Are Some Things Too Hard?

When my grandfather died at the age of 68, my grandmother said, "This is too hard; I can't make it through." But she did. In fact, she lived another 25 years, baked chocolate pies, and quilted with a ladies group from her church.

When my daughter was in high school, she brought home her literature book and threw it down saying, "No one can understand this Shakespeare stuff; it is too hard!" But we waded through Mr. Shakespeare's tragedy and our daughter made a good grade. However, she is still not a fan of Shakespeare.

Right now I am working on an assignment related to a church that just seems too hard. It occupies my thoughts and keeps me from focusing well on other important tasks that also need to be done. I keep putting off finishing this particular assisgnment because my mind says it is too hard.

Are some things really too hard or do we just imagine that they are too hard? The real answer to both is probably "Yes." A great number of things are beyond my limited skill set and always will be. Some of those things are just beyond my physical strength to do while others are impossible for me because of a lack of knowledge. And some, well, they just paralyze me and keep me from ever trying. My guess is that all of us could fill in some blanks and name some specific areas that we would label as being too hard for us.

If I were to stop this post here, I would be very discouraged, but there is more to say and a reason to hope. Some of the most difficult tasks I have ever been given came from one who knew all of my strengths and all of my limitations. Even with that knowledge, he gave me tasks that were simply too hard for me. And yet the surprising reality is that I accepted the challenged and saw those tasks completed. Am I just an overachiever? No! But I am a believer. In the Bible, Paul wrote, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13). When Jesus' disciples pushed for an explanation about how something that to them seemed impossible could happen, Jesus told them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)

There is no doubt - for us, a lot of things are way too hard - literally, they are impossible. But the impossible often becomes the possible when God is involved. My impossible assignment with a church can be accomplished as long as I am willing for God to be in charge and I am an obedient follower.

Is Waiting Worth It?

Thirty-three miners trapped for 17 days in an underground mine in Chile! There are two amazing stories here - one, all 33 are alive and well; and two, it will take 2-4 months to get them out of the mine. A small hole was drilled that enabled a message to be sent from the miners to the surface that they were alive and safe. That same hole can be used for sending food and water to the miners and maintaining communication with them. However, the hole is too small to use to remove the miners. It will take 2-4 months to drill a large enough openning to use for the release of the miners from the mine. Christmas is the time being used most often in the news reports as a time for their release.

After seeing that on the news, I wondered if I were one of those 33, could I wait that long to be rescued? Or if I were one of the family members of one of those 33, could I patiently wait for a larger hole to be dug over a 2-4 month period for my loved one to be rescued?

We all have a tendency to expect everything we want to happen quickly. The truth is that most things of real value and importance do not happen quickly, rather they tend to develop and evolve over an extended period of time. For example, an education is often measured by the time period of kindergarten through 12th grade, followed by 4 years of college and maybe 2 to 4 years of graduate school. The truth is that an education is a lifelong process that still has many gaps when our physical lives end.

Today we are concerned about the year long time that a military serviceman might serve in Afghanistan or in Iraq. The truth is that many of them serve two, three, or even four tours of a year each. Some of our fathers and grandfathers served up to four years away from family during World War II either in Europe, Africa, or the Pacific. Whether today or yesterday, it is a long time waiting for a loved one to come home safely.

I wish that I could get a better grasp of the entirety of life. Maybe then I could accept that some of life's events don't really take as long as I currently believe they do. At the same time, maybe I could be more patient in waiting for those happenings that will actually take an extended period of time.

One final thought today - in the area where I live, today is the first day of a new school year for many school districts. My own children have been out of public schools for 16 and 18 years respectively. That is a long time. But it must be a short time because I can still remember the days that each of them was born, the first time I held them, and the first time I heard their sweet little cries.

Time is a funny thing. Two to four months seems like a lifetime if you are trapped in a mine. Two to four months isn't even a full semester of one school year. "Lord, help me be patient enough to wait for the things that are worthwhile and that add value to life. Help me to be disciplined enough to resist quick and easy fixes that have little value and marginalize life."

The Other side of an Issue

The following post is an article that I wrote to appear in the June 2010 issue of the Connections, a monthly newsletter published by Denton Baptist Association.

“The Other Side of an Issue”

In 1979 I was the pastor of a church in a small college town. Three men in their late 20s on student visas from Iran began attending our church. Their religion was Islam but they wanted to find out about Christianity. When the government of the Shah of Iran collapsed and he went into exile, they returned to their native country of Iran and the new leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini. I had spent several hours with them over six weeks answering some of their questions. I still wonder what impact that time had upon their lives as they returned to a revolution in progress.

Today, political and religious persecution in Myanmar (Burma) has resulted in people leaving their homeland rather than returning to it. One of those groups, the Chin (they are officially sanctioned as political refugees by our nation), began settling in the North Texas area particularly in Lewisville. As awareness of their presence grew, a new church was begun in our association focused on reaching the Chin people. The ministry expanded as more Chin moved to the area to include helping these refugee families find housing, enter the workforce, learn English, and adjust to their new home. FBC, Flower Mound, has been instrumental in developing a refugee ministry to the Chin and have been joined by The Village Church in making a lasting difference in the lives of these families.

Sometimes people arrive in our country not because of politics or education but for economic or safety reasons as is often the case with people from Mexico. One Hispanic congregation in our area is located in a rural area of our county. While the surrounding countryside appears only sparsely populated, on Sundays the church overflows with people of all ages. Many of the members are citizens of this country, but many are not. Of those that are not, many are undocumented. Week by week, people hear the faithful preaching of the Word and many are saved and baptized. Lives are being changed.

Each of these true stories represents the other side of immigration. The political side makes the news. Like you, I know that we have many immigration issues that need solutions. Securing the borders, determining who can receive government benefits, and managing 12-20 million undocumented immigrants currently in our country are just some of the issues that our nation must resolve. But the other side of immigration – the human side – is often ignored or neglected.

I believe that regardless of how someone arrived in our country and regardless of his status, the church composed of followers of Jesus has a God-given responsibility to minister to everyone and to share the love of God with all. In Deuteronomy 10:18 (NIV), the scripture says that God “executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.” As Baptists, we have raised huge sums of money to send missionaries all over the world to share Christ. Today, the world has arrived in our country. Shall we now turn the other way and ignore those who sojourn and live among us?

The opportunities for the church are limitless in these areas today. If language is an issue, then the church can teach English in homes, churches, and even where day laborers gather. If education is an issue, then the church can provide mentors and tutors in the schools. If nutrition is an issue, then the church can offer help in meal preparation and healthy eating. If morality is an issue, then the church shares Jesus and teaches His Word.

My ideas are not creative; they are only listed in the hope of opening our eyes to the people around us and their needs. As we see them, let’s begin to minister, not based on documentation, country of origin, or world religion, but on the basis of Jesus’ example and teaching. It was a Samaritan who stopped by the road and bandaged the wounds of the beaten Jew and provided for his care. Regardless of your political views on immigration, the humanity of all people cannot be neglected or ignored. How will you and your church represent Jesus to humanity in your community?

Serving a Community and Its People

The flooding in Nashville has greatly impacted the lives of people, their economy, and their welfare. The Grand Ole Opry was flooded out of its current location. It will take some time for repairs to be made before they can go home again. But the show has continued to go on. They performed at two former locations for the Opry, but both are not large enough venues for today's audiences. I just read a few minutes ago that Two Rivers Baptist Church has offered the Grand Ole Opry the use of their large auditorium for their shows. This is a tremendous testimony of diverse parts of a community pulling together to help each other. It also helps validate what I have been saying for some time - country music crosses a multitude of cultural lines as it speaks about the good and the bad in the lives of common people.

I wish had more stories than I could ever use of churches reaching out to make a difference in their communities. I never would want churches to lose sight of their first priority of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with people to give them the opportunity to become His disciples. But I do believe that one of the ways that a church gets the listening ear of a community is by serving and meeting real needs just like Two Rivers is doing in Nashville.

Of course, each of us can take similar steps in our own lives. We can find those individuals who need some help with a yard they can no longer mow, a tire they can't change, or the need for a listening ear to share some of their life with.

Haiti, Chile, and Nashville are all places that could use our help. A neighbor next door, a school done the street, and a small business owner at the next intersection might could use our service too. At least give it some thought as you listen to some good country music and remember a church that is providing space for the Grand Ole Opry.

Wiser or Just Older?

As a child, I never understood my grandparents talking about the years flying by. To me they seemed to take forever. Christmas and birthdays were the slowest times of all. Today, I speak the same words my grandparents uttered - "the years are flying by and birthdays come all too frequently!" It seems prudent to do some self-evaluation around a birthday. With this rapid passing of time, it appears that need to slow down for a moment and ask myself a very personal and critical question - "Am I getting any wiser with the passing of these years or am I just getting older?"

The truth is that I really don't feel comfortable answering that question in something as public as a blog. But the reality is that people around me are answering that very question about me with each passing year. They don't give me the answer in so many words but they certainly make the assessment based on the conversations we have, the decisions I make, and the observations they have regarding my behavior. With that in mind, I might as well confess my own thoughts about myself.

There is no doubt that some of what happens in my life as I grow older is just that - growing older. My hair is retreating from my head and making its way into my ears and nostrils. When I get up in the mornings, I sound like a cereal - as I move, I hear "snap, crackle, and pop." My favorite stories are really my favorite stories. I like them so much that I tell them over and over to the same people. I forget people's names - rarely do I forget my own but I think that is only a few birthdays away. I do have one of those plastic containers for sorting my morning and evening medications for a week. While I have two great doctors, visits to their offices have not become the highlight of my social schedule - yet! My other holdout on the aging process is that I refuse to eat oatmeal or prunes. Blue Bell and Mexican restaurants have much more to offer.

On the other side of this question - am I getting any wiser - I struggle a little more to be honest and accurate in my evaluation. I still do some impulsive spending, but I am watching carefully my retirement account. I am more concious about what is best for my body, but - well you already read the Blue Bell and Mexican food comments in the paragraph above.

Accomplishments are important, but I believe today that relationships are more important. My wife, our children, their spouses, our grandchildren, our parents, and our friends (old and new) hold greater importance to me than what I will accomplish today.

While I became a Christ follower at the age of 10, there is no doubt that my faith is stronger today than it has ever been. No, it is not just because I am closer to death than when I was born (the truth is that we all are) but rather because I see the real differences that Jesus makes in how we determine values, how we can love others, and how we can truly serve.

Like most of us, I have some things in my past that I wish I could go back and do over - not because they were so much fun, but because I would do them right this time - or at least I think I would. I don't know if that is a sign of wisdom or just regret.

This I do know regardless of whether you think I am just older or maybe a little wiser - I am blessed with the life that has been given to me. My wife is the best. I married way over my head. My children make me proud everyday. My grandchildren bring joy with their energy and their curiosity and sensitivity. My job holds my interest and challenges my knowledge and abilities daily. My God is great beyond my simple words to describe. I love and I am loved. Maybe, just maybe, I am both older and wiser.