Fruitful Careers of Former Colleagues

While enjoying my Saturday morning breakfast that ends with some fruit, I am taking time to reflect on the fruitful service of several of my former colleagues at Cedarville University as reported in the Fall, 2017 issue of Cedarville Magazine.  I am thankful for my colleague and friend, Dr. Pamela Johnson who along with her husband, Cliff, and their faithful friend Dee Morris, have been great encouragers and examples to Abby and I for many years.  Pam and Cliff are also a great testimony of a lovingly compatible marriage that seems to have been, as they say, “made in heaven.”

Both Pamela, and another colleague, Lynn Brock, have made effective use of their gift of administration (1 Corinthians 12: 28).  I was privileged to serve with them on several committees and observed the wise contributions of these valued colleagues.  Lynn, his wife Donna, and their children were our neighbors during our first 8 years at Cedarville.  I owe Lynn many thanks for his administration of the Centennial Library which was a valuable contribution to my teaching and research.  I still use my online access to the library.

As I finish my mango and grapes, I reflect on the fruitful life of Jim Cato and how he, Melody, and family have ministered to our family in meaningful worship through their gift of music.  Jim and Melody came to Cedarville as a young, married couple when Abby and I were in our first few years.  It has been a blessing to see them grow spiritually and become such an integral part of both the campus and local community.  Their ministry has grown over the years to reach beyond Cedarville through HeartSong Teams.  We are praying for the Cato family these days while they are in a new chapter of dependence upon God and the wisdom of doctors to bring healing to Jim.

Of the four colleagues featured in the Cedarville Magazine article, I saved Paul Ware, for last.  Paul has served in various capacities on the Cedarville Grounds Department for 40 years.  His leadership and hard work have brought aesthetic beauty and conservation to the Cedarville University campus.  Meanwhile, he has served as a spiritual mentor to many Cedarville students, including our son Brad, when they work as members of the grounds crew.  Paul was a valuable partner in my teaching and research as relates to the establishment of the Cedarville Prairie Restoration Project which began in 1999 on what was an agricultural field that had become a well field for the supply of ground water for the campus.  Paul and I also cooperated with the aid of student workers in the development of the Cedarville University Arboretum which is supported by a database of all of the major trees on campus.   Finally, Abby and I personally thank Paul and Marilyn for their friendship, and for sharing Paul’s dear father and mother, Richard and Dorothy Ware with us for many years.

Finally, as I reflect on my former colleagues, I realize that these whom I recognize herein are only a few among the many who have been such a blessing to serve with during my 32 years at Cedarville University.  I think of Michael DiCuirci, Professor Emeritus of Music who retired in 2016.  Mike and I, along with Dr. Charles Dolph, Professor of Psychology, were in the same “freshman class” of faculty that arrived in 1979.   Both musical Mike and still-teaching, counseling, and conservation-minded Chuck are good stewards of their gifts and abilities, and I hope their best days on Earth are still ahead.

I also think of Dr. Don Bauman who was chair of the Science & Math Department when I was hired, and who served humbly and faithfully along with Dr. Larry Helmick, Professor of Chemistry during the entire time of my tenure at Cedarville.  Both of these man have recently retired as well.  Don’s successor as chair was Dr. Dan Wetzel who served in an exemplary way as our chair before becoming dean of Engineering, Nursing, and Sciences.  Dan had just called me two nights ago and related how blessed he is to still have reasonably good health and the ability to enjoy his family.  Of course, Dan’s successor as chair was Dr. Dennis Flentge, Senior Professor of Chemistry, for whom I also thank God.  Dennis came to Cedarville soon after I did and has been a faithful faculty member, administrator, and friend all these years.

As you can see, I am not at a loss for memory of many fine colleagues.  But I must stop now.   I finished my breakfast fruit hours ago, and I am nearly finished with what I wanted to write.  My thanks and prayers go out to those I have mentioned and to the many others with whom I’ve been blessed to serve. 

Meanwhile, each year, Cedarville is blessed with a new “crop” of “freshman faculty” who bring quality teaching, mentoring, and research to another generation of students.  For those of us who have moved on or will soon move on to another chapter of life after Cedarville (AC?), may we continue to be faithful to God’s calling which doesn’t stop at “retirement.”  I have appreciated the perspective of my former colleague and friend, Dr. Allen Monroe, Professor Emeritus of Social Science.  Known affectionately as “Uncle Al.”  When he “retired” from Cedarville, Dr. Monroe saw his many years as professor as being preparatory for what God had really called him to do in the next chapter of his life.  Indeed, following his “retirement” from Cedarville, he was able to make over 40 trips overseas to teach young pastors.  May each of us pray according to the prayer of the Apostle Paul, that God’s Spirit will empower us to continue to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God… (Colossians 1: 10).

*     *     * 

I dedicate this article to Dr. and Mrs. Paul Dixon.  Paul Dixon’s passion for God and for Cedarville University had a major impact on my profession in biology and profession of my faith in God.  Paul’s leadership and approach toward Christian higher education provided an environment in which I could personally become more spiritually disciplined and effective in the integration of science and faith in my teaching.  It was also my privilege to serve on the Cedarville faculty with Pat Dixon, Professor of English.  In addition to her faithful role beside President Dixon, Pat was to the inside of campus buildings through her influence upon their décor what Paul Ware was to the landscape around the buildings.  (I would imagine the paths of the two frequently crossed in a complementary fashion.)  Thank you, Paul and Pat, and may God bless and keep you.

Hope for a Grieving Community

On this cold winter night, as northeast Ohio endures its latest wintery blast, many homes in Perry Township, Ohio are reeling from another kind of icy stab.  Yesterday’s news reported that a sixth student in Perry Local School District has committed suicide since the beginning of this school year!

Meanwhile, the Perry Local School administration has been taking this “epidemic” seriously by making what they consider a valiant effort to provide counseling and other means of support to grieving students and faculty.  The school district had already begun suicide-awareness training and counseling sessions last autumn after the first suicide occurred.  However, this week’s report of a sixth suicide must have many in the district wondering what they should do next.

Superintendant Scott Beatty who was born and raised in nearby Massillon, spoke to Fox 8 TV saying, “I think it goes around one word:  Hope.  I would tell our kids there is hope, there is hope.”

I cannot imagine how I would react to this news if I were a parent of the latest victim; or, if I were any parent, teacher, or administrator of this Stark County, Ohio school district.  But as a resident of nearby Wayne County, my own reaction is one of grief and concern for those affected by these deaths.  How tragic that six students who had walked the “halls of learning” in Perry Local Schools had reached the point at which they could find no reason to live another day.  At the same time, while I commend superintendent Beatty for offering “Hope” to his students, I am curious as to what he believes is the object of this Hope.  In my experience, hope without a reliable object or basis for possessing it, is unfounded, unreliable, and unsatisfying.

Thankfully, Perry Township residents are beginning to realize that, with suicides continuing to occur, something more is needed than simply encouraging students and parents to call suicide awareness counselors, helpful as that might be.  A phone call this morning to two friends in North Canton, Ohio provided both disturbing and encouraging news.

What my Google search revealed--key words: Perry, God, religion, church

First, the disturbing news:  Officials related to Perry Local Schools have reportedly refused to allow people of faith to come onto school grounds to offer spiritual counseling.  Many readers will not be surprised.  As we have often lamented, America has removed God from her public schools; so, what should we expect?  But in truth, the erosion of strong spiritual leadership in America’s families began long before God’s disinvitation from public schools.  Deterioration of the family unit has coincided with a neglect of the spiritual disciplines of Bible reading, study, and prayer in our homes, the weakening of commitment to the marriage bond, less regular worship and service in a local church, and weakening commitment to exemplary moral living and service to the local community and beyond.

The Bible has been clear in its call for the moral and spiritual disciplines for thousands of years.
Proverbs 29: 18 states: 
Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,
But happy is he who keeps the law.
Hosea 4: 6 claims:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:
because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee…
seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God,
I will also forget thy children. 

It is not enough to offer Hope. The Scriptures make clear that there is no hope unless we turn to our Creator and submit to His plan for living.   In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul professes that he is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it is the power of God for salvation to all who believe….(Romans 1:16).  But sadly, Paul continues, explaining how humans throughout the ages have rejected the truth of God, exchanging it for a lie, and suppressing the truth.  Professing to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1: 22).

My previous article in Oikonomia, entitled Resolutions for 2018: Pursuing God --On Purpose, emphasizes the fundamental need of every person to know their purpose for living.  Our schools may do well in teaching the three-R’s along with computers, science, and technology.  But our students are facing many additional challenges outside the classroom, such as learning who they are as developing individuals and finding social acceptance and meaningful relationships.  All the while, individual development in mind, body, and spirit, and self-awareness are challenged by social media, poor family structure, access to drugs, and an ongoing deterioration of morality in our culture—an unbiblical morality that no longer regards the ancient foundations supporting biblical marriage and gender distinctions.  

Good suggestions are meaningless without a moral foundation.

Public school science and social studies undermine student moral and social development when they deny that Judeo-Christian principles have any place in these disciplines.  Instead, students are indoctrinated into atheistic, naturalistic evolution which purports to explain human origins by time and chance movements of molecules, and therefore, offers students a view of reality that is without morality and purpose.

But there is also good news for the Perry community.  A network of people of faith has been forming to assist students and parents who are willing to meet with them.  Rocky Perkson, one of my North Canton friend's former students, has announced on his Facebook page a “Community Come Together” meeting on Monday, January 15, 2018 at 5:00 pm at
Canton Baptist Temple
515 Whipple Ave NW
Canton OH 44708
Enter through Door G please. Opposite side of Whipple Ave
The FREE event is open to all and the speaker is Christopher Milo.

While it is true according to Proverbs 29: 18 that Where there is no vision, the people perish, it is also true that happy is he that keeps the law.  The psalmist David, in Psalm 19: 7-11, expands upon the “happiness” of the law-keeper who turns to God’s Word to find wisdom, joy, forgiveness, and warning:

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

What the young people and families of northeast Ohio and our nation as a whole need is more exposure to Christ-followers—people who have found Hope in the Eternal God and have responded in faith to the call of His Son Jesus.  Jesus laid down the path of a true Christian with these words:

If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow  me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  – Luke 9: 23-24

God so loved the world of His creation that He sent His Son to give us the gift of everlasting life (John 3: 16). Christ came to replace our fear and despair with Love and Hope.  But surprisingly, this faith transaction requires a “death”—death to self and sin as we are individually buried with Christ so we can rise to new life in which God’s loving Spirit enables us to yield control of our lives to Jesus Christ.  This “death” to self and resurrection to New Life is symbolized by believer’s baptism.

If you are a Christ-follower, a true Christian by faith in the atoning work of Christ on the cross, and His death and resurrection, you may want to become more knowledgeable of teen and even pre-teen suicide in your community and efforts to prevent it.   For example, you may want to locate a church or community ministry that provides support and spiritual teaching and encouragement for adolescents.  Many communities have so-called “Breakout” programs for adolescents to attend during or after school hours.  Why not Google “Breakout” to find the nearest program in your area?

If you are not a Christ-follower, perhaps you would like to learn more about the Eternal Life of Hope that Christ offers freely in response to your faith in Him.  Check out the website for "Steps to Peace with God” which outlines how you can believe and respond to God’s love, how your sin separates  you from God, what Jesus has done to address your separation, and what you can do by faith to receive God’s righteousness (right standing with a Holy God).  If you have additional questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you.  Just post a “Comment” below or e-mail me at silviusj@cedarville.edu

Resolutions for 2018: Pursuing God --On Purpose

The New Year 2018 has seen the launching of many New Year’s resolutions.  But many well intended resolutions are already falling like leaky balloons.  A sense of failure is enough to keep many of us from ever trying again.   Maybe you can relate to this from your experience.

I’ve been there myself.  But, on this New Year, I’m thinking less about making resolutions and more about my life purpose.   A resolution may express a good intention or aim.  But it seems to me that my resolutions, good intentions, and aims must be based upon my sense of purpose.  I must first define and become committed to my purpose based on what I really value in life.  Then, my resolutions will be "on purpose" and I will become more resolute in my commitment to keep them.

My most recent focus on purpose began on January 1 while I was watching the film, Hugo, with our granddaughter, Della Rose.  This movie, directed by Martin Scorsese, features an orphan named Hugo Cabret who maintains the clocks in a 1931 Paris train station.  The colorful and creatively filmed movie tells the story of Hugo and his friend, Isabelle, who team up to solve the mystery of an automaton.  While attempting to learn more about Hugo’s deceased father, they also discover a mysterious filmmaker who had years before become so discouraged that he stopped applying his great gifts of magic and movie-making.  Hugo’s hideaway in the walls of the train station surrounds him with machines and their gears, springs, and pendulums.  Even the station inspector who seeks to capture Hugo must use a mechanical leg brace to walk.

As Della Rose and I watched Hugo, I began to see an interesting tension emerge—a tension between two contrasting worldviews.  On the one hand, Scorsese could have used his portrayal of early 20^th century machines to underscore a naturalistic philosophy.  Naturalism views the world as if it were a giant machine with interacting parts, all functioning according to laws of physics and chemistry.  Human beings in this world are simply another kind of machine operating predictably according to these same laws.  Accordingly, our behavior is determined by interactions of this evolved anatomical, physiological, and molecular machine we call the human body.  Naturalistic evolution claims that humans and all forms of life were “created” by time and chance collisions of atoms and molecules.  According to the naturalistic worldview, there can be no free will or purpose.

But while Scorsese’s movie has busy machines, unwanted orphans, and an old man who had given up on his purpose for living, it deliberately avoids presenting a purposeless view of life.  Just as the movie appears headed toward endorsing naturalism, a beautiful dialog between Hugo and Isabelle reveals their individual need to know their respective purposes for living.  Let’s pick up the dialog as Hugo tells Isabella about the kindness of a librarian named Monsieur Labisse who has just given him a book to keep.  Isabella replies,

ISABELLE:  He’s always doing that—“sending books to a good home.”  That’s what he calls it.
HUGO [reflecting on what Isabelle has just said]:   He’s got real [pausing again]…purpose.
ISABELLE:  What do you mean? 
HUGO:  Everything has a purpose—even machines.  Clocks tell the time, trains take you places.  They do what they’re meant to do.
ISABELLE:  Like Monsieur Labisse.
HUGO:   [pausing thoughtfully] Maybe that’s why broken machines make me so sad.  They can’t do what they’re meant to do.  Maybe it’s the same with people.  If you lose your purpose, it’s like you’re broken.
ISABELLE:  Is that your purpose, fixing things?
HUGO:  I don’t know.   It’s what my father did.
ISABELLE:  I wonder what my purpose is.
HUGO:  I don’t know.
ISABELLE:   Maybe if I’d known my parents, I would know.

Upon hearing Isabelle’s sad reflection, Hugo pauses to think.  Then he invites her to follow him into the clock tower to look across the grand lighted city of Paris at night through the face of the clock.  After gazing for awhile in silence, Hugo speaks:

Right after my father died, I would come up here a lot. I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured if the entire world was one big machine... I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason.    And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.

Hugo, Isabella, and automaton

Here, in a tender, thoughtful dialog between two orphans we learn that, while humans are machine-like, they are much more than machines.   Granted, both humans and machines are intelligently designed—“for a purpose.”  But each human being is much more.  Each person is marvelously formed in a mother’s womb and born into a parental relationship.  Seemingly engrained within the DNA and expressed in the soul of everyone is the need to discover and pursue purpose in life.  Isabella wonders if she would already know her purpose if she had known her parents.

After Della Rose and I had finished listening to Isabella’s sobering words, I stopped the movie and replayed the dialog.  Then, I asked,
“Della, can you understand how much Hugo and Isabella wanted to know their purpose for living?”  
She nodded, and I followed with,
“Do you think you will learn what your purpose is as you grow older?” 
She thought awhile and then shared some things she likes to do now as if she already understood how she might learn her purpose from experiences she has enjoyed. 
I continued,
“When you were a little baby, your home and your family was your whole world.  Then, you began to make friends in church, and then in pre-school and kindergarten.  As you continue to grow, learn to love God more, He will help you understand your purpose in life.  For now, God wants you to love Him, obey His commandment to Honor your father and your mother (Exodus 20: 12), and obey your teachers so that you can learn from them.

I thanked God for the opportunity to have this special conversation with our granddaughter.  Then, I realized that she and I had introduced the most important element in any pursuit of meaning and purpose in life—the life and teachings of our Creator.  Martin Scorsese had infused the otherwise cold, purposeless, machine-world of naturalistic philosophy with the warmth and human kindness of a librarian who had given a book to an orphan boy.  Then, God had used the movie to inspire a grandpa and his granddaughter to consider how their Creator is helping them learn who they are and what their purpose is as part of His plan for their lives—through parents, family, church, teachers, and community.

As Della Rose and I watched the rest of Hugo, we saw how two orphans in search of purpose found joy in helping a discouraged film-maker rediscover meaning and purpose.  As I now reflect on our New Year’s Day “movie experience,” I realize that God is our wonderful Counselor and Friend regardless of age.  For both a pre-adolescent girl and her retired grandfather, a sense of purpose in life is important—God desires to be a guide to both the young and old.  If this notion is true, then it is also true that we must subject our search of purpose in life to a much grander pursuit—an all-out pursuit of an intimate relationship with God. 

What does it mean to have an “all-out pursuit of God?”  The daily devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest offers words of wisdom and inspiration from its author, Oswald Chambers.  For January 1, Chambers refers to the Apostle Paul’s writing in Philippians 1: 20 and exclaims:

“My determination is to be my utmost for His Highest.” To get there is a question of will, not of debate nor of reasoning, but a surrender of will, an absolute and irrevocable surrender on that point.  Shut out every other consideration and keep yourself before God for this one thing only — “My Utmost for His Highest.”  I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone.

In today’s world, it seems that relatively few people make the pursuit of God their primary purpose. Instead, we seek meaning and purpose in human philosophy, material possessions, prestige, and power.  But, the prophet Jeremiah challenges us,

Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things…" – Jeremiah 9: 23-24

This God, Who wants us to understand and know Him in an intimate way, came seeking us when the Word [Jesus Christ] became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw His glory (John 1: 14).  By reading the Gospel accounts, we can “see” the love of God poured out through the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Jesus modeled a life marked by an “all-out pursuit of God”—a life that is rich in meaning and purpose.  John 17: 3 records Jesus praying to His Father in Heaven, stating the essence of Life:  This is Eternal Life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 

Here, we have literally the essence and meaning of life spoken by our Creator, Jesus Christ. The commentator in The Reformation Study Bible (Reformation Trust Publ. 2015) expands upon this truth:

The meaning of our lives is at stake.  Our dignity is on the line. If human beings are considered alone, apart from relationship to God, then they remain alone and insignificant.  Our origin and our destiny are tied to God.  The only ultimate meaning we can have must be theological.

All our vows and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to carry them out. When we have come to the end of ourselves, not in imagination but really, we are able to receive the Holy Spirit. “Receive ye the Holy Ghost” — the idea is that of invasion. prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17: 3-4, we can see how closely Jesus’ ties His definition of “Eternal Life” to His sense of purpose in coming to Earth as Savior of mankind:

This is Eternal Life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.

All---Of course, Jesus continually realized that He could do nothing on His own initiative (John 8: 28).  Oswald Chambers reminds us that we must follow the example of Jesus in our dependence upon God for meaning and purpose:

All our vows and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to carry them out.,  When we have come to the end of ourselves, not in imagination but in reality, we are able to receive the Holy Spirit.  "Receive ye the Holy Ghost" -- the idea is that of invasion.  

Maybe you are still holding forth and determined to keep your New Year’s resolution.  More power to you.  As for me, I am learning that it helps if my resolutions are first grounded upon a clear sense of purpose in my life.  And my effort to be “on purpose” is helped as I pursue the joy of the gift of Eternal Life—walking and working daily in the power of God’s Holy Spirit living in me, fed by the “bread” of His Word. 

America’s Open Season: Spiritual Awakening?

During the past few months, America has been engaged in what appears to be an “open season” of accusations and confessions of past indiscretions.  On a national and historic level, men like Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jefferson have been criticized for their racism and bigotry.  Angry reactions have led to the toppling of time-honored statues that have honored these and other American leaders.  

"Search ME O God...see if there be any wicked way in ME."

On the Hollywood scene, disclosure of the sexual improprieties associated with Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and others has exposed a whole culture of immorality with a long history that is strewn with ruined lives.  Then, in recent days, the “open season” has spread to Washington where names Roy Moore, Al Franken, and Bill Clinton are making the news.   It is clear that, not unlike the culture of Hollywood, the “swamp” of Washington has been growing and festering for many years.

On the surface, America’s soul searching appears to be driven by political and ideological motivations, and maneuverings.  However, many Christ-followers are viewing this season as a call to pray that something deeper, more fundamental, and lasting may be possible.  Is it possible that America is beginning to realize the heavy price it has to pay for having rejected God’s moral absolutes?  Will America realize that her foundation has been strong because she has respected the Judeo-Christian moral code that includes loving God above all else and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10: 27)?  These laws were given by a loving God to promote abundant life and blessing, not boredom and pain.  God has been lovingly saying to us through His Word, “thou shall not, because I love you; and if you do, you and others will be hurt!   If you lie, hate, gossip, steal, commit adultery, and covet, it will separate you from my love, and my Life.  I have given you a choice:  life and blessedness, or death and dispair.”

How should Christ-followers respond to the daily news of the “toppling” of statues and the improprieties of personalities representing in many cases people that we held in high esteem?  Many Christ-followers have been praying that God would bring healing of the great political, moral, ethnic, and socioeconomic divisions in America.  Yet this morning, I am struck by the need for the light of God’s truth to be directed into my own heart, first and foremost.  What is being played out in Hollywood, Washington, and in cities across America is not foreign to my own life experience.  I too have sinned.  I sin daily--sometimes in my private thought life, and sometimes outwardly though ill chosen words or actions toward my wife or others.  I am not who I think I am.  I am who God knows me to be.  And, when I open God’s Word, the Bible, I can see as in a mirror the man that I really am.

The Apostle Paul explains in Romans 7: 7, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “Thou shall not covet.”   He goes on to say that, once he realized the Law against coveting, it produced in me coveting of every kind (v. 8).  Paul admits that nothing good dwells in me  because I do the very thing I do not wish to do (Romans 7: 18, 20).”   I can so clearly relate to Paul’s dilemma.  Can’t you? 

We all share the same “flesh” because we are biological and spiritual descendents of fallen Adam (Genesis 3).  But, Romans 8 explains that

Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8: 3-4).

Based on this truth, it follows that when we “die to the flesh” (i.e. give up on our own attempts to be righteous before God) and accept the offering of Christ’s perfect life, death, and resurrection, that we can be “born again” to walk in newness of life.  Then, as spiritual reborn individuals, we have the power of God’s Spirit within us to direct us along the morally right path in life and to convict us when we tend to go astray in thought or action (2 Timothy 3: 16).

How should I respond to the apparent “open season” on moral transgressors in America?  I must remember that as far as I am concerned, God’s first love and concern is not about Roy Moore or Kevin Spacey, or even about a spiritual reawakening in America.  Rather, God is concerned about my sensitivity to sin and my willingness to confess and turn from my wicked ways. 

Gordon T. Smith, in The Voice of Jesus, Discernment, Prayer, and the Witness of the Spirit, explains that we must “avoid the temptation to look at others rather than yourself.  We cannot know how God is convicting another; we can only know our own hearts.”  We must first examine our own life.  The Spirit of Christ within us calls us to pray with the psalmist David as he prayed (Psalm 139: 23-24),

Search me of God Search me, O God,
and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

As we search our hearts in light of God’s Word (Hebrews 4: 12), we realize that, as Smith further notes,

Sin is not merely bad deeds. 

Rather we are wise to be attentive to…how the Spirit might be convicting us with respect to our speech, the attitude of our hearts, our mental propensities as well as what we have actually done [or]…what we have neglected to do…  But the bottom line remains:  “Lord, where are you calling me to turn—not the person next to me in the pew on Sunday, not my colleagues at the office or family members, not anyone else but me?”  We seek the grace to know the convicting ministry of the Spirit that calls us from death to life; that empowers us to embrace the life of God.

Yes, we are in an “open season” of disclosure of the sins of celebrities and political leaders, and of toppling of historical statues.  But, sadly many don’t know the next step.  We can see “the spot” of individual or national sin.  And, like Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, we are beginning to cry, “Out, damn spot!”  But we don’t realize that only by turning to God can the spots be removed through repentance and confession of our sin.  It’s not Bill Clinton or Roy Moore, “It’s me first, Lord!  Open season on my heart!  I must open my heart to your loving search for what is not life and peace, but sin and death.  May I humbly confess and turn from that which dishonors you and separates me from walking with You.  With David (Psalm 51: 12-13) I will pray,

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You.

Me first!  Then, what next?   Maybe God will bring another “Great Awakening.”

Compelled by Christ’s Love for a Cousin

I know a man in Christ who is mourning the loss of his beloved cousin. He was several years younger than her.  They had grown up together on neighboring farms managed jointly by their fathers.  His father tried to lead his family on a Christ-centered foundation; but her father gave little or no effort toward leading his family to faith in Christ.  As they entered adulthood, their communication ceased except for rare conversations at family gatherings.  These brief encounters revealed that the girl he had once known had become hardened, saddened, and without a God-centered source of hope and joy.

Then, three years ago, the two cousins reestablished more frequent communication when he initiated regular phone conversations and sent cards and letters.  This year, during the month of August, she mourned the death of a man with whom she had lived for over 40 years.  During her mourning, she granted her cousin a visit to her home, and she received his sympathy and comfort.  She listened politely as he humbly spoke of God’s unfailing grace and love that is available to all who open their hearts to Him.  He encouraged her to establish a daily routine of rest, good nutrition, and regular reading about God’s love and comfort found in the Bible he had given her.  He remembered emphasizing the theme, “Hope in God because He cares for you.”

She lived barely two months after the loss of her partner.  Aside from occasional contact with her neighbor, it appears that her only close companion was her dog.

All of us experience the loss of loved ones through death.  But, this man that I know in Christ remained deeply concerned about something that was missing in his cousin’s life--something that would likely determine her eternal destiny.  What was it?  And why was he so deeply concerned?  Finally, how could this man be so sure that his cousin would not have gone to heaven when she died?  What follows is my effort to answer these questions based on what I learned from the man that I know in Christ.

What Must We Do to Be Saved?

“Why,” I asked him, “are you so concerned about the eternal destiny of your cousin?”  He reached for his Bible and asked me if I would agree that the Bible is God’s inspired revelation of Truth to mankind.  I nodded “Yes.” Then, he read the Bible’s own self-declaration of its authority:  …All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It corrects us when we are wrong and trains us for a life that has God’s approval  (2 Timothy 3: 16, New Living Translation, and God’s Word Translation).

Knowing that we agreed on the authority of Scripture, he then referred me to 2 Corinthians 5:1 which states, …if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  He explained that each of us has a soul, representing our personality which resides within our physical body, or “house.”  According to this verse, when we die, our soul leaves the “house” which then decays (“is torn down”).  With an expression of sadness, he explained that his cousin’s neighbor had found her dead in her home.  Yet, according to Scripture, her “person” had already departed at her death; only her body was found.  According to Hebrews 9: 27, God’s judgment will decide her eternal destiny-- And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.

I responded to his mention of “judgment” with a shiver that he must have sensed.  He reminded me that God does not send anyone to Hell.  People choose this place.  Indeed, God is not willing that any should perish (be separated from God), but that all should come to repentance (turning from our sin and living in agreement with God’s Word) (2 Peter 3: 9).   Then, we read Romans 6: 23:  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  We agreed that each person is responsible to accept God’s gift.  In other words, God desires that we “choose Life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). 

Next, he referred me to Romans 10: 9-10 (emphasis mine) which explains how a person responds through faith to God’s transforming power, resulting in His righteousness (approved standing before God) and salvation from our sin:

 …that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

The man I know in Christ then explained that if his cousin had confessed that she is a sinner in need of a Savior and accepted the free gift of God provided through Christ, God would see her as one who is clothed in the righteousness of the sinless Christ Who died in her place on the cross.  He smiled as he summarized this Gospel (“God’s good news”) of Christ as if there were a ray of hope that she may have accepted God’s gift.  Then, his sadness returned and I wondered again how he could be so deeply concerned about her eternal destiny?

Compelled by Christ’s Love

In a busy world where so many things compete for our attention, this man I know in Christ seemed almost fanatical to express so much concern about “the hereafter.”  Why was he so compelled to share the Gospel of God’s love with his cousin?  My answer wasn’t long in coming as he opened his Bible to Luke 16: 19-31.  There, Jesus recounts the story of two men, one rich the other poor.  Both men died and their souls were transported to very different places.  The rich man ended up in Hades, not because he was rich but because he had rejected God during his life on Earth.  There Jesus described him as being “in torment… [and] in agony in this place of flame” (v. 23, 24).  The poor man, named Lazarus, a man of faith in God, “died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom” (v. 22).  There, Lazarus was “being comforted” (v. 25).

In this unusual account, Jesus Christ, the God of Eternity, reveals to us a partial view of the reality of life after physical death.  First, we learn that our eternal destiny depends upon how we respond to God’s gift of salvation while on Earth.  Second, we learn that we do not sleep or cease to exist after death.  Instead, the souls of those who have died physically are very much alive and able to experience their surroundings, whether in a place of torment or with God and other people of faith.  When they die, the unrighteous--those who have rejected God’s gift of righteousness--will be separated from the righteous by a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us (Luke 16: 26).

The man I know in Christ was now teaching me about life after death, and he now had my rapt attention. There was one more powerful truth that we can glean from Christ’s revelation.  In Luke 16: 27-31, Jesus reveals that the rich man in torment asks that Lazarus be sent to warn his family of the impending judgment and eternal torment awaiting them if they do not respond to the message of the God’s love and salvation.  According to the words of Abraham, God has made every provision through His revelation in creation and in Scripture so that those who reject His Gift of righteousness while living on Earth are without excuse when they die (see also Romans 1: 16-24).  Yet, according to this account many will reject these revelations of truth and will remain unbelieving even if someone were to die and be resurrected from the dead.  In fact, many remained unbelieving even after watching Jesus raise another man named Lazarus from the dead (John 11); and then, Jesus Himself was resurrected from the dead (Luke 24:6).

I now realized exactly why this man had been so compelled to share the good news of Christ with his cousin and others in the family.  As if to further inoculate me with his sense of urgency about those yet living who have been rejecting God’s call to them, he invited me to read more of the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5.  This time, in verses 10-11, I read,

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.  Therefore, since we know what it means to fear of the Lord, we persuade men…

We continued reading the rest of 2 Corinthians 5, including verse 14-15 which states that …the love of Christ compels us…so that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.  Upon hearing this verse, I begin to feel within my own heart the power of Christ’s love lifting me out of my self-centeredness to share this man’s concern for lost souls.  I was especially challenged by the way Paul’s words in verses 20-21 (emphasis mine) placed my sense of urgency into a call to action (emphasis mine):

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

After a period of time to think about these Scriptures, I felt a calm assurance in my conscience that it was my faith in Christ, not my own good works that had made me acceptable in God’s eyes.  But also I experienced reverent fear of God’s power and His perfect justice that decides the fate of every person.  How could I not share in the passion, the compulsion, and the same sense of urgency that this man I know in Christ has shown for others? How could I not help but want my loved ones and friends to know the joy of walking with Christ daily and being assured He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13: 5), even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23: 4).

Not Willing That Anyone Should Perish

I sat with the man I know in Christ for awhile; neither of us spoke.  Then, his face beamed with an expression of hope as he turned and began to share a new insight.  Could it be that his cousin had avoided the place of eternal torment.  Maybe she is now in the presence of Christ.  We both believed that as long as a person responds to God’s invitation for salvation before death comes, they can be saved.  As the Apostle Paul writes, [God] saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit…(Titus 3: 5). 

If we are saved, not by works, but by faith, then a life-long rejecter of God’s love and mercy can be saved if they admit their need of forgiveness even in the final minutes of their life?   While pondering this amazing truth, we each remembered an important conversation among three men who had been crucified by the Romans as common criminals Luke 23: 39-43). 

Jesus Christ and two criminals had been sentenced to death.  According to Luke, each man was nailed to a wooden cross where they suffered horribly.  One of the criminals was rudely mocking Jesus.  But the other criminal rebuked the abuser saying, "Do you not even fear God?”  Then, he reminded him that they both deserved to die for their crimes, but Jesus was innocent.  After saying this, the repentant criminal turned painfully to look at Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"  And Jesus replied, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

How amazing is the love and grace of God through Christ that would welcome this criminal in the final minutes of his life to be with Him in paradise for eternity.  Neither criminal had performed any works to merit Eternal Life.  But one of the criminals had looked to the cross of Christ, repented of his sin, and asked Jesus to take him with Him to Paradise.  This conversation between Jesus and a criminal from their crucifixion crosses underscores the biblical claim that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3: 9).   Truly, God is not willing.  But, before I can be saved I must be willing—willing to (1) agree with God that “I am a sinner,” (2) be willing to repent (turn from a life of sin), (3) believe that the death and resurrection of Christ occurred in order to take away my sin, and (4) invite Christ to come into my life and control my life through His Holy Spirit.

One truth had become very clear to me and to this man I know in Christ:  If his cousin had at some point before her death been willing to accept by faith God’s gift of Eternal Life, then we could be sure she was now with Jesus in Paradise.  The decision had been hers to make. 

But, on the other hand, had the God done His part to make His Good News clear to this dear cousin?  I watched his face become very somber as he related to me how he had explained God’s love to her in spoken word and through his cards and letters.  In one phone conversation, after his cousin’s partner had been diagnosed with cancer, his cousin’s partner asked him, “Where is your God when I need Him?”  This angry plea became an open door for the man I know in Christ to graciously respond that, “Many people in pain like yours have asked this same question.” Rather than speak at length on the phone to this angry man, he excused himself and later wrote a letter to both his cousin and her suffering partner that included the following words:

My answer to “Where is God when you need Him?” is found in God’s Word, the Bible.  Psalm 145, verses 18 and 19 tells us,

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.

God is very near and knows all about us.   God’s will is that we “call upon Him in truth.”  God’s first concern for us is not in keeping rules like going to church.  Instead, we develop a relationship with God by spending time with Him (worshipping and learning more about Him from His Scriptures).

But, God will not badger us.  He has revealed Himself through creation, in the Bible, through Jesus, and through the love and concern of other people.  It is up to us to “let him into our lives.”  You must have heard this before, but in Revelation 3: 20 we read Jesus saying,

'Behold, I stand at the door and knock;
if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and will dine with him,
and he with Me.

God is very near, and His Son, Jesus is knocking at the door of our lives.  One artist painted the scene as he imagined it.   Notice in the painting, there is no knob on the door!  God waits for us to open the door of our lives.  He expects us to think for ourselves.  When we are hurting we can cry out to Him….”Where were you God when I needed you?”  God will not break when we shout at Him.

The man I know in Christ explained that he had closed his letter with a short invitation to his cousin and her partner to talk more about this with him.  He also included a tiny “Personal Bible” which provides an excellent sequence of Scripture verses on the nature of man, God’s love for man, and man’s sin and need of a Savior. 

The man that I know in Christ had given his cousin and her partner all of the information needed to understand and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Indeed, his zeal and passion to reach the soul of his cousin in a loving way seems to have been driven by nothing less than the power of God, making him an ambassador for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through him as he pleaded to his cousin on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Was his beloved cousin, by an act of believing faith in Christ, set free from the sin and bondage of her troubled life on Earth to find a freedom in Christ she had never known?  Or, did she continue to reject the love and mercy of God all the way to the end of her physical life?  Regardless of the answers to these questions, the man I know in Christ now rest assured on two important truths.  First, he knows that God had used him at least in part to make His loving appeal to this cousin.  And second, he was assured by his faith that God is good and just, and is unwilling that any should perish.

How About You?
You may have read this article and are left with a sense of confusion, uncertainty, and even fear.  If you have never encountered the “Good News” or Gospel, let me help.   The “Good News” is summarized in an outline called “Steps to Peace with God” which explains God’s love, our predicament (sin and separation from God), what Jesus has done to address our predicament, and what you can do by faith to receive God’s righteousness (right standing with a Holy God).  If you have additional questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you.  Just post a “Comment” below or e-mail me at silviusj@cedarville.edu

Time to Appreciate Our Shepherds

Two October developments have made the news.  I think there is an important connection.  First, October is highlighted as “Pastor Appreciation Month” in many churches across America.  Meanwhile, President Trump has just addressed our nation to outline his multi-front initiative against the opioid crisis.  Can you see a possible connection between honoring the pastors of our churches and the scourge of drugs in America?  Thankfully, President Trump’s proposed approach hints that he has already made the connection.

The Swafford family illustrate a key solution to opioid crisis.

President Trump’s proposed multi-million dollar effort involves multiple federal and local agencies.  But there is much more to his plan.  The president has also challenged American families and communities to participate.  To emphasize the important role of family and community, Mr. Trump recognized Jessie and Cyndi Swafford of Dayton, Ohio.  The Swafford’s are one among many couples who have been providing foster and adoptive care to babies born addicted to drugs.  Mr. Trump noted that

[the Swafford’s] Have provided a loving and stable home to children affected by the opioid crisis.  I am calling on every American to join the ranks of guardian angels…Who help lift up the people of our great nation.

Thankfully, the president realizes that multiple federal agencies and millions of dollars alone will not solve the opiate crisis.  Nor will government programs alone solve the larger crisis of moral decline in America (See Are There Lessons for America from the 1950’s?).  And here is where the connection between a national drug program and “pastor appreciation” becomes more sharply defined.

This month’s invitation to honor our pastors provides a fitting context for an emphasis on the importance of family and community in the battle against drugs.  Why?  Because the biblical account of creation, the fall of humankind, and God’s redemptive plan through faith in Christ is linked throughout by the narrative of God as a Shepherd seeking rebellious mankind who has wandered astray and become lost.  Today, God’s Spirit still guides us into Truth and moral living as sheep within His fold, and He calls to other sheep who are still lost.  His plan remains intact—“to seek and to save the lost” through Christ and to establish local churches as “local flocks” which are each led by one or more elders, or overseers (also called pastors).  Pastoral leadership in local churches is central to God’s Great Commission aimed at transforming the world.  It is God’s plan that His sheep gather regularly as local churches for worship, fellowship, instruction from the Bible, and preparation for Christ-like living in our daily life.  All the while, marriages are formed and strengthened; and, families and communities flourish.

Because our culture is so secularized and drenched in multiculturalism, God’s church needs to awaken afresh to a fundamental truth—there is only One God and human beings are His offspring.  We are created in His image and designed to worship and serve God and live a morally ordered existence.  There is no alternative moral code or mandate by which we may be saved and prosper in a civilized manner on this planet.  The Apostle Paul boldly expressed this truth to the first century Greek scholars in the midst of a pagan culture (emphasis mine):

The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;  for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.' – Acts 17: 24-28

God created man and woman and presided over the first marriage (Genesis 2).  God also extended grace when humankind rebelled and sought to elevate human reason above godly wisdom (Genesis 3)…professing to be wise, they became fools and… exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen (Romans 1:  22, 25).

Throughout Scripture, humans are characterized as sheep that wandered astray (Isaiah 53: 6).  As an expression of His redemptive love, God pursues His wayward sheep as a loving Shepherd.  Near the end of his life, Jacob, whom God had named Israel, gives tribute to His God as, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day… (Genesis 48: 15). 

Godly pastors have a wonderful role model
and the power of His Spirit to guide them.

Throughout Old Testament Bible history the descendants of Jacob, the Jewish nation, understood God’s nature through the metaphor of the shepherd.  Jewish King David, the father of the kingly line that led eventually to the birth of Christ, was a shepherd boy whom God chose to be His king to shepherd Israel.  It was David who wrote Psalm 23 which begins with the claim, “The Lord is my shepherd.”  Israel’s understanding of themselves as the sheep of God’s pasture finds its expression later in the nation’s history in a call to worship:

Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture
and the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you would hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts… - Psalm 95: 6-8a

The Good Shepherd offered Himself as the Sacrificial Lamb

The New Testament Gospel writers introduce Jesus Christ as both “the Good Shepherd” (John 10) and as the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1: 29)!   Jesus, the Messiah, the “Son of David,” declares His rightful claim to deity, saying, I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.  The “sheep” for whom Christ, the Good Shepherd laid down His life includes, in His words, other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd (John  10: 16).  Within a few days of making this claim, Jesus gave Himself as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the whole world.  Three days after His crucifixion, Jesus arose from the grave and was observed by hundreds of witnesses included Peter and His disciples.  Jesus commissioned Peter to “Shepherd My sheep (John 21: 17).”

Years later, the Apostle Peter, himself an elder (or “overseer”), gave this exhortation to his fellow shepherds or “pastors” (from the Latin, pascere, "to lead to pasture, set to grazing, cause to eat," with the notion of tending, guarding, and protecting).  Peter wrote (emphasis mine):

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;  nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.  And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. – 1 Peter 5: 1-4

Notice the character qualities of a Christ-following pastor-shepherd.  He is a loving leader, unselfish, and without impure motives.  He serves eagerly while not “lording his authority over us,” but rather proves himself an example of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ whose return he eagerly awaits.  In 1 Timothy 3: 2-5, we read similar qualifications of a pastor:

[He] must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.  He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity…

During our 48 years of marriage, Abby and I have been blessed to worship and serve under a number of excellent pastor-shepherds who demonstrated these qualities:

Rev. Douglas Miller, Christian Missionary Alliance Church, Morgantown, WV
Rev. Gerald Wheatley, Bowie Bible Church, Bowie, MD
Rev. W. Paul Jackson, Grace Baptist Church, Cedarville, Ohio
Rev. David Graham, Grace Baptist Church, Cedarville, Ohio
Rev. Craig Miller, Grace Baptist Church, Cedarville, Ohio

Pastor Dan Wingate and wife, Karen

Currently, we are blessed to be a part of God’s flock at West Hill Baptist Church, in Wooster, Ohio, led by senior pastor Dan Wingate; and co-pastor, Mark Davenport who has provided valuable counsel to us in our transition into retirement.  Pastor Dan Wingate has humbly and wisely led for nearly 43 years as senior pastor of West Hill Baptist Church, a period that spans nearly the entire duration of time we served under the ministries of all our previous pastors listed above.  Currently, we are praying for Pastor Dan and his wife, Karen, as they will soon transition into a new phase of ministry in which Dan is making his time available to preach and teach as God provides opportunities in local churches and on college campuses.

I hope readers can appreciate my connection between the moral climate of our nation and the important role of local churches throughout America.  The moral fortitude of the American family and community has historically depended upon the ministry of godly pastor-shepherds according to God’s plan.  Therefore, it is only fitting that “Pastor Appreciation” become our habit as we, the sheep who need a shepherd obey the Scripture which calls us to

 …appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.  Live in peace with one another (1 Thessalonians 5: 12-13).

I hope you are blessed to be a part of a local flock that is led by one or more pastors who according to the concluding verse (1) work hard among you and (2) give you spiritual guidance consistent in an attitude of godliness.  After all, it is not God’s plan that anyone should …neglect meeting together as is the habit of some (Hebrews 10: 25).  Instead, we are called to meet together so that we may encourage one another and all the more as we see the day [of Christ’s return] drawing near.  Finally, as members of the local flock, may we (1) appreciate those who work hard to lead; and (2) may we esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

Pastor Steve Salyers, Mindy, Caleb, Kiara, and Della Rose

In summary, God’s plan for pastor-shepherds in a morally challenged world is to lead wisely after the example of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  On the other hand, Christ-followers must willingly place themselves under the authority of godly pastor-shepherds, and then serve faithfully alongside them in a spirit of appreciation and high esteem.  Abby and I understand the wisdom of this plan as relates to our individual lives and our marriage.  In addition, after observing for 20 years the blessings and challenges of our son-in-law, Pastor Steve Salyers, his wife Mindy, and family, we can appreciate in a more direct way the vital importance of “pastor appreciation” by the local flock.  Our pastors and their wives not only have the responsibility to teach, admonish, and encourage us as individuals and families, but they have their own similar responsibilities to their families.  May we recommit to “pastor appreciation” and work hard to appreciate and highly esteem our pastors and their families.

Hearing the Voice of Jesus –2: When Suffering Comes

My previous article, Hearing the Voice of Jesus, pictured God as the One who continually pursues us, seeking relationship with us.  His voice calls to us out of His great love expressed through Jesus Christ and His inspired Word.  Perhaps surprisingly, we can best discern God’s voice and receive the outpouring of His love through the Holy Spirit when we are in the midst of trials and suffering.  Those who have experienced God’s love and comfort in their suffering are able to comfort others in trials with this same comfort (2 Corinthians 1: 3-4).  Little did I know while writing this previous article in September that God was preparing me to learn the truth of it through my own traumatic experience on October 8.  What follows is my account of this experience.  Remember that my perspective from “here on the ground”  is flawed and limited compared to God’s perspective.  May He alone be glorified as you read.

Thursday, October 5
Today, Abby and I were scheduled to be chaperones for our granddaughter, Della Rose, and her classmates during their visit to nearby Ramseyer Pumpkin Farm.  However, the rainy weather caused rescheduling of the event; and produced a disappointed granddaughter and grandma.  To brighten our morning, I suggested to Abby that we go out for breakfast at Bob Evans.  As we walked toward the register to pay our bill, I noticed a familiar face in a nearby booth and remember thinking that I had seen this gentleman at our church.  I made a mental note and thought no more of this passing encounter.  In the afternoon, we drove to Akron to attend the cross country meet of our older granddaughter, Kiara.  Afterwards, we celebrated her personal best time with her and her family.  While in Akron, we stopped to visit my friend, Bill, who had just had right hip replacement surgery that afternoon.  He was still in recovery so we left a card for him and drove home to Wooster.

Saturday, October 7
I began this crisp, autumn morning with an encouraging time of fellowship over a warm breakfast with my Christian brother, Brad.  Then, while Abby was running her errands, I returned to Akron to visit my friend, Bill, now in his third day of recovery from hip surgery.  He was in good spirits and was managing his pain very well.  After our brief conversation, I prayed with Bill and his wife, and then left the hospital.  As I was leaving, I sensed that God’s Spirit was pressing me to take account of the thoughts and intentions of my heart for visiting Bill.  This was not the first time that I was humbled about my efforts to encourage a friend in the midst of pain and suffering.  Taking a personal stock in this area usually centers around three basic questions, each probing successively deeper into my faith and its outworking in my life.

The primary question that pressed upon my mind as I walked from Bill’s room was, How real is your empathy and compassion toward Bill?  I had to acknowledge immediately that my level of empathy was limited by the degree to which I had been “walking in Bill’s shoes.”  After all, how could I actually see life through the eyes and body of a man who had experienced years of pain while walking with an arthritic hip and then endured the pain of a hip replacement?  Because of my limited empathy, my compassion, or the depth of my desire to help my friend was also limited to visiting him and attempting to encourage him.  Having not been involved in farming since my boyhood, I was limited in my ability to assist those people who had volunteered to harvest Bill’s crops and care for his livestock.

How can we empathize with and extend compassion
to loved ones without having "walked in their shoes?"

What concerned me most as I reflected on my efforts in recent years to empathize and encourage friends and family members was the fact that the blessing of good health throughout my life had spared me of physical pain and suffering.  I simply could not identify with friends and family in times of their suffering.  Instead, I tried to encourage them with words like, “God is good and faithful.  He will bring you through this because He loves you and you can trust Him.”  I would also thank them for showing me how to endure pain and suffering as an example for me when I face a similar trial in the future.

My second question also stems from my good health and lack of experience with pain and suffering.  The voice inside asked me, John, how genuine is your faith?  Sure, I had much experience pointing suffering family members and friends to God as a source of hope and healing.  But, how did I know how strong my faith would be when my time came to face pain and suffering?  My answer has to be, “I do not know if my faith in God will remain strong.”

Finally, the third question that has pressed upon my mind over the years is the most challenging of all—How do you know that God will be faithful when you need Him most?  Surely, I have known God’s presence and comfort during times of decision, loss, loneliness, conflict in relationships, and emotional stress.  But, would I know assuredly that God had not forsaken me when I encountered my own suffering and pain?  Little did I know that God was already orchestrating a situation that would eventually provide me with answers to all three of my questions.

Sunday, October 8
Abby and I were blessed to attend our 8:30 am Sunday School class at West Hill Baptist Church, taught by Pastor Eric Fairhurst.  Our lesson was from Luke 21 which records the words of Jesus as He described the signs and future events that would occur in and around Jerusalem and beyond.  We were challenged to be alert “when these things begin to take place.”  Then, in our traditional worship service, Pastor Dan Wingate presented a message from Colossians 3: 12-17 entitled, “Putting on the Best Clothing.”  Verse 12 introduces a list of important Christian virtues and character traits for Christ-followers to “put on” as we yield to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives:  So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion…etc.

That morning, I did not immediately connect a biblical text beginning with the subject of compassion to my own question about the genuineness of my compassion following my hospital visit yesterday.  However, I was soon to be on the receiving end of compassion in an unexpected way.

After the service, we greeted some friends, then walked together into the church parking lot. As I scanned the lot to locate our Tacoma, I spotted the same gentleman that I had recognized in Bob Evans on Thursday.  I raised my hand to wave him to a stop.  We greeted one another and exchanged names while remembering that we had just crossed paths in Bob Evans three days earlier.  Our conversation was then interrupted by a forceful blow on my left side which was the first of several painful impacts I felt, resulting in my body being either thrown to the ground; or, more likely, twisted so that my right hip was thrown against the side of my friends car before I landed on my left side on the ground.

Needless to say, my viewpoint immediately changed.  While lying helpless in a fetal position, unable to move, I could only look up.  Whereas, moments before I had viewed my church family from my usual position of height and strength, I was now forced to look up at them in helpless dependence.  My view was filled with the concerned faces of my church family gathering to help and console me.  The dear lady whose car had struck me was soon at my shoulder with profuse apologies.  Another person cradled my head, while yet another asked if I could move.  I remained conscious but could not move my right leg.  While someone dialed 911, another man began to lead in a prayer for God’s provision.  As I looked up at a sea of loving faces, a friend brought a green blanket to support my head, and others had gathered around Abby to pray.

Within minutes, the ambulance arrived and I was gently wrapped and transported to the ER of Wooster Community Hospital.  Soon Abby arrived, accompanied by two brothers and two sisters in Christ from our church.  Again, I felt God’s comfort and guidance through the presence of Abby and these dear friends.  They were also very helpful in our choice of a surgeon.

That afternoon, my X-rays indicated that my hip was shattered and that I would need a total right hip replacement.  The operation was performed by the skillful hands of a surgeon who was also a man of faith. I was so richly encouraged when he took my hand and prayed with me at the end of our pre-op consultation. 

Looking confident, but supported by prayers
and resting in the unseen arms of God.

During the night and the next couple of days, I was made comfortable by medical staff who each served me with professionalism and compassion.  During this time, I sensed as never before the nearness of God—so comforted and strengthened by the faithful prayers of family, church family, and friends.  I believe God used these days of discomfort and dependence, and days of being weak while learning to become stronger, in order to provide the very experience I so greatly needed and wanted--experience I had missed as the one usually standing above others who experienced pain and dependence.

The doctor, nurses, and aides kept track of my pain level and encouraged me not to shirk on taking Oxycodone so that I would not “get behind” in managing the pain.  Because pain has been such an infrequent visitor in my life, I did not want to insulate myself too much from it.  Thankfully, an occasional Tylenol was enough to moderate my pain.  Though I felt weak and physically dependent, I remembered the words of Gordon T. Smith that had so interested me just a few weeks before.  Smith notes that it is when we accept and even embrace the experience of pain and suffering that we are most receptive to the outpouring of God’s wondrous, boundless love.  Though I am unworthy to compare my light brush with suffering to that of the Apostle Paul, I learned a new appreciation of his writing in Romans 5: 3-5 NASB (emphasis mine):

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;  and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts [ESV: “poured into our hearts”] through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Reflections during Recovery:
Although I could have gone home on Tuesday, Abby and I agreed that I should spend a few days in the Transitional Care Unit to undergo some physical therapy and increase my readiness for life back home.  During these days of recovery, I revisited the three questions that had challenged me in years past and which had especially pressed upon me only days before my injury.  As I reflect on my own suffering and recovery, am beginning to understand more clearly the nature of sincere compassion, the genuineness of my own faith in God, and the faithfulness of Jesus, my Savior.

While lying on my back in absolute dependence upon medical staff and then during my transitional care, God was making me a more humble, open vessel to receive His loving compassion through the care of these dear servants.  I am now praying that the Father of mercies and God of all comfort Who comforts us in our affliction will make me into a better steward of His comfort and compassion so that I will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1: 3-4).  In short, it’s ultimately not about my compassion but my openness as a channel of God’s compassion.

Second, having never experienced serious pain and suffering, I used to wonder how my own faith in God would fare in the day it finally came.  My wondering ended on October 8.  Thanks to God’s grace as manifested in the many ways I have recounted above, my faith did not waver.  I do not make this claim because I felt the strong “flexing of the muscles” of my faith in my time of need.  Instead, my faltering faith was lifted up by the strong arms of God—loving arms that protected me bodily when I was struck on my left side, wrestled about, and dropped on my left side without a bruise—loving arms that worked though all the actions of my church family, and then the compassionate, medical care-givers.  Again, it’s ultimately not about “my faith” but God’s imparting of the gift of faith to me (Ephesians 2:  8).

Finally, I had no reason to question the faithfulness of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  Like the comforting, compassionate care that I remember receiving one morning from an aide who covered me with a freshly warmed blanket, so the loving arms and gentle voice of the Savior left me no doubt about His faithfulness and abiding presence.  Much more than feeling warm fuzziness, God’s manifest presence was made real as His Spirit spoke to me in words from Scripture—words that He brought freely into my consciousness from memory, such as Isaiah 41: 10: 

Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Or, the words of Psalm 23  that I had read many times in the past, and heard in utterances from the quivering lips of family and friends as I stood at their bedside:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Has my compassion become more sincere?  Is my faith stronger as a result of this trial?  Is my Savior faithful?  I thank God for helping me answer the first two questions by His resounding answer “Yes” to the third. 

In conclusion, I thank God for granting my injury and for demonstrating His faithfulness through it in the days that followed.  Through God’s gift of my injury, pain, and suffering, I am learning anew the blessing of His comfort and compassion—gifts from His vast sea of love and grace. Now,  I am recommitting myself to being a good steward of God’s gifts of love, compassion, and faith.  I pray that the aroma of Christ will be evident in my relationships with others—so that ultimately Christ is lifted up.  To God be the glory!