Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Author: pickleheavenpress

I have served as a pastor in East Texas for 32 years and it is my delight to continue my ministry online
prune juice predicament — August 21, 2020

prune juice predicament

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The ladies of the church were tucked away at their annual women’s retreat.  My wife was charged with preparing for the communion service.  However, it was Sunday morning when she realized that she had accidently purchased a bottle of prune juice rather than grape.

There was no time to get to the grocery store.   Maybe she could slip in the prune juice and no one would know.  It could be a moving service.  No – can’t do that! 

She ran to the camp host to see if they had any grape juice around.  They told her to check the freezer for some concentrates.  There were two – passion fruit and lemonade.

Lemonade?  Hmm – maybe, but anyone who has ever bought a lemon – would have conflicted feelings about Christ.

Passion fruit was closer to the color of grape juice, and aren’t we all supposed to be passionate about Christ?  Passion fruit it was!!

Despite the tropical juice and French bread cubes, the women managed to savor the wondrous work of Christ on their behalf. 

It makes me wonder though; Is it important that the juice of grapes be used for communion?   

The beverage options in Jesus’ day were limited.  The Qumran Quik Stop carried water, wine and sometimes goat’s milk or vinegar.  (Eeeww – who drinks vinegar?)  

When Jesus gave us the rite of Communion, He did so during a typical Passover meal using what He had before Him, which was most likely wine.  People didn’t imbibe a lot of pure grape juice back then because fermentation begins as soon as the skin of the grape is broken.  Refrigeration was still 2 millennia in the future.

In fact, the church has used wine through the ages to celebrate communion.  It really wasn’t until 1869 that Thomas Welch found a way to pasteurize grape juice to keep it from fermenting.  He marketed it to local churches, urging them to adopt it for communion services, calling it “Dr. Welch’s Unfermented Wine.”

Today some of us have red-faced arguments over whether it was wine or grape juice that Jesus used.  I was stunned to find out that the Bible does not specify. 

When the Lord gave us the rite, He referred to what was in the cup generically as, “the fruit of the vine” which could refer to either.  Paul was also vague in 1 Corinthians 11:25-28.  I wonder if the Lord was diplomatically trying to help us avoid our present-day communion controversies.

But what is it about the fruit of the vine that makes it an appropriate symbol of the blood that Jesus shed for us?   Why not Dr. Pepper?  

Maybe it’s because wine is frequently associated with joyful celebration in the Bible.  When King David was installed as King of Israel the wine flowed.  (1 Chron 12:38-40) Likewise, when Christ shed His blood, He earned the right to rule on the throne of David as King (Philippians 2:5-11) – a great cause to celebrate.

Certainly, the juice was nutritious and life giving – a reminder that Christ gives us life abundant now and for eternity.  Not common knowledge back then, but we now know that the fruit of the vine is full of antioxidants that ward off free radicals.  We also know that the blood of Christ secures us from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:9)

Or maybe it’s because the blood of grapes becomes more precious over time.  It’s not that the value of the His sacrifice improves, but our appreciation of it grows. 

My best guess, however, is that the juice is produced by the crushing of the grapes.  The ancient prophet predicted that our Savior would be likewise handled.   “He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins.”  – Isaiah 53:5  NETBible ®

That night in the Upper Room, Jesus made sure that His disciples understood that He was the one the prophet had in mind.  Like the juice of the grapes that He held in His hand, He would be crushed, but the blessing that would come from it would be vast, extraordinary and eternal. 

The next time you receive communion, forget the prune juice and mull over the fact that Jesus was crushed for you.

A PRAYER: Lord help me to better understand and appreciate the kind of love that Jesus has for me. 

shortcuts — August 19, 2020

shortcuts

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I both love and dread teaching the Bible.  My main complaint is this: God often takes the topic I plan to teach and allows me to experience it in a fresh way.  Why?  So, my message rings with authenticity – I guess.

If I plan to teach on patience – I end up standing in two feet of water with a plumbing issue that refuses to be fixed.   If I plan to speak on parenting, I hear from a frustrated teacher about one of my kids. This is why I have avoided preaching from the book of Job. 

One time, I planned to preach about our adversary the devil.  What was I thinking?  I was reviewing my notes just before the service, but I also needed to visit the men’s room.  I did both at the same time (back to the patience issue) 

I am pretty sure it was the devil who took the notes from my hands and dropped them in the toilet.  They were quickly saturated with sickly water.   Unfortunately, word processors weren’t invented yet.  So, I frantically worked to rescue them with a hairdryer.  After I had delivered my message someone told me it stunk.  I believed them.

Recently I’ve been preparing to teach on the temptation of Christ.  It was the devil’s plan to derail Jesus’ mission of redemption.  His third attempt is found in Matthew 4:8-9

“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur. And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me.”  NET Bible ®

They stood high atop Mount Hermon.  From there they could see many of the nations of the world of that day.  The devil said, “Worship me and this will be yours.” 

And they were His to give.  When Adam and Eve fell, dominion was ceded to the devil.  Christ called him the “ruler of this world.”  (John 12:31; 16:11) 

Jesus was promised this same inheritance by the Father.  But to gain it, He would have to endure 3 years of ridicule and rejection and then be nailed to a brutal cross and die.

The devil offered Him a shortcut – an easy path to power – no ridicule – no cross.  But, had He taken that shortcut; He would have forfeited everything.  Had he stepped out of the will of God; we would still be lost in our sins.  He said no!

The devil uses the same devices on us.  He wants to cheat out of what is rightfully ours, by tempting us to obtain it by shortcut.

The guy didn’t finish college but awarded himself a degree on his resume.  It worked fine until HR found out.  Now he’s looking for another job and finishing out his course work.

Her daddy told her to save up for a car, but she was impatient.  She took what little she had and bought as much car as she could get.   It ran for 7 months until engine locked up.  Now she has no car and no money.

As a young Christian I gave when the basket was passed – just a couple dollar bills to give an appearance.  I had an excuse – my income was insufficient to cover my bills.   

My pastor taught me to be a responsible giver.   So, my wife and I made a commitment to return at least 10% of our income back to the Lord.  From that time to this, we have consistently had enough to cover our expenses.   The shortcut hurt us until I obeyed.  It was then that God saw that our needs were met. 

So, my Wednesday lesson was going to be on shortcuts.  But I needed to trim our trees before then.  One branch was beyond my reach and I didn’t want to get down and move the ladder.  So, I stretched and stretched until I lost my balance and dropped 6 feet, landing flat on my face in the dirt.  Which is often par for a shortcut.

On the positive side: It gave me a good illustration for my teaching.  The negative: I ached for a couple of days and the doctor may have said that I have amnesia, but I can’t’ remember.

As I close let me rescue my point.  The devil is a tricky sort.  He offers us shortcuts to the things we desire.  He did it to Jesus and he does it to us.  Tell him no and do it God’s way.

A PRAYER: Lord your way is not always the quickest, but always the best.  Help me stay the course. 

life’s first truly traumatic moment — August 12, 2020

life’s first truly traumatic moment

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It happened when she was playing Goony Golf.  My darling of a granddaughter was introduced to miniature golf by her daddy. 

She loved her Crayola colored ball and somehow, found a dozen different ways to grip her club.  She cheered when she hit it through the alligator’s mouth and moaned when the ogre blocked her path. 

She was only 8 but she played with the intensity of PGA pro and made sure her daddy kept an accurate score as she raced through the course.   

Then came the 18thhole.  She lined up the ball and followed through.  It ascended the ramp and dropped right in – a hole in one!   She was ecstatic – – until she went to retrieve her ball.  With astonishment and alarm, she cried, “Hey it’s gone!”  

We explained to her one of the cruelest facts of life.  In miniature golf, you always lose the ball on the last hole.  It drops through the green into the great black abyss below.   It was the final, inarguable signal that the game was over. 

Her sense of loss was profound.  The injustice distressed her, and she wanted her ball back. 

Having processed it a bit, she then decided to warn others.  There was a group of pre-teens approaching the 18th hole.   Our little Paul Revere cried out, “Hey girls, excuse me, do you know that when you hit the ball in the hole you can’t get it back?”

I was really sad for her and sorta sad for me because, it ate my ball too. “Oh man, I can’t believe the game is over.”  

As it is, my game really is nearly over.  I am reminded of it every day in my work as a Hospice Chaplain.  I care for people who are rounding the last bend of the last lap of their lives.   When the ball drops – that’s it. 

I got another kind of frightening reminder the other evening.  2 doors down someone fired a semi-automatic weapon at a neighbor – five rapid fire rounds.   I ran for cover.

All reminders that my game is almost over. 

There’s very little I can do to make it longer, but lots I can do to make it count.

The apostle Paul gave some advice.  I love the way Eugene Petersen translated it in THE MESSAGE, “So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!  Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.” –  Ephesian 5:15-17

Such good counsel! 

“Watch your step”:  We can shorten or negatively complicate our lives by stepping off the narrow way and into the mire

“Use your head”:  We need to impound the impulsive and think before we jump

“Make the most of every chance you get”:  We should seize the opportunities that God brings and savor them along the way.  

“Don’t live carelessly or unthinkingly”:  We need to be deliberate about the way we live.

“Make sure you understand what the Master wants”:  This is the factor that brings it all together.  When we seek to know, understand and do the Lord’s will, we get the absolute maximum potential benefit out of this life, while making a sound investment in the life to come.

As a pastor of 32 years and a hospice chaplain I have sat with many who were facing the end of life.

I might dare to categorize them into two groups.  Those who were prepared for the end of the game and those who were not.

The prepared, generally speaking, were financially comfortable, if not through their own foresight in planning, through the kindness of family.  They enjoyed rich relationships with family and even friends – mostly church friends. 

Despite their afflictions, they looked beyond themselves and took an active interest in others.  They could smile and laugh and face death with a sense of ease because they had an eternal hope.  When they passed, they were celebrated rather than mourned!  

These things were often absent from the lives of the unprepared. 

The difference?  The prepared understood the will of the Master and ordered their lives to that end. 

Some of us are racing through life playing Goony Golf and forgetting that the 18th is coming.    

We need to slow down, tee up the ball, make sure that it is on target, follow through and savor the experience along the way. 

A PRAYER: Lord I have but one life to live.  Help me to live it well!

the sting of stubborn — August 5, 2020

the sting of stubborn

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There is a saying we have in Texas to describe a stubborn person.  Read it with your best Texas drawl, “He’s so contrary he floats upstream.”  

We all know someone like that – a person that takes delight in defiance.  You try to feed your infant and he slaps the spoon away.  Plan a vacation at the beach and your husband tells you it’s the mountains or he’s not going.  The boss knows he is wrong but would rather run the company into the ground before he’ll admit it. 

Sounds like me.  I was the first child of five.  It was up to me to break in my parents.  Mom told me that when I was but a wee toddler, I was very self-willed, and I was creative at it.

When I did not get my way, I would hold my breath.   No big deal, except that I would hold it until they caved.  Mom tells me that I would reach the point where my fair skin turned blue (which paired nicely with my bright red hair.)  

When I went blue, mom and dad were scared into submission.  I did this often enough that mom finally took me to our family doctor (the vet refused to see me). 

She explained the problem and asked what to do.  That quack told her to go ahead and let me hold my breath. 

It wasn’t long before I threw another fit, took a gulp of air and held on for 1 minute – 2 minutes.  Mom stood her ground.  I was starting to turn blue and getting lightheaded.  “Surely she’ll see things my way now.”  But she didn’t.  I passed out and crumpled to the floor – and then involuntarily began to breathe again.   

Later – another power struggle.  Again, she handled it as the doctor advised.  When I came to, I realized that my plan wasn’t working.  Instead of helping me get ahead, I got a lumpy head from the falls.   

That was the last time I held my breath except for when I became a dad and had to change stinky baby diapers.   I held my breath – – – until my wife changed them. 

I am an adult now and I answer to God and I sometimes wonder about my stubborn streak.  I am pretty sure that my self-willed ways sometimes cross swords with His will for me. Does He ever fold His arms and watch as I turn blue and pass out?  Scripture seems to suggest that He does.

Proverbs 26:27 says “The one who rolls a stone—it will come back on him.”  NETBible ®    Picture a stubborn guy who is determined to roll a boulder up a hill.   He eventually reaches the point where gravity wins and turns the stone into a steamroller.  The man who pushed gets squashed.  There are natural consequences that often follow stubbornly foolish decisions. 

Elsewhere in Proverbs we read, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to relax, and your poverty will come like a robber, and your need like an armed man.”  – Proverbs 6:10-11 NET Bible ®   Point?  Idle hands become empty hands.

Yep, sometimes God simply stands back and lets us experience the consequences of our stubborn choices.   He allows the pain of it to get our attention and reshape our thinking. 

The wife neglects the care of her house until she sees how her habit has been reproduced in her kids.  The guy refuses to be ruled by the schedule at work until he is fired.  A dad consistently hurts his daughter but stubbornly refuses to admit it.  He stands his ground until she tries to run away. 

Is it possible that the pain in your life has its roots in your stubbornness? 

God wants better for us.  He loves us enough to instruct us from His Word, and to station His Spirit in us to direct us.  He even uses the perception of others to help us see what we miss.    There is no reason we must impose these self-inflicted wounds.

Rather than turning blue, we need to turn to the Lord.  Be stubborn no longer.  Enjoy His good and generous plans for you.

A PRAYER: Lord help me to be stubborn about listening, learning and letting things go when it’s needed   

Jesus and goats — July 29, 2020

Jesus and goats

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In the sports pages, the acronym G.O.A.T. stands for the Greatest Of All Time.  In the Bible, however, it may stand for the Grimmest Of All Time. 

Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. – Matthew 25:31-33  NET Bible ®

The sheep represent people of faith while the goats are the emblem of those who have rejected Jesus.  But why pick on the goats?

I know as much about goat husbandry, as a sumo wrestler at a quilting bee.  But I can research, and this is what I have learned.

Goats look like sheep:  Throughout the ages, these ruminants have looked ridiculously alike.  The primary way to distinguish them is by their tails.  A goat’s tail goes up – the sheep’s – down.  Then there is the issue of odor.  The goats reek!

In order to maximize manpower, both were typically herded together, until time to shear the sheep (I guess there was a goat tail checker on the payroll)

So maybe the Lord wants us to know that you can’t always tell a Christian apart from one who is not.  I know professing sheep that smell more like goats, and some moral goats that act better than sheep.  On the day Jesus separates them, however, it will be based on their relationship to Him.  

Goats look for trouble.  Quotes from a livestock forum: “If you leave goats in with your horse, they may chew off his tail.” “My dad has described goats as ‘Jack Russells with hooves.’”   

Male goats headbutt sheep, people and anything else that moves – including pickup trucks.  (and you thought sheep were dumb)

The Lord has issues with those who abuse others.  In fact, His indictment of the goats in Matt 25 was based on the insensitive way the goats treated His sheep.  Hmm. That snide remark to my wife was a little goatee like. 

Goats are destructive:  Sheep enjoy grass and are content to leave some for later.  Goats will gnaw it to the ground, which destroys the pasture. 

They also shinny up trees to feast on the leaves and twigs.   Their habits have earned them the title of “worst land destroyers in history.”   Whole herds have been known to wander off and create a feral race of goats that decimate the environment.  Sounds like a sci fi sequel – “Planet of the Goats.” 

Whereas goodness and mercy are said to follow the sheep, wanton destruction follows goats.  

Paul wrote to us saying, “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another.”  – 1 Thessalonians 5:11. In other words, we sheep should leave people better off for having spent time with us.

Goats are independent.  Goats were the first to social distance.   When grazing, they tend to spread out, rather than feed side by side as do sheep.  

Goats tend to do their own thing.  Check out the picture!  I sat down at a petting zoo and ended up with a goat sitting on top of me. 

Sheep will follow their shepherd, but the goatherd vainly tries to keep up with the goats.  One herder says that sometimes you need to take the alpha goat by the horns or collar and force compliance to get the others to follow.

As for a fence, a goat can dig under it or climb over it – and they will.   It’s been said, “If your fence won’t hold water, it won’t hold a goat.”   A shepherd carries a staff which he uses to defend sheep and to discipline the goats. 

When there is danger, sheep run to the shepherd. With the other guys its every goat for himself.  They scatter.  

A goat will not follow the Savior – and this is probably the trait that makes them a most fitting emblem of unbelief.  Jesus, the Shepherd, put it this way in Mark 8:34-35, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and because of the gospel will save it.”

It is likely impossible for a bearded billy goat to deny himself and get behind and follow the shepherd.  Not so impossible for us.  May we be goaded by the goats to gladly follow the Good Shepherd.

All Scripture references are from the NETBible ®

handling a critic — July 22, 2020

handling a critic

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Critics.  Sometimes they’re as thick as flees on a farm dog.  And they jump on you when you least expect it.

Terry was a friend and a student at the Bible College.  He was asked to fill the pulpit at a small country church hidden in a holler in southern Ohio.  The faithful few at the Wednesday night service gathered to hear what brother Terry was going to bring. 

He was a novice, but he ascended the platform in faith.  With a quiver in his voice, he made his first major point.  Just then, a man in the congregation stood, pulled a ball cap from his back pocket, snapped it open and put it on. 

He made a fist with his thumb up and then swept it over his shoulder.  Yes – the self-appointed umpire just called the preacher out!

Terry was stunned.  He hesitated and mentally retraced his words wondering, “What kind of heresy did I just spout?” 

Then his critic silently removed his hat, tucked it in his pocket and sat down.  

Terry scanned the flock to see their reaction – but there was none.  Those who were not asleep were in a daze. Terry wondered if this was not the church of the Twilight Zone. 

He found his place and resumed his oratory.  A short time later, the ump made another call – Out again?  No way!  Terry began to sweat.  The count was two outs.  Would another preacher take the field after three? 

And there it was – another out.  Terry was ready to kick some dirt on the ump, except on the next call, with palms down, he snapped his arms out to either side – Safe!  “Thank You, Jesus!”

And that’s how it went the entire message.   Terry was soon longing for the 7th inning stretch. 

He learned afterwards that the man was mentally impaired, and it was his custom to umpire every service.  (Hey at least he was listening).  The congregation loved him and just learned to ignore his antics.    

I am sure you have your critics too!  – The boss who edits your reports; the mother-in-law who gives you cooking tips; the wife who looks at your outfit with a sneer.   So, how should we handle those who criticize?

The book of Proverbs has some sound advice except it uses words like “rebuke” and reprove” in place of criticism.

If a criticism is not shared with you face-to-face reject it.  If a person chooses to talk about you rather than to you, they are a gossip – not a critic.  Scripture says, “Better is an open (criticism) rebuke than hidden love.”  (27:5) Do not receive a criticism unless it comes from the person standing in front of you.

Consider the source.   Is your critic a friend or foe?  “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.”  (27:6) Listen to the criticism of a friend and treat with suspicion the words of a foe.

Listen and evaluate.  God uses critics to help us with blind spots.  “Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise (critic) reprover to a listening ear.”   (25:12) It’s painful but profitable to hear criticism when it is on the mark. 

Is the opinion shared?  One way to measure the validity of a criticism is to find if other people have the same perception.   What if Terry would have had 6 people stand and call him out?  Send in a pinch hitter Coach!

Don’t let your self-worth get in the way. We tend to shy away from criticism because we allow it to eat away at our self-esteem.   That’s not the way God sees it.  “Do not (criticize) reprove a mocker or he will hate you; (criticize) reprove a wise person and he will love you.”  (9:8)   Did you catch that? The one who rejects criticism is a fool, whereas the one who considers appropriate criticism is deemed wise.  To be criticized is not a cause for shame – to reject it is. 

Adjust and Finish.  If the criticism is on the mark – do something about it.  “The one who stiffens his neck after numerous (criticisms) rebukes will suddenly be destroyed without remedy.” (29:1) When we ignore the God directed critics in our lives, we travel a destructive path.  So, adjust and then finish the course.  Terry didn’t shut his Bible and slink out the side door in defeat.  He stayed and finished.  Don’t let criticism curtail you either. Adjust and finish.

We may never bat 1,000 in life but we can win the game, if we handle our critics wisely.

All Biblical references are from the book of Proverbs from the NETBible ®

fatman and robin — July 15, 2020

fatman and robin

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I have a fine feathered friend.  When I break out the lawnmower and plow through the yard, there is a robin that hops around and follows me.  He comes ridiculously close and is not a bit intimidated by the noise or the exhaust fumes. 

When I move from the back to the front yard he follows.  He flits away when I finish, but then he shows up promptly the next week when the rope pulls the engine to life again.  Thus far it’s been six weeks in a row.

He makes me feel special – like Snow White when the birds helped her clean up the dwarf house. 

The question is why?  Does he like the buzz he gets from the exhaust?  Or maybe he has a proclivity to my sweaty obesity or maybe mister redbreast knows that I used to have red hair. 

Well a little bird told me that robins largely prefer to dine on earthworms.  The worms evidently get aggravated when I mow the lawn.  They come out and ask, “Hey what’s all that racket?” 

Plus, I found a scholarly paper called EFFECTS OF GRASS LENGTH AND MOWING ON

FORAGING BEHAVIOR OF THE AMERICAN ROBIN (TURDUS MIGRATORIUS). (This is legit – no joke) The researcher found that robins overwhelmingly prefer shorter rather than longer lawns.  Well who doesn’t? 

So, when I cut the grass, the yard becomes the Golden Corral of the robin hood.

I guess you could say that the robin shows up each week because worms of goodness and mercy follow me whenever I mow the lawn (unless you look at it from the perspective of the worms.)

I do love that phrase in Psalm 23, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…”    It suggests to me that the wake we Christians leave, as we pass through this life, should be a blessing and benefit to others – leaving good things behind and merciful deeds as a legacy. 

There is someone with whom I work that seems to understand this.  Even better – she lives it.  Stacy is a nurse who has made it her mission to care for the needs of those in hospice care.

Now hospice is a tough gig.  The purpose is to provide comfort and care to terminally ill people.  There is never a happy ending.  But Stacy is deeply motivated to do this out of compassion and her faith in Jesus. 

Just recently she and I made a simultaneous visit to a sweet frail octogenarian we’ll call Rosa.  It was inspiring to see Stacy in action again.  She brought with her a cheerful outlook.  Her words and the tone of her voice transformed the gloom in the room. 

She listened to Rosa’s heart with a stethoscope, but she was also attuned to her heart break as Rosa spoke of her sadness.  It is not unusual for Stacy to weep with her patients. 

Stacy had a busy day ahead of her, but she was not rushed.  Rosa was treated like a person and not an appointment.  

She often holds the hands of her patients and prays for them, but she deferred to me as the chaplain this time. 

After the blood pressure cuff and thermometer were stowed, Stacy lay down on the floor near Rosa’s wheelchair and gleefully painted her toenails.  (I don’t think Medicare covers that) 

As she left, I heard her say with a sweetness to her voice, “I love you Rosa.”   Rosa said, “I love you too.”  They both meant it.

Stacy’s patients are enveloped in the wake of the goodness and mercy she leaves behind her.

They know it and cherish it.  Often their eyes are lifted to the Savior that energizes this nurse. 

Now did you know that every hospice agency has a coordinator who arranges for volunteers to do things read books, play games, clean house, run errands and more for needful patients.   You could do it too!  If you live in East Texas, I would be delighted to get you connected!   Contact me.  If you live elsewhere, check out an agency nearby.

I probably should say that Stacy is only one of several amazing nurses with whom I work.  There are also wonderful aides, social workers and many others including we chaplains who handle our work with care and compassion. (PS: Except I don’t do toenails). 

fifty years new — July 12, 2020

fifty years new

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Bob and Jeanine Coleman are two of my most favorite people. They recently celebrated their 65 wedding anniversary. A solid marriage built on the foundation of Christ. I wrote this song for their fiftieth. Still true today.

swim pit — July 8, 2020

swim pit

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I guess we get what we deserve! 

It was a sweltering summer day and our gang of kids was griping that no one had a swimming pool.  So, somebody said, “Hey let’s just build one!  “Cool” we said.  But, “Who’s yard will we dig it in? 

They told me to ask my dad.  I almost wet myself at the thought and Steve’s mom would throw a hissy fit.  But Tommy, well his mother was a single mom and she worked full time.  Perfect!  We could dig while she was away.  Tommy said she never went into the yard anyhow. 

Monday, we gathered our hardware, went to Tommy’s and began to excavate.  There was a bunch of us, so dirt was flying every which way. 

We worked most of the day and had a pretty good-sized pit to show for it.  Tuesday, we decided that we kinda dug, digging. Wednesday, we made plans for a diving board.   

By Friday the pit was about 2 feet deep with maybe an 8-foot diameter.  We amazed ourselves.

We planned to finish it the next week – but then came Saturday.   That’s when Tommy’s mom used her weekend respite to clean the house.  She took the trash to the alley.  On the way, she stumbled onto, or maybe it was into our pool.

She made some blistering calls to our parents – and our audacious aquatic plans were sunk.

Worse – We were ordered to return to the scene of the crime on Monday and fill in what had become an abyss.  “Why?” we asked.  “It’s what you deserve!” they said!

What a summer bummer. The sun was furiously hot and the labor exceptionally meaningless as we back filled our pointless pit.

I guess we really do get what we deserve! 

The toddler gets flicked on the hand when he defies mom.  The school kid flunks the test when he fails to study.  The teen that abuses his phone, loses his phone.  The collegian that cheats is expelled.  The young man loses his license for his third DWI.  The young lady gets an STD because of promiscuous sex and so on.  Sometimes the consequences are not immediate, they seem to catch us later.

Even the Scripture echoes the theme. 

Paul the apostle charged us when he wrote, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23) All Paul?  Absolutely.  We have all missed the mark and usually more than once. 

Again, says Paul, “The wages of sin is death.”  (Romans 6:23)   It was his way of saying, “If you do the crime, you do the time.”  The justness of God requires a person to satisfy the law when they break it.  He requires a death sentence – an eternal, infernal death sentence. 

We get what we deserve!  – With only one blessed exception.

The apostle Peter put it this way, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God, by being put to death.”  – 1 Peter 3:18NET Bible ®

Jesus stepped between us and the wrathful judgment of God – the just for the unjust – to bury our sins and to bring us to God.  Jesus took what we deserve.  How disturbing and yet comforting.

Time never seemed to erase the scar we left in Tommy’s backyard.  The site of our former swimming hole was filled with dirt, but it settled in lumpy and uneven ways.  It sported more weeds than grass.  It was a lawn mower no-man’s land – a nasty place in the yard.  And that’s kind what it looks like when we attempt to self-atone for our moral mistakes. 

With Jesus it’s different.  The Scripture says, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” – Isaiah 1:18   When Jesus does His work, we end up way better off than we were before – new on the inside. 

So, will you face eternity knowing that you will get exactly what you deserve OR will you step aside and allow Jesus to bear your burden?   Pick up a Bible, find the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 16 to find out how!

planting a new church — July 1, 2020

planting a new church

/pickleheavenpress

It is quite popular these days to include the word “point” in the name of one’s church.  I know of a Lake Pointe, North Point, Life Point, Center Point, New Point, Mission Point and City Point Church and there are many more. 

I have occasionally toyed with the idea of planting a new church.  I already have a name.  It would be, “What’s the Point” Church. 

In my work as a Hospice Chaplain I have encountered many church dropouts who think of the church and wonder, “What’s the Point?” 

These folks were often raised in church and have sweet memories.   But somewhere along the way they were wounded by church people.

One young man was falsely accused by a church lady of stealing from her purse.  Another person was pointed out by the pastor from the pulpit.  Another was turned off by ugly church politics. 

There are those who are disgusted by the hypocrisy that grips so many in the church.  Then there was the adulterous pastor.  And what about the church board that tried to cover up the abusive Sunday School incident.

Some have been repulsed by the pastor that drones on about money and the monthly tithe reminder envelopes that come in the mail.  Others gave up on the church because they were forgotten during their hospital stay. 

These wounded understand what the church ought to be and are discouraged by what it is.  They rightfully wonder, “What’s the point?” 

What can we say to these dropouts?  What can we do to make sure that we do not become, or cause the next casualty?

1. Remember that we continue to be sinners, saved and sustained by grace.

Take a spiritual selfie.  What do you see?   Can you honestly say that there is never inconsistency in your own spiritual life?   We understand that we are sinners saved by grace.   Once redeemed we remain to be sinners, sustained by grace.  The apostle John wrote to Christian people saying, “If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” – 1 John 1:8

          Most of us do not want to fail the Lord and or each other – but we do, and we will because we are still made of flesh.  Expect to be disappointed by others.  If needed apply Galatians 6:1, “If a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness.”  Don’t skip the last half of this verse.  “Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.”

I had a seminary professor that used to say, “If you should ever find the perfect church, don’t join it, because you’ll ruin it.”

 2. Keep your eyes on Jesus

The author of Hebrews pictured the Christian life as being a race.  He then advised us to keep our eyes, “on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”  Hebrews 12:2. 

          Every competitive runner knows that taking even a fraction of time to glance at the other runners, slows you down.   We need to stop looking at others and fix our eyes ahead on Jesus who stands at the finish line

He is our master.  He is the one to whom we answer, and He will one day address the dumb things that each of we Christians have done.   Let’s leave the judging to Him. 

3. Keep His commandments

When I served as a pastor, there were times of frustration when I asked the Lord, “Are you sure that the church is your best idea for managing your people?”  He ignored me because He already answered the question in Matthew 16:18. “…I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”   He expects us to be an active part of a local church (Matthew 18:15-18; Hebrews 10:25)

Recently my grandson asked, “Why do some Christians give up on church?”  I explained to him much of what I wrote above.  Then I said,” Buddy, I have personally been so wounded by church, that I would probably drop out if I could.  But I can’t – because my Savior expects me to continue to be an active part of His church.”   He says to me, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” (John 14:15)

My mom was a fantastic cook but there was a time that she burned dinner.  I was so upset, I vowed that I would never eat again.  That’s ridiculous of course. 

We will be burned at times by church people, but never should we forsake Christ’s church.    The blessings of being with the people of God far outweigh the bumps along the way.

Biblical references come from the NET Bible ®