for truth and constant reminders of our hope in Jesus.
The past week and a half have brought a breath of fresh air to many in our world with the Summer Olympics in Rio. We have watched with anticipation, excitement, and sometimes boredom (Golf), for moments that prove that humanity is not a lost cause (runners Abbey D’Agostino and Nikki Hamblin picking each other up from the racetrack forfeiting any chance for a medal)…moments that bring joy (Zac Efron surprising 4-time Rio Gold Medalist Gymnast Simone Biles and making ALL of her Olympic dreams come true), and moments that give hope (my favorite Rio Olympics story, Michael Phelps being crushed by his biggest fan, Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling, in the 100 meter butterfly).
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One of the constant struggles in Children’s Ministry is finding people to teach children’s classes. I don’t know one church in the whole world who doesn’t struggle with this issue whether they have a paid Children’s Minister or a lay leader. Two weeks ago in Tanzania, Bob, his son David, and I visited with a local Tanzanian man, Paulo, who has planted a couple of churches around his village. He wanted to visit with Bob about the struggles he is encountering with the church. I asked him if he had a person teaching the children, and his response was, ”No, no one wants to teach the children. They need someone, but they don’t have anyone.” (This is a rough translation from the Swahili language.) I thought to myself, “Even here in Tanzania, finding children’s teachers is a tough gig.”
In Matthew 19, we find Jesus engaged in some challenging conversations with his audience of Pharisees, his disciples, and a rich young man. This passage contains one of my favorite accounts of Jesus’ life on earth.
“Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.” Matthew 19:13-15
There are many in our church family who love children and they continue to support the children in this church. I don’t want to embarrass these people, but I think of Paul’s letters of encouragement to all the churches in the New Testament, and here is my list of thanks and encouragement to the Singing Oaks Church of Christ.
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