Morning sky

This morning I sat out behind the house in the dark of the morning and watched and listened as the day prepared itself. I hear the rooster crow every morning and every morning I think of Peter and his apocalyptic rooster... a gentle reminder. But what struck me this morning was that as I gazed at the darkness of the sky that still has not begun to change to morning light, I'm able to see soooooo many stars ... and yet I know I'm only seeing the tip of the celestial iceberg. Ancient legend told that there was a vast darkness surrounding us and that those points of light were distant 'holes' through which flowed the light of heaven. I like that analogy, but know better from an astronomical perspective. But as I gazed out into the darkness this morning, I thought ... there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of this earth. "What is man, that you are mindful of him?" said Job. And I thought that my perspective would be somewhat similar to an observation post from 35,000 feet deep - buried under the darkness of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean - and looking up into absolute darkness and wondering about the magnitude of the oceans - and somehow I make a difference to the one who conceived it all! I'll have a better day.

Dirty Jobs

Dirty Jobs: Somebody’s gotta do it!
Peter & the disciples ( Luke 5:1-11; Luke 9:1-6; Acts 10:1 – 11:18 )
God often gives his people some challenging, difficult, and even dangerous tasks as he works out His purposes in this world. In scripture, we can see how GOD called, equipped, and empowered men and women for “dirty jobs” throughout biblical history. We also see how he sustained them through his powerful presence. In our lives together, building for the kingdom – we need to know that we may be called upon to do dirty jobs, and we benefit from the examples of faithful servants – both past and present.
Dirty Jobs, the new Discovery Channel series that profiles the unsung American laborers who make their living in the most unthinkable — yet vital — ways. Our brave host and apprentice Mike Rowe will introduce you to a hardworking group of men and women who overcome fear, danger and sometimes stench and overall ‘ickiness’ to accomplish their daily tasks … Diaper cleaner; spider venom milker; exotic animal cleaner; salmon carcass counter; septic tank maintenance technician; animal renderer; dung beetle breeder; and the list goes on… average folks tackling extraordinary tasks that simply must get done.
I would suggest that to follow David Lang’s introduction to this series is in itself “a dirty job”. Last week David had some of us relate our own experiences in dirty jobs and I think that Jerry Love won the prize. David last week made reference to Noah as having one of the dirtiest jobs in building the ark and following up with the whole repopulating the earth thing. However, I think the ‘dirtiest job’ title should go to Japheth. I would suggest that he was the youngest (Shem, Ham, and Japheth) and that he drew the short stick to muck the animal stalls and be in charge of the compost pile. That had to be a dirty job. This week our story revolves around the apostle we know as Peter – a commercial fisherman from the Sea of Galilee – a man who was himself – “a dirty job”! I don’t know why I am so attracted to the television series “Deadliest Catch” except that it probably brings back to mind my own experiences as a commercial fisherman.
Here I relate story of my personal experiences in commercial fishing venture … on Saturdays and when we didn’t have a baseball game during the summer, I’d meet my friends (who were also ten) and we’d spend the day catching small perch from Cedar Creek in Will Hair Park at the ‘ups and downs’ so we could sell them to the bait house for 2-3 cents apiece! Sometimes earning as much as 60 cents! We withstood - the heat of summer; swarms of mosquitoes; red ants; slippery banks of the creek; the treacherous balance of walking the sewer line over the creek; falling in; fishing downstream from Gooch’s packing plant; fish hooks through the fingers, riding your bicycle while balancing a bucket and a fishing pole with a pocket full of bacon – all combine to make this a ‘dirty job’!
If you’ve ever watched the crews of the Time Bandit, the Wizard, the Kodiak, or the Cornelia Marie as they fish for Alaska King Crab in the frigid waters of the Bering Sea – you begin to understand something of the the rigors of a commercial fisherman… hard, demanding work, wet, stinky, slippery, cold, dangerous, constantly drenched in freezing water, continuing to fish – even through the night – exposed to the elements; cold! - hours on end – working beyond exhaustion – often bringing little onto the ship – and then there’s Captain Phil Harris – the ominous captain of the Cornelia Marie – scarred face, hands gnarled from years of fishing, as rough and tough a character as one could imagine from the crew of the Pirates of the Caribbean… I’m reminded of Peter.
Peter was probably a ‘larger-than-life figure for the churches of the first century. The gospels were initially written to Christians who already knew who Jesus was – and many would already know who Peter was (some even personally). I would imagine that the stories about Peter filled in and fleshed out the details to their personal knowledge of the disciple – and would give them hope and encouragement for their own journeys of faith… just as it does for us. Recounting how a legendary disciple got his start, how he repeatedly stumbled and then stood up again, how he loved and was loved – it is inspiring for all disciples.
Luke 5:1-11 - the calling of Peter
Commercial fishing is a dirty business (not crooked – just filthy). Physically demanding, lots of laborious upkeep on the boat and the equipment, there’s not always an equivalent relationship between the amount of work and the enjoyment of the results. All this to say that when the rabbi – who was a carpenter and not a fisherman – asks the professional to go out fishing again after a long night of nothing to show for it, you might expect Peter to tell Jesus to take a long walk on a short pier. But Peter’s first dirty job is to take the “newbie” out fishing when he already knew the fish were not biting [and typically they fished at night, because this was probably a fish known as ‘musht’ that feed in shoals and are closer to the surface at night because they are feeding and during the day they are deeper and not accessible by the nets of the Galilean fishermen!] Well – Peter speaks up to “re-frame Jesus’ expectations” but he is obedient!
Then… Shazam! So many fish that he has to call in the other boat and the boat is filled! Almost to the point of sinking! And as David pointed out - Peter falls to Jesus’ knees [usually we hear of someone falling at Jesus’ feet, but in this case the knees was as far as Peter could go, because they were knee-deep in fish!] “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Peter considers himself to be a dirty job for Jesus?
Perhaps this is an appropriate time to remind ourselves of the ways in which the Lord “called” Peter. In relating this story, Peter is referred to as Simon … an extremely common name. In fact there are references to at least seven Simons in the gospels alone. Among the twelve, two were named Simon – Simon Peter and Simon the Zealot. But Luke tells us in Luke 6:14 that the Lord gave him another name… “Simon, who he also named Peter.” Peter was actually a nickname, a derivation of the Greed word for “rock” – in Aramaic, he was called Cephas. This was not an “instead” name – it was a “both/and” name. He was called Simon … Peter … and Simon Peter.
When he was brash, undependable, vacillating and impetuous, reverting back to his previous self - the Lord called him Simon – symbolic of the “old” Simon who was not yet fully transformed into the rock upon which the Lord would build his church. When Tommy Lasorda was manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he had a young pitcher who consistently threw an accurate fastball, but was timid and lacked self confidence, so Lasorda began to call him “Bulldog” – something he was not! But the more he referred to him as “Bulldog” the more he began to believe it, breaking Don Drysdale’s record for most consecutive shutout innings and becoming one of the greatest pitchers in the 1980’s – you might remember him as Orel Hershiser. He said when Lasorda called him “Bulldog” it reminded him of who he ought to be. So when Jesus tells Simon in his first introduction described in John 1:42 that “You are Simon, son of Jonah – you shall be called Cephas.” That is who Jesus wanted him to become.
Yes, I think Simon considered himself to be a “dirty job” for Jesus. How do we consider ourselves dirty, untouchable … often we are led to consider that we have become such a dirty job that he could not love, could not abide, or could not use us? We are reminded in Revelation 3 that we have been given a new name … perhaps one that reminds us of who we could become…are becoming … for our Lord.
So yes, Peter fall to Jesus’ knees and declares, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Jesus calls and commissions Peter, along with the other disciples: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” This is a high calling to be sure – but I suggest it is also a ‘dirty job’. Rather than Mark and Matthew’s phrase that we are accustomed to - “fishers of men” – Luke uses a Greek word that actually means to “capture alive”!!!
So how can it be a dirty job to tell / share / live the gospel? What do you think?

scars

I write this morning to remind myself ... of something I learned in conversations this weekend. Perhaps it is one of those lessons I already knew, but was reminded in a different context. The lesson is more important than the setting of the conversation. Often in this life we find ourselves deeply wounded and it is often tempting to simply return to what we were doing before (it happened). This sometimes occurs when someone is in a position of leadership and wants to quickly return to full capacity after a deep hurt. GOD needs to have us take a time of healing before we return to the arena. Eventually the healing will occur and scars will form where the wounds were. GOD could have raised Jesus from the grave - even before he was placed there. It wasn't like he needed three days to get it all together! But instead, he did allow three days to pass ... a brief time from some perspective ... but an eternity for the son who had never been separated from the Father. When Jesus did reappear to his disciples, there were no open wounds - still bleeding and oozing. There were scars. Even Thomas was made to touch the scars! The healing had taken place and Jesus was back - ready to assume his ministry again.
It is both inappropriate and ineffective for us to attempt to return to the world of 'business as usual' after a deep wound has invaded our life. We need to wait a season; allow GOD his time to heal those wounds so that others may see the scars from the healing. It's a lot less messy that way also.

serendipity?

The beginnings of a new school year are always marked with new challenges and the whims and whinings of a new administrator or a new superintendent or a new process or practice that is going to "change the world as we know it". That is the expectation and attraction to teaching - that each year one is provided the opportunity to do things differently, start over, reinvent the wheel, etc. But this year has been different. The preparation for and the start of a new school year have been beyond challenge...beyond the typical ... and it has been extremely frustrating ... the kids are getting the brunt of it. The frustration is not mine alone - most of our teachers are caught up in the maelstrom of autocratic change that often seems to exist simply to change. The pendulum will always swing - but we seem to be caught in a swing so abrupt we are suffering from whiplash. Perhaps this is following on the heals of our national pendulum swing in government intervention and control and simply complicates things. Then there is the "other stuff" ... two colleagues have shared personal family crisis with me in the past week - another friend shared her daughter's promiscuity and self destructive behavior - still another is about to lose their job and their spouse just underwent surgery that will take weeks to rehab. and this all in the past two days... and then the letter came! Actually it was a global mailing from Ransomed Heart - the ministry of John Eldridge, but it seemed as if he had written it directly to me. He recounted almost the same story I've just outlined. He said he had been reminded of the line from Thomas Paine, "These are the times that try men's souls." Yes, I'd also thought of that line. When he prayed about his frustration and the hopelessness that surrounds us in a world that is so broken, he said his response was simply - "Union with me ..." Well I was already there, but perhaps needed a reminder. Yesterday morning I read from Galations and Paul continually reminds us to put our trust in the Lord ... grace and mercy. Grace and mercy! Yes, it is enough! I have greatly summarized both a two page letter and the letter of Paul to those in Galatia, but what a serendipity to have those two letters come on the same day. I wonder if John actually sent that letter to thousands of other men or if I was the only one? There are no serendipities in Jesus - I'm convinced that he provides enough grace and mercy at just the right times to save our lives from the pool of hopelessness in which we often swim and to empower us to rescue others. Grace and mercy ... serendipity?

It has been over three months since I posted an entry here. I don't know why ... really. Why I've chosen today to return...? One of the advantages of teaching school is that each year one has opportunity to start afresh ... new beginnings... and the return to good habits and more predictable rhythms. I just went back and read my last entry, following a thunderstorm - again one of my most fulfilling enjoyments. I was fortunate enough three weeks ago to walk through a section of the Continental Divide from Thirty Mile Campground to Squaw Lake with my daughter, my son, and soon-to-be daughter in law. The first night we spent three and a half hours in a thunderstorm - in the safety of shelter. We also had our opportunities to walk in the rain, but for the most part the rain was timely ... allowing us time to put up our tents and put on our rain gear. There is something awesome and sobering about being in a thunderstorm above treeline. It's as if you could reach out and touch the Almighty himself, but also fearful that He might touch you.

Such is life ... we are often [too often] lulled into the mundane of day to day living ... failing to recognize that we are in a thunderstorm - every day. I pray that I would realize the nearness of the clouds and acknowledge the showers of blessings each day ... the nearness of GOD ... and not be fearful that He might touch me ... and I would be changed forever. Thank you Father for the thunderstorms ... for the nearness of your touch ... for the cleansing of your showers. Please bring the rain. Please bring your reign.

...and the thunder rolled!

I awakened to thunder this morning and since it's Friday and I did not have the usual 'stuff' to do before I left for work, I laid in bed for just a few more minutes and remembered some of the dozens of mornings I've awakened to the roar of thunder coming from outside my tent. I recalled the many times I've gotten caught outside in a wilderness environment with an impending thunderstorm... lightning, hail, wind, flooded stream crossings. This particular photo was taken in Ontario on an early autumn fishing trip...where blue skies changed to angry clouds in a matter of ten minutes. No, we did not get back to camp before it hit.

Yesterday my classes were watching a Discovery video about the evolution of early man and it depicted a group of early hominids dancing in the rain. The narrative said that gorillas are the only modern primate to do such. I beg to differ. No I hate being cold and wet, but then I love the opportunity to dry around the warmth of a fire or dive into the shelter of a small tent that is being assaulted by wind and hail. There is an awesome power observed and absorbed from watching a developing thunderstorm from the shelter of a seventy foot pine or from the exposure of a high altitude plateau.

Whatever the situation, I've found that good planning and good rain gear go hand in hand. I remember in earlier years some times when neither of those factors came into play. I also recall the resolve to 'never place myself in those circumstances again'. Live and learn.

Well there is great analogy in all of this. Life also has its thunderstorms ... and in retrospect, they are usually welcome. Although disruptive, they quench the drought and provide water for future use. Often destructive, they offer the glimpse of power behind the storm ... that same power that provides new life after the storm has passed. And yes, looking outside now - the storm has passed ... there is still the rolling of distant thunder as if GOD is looking over his shoulder to say, "Well, what did you think about that one?!!"

The robins are singing as they are already harvesting flooded earthworms.

Thank you Father.

"Thy kingdom come ...

I suppose if I were studying the Lord's prayer I would start at the beginning, but I'm not ... so I won't. I have recited this prayer for over fifty years now. At first it was a short cut - if I felt the need to prayer, I could do it almost without thinking. As with anything repetitive, it begins to take effect and have influence. For at least the past fifteen years, reciting this prayer has become a part of our church liturgy, as the entire congregation recites it. It continues to take on new meaning.

"Thy kingdom come ..." I think I am asking that GOD take over my own kingdom. Reading John Eldredge's Fathered by GOD I was reminded that one of the stages of a man's development is as the king...king of your own family, assumption of leadership - at work or at church. My kingdom is my sphere of influence. Some folks have larger kingdoms than others. Some kingdoms overlap and envelop entire countries. If GOD infiltrated all those kingdoms by request ... this prayer would be answered. He will anyway - at some point in time. I just keep asking that it be sooner than later, but like the 'prayer of Jabez' - I ask only for my kingdom...that's all I've got.

On the other hand, GOD's kingdom already includes the earth, a small parcel of his universe - a grain of sand of the beach of a galaxy of beaches ... and yet he has such great love for that grain of sand that he created and it's inhabitants that he allowed, no he planned, that He himself would become human and live in a small part of that grain of sand so that His kingdom could come...His will would be done. "On earth as it is in Heaven..." almost seems redundant - of course His will is done! His sphere of influence has no boundaries and his will is going to be done, though interrupted and resisted by many, he will have his way. So I just ask that I may be a small part of His will - His kingdom - and as we ask corporately ... His kingdom is fulfilled in my kingdom... and my kingdom becomes larger because I invited him.