Monthly Archives: September 2014

From Death to Life – Life from Death

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This has been a busy weekend. I have done well in my recovery avoiding falls. (for the most part) So last night at the Teen Challenge banquet I feel like I can make a few remarks to attendees and while I am talking holding a mic and learning on my walker, I can tell I am beginning to get weak. As I started to reposition my walker, I am trying to explain to the people that I need to make an adjustment so I don’t fall. I wasn’t quite successful. So this fall was witnessed by about 200 people. It will be hard to deny that one to my physical therapist this next week!

After spending the night with Christian and Bridget and taking an unplanned two hour nap, I headed to meet Debbie at her company picnic in Lafayette. It was good to see so many of her co-workers who have shown their support and interest in my recovery. Especially her boss and company owners, Rod and Sonja.

I then returned to Fort Collins and got ready to go to a Children’s Evangelism Fellowship banquet at Life Bridge Church. John Weston and the men of the “Higher Ground Men’s Chorus” were singing. I enjoyed some of the old songs. There was actually one I didn’t know. The picture is me with some of the choir members that I have known for some years, that I met through a variety of contacts.

 BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses…God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses…” Colossians 2:12,13

When I look at these verses I think of my friend Andy Peterson who was attacked by a mountain lion on  Carpenter’s Peak in south Jefferson County. His testimony book is entitled, “Twice Saved.” It is a play on words that relate to his being “saved” from the mouth of a mountain lion and being “saved” from his life of sin through relationship with Christ.

Life through death is the biblical story of redemption. In the Old Testament the life sacrificed was a spotless lamb or goat that was offered in the stead of human life for the forgiveness of sin. In the New Testament the sacrifice of Christ on the cross was to provide forgiveness for our sins, so that we don’t have to die and face eternal separation from God.

However, we see this death and resurrection scenario pictured in the life of Jesus has an application to those who are followers of Christ.

New life begins with death. Spiritually we identify with the death and resurrection of Christ through baptism. This symbolizes death to sin and an old life and a “resurrection” to a new life in Christ.  Many have failed to understand this significance and think that being a follower of Christ is just a belief system or a philosophical approach to life. It is more. It is a life change, it is a new identity. Paul said in Romans 6:11 “…count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”  Paul also says that those who come to Christ are “…new creations, the old is gone and the new is come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)  In order to experience the “new” in its fullness one must be willing to let go of the “old.”

New life springs forth from the dead. Paul simply asserts that the spiritual condition of an individual is death. You may be the “life of the party.” You may feel you have the “world by the tail.” God looks at your condition as terminal and good as a “dead man walking.” The good news is that when Christ came to life, God provided life for those who are spiritually dead.

Remember God has made us to know and experience life. In Colorado we enjoy the change of seasons. But everyone anticipates the spring  growth and the summer glory of flowers and tress after the deadness of winter. What we see and identify with in nature, is reflective of what God’s plan is for our souls. John puts it in the simplest of terms, “He who has the Son has life.” (1 John 5:12)

What is the season of your soul? Why not embrace life?

Why

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I drove to Denver today for the Teen Challenge banquet. On my way I stopped and visited my Aunt Margaret Shuler (my dad’s sister) along with my Aunt Paula Baer. I also stopped and visited our friends, James and Carie Ruder and dad Larry. I will share more about those contacts over the next few days.

It was good to see many friends that I have not seen in over a year at this year’s Teen Challenge 180 banquet. The attendance was good and the activities seemed to be enjoyed by everyone. Daniel Petruska (pictured with me) has been at 180 Ministries for twelve years and is doing a great job with this program for men overcoming alcohol and drug addictions. September is National Drug and Alcohol Awareness Month. We are constantly made aware of the devastation of substance abuse on individuals, families, businesses and society as a whole. You can find out more about Teen Challenge of the Rocky Mountains at www.teenchallengerm.com

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!… For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”   Romans 11:33,36

An old hymn contains the words, “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned unclean.”

At tonight’s banquet Pastor Daniel was sharing about some of the “unsung heroes” that are part of the work of 180 Ministries. Many of these serve and just show love to the men  in our program. It may be as simple as a birthday cake or hanging out and visiting. Daniel shared that when these volunteers leave it is not unusual for one of the men to look and him and ask, “Why?”

Why do these people do this when our own parents have given up on us? These men now broken in life due to their substance abuse are blown away by expressions of unmerited love.

When we get a full glimpse of God’s love for  us. For the unmerited favor and love shown to us through Christ, we too can stand in amazement and ask, “Why?” That was the  Apostle Paul’s response to  the plan of God that would bring all people into relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ.

I find it interesting when people stumble at accepting God’s love, because they don’t understand it. If we could understand it, grasp it…we would be…God. Instead the appropriate response is to ponder and stand amazed.

Faithful to the End

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Today I finished my last IV antibiotic dose, but not before a few issues that arose. Last night as I was preparing for my night dose at 9 p.m. I found that my IV line had become loose. That required a call to an on-call nurse to come and insert the line once again.

It was interesting that the nurse who came was a male nurse who took care of me when I was in the acute care hospital. He was surprised and pleased to see my progress since he had last seen me. That was just before I moved to the rehabilitation hospital.

I am pleased that I am feeling better and look forward to next week and getting back to my therapy schedule. Please pray with me for wisdom for the doctors in addressing the root of these reoccurring infections.

 BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.” Colossians 4:14  “Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica…Luke alone is with me.” 2 Timothy 4:9-11

This morning I read through the New Testament letter written to a Christian church in first century Colossae. This book contains great affirmations of the work of Christ for, in and through believers. Paul is writing to refute false teachings that would deny the deity of Christ and negate the value of His work on the cross.

However it is this obscure reference to a disciple by the name of Demas that caught my attention. Timothy is mentioned in the opening verse of the letter as being with Paul; at the end of the book Paul mentions several disciples who are with him and who have been sent out by him to strengthen the churches. I knew the name Demas was familiar and cross referenced the mention of his name in Colossians to that in 2 Timothy.

2 Timothy is Paul’s last letter. It is personal in nature and of great value because it was his last. As I read Paul’s encouragement and admonitions to Timothy it seems to carry a special significance in light of the desertion of Demas from the faith. As Paul encourages him to “stir up the gift in you” and “fight the good fight” it seems like in the back of his mind would be the thought don’t be like Demas. Hang in there, endure suffering, keep the faith!

Paul explains the heart of the issue with Demas; “…in love with this present world.” Paul was in prison, believers are being persecuted for their faith, there are real challenges and real threats. When Demas sized them all up, he decided he wasn’t “all in.” It is interesting the he fled to Thessalonica. Paul wrote two letter to believers there. These believers were being persecuted and needed encouragement from the apostle. So here is Demas in a seaport city with all of its temptations and allurements while those who are faithful to Christ are “enduring to the end.”

It is also of interest that the other follower of  Christ Paul mentions in both letters is Luke. Luke was Paul’s faithful traveling companion. He was the author of the gospel that bears his name as well as the book of “Acts.” As Paul urges Timothy to come see him, he says, “only Luke is with me.” Faithful-consistent-steadfast, Luke. Both of these men were aware of the cost of following after Christ and aligning themselves with Paul. One made it, one did not. One was a deserter, the other was intensely loyal. One loved this present world, one did not count his life worthy as to shrink from death.

As you reflect on Demas and Luke, I encourage you to keep in mind the words of the Apostle John; “…this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” (1 John 2:17)  When you are faithful to the end you discover that there is no end.

Grace for Leadership

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I am glad that my infectious disease doctor warned me about some of the side effects of the antibiotics. Primarily the fatigue that can be experienced. I have had a good day but early afternoon it seemed that I experienced some unexpected fatigue in the midst of my day. We have also been in the process of slowly adjusting some of my other medication.

I did have my appointment with my infectious disease doctor and he was pleased with my progress yet still concerned about the reoccurring infections. He emphasized once again that he did not believe the cause was a compromised immune system. I am able to discontinue my antibiotics tomorrow morning, so that was good news. I will pick up with my outpatient therapy next week after resetting some of the authorizations following my hospitalization. On Monday I have an appointment with my Urologist to get his take on what we should do going forward to address my infection issue.

We leave a week from Saturday for a trip to Florida. My doctor just said to take all my medical information, “just in case.” Of course I told him that this was perfect timing because the next four to six weeks should be better than the last two.

 BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.” Judges 6:33-35

Judges 6 has some great verses. The chapter begins with the calling of Gideon when the Angel of the Lord calls him a “mighty man of valor” as he threshes wheat in fear of the Midianites.  The chapter ends with the famous fleece that Gideon puts out looking for assurance that God will indeed deliver Israel. So these verses in the context may seem obscure in light of all the well known verses of this chapter.  However, these verses show the first time that others responded to this “unlikely leader’s” call to arms.

Some one astutely observed that you are not a leader if no one is following you. Up to this point it had been Gideon and his first brave act of tearing down an altar to Baal and an idol of Asherah; which he did at night because he was afraid to do it during the day. I believe that there are some observations that we can make about leadership and the “grace” of leadership. I use that word because effective leadership involves grace (favor) from God and grace (favor) from others.

1. God’s grace to lead begins with what we have – “…Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” (Judges 6:14) What you will find is that God equips you as you go, offering to him what you have. It is the same concept of God asking Moses, “what is in your hand?” If is the principle of the “five loaves and two fish.”

2. God’s grace to lead requires humility – “…My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” (Judges 6:15) One could argue Gideon was suffering from an inferiority complex, but so did Moses. Peter would write “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5) If there was anyone who needed to learn about humility in preparation for leadership it was Peter.

3. God’s grace to lead requires obedience – That night the Lord said to him, “…pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it.”  (Judges 6:25) This was Gideon’s first act of obedience that we see followed by his process of narrowing down 32,000 men to 300 in order of win a victory that could only be attributed to God. (Judges 7)

4. Grace to lead others comes from God’s Spirit – “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” (Judges 6:16)  “Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together…But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet…” (Judges 6:33,34)

The Spirit of God was needed for Gideon to be successful in his endeavors and for people to rally to his side. I like that simple statement of encouragement, “I will be with you.” It doesn’t matter how strong your faith or prepared you are for battle, when you see one army let alone three gather together and camp out on your front lawn it is intimidating. But in contrast to yielding to human fear, “…the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon…”

God’s grace for Gideon to lead resulted in grace from others who followed his call and prepared themselves for battle. Perhaps this is seen in the greatest expression with his army of three hundred armed with pots and torches. This demonstrates confidence in a leader and confidence in the God of the leader for an army to follow this bazaar strategy. Through it all God was patient with Gideon to provide the proof that he needed of God’s direction and presence that would bring the final victory.

In your leadership, in your sphere of influence. Trust the Lord to provide the grace needed from him and others to be effective for the task before you.

Living Through Preparing to Die

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Today has been a fairly routine day for me. My nurse came and drew blood and changed out my IV line. I will continue on my antibiotics until Thursday. I have an appointment tomorrow with my Infectious Disease Doctor. He will look at labs and determine whether or not I need to continue beyond the planned treatment schedule.

I do return to my outpatient therapy at Northern Colorado Rehab Hospital the end of the week. That will be good to have the additional motivation for my continued therapy.

I learned today of a  man about my age with West Nile that is not expected to live. I’m not sure of other issues that may have contributed to his condition. I certainly remember that I would not have been one with current health issues that would explain the severity of my case. I am approaching the anniversary date for my surgery. This was the first major surgery that I have ever experienced. I felt that I approached it with some assurance of a good outcome, even though the doctors were upfront about how serious it was, especially given my overall health.

I do vaguely remember having Debbie write down some names of individuals that I wanted to serve as pallbearers for my funeral, “just in case.” I think she accommodated me, but mostly chalked it up to my traumatic brain injury.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “One dies in his full vigor, being wholly at ease and secure,his pailsfull of milk  and the marrow of his bones moist. Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having tasted of prosperity. They lie down alike in the dust, and the worms cover them.”   Job 21:23-26

Death is not something that is easy to talk about, especially your own. With my work as a pastor and Debbie’s work as a hospice nurse death has been a part of our world. When our daughter, Stephanie graduated from college her first job was working for a funeral home in Cleveland, Tennessee. Many were surprised to find someone so young working with families at the time of grief and helping families prearrange their funerals. She would explain that, “my dad is a pastor and my mother a hospice nurse so it seemed natural.”

Not everyone is as comfortable with the topic. Some take the approach, “I’ll deal with it when it happens.” Others take a more reflective approach. What we see expressed in the words of Job is that death is the great equalizer.  Whether in a mansion or a humble home death brings the same end for everyone. For some death is tragic and quick and for some it is prolonged and painful.

Death requires preparation. That “preparation” may be processing your own mortality, as well as practical and spiritual ramifications of death. We read in the Bible the well known words, “set your house in order” as a prequel to death. The idea of thinking about your own mortality leads to the practical and spiritual preparations.

On the practical side there are tools that can help guide family members in the desires of a loved one who is facing death. One of those is called five wishes. https://fivewishesonline.agingwithdignity.org/ Debbie and I recall doing that with her mother just a few weeks before she became critically ill. The decisions that she and her sister made during that time they knew were in keeping with what their mom had expressed.

The Bible is clear that, “it is appointed unto man once to die and after that comes judgement.” (Hebrews  9:27) Preparing for your death financially and practically is a blessing to your family. If it doesn’t happen they will have those who will support and provide as much assistance as possible. However, only you can make the spiritual preparations that are needed for death. That is why the best known verse of the Bible, John 3:16 contains the words, “….that whoever believes in him [Jesus] should not perish but have eternal life.”

The Lord makes provision for our life from birth to beyond death. His desire is for those who place their faith in Him, be with Him forever. That is why the Apostle Paul asserts with confidence, “…to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” (2  Corinthians 5:8) That is why Paul said, “…nothing [including death] can separate us from the love of God found in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)

How are your preparations for that inevitable day? What you will find is that those who are the most prepared to die, are those who are the most prepared to live!

 

 

 

Who Do You Work For?

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This Labor Day is far different than one year ago. I read Debbie’s post from last year as she faithfully watched over my bedside making sure I was comfortable and receiving the care that I needed at Northern Colorado Acute Care Hospital. It was around this time last year that I had a major aspiration episode that delayed my surgery schedule and resulted in the removal of the lower lobe of my left lung.

My work for this year has been far different than anything that I have experienced in the past. It has involved the “work” of rehabilitation, doing what I can from a home office on special projects and trying to make Debbie’s workload for my care less of a burden. I think Debbie is relieved just having me around to look out after some of the family finances and things around the house that need attention. Of course a lot of those things have been taken care of by some great friends who continue to provide their support.

I failed to mention that yesterday for the first time, I used my four-wheel walker to get into the church building. This was the first time that I have sat in a “regular” chair for a church service since early July 2013. This is the kind of walker that has the seat between the “handle bars.” It provides an opportunity for me to sit and push myself backwards if I get tired. Some have suggested that I get a horn and a rear view mirror!

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…                Colossians 3:23   “…everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.”  Ecclesiastes 3:13

When we stop and think about it work is a fascinating part of our life. It begins with the childhood question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Sometimes work is a joy at others times it is a struggle. Someone once said, “find a career that you enjoy so much that you would do it for nothing and you will never have to work a day the rest of your life.” Work can be “just a job” a means by which we earn income to support ourselves and our family, or it can be a career. It can provide a sense of purpose and identity and enjoyment.

God created us to be productive. The earth was God’s gift to man to take care of, to be a steward over all that God made. Adam named the animals, he was to take care of God’s garden. It was when the curse came as a result of sin that work became difficult. We see slavery soon came into human relationships, so powerful people or nations would have others to “work for them.” We see the story of Jacob and Laban and are confronted with the issue of “fairness of pay for labor received.”

Jesus spent only three years in His active ministry. That means far more of his thirty-three years of life were spent in his work as a “carpenter” (probably stone mason) than they were in His earthly ministry as the Son of God.

King Solomon asserts that finding pleasure in work (toil) is a gift from God. The talents, abilities, skills, and passion that we have for our work should be viewed as a gift from God. They should not be viewed as our purpose; but the way in which God can accomplish His purpose through our life. That is because the Apostle Paul challenges us that our work should be done “heartily” “as for the Lord.” We are to give our employer our best and we are to do so in a way that would honor and please our Lord.

I recall hearing a story of a daughter of a Judge asking her father how he fulfilled God’s purpose through his work. After giving an off the cuff answer, he began to give that question consideration. It changed his whole approach to how he approach his work from the bench. He began to look for ways for his judgments to be redemptive in people’s lives and to really make a difference beyond just executing the consequences of breaking the law.

Relationship with Christ is about redemption. That applies to all aspects of our life including our work. Have you considered how to glorify Christ through your work?