31th May 2006

What God thinks of The Da Vinci Code
By John Fischer

With The Da Vinci Code enjoying another weekend at the box office, the debate about the story's outrageous claims continues. What makes them outrageous is not that they haven't been presented before, but that they are presented with such convincing aplomb and supported by “mountains” of documentation. Of course the whole story is a fast fiction ride, documents included, but people who aren't careful about their history may not know that. Herein lies the concern of many Christians: How will people find out these claims are lies, and who will tell them?

The answer to that question lies more in the way God has set up the universe than anything. It's not an unusual question, nor is it new on the scene. It has actually been a valid question for as long as we have recorded history.

According to the Bible, God created this planet, put human beings on it, and let evil loose in the place as well as good (at least this is the shortened version of the story). Why he did this is only up to speculation as far as we are concerned, but it means that, from the beginning, we have existed surrounded by truth and error and with limited ability to tell one from the other. One could easily panic over this, but it appears that God hasn't. He seems to have a way of knowing that those who truly seek him will reach their destination, and he not only knows this, he guarantees it.

For this reason he is not too concerned about all the lies floating around. Nor does he seem to be running around nervously trying to correct every new falsehood that surfaces. In fact, some of these falsehoods appear to be getting along quite well in the world. God trusts an innate ability to recognize truth that he has placed in people, and the drama of finding that out seems to be part of the unfolding story.

Yes, people are going to be led astray by The Da Vinci Code just as they have been led astray by countless other fictions and fabrications of the truth throughout history, but the people who are led astray are the ones who are going to be fooled anyway, if not by this, then by the next thing to come along. These are people, in fact, who move from one thing to another and never alight on the truth precisely because they are not seeking the truth while those who truly are seeking are given the ability to see.

This does not mean that we don't make intelligent attempts to uphold the truth and discredit falsehood. But these will do more to confirm those who are honestly looking than to get anyone to radically change his or her mind about things. There are other factors at work here beyond our control.

To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them. (Matthew 13:12 NLT)

30th May 2006

Two Travelling Angels
Contributed by Angeline Kwee


Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.

The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.
When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.

However, when the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel," How could you have let this happen?"

"The first man had everything, yet you helped him," he accused.

"On the other hand, the second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let their cow die."

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.

"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed that there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it."

"Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. "

Things aren't always what they seem. Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You just might not know it until some time later...

29th May 2006

That first Easter morning
By John Fischer
(Part III of a three-part series of historical fiction around the events of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.)

The sun rose that first Easter morning on an entirely different world than the one that had existed hours earlier. For most people, to be sure, it was the same. Birds twittered as they usually did in their pre-dawn revelry. Lazy dogs barked at the sound of the first early risers. In his penthouse in downtown Jerusalem, Pilate rolled over in bed and moaned at the mockingbird making a racket on his veranda. He could feel his wife’s stiffness next to him. He didn’t even have to look to see her wide, sleepless eyes locked on a crack in the ceiling for fear of the dreams that might come back if she closed them.

In the nearby barracks, a soldier snored on in thick oblivion. Soon his comrades would wake up to wicked hangovers, a usual Sunday morning experience. Things were always quiet on the Jewish Sabbath, so Saturdays became party time for the Roman soldiers.

Out in the courtyard, roosters crowed, and Peter, curled up next to a stone wall, was sure he heard every last one of them. He hadn’t been sleeping, either. All those great plans and dreams for himself and his nation had vanished with three denials and two rooster crows. Roosters had been rattling and cackling in his brain for two nights. They wouldn’t let him sleep, and they wouldn’t let him forget that look on the Savior’s face that left him frozen in his betrayal.

On the edge of town, three women made their way quietly through abandoned narrow streets, clutching vials of sweet-smelling perfume. In the hazy light of early morning, they were headed for Joseph’s garden, where the remains of the man they pinned their hopes on as the Son of God laid without proper respect. There had been no time on Friday to anoint the funeral wrappings, and such activity was forbidden on the Sabbath. Nicodemus and Joseph had done a credible job with limited time and little preparation, but it fell to the women to complete the burial requirements – as much for their own sake as for the sake of the custom.

Just when they started to wonder who might help them move the huge stone over the face of the tomb, they found, lo and behold, that the stone had already been moved away. The soldiers guarding it shifted on the ground in a deep sleep; the wrappings that should have been around the body lay limply on the rocky shelf inside. And an angelic being, bright and glorious, asked a question that would change them and the world forever: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

May Easter celebrations be filled with the same joy and wonder these women experienced on that first Easter morning!

28th May 2006

What Nicodemus saw
By John Fischer
(Part II of a three-part series of historical fiction around the events of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.)

Better late than never, Nicodemus thought as he waited for Joseph of Arimathea to return from his meeting with Pilate. The sky was black with night, and the torches around the crosses cast long flickering shadows over the hillside. Only the shadows danced. The bodies were still, none stiller than the one in the middle.

They had found each other, Joseph and Nicodemus: two wealthy Jews. Too well-connected to risk following Jesus in life, they had finally risen to the occasion now in his death and were prepared to ensure proper care and burial for the body.

Nicodemus had watched the crucifixion the way he followed Jesus for the last three years – from a distance. Now in the darkness, he ventured closer. Suddenly, a tear-stained face filled his vision as if out of nowhere.

“Aren’t you … ?”

“Nicodemus.” He finished it for the man. “I have followed from afar. I wanted to come closer, but I’ve been foolish and afraid. Now I am too late.”

“No, you aren’t. You are here,” said John, newly named son of Mary.

“Come.”

John gently took Nicodemus’ arm and guided him closer to the women who were still huddled near the cross. They were in shock, out of touch with everything, even grief. Nicodemus had first resisted John, but once he was in the light and the company of the others, he broke into a thousand pieces inside and started to cry uncontrollably. Suddenly he was touched and held and surrounded by people he did not even know, and they all seemed thankful for a fresh supply of tears.

Nicodemus looked into the faces of people he would have judged hours earlier and wondered at what he saw in their eyes. These were unlearned peasants, but they seemed so much wiser than he.

Then he looked at the body of Jesus, and in the lifeless form on the cross he saw himself – a tired old self-righteous man, weary of justifications and the foolish arrogance that kept him from people. He saw the ugliness of his pride and the lies by which he tried to maintain his superiority. He saw it all and hated himself in that moment, and he wept bitterly, alternately abhorring and longing for the touch he was receiving from those around him.

“He spoke of you often,” said John with his arm on Nicodemus’ shoulder.

“He said you were one of the few in your position who could see.”

“He did?” Nicodemus raised his wet eyes and wiped them with the sleeve of his robe. “I didn’t know myself ... until just now.”

Up until now, Nicodemus had been dealing with Jesus and the prophets and the nation of Israel and the Gentiles in his mind – each part fitting like clues to a mystery that drew him closer and closer to the cross as if he were following a long shadow toward its source. But now that he was there, right to it, standing right in front of God’s intervention in human history, with all his knowledge and the new revelations he had gained, all he could see was Nicodemus and the sin of Nicodemus. And all he could do was weep, but not the bitter tears of self-pity and remorse he was used to. This was a longed-for release – strangely sweet, cleansing tears, the first blush of forgiveness, in the process of being won by the man on the cross.

27th May 2006

The most precious drops in the world
By John Fischer
(Part I of a three-part series of historical fiction around the events of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.)

The wounds on his hands bled slowly. Pressure from the weight of his body held back the flow. If there had been no other sounds that afternoon, it probably would have sounded like the slow, steady drip off the eaves of a mountain cabin on a damp, foggy night.

But there were many sounds. Taunts from the soldiers, weeping and wailing from the women near the feet of Jesus, even careless laughter from children playing haphazardly around the perimeter of the crucifixion hill, oblivious to the significance of this particular execution. Small dark puddles would gather briefly under the top beam of the cross, only to be covered by the shuffle of a guard’s feet. And then it would start in again: drip … drip … drip – little droplets seen but not heard.

Mary saw them. She stared at the puddle through her bloodshot eyes while his life flashed before her, and it seemed to her that the earth swallowed his blood as if it had been created for this. As if it were drinking its fill and would thirst no more.

Then she slowly turned her eyes up to his face, and her breath failed her. He already had her in the grasp of his eyes. It was the first time he had looked at her from the cross, and suddenly it seemed as if she were falling into a bottomless abyss. She looked until she could bear it no more and turned her eyes away so she could catch her breath again. Once more her gaze went to the small puddle in the dirt, and it seemed now that she, and only she, could hear the droplets landing, loud enough to shut out all other sounds.

Then she heard his words spoken to her: “Dear woman, here is your son.” And to the disciple he loved, “Here is your mother.”

Soon after that, the dripping stopped, right after the earth shook and Jesus cried out with a voice that nearly shut down Mary’s heart for good. And all was still except for the sucking, sporadic breathing coming from the other two criminals.

“This one’s already dead,” said one of the guards. “Can you believe that?”

“No need to break his legs, I guess,” said another.

“Well, just to make sure …” One of them approached the dead body of Jesus with his spear, and before Mary could scream out, “No!” he thrust its tip up into the torso of the Son of God just under the ribs. Her scream and the sudden flow of blood and water came out at the same time.

Disgusted, the guard wiped a few drops from his face and walked away, oblivious to the fact that these were drops of blood that could set him free forever.

26th May 2006

Finding God at your j-o-b
Turning your workplace into a place to worship God
by Katie Brazelton and Kathryn McColskey

You wonder, "Doesn't God have more planned for me than this job?" as day after hopeless day drags by and you return to a career or household duty that is difficult and unsatisfying. The answer to that question is definitely yes. Scripture records Jesus as saying, "I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance." (John 10:10b hcsb) So how do you find God's abundance - his best for you - in your workplace (whether that is an office or your home) when you have negative feelings about the situation?
College students were asked, "How can you find God in a workplace?" One student laughingly reported, "Oh, I guess you have to work in a church!" Another sighed and shook his head saying, "Only by rejoicing that the job is temporary and that one day you'll be in a better place." The final reply was classic: "That's easy. Just enjoy God's sense of humor in the personalities and noses he created."

Sure, there are numerous creative ways to notice God while we work especially by listening for the testimonies of changed lives in co-workers or watching for actions that demonstrate Christian behavior, such as a bowed head before a meal. But how do you come face-to-face with God in the privacy of your own heart, when you are not able to "whistle while you work"? How can you experience an on-the-job God, who can transport you to a life of abundance, even if you never leave your current job site? There are several practical things you can do starting today.

By the way, both of us have lived and breathed every word we are putting forth as advice to you. Collectively, we've either scrubbed toilets and marble floors for rich women, waited tables for rude customers, cringed at the verbal abuse of arrogant bosses, packed/shipped snowboard hats for struggling entrepreneurs, made cold calls for small business owners, or nursed children with chicken pox back to health. These examples are just to give you a glimpse of some of our own fun moments in our workplaces.

We have survived at times with only a smidgen of holiness left, and we have done these assignments without any gracefulness whatsoever. But for whatever it's worth, here are a few things we've learned along the way:

Acknowledge
Acknowledge that God is in control of the universe. "The Lord Almighty has sworn this oath: 'It will all happen as I have planned. It will come about according to my purposes.'" (Isaiah 14:24 nlt) And, remember that, not only does God have a plan for the world, but he also has a plan for your life. As Jeremiah 29:11 tells us: "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." (MSG) You may not like your current job, but if you can acknowledge that our sovereign God is at work in the world and in you, then you will realize that he can use your current experience to help you grow spiritually. He may be trying to teach you patience, humility, perseverance, empathy, generosity, honesty, or obedience. Acknowledge that God can also use this time to reveal progressively to you what more engaging purpose he has for you in his good timing - when the people he is sending you to serve are ready for you! As you do your job today without giving up your hopes and dreams for the future, you will begin to experience a peace that is beyond understanding. Peace is a distinctive gift of the abundant life Jesus came to offer you.

Dedicate
Dedicate each day of work to God. When you change a dirty diaper, get the millionth cup of coffee for an unappreciative boss, clean up a co-workers' chaos, or appease a difficult customer, do it as an act of worship to God. Your present job may be for a short time or for what seems like an eternity, but live each day dedicated to the King of the Universe, your ultimate boss. Christians are instructed in I Peter 4:11: "If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." (NIV) By dedicating everything you do to God's glory, you will begin to develop a sense of gratitude for all he has done for you. And that's one of the great blessings of the abundant life that Jesus offers you.

Trust
Trust your daily schedule to God and allow him to prioritize your to-do list. In a day that has too much to accomplish and too many stressors, you must decide which task needs to be accomplished first. Because you do not know the future, rank ordering your to-do list is an educated guess at best, but for God who does know the future, it's an easy task. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, "Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track." (MSG) Spend time with God each day and claim his promise to direct your path. Ask him to show you his way. God promised us, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" (Isaiah 30:21 niv) God will direct your path, specifying which task you are to do next, through quiet whispers that leave strong impressions on your heart. Trust his way and you will begin to develop assurance and confidence. Both are characteristics of the abundant life Jesus promised you.

Serve
Serve God daily by being a servant to those around you in the workplace. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and then told them, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." (John 13:15 niv) He even promises, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." (John 13:17 niv) Ask God to create within you a heart to serve others in his name, and then look for opportunities to serve others lovingly without their asking. Acts of service can be as simple as sorting the mail, holding open a door, carrying a package, or picking up a dropped object. An act of service could be acknowledging a job well done, e-mailing a note of encouragement, or listening to someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one. With service comes joy, a significant quality of the abundant life Jesus desires for you.

When asked, "How was your day?" how will you respond? Rather than testifying to your miseries, testify to the abundant blessings of God in your life. Remember to acknowledge that he is sovereign, dedicate each day to him, trust your schedule to him, and look for opportunities to serve. God is faithfully assisting you to live each day well. He wants to fill your life with peace, gratitude, assurance, confidence, joy, and hope for the future.

Psalms 150:6 states: "Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)" (AMP) As you share how God is working in your life to bless you and faithfully direct you, you will be testifying to the abundant life found only in Jesus and that is somethin' to shout about - even at a ho-hum j-o-b!

25th May 2006

In the service of the King
by John Fischer

Heaven just picked up one great piano player. My friend, Clark Gassman, lost his fight with cancer last Sunday night and gained Heaven instead. God got the better deal.

While he was here with us, Clark Gassman was the epitome of a servant who was content to work behind the scenes while others got the glory and the attention. He made so many people look and sound so good that you could call him the wind beneath a hundred wings. It didn’t matter to him; he was never after attention. He was all about doing what he loved to do – what he was gifted to do. I can’t imagine that it’s any different now.

I was listening to one of my first albums that Clark arranged and remembered a part where he directed a studio string section through a legato portion of one of the songs (a section of the song that was totally unrelated to any time sequence). My part had already been recorded, so he had to get eight string players to play along with what was already on the tape. To do this, Clark put my legato part into multiple time changes so he could count it out for the string section, because that is the only way they could play it. He had to re-interpret it to them, and he could do that because he understood both their form and my free form. The end result was flawless and full of the kind of feeling the song required, yet no one would ever know what that took. It’s those kinds of things multiplied many times over that explains something of Clark’s contribution to the music of so many people.

Many of you have the gift of service and you work painstakingly hard behind the scenes to make things happen, and other people end up doing what they do better, because of you. As for you, your name ends up buried in the credits, if at all, but that doesn’t matter, because that’s not why you do it. You do it because it’s your gift and it’s what you love to do. Time for credit will come, just as Clark is enjoying his now.

Today, we are missing Clark, but I don’t think he is missing us. He’s probably jammin’ right now with a bunch of his buddies with names like Bach and Handel.

When you know Christ and you are filled with the hope and knowledge of eternal life, the worst part about death is that it is not your own. You have to stay behind in the void while someone you love moves on to a greater joy. But when you know the secret of your purpose in life, it doesn’t matter. You just keep on serving the King wherever you are.

24th May 2006

High school reunion
By John Fischer

I attended my high school reunion last weekend. I'm not going to tell you which one, but I will tell you that everyone there had aged significantly. I wouldn't have recognized one of them had I met them on the street. Of course they all recognized me right away. (The fact that we wore our senior pictures on our nametags might have had something to do with that.)

This is the first one of these things I have ever attended, including college reunions, so I didn't know what to expect. I felt a little dumb walking in with my 9 x 11-inch framed drum major picture, but the brochure asked us to bring memorabilia. I felt even dumber when I realized I was the only one who brought anything. So I snuck into the banquet room early and set it up right next to the SGHS cheerleading megaphone. I was glad I decided not to wear my JV letterman's sweater.

I was pretty much of a nobody in high school. Most of my social life at the time revolved around the church youth group. Even though I was on the student council as drum major my senior year, I rarely attended social events, especially the sock hops and proms, because dancing was forbidden in my fundamentalist upbringing. As one of my friends put it this weekend when the subject came up, “John was restricted.”

As we reminisced around my table, I realized everyone else knew more stories about my past than I did. It became increasingly evident to me that these people cared more about me than I cared about them back then. I felt left out in high school but I realize now it wasn't because anyone left me out. They would have let me in, in a second, but I stayed away. They let me in last Saturday, and I was grateful for it ... and humbled.

One guy in particular had tracked with me from first grade on. He had clearly made it his point to know just about everyone in the room. As we were saying our goodbyes, I told him. “Owen, I wish I had gotten to know you better back then, because you are a really great guy.”

Of course that doesn't mean I can't get to know him now, and it also doesn't mean I can't appreciate more the people in my life today with whom I might share a reunion of sorts down the road from here.

I used to make fun of these reunions. I will never do that anymore. These are great people, and I have much to learn from them. Isn't life all about relationships anyway? If no one is an accident, then we are all far more significant than we realize.

23th May 2006

God's view of work
What it means to be purpose driven at work
by Rick Warren

Everybody works. It doesn't matter if you are a student, you still have to work. If you're at home, you still have to work. If you're retired, you still have to work!

Since work is such a major part of our lives, it's important to know what the Bible teaches about work. Let me share four thoughts:
God intends for work to be meaningful, beneficial, and fulfilling. A lot of people think work is just a way to put food on the table - a necessary evil. Their goal in life is to eventually have enough money so they can do nothing. But the word 'retirement' is not in the Bible. Do you know so many people retire and then die six months later? It's because we were made to work. You were made for meaningful, purposeful, fulfilling work. It's part of God's plan for your life.

God designed you with talents, gifts, and interests that he wants used for his glory. You are custom made. There's nobody like you in the whole world. And the gifts you have, your abilities, talents, even your interests were encoded into you by God. You didn't have a say in what you were going to be interested in, what you are naturally good at. God custom-made you - and he wants you to express those gifts through work. The Bible says, "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10 NIV) The Bible says you are God's workmanship. That is a translation of a Greek word, poiema, from which we get the word 'poem.' You are God's poem. You are God's work of art - his masterpiece! He made you to express certain gifts, talents, abilities, and interests in work. That's what work is for. Work is never just a job; it's part of God's plan for your life.

To fulfill God's will for your life, you need work that expresses what God made you to be. If you are in a mismatched job - one that is not using your talents, gifts, abilities, and interests - that is a serious problem. It is a spiritual issue that is far more important than you think. One day, God is going to ask, "What did you do with them?" Do you want to have to tell him, "Well, I spent my life at a job that didn't use them"? "Each one of us should live his life with the gifts the Lord has given him." (1 Corinthians 7:17)

If you're not a Christian at work, you're not a Christian in your life. Many Christians don't make the connection between Sunday and Monday. They put their "spiritual life" - reading the Bible, praying, going to church, and doing nice things - in one compartment. Then they put their "secular life" - work, job, career, business decisions, finances, pension plan, all these things - in another compartment. But the word 'secular' isn't in the Bible. The fact is, your relationship to Christ is like marriage. Marriage is a full-time relationship, and so is your relationship with Christ. If I said to my wife, "Honey, I'm only going to act married when I'm at home," I would be in front of a congressional committee before I knew it. God is as interested in your work as he is in your prayers - maybe more interested because you spend more time working than you do praying. The fact is, all of life is important to God - and if you're not a Christian at work, you're not a Christian in your life.

22th May 2006

Location, location, location!
By John Fischer

I saw a documentary last night about how our view of our own planet and its place in the universe has changed over time. Before Copernicus shocked the world with his announcement that we had been revolving around the sun all along, people thought our little planet was the center of the universe. In other words, we were of great importance in the grand scheme of things – everything revolved around us.

What followed after Copernicus was a wide-scale denigration of our place in the universe. We became a tiny, infinitesimal dot in a vast array of galaxies by the millions and stars by the billions. We were the center of nothing – not even our own tiny solar system – greatly diminishing our place and any particular purpose we might have in the grand scheme of things. Along with this was the growing assumption, with so many more stars and solar systems out there, that we are not alone. There must be other solar systems and other planets out there that can support life – and most likely other intelligent beings too. We're not so special after all.

So we went from being somebody to nobody, and the point of the documentary was to show that relatively new discoveries in the last 50 years are once again altering our perception of our place in the universe. According to scientists and astronomers, things may be looking up for the human race on earth. This time our importance is measured not by being in the center of the universe, but by being in a remarkable place not only in the solar system, but also in our galaxy – a place that can support life and a place uniquely situated for us to observe and discover the universe around us. Or as they say in real estate: “Location, location, location!”

No, we are not the center of a solar system that revolves around us as the ancients believed, but neither are we a tiny blue dot lost in a cosmic sea. Instead, we are in a specific place suited perfectly for life and discovery. And as complicated as the universe is, its operation comes down to a few simple principles. In other words, we can understand our universe. As Albert Einstein concluded, “The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible.”

If we aren't in the center of the universe, we are in the center of an intelligent mind that put us in this optimal place with minds to figure out how our universe works – and hearts to seek out why.

No wonder we wonder about our purpose… we were made to wonder.

21th May 2006

All in the family
By John Fischer

Everyone wants to be on the inside. The existence of clubs, secret societies, memberships, and associations indicates there is something in all of us that seeks a special identity apart from everyone else. No one wants to be lost in a crowd.

In the following story, Christ’s immediate family tried to pull rank on the larger group Jesus was addressing.

As Jesus was speaking to the crowd ... someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to speak to you.

Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “These are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” (Matthew 12:46-50 NLT)

The implication in their request is that his immediate family expected Jesus to give them priority over the crowd; they wanted him to stop what he was doing and pay attention to them. We have no idea what the urgency was, it may have even been some important family matter they felt was worthy of an interruption, but Jesus used the opportunity to teach everyone something: He has a much bigger family than his nuclear family, and in that family, everyone has priority.

How does it feel to be a part of Christ’s immediate family? We have priority. Even if Mary, his mother, showed up, Jesus would say, “Just a minute. I know you’re my mother, but I’m talking to my mother, Sarah, over here.” Our requests receive the same significance as those from Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Christ’s earthly brothers. We have this privilege by walking in God’s will.

It’s a testimony to his humility that one of those brothers waiting to talk to Jesus that day was James, who went on to become one of the most important leaders of the early church, respected by Jews and Gentiles alike, and the author of the New Testament book by his name. When he introduces himself at the beginning of that book, he calls himself: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (James 1:1) Nothing else. You would think he would have thrown in “and brother of Jesus,” just for extra measure (I would have), but he did not. He didn’t want his place to be seen as any different than anyone else’s.

James knew that we could all say we are “the brother/sister of Jesus” by rebirth. He was in a special position by a new birth into God’s family by faith. The same can be said of you and me.

20th May 2006

From Here to Eternity
By John Fischer

Where can a dead man go?
The question with an answer only dead men know.
But I'm going to bet they never really feel at home.
If they spent a lifetime learning how to live in Rome.
- Nickel Creek (popular Blue Grass group)

Christians spend a lifetime learning how to live somewhere else. It's true. We may not always be conscious of it, but our destination is somewhere else. We were made for eternity. We were made to dwell with God, making this life but a shadow of the one to come.

At the same time, we don't just unplug here and sit around waiting for the Holy Helicopter to take us there. God has uniquely connected this life to that one. Our lives here, and in eternity, are related. What we do here matters there.

Jesus once said that those who are faithful in a few things here will be put in charge of many things there (Matthew 25:23). Paul said that when we pass from here to there, some things will stay with us -- those things that were done here by faith -- and the rest will burn up (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). Paul also said that our bodies go into the ground as a seed here and spring up new there (1 Corinthians 15:37). The key is to learn what translates from here to eternity and concentrate on those things. What's important both here and there?
Be careful. This is not as easy as it might seem at first. That's because most of what we do here is tangled up in eternity and hard to unravel. For instance: Money won't matter there, but what we do with it here will. Job position won't matter there, but being responsible here will. Material possessions won't matter there, but what we do with them here will. Winning won't matter there, but playing hard and working at the top of our abilities while we are here will. Like a gold thread running through it, we will pull eternity out of our present experiences.

Not to leave out the stark contrasts. If you lived in prison here, you will live free there. If you were sick here, you will be well there. If you were abused here, you will be cherished there. If you were deformed here, you will be whole there. If you were poor here, you will be rich there. If you were outcast here, you will belong there. If you were nobody here, you will be somebody there. If you mourned here, you will dance there. If you struggled with depression here, there, you will leap for joy.

Remember, we spend a lifetime learning to live somewhere else.

19th May 2006

Born again is one thing, just being born is pretty great too!
By John Fischer

My birthday flew by this week and I think I've finally figured out what to celebrate about birthdays, and the less numbers have to do with it, the better. Your actual age on your birthday is only an issue when you can name it in single digits. After that, with the exception of passing certain ages that qualify you for driving, voting, drinking, and fighting in wars, the numbers just don't matter. What should matter is not how many years it has been since you were born, but the fact that you were born, period. Yes, that's a pretty big deal. Your birth was meant to happen. Regardless of what your life has been like up until now, you were meant to be, and your existence is something to celebrate, on any day for that matter, but especially on birthdays. Your birthday is the day it all started for you.

I remember well the moment this insight came home to me. I was a grown man with a wife and kids and a mortgage, but I rushed out of a psychologist's office and picked up the first phone I could find to call my wife and announce to her the good news - that God wanted me to be born, and that was a big deal! You would think I could have waited until I was home to tell her such obvious news, but I couldn't. You see, I had heard so much, from my childhood on, about being born again that I never truly realized how important it was to be born the first time. I also noticed right away how this new understanding changed how I saw everyone else. It was everything I could do, coming out of counseling that day, to keep from rushing up and hugging the first person I saw. Up until then, I had taken on the somewhat cultish belief that you had to have had a second birth in order to count as a human being. That's what made this news so earth-shattering to me. One birth is good enough to mark. Are you breathing? Let's celebrate! God wanted you to be born! He wanted me alive; that must mean he wants you alive too!

Jesus wants us to be alive with him in Heaven for eternity, as well, and that's where the second birth comes in. But the first one is no less significant. The first one is why he went to all the trouble he went through to save us in the first place and to make the second one possible. And that's no accident.

18th May 2006

What God Does
By John Fischer

Jump in the mess of human lives undressed
And sin unconfessed . . . and see beauty.
Look at the sea of misfits and misery
And cry ‘til you bleed . . . and see beauty.
That's what God does!
That's what God does!
That's what God does, why can't we?
- The rock group, Skypark

God is crazy about you. He’s all over you like a glove. God waits for you, hanging on your every word. He loves to hear you call to him. He has been relentlessly pursuing you since before you were born; he sacrificed his Son to remove the barriers to his love for you; and he has plans for you that go way beyond anything you can imagine. How do I know all this? I’ve been reading about it in the Bible for most of my life, and I know it in my heart, and I’m telling you about it because I figure if I keep on like this, I’ll eventually begin to believe it for myself.

Appropriating God’s unconditional love is not as given as it might seem. Jesus said we were to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, but what if I have a problem loving myself? Then the reverse is most likely true; I won’t love anyone else either.

The only way you disqualify yourself from experiencing the unconditional love of God is to think of yourself as better than most everybody (my particular version of it) or to think of yourself as worse than most everybody (I’ve got a little of this, too). How tragic to be measuring and comparing ourselves — trying to qualify for a love we’re already qualified for just by being alive!

Here’s how to end all this nonsense. Accept God’s love as totally undeserved. I’m just as much a scoundrel as the next guy, but here’s the amazing thing, God’s crazy about both of us! He looks at us and sees beauty. Don’t ask why or how; just believe it. Believe it and you’ll start to see yourself that way too. Then loving others will be a lot easier because you have accepted yourself as you are, through God’s love for you. No reason to think of yourself as better or worse than anyone else; we are simply all recipients of the amazing grace of God when none of us deserve it.

Since when do you love people just because they exist? Since you found out that’s what God does! So when it comes to loving yourself, do what God does: Look at yourself and see something beautiful. Soon you’ll see everyone else that way, too.

17th May 2006 ***

'Seek the truth'
By John Fischer



The last time I mentioned The Da Vinci Code, I was on page 234. Well I have finished the book now, and as an author of three novels, I think I understand what is happening here. Let me explain.

I set my first novel, Saint Ben, in the late 1950s in Pasadena, Calif. For fun, I looked up events in the local newspaper, The Pasadena Star-News, and wrote them into the final week of my story. I found some very interesting connections that helped me create the story's conclusion and tie it to actual events from the front page of the paper. I also staged a real event, the Tournament of Roses parade on New Year's Day, only I had the mayor of Pasadena riding in a 1958 Edsel in the 1959 parade. This was a clear break with tradition (and with fact), but it served my story well.

Now if you read Saint Ben, you won't know for sure what piece of the story is fact and what is fiction unless you go to the Pasadena Library, like I did, and search through the microfilm versions of the front pages of the Star-News, and check the Tournament of Roses archives for what car the mayor drove in 1959. You probably won't bother doing that because you really don't care, and hopefully, you are just enjoying the story for what it is: a piece of fiction.

Dan Brown, the writer of The Da Vinci Code, has done the same thing with his story, only with much more significant events and with potentially damaging results if people don't take the time and effort to find out what is fact and what is fiction. What car the mayor drove in a rose parade is one thing; the origin of how we know who Jesus Christ is and what he did on earth is quite another, yet Mr. Brown has treated his story much the same way. He has concerned himself more with building an entertaining story than with the truth, and he has done that by creating his own unique blend of fact, legend, and his imagination, bending them all to serve the story he created. That his story pretends to be a legitimate conspiracy is more of a brilliant marketing scheme than a significant attack on history. You have to remind people where they found this book: in the fiction section.

It's a good lesson for all of us about telling the truth all the time because if you blend any part of the truth with a story, it all becomes fiction, and no one knows how to separate the truth from the lie.

Ironically, the tag line for the upcoming movie is exactly right: “Seek the truth.” Anyone who seeks the truth in regard to this story will find out pretty quick that this isn't it.

17th May 2006

What Dads Can't Do
By John Fischer

For Father's Day a few years ago, my kids got me a book, What Dads Can't Do by Douglas Wood. It's a children's book about dads and kids, illustrated in charming renditions of cute, huggable dragons. Here's a little sampling:

“There are lots of things that regular people can do but dads can't.
Dads can't cross the street without holding hands.
They can push, but they can't swing.
When dads play hide and seek they always get found, but they have a hard time finding you.
Dads really need to be kissed goodnight at bedtime.
It's a wonder they make it through life at all!”

I especially like the hide and seek part because of how God reveals himself to us. On one hand, he hides from us; on the other, he makes himself very obvious to those who are truly seeking him. If you seek the Lord with all your heart, finding him will be a little like finding a big dinosaur-sized dragon hiding behind a palm tree. This is one of the reasons why people who see the reality of God in their lives and in their world can't understand why everyone can't see what they see. To them it is so entirely obvious, but to those who are not “in the game,” God and truth remain shrouded.

Now I know it's heresy to imply that there is something God (as Dad) can't do, but in one case I suggest this is true. He can't let everyone know who he is in order to uphold the integrity of the human beings he has created in his image who choose not to have him in their life. In a sense, you could say God has upheld the dignity of those who won't believe. If God were like a dinosaur-sized dragon hiding behind a palm tree for everyone, you would be a fool for not believing. As it is, you are a fool for believing because something not obvious to most people is obvious to you. The faith that God gives believers, through their ability to see and hear him, is strong enough to counter looking like a fool.

I think the lesson here is to make sure we give people the dignity God gives them. That is, the freedom to choose not to believe.

Jesus spoke in parables to hide the truth, and then said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” The implication being: Some people have other things to do with their ears than listen for God. Jesus never berated people for not believing, he just kept encouraging those who did.

15th May 2006

No leftovers
by John Fischer

Recently, an Iranian woman was asked what the most difficult part in her adjustment to living in the United States was. She didn't say anything about the different environment for women as might have been expected. Instead, she said the most difficult adjustment was the fact that she found it hard to cook for only her family of four. She was used to feeding, at any time of the day, meals for various extended family members and friends. Serving in that way is a natural part of her culture.

Her solution to this problem is simple. Besides providing an elderly woman across the street with dinner delivered each night to her door, she goes out and invites people to join her family — sitting at the table and eating what would have been leftovers. Now there’s an easy solution to leftovers — ring up the neighborhood.

Reading this story in the newspaper reminded me of a parable Jesus told of a man who prepared a great feast and invited many guests, but when those guests made excuses about other things they had to do, he sent his servant into the streets and alleys of the town to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. “After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full’” (Luke 14:22-23). There won’t be any leftovers at this feast!

God has a sharing heart. He doesn’t want any leftovers, and he doesn’t want anyone left over except the ones who don’t want to come. He’s rung up the whole town. If you didn’t get an invitation, that’s okay, you have one now. No need to go out and get a fancy outfit (how could you possibly dress up for this dinner, anyway?), just come as you are. God is just this way. He has a huge heart and he wants you in it.

God doesn’t want to be alone. He wants lots of people to share his love with. The best thing to do is not ask a lot of why questions. Just accept the invitation, drop whatever you’re holding onto, and go with the messenger that invited you. I’m still not sure how I got invited; I’m just glad I’m here.

How could anyone turn down an invitation like this?

Don’t have to dress up; there’s no place to go.
Don’t need no lessons; this ain’t no show.
This is life! This is what it’s supposed to be.
This is God loving you and me!
So come on and dance!
Let the Spirit set you free.
Dance! To the Lord of life.
Dance!Sanctify the circumstance.
Come on and dance!To the Lord of life.

- from the song Dance! by John Fischer

14th May 2006 ***

Da Vinci decoded
By John Fischer

Well, I’m on page 243 of The Da Vinci Code and it certainly is a page-turner. I’m reading it because I want to be able to speak intelligently to the interest that will surely be on the rise as this blockbuster novel becomes a major motion picture with a high-profile team of actors including Tom Hanks in the leading role. More than 40 million copies of the novel have been sold, and the movie will most certainly drive that number higher.

The controversial nature of its theme recalls the movie The Last Temptation of Christ taken from the book by Nikos Kazantzakis that presents a confused Christ and an offensive dream sequence from the cross involving his relationship with Mary Magdalene. The intense reaction of the religious community against that movie amounted to a call to arms. Theaters were picketed and boycotted, and a march was organized on Universal Studios. (I still wonder why Christians would expect unbelievers to get the story right in the first place.)

It is my understanding that The Da Vinci Code has similar controversial interpretations of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Christ, and the Catholic Church. Still, it would be better if cooler heads prevailed if only for the opportunity to present another more accurate version of the biblical account as over and against becoming entangled in yet another culture war.

Though the story is clearly fiction, it will raise questions in people’s minds about the validity of the sources through which the story of Christ and his disciples has come down to us. In other words: We have homework to do. I suggest we turn this cultural event into an opportunity for dialogue, not a call to battle. Here are some things I think would be appropriate.

1) Let’s not try and be experts about something we haven’t read or seen. If we’re going to have an opinion, make sure it’s an informed one.

2) Bone up on the origin of our information about the Scriptures and why we can trust them as reliable historical documents and as God’s Word. [See below for some recommended material to help you do this.]

3) Use this information to bolster our own faith, not fight a battle of wits with unbelievers we are eager to disprove.

4) Use the information gained to address the doubts of those who are genuinely seeking the truth.

5) Above all, let’s use this interest in the historicity of religion as an opportunity to get people thinking about the possibility of a real relationship with Christ – something we have found to be our own personal validation of the truth.

We don’t have to defend God or win a culture war. God is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Dan Brown, and our culture in response, has brought up the subject of Christ and the early days of church history. By making our conversation positive and seasoned with grace, we can point people toward the truth instead of driving them away from us.

“But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” (Philippians 1:18 NIV)

13th May 2006

Ears are for iPods
By John Fischer

Do you ever wonder how much God knew about what would become of what he made when he first made us? I mean, did he know that little dip in the bottom of my ears would work perfectly with my iPod earphones so they would stay put while I jog? What about drinking Starbucks latte on the go? Do you suppose he knew my lips would wrap nicely around that little hole in the lid and my tongue would allow me to let through a sip at a time so as not to burn my whole mouth?

I know this sounds a bit silly, but I actually find it easier to believe this and a whole bunch of other unbelievable stuff about God and myself than to do the heavy lifting of leaving God out of the equation. God had to know about stuff like this when he made us if he is God.

Which means he had to know about war, disease, calamity, terror, abuse, and all manner of evil, too. And how do you reconcile any of this with the idea of a kind, loving, and compassionate God? Not very easily. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say not at all. I can’t reconcile stuff like this. But just because I can’t make sense of the world doesn’t mean he can’t either. You see, God is not bound by my judgments. He never asked for my counsel. He didn’t check in with me before he made the world the way it is, and a big part of believing in God is accepting the fact that he is God and I am not.

Now don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t at all mean I don’t still try and get answers to questions like this, nor does it mean I just blindly accept what happens as God’s will and blow off my own human reactions. In fact, if God is God, then he made me with a questioning mind, and why did he do that if he wanted me to just blindly trust him? No, he must have wanted to interact with the process in some way. He must have wanted the give and take, push and pull of a relationship, or else, why did he do this?

Here is my conclusion, at least so far. More than he wants us to follow him, he wants us to have a relationship with him. More than blind obedience, he wants conversation. He’ll even get down on the mat and wrestle with us if that’s what we need. God made us for himself and none of us will rest until we are one with him. That is where we belong, and pretty much whatever it takes to get there is worth it.

12th May 2006

Broad shoulders and few Surprises by John Fischer

I spent the weekend recently at a men's conference and came to appreciate the host of the event. At 6 foot 7 inches, he is the equivalent of a big teddy bear - make that a teddy grizzly. In an exchange of e-mails following the conference, we both admitted to a lack of deep friendships - mostly the result of our own admitted tendency to not want any.

In one of our exchanges he wrote, “In any event, if you ever get discouraged or need a sounding board, please don't hesitate to contact me. My brow may be thick, but my shoulders are broad, and candidly, not too much surprises me anymore.”

I love that. You don't hear this kind of thing from just anybody. In fact if you hear it at all, you are a fortunate person. His statement contains two elements necessary before a relationship can grow: a willingness to bear another's burden and a commitment to total acceptance.

Though they are sufficiently broad, the shoulders he's offering are not physical; they are emotional. We are all called to “bear one another's burdens and thereby fulfill the law of Christ,” and later “for each one will bear his own load.” (Galatians 6:2, 5) That is to say: There are burdens and then there are burdens. There are certain weights of responsibility we are all expected to carry, but there will always be heavy loads too big for one set of shoulders. This is when we need someone to help shoulder our burden.

Keeping in mind that shouldering a burden doesn't mean solving it; it means simply to help carry it. Men usually have more trouble with this than women, because we naturally want to fix things. But this, of course, is impossible. It's a burden precisely because we can't fix it. No one can except God, and he for some reason unknown to us has chosen not to.

Then there's the second part: If I'm going to bear up under someone else's burden, I've got to be willing to take whatever they've got. Sometimes the very nature of a burden is that it is something we don't want anyone to know - a dark secret that does not want to be told. This is exactly why we bear too much alone; we have too much to hide and too much at stake.

My new friend's invitation cut through all of this self-protection. “Not too much surprises me anymore,” he said. In essence, he was leaving an open door on telling him anything. If our relationships are shallow, it is because they are defined by what is comfortable. We live by unwritten laws not to rock the boat while we drift by each other, waving casually from our respective sinking ships. "

The reality of a relationship is measured by the level of truth about yourself you are willing to impart to another person. And if you have someone who does not require you to measure everything before you say it, you have a real friend.

May we all have broader shoulders for our friends and not too much that surprises us.

11th May 2006

Of Spiritual Reflection and Coffee by John Fischer

Spiritual reflection and the coffee experience have always gone hand in hand. Coffee is that dark, mysterious brew that holds secrets only more reflection, time, and conversation can unlock. It's that coffee experience that pulls us together or keeps us company alone, both of which can be good for understanding God better. Admittedly, the health benefits of coffee may be dubious at best, but let's face it, life isn't too kind overall. That's why we need a little help from faith, friends, and good coffee.

And we must call it an experience because that's what it is – far more than just a cup of coffee. You can go to 7-eleven for coffee, but you go to Starbucks to experience the aroma, the pleasant atmosphere, the stuffed chair (even if you don't have time to sit in it), and the company of others seeking the same thing, for we are all seekers.

In this case, we're seeking a real relationship with God, and as senior writer for PurposeDrivenLife.com, I invite you on a daily spiritual journey of discovering, connecting, growing, sharing, and serving that will help to define that relationship and make it real. Even those who have found a relationship with God are still seeking to find out what that relationship means on a daily basis. We are never done with the process of seeking and finding.

“Ask and it will be given to you,” Jesus said, “seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) This is the expression of a way of life. These are not one-time occurrences. They are the description of one living with an open hand, an open mind, and an open heart to God. It's also the portrayal of someone who wants something in the worst way - for God desires a relationship with someone who truly wants one with him.

So here's to faith and coffee, and I'm not so sure it matters a lot where one stops and the other begins, as long as they're both strong. And here's to the discovery of what it means to live your life on purpose on a daily basis.

10th May 2006

A War Hero without a Gun by John Fischer

He didn’t carry a gun, but he received the Medal of Honor for his action in World War II. He never pulled a trigger or threw a grenade, but he received the Bronze Star for his valor in the midst of heavy enemy fire. He personally objected to killing, but he was willing to serve the greater war effort, and he did so by saving lives instead of taking them. His name is Desmond T. Doss and he was recently celebrated, in his passing, by stories about his unique service in the United States Army.

Desmond was a devout believer who refused to carry a gun because of his personal conviction not to kill anyone for any reason. (The closest he got to a gun was an M-1 rifle stock he used to splint his own shattered arm while he tended to the wounded.) He served as a medic and once rescued 75 men in one operation amidst heavy enemy fire. He endured ridicule from fellow soldiers until, in the heat of battle, they saw what he was made of. And when his entire company fought in extraordinarily close quarters with the enemy and not one of them was killed, they, to a man, credited their success and safety to Desmond’s prayers. Here was a man who found a way to serve a war effort dedicated to killing while serving his own convictions not to kill at the same time.

Often we find ourselves in situations that are less than morally pristine. And yet we are called to serve the Kingdom of God. How do we do that? Desmond T. Doss found a way to do both. He even made up a term for himself: conscientious cooperator.

Believers serving in political office have to deal with the slippery slope of compromise all the time. Believers in the entertainment industry have to use their talents for less than ideal stories, or portray moral ambiguity in their acting. And believers often work for employers with questionable ethics. The lines are not always drawn in the sand. There are times when the right thing is to conscientiously object. But there are also times when the right thing is to conscientiously cooperate by finding that which we can accomplish for the Kingdom of God in the midst of lesser things.

This is not a perfect world. Everything you do, buy, or earn has been touched with impure hands somewhere along the line of getting to you. Like Desmond, we have to find out what we can do to serve God here.

One picture that should work for all of us is to see ourselves ducking under enemy fire to rescue the wounded and bring them to Christ for healing. Whatever else we are doing, that’s our real job.

[Thanks to John Beisner for sending me the story of Desmond Doss.]

9th May 2006

Eyes by John Fischer

I'm thinking about eyes today. Not physical eyes, necessarily, as much as the concept of seeing. I'm thinking about the kind of eyes a blind person has. Eyes are all about seeing and being seen, and a person whose eyes don't work can still see and be seen � sometimes better than those with good eyes. Eyes are so much more than the function they perform.

Eyes are like the tide; they go out, and they come in. Eyes can focus on a pinpoint and open to the world. Or they can close to both.

The Psalmist says the eyes of God are everywhere, looking for those who do his will (Psalm 34:15). In this way, eyes can be selective. You can train your eyes to find certain things. One of the best ways to worship God, for instance, is to train your eyes to find him. Just as the best way to have friends is to train your eyes to find the good in people. Eyes are capable of seeing selectively. Two people can look at the same thing and see something entirely different. It depends on what you are looking for.

�He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it.� (Proverbs 11:27) What you see, in other words, is largely under your control. �Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.� (Matthew 5:8) They see God because they know what he looks like. When your heart is pure, you see purely.

Eyes look out, but they also open in. Eyes are the windows to the soul. This is the �being seen� part, and it's a little more scary, because you cannot always control what someone else sees in you. It is what makes us vulnerable. How do I know that someone will like what he or she sees? I don't. This is why we close ourselves off to relationships because we don't want to be seen. We don't want to run the risk. Lying eyes ... shifty eyes ... angry eyes ... wandering eyes � are all ways of keeping the window closed.

Because of what he has demonstrated throughout history, and especially by sending his Son for us, God can be trusted to look into your soul. He has seen it all, so nothing can shock him. All the sins of the whole world were laid on Jesus on the cross, so yours are no big deal. But no one knows that until they open the window and find out through personal experience what it truly means to be loved by God. And once you've opened your eyes to God, and found love and acceptance from him, you can pretty much leave the window open for everyone else.

Open my eyes, Lord, and let me see Jesus.
Open my eyes, Lord, and let me be seen.

8th May 2006

'It's nice to see you around' by John Fischer

I am just back from my two-mile jog, pacing in front of my house to cool down when I notice my neighbor from across the street is headed to work. I wave at her and she waves back as she opens the car door, gets in, and starts the engine. With my headphones in and knit cap over them, I feel like a turtle in his shell. Bonnie Raitt is in the middle of Come to me, and I have been imagining God singing it to the human race (I do things like this just as a way of worship).

Suddenly, I act on the impulse to say something to Doris. She travels a lot working for an international company and I realize I haven't seen her in a while. Turning the music off and taking off my hat, I stick my neck out of my shell as I walk over to her car. She sees me coming and reaches for the keys to turn the engine off. I don't want her to do that, because this is not the time to talk. I know what it's like being on your way to work. So I hold up my hands to indicate I didn't want to slow her down, and without any thought it just comes out: “It's nice to see you around!”

A huge smile lights up her face as she calls back, “I'm around for a couple weeks.”

That was it. No major life-changing moment, no conversation, just an acknowledgment that someone's existence was appreciated.

Turning back to my house, I feel like a million bucks. That was just an unplanned, unrehearsed little affirmation of someone's personhood. Such a little thing to take any credit for and that is not my intention here, merely to point out that it takes so little to give someone a reason for being alive. I actually kind of shocked myself with the simple statement. It was exactly what I would want to say in that situation, and, by golly, I said it! (Usually comments like this come in hindsight, like the Terry Taylor line, I knocked them dead with what I could have said.)

Think about what you can do to affirm someone's existence today. We all need attention at the most basic level, and don't take the obvious for granted. It doesn't take much, but it can mean a lot to the other person and to you!

(And for those of you who are turtles like me, don't be afraid to pop your head out. It will be worth it.)

7th May 2006

All of my best friends are sinners by John Fischer

All of my best friends are sinners. I don't mean that I hang out with really bad people. I mean this as a way of looking at everybody, starting with myself.

When Jesus told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, it was a way of making us ultimately face into the reality of our own need. How we love others is dependent on how we love ourselves, and self-love has to take into account failure and sin, because we know ourselves better than anybody. We can try to cover up the bad stuff about ourselves, but that only disconnects us from the truth and makes us hypocrites, unable to love because we cannot love ourselves as we truly are.

The only kind of love hypocrites can have is a prejudiced love. Like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day who loved other Pharisees and condemned everyone else, when we are being hypocritical, we can't help but love those who are like us and abhor everyone who is not.

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” (1 Timothy 1:15) When Paul says this, he puts himself in a position to get next to anyone. You can greet all of humanity with open arms from the perspective of knowing intimately your own sin and failure. “Over there are the sinners of the world for whom Christ died … hey, that's my group!”

A recovering alcoholic is still an alcoholic; he's just recovering from alcohol's influence over him in the company of others willing to do the same thing, so they can all be an encouragement to each other and accountable for their actions. That's the thing that's always been appealing to me about recovery groups. They are all about love and acceptance at the lowest level, and that is what we all need. These people are admitting that they have ruined their lives and are ruining the lives of their loved ones, and they are suddenly among friends who understand everything about that.

When you are trying to believe a lie about yourself, you can only accept those who have committed themselves to perpetuating the lie along with you and are sworn to secrecy about their own hidden sin as a form of mutual self-preservation. But it's all a game and we know it. How refreshing it is to come clean – to bring your life out into the open and be forgiven by God and join the rest of the human race for which Christ died.

Everything and everyone looks different once you have done this. And it doesn't matter if someone else is a Christian or not. Either way that person is still someone for whom Christ died, and therefore someone you can embrace. And why not, since all your best friends are sinners anyway!

6th May 2006

Bring On the Questions by John Fischer

I was reunited with an old college classmate this weekend. We were both in the 1969 graduating class at Wheaton College, a Christian college in Illinois founded in 1860. He shared a humorous story with me about how a number of years ago, he got a chance to visit with Hudson T. Armerding – the man we lovingly referred to as “Hud,” who was the president of the college when we were students. Dr. Armerding confided in him that of the seventeen years that marked his presidency, we were definitely the worst class.

I have to admit; it is a distinction of which I am quite proud, because I am pretty sure what he meant by “worst.” He meant we had a high concentration of rowdy, non-conforming, troublemakers among us. In other words, we gave the administration a hard time. And though I’m sure some of it was unnecessary and non-productive, at its core there was an underlying hunger for truth among my peers at that time. We wanted to know what was really going on in the upper echelons of power. We did not accept easy answers. We did not come to college to fill up blank notebooks with knowledge. We came with lots of questions. I can see where we would have caused administrators lots of grief, but I know a different story from some of the professors during that time. A number of them have told me they found our class to be among the best.

When students ask questions, it generally means they are hungry for answers, and that is a very good thing. It also means they might be thinking for themselves which will inevitably make for a much deeper ownership of the values and truths they are learning. Most teachers will tell you it is actually the troublemakers who will go on to make a significant impact on their culture.

Oswald Chambers has said that we don’t truly own our faith unless we have struggled over it in some form. Belief is not pure acceptance. God desires interaction and He revels in our working through the process of believing Him. He wrestled with Jacob and even let him win.

So don’t be afraid to question. Even doubt is a legitimate step in the process of faith. God welcomes the serious questioner. It means we care enough to persist in finding the answers we need. The person who is threatened by questions has much too small of an understanding of God.

Is it any surprise that the year of the “worst” class at Wheaton College was also the beginning of the greatest spiritual revival of our generation in this country? Nor has it escaped at least my notice that the latest crop of college freshmen doesn’t seem to be completely satisfied with the status quo.

5th May 2006

'The Great Coffee Scandal'by John Fischer

I'm sitting here this morning drinking my Starbucks French Roast and thinking about what seems so remarkable and complicated about how coffee came to be. I can just see some South American farmer sitting next to a coffea plant one day and suddenly seeing visions of shelling its red berries to get to the little bean inside. And once he saw that little bean, he would immediately know to dry it, roast it, grind it up, and pour hot water over it through a filter in order to get one of the most popular beverages in the world. I'm sure that's how it happened!

Don't you ever wonder about stuff like this or am I the only one? And doesn't it make you wonder how many other drinks or potions are still out there undiscovered? Why did we find the ones we found? Were we wired a certain way? Is it just random that we landed on coffee? Could it just as easily have gone another way and suddenly we are all drinking hot baba from the babao plant? (Don't go looking; I just made those up.)

All this tells me that we are not alone in not being an accident. That little bean inside the coffea berry is no accident either. God has built all sorts of beneficial secrets into his creation and then left us to discover them and use them. And this comes with responsibility as well because some of these secrets are harmful. That's all a part of the good and evil around us that makes life such a challenge.

All of this makes me stop dead in my tracks and go, “God, you are so awesome! To have plants, animals, natural resources, and an environment in which they can all thrive together is one thing. The brains to make something out of all these resources, and the potential to use what we make for good or for evil are even more incredible gifts you have given your creatures. Who could have thought up a God like you? Certainly none of us.”

So enjoying my coffee today has turned into an unplanned act of worship. It's amazing how you can access thoughts of God through the simplest channels. It\'s really not that hard once you start thinking down this road. That we can go about our work and never give a thought to what's behind the world we deal with every day is the real scandal.

4th May 2006

Accidental poet by John Fischer

Down the street from a Starbucks in downtown Denver is a group of kids whose situation would present an apparent contradiction to the words of Rick Warren on the cups of coffee drinks they are bound to hold at some point during this campaign. The irony, I’m sure, will not go unnoticed. Some of them would say “accident” was inadequate to describe their lives. “Train wreck” might come closer.

These are teenagers who have run away from home or in some instances, been kicked out. For the most part, they are not prodigal children running away from loving parents; they are desperate children running away from prodigal parents, and they are going to put the “not an accident” theory to its severest test.

Robbie Goldman works among these kids, and he knows they are no accident even though their lives might look like one right now. Sometimes it takes someone else to believe it for you if you can’t believe it yourself. The salvation of each one of them will come when they realize that in spite of their situation, God wanted them alive and created them for a purpose. That’s the amazing thing about his purposes: They can prevail over any situation.

In his last communiqué, Robbie tells of a personal revelation he had reading the poetry of one of these kids:

“It is hard to imagine the ferocity with which my friend was writing lyrics down in her spiral notebook. She had been writing 10 to 12 of these poems a day. Some must have taken her over an hour.

What was the point? Who would want the horror punk lyrics of a street kid? Although she had a dream of some famous lead singer requesting her material, I wondered what would actually become of this notebook of words.

I sat and read the words carefully, giving my full attention to the admiration of her diligent work. She was amazed and said, ‘You must like them; you are reading each word.’

That is when it hit me. These crazy horror punk lyrics at that moment where meant for me! Most of the words were words I would never use. Most of the ideas I did not agree with. But the time and attention I gave to her work was what I needed to do. I am not a famous lead singer or record producer of horror punk, but I am her friend. That is enough.

The one thing all of us can do is be a friend. Let your heart love today, even if it exposes you to words you would not use and ideas with which you do not agree.”

It’s amazing what you can do for someone who thinks their life is an accident when you treat them as if it were not.

3rd May 2006

‘I just wanted to tell you I've been faithful’by John Fischer

I spent this weekend with a fine group of men from a Presbyterian church in Wichita, Kan. At our first gathering, I was met enthusiastically by one of the pastors who had been instrumental in supporting my coming as a speaker for their annual men's retreat. He immediately began rolling off a list of people and places from my past where his life and mine had intersected. In his words, I had been his spiritual mentor without my knowing it. As he told me his story, I came to find out that one of my earliest performances as a singer/songwriter had been instrumental in starting him out on his journey of faith.

On Sunday morning as he introduced me to the rest of the congregation, he embarrassed me with four of my early LPs (youthful pictures and very dated apparel) and commented on how it had been no small task to rescue them from the stash of memories in his basement. I was amazed that the albums he found had managed to survive all the garage sales his family had surely had over the last 30 years. He related that while he was searching for the albums the day before, his 11-year-old son had wanted to know what Dad was doing in the basement, to which his wife had replied: “Oh, your father is just finding himself down there.”

Apparently part of finding himself was in finding me, and though my ego wanted to bask in the attention, I couldn't. In fact, he said something so profound that I didn't know how to respond. I still don't, except to marvel at how right it is. He said it repeatedly during our conversations that weekend. “I couldn't wait for you to get here,” he said, with eyes as wide as a child's on Christmas morning, “because I wanted to personally tell you that I've been faithful all these years.”

It left me speechless every time. I couldn't even say, “Thank you,” because it wasn't about me; it was about him, and how important it was for me to be a witness to his faithfulness. And the more I heard it, the more something far greater than pride or accomplishment was welling up inside of me. It was a sense of gratefulness to God that he allowed me to be a part of this man's life.

Think about someone God used to start you down your own path of faith. Make it your goal to be able to get to that person and tell them you've been faithful - you haven't quit on your faith. It will be great for you, but take my word for it: It will be life-fulfilling for them.
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N.B. Recently I've been inspired to restart the journey of faith for the last time (I hope) by 2 music artiste namely KJ-52 and Seven places.

Their songs have really encouraged me to live for God (KJ-52's Are you Real?), overcome temptations (KJ-52's Life After Death) and love God so that I dedicate part of my time to Him everyday (Seven Places' Even When).

Their songs are available in the disc X 2005- 17 Christian Rock Hits available in all good christian stores.

Though I think I will never see them to tell them how I've kept my faith, at least on Earth, I'll certainly meet them in heaven and I know I'll be able to say to them, "I just wanted to tell you that I've been faithful!

They also inspired me to start this devotional blog on the 30th April 2006. This will certainly keep me accountable in my spiritual walk!

Praise be to God!!

2nd May 2006

What’s so special about ‘special needs’?by John Fischer

I often like to include stories that come from our readers as inspiration. Sometimes I retell them in my own words, but this one I’m passing on pretty much as it came to me. Thanks to Kim for sharing some valuable lessons with us.

I learned something new about myself this week from a new friend named Thomas who is 12 years old, incredibly handsome, friendly, and autistic. He sat behind me in a restaurant, close enough to touch. He was enamored with my 5-year-old who was not feeling well and not giving him any attention. I felt compelled to do so myself. Throughout the evening, Thomas and I became buddies – talking about everything from basketball to Nike shoes.

The most fascinating part of this new acquaintance was Thomas’ mother – an elegant, well-kept, very dignified, and composed woman. Her name is Debbie and in my eyes she is amazing. She is a single mom, a partner in a business, and manages to raise her son with "special needs." When she and her husband found out about Thomas’ autism at the age of 2, her husband got scared and left them. He has never been back.

Earlier in the evening, I was frustrated with my children for being difficult. They didn't want to get dressed to go the restaurant, they weren't happy about the jackets I chose, the baby was feeling bad, they didn't like each other, and were bickering. I was extremely exhausted and feeling terribly sorry for myself, because my husband was working late and I had no help with the children. I was driving them and my mother-in-law to the restaurant thinking, "How am I ever going to keep up with this? If I could just get enough rest to regain my composure, blah, blah, blah ..."

During dinner, the waves of guilt came over me as I began to think about how long and difficult Debbie's days must be, and yet she looked so much like she belonged exactly where she was in her life at that moment. I don't know how it will change my outlook on things long term, but it was definitely an eye opener for me today.

Debbie was truly a motivation. And then, irony of ironies, she came over to me as they got up to leave and hugged me with tears in her eyes – thanking me for being good to her son. Apparently their typical experience in public is to have people shy away from them out of fear of what to say. She has no idea that I owe her and Thomas the thanks. I will always be grateful that he reached out to my son and me that night.

1st May 2006

Restroom ministryby John Fischer

Don’t look now, but one of our readers is closing in on a new ministry. Ben is loose in the restroom! He writes:

When I was leaving work yesterday, I saw this guy in the restroom that I knew had been going through some grief, having lost both of his parents over the past year. My father just passed away on Feb. 27. I told him that I had a book on grieving the loss of a parent that might be useful to him. He said he didn't like to read a lot of books. I said, “Yeah, I can't really endorse it either. I haven't read it myself.” (Good one, Ben!)

I told him that I had the pleasure of leading my father to Christ back in November of 2004. I also let him know that I prefer to limit my reading to recommended books and was currently reading through Randy Alcorn's Heaven. I was able to share with him some of the fantastic things I have learned about Heaven and how it seems to have taken my grief away quickly.

We walked out together, down the elevator, and to the parking garage. During that time, I was able to talk with him more about his own certainty of eternal life. He has trusted in Christ but said that he "drifts" sometimes. I got to tell him that when he received Christ, he became a new creature and that he was going to go to Heaven. But between receiving Christ and dying, he was going to go through a process of being made more like Christ that wouldn't be complete until he died. I told him that God will speak to him through the Bible, prayer, and through meeting together with other believers like we were doing right then.

When we finished talking, I could tell that God had done something in him right then. He straightened up real tall and shook my hand firmly. "I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to me. This has meant a lot."
Now here’s the clincher …

I don't think I mentioned it, but I really don't like to talk to people in the bathroom more than just, "Hi, how are you ..."

Oh, sure Ben. We almost believe that!

You know, Ben’s story just confirms that most people want to talk if you show even the slightest interest in them. In this case, it was this gentleman’s loss that Ben was able to identify with.

I like this story because Ben is clearly not the professional Christian or the expert witness. He’s just … well … Ben – a guy who doesn’t like to talk to anybody in the restroom, but who did anyway because God moved him to. It’s pretty amazing what you can accomplish from the restroom to the parking lot when you follow his lead.

30th April 2006

'Trauma, drama princess' by John Fischer

I have a daughter who fights with life. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She was born eight weeks early and had to fight to get to where everyone else usually starts. Nothing's really changed since then. In school, she always insisted on going way beyond what was required, not because she had anything to prove, but because she couldn’t help it. She performs best in the most challenging of circumstances.

Her only flaw in this is that she always has to complain about the process all the time. Of course it doesn't hurt that she is also quite dramatic. There always seems to be some trauma that forces her to overcome a new difficulty, and while she is in the process of overcoming it, we have to continually hear how much better it would have been for her had the trauma not occurred. To which I always have to say, (or bite my tongue, waiting for the right opportunity to say) “but Anne, you wouldn't want it any other way.”

And she wouldn't. That's why I call her my “trauma, drama princess.” Any other way and she'd be bored to death. In school, the only classes she did not excel in were the easy ones that posed no challenge to her. This is also why she loves extreme sports: I am beginning to think she has to be in a near-death situation in order to induce normal blood flow to her brain.

Now why am I telling you this? Well, besides the joy of writing about my one-of-a-kind daughter, whom I delight in, there is a message here we all need to get. We cannot always control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to what does. My dear daughter has a tendency to burn a lot of energy turning the situation over and over in her mind. If such and such hadn't happened, then I wouldn't be here or there having to go through this or that. Life for her is pretty much variations on this theme - fill in the blanks. Sometimes I honestly think she is still trying to get those eight weeks back she lost in the womb. But there's no point in going over what we can't do anything about.

Focus on what we can control - our attitude as we live out our faith. As believers, we know that God has a purpose for our lives and for everything that happens to us. We're never going to change the past, but we can live in the knowledge that what was lost and found in the process of getting to where we are now has become a unique part of who we are and of what God has given us to do.