tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44381012612468036442024-03-19T16:07:07.052-07:00The FAX of Life by Rubel ShellyBonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-29195761865853429192013-03-11T09:56:00.003-07:002013-03-11T09:56:46.656-07:00Advice for a New Pope<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
Getting
ready to board a flight from Dallas to Detroit last Saturday, I picked up a
copy of the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>. The
most interesting articles I spotted were not about the economy, emerging
markets, or the new record highs on the New York Stock Exchange. They were
about the selection of a new pope.</div>
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Pope
Benedict XVI stunned his own Roman Catholic Church and the larger world last
month by resigning the papal office. He thus became the first pope to retire
from office since 1415. Now the <i>Journal</i>
was running six views of “What to Look for in a New Pope.” The writers came at
their assignment from a variety of perspectives and with several common themes.
Among them were advocacy for the poor, transparency about recent scandals,
being a moral-spiritual warrior to a world that seems increasingly immoral and
secular, etc.</div>
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Among the
suggestions I found most insightful were these words from one of the two female
writers: “[T]he new pope must bring Catholicism back to basics, not to
elaborations on a theme but to the theme itself. The modern Church, at the very
highest levels of its thinking, in the writings of John Paul II and Benedict
XVI, has become somewhat abstract and cerebral. Such things have their place,
but for now, in the ruined world, what’s needed is a reintroduction of Christ
to the rising and post-Christian nations alike, always with an eye to meaning,
meaning.”</div>
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I found
Peggy Noonan’s words convicting. They speak not only to Catholics but to
Protestants as well. They are, in fact, variations on a theme that <i>Time</i> magazine noted almost exactly a
year ago. Commenting on Christian believers who say they no longer have a
religious affiliation, the national newsmagazine quoted an ordained
Presbyterian: “My sense is that for most they’re not rejecting God. They’re
rejecting organized religion as being rigid and dogmatic.”</div>
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Too
cerebral? Somewhat abstract? Rigid? Dogmatic? Why, how dare anyone say such
things!</div>
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Yet Jesus
said similar things about the religion of his day. Tradition had become more
important to the religious leaders than Scripture itself. He allowed that the
Temple had been turned into a marketplace and den of thieves. He protested that
the religion scholars were debating the meaning of obscure texts while the
“weightier matters” of justice, mercy, and faith were being neglected.</div>
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To the
degree that any of us who stand in the Christian tradition feel defensive about
the criticisms we hear of church these days – and please hear the term “church”
in its broadest possible connotation – we are likely part of the problem.
Whether Catholics about priestly transgressions or Protestants about
self-aggrandizing televangelists, whether you are non-denominational or a
“none” (i.e., <i>Time</i>’s non-affiliated
believer), we could all benefit by listening.</div>
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The world
isn’t dying for a lack of clarity about difficult theological problems or
clerical authority. It needs to encounter its redeemer, Jesus Christ.</div>
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Lived faith,
radiant hope, and selfless love – these are the qualities of a Christ-filled life
that will make it possible for someone to meet him through you. </div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-46438758246034658702013-01-07T13:22:00.002-08:002013-01-07T13:22:29.795-08:00Reflections on Malala’s Recovery <div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
Malala Yousafzai is the 15-year-old
Pakistani girl who was shot by Taliban gunmen last October. Her offense was
that she wanted to go to school. More than that, she had dared to speak and
blog for the freedom of girls like her to receive an education in Pakistan. Her
father had kept a school he operated in a conventional region of that country
open to girls – in defiance of the Taliban.
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two gunmen stopped the school van in
which Malala was riding, forced other students to point her out, and opened
fire. She was critically injured by bullets that struck her head and neck.
Moved from Pakistan to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in London, she has received
aggressive treatment over the past three months. Her progress has been
remarkable – a miracle, says her father.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She was discharged from the hospital
last week and is in a safe house with her family. While she is much improved,
she is hardly recovered from her injuries. There will be surgery soon to
replace a shattered portion of her skull. There is more therapy to come. And
some damage to her will be permanent. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For a moment, let your sympathy for
Malala and your outrage toward those who would do such a thing to her extend to
a broader group. She is one very public and visible case of injustice against
women and children. Hers is a most important and extreme instance of the
mistreatment millions of people suffer on a daily basis for their entire lives.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You surely read of the 23-year-old
woman who died after being raped, beaten, and otherwise brutalized in India. That
widely publicized episode has become the occasion for the world to learn how
vulnerable women are in India to lewd confrontations, physical groping, and
sexual violation. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then last week Operation Sunflower,
led by the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials, brought about
the arrest of 245 persons for child sexual abuse and child pornography. Of
those 245, all but 23 were in the United States. As a result of the operation,
44 children were rescued from the adult abusers and pornographers with whom
they were living – five under the age of 3 and nine between the ages of 4 and
6. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The time is long past that you and I
can turn away from such evils. Guard your children and grandchildren. Report
abuse to the police. Don’t make excuses for pornography or stay silent when
others do. The issue here is simple respect for human worth and dignity. Basic
human rights. Love for the most vulnerable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If we don’t love the people we can
see, how can we claim to love God, whom we cannot see?” (1 John 4:20). </div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-3795191532028656982012-12-04T11:06:00.001-08:002012-12-04T11:06:56.727-08:00You’re Trying Too Hard!<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
It was a conversation I’ve had with
several people before. I’m always cautious about it and feel the need to
explain the meaning of the statement. But it really does appear true that some
people try too hard to be good Christians. The way it came up was in a
conversation with a young friend last week who was distraught over some impure
motives she saw at work in her heart.
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just to set the record straight,
Becky (not her real name) is one of the finest and most genuine people I know.
Everyone else in her family and the circle of friends who know her best would
tell you the same. But that, you see, is the root of her problem. She is so
authentic and earnest about things that she is on the verge of driving herself
crazy! If the problem with some people is that they are devoid of introspection
and conscience, hers is the opposite. She tries too hard.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The gospel of Jesus is the good news
that we have release from our past and hope for our future because of what he
did. It is not the bad news that we might climb out of the pits we have dug for
ourselves and find a way into God’s heart if we master all our character flaws
and resist every temptation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Becky is <i>too</i> introspective, <i>too</i> self-critical,
and <i>too</i> unwilling to give herself the
benefit of the doubt she would give a total stranger. And it is making her
miserable. Perhaps even spiritually neurotic. Jesus offered pardon and peace to
his followers. Becky has turned his offer on its head and lives with a constant
sense of judgment and fear. About the only thing I can think of that would be
worse would be for her to decide she has conquered all her flaws. She just
might turn into a self-righteous prig who couldn’t stand those of us who still
struggle.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Surely the better way is to walk
with a lighter step and happier heart. Yes, we are sinful people – but people
who have been loved, redeemed, and secured to God through the work of Christ.
Yes, we still name and confess our sins – but with gratitude for pardon rather
than in fear of rejection. Don’t presume on grace; be grateful for it. Don’t be
cavalier about failure; confess it and move on. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Remember the story in Luke 18 about
the man who tried so hard to be holy and could name the steps of progress he
had made? The other person in the story was anything but holy, but he went home
at peace with God for confessing his unworthiness! His confessional and
prayerful attitude seems to be at the heart of true holiness – the holiness
that God himself seeks and honors in us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My dear children, I am writing this
to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate
who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly
righteous” (1 John 2:1 NLT).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So keep trying. Just don’t try <i>too</i> hard. It could be your downfall.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-90381690369714880672012-11-12T07:27:00.002-08:002012-11-12T07:27:09.077-08:00When Heroes Fall<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
National
news media and personal blogs were clogged with the breaking news last Friday
related to David Petraeus. He is the Army general whose leadership had been
relied upon by President Bush. He then became Director of the Central
Intelligence Agency for President Obama. Brilliant and focused, there are
people who believed he was presidential material for the near future.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the
words of Saturday’s <i>New York Times</i>,
“Few imagined that such a dazzling career would have so tawdry and so sudden a
collapse.” Some news outlets even pulled up the biblical story of David and
Bathsheba as a parallel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The news
story Friday was that Mr. Petraeus had resigned his position as CIA Director
because of an affair. The term “adultery” was used in headlines. And the issue
of personal morality and public life came front and center again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The point
of this short essay is not moralistic piling-on. David and Holly Petraeus have
been married 38 years. Their marriage has survived multiple long deployments,
generated two children who are now adults, and was regarded as a model for many
in the military. I don’t know if they are people of faith. But I can hope and
pray for repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation for the Petraeuses. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The point
is, instead, what reactions to the Petraeus story reveal about our moral
climate in America. Countless people weighed in to the effect that a sexual
affair between Petraeus and the married woman who had written his biography was
really nobody’s business and should not have required his resignation. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On this
point, David Petraeus seems to have been more upright than his would-be
defenders. The military code under
which he served for 37 years still regards adultery as a crime when it stands
to “bring discredit upon the armed forces.” Furthermore, an affair is a
circumstance that stands to make an intelligence officer susceptible to
blackmail. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the moral atmosphere of our time
is terribly polluted. An ongoing poll in the <i>Los Angeles Times</i> asked if an affair should cost someone his
career. When I checked the numbers, 75% said it should not. Of course, they
did! Movie stars, athletes, clergy, politicians – countless examples can be
cited where careers soared with documented infidelities a matter of public
record. Some reports say President Obama asked Petraeus to reconsider his
resignation. To quote the <i>New York Times</i>
again, a “jaundiced Washington” just might have accepted it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Humans care far too much about our
cars and hair, image and options; on the other hand, we can evidence far too
little concern about our families and commitments, character and destinies.
Something is terribly, terribly wrong with that reality! And this episode has
the wrongdoer acting more honorably in some ways than those of us who have
heard and reacted to the report. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While praying for the Petraeuses,
perhaps all of us should be more aware of our shared identity as sinful people who
are vulnerable to temptation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If you think <i>you</i> are standing strong, be careful not to fall” (1 Cor 10:12 NLT).</div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-5600090280377948642012-11-04T19:02:00.000-08:002012-11-04T19:02:11.983-08:00A Post-Election Reminder<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
On Tuesday of this week, the
contentious marathon called an <i>American
presidential election</i> is scheduled to end. The curious system that has both
a popular vote tally and a decisive electoral college total is scheduled to
render a verdict in the Obama-Romney contest. Writing 48 hours in advance of
Election Day, I can only hope the complexities of voting in the aftermath of
Hurricane Sandy and challenges of other sorts do not leave the outcome in
doubt.
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<i>If
your candidate wins</i>, can you assume that his every promise will be kept
promptly and without fail? That his leadership will establish American prestige
abroad and prosperity at home? That a stable peace is at hand? That we are
secure from terrorism, health pandemic, and partisan gridlock in Washington?
You know better. The election of neither candidate will turn the wasteland of
our spiritual, economic, and political landscape into the Garden of Eden.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<i>If
your candidate loses</i>, will you be demoralized with the thought that all is
lost? That his position over the next four years is guaranteed to bring about
the collapse of the American experiment, if not the ruin of the world? That he
will turn out to be the Anti-Christ who will plunge the world into Armageddon?
That it will be time to plan for a return to the Dark Ages or life in a cave?
You know better. The election of neither candidate will destroy the country, shatter
the global economy, or make it impossible for godly people to seek the Kingdom
of God.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
Perhaps that last sentence is the
key to what believers need to remember late Tuesday night or in the definitive
wee hours of Wednesday morning. I love the United States of America and cherish
my citizenship here, but it is not my ultimate loyalty or hope for a meaningful
life. This wonderful country is not the Kingdom of God. And the Kingdom of God
can neither be defeated by any of its failures or be kept from thriving in any
corner of Planet Earth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
In the glory days of the Roman
Empire, an apostle of Jesus Christ wrote this: “We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives,” he said.
“And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior” (Philippians 3:20
NLT). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
A believer’s ultimate allegiance – and hope – is in the reign of God.
Her hope is not in a human system, political party, or leader; it is in Jesus
Christ. Nothing can take his Savior’s promises from him – nor be so precious to
him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
I’ve lived long enough to have heard it before: “This is the most
important election in our lifetimes, and everything we hold sacred is at
stake!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
Oh, I hope not. While every election is important and has consequences,
God will still be sovereign over his universe this Wednesday morning. And
nothing so valuable as what he has already given us in Christ will have been
gained or lost through whatever happens with Tuesday’s vote.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
Between Election Day and Jesus’ Return, honor the dignity of your
fellow-human beings. Stay closely connected to your Christian community.
Worship God. Show respect to your government. <i>(My paraphrase of 1 Peter 2:17.)</i></div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-29371215476811532862012-10-23T06:46:00.000-07:002012-10-23T06:46:10.464-07:00Civil Discourse<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
In every election cycle I can
recall, the talking heads of TV news have discussed “negative campaign ads” and
“harsh rhetoric.” Even before the Biden-Ryan sparring match and the more antagonistic
tone of the second Obama-Romney exchange, Dan Rather had dubbed this election
season “the worst.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
It probably isn’t. In the John
Adams versus Thomas Jefferson election of 1800, then-President Adams’ camp
called Jefferson an atheist, a libertine, and a coward; they stumped with the
claim that the election offered a choice between “God and a religious
president, or Jefferson and no God!” The rumor was that Jefferson would gather
and burn all the Bibles upon his second inauguration.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
In response, then-Vice President Jefferson – it is the only time in U.S.
history a sitting president and vice president ran against each other –
countered in kind. His surrogates blasted Adams for his “hideous
hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man
nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman.” Once friends, the two became such
again in post-election days.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
More examples can be given, but this illustrates that mud-slinging and
vitriol are anything but novel in political campaigns. And the politicians may
have learned it from the clergy in the American colonies. Some of the
anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic language that rang from pulpits went far beyond “insensitive.”
It was crude, inflammatory, and wicked. “Whore of Babylon,” “Christ-killers,”
and “Anti-Christ” – these are some of the many epithets used from pulpits to
poison minds and prejudice hearts. The Ku Klux Klan had roots in those pulpits.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
So what’s the point here? It certainly isn’t to minimize or excuse the
blood sport that American political campaigns has turned into. It is simply to
put what is happening now into historical perspective. It is also to say that
politics isn’t the only sphere of life where the verbal bombast has become reckless
and injurious.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
It is time
for all of us to step back. Take a deep breath. Look at politicians and
preachers, family members and friends, co-workers and strangers through more
respectful eyes. Stop trying to one-up everybody with a snappy – if also
insulting and demeaning – one-liner. Strive for civility over disrespect.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
Here is a worthy goal for all of us to embrace: “Don’t use foul or
abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your
words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29 NLT).</div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-77472030917058729352012-10-15T19:08:00.001-07:002012-10-15T19:08:43.996-07:00Life as a 14-Year-Old<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
Fourteen should be a wonderful,
carefree year in a child’s life. Actually, being 14 is more nearly part of the
bridge between being a child and becoming an adult. At so tender an age, a
degree of maturity might well be making a child <i>aware of</i> the world and its ills; at that age, however, there should
be no sense of being an adult who is <i>responsible
for fixing</i> the world’s misfortunes and evils.
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
Little boys whose voices
occasionally crack now should have nothing greater to agonize over than that. Little
girls who are laying aside their dolls should have nothing greater to fret over
than those boys whose voices are starting to crack.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
Malala Yousafzai is only 14, and she seems to be something of an
exception. In her home country of Pakistan first, then eventually at an
international level, she has become an activist for education. More
specifically, she has pleaded for adults in her part of the world to make
education more widely available to girls.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
Malala has the misfortune of living
in a place where a rigid fundamentalist religion claims that girls should not
receive the education boys are entitled to have. After all, as women they will
remain answerable to their fathers, brothers, and husbands – with very few
personal rights. They will be required to be subservient and docile. Cover
their faces. Defer to men. Keep their mouths shut.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
Today Malala
is fighting for her life in a military hospital in the garrison city of
Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Doctors give her slightly more than a 50-50 chance of survival.
If she recovers, the degree of permanent damage is uncertain.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
Last week, armed
men stopped the school bus on which she was riding, called for her by name, and
shot her in the head and neck. According to a spokesman for the Taliban – the
fundamentalist Muslim group that eagerly claimed “credit” for the deed – it was
Malala’s fault. And the fault of her father.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
She dared go
to school, and her father had permitted it. In the face of such “secular-minded”
and “pro-West” behavior, said the spokesman, reverent and devout Taliban
shooters were “forced to take this extreme step.” If Malala survives, he said,
more righteous warriors will be dispatched to finish the job.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
That the
attempted murder of a child happened in the name of religion only makes this
story more disgraceful. The “righteous warrior” who would commit such an
atrocity is evil beyond imagination. He is the right arm of Satan himself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Islam condemns such behavior. So
does Christianity. For that matter, so do atheists. All rational people
recognize true evil for what it is – whether perpetrated by Muslims or
Christians or Jews, by far right or far left.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
People of goodwill from all
backgrounds must stand up for freedom of expression, justice for minorities,
rights for women, and protection of children.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An ancient Hebrew prophet speaks
eloquently to all religious people who miss the point of their religion: “I
hate all your show and pretense – the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and
solemn assemblies. . . . I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless
river of righteous living” (Amos 5:21-24 NLT).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Enough with making excuses for
hatred. It is time for all nations and tribes, religions and parties to affirm human
dignity, respect for one another, and love. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
Pray for Malala.
And pray for us all to surmount our most sordid impulses. </div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-8706399393143893542012-10-01T15:02:00.002-07:002012-10-01T15:02:45.591-07:00I’ll Throw Myself on His Mercy!<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
In his book, <i>Holiness by Grace, </i>Bryan Chapell relates a version of an old tale
about a man who died and came face to face with Gabriel at heaven’s gate.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
“Here’s how this works,” the
angel-gatekeeper began his explanation of entrance protocol. “You need 100
points to make it into heaven. So tell me all the good things you’ve ever done,
and I’ll tell you what they are worth.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
“Okay,” the man said – and began
with his biggest and best claim. “I was married to the same women for 50 years
and never once cheated on her – not even in my heart!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” said
Gabriel. “Wonderful! That’s worth three points.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
“Only three points?” the man gulped
incredulously. “Well, I attended church all my life. I was a deacon and, after
a while, an elder in my church. And, by the way, I gave well beyond a tithe of
my income – and countless hours of service.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
“Good, good,” said the angel. “All
that’s certainly worth a point.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
“One point?” said the man – his
eyes beginning to show a bit of panic. “How about this: I opened a shelter for
homeless people in my city and fed needy people by the hundreds during the
holidays.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
“Oh, fantastic, that’s good for two
points,” offered Gabriel, not even looking up from his notepad.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
“Two points!” cried the man in
utter desperation. “Two points? At the rate I’m going, this is hopeless. The
only chance I have of getting into heaven is by the sheer grace of God! I’ll
have to throw myself on the mercy of his heavenly court.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
“Come right in!” said the angel who
knew the heart of Father, Son, and Spirit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
Chapell’s story and my adaptation
of it are purely apocryphal. There is no “point system” by which we will be
graded at heaven’s gate. But the punch line of the story is precisely correct.
The only hope any human has – even the best among us – is not in herself but in
Christ. His love for us. His amazing grace.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
The place where God expects for
this message to be communicated about his heart and perfect will is the community
of faith called the church. More than that, the church is the place where
people who have received grace learn to give it now to others. Grace, you see,
is not a personal gift to be received and relished in private moments. It is
the free gift of God to his children and is to be passed along to all others
who need the same redemptive, healing mercy in their lives.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).</div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-5644655395680613422012-09-26T06:23:00.002-07:002012-09-26T06:23:29.574-07:00Tyrannized by Your Feelings?<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you noticed how many people
appear to be living at the tyranny of their <i>feelings</i>
these days? “I’m just not sure how I <i>feel</i>
about that.” “If she doesn’t do her fair share, I don’t <i>feel</i> I should have to honor my promise.” “I know it wasn’t right,
but I don’t <i>feel</i> anyone should fault
me for what I did.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God made us in his own image so we
would not have to be ruled by our volatile emotions. Sometimes doing the right
thing means staying with a commitment after a warm and fuzzy feeling has
vanished. And that can range from one’s wedding vows to his word to a friend to
a verbal offer about a price.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It takes holy resolve to escape the
enslavement that comes of being tossed about by whim, fancy, or feeling. So
think about these options for today.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Today
I will live by faith.</i> I don’t know what lies ahead or what surprises may
come to me today. But I know God has promised to be with me to strengthen,
guide, and deliver me. By faith, I claim that promise and will live this day in
confidence. There is nothing I will face today that God and I cannot handle –
together. It isn’t self-confidence that will get me through; it is
God-confidence.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Today
I will live in hope.</i> Each day has its own supply of troublesome things, so
I need not go borrowing from tomorrow. In fact, I rejoice at the thought of
tomorrow because of the promises God has attached to my future. I will not fear
failure, for God has promised to work all things for good in the lives of those
who love him. I know where my journey ends, and neither life nor death nor
anything in all creation can separate me from God’s love extended to me in
Christ.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Today
I will live in love.</i> The bane of human existence is a jealous, cynical,
hateful spirit. I will not allow those toxic attitudes to dominate my life.
Instead, I will consciously imitate Jesus’ example of loving people – even the
ones I don’t like – by turning the other cheek and returning good for evil.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regardless of how you may <i>feel</i> about certain situations today, you
have the marvelous power to choose to live at a higher level. So don’t be ruled
by your fickle feelings. God made you for better things.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Foolish people tend to follow their
own impulses, but those who are wise listen to good counsel” (Proverbs 12:15). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-29419572729465105712012-09-17T11:42:00.002-07:002012-09-17T11:42:55.034-07:00Love Is Not a Brick<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span> If Jesus and Mohammed were entering
a warm building on a freezing-cold day, who should go inside first? If Moses
and the Buddha were late to a dinner and there was only one veggie burger left,
who would be faster to grab for it and take a bite? Brian McLaren’s latest book
has me raising these strange questions.
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before I dare to suggest a possible
answer, let me be clear about my reason for daring to ask this question about primacy,
honor, and deference among these notable figures of major world religions. <i>The followers of these spiritual guides have
denigrated, bullied, maligned, damned, insulted, bombed, exiled, decapitated,
judged, disemboweled, raped, assigned to hell, and otherwise been less than
accommodating to one another.</i> As they committed such evil acts, they
claimed to be honoring their leaders and serving their religions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even the people who are most distant
from all religion and who would tell you in a heartbeat they want nothing to do
with it know that these teachers emphasize charity and kindness. They tell
their disciples that murder is evil and that force should be used only – if <i>ever</i> – with reluctance and restraint.
They quote their leaders’ words to the effect that humans should love each
other.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So why did <i>some</i> Christians adopt a burning cross as their symbol for hatred of
blacks, Jews, and Catholics? Why did <i>some</i>
Catholics murder Protestants (and vice versa) in Northern Ireland? Why did <i>some</i> Muslims cry “Allah is great!” as
they flew jetliners into the Twin Towers? Why are <i>some</i> priests pedophiles, <i>some</i>
evangelists thieves and womanizers, <i>some</i>
imams advocates of anti-American violence, <i>some</i>
. . . You’ve gotten the point by now, haven’t you?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Love
is not a brick.</i> It is not about being first, proving others wrong, and
demanding primacy – or else! It is not about violence initiated or retaliation
for violence suffered. It is, at least in Christian teaching, about patience,
kindness, and restraint. While love rejoices in truth and celebrates what is
holy, it does not impose its view of truth by force or coerce what it regards
as holy on others.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back now to the question about going
through the door first or eating the veggie burger. What would happen in those
scenarios? My honest best guess is that each would insist on deferring to the
other! “Please, go inside and get warm.” “Please, take the food; I insist.” Or,
perhaps even better: “We can share this.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am a Christian. I believe Jesus is
the Son of God and Redeemer of the World. But I refuse to hate, defame, or
mistreat a Muslim, atheist, Jew, Sikh, animist, or miscreant Christian. I
believe the Bible’s ethical teachings are correct, but I will not hate, damn, insult,
or ill-treat an abortionist, homosexual, or deacon who is having an affair with
a Sunday School teacher. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I see you – whoever you are – as one
of God’s wonderful creatures in whom he has invested himself, for whom he has
extended himself over time, and for whom he died. You do not have to dress like
me, speak my language, or share my beliefs. Not only will I not hate you, but I
want to know and understand you. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Respect for others is neither
compromise nor apostasy. It is love. </div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-8331114841063921542012-09-10T13:59:00.002-07:002012-09-10T13:59:38.197-07:00Faith and Traffic Lights<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
I heard the
apocryphal tale of a good citizen who was being tailgated by a stressed-out
woman. The light at the intersection in front of their cars turned yellow. The
good citizen did the right thing by stopping at the crosswalk – even though he probably
could have beaten the red light by gunning it through the intersection. The
second driver wasn’t pleased.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
The
tailgating woman hit the roof – and her horn. She was screaming in frustration
because she had missed her chance to get through the yellow light. As she was
still in mid-rant – alternately pounding the steering wheel and gesturing to
the fellow in front of her – she heard a tap on her window and looked up into
the face of a very serious police officer. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
The officer
told her to exit her car with her hands up. He put handcuffs on her. He took
her to the police station, where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed,
and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a police captain
approached the cell and opened the door. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
The woman
was escorted back to the booking desk, where the arresting officer was waiting
with her personal effects. He said, “I’m very sorry for my mistake. You see, I
pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the
guy in front of you, and cursing a blue streak. Then I noticed the ‘Choose
Life’ license plate holder, the ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ and ‘Follow Me to Sunday
School’ bumper stickers, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the
trunk. Naturally, I assumed the car couldn’t be yours and that you had stolen
it. I made an honest mistake.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Ouch!
Somewhere through the centuries, the idea has gained currency that says we can
be Christians in the same way most people are Democrats and Republicans, Rotarians
and Lions. We show up for meetings, pay our dues, and wear the insignia. For
the most part, however, it is acceptable to be “just like everybody else.”
We’re devout Christians on Sunday mornings, but we curse or flirt or cheat or
tell racist jokes the other six and a half days of the week.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
We have so
institutionalized the Christian faith that <i>membership</i> has come to count
for <i>conversion</i>. It isn’t just Vito Corleone of “Godfather” fame who
could live as a criminal so long as he attended Mass and gave gifts to his
church. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
If faith is
more than self-delusion, it will be reflected in all the routine and
ordinary events of life. Even at traffic lights.</div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-78496535306109908622012-09-03T18:21:00.002-07:002012-09-03T18:21:09.481-07:00Getting Clear about Holiness The
human vocabulary shapes the human race. The words we choose and the
meanings we assign to them become our frame of reference. They build the
world we inhabit, and they either empower or limit us for how we live
there. The same thing is certainly true of the vocabulary of Christ’s
followers.
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
very practical application of this fact can be seen in the common use
of the term “holy.” For one thing, I suspect it is a term Christians use
more often than non-Christians. My fear is that we use it too narrowly
and thus improperly. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Most
of us have been told that the word “holy” means sanctified (not very
helpful!) or set apart for God (better). Thus we have been tempted to
think in terms of the family china that is “set apart” for special
occasions and can’t be set out every single day for just anybody who
happens along. And the most specific lifestyle examples of holiness tend
to focus on moralistic issues – keeping oneself “separated” from the
dark and dirty things of life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
I don’t want to deny the element of truth found in that explanation, I
do want to claim that represents a narrow and misleading view of
holiness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
Scripture cites God’s command to “Be holy because I am holy,” we should
not think so much of being set apart and kept for special events as we
should have visions of engagement, active involvement with life, and
connections with people that make their lives better and happier. In
other words, I am trying to learn to think of holiness as something
active rather than passive, not as a moralistic withdrawal from the
world but as redemptive involvement with it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jesus
shows the meaning of holiness in his incarnation. Across history, God
had been actively engaged in communicating with humans and acting to
make the world better. Finally, the divine word was made flesh in Jesus –
the Jesus who did not live in a mountain retreat but among people who
needed his help.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Holiness
isn’t the rigid moralism of a thousand “don’ts” so much as the infinite
“do’s” that can make life better. Jesus explained, for example, that
“Do not commit adultery” actually calls us to build wholesome and holy
relationships and “Do not bear false witness” has the intent of calling
us to be totally honest. So being holy is less about what scared people
avoid than what changed people do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
a plant worker, student, kindergarten teacher, lawyer, father,
neighbor, spouse, or momentary presence in a stranger’s life, your call
to holiness is a very practical challenge to make others’ lives better,
fuller, happier, and more aware of God’s loving concern for them because
you are in their world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“As
obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped
by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness” (1 Peter 1:15
MSG).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A holiness that positively energizes God should do no less for his people.</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-83955240514311022762012-08-28T13:20:00.000-07:002012-08-28T13:20:01.072-07:00To Tell the Truth<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
Truth-telling seems to be a lost art
in our world, but it is at the very heart of what is required to make a society
healthy, safe, and prosperous.
<div class="MsoNormal">
Students cheat on exams and papers
at their schools and colleges; schools and colleges then lie to accrediting
agencies about their student GPAs or job placement rates. Journalists get
caught and have to confess to making up quotes from persons they never
interviewed; a husband or wife gets caught and has to confess to all the lies
told over time to hide a long-standing affair.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We appoint committees and
blue-ribbon panels to investigate the adequacy of regulatory mechanisms for
Wall Street. We put compliance officers in place for businesses of all types.
One writer claims his research on American corporate life shows that somewhere
between ten and twenty percent of the payroll of the typical corporation is
spent for people whose job it is to watch its own employees, its suppliers, and
its customers for fraud.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Truth-telling as a way of life
cannot be crated by laws, codes of ethics, stiff fines, and jail terms.
Personal integrity as a way of life comes about only from the soul of a man or
woman with character. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I lie to you, I demean you as a
person – deliberately misrepresenting the facts or withholding from you
something you have the right to know. Thus the paternalism of some physicians
or families to a patient who is seriously ill.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I lie to you, I am robbing you of
your freedom – forcing you to make decisions on the basis of false or
misleading information. Thus the tactics of some salespersons or
televangelists.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I lie to you, I am arrogant in
the extreme – playing a role which says I have the right to decide when you
should be given full-enough information to make your own informed decision and
when I should make that decision for you instead. Thus the strategy of certain
political or religious leaders that puts others at jeopardy for the sake of
some end-justifies-the-means scheme.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I lie to you, I deny my
relationship to God as the father of my spirit – and identify myself with
Satan, who is the father of all lies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It isn’t a new problem. In Jesus’
time, people played games with truth-telling too. “Swearing” by one’s one head,
Jerusalem, or heaven was less binding than an oath taken with God’s own name.
The issue wasn’t vowing to speak truthfully in court but simple,
straightforward honesty in the daily routine. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
“Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not
say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. . . . Just say a
simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything more is from the evil one”
(Matthew 5:34-37 NLT).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .3in;">
Jesus’ words still mark the path that is right for us to travel today.</div>
</div>
Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-84888091138072193272012-08-06T04:58:00.000-07:002012-08-06T04:58:03.112-07:00“If You Died Tonight, Would You . . .”<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
My guess is that you can finish the
headline of this essay. It is the opening line used for millions of
evangelistic conversations. People going door to door. Kids on the beach.
Bosses or workers in offices. Total strangers on subways or busses. “If you
died tonight, would you go to heaven or hell?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t recall ever using that
approach with a stranger. I’m not even sure I’ve used it with people I know
reasonably well. It isn’t that I want to fuss with people who use that
approach, for I’m sure there will be people with Christ forever because someone
used that line to get them to thinking about salvation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s just that most of us aren’t
going to die tonight or tomorrow. We’ll live another few days and weeks,
perhaps months and years. That’s why I think a better question might be this:
“If you wake up tomorrow, do you have a clear plan for using the day to honor
Christ by the way you will use it?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Think about it. When Jesus talked
about what would happen after death, he asked people to think about what they
had done for people who were sick, cold, hungry, and homeless. He even wanted
to know if they had gone to people who were serving jail sentences. He didn’t
ask about the sorts of things we tend to have on our lists. He wanted to know
about the fruits of righteousness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus clearly believed what his
brother in the flesh wrote: “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you
say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith
save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and
you say, ‘Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well’ – but then you
don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you
see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead
and useless” (James 2:14-17 NLT). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
See there? No mention of the
Sinner’s Prayer, baptism, or church attendance – whether Sunday or special
services. The focus for Jesus and James wasn’t one-time or special events. It
was about a type of faith that went so deep that it actually transforms the
person who has it. It makes her into a generous and sympathetic person. It
produces integrity in his business dealings and fidelity to his family. It
makes others glad they get to be around them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So let’s assume that you <i>aren’t</i> going to die tonight. What is in
your plan for tomorrow that would count as evidence you’d have gone to heaven
if you had?</div>
</div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-91032492849355671222012-07-31T06:03:00.000-07:002012-07-31T06:03:32.136-07:00Now Come the Olympic Games<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The headline stories of the past
month have been child abuse, college athletics, and murder in a theater
complex. During the same period but relegated to the bottom of the front page
have been the Syrian civil war, the American presidential race, and the ongoing
global financial crisis.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now the lead stories are from
London. The Queen of England does a cameo role with cinema’s James Bond, and
Paul McCartney sings rock’s quintessential nah, nah, nah, nahs of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hey Jude.</i> Some 10,500 athletes are competing
in the official events. Favorites fail; unknowns triumph. Heart-warming stories
emerge – like that of a legally blind South Korean archer winning the gold
medal and setting a world record in the process or an American cancer survivor.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So which is it? Murder or games?
Syrian shelling or spectacular fireworks? Royalty and superstars or executioners
and monsters? Should you and I fall on our faces in tears or stand up to cheer?
Do the contrasts confuse you?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This
is life!</i> Reality follows no script. There is – and always will be – a
random mix of good and evil, fine fortune and unwarranted grief. We could wish
for happy endings to every story, but life just doesn’t work that way. Maybe
the worst thing of all is that some people think that there <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> a script and that people are either
“getting what they deserve” or “living out the will of God.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The truth of the matter is very,
very different. Most of what happens in this world is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> the will of God, but our goal must be to react to everything in
a way that honors his will for humanity. People aren’t always getting what they
deserve, or we can’t make sense of Joseph in an Egyptian prison or Jesus on a
Roman cross. History is replete with pious martyrs in graves and evil tyrants
on thrones.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">must</i> be this way. Life now is a probationary and testing time;
heaven comes at the end and as the reward for faith. If everything “worked
right” for those who are Christians, we’d all be Christians just to avoid the
hassle and stress. If suffering were always and only one’s “just desserts,” why
should we feel sympathy or show kindness rather than kicking her while she’s
already down?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you’re into the Olympic Games or
long walks or family dinners, enjoy. Be grateful, and share the delight. If you
are walking through a dark valley of illness or bankruptcy or loneliness,
mourn. Be humble, and ask God for strength.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Life is a mysterious mix that
refuses to yield to bumper-sticker solutions. Your situation today neither
tells God’s opinion of you nor reveals your worth as a man or woman in his
image. It is simply what it is. How you choose to deal with it translates your
faith into deeds and defines your relationship with God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Blessed is the one who perseveres
under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown
of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12 NIV).</span></div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-14475405754409138222012-07-09T06:01:00.000-07:002012-07-09T06:01:14.153-07:00Shall We Bully the Bullies?<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Bullying has become a topic of
national concern. Some of the conversation may be overblown, for who doesn’t
come in for some ribbing over his big ears, her first pair of eyeglasses, or a
crush on the girl in his Sunday School class?<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">But bullying
crosses a line that is pretty clear and obvious. If it started as “good-natured
fun,” it has progressed now to the point of bringing anger or tears to the
surface. Past that point, the razzing or teasing has become mean-spirited. It
is being used to wound or humiliate. Bullying is tripping, shoving, or hitting
someone to inflict physical harm. It is mean-spirited taunting that inflicts
emotional pain. It is gossiping or lying to humiliate or exclude someone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today’s highly disconnected world of
people who “connect” through social media can be especially cruel. Fragile
persons who have been mocked and taunted via cruel postings have taken their
lives as a result of such behavior.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One of the worst bullying episodes
of late involved a 68-year-old grandmother and bus monitor who was targeted by
a posse of junior high boys on a school bus. Karen Klein was verbally assaulted
for ten minutes or more with cruel affronts ranging from her weight to her
son’s suicide some ten years ago. The video of their taunts and sneers went
viral on YouTube.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Guess what? The bullies immediately
became the targets of vindictive taunts themselves. They have been reaping what
they sowed, all right. Here are just a few posts about the merciless mob that
attacked Ms. Klein:</span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“These kids need to be found and have their #@*% teeth knocked
out.”</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“These punks are already lost causes. Their parents are worthless,
incompetents who should never have been allowed to breed.”</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Please, can we lock these punks in a room with Jerry Sandusky
ASAP!!!”</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">But what
about this whole business of tit-for-tat and putting it back in their faces? So
long as verbal abuse, malicious threats, and physical violence are met with
more of the same, the vicious cycle is never going to end. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I hope the
school officials and parents punished the boys appropriately and that they saw
the error of their ways and apologized. They shouldn’t get by with it. Having said
that, it’s amazing how self-righteous and judgmental all of us are tempted to
be when something like this happens. I am bad at it. I am too quick to judge
the people who judge and to be hateful with folks who have been hateful.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Lord, forgive our foolish ways; teach us the
ways of peace. Help us neither to insult nor to retaliate, neither to bully nor
to bully the bullies. Instead, help us to hear this word above the temptation:
“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult
you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to
do, and he will bless you for it” (1 Peter 3:9 NLT).</span></i></div>
</div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-82263340075513508762012-06-27T08:51:00.000-07:002012-06-27T08:51:16.805-07:00The Rise of the “Nones”<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Human beings
are spiritual beings. We speak freely of our minds, hearts, or spirits –
knowing full well that we aren’t talking about physical organs. Maybe you
prefer the term personality or character. But you know these terms are more
than alternate ways to refer to the brain or to a set of bodily processes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Religion is
not serving our spiritual lives very well these days. Don’t believe it? The
March 12 issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Time</i> cited “The
Rise of the Nones” as one of the ten ideas changing the lives of Americans.
“The fastest-growing religious group in the U.S. is the category of people who
say they have no religious affiliation. Sometimes called ‘the nones’ by social
scientists, their numbers have more than doubled since 1990; major surveys put
them at 16% of the population.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Syndicated
columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. offers this explanation: “Religion has become an
ugly thing. People of faith usually respond to that ugliness – by which I mean
a seemingly endless cycle of scandal, controversy, hypocrisy, violence and TV
preachers saying idiotic things – in one of two ways. Either they defend it –
making them part of the problem – or they regard it as a series of isolated,
albeit unfortunate, episodes. But irreligious people do neither.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">He is
correct. So, if you are a Christian, you would be wiser simply to admit the
point. Be embarrassed over it. Apologize for it. Then ask God both to forgive
you of any part you have had in scandal, hypocrisy, or offense and to help the
people who call themselves his children to act more like their father.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The problem
isn’t new. Old Testament prophets lamented the fact that people were putting
attendance at religious events in the place of integrity and gifts to good
works in the place of compassion to their neighbors. So Amos and Isaiah spoke
for the Lord to say, “I cannot bear your evil assemblies. . . . Even if you
offer many prayers, I will not listen” (Isaiah 1:13-15). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Jesus made
the same point about religion in his day. So why do we still not get it? Why does
“organized religion” still drive people away from God?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If religion
is getting in the way of your quest for God, just remember that God and
religion are not the same. Please don’t give up on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">him</i> because of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">us</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Learn to do
good. Seek justice.
Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for
the rights of widows” (Isaiah 1:17 NLT). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">That would
be a beautiful alternative to “religion” as too many know it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<br /></div>
</div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-31600048929097734712012-06-19T07:13:00.001-07:002012-06-19T07:13:49.581-07:00The Root of the Problem<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Physicians
are trained to trace symptoms to their root causes. Then it is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">root</i> cause – not just a presenting
symptom – that gets treated. We can all be grateful for that. What would
happen, for example, if headaches simply were prescribed aspirin and belly
aches got antacids without further tests? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The obvious
answer is that many people would die from the serious underlying diseases
behind their relatively minor symptoms. Symptoms are like the red lights that
appear on the instrument panel of your car. Don’t smash the annoying light.
Change the oil or find out why the engine is overheating. To focus on the
symptoms rather than what is behind them just isn’t very smart.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Without
wanting to be unkind, let me try to be clear. We human beings aren’t terribly
responsible when it comes to the basics of living. Forget stomachaches for a
minute. Let’s talk about financial responsibility, intact families, or
spiritual life. Are we treating symptoms or addressing root issues?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A single mom
with two children explained to me why she needed a vacation with her
girlfriends. “I’m so stressed out about money!” she said. “My credit card is
maxed out, and I am a month behind on my rent. I’ve just got to have a break.”
My suggestion was that she forget the vacation, put the money she had saved for
it to catch up her rent, and start paying down her credit card by taking a
sandwich to work rather than eating lunch at restaurants. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Her problem
wasn’t stress. It was debt – needless, inexcusable debt that she could take
steps to eliminate. She took the advice. She tells me I was a real friend to
her by insisting she treat the root problem rather than the symptom.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It’s not
that different with trouble in a marriage or a dry spiritual life. “We’re not
happy and don’t laugh like we used to. Maybe we should take a trip together – a
second honeymoon, so to speak, and reconnect.” No. Find a competent counselor
both of you trust, get honest about the things that have broken down, and do
your part to try to rebuild the relationship. Get to the root of things.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It’s a bit
like the fellow who kept telling me he couldn’t pray, didn’t like to read the
Bible, and hated going to church. I knew enough of what was going on to ask the
right questions. So he finally started coming clean about the affair and the
drugs. It was the beginning of the healing of his spiritual life. He quit
talking about trouble praying and not liking church and faced up to an
out-of-control life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Symptoms are
helpful things. They let us know something isn’t working right and invite us to
seek the root cause. Then, with the real issues named and addressed, it’s
amazing how quickly the symptoms begin to resolve.</span></div>
</div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-36011919417057726022012-06-04T14:24:00.002-07:002012-06-04T14:24:07.895-07:00Real Change Takes Time<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
Did you hear the one about the country bumpkin who took his family
to the big city for the first time? Lost in a strange place, he stopped in
front of a multi-story hotel building. Father and son went inside to get some
directions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Standing in the lobby, they were
looking around for someone to ask. They spied a kind-looking old man with a
cane and started toward him. They drew back, though, when the wall opened up
for him! They watched in amazement as the wall closed, numbers above the
opening grew larger then smaller, and the doors opened again. Out came a young
man in confident stride and business suit. “Son, wait right here,” said the
farmer. “I’m going to get in that thing!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All of us could wish change came so
quickly and so painlessly. I’d rather lose 20 pounds with a pill than deny
myself extra helpings or desserts and begin to exercise. Some people prefer to
saddle themselves with debt to buy a house full of furniture rather than buy
furniture as they can afford it or to buy a new car they could easily do
without. And so the stories go. We want what we want – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">now</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I even think I see a lot of anger in
today’s world that is tied to the same thing. Petty people get mad at the good
fortune of others. They want immediately what someone else attained over time.
Immature people want the recognition and life status other people earned over
years, but they want it on a silver platter – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">today.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We laugh at the bumpkin who thought
an elevator was a magic box that made old into young, stooped into sprightly,
and plain into stylish. Maybe we should be laughing at ourselves. Going to
college doesn’t make one wise. Driving an expensive car doesn’t confer
refinement or personality. Living in an exclusive part of town says nothing
about the happiness of the people who live in its newest and nicest house. And
going to church doesn’t confer spirituality.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Authentic change in looks,
lifestyle, and personality takes place over time. If there is an outcome you’d
like, the surest way to achieve it is not to waste your money on dangerous
pills or to squander it on lottery tickets. Set a worthy goal, identify the
incremental steps necessary to get there, and begin your journey. Know in
advance that the wisdom, discipline, and understanding that come from the
journey are equally as valuable as anything at its end.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“And so I
tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for,” said Jesus. “Keep
on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to
you” (Luke 11:9 NLT).</span></div>
</div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-9974068625407814312012-05-28T05:35:00.000-07:002012-05-28T05:35:37.152-07:00Odessa Porterfield: In Memoriam<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
I seldom use this space for personal or family comments. This week
I beg your indulgence to say some things about a dear and beloved lady in my
life who died peacefully in her sleep last week. She was my second mother, and
I was listed as a foster child in her medical records.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
Odessa had turned 105 in December of last year. I had known her
for approximately 62 of those years. She was my nurse and playmate, teacher and
mentor, disciplinarian and encourager. There is no element of my early life
this godly lady did not touch and mold. She knew and loved my wife. Then,
although the miles had begun to separate us by then, she loved and enjoyed our
children.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
As a sickly child who spent a lot of time in bed with regular
bouts of pneumonia and assorted other respiratory ailments, my mother needed
help with the constant care her child needed. With mother's work in the daytime
and the night duty for my care, Odessa took care of me for six to eight to ten
hours a day. I knew her well and loved her deeply. A major part of my hatred
for racism surely traces to my love for this African-American woman of tender
heart, joyful spirit, and Christ-like character.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Typically too frail to play outside
as a little boy, Odessa played Lone Ranger and Tonto with me in the house. With
the padded arm of a couch for my horse, she and I chased down many a bad guy
and brought him to justice!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
We found irony in the fact that our memories are rooted in West
Tennessee but our lives have been lived near each other in Michigan for the last
six years. Every visit to her daughter Elizabeth's house was special. Her mind
stayed sharp, even as her body got weaker. I told her I wished she would try to
forget some of the more embarrassing stories about her childhood ward that she
seemed to take particular joy in sharing. She would only laugh – and tell
another.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">She knew my
name and those of my brothers. But she never used them. She gave us names only
she used of us. Mine was . . . Umm, maybe I should keep that to myself. Yep. I
think I will. But that's what she’ll call me the next time I hear her voice.
And we will worship together before the throne with a freedom we didn't have
back in those pre-Civil Rights days.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
The resurrection will have given back to her everything time, age,
and frailty took away – and provide so much more. “And I heard a voice from
heaven saying, ‘Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now
on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from
their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!’ ” (Revelation 14:13 NLT).</span></div>
</div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-61335306873912679032012-05-21T11:28:00.001-07:002012-05-21T11:28:30.564-07:00It Didn’t Change Me<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">During my
travels last weekend, I stayed at a truly elegant hotel. I can’t afford such
places and never choose them for myself. But the largesse of friends told me to
close my mouth, stop the protest, and enjoy myself. So I did. And the
experience was one I will not be able to repeat anytime soon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Such a nice
place has history, of course. Part of the appeal to people who choose to stay
there is that they are inhabiting space previously shared by the likes of
European royalty, world-famous athletes, and rock superstars. Who knows? The
person in a given room may be in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">same</i>
room once used by a man or woman or family tonight’s overnight guest is
occupying.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Let me spare
you the expense. It isn’t worth it! When I got up the next morning, I was still
just an ordinary citizen; there was no more royal blood in my veins that
morning than when I went to bed. Neither did I have an athlete’s body or any
sense of being able to hit a baseball out of the park in dead center field. And
I certainly couldn’t sing any better. Why, I was just sure that my morning
shower would have me singing in such fine form that somebody would be pounding
on my door with a multi-million dollar recording contract in hand.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Okay. I’m
just kidding. The trip and overnight in elegant surroundings didn’t make me
lose my mind. I didn’t expect that occupying hallowed space would transform me
into any of those things. Just being in a place once occupied or made
distinctive by distinguished souls doesn’t transform anybody.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">But you
already know that. So what’s the point?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It seems to
me that some people think they have a spiritual life just because they come
from a certain religious tradition, are church members, or observe regular
rituals associated with religion. No more than staying at the famous Adolphus
Hotel turned me into Queen Elizabeth II, Babe Ruth, or Bono! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">One of the
most terrible satanic myths I know comes in forms such as “I am a Christian
because I live in America” or “I am saved because I joined the church” or “Only
the people in my church are true Christians and will go to heaven.” No more
than being a member of a certain group kept King David from adultery or Judas
from betraying Jesus or the church leader whose name comes to your mind right
now from the moral and criminal behavior that landed him in jail.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The call of
the biblical prophets rings true across the millennia:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">it is
not words, rituals, and claims that prove you are God’s child but family
resemblance.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Anyone who
sets himself up as ‘religious’ by talking a good game is self-deceived. This
kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that
passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and
loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world”
(James 1:26-27 MSG).</span></div>
</div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-29329833666650014712012-05-14T06:04:00.003-07:002012-05-14T06:04:33.741-07:00Mother as Gatekeeper to Conscience<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">With Mother’s
Day still on your mind, let me dare to state the obvious: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Children who have the good fortune to interact with their mothers a lot
develop healthier consciences.</i> There is even solid scientific research to
support what most people have long sensed on this point. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The human <i>conscience</i>
is part of the likeness to God that is built into us by our Creator. It is the
internal monitor for behavior. It approves or disapproves our actions, gives us
assurance to proceed or warns us about dangers ahead. But a person's conscience
is like a thermostat. Someone has to set it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In a study
done a decade ago now, toddlers were encouraged to imitate their mothers in
such simple actions as playing tea party or tending to a stuffed animal. The
researchers indexed the children in terms of their readiness to imitate what
they observed. Then, in subsequent sessions, they evaluated those same young
children as they were enticed with prizes for games they could win only by
cheating or breaking an object that had some value to them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Here is how
the correlation worked: Toddlers who eagerly imitated their mothers were more
likely to follow the rules and more likely to exhibit a sense of guilt when they
broke something.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I'm not a
psychologist, so I can't offer any meaningful analysis of the experiment or how
it was conducted. I'm just an ordinary guy who remembers his mother's influence
in his life. I have watched my own children interact with their mother. And I
have cringed at some of the undisciplined behavior I have seen in kids who seem
to feel no guilt or remorse for irresponsible things they do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The furor
over “attachment parenting” explored in this week’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Time</i> magazine article largely misses the point. It isn’t how long a
child is breast-fed or put in a sling versus a bouncy seat; it is consistent
and nurturing relationships with parents that create security and emotional
health. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Maybe the
fact that I didn't want my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Whaley, to tell my mother
about the words she heard me using on the playground that day is evidence to
support what the psychologists have since measured. Maybe all of us who had
mothers who invested energy in our moral and spiritual development have thought
at times, "I hope my mom never finds out about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i>!" They forced us to think about our behavior until we
internalized some values of our own.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If you are
wrestling with a tough ethical dilemma, it might help you to think about your
mother for a few minutes – even though Mother’s Day has passed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“My child, listen when your father
corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction” (Proverbs 1:8 NLT).</span></div>
</div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-47098183653878218022012-05-07T06:04:00.001-07:002012-05-07T06:04:30.360-07:00Better to Ask than Assume<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The late
Bill Love used to tell the story of a psychiatrist, engineer, and doctor who
got lost in the Canadian woods. Stumbling on a trapper’s cabin but getting no
response at the door, they went inside for shelter and waited for his return.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In the
corner, on a crude platform at waist-high level, was a wood-burning stove. It
quickly became not only the focus of interest for their half-frozen bodies but
the center of their conversation as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The
psychiatrist explained the stove’s unusual position as evidence of
psychological problems brought on by isolation. The engineer, on the other
hand, saw it as an ingenious form of forced-air heating. The physician surmised
the poor fellow had arthritis and found it too painful to bend over to fuel his
stove.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">When the
trapper finally arrived, they could not resist asking about the stove whose
warmth had saved them. “Simple,” he said. “My stove pipe was too short.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I wasn’t
along for that hunting trip, but I’ve been where those guys were that day. I’ve
tried to read someone’s mind. I’ve seen motives that weren’t there. I’ve walked
into situations, caught a snippet of what was happening, and made a fool of
myself by some badly chosen response. Or I’ve used a perfectly innocent slip of
the tongue as my excuse to take offense. I can be a real jerk at times!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">On occasion,
the victim has been a stranger. At other times, it was a friend from church or
colleague at work. Most often, it has been my wife or child.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Communication
is a wonderful thing – when it happens. But there are so many barriers. Each of
us brings baggage to every situation. Words can be vague or carry very
different nuances for people from different backgrounds. Then there are the prejudices
and blind spots <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> of us have.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Lots of
confusion could be eliminated and far more progress made this week by following
this simple rule: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When something isn’t
clear, ask.</i> Don’t assume. Don’t guess. Don’t mind-read. Trying swallowing
your pride and saying, “I’m not sure I understand. Do you mind explaining that
to me?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This simple
strategy could save you embarrassment, time, and money. More important still,
it might save one of your life’s most important relationships.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
</div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-11756769824647845112012-04-10T06:02:00.000-07:002012-04-10T06:02:10.156-07:00The Value of a Good Laugh<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">You know
it’s going to be a bad day when . . .</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .8in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt;">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Your
knees buckle but your belt won’t.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .8in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt;">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">You
sink your teeth into a juicy steak – and they stay there.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .8in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt;">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">You
plop down in a rocking chair and can’t make it go.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .8in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt;">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">You
routinely dim your lights for economics rather than romance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Does your
image of a holy person include a smiling face and laughter? Or is a saint
someone with a stern face? Did you ever notice how often the Psalms exhort us
to “rejoice in the Lord”? And this is from the Bible: “A cheerful heart is good
medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (Proverbs 17:22).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">God must
have a sense of humor. Did you ever see a giraffe, anteater, or duck-billed
platypus? And what about the zebra? Now there’s a good case for God’s
willingness to do something just for the fun of it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">One of the
most refreshing things in human experience is a belly laugh. Nothing relieves
stress so quickly and completely as laughter. If you have children or grandchildren,
I guarantee that fifteen minutes in the floor with them tonight will do more to
invigorate you from the day’s tensions than whining or having a stiff drink. If
you don’t have children, just act silly with someone you care about for a
quarter hour. It’ll do you so much good that you’ll make it a habit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I once heard
a fellow lament that most of the Christians he knew had faces as long as mules
and looked like they had just bitten into green persimmons. Oh, I hope not!
What a poor recommendation of faith to unbelievers. What a terrible
misrepresentation of the God who, we say, gives meaning to our lives. Without
joy, what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> the meaning?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">There’s a
serious side to humor, all right. What you laugh at tells a lot about your
character and self-image. But laughter itself shouldn’t be suspect as a waste
of time or a distraction. God shines through when people laugh.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">So lighten
up. Devote some energy this week to learning to laugh at your life’s comedic
twists and turns. After all, you’re not getting out of it alive anyway!</span></div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438101261246803644.post-20685455417869900122012-04-03T04:31:00.002-07:002012-04-03T04:31:18.538-07:00Easter: Light for the Dark Places<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">When I was about
ten years old, my mother and father took me to Carlsbad Caverns. I still
remember the gigantic stalagmites and stalactites. I can almost feel the cold
of being deep inside the earth on a hot summer day in New Mexico. But my most
vivid memory is of the moment when our guide had all of us find a place to sit
down and – after warning of what was about to happen – turned off all the
lights that had been put inside the dark belly of the earth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I felt like
I was tumbling in space. My heart raced. With one hand I grasped the rock ledge
on which I was sitting and with the other reached for my dad.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Fortunately,
the tour guide didn't allow it to last long. He turned on his flashlight. And
it looked as bright as a million candle-power searchlight!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">An ordinary
flashlight that costs $3.95, complete with batteries, can push back the overwhelming,
frightening darkness of the Carlsbad Caverns. A beam that would be hardly
noticeable at ground level on a sunny day looked like a laser in deep darkness.
As soon as it appeared, my stomach gave up its tumbling sensation. My lunch
became stable again. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I could see
my parents’ faces in outline again and knew I wasn't alone. I sensed that the
single light in our guide's hand heralded the return of the lights which had
guided us previously and whose presence we had taken for granted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">When God
created Planet Earth to be our home, he came onto a scene that was formless and
dark. He pushed back the darkness with light, then set about to bring order to
chaos. It takes light for life to survive and thrive.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">When Jesus
was re-creating the human race and restoring hope to despairing people, he came
onto a scene made formless and dark again. This darkness had come by human
rebellion against his holy will and humanity's inhumanity to its own. In his
birth, teaching, lifestyle, and personal victory over death on Easter morning,
he pushed back the darkness with the light of heaven's bright glory. To use John's
language, Jesus was the light shining into our darkness; the darkness could not
conquer the light he brought.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If you are
feeling the head-over-heels sensation that comes of being in the deep darkness,
look in his direction. Jesus is still the Light of the World. And it is only in
the presence of light that you can live, grow, and flourish.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“I am the
light of the world,” he said. “If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in
darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12 NLT).</span></div>
</div>Bonnie Cribbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129138267257120187noreply@blogger.com0