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Emails to God – Leaving and Cleaving (Genesis 2:24)

08 Oct

24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Dear God, I have always found this verse interesting because this isn’t, in fact, how we act as in reality. It seems that even the Jewish custom, from what I understand, is for the wife to leave her family and become part of her husband’s family. More often than not, women are asked to leave their father and mother and unite to their husbands, as opposed to the husband leaving his parents. Why is that, and is that Biblical?

Frankly, of all of the extended family relationships I have observed in my personal life and at work, usually the most difficult one is the wife getting along with her husband’s mother and/or sister(s). These relationships tend to be very frustrating. Mothers have special bonds with their sons and it can be hard for them to turn their care over to another woman. Most husbands, on the other hand, as long as they are hardworking and nice to the wives, get along with their in-laws just fine.

So what should the Biblical model look like, and who is responsible for pulling it off? I think that it looks like a man growing up and turning loose of his parents’ expectations and control over him. He needs to become his own man, which is something too many men fail to do (I am always irritated when there is a mother calling at work to make a medical appointment for her 51-year-old son). This often breaks down, however, because the mother’s husband isn’t there to help the mother let go of the son. My dad told me something one time that I’ve never forgotten: “It is the mother’s job to nurture the child, and the father’s job to help the mother let go.” That’s an over generalization, and he knows that, but I think it is largely truth.

Father, help me to be a husband who cleaves to his wife, and help me to be a husband who helps his own wife and son through that process. Help me to be the man you need me to be for my wife and for my mother. Bless our son through me, and if he gets married one day, bless his marriage through me as well. Of course, I also want what is best for my daughter, and want you to bless her. I will just need to think and pray through what that looks like as well.

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2012 in Genesis

 

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Emails to God – Interfacing with God in the Present (Proverbs 27:1)

04 Oct

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

Dear God, there are times when I am just like a little kid. I get some amount of good news and I want to share it with people. I want to celebrate. And, truth be told, I also want to point at myself a little and at least imply the role I played in getting the good thing done.

I watch a lot of football. Probably too much. One of the things that always amazes me is when they put the camera on a coach during a critical time of the game, and they will show his reaction to either a really good or really bad play. Now, there are some coaches who wave their arms and go nuts, but I am always surprised at how many of them take in what they just saw and simply move on to the next thing without letting their expression change. After the game, they might talk during their press conference about the emotion they felt at the time, but their expression and body language didn’t betray any of those feelings. There is a part of me that wishes I were like that, and a part of me that wonders if a little more exhibition of emotion isn’t necessary to lead.

I think that the big problem with allowing yourself to exhibit too much positive emotion as a leader is that there will be a tendency to exhibit too much negative emotion when those who are following you need a lift.

Father, the truth is that this verse is about not getting too far ahead of myself, but taking like one moment at a time. As C.S. Lewis said in the 15th letter of the Screwtape Letters (my paraphrase), the present is the only point in time that interfaces with you. While time means nothing to you, it means everything to us, and we cannot interact with you in the past or in the future. We can only interact with you in this moment. Well, this Proverb is about staying in the moment. As I go through the challenges of my day, help me to stay in whatever moment I find myself and not drift into fear or great expectation of the future. That includes my parenting, my husbanding, and my leading at work.

 
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Posted by on October 4, 2012 in Miscellaneous

 

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Emails to God – Bartimaeus’ Bad Week (Mark 10:46-52)

01 Oct

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Dear God, something new occurred to me yesterday as I heard about this story in church. Bartimaeus was about to have a very difficult week. On a scale of 1-10, I would imagine that this day was a 15 for him. How can it get any better for a blind man than to be given his sight. Amazing. He figured he would follow this Jesus guy because there must be something to him. Jesus really was the Son of David that Bartimaeus had hoped he was.

Then came Friday. If Bartimaeus followed him into Jerusalem that week then he had to live through Friday. He must have at least been in town when Jesus was beaten and taken up to Golgotha. I wonder how all of that hit him. He knew, tangibly, who Jesus was and yet he saw him killed. How did he respond that day? What was Saturday like for him? Was he around when Sunday came? The pastor yesterday said that some scholars believe that because we are given his name and his father’s name then they believe he was part of the early church. If so, then I’m sure he was a disciple who had seen it all. But if he gave up on Saturday then he missed the greatest victory in history.

Father, I face challenges. I am facing challenges today. Through my faith in you, I refuse to give up. I refuse to leave the game early. There is a great victory in the midst of these setbacks, and I want you to know that I am going to stick with you through them. There was ultimate victory for the Israelites in Egypt. There was ultimate victory for Jesus (and, subsequently, for me) in the Passion and resurrection. Now, there will be great victory in these things too. The victory might not look like I expect it to look, but I will trust that you are in control and your will will be done. I submit myself to that will and ask that you allow me to come along for the ride.

 
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Posted by on October 1, 2012 in Miscellaneous

 

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Emails to God – God’s Wisdom is Foolish to Man (1 Corinthians 2:14)

28 Sep

“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

Dear God, what is it about submission to you that changes one’s perspective on life? I think, when it comes down to it, our unredeemed selves just cannot imagine a world-view where we should not promote ourselves and our own self-interests at all costs. On the other hand, a person who submits her or his life to you knows that there is peace in turning loose of selfishness and embracing a cause greater than one’s self, even at your own expense.

I know a few teenagers, and I think the difference shows up most in them. There are a few (just a few) who have submitted their lives to you (or are, at least, doing the best they can as teenagers). They seem to have less to prove to others, and are more comfortable in their own skin. Remembering back to my own high school days, I think of myself and my friends as being so desperate for approval from others. We wanted to be cool and achieve things. We wanted to impress our friends so we would embellish stories or do daring things to make them think we were cool. The truth is, we just wanted to be accepted. But there is something about the peace that comes from knowing you that leads us to an acceptance that so few seem to know.

Father, I know that there are things that I do that certain non-Christians around me reject. I know they see me as naïve even prude. But the truth is that I don’t have a desire to be any other way. That’s not to say I am above being tempted by sin or giving into it. I can gossip, show off, and even lust just as much as anyone. But I guess the difference is that the deeper the Spirit grows in me the more I can turn loose of these things and accept that I don’t need them, nor do I want them as much as I used to. I hear your still small voice when I say something I shouldn’t, look at someone the way I shouldn’t, or accept compliments and glory that rightfully belong to others and you. It tells me to turn loose and let go. There is more peace to be had in decreasing as you increase instead of you decreasing so that I can increase.

 
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Posted by on September 28, 2012 in Miscellaneous

 

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Emails to God – God’s Gonna Cut You Down (by Johnny Cash)

26 Sep

God’s Gonna Cut You Down – By Johnny Cash

Before you read any further, you need to watch the music video.

Dear God, recorded in 2003, but released posthumously in 2006, this song might be my favorite of Johnny Cash’s songs. There is a mood in the singing of this song that not many women or men could create. But what really struck me about this song was how someone envisioned and produced the video that goes with it.

First, here are the lyrics to the song (as if you don’t already know them):

You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down

Go tell that long tongue liar,
go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut ’em down
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut ’em down

Well, my goodness gracious let me tell you the news
My head’s been wet with the midnight dew
I’ve been down on bended knee
Talkin’ to the man from Galilee

He spoke to me in the voice so sweet
I thought, I heard the shuffle of the angel’s feet
He called my name and my heart stood still
When he said, “John, go do my will”

Go tell that long tongue liar,
go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut ’em down
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut ’em down

You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down

Well, you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin’ in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What’s down in the dark will be brought to the light

You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down

Go tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut you down
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut you down
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut you down

The video, however, is interesting because it shows a host of people lip-syncing the song. Here’s the list from Wikipedia in order of appearance: In order of appearance; Iggy Pop, Kanye West, Chris Martin, Kris Kristofferson, Patti Smith, Terrence Howard, Flea, Q-Tip, Adam Levine, Chris Rock, Justin Timberlake, Kate Moss, Sir Peter Blake, Sheryl Crow, Dennis Hopper, Woody Harrelson, Amy Lee, Tommy Lee, the Dixie Chicks, Mick Jones, Sharon Stone, Bono, Shelby Lynne, Anthony Kiedis, Travis Barker, Lisa Marie Presley, Kid Rock, Jay-Z, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons, Corinne Bailey Rae, Johnny Depp, Graham Nash (holding photos of Johnny Cash), Brian Wilson.

Frankly, I wouldn’t have thought of most of these people as God-fearing. Maybe Bono. But as I read the rest of the list I wondered what these people think of the lyrics. How do they see you? How do they see themselves? How did the video producer (Tony Kaye) come up with this list, what was the message he was communicating by choosing these people, and what was his pitch to each of them as he got them to do it? For example, he calls Keith Richards and says, “_____.” I can’t even imagine what I would say to Keith Richards to get him to participate in a video talking about you cutting sinners down and bringing them back to yourself.

I guess I think Tony’s message to me is, “There is something in all of us, no matter how ungodly and wicked, that knows we need to come back to God.” At least that is my inference. When I see some of these people, whom I must admit I have pre-judged as being Godless, participating in this song I wonder if the message isn’t, “Even the most staunch atheist has a little part of her or his conscience that knows they are running from God.”

Father, the truth is, I try to run away from you all of the time. My submission to you is a constant battle. Every day I make decisions that try to help me increase and you decrease. It is a moment-by-moment struggle. In the end, my name could easily be added to the list of celebrities above as just as big of a long tongue liar, midnight rider, rambler, gambler, and back biter as any of them.

 
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Posted by on September 26, 2012 in Hymns and Songs

 

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Emails to God: Leap of Faith (Starring Steve Martin and Debra Winger – 1992)

25 Sep

Dear God, I remember when this movie first came out. I was just out of college working for a Christian music publisher. I was also newly married. As I recall, I saw it more than once in the theater. I would put this movie in my top ten of all time. As I watched this movie recently, I was asking myself why I find it so compelling.

I think that what I like is the idea of someone mocking you by using your name to con people, and then you show up and turn their world upside down. I like the idea that you cannot be mocked. I like the idea that you are bigger than those who don’t believe in you. Steve Martin really does a masterful job in the movie. I wonder if his role had any impact on him, or if any of the message that the film communicates gets lost in the production of a movie.

Being in a public role with the nonprofit where I work, one thing I did start to wonder is if there is any Jonas Nightengale in me as I do my job. I spoke to a group of about 200 people last week and I talked about you and your role in our nonprofit. Was I being honest? Was there any part of what I did that was more show than substance? While I do my best to be as earnest as possible in my private life as I am publicly, I am also aware that there is a part of me that knows how to present things well.

Father, I want to be like the choir in Leap of Faith. They are part of the show, but they are there earnestly. In fact, they are as much the victims of Jonas’ con as the audience is, but they are also part of the show. While I don’t want to be conned, I do want to be part of giving you glory through my work, which is all they were trying to do. Probably the most frequently way I get conned in my job is by patients. They lie to me to get my help, and I often help them anyway. I don’t mind as much because I feel like, just like to touched Jonas, you can touch them through their con as well. You will not be mocked, and if you are touching their lives in any way, then it will be for their good.

 
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Posted by on September 25, 2012 in Miscellaneous

 

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Emails to God – Spirit, Come Flush the Lies Out (Hebrews 10:32-36)

24 Sep

32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Dear God, the phrase “joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property” in verse 34 caught my eye this morning. It reminds me of passion lost.

I was on a bike ride yesterday and listening to a song by Charlie Peacock called “Monkeys at the Zoo.” It’s a weird title, but here is the first verse:

Will it be different now, or the same
Will I have learned anything
Or was it just a way to spend a day or two
Set aside for thinking thoughts about You.
If that’s all it was, I had a good time…

One time I was on my way to a retreat when this song came on my radio. I realized how perfectly it describes the retreat/mountain top process. We often get off somewhere like that and really feel your presence, but do things change later? Will we have learned anything? So Charlie, in the chorus, purposes in his heart to do it right this time:

But that won’t be enough for me
Not this year, not anytime soon
I have got to clean house
Gotta make my bed, got clear my head
It’s getting kind of stuffy in here
Smell sorta funky too, like monkeys at the zoo
I’ve been whoring after things
Cuz I wanna feel safe inside
That’s a big fat lie
No amount of green, gold, or silver
Will ever take the place of the Peace of God
Spirit, come flush the lies out
Spirit, come flush the lies out

So I don’t know if I have any retreats in my near future, but I know I am in constant need of renewal. Father, help to renew my soul. Renew my spirit. Spirit, come flush the lies out. Spirit, come flush the lies out.

 
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Posted by on September 24, 2012 in Miscellaneous

 

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Emails to God – Thank you for autumn rains (Joel 2:23)

20 Sep

23“Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.”

Dear God, it is good to be reminded to look for your goodness in the midst of trials. It is good to reminded of your gifts in the midst of stress. It is good to be reminded of your provision in the midst of worry and fear.

It has been a stressful week. My wife and I have both had a lot going on with our jobs. As I sit here on a Thursday morning, I am pretty spend. It is 6:20 and I have to speak at a Rotary Club meeting in about 30 minutes. The week has already taken a lot of my energy, and there is still much more to do. I didn’t sleep well at all because I was afraid of oversleeping for this presentation this morning—and I was a bit stressed because I knew I had to come into the office earlier than the presentation to pick up my handouts, which I forgot.

But this verse reminds me that I need to rejoice in you. It reminds me that you have given us autumn rains. In this case, you literally gave us autumn rains this last week, but you have given them to me figuratively as well. Frankly, it’s been a good week relationally with our children. That has been a nice reprieve from some of the combat we have done for a while. At work, I am strained about the donations coming in, but when I look back on the year, you have provided for us and continue to provide for us. You are good. You have brought us a good staff who works together for our patients. And you are still bringing us gifts. You have a retreat in store for my wife. You have given me a good, dependable job in the midst of economic chaos elsewhere.

Father, I will rejoice in you this morning. Please help me to not overlook all of the little things you do to bless me. Help me to see every place that your hand touches my life and to not take you for granted. I want to see you in everything around me. I want to be your blessing to others. I want to channel your Spirit to everyone I touch, including those to whom I will talk this morning. Be glorified in me so that others might rejoice in you and your good gifts as well.

 
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Posted by on September 20, 2012 in Miscellaneous

 

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Emails to God – Ambition and Conceit (Philippians 2:3-4)

18 Sep

3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. 4Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Dear God, today has to be all about others. Nothing can be about me. Our organization is about to have a big party at which we will celebrate 20 years of your provision for those in our area who have no means for affordable healthcare. Since I am the current leader of the organization there is a tendency to give me too much of the credit for what we do. And, frankly, I have a tendency to take it.

But today and tonight must not be about me. There is no glory for you in that. I must remember to value all others above myself. I must not look to my own interests, but to the interest of our patients and all of those who work so hard to make our services available.

Father, help me to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Help me to be at peace and to work hard for your glory and the benefit of others. Help me to leave it all on the table today and ask or look for nothing in return. Thank you for what you have done for us through the years. Thank you for what you have done for our patients, volunteers and donors. You have made a difference in countless lives, and we are grateful for all that you do.

 
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Posted by on September 18, 2012 in Miscellaneous

 

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Emails to God – Keeping Yourself Pure (Ephesians 5:1-20)

17 Sep

5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear God, something is happening with the Spirit within my house. Frankly, over the last several months (years?) I have felt like we have been under a very specific spiritual attack. It has surprised me. Probably what has surprised me the most is how I have seen the different ways that I was hurting my family that I didn’t realize. I was (and, I guess, am—although it is apparently getting better) critical and difficult to be around. My loud-ish personality and the popularity that comes with my job made it difficult for my family to be with me in public. And at home I think they never felt like they could do it right enough for me. It was hard for me to see at first, and now that I can see it, it has been hard for me to change. But I think I have done it slowly, but surely.

Now, I have started to feel a bit of a shift. Is it you moving? Is it something I can believe in? I am seeing my children responding to me a little differently. As if the change in me that I have been praying about over the last months and years is finally starting to take hold and they are starting to believe in it. My wife, being more mature, has allowed herself to believe in the change in me a little earlier, but the kids finally seem to be coming around.

One thing I am finding, however, is that I will need to be extra careful to guard my heart. I can see the positives that are happening and I know that Satan will attach in other areas. From where will his attacks come? Am I girded with your armor? Am I ready to follow verse 15 here, and live not as unwise but as wise?

Father, help me to be pure. Help me to have pure motives, thoughts, and deeds. And by pure, I mean help me to have your heart. I am sorry for the pain I unintentionally caused. I can only ask now that you will use it for your good in my life and my family’s life. Let your presence reign and help us to all submit ourselves to your authority and Spirit.

 
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Posted by on September 17, 2012 in Miscellaneous

 

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