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The Four-Way Test

21 Nov

The Rotary Four-Way Test

Of the things we think, say, and do:

  • First, is it the truth?
  • Second, is it fair to all concerned?
  • Third, will it bring good will and better friendships?
  • Fourth, will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Dear God, I joined Rotary over 12 years ago and I’m so glad I did. I’ve learned a lot, and it has been a good way for me to engage in community service outside of the work I do through the social service nonprofit where I work. One of the problems with working in a nonprofit focused on a single issue like healthcare, children or animals is that you can become myopic about your cause and you lose sight of other areas of need in the community. I would imagine that working in a church would present a similar problem.

Being in Rotary, however, exposes me to a variety of service projects. And even the speakers we have will sometimes talk about their social service activities or teach us something new. Frankly, it has also helped expose the nonprofit where I work to the members with whom I serve.

At the end of each meeting, we recite the four-way test I listed above. I’ve actually used this test several times. Years ago, I was in the middle of a crisis with our facility that ultimately resulted in our organization suing the builder. I didn’t want to do it, but their insurance company told us they wouldn’t engage with us until we brought a lawsuit. Through the whole process, however, whenever I had a decision to make or needed to give my advice to our board of directors, I would actively try to run it through this four-way test.

My problem with some Rotary clubs when I visit them is that they add a fifth test–Is it fun? Really? That’s a way to measure whether I should do something or not? I should base my decision making and choices on whether or not something is fun? No. I reject that. I prayed with my wife this morning and told her that a hard thing I had to do yesterday passed the four-way test, but it was not fun. As Fred Smith reminded us in his blog this morning, there is also duty, and oftentimes duty is not fun.

Father, help me to remember that you pretty much gave us a two-way test:

  • Am I loving you with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength?
  • Am I loving my neighbor as myself?

Paul said that a fruit of the Spirit is joy, but nowhere are we told in scripture that joy, fun or happiness should be our pursuit. That is just something Thomas Jefferson threw into the Declaration of Independence. Happiness is fleeting, but joy comes to us from the peace of doing our duty. Help me to do my duty today.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 21, 2019 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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Psalm 95

20 Nov

Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too. Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today! The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did. For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
Psalm 95

Dear God, since these are meant to be songs, sometimes I try to imagine sitting in church and singing them. Or singing them with my family. The first half of this psalm lends itself to that picture, but the last part seems like an awkward thing to sing. But is it?

The next thing I like to do is see who wrote it (this one is unknown) and then try to put myself in their place as they pinned these words. In this case, it seems that someone wanted to acknowledge you and worship you, but part of that worship was to fear you and your judgment for disobedience. At first, that seems harsh to me–a bit of a downer for a song like this. But is it?

Father, yes, you are powerful and worthy of my worship. And yes, you are demanding and worthy of my obedience. To obey is better than to sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). So help me to worship you through both my praise and my intentional obedience. Love through me. Work through me. Enter the world through me. And let your kingdom come and will be done through me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 20, 2019 in Psalms

 

Psalm 1:1-3

19 Nov

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
Psalm 1:1-3

Dear God, my wife and I were driving the other day and she noticed a cypress tree in someone’s yard. She remarked how good it looked even though it wasn’t by a river–where we usually see cypress trees. Obviously, that tree has access to water from somewhere.

What do I do to make sure I have access to enough water? The psalmist here has some thoughts on both what to do and what to NOT do:

  • NOT do: follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.
    Do: delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

So am I doing enough to guard my heart against being wicked? Do I join with mockers? Do I NOT love? Or do I delight in your law? Do I follow it? It reminds me of the teaching the exhorts is to follow your laws because you designed them for our joy and peace, not just to arbitrarily give us laws to follow.

Father, one of the fruits of the Spirit is the “joy” that the psalmist refers to here, and the way to cultivate the soil of my heart (or at least one of the ways) is to simply avoid evil and mockery and embrace your commands. Help me to be mindful of both of those facts as I go through this day.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 19, 2019 in Psalms

 

John 17:13-20

18 Nov

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.
John 17:13-20

Dear God, the actual verse posted on Bible Gateway today was 17: Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.

I wonder what Jesus meant by “your word.” Even The Message translation uses “word.” What does that mean in this context? Our current Christian vernacular would say that it’s the Bible, but only the Old Testament existed back then and they didn’t have it readily available in their homes like we do now. No, I don’t think that’s what Jesus meant by “word.”

I wonder if your word and truth are imparted knowledge through the Holy Spirit. But, boy, that seems like a dangerous system for us to cling to. It’s bad enough that some of us interpret the Bible for ourselves the way we do (like I’m doing right now). But I suppose that, when it comes down to it, you just want to make me holy. You want me to be open to the Holy Spirit’s conviction. I currently have some theological views that are more liberal than the ones I held 20 years ago? Am I wrong now? Was I wrong then? The correct answer to both questions is, “Yes.” Even now, I am sure that I’m wrong about a lot of things.

Father, just help me to be holy and continue to teach me. Keep me from spreading heresy. Live through me. Love through me. Draw people to yourself through my life.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 18, 2019 in John

 

“The Faithfulness of God” — Lamentations 3:14-24

17 Nov


The above image is from Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups by Ned Bustard. The image itself is called “Lamentations: Send Your Rain” and was created by Steve Prince.

My own people laugh at me. All day long they sing their mocking songs. He has filled me with bitterness and given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink. He has made me chew on gravel. He has rolled me in the dust. Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
Lamentations 3:14-24

Dear God, yesterday, over lunch with a friend, I talked about how I’ve been disappointed with you in the past. I felt like you let me down when I had done my best to be faithful to you. My path got harder and more painful than I thought I deserved. What a beautiful portrait of that kind of pain this passage from Lamentations is! It expresses exactly what I was describing to my friend yesterday. I was filled with bitterness and felt you had given me a bitter cup to swallow. My peace (which I treasure from my relationship with you more than anything) was gone. “Everything I had hoped for from the Lord [was] lost!” But you used that experience to help me enter into a completely new place. I haven’t arrived. I’m not perfect. And I still can revel in self-pity with the best of them. Yet you taught me through that time to still “dare to hope.” You taught me to turn loose of what I thought I deserved at every level. Marriage. Children. Work. Money. Okay, like I said, I still fall into the traps of feeling like I deserve those things, but I can feel the progress I’ve made, and I’m grateful.

As for this image by Steve Prince, let me spend some time with it and see what be noticed and put into it.

  • It appears to be a tribals-type woman who is not fully clothed.
  • There is something ominous behind her. I originally thought she held the umbrella, but it is the mysterious figure behind her that holds the umbrella for her.
  • She has her right hand around her abdomen. Is she pregnant?
  • The train is not only falling, but it is blowing in from an angle. This isn’t just a shower. It’s a storm that requires the umbrella to be held against it.
  • It looks like umbrella is made of some time of leaves or thatch.
  • The man holding the umbrella has his left hand (with pretty gnarled fingers) around the woman’s waist.
  • The man is under the umbrella with her.
  • The man’s clothes cover more of him than her clothes cover of her. He even has a head covering while she has none.
  • Her scarf is blowing in the wind to support the idea of a storm.
  • It looks like she is trying to help with the umbrella, but it’s obvious that he is the one with control over it.
  • Her eyes are closed and she looks like she is just surviving, while the man looks confident and sure. His left arm around her indicates care.
  • The more I look at the picture the less ominous the man looks. He is becoming more noble in my eyes.
  • The piece is titled “Send Your Rain.” Is this storm from you for my good? Is this a rain that actually nurtures while it challenges? I like that thought.

Here is what Bustard says about the image:

This print is from the same series as Exodus: Bread from Heaven and therefore is intended to be a look at an Old Testament passage through the lens of a love story. This image shows a couple walking through a storm, which is symbolic of the suffering, pain, and destruction documented in the book of Lamentations. The husband clings to his wife as they move in faith through the storm. In the midst of the raindrops three elongated figures forms (alluding to the Trinity/Holy Spirit) create a covering over the couple. The woman clutching her abdomen is a symbol of hope and renewal as it represents the imminent arrival of a child. The presence of the Cross is created by the subtle placement of the woman’s finger overlapping the rod of the umbrella. It is by faith they walk, and the Holy Spirit amplifies their love through the storms of life.

So, I never thought of them as being a couple. I was thinking more of the woman representing your people and the man representing you. We are your bride. But you are in the umbrella? Hmm. That’s interesting. I have to admit, I really like the idea of this depicting my wife and me going through this together. Over the last 10 years, we’ve really needed each other in ways we never imagined. And we’ve needed you.

Father, help me to hold on to you. You don’t have to take away the storm for me to have faith in you. I’m slowly learning that. And help me to really believe and have faith in the fact that your steadfast love never ceases and your mercies never come to an end. You renew me every morning through your faithfulness to me. Great is your faithfulness, oh Lord. You are my portion, and I will hope in you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 17, 2019 in Lamentations, Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups

 

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Faithful Grinders

16 Nov

Dear God, it is so important for us to be part of others’ lives. Yesterday, I talked to you about “making old friends” and seeing what surprises there might be in developing relationships with people from my past with whom I didn’t use to have anything in common. Then there’s the other side of the spectrum. It’s those existing old friends who just impress you and inspire you.

Last night, I spent the night with one of the most amazing couples I’ve ever known. The husband was my high school youth minister. I first met them over 32 years ago. I knew them before they were engaged, much less married. Keeping up with them and knowing them now is an unbelievable inspiration. Of course, you know them and their story better than I do, but they they have faced a lot of adversity. They’ve each had significant health problems. And I mean significant. They have lived their children through difficult paths and watched them grow into fine people who love you. They exemplify everything that is true about gifts of the Holy Spirit. They exhibit love, joy, peace… And there is nothing flashy about them. They are still getting up every day and grinding their way through life. They are still facing challenges. But I see zero bitterness. I see no selfishness or self-pity. My goodness, you radiate through them.

Father, help me to be more like you by being more like them. Oh, how I still like to feel sorry for myself. I still like to see the negatives. I’m sorry. Thank you for this couple. Thank you for showing through them that you don’t have to completely remove the struggle from our lives for your joy and peace to be in us. And I’ll add here, please guide them. Provide for them. Help them to feel your love. And help them to see a little of what they contribute to your kingdom through just living their lives and radiating you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 16, 2019 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

Making Old Friends

15 Nov

Dear God, I read Fred Smith’s weekly blog this morning, as I do every week, and this week’s post’s title made me think before I even read the piece: “Making Old Friends”

I suppose you could interpret that sentence in several ways, but my first instinct was to think back to high school and wonder if I could ever be close to people I didn’t care for back then. Would the change in us over the years make us more compatible than we were then? Have I written people off because my image of them is that of the 16-year-old they were instead of the 50-year-old they are?

Then there are others I know, but have never taken time to know well. Do I need to take a better look around me and see if there are friendships that you would like me to cultivate for my benefit, their benefit, and the benefit of your kingdom? I’m sure the answer is yes.

There was a man that lived here when I first moved here nearly 14 years ago. He was in his 70s and single so I assume a lot of his actions were driven by loneliness, but he had lunch out almost every day with someone different, including me. He would call me about 10:00 in the morning and invite me to lunch. I’d go out to lunch with others and see him there with someone (almost always someone different). He was a man about town who attended three church services at three different churches very Sunday so he could sing in three choirs. I wonder if I don’t need a little bit more of him in me.

Father, lead me into local relationships here that will help me to grow closer to you and will bless you and those around me. Yesterday, I sat and ate alone in a restaurant for lunch. A little later, a widowed volunteer came in and sat by herself as I was finishing. I wish I had asked he to lunch. I should have thought about her having that need. So open my eyes so that I can see what you are trying to show me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 15, 2019 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

1 Peter 3:18

14 Nov

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
1 Peter 3:18

Dear God, my head is kind of in football season right now. Maybe that’s why, when I read this verse this morning, my first thought was that this is kind of getting back to fundamentals. Blocking and tackling. Jesus never sinned. He was martyred so we could be brought home to you. Everything builds off of that. There’s more that we add to it, but without it we have nowhere to start. Without it, I’m not here right now typing this prayer to you.

Father, help me to always remember this gift from you and not take it for granted. Help me to remember this picture of your love for me and all of us. And thank you. Thank you for the peace, joy, and hope you give me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 14, 2019 in 1 Peter

 

1 Peter 2:15-16

13 Nov

It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.
1 Peter 2:15-16

Dear God, is this maybe Peter’s contribution to the fictional conversation I talked about last week between James (brother of Jesus) and Paul? Works vs. grace? Peter comes along as says (my paraphrase), “Yes, you are free, but you belong to God, so do what’s right! James, you are correct when you say faith without works is worthless. Paul, I agree that there is now no condemnation and we are set free by grace. You’re both right.”

I feel like I need to apologize to you for last night. I had an opportunity to address about a hundred people about the work they do to help others as volunteers and I didn’t prepare enough for it. I was up there talking and I had asked you what I should say, but I didn’t really sit down to listen to your answer. I didn’t dig in. And what I said was probably “fine,” but I don’t think it gave you the glory you deserve. I don’t think it moved the needle in nudging anyone closer to you through relationship with you and the service you have called them to. I should have talked about your offer for grace and your subsequent call for works. You’ve laid it out here for me over the last couple of weeks through these prayers and I missed it. I’m sorry.

Father, help me to continue to grind. Help me to grind in my relationship with you, in my marriage, in my work, and in my other relationships and activities. Help me to embrace the grace you give me while remembering the duty I have to you because of it. And thank you for everything.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2019 in 1 Peter

 

Colossians 1:9

12 Nov

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Colossians 1:9

Dear God, I simply don’t pray for others enough. I have these prayers with you. I think theological thoughts. I try to worship you. But intercessory prayer is not my strong point. I wonder how much I am failing you in that.

My wife and I pray together every morning, and we always pray for our respective families–from parents to nieces and nephews. And of course we pray for our children. I have to confess, however, that without that discipline of praying with her, I’m not sure I would even do that beyond my children. It just isn’t where my head goes.

There are all kinds of things you’ve been putting on my heart lately. There’s politics, the border issue, friends and acquaintances who are sick, patients of our clinic who are in need, community needs like childcare and drug abuse, etc.

Father, help me to carve out an additional time of day to bring these things to you in prayer. Be glorified in me and bring your kingdom into this world through me and all of your people. Help us to love you well and to live in your peace and joy.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 12, 2019 in Colossians

 
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