Winsome Witness 4. Overcoming Hate with Love

On September 10, the disunity within the United States of America was highlighted once again by the assassination of Charlie Kirk.  The life of this young husband, father, and founder of Turning Point, USA was taken by an assassin’s bullet while Charlie was engaging in public dialog with college students at Utah Valley University.  Since that day, many who knew Charlie have been honoring him with praise for his bold witness for Jesus Christ and his love for America, and especially for the youth on our college campuses.

When we began this series of blogs on a “Winsome Witness” in July, we discussed our calling as “the salt of the earth” [Part 1 HERE.] and in August, “Being Salt in Controversy” [Part 2 HERE.].  Little did we know that we would be remembering the life and “winsome witness” of Dwayne Frank who went home to Heaven on September 7 [Part 3 HERE.].  And then, three days later, we mourned the assassination of God’s witness for the Gospel, Charlie Kirk.  So, in Part 4, we will consider how the love of God inspires Christ-followers to be “winsome witnesses” of the love of Christ in the face of hate and death.

The Gospel: 
Harsh Truth?
Charlie Kirk was a lover of God, His Word, and everyone he tried to reach with Truth.  Still, many are criticizing Kirk’s approach as having been too harsh and disrespectful.  Granted,  Charlie repeatedly made clear that his primary intention was to present his witness for Christ and the Gospel (“good news”) of salvation in a genuine and encouraging way.  However, his application of the Gospel message to various moral and social issues was not always favorably received by everyone across the diverse political and ethnic landscape of America.   

Charlie would have been the first to admit he was not perfect.  One can find recordings in which, during the heat of the moment, his words appeared inappropriate and may have hurt some of his listeners.  Add to these the snippets of Charlies speeches, often taken out of context and propagated in social media.  Regardless, it is easy to resort to fault-finding to evade a convicting message.  We believe that most of Charlie’s critics who judged his words as “hate speech” did so, not because they have reason to reject Charlie, but because they have not found justification and peace in their relationship to God.  To them in their broken spiritual and emotional state, even loving words of moral truth can appear hurtful and hateful. 

“Good News,
“Hate Speech?”
How can we account for the fact that what Almighty God and His children intend to be a witness for “Good News” is labeled by some as “hate speech?” The history of Christianity according to the Bible account helps us answer this perplexing question.  For example, the Apostle Peter who just days earlier had denied Christ and had run away in fear, suddenly began to boldly proclaim the Gospel of the Cross to the Jews and people of different nations and ethnic groups (Book of Acts, Ch. 2).  Some considered Peter's message as "hate speech." However, about three thousand in the crowd repented of their sin and were saved! 

It is no surprise that the Gospel is considered by many as hate speech.  The Apostle Paul who was hated, persecuted, and eventually martyred for his faith wrote, For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1: 18).  And, within hours of His crucifixion, Jesus prepared His followers with these words (John 15:18-19):  If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you.

Had Charlie simply preached a more “user-friendly Gospel” that “God is love, and God wants us to be happy in what we choose to do for ourselves,” few would have heard and responded in hate and violence.  But Charlie’s message was like the message of Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7).  According to Acts 7: 54, when Stephen’s audience heard him say they were disobedient to God, they were enraged and they gnashed their teeth at him. Then, they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him (v. 57).  Finally, they drove Stephen out of the city and stoned him to death. 

Like Stephen, Charlie boldly confronted his listeners and urged them to evaluate their personal beliefs in light of God’s Word.  As we noted in Part 2 of this series [Click HERE to read.], when Christ-followers take a firm stand against immoral or unethical claims or actions, they are acting as the "salt" that preserves our culture against decay.  However, they also risk being misunderstood and even under threat of violence and death.

Murder of God’s Messengers
Ultimately, like so many historic Christian martyrs, and like many more around the world today, Charlie was hated because of the Gospel message he presented.  His message was that God came in human flesh as Jesus Christ to reconcile rebellious, sinful mankind regardless of their socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, or political party (John 3: 14-21).  This Jesus lived a sinless life, died in our place as a substitutionary sacrifice for sinners, and rose again from the dead in victory over sin and death.  All who accept Jesus’s death and resurrection by faith and reason as payment for their sin can be saved from eternal separation from God (Romans 10: 8-13).  When a person submits to God in this way and is enlightened by God’s Word through His Spirit, he or she begins to put off the old person and lifestyle.  The Bible describes this transformation in mind, body, and spirit in Galatians 5: 19-23:

Now the deeds of the flesh [the old, sinful nature] are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions,  envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the [new life in the] Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Hatred Is Rooted in Our Hearts
Charlie Kirk recognized that he was engaged in a war, …not against flesh and blood, but against… the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6: 12).”  The weapons, or “flaming darts,” of spiritual darkness include hate, lies, deception, accusation, isolation, doubt, distraction, masquerade, pleasure, unforgiveness, and fear.  If we allow these weapons of Satan to penetrate the spiritual armor God provides and commands us to put on (Ephesians 6: 10-18), our minds become confused about who we really are and who our enemy really is.  Then, we mistakenly turn against others—our brother or sister in Christ, our spouse, our neighbor, our pastor, or our president and other leaders.  Sound familiar?  Sound close to home?

Let’s be honest!  (I’ll admit, I am speaking from experience.)  The inner attitudes and thoughts that I battle are the seeds that could grow into actions that make the daily news—hateful rhetoric, riots, and murder.  James 1: 14-15 describes a progression that occurs when we are “carried away” by our passions which, when they have conceived, give birth to sin which leads to death.  In Matthew 5: 22, we read Jesus’s claim: whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.  Notice that Jesus takes the sixth commandment, “Thou shall not murder,” and goes to the source within the human heart where the underlying sins of pride, hate, and envy are rooted.  Sin within the heart if unchecked leads to hateful speech and even murder.  To this we should cry, “God help us!”  And He will.

Choosing Better Weapons
But God through Christ and His Gospel pleads with us:
“Please don’t think that way.
Turn from your selfish, sinful ways.
They will destroy you. 
I have something better and
I want you to have it because I love you.”

In our culture where hateful hearts, violent rhetoric, guns, knives, and bombs are subjects of our daily news, true Christ-followers have access to three more powerful “weapons”—thankfulness, repentance, and forgiveness.  Each of these “weapons” are necessary if we are to gain victory against our fleshly passions and the flaming darts of spiritual wickedness hurled at us.

Thankfulness is our weapon or prescription against our tendency toward discontent, envy, boasting, and covetousness.  Thankfulness for what God has already provided frees our minds to realize the blessings of freedom and material provisions we have in Christ and in our country; and, for those both living and dead who have made these blessings possible.

Repentance is our second weapon.  When a disposition of fear, envy, or covetousness threatens our outlook, we need to be quick to repent—i.e. to confess (say what God says about) our lack of faith and any sin, and turn from it toward faith in our loving God.  Not easy, but in every circumstance, by prayer …[we are to let our requests] be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7).

Forgiveness and a forgiving spirit may be the most powerful weapon of all.  It is the pure expression of God’s love, spoken through His Son while nailed to a Roman cross when He said, Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing (Luke 23: 34).  Charlie’s wife, Erika, chose to forgive Tyler Robinson who shot and killed her beloved husband.  Her statement of forgiveness is a powerful testimony and “winsome witness” of God’s love.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination on September 10 escorted him into the presence of an estimated 70 million Christians believed to have been martyred for their faith since the death of Stephen.

Charlie is quoted as saying, “What God wants from me is a life fighting for truth.  I want to be remembered for courage for my faith.”  He certainly fought hard for truth, and we fondly remember him for his outstanding courage and “winsome witness” right up to the moment God took him home to Heaven.

Further Encouragement:
The month of September has seen many challenging events, both encouraging and disheartening.  Thankfully, when our souls become frustrated and fearful, God stands ready with a three-part prescription from His Word.  During a similar time of turmoil in 2019, I shared my basic “three R’s” as an encouragement—not “Readin’, ‘Ritin’, and ‘Rithmetic;” but instead, REPENT, REJOICE, and RECONCILE.   [Read more HERE.]

Considerations for Our COVID-19 Conundrum

Indications are that the 3-month “war” on our “invisible enemy,” the COVID-19 virus, is beginning to show signs of success in flattening the “curve.”  Many states with minimal COVID-19 cases are working on plans to reinstitute “normal” operations of services and the economy.  However, there is much controversy over how and when to proceed.  Some medical experts still favor delay of opening to avoid more serious spread of the virus.  Others want to use personal tracking of the virus, a potential new invasion of our privacy.

While living under this very different experience, I am realizing that my disposition should be characterized by several attitudes or qualities.  These include thankfulness, repentance, realistic outlook, informed discernment, and intercession.

Thankfulness
In everything [even in a Coronavirus pandemic] give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5: 18).  As of this writing, I am thankful for the health of our family and friends, and for the following:
(a) recovery statistics are outpacing deaths by either direct causes (presumably by an overactive-immune system) and indirect causes (through pre-existing health factors in at-risk persons) causes. 
(b) infections and hospitalizations are far fewer than that of the swine flu (H1N1), in 2009-2010, and much smaller than other major causes of death (see table below).
(c) wise leadership of our president and the Coronavirus Task Force led by VP Pence, state governors, doctors and medical health care staffs, our armed forces, law enforcement, and church and para-church organizations (e.g. Samaritan’s Purse) deserves our thanks to God.
(d) alternative means of staying connected with our families and churches abound. Meanwhile,  we should recognize that many Christians in places like the Middle East, in China, and in North Korea cannot freely meet to worship even apart from the COVID-19.

Repentance
Repentance, confession of our sin, and worship should be an ongoing part of the lifestyle of a dedicated Christ-follower.  How blessed are the poor in [their] spirit (Matthew 5: 3).  We can be humbled to our knees when we read again the accounts in Scripture of how people reacted in repentance and worship when they bowed before the Living God.  Repentance and spiritual awakening often occurred when God’s people faced great challenges, opposition from mighty armies, or threat from pandemics.  Could it be that God lovingly desires to draw America back to a greater trust and obedience to Him through the pandemic? 

God’s Spirit and His Word revealed in Scripture cause us to humbly repent of our sin.  Of course the invitation to repentance stated in 2 Chronicles 7: 14 is very appropriate as we seek God’s face on behalf of our nation at this troubled time:  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Realistic Outlook
Repentance leads to cleansing from confessed sin, restored fellowship with God, and the clearer vision needed in difficult times.  Every day, many lives are spared by the herculean efforts of those listed in (c) above, functioning within an amazing social structure and enabled by a sovereign God.  However, in reality, people still die for various causes including what we call “accidents” (est. 169,936 deaths/year).  Nothing like a pandemic to help us realize the limited human ability to produce perfect outcomes, even when battling such a tiny, invisible enemy as a virus.  Death is inevitable for us all.

The likelihood of a person dying from a COVID-19 infection depends upon his or her health, particularly the condition of their immune system and respiratory system.  By analogy, violent wind passing through a forest usually does not equally damage and fell all the trees.  The older trees with weakened roots and trunks due to prior storm or lightning damage, internal infection, or decay, are most likely to be toppled or otherwise damaged. 

Like the wind passing through a forest, every pandemic operates by natural selection to cause greater mortality among those predisposed to the disease because of their age, genetic deficiencies, nutritional deficiencies, prior accidental injuries, or history of prior moral choices that had promoted or diminished physical and emotional health.  Some ethnic minorities experience higher mortality due to a history of discrimination and unfortunate moral choices that lead to disrupted family structure, poor education, and lack of spiritual development. 

Considering that death is inevitable and that any human population includes a wide range of susceptibility to, in this case, COVID-19, the question should be as follows: “In an attempt to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19 infection, how strict can a policy of social isolation be without weakening the entire population by causing socioeconomic disruption and physical-emotional effects that lead to increased addiction, crime, and deaths?

The table above reveals the seemingly inevitable high mortality due to influenza during most years, and particularly from the Swine Flu (H1N1) in 2009-2010.  Although Swine Flu caused a much higher case load of infections and hospitalizations than COVID-19 has to date, the response to the threat of Swine Flu did not include imposed social isolation leading over 22 million jobless claims (to date).

As of this writing, it is clear that President Trump and his team, and the nation’s governors need much discernment as they establish policy that limits deaths from COVID-19 infections without increasing deaths indirectly resulting from social isolation and disruption of our economy.

Informed Discernment
Difficult times test our faith.  We need to be informed of both current events and grounded in God’s Word.  These two disciplines can help us to exercise what I will call “informed discernment” to make wise decisions.  When I was employed by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, my laboratory chief would say, “You will always make the best decisions from the point of maximum information.”  Now, I will add, “having the best quality information.”  Here are some areas needing our discernment as American citizens in regard to policies on COVID-19:

(a)  News sources should report events with objectivity.  They should separate commentary from objective reporting of the news.  With the rapidity of news cycles, good news analysis includes timelines of unfolding events—e.g. the decisions and actions toward COVID-19 from December, 2019 to the present.  Who knew what, and said what, and when?  How have opinions changed?  Who was correct from the beginning, even when receiving opposition.

(b)  Scientific data and statistics:  I have already written of the importance of “good science.”

(c)  Responsible parties behind the COVID-19 pandemic need to be identified.  Why did the World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese Communist leadership fail to lead with information that might have avoided the pandemic?  Some are recommending a stiff economic retribution for China.  But we need to consider how any penalty aimed at the tyrannical Chinese Communist leaders will indirectly affect the innocent Chinese people.

(d)  Scriptural ethics and understanding of the need to protect our 1^st Amendment right to privacy in any strategy to defeat the virus. For example, should personal smartphone tracking be used to track the spread of COVID-91?

(e)  Worship services been altered by social distancing policies. What are we learning from alternative approaches to “corporate worship” that can positively affect our worship afterwards?  The same is true of how we educate, how we do health care, and how we maintain our personal health. (e.g. preventive medicine).

(f)  Our view of death, pain, and suffering (physical and emotional) needs to be brought under the authority and insights of God’s Word.  For example, Jesus said, In the world, you will have trouble, but be of good cheer.  I have overcome the world (John 16: 33).  In 2 Corinthians 4, the Apostle Paul wonderfully addresses the realities of the present world and the promise of Eternal Life:
  i.    Ruler of this world (Satan) has blinded us (1 Corinthians 4: 3-4).
  ii.   Christ-followers are to be light and salt (v. 5-7).
  iii.  Christ-followers will suffer affliction (v. 8-15; Luke 21: 12-13).
  iv.  But we do not lose heart for very good reason (v. 16-18).
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8: 37).

Intercession in Prayer
If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”
The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven… - Psalm 11: 3-4a

Historically, during times of trouble, men and women of faith have prayed to God on behalf of their own personal sin and the sin of their nation.  Here are several examples from God’s Word:  Psalm 51, Psalm 130, and Isaiah 6: 1-7 involve individual repentance; Daniel 9: 1-19 which is Daniel’s intercessory prayer for his nation; and the Apostle John’s call to repentance in 1 John 1: 5-10.

How should we pray?  Here are some prayer promptings that Abby and I are using, and that I have been using with a virtual prayer “meeting” with several men of our church:
(a)  Churches and their Pastors as they lead efforts to proclaim Truth and maintain the local body. 
(b)  People – that their hearts will be open to God’s Word, active in ministering to the needy.
(c)  Missionaries—to powerfully present the Gospel during times of opportunity
(d)  Government leaders— for humble submission to God’s wisdom in important decisions
(e)  Medical professionals— for renewed stamina, wisdom, professionalism, and compassion
(f)   Personal opportunities to assist materially, emotionally, and spiritually in this unique period.

What Do You Think?
If you’d like to leave a question or comment, please use the “Comment” link below.  Or, you may contact me at silviusj@cedarville.edu.

LOVE: Part 5 - Is God-Fearing Love a Contradiction?

Christianity is unique among all religions of the world.  According to the Bible, God is a living and personal God who created all things and seeks relationship with us through the Gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. This relationship will last for eternity in a real place called Heaven where Christ-followers in new bodies will personally recognize and enjoy relationship with each other for all eternity.   Christianity is also unique in its encouragement of virtues such as unconditional love. 

According to 1 John 4: 16, God is love.  Love (agapeo and phileo) originates from God and is expressed most fully by Christ-followers through a spirit of thankfulness and forgiveness.  I am planning to discuss these elements of love in PART 6 of our series of articles on LOVE.  But first, I want to address an often confusing question; namely, “How can a God of love be a Holy Judge who requires that we approach Him with reverent fear?”  A correct answer to this question is important.  The Bible teaches that we cannot acquire a spirit of thankfulness or express forgiveness to others unless we first learn to approach a holy God with reverent fear and respect.

What Does It Mean to “Fear God?”
The Bible commands us to “fear God.”  This teaching of Judaism and Christianity may be an immediate “turn-off” for you unless you understand what the Scriptures really say about the fear of God.  Moses used the following words, recorded in Deuteronomy 10: 12 (NIV), to underscore the importance of fearing God (emphasis mine):

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul…

Notice the sequence Moses uses:  fear --> obey --> love --> serve.  He means that our love for God is made real to God only when we obey His commands in His Word.  In turn, obeying God as willing servants or stewards is grounded in reverent fear of God.  Fear of God allows God’s Spirit to empower Christ-followers to love and serve Him.

One of the purposes of the Old Testament biblical revelations of God was to teach fallen mankind to fear or show reverent respect toward Him.  For example, Moses reacted in great fear of God when he interceded for the people of Israel after they had sinned by worshiping the golden calf.  Moses wrote to Israel and to us, I was afraid of the LORD's fierce anger, because he was furious enough to destroy you; but once again the LORD listened to me.  (Deuteronomy 9: 19, GNT).  The author of the Book of Hebrews writes that when Israel gathered at the base of Mt. Sinai near the presence of God, The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear (Heb. 12: 21).”

Love God…and Fear Him?
But how can a God whose anger and wrath incites great fear be called a God of love.  One explanation is that the word “fear” does not mean that God incites unhealthy fear or terror.  But, try explaining that to Moses!  Based on the writings of Moses, there should be no question that he had learned to “fear God.”

 I have often wondered how a fearsome God can expect us to believe He is a God of love whose commands are worthy of our obedience.  I received my best answer to this question recently when I was checking the electrical circuit breakers in our basement.  Like most “breaker boxes,” ours contains two thick cables that connect electrical power to our home from outside utility lines.  The exposed wire within each cable is anchored to a contact within the breaker box by large screws.  From these contacts, electricity flows to and from individual circuit breakers, each wired into a separate circuit or path of electricity that serves to power individual appliances within our home—e.g. kitchen lights, furnace, etc.  Each circuit is protected by a circuit breaker which can be “thrown” in order to interrupt current flow in the event of an overload.

Knowing what I have just explained about electrical power, you can understand why I “fear” the inside of our breaker box.  I believe my fear is justified.  Touching the bear wires without insulated gloves could prove fatal.

By analogy, my question becomes, “How can I ‘love’ something like electricity that causes fear of death?”  The answer is found in the same sequence as the commands God gave to Moses:   fear --> obey --> love --> serve.  When I base my attitude and behavior on my fear (healthy respect) for electricity and don’t touch the wires, then I have nothing to fear.  As part of God’s creation, electricity “obeys” the laws of His creation.  Therefore, as long as I respectfully follow God’s unchanging laws governing electricity, I am safe from harm.  There are no unwanted surprises and I am free to enjoy, even “love” the benefits of having electricity flowing in and around me in our home.  Likewise, as Moses teaches us in the Scripture cited above, Jehovah God loves us and desires that we learn to love Him in return.  But we can only learn to love God when we first become aware of His awesome power and discipline, and then respond by offering Him our reverent fear and respect.

Fear Those in Authority Over Us
My illustration of a healthy fear and respect for electricity also applies to relationships with human authorities.  The basketball player who has a reverent respect for his or her coach has learned to be respectful because he or she knows the consequences of being disrespectful or lazy.  Athletes who willingly submit to well intended demands of their coaches will often develop a greater love and devotion to them, resulting in a more excellent performance in competition.

When we learn to fear God, we can expect that we will experience God’s love and the benefits of His love and mercy.  Wise King Solomon gave us a major principle at the beginning of the Book of Proverbs:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge:
but fools despise wisdom and instruction. – Proverbs 1:7

Notice that Solomon’s teaching is very much in line with that of Moses.  The progression is: fear --> knowledge --> wisdom --> obedience (implied).   When we submit in reverent respect for God and His Word, our heart and mind are open to receive both knowledge and necessary wisdom to help apply that knowledge in God-honoring obedience.  And, God interprets our obedience as a language of love for Him.  In return, according to the psalmist, God grants us peace of mind.  Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them (Psalm 119: 165).

In recent years, we have been struggling as a culture to render necessary fear and respect for those in authority.  News reports frequently report incidences of disrespect and threats of violence toward authority figures including the President of the United States, high court justices, law enforcement officials, and school teachers.  But we should have no reason to be terrified of those in authority unless they we have broken the law.  Law-abiding citizens should know “great peace,” being free from the fear of being arrested.  If we want to live quiet and peacable lives, we ought to obey the law; then, love and pray for law-enforcers who risk their lives daily to protect homes and communities.

No Fear of God Brings a Fateful Future
We should not be surprised by the behavior of those who choose not to fear God and who refuse give Him the reverent respect He deserves.  For example, in Romans 3: 9-18, the Apostle Paul describes the traits of the unrighteous human race as unprofitable with mouths full of cursing, bitterness, and deceit; their feet are quick to shed blood, and the way of peace they have not known.  In 2 Timothy 3: 1-5, Paul elaborates the behavior that will characterize “the last days:”

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

It is clear that those who refuse to submit to God in fear and reverent respect according to the progression of  fear --> knowledge --> wisdom --> obedience (implied), are instead destined to a progression that we might outline as follows:  no fear of God --> rebellion --> foolishness, ignorance of truth --> dysfunctional life (as described above).  Eventually, a godless approach to life leads to hopelessness, despair, and fear. 

In summary, we have explained that fear, or reverent respect, is essential to obeying God and God-ordained authority figures; and also, to obeying laws of nature regarding its potentially harmful aspects like electricity.  Likewise, fear of God motivates respectful obedience to His special revelation (His Word) and His general revelation (e.g. laws of creation regarding electricity).  Our obedience in turn demonstrates our love for God and opens our hearts to His love and peace.  Read 1 John 4: 13-18 which underscores the security that is assured to Christ-followers through God’s Word and the inner voice of His Holy Spirit.


The child of God who is secure in God’s love is empowered to express unconditional love through two actions that uniquely authenticate his or her Christian faith in daily practice; namely, thankfulness and forgiveness.  These virtues will be the subject of my next article, “LOVE: Part 6 - Humbly Received, Graciously Given."

Taking Time to Thank Teachers

The first full week of the month of May each year is set aside as TeacherAppreciation Week.  So this year, I’ve decided to pause and remember some of my former teachers.  I want to honor them by writing a brief account of how each has influenced the path I have chosen and am still choosing in life.  By doing this, I hope to thank and honor God Who brought them into my life.

Mrs. Olive Johnson

When I began my formal schooling at Dundee (Ohio) Elementary School, I was like a rough board that had been sawn with a dull blade.  As the elder sibling, I enjoyed most of my preschool years without any interference from my sister who arrived when I was four years old.  Having had mostly my own way as a preschooler, I had developed few social skills with other children.  My first grade teacher, Mrs. Olive Johnson, was God’s tool for trimming this crude board into shape and sanding off the splintery surface.  Fittingly, she sent me to the principal’s office several times so that he could literally “use the board” on me.  “The board” was a fearsome tool that most of my peers only heard about but never saw.  I explained to them that it even had little holes in it which I later learned in physics were designed to reduce air resistance during swings to the backside.

After a few weeks, Mrs. Johnson had left no doubt in my mind that she was in for the long haul when it came to shaping my behavior.  By the end of the school year, I began to realize that her goals for me and her other students were aimed much deeper than simply sanding off our splinters and rough edges necessary for us to sit, listen, and learn.  She performed many acts that demonstrated her desire to build up our inner character.  For example, I remember the fun of coming to the door of our classroom each morning during the last few weeks of school in May, 1954 to see the tally of how many of days of school remained.  Greeting us each morning was a small poster she had made to report the number of school days remaining, along with a short proverb or another quote for the day to challenge each of us to finish the year well.

Received on my birthday, 1987

Mrs. Johnson’s challenges and example to me did not stop on the last day of school.  For many years afterwards, she greeted me each Sunday at Dundee Methodist Church where my family attended.  There, she demonstrated her love for God by her involvement in the educational and music ministries.  Indeed, Mrs. Johnson’s supportive love, prayers, and example continued for several decades after I graduated from her first grade classroom.  Each year during these decades, I received a birthday card, often with an encouraging or challenging poem she had personally written.  I understand she performed this ministry to many or all of her hundreds of students.  One of her last cards to me was a congratulatory card upon my completion of a graduate degree.

On the last day of school, Mrs. Johnson gave us each the gift of a book, Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories, which contains many character-building short stories.  I recalled many wonderful hours as a boy reading my favorite stories from the book.  Later, when I became a father, I used Uncle Arthur’s to teach our children; and, more recently I have read from the book to our grandchildren.

With Mrs. Gardner-Weber, at age 100.

Next, I want to thank Mrs. Kathryn Gardner-Weber, my second and third grade teacher, for taking up the challenge of teaching me where Mrs. Johnson had left off in first grade.  Mrs. Gardner’s approach toward me included the choice of a finer sand paper, and thankfully without the need of the principal and his “board.” I have thanked her for her way of challenging me to do my best, and also making me believe that I could do better than just mediocre work.  Like Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Gardner was also active in both the teaching and music ministry of our church.  My regular Sunday encounters with Mrs. Gardner and her husband, Lloyd during the next ten years as I was going through adolescence and becoming a young man helped me to believe in God, “believe in myself,” and as a result, believe that I could accomplish something with my life.

It is an unexpected blessing to me that Mrs. Gardner, now Mrs. Gardner-Weber, twice a widow at age 102, remains a good friend and encourager.  She is a friendly encourager to fellow residents of her assisted living facility and still plays the piano which Abby and I enjoy when we visit her.

God blessed me with many fine teachers from my elementary years through high school.  During my freshman year at Malone College as a history major, I enrolled in General Biology to complete my “life science requirement.”  This choice brought me under the teaching of Dr. Charles C. King, known affectionately as “Charlie” by his faculty peers.  I could tell that Dr. King cared about us and loved biology, particularly botany and ecology.  I enjoyed learning the common and scientific names of local tree and shrub species.  When I returned to my farm home for the summer, my elementary knowledge of plant identification caused me to view the family farm in an entirely different light.  Until then, my “simple taxonomy” of plants on the farm had consisted of five categories--trees, shrubs/vines, wildflowers, mosses/ferns, and fungi.  But now my taxonomy allowed me to view plants in a systematic fashion based on the concept of genera and families of plants. 

Dr. Charles C. King, Prof. of Biology

Subsequent courses in botany and zoology at Malone, including opportunities to learn on field trips to Pennsylvania and West Virginia, allowed me to advance from the level of plant identification to an elementary understanding of how environmental factors such as topography and soil properties influenced plant distribution.   Under Dr. King’s leadership, I completed an undergraduate research project aimed at determining the affect of urban impacts on the distribution of tree species in Canton, Ohio.  Abby Moser, my wife to be following graduation, assisted me in the field research phase, and we presented our findings at the Annual Meeting of the Ohio Academy of Science, in 1969.

After graduation from Malone and a June, 1969 wedding, Abby and I were both hired as English and biology teachers respectively, at nearby Dover High School.  By God’s good grace, we lived close enough to Canton, Ohio to make it possible for Dr. King to continue as a mentor to me.  “Charlie” encouraged me to enter graduate school and introduced me to the plant biology program at The Ohio State University, his alma mater, and to West Virginia University where we attended a “Geobotany Conference” organized by another “Charlie,” Dr. Charles H. Baer. 

We were blessed to receive a doctoral fellowship through the West Virginia University Foundation which allowed Abby and I along with our little, 1-year-old son, Bradley to establish our home in Morgantown with Abby as a stay-at-home mom.   God honored our decision to make church attendance a priority, and through a visit and presentation of the claims of the Gospel of Christ by lay leaders at the local Christian Missionary Alliance Church, I was led to an assurance of my salvation by grace as God’s gift through Christ’s death and resurrection.  This visit to our home by Leroy Haenze and Pearl Langdon launched me into a period of spiritual growth and transformation that included valuing the importance of pursuing the spiritual disciplines of Bible reading, study, memorization, and meditation so that I could teach and entrust these to faithful men and women who would be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).

Dr. Alan W. Haney, professor, author, land steward, and friend.

Upon completion of my doctoral degree in plant physiology at WVU in 1974, I was awarded a postdoctoral position at University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.  My role as “Lecturer in Botany” was to assist Dr. Alan W. Haney whose chief responsibility in the Department of Botany was to teach Introduction to Botany, a course that served not only departmental majors but also students in programs such as agronomy and horticulture.  Each semester, 500 students enrolled in the course and attended lectures presented by Dr. Haney.  He gave me several opportunities to present lectures as well, but I was largely responsible for assisting with the weekly prepping sessions for our graduate teaching assistants (TA’s) who then assisted Dr. Haney and I in  the teaching of approximately 40 weekly, small-group discussion sections and approximately 20 weekly, laboratory sections. 

It soon became clear to me that Dr. Haney loved the students and was very enthusiastic about both botany and botany teaching.  He emphasized the importance of learning the names of each student at the start of each semester, and to be well prepared to engage with students in a personable and enthusiastic manner.  As a young lecturer who was still finding his confidence as a science educator, I was timid but teachable.  To the extent that I was willing to risk failure, Dr. Haney was available to move me forward with a gentle, caring spirit; and for that, I regard him as a great mentor and friend.
Alan W. Haney’s love for students, his enthusiasm for botany and science education, and his use of inquiry laboratories and an emphasis on concept learning to teaching science were all influential in shaping my own approach to college science teaching.  Fittingly, Dr. Haney’s recommendation was an important part of my successful application to teach at Cedarville College several years later.

Ruth and Merlin Ager

During my 32 years as professor of biology at Cedarville College/University, I was privileged to teach in the presence of many fine educators, administrators, students, and friends.  Therefore, it would be impossible to name so many that I love and appreciate.  However, there is one Cedarville colleague and friend who has earned the title of “My Weekly Bible Teacher.” His name is Dr. Merlin Ager, Professor of Education, who faithfully taught the Philadelphia Sunday School Class during the 33 years we attended Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville.  Merlin and his faithful wife, Ruth, have had a very influential part in our lives and in the lives of our children, Brad and Melinda.  I am sure that readers of this blog will agree that the Ager’s deserve much love, honor, and respect for their Christ-like example and servant spirit.  Thank you, Merlin and Ruth for teaching me so much from the Scriptures and by the way in which you live out the truths of the Word.

Thanks for reading (or skimming) my expressions of thanks to five former teachers on this Teacher Appreciation Week.  However, I must confess my regret of not expressing my thanks and appreciation to them more often, particularly to the first four teachers who invested so much in me during the years when I had not yet learned how fitting and encouraging it is to thank and honor ones teachers.  Thankfully, the last four teachers of the five I have featured are still alive, and I hope to thank and honor them again in the days ahead.  Who among your teachers can you honor with a heart-felt thanks?

Thanksgiving in a Watching World

It’s Thanksgiving Day and I have much for which to be thankful to the ultimate Giver …of every good and perfect gift that comes down from above… (James 1: 17).  This past year, God has taught me more about Himself--and, about myself.  How rich His grace and mercy are toward me; and, how prone I am to wander from His ways.  God continues to work in our marriage again this year, using trials and His Word to refine us individually and help us surrender to His love, the ultimate source of our love for each other.  We have seen God work in the lives of our family and within their homes.  Finally, we have grieved with several dear friends and family members, and we are asking God to comfort them from the sting of loss. 

In both the blessings and trials this year, I have become more aware of the spiritual warfare evidenced in my own life and in world events.  Multiple scandals, mismanagement of tax dollars, and deception by leadership in Washington are daily news.  I pray that our president and all of our leaders will submit to biblical authority and that moral clarity and ethics would guide them.  But, I also ask God’s Spirit to reprove and correct me through His Word when the kingdom within my own mind becomes inflamed with pride and rebellion.  

I ask why our elected officials cannot restore authority and integrity to the function of our nation’s borders.  But I must remember to guard the borders of my own life as the Spirit bids me not to …love the things of this world [system of thought]…for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. (1 John 2: 16).  While I pray for justice, calmness, and respect for the rule of law among rioters and looters in Ferguson and other cities, I must ask God to keep me in perfect peace and my mind fixed on Him (Isaiah 26: 3).  When I am frustrated by a lack of moral clarity in our leadership and the actions that undermine the foundation of marriage, diminish the value of human life, disregard family values, and derail our educational system, I must ask what I can do personally to uphold these institutions and values.

I am concerned about the advance of power hungry tyrants and terrorists who grow increasingly bold where America has withdrawn from providing strong leadership.  And, I am even more concerned that many Americans view our nation as the aggressor rather than an agency that has defended freedom at great cost against numerous attempts by tyrants to dominate whole continents.  Rather than join the angry voices on either side of a deeply divided America today, may I reexamine why I think and believe as I do in the light of God’s truth.  For history records that the Puritans valued so much the freedom to follow God’s truth and to worship Him freely that they placed their lives in His care as they set out to cross the ocean and established communities governed by God’s principles.

John Winthrop, Puritan Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, wrote his sermon “A Model of Christian Charity” aboard the Arbella, in 1620.  According to an introduction to the sermon by John Beardsley, charter member of the Winthrop Society, Winthrop’s intent was to prepare the people for planting a new society in a perilous environment, but his practical wisdom is timeless.  Beardsley adds, In an age not long past, when the Puritan founders were still respected by the educational establishment, this was required reading in many courses of American history and literature

Consider how the following excerpt from Winthrop’s sermon would challenge his Puritan community to unity of purpose and love for one another:

For this end, we must be knit together in this work as one man, we must entertain each other in brotherly affection, we must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities for the supply of others' necessities. We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality. We must delight in each other, make others' conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor, and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, our community as members of the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, the Lord will be our God and delight to dwell among us, as His own people and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of His wisdom, power, goodness, and truth then formerly we have been acquainted with.

Winthrop’s vision for the Puritan community under his governorship reflects his practical wisdom which is timeless in its warning to “Post-Christian America:”

For we must Consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world, we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all professors for Gods sake; we shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into Curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whether we are going…

Prayer:  Father God, on this Thanksgiving, revive within me a thankful heart for all You have done.  Help me to remember that I was once an alien to whom You granted citizenship within the “new nation” that you are building.  A nation whose citizens trust in the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus; a nation that You want to be like a ‘shining city on a hill.’  Through Your indwelling Spirit, help me to read and heed Your Word with willing joy.  Then, may Your love move me to live daily in such a way as not to dim the welcoming light of Your Truth that is desperately needed by all men and women.  Particularly, help me not to offend others unnecessarily when we disagree on issues of our day—issues that, while deserving a voice of moral clarity, must also be seen as tremors from the emergence of the Eternal Kingdom for which You are even now preparing the present world.   Yes, Thy kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.  Amen.

Looking Up from Our Work

Can you imagine a hotter job than repairing a roof on a hot summer day?   Our asphalt-shingled roof was especially toasty on this June day.  My task was to fasten down some flashing that had remained loose for a few months after a crew had replaced our shingles.   Working from a ladder with my face near the plane of the roof and gutter, I had a close-up exposure to the heat radiating from the hot shingles.

As I was finishing up the work, my thoughts began to graze in a cooler pasture where I was being refreshed by the many things for which I should be thankful.  A winsome wife who is beautiful inside and out; a woman who has stood by me “through thick and thin.” Indeed, this very day, she was standing by to hand up tools and fasteners while I worked.

View from my roof, looking up.

My thoughts also feasted upon the fact that I had been so blessed with good health and was still in possession of my mental capacity sufficient to plan and execute this roof repair.  I excused my partner to go inside and cool off while I stood on the ladder and inspected my completed work with satisfaction.  As I looked upward across the sloping, shingled plane of the roof toward the peak, my eyes caught a beautiful view of tall treetops waving in the breeze.  And, beyond the swaying branches was the blue sky graced with lacy white clouds.

The expansive blue sky impressed upon my vision, thoughts, and praise as if to swallow me up in an overwhelming sense of pure joy.  Looking up from my work had immediately caused me to see the Creator’s work, obviously much greater than mine in time, space, and significance.

From before the beginning of time, the design and purpose of creation was known to the Father Who, through His Son, eventually created … all things…both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible (Colossians 1: 16).   The expansiveness of creation in both time and space had impressed upon me how small, limited, and insignificant my work is compared to that of our Creator.  While I was simply using material coverings and fasteners to complete a job, all things have been created (ex nihilo) through Him and for Him (Col. 1:16b).  While I simply aimed to fasten my roof together, in Him all things hold together (Col. 1:17b).

Though I felt “swallowed up” as I stared up into the great blue sky, I was quickly touched by God’s presence and a sense that my “looking up from my work” with praise and adoration was not an insignificant response.  I was reminded that my Father actually seeks true worshipers [who] will worship the Father in spirit and truth… (John 4: 23).  My adoration of Him as my all-wise Creator was an appropriate response mediated through His Holy Spirit.  I sensed that my worship was pleasing to God.

Father in Heaven, thank You for speaking to me through the Scriptures. Thank you for affirming this special revelation of your wisdom, power, and purposes through the order in your creation.  Your works were completed in six days and then you rested and enjoyed what You saw as “good” (Genesis 1:31).  Continue to show me how to work hard and to rest well as a steward of your creation and of the manifold Grace of God.  Help me to “work the works of Him” (John 9:4) Who redeemed me.  May You find my work pleasing.  Help me to remember my need of You while I work; and then, remember to thank you when I “look up from my work.”    Amen.