Faith and Football: Staying in the Pocket

Last night, my 6^th ranked, West Virginia University Mountaineer football team was greatly humbled in defeat by the Iowa State Cyclones in Big 12 action.  After watching the 30-14 loss, I went to bed very disappointed.  My sadness returned when I awakened this morning and realized that it wasn’t a bad dream.  However, very soon, my thoughts became Spirit-directed as I realized how thankful I ought to be to begin another day of life.

Instead of a painful memory, the loss of the football game by WVU became a metaphor and a lesson for my own life.  Although I am far from an expert football analyst, it seemed clear to me that the 5-0 Mountaineer football team lost miserably to a 2-3 team because the Cyclones were successful in moving WVU away from their game plan in three ways.

Will Grier has nearly 2,000 offensive yards and 22 TD passes.

First, they forced our quarterback, Will Grier, to have to act under pressure, resulting in some poor executions.  As a Heisman Trophy candidate, Grier had come to Ames, Iowa to play like a winner.  But, instead of a sixth game in which Grier attained his average of over 300 offensive yards and 4 or 5 touchdown passes per game, he was limited by the Iowa State defense to 1 TD pass and 100 yards.  

A good quarterback leads because he comes prepared, exudes confidence, and demonstrates command of his offence in the face of the opposition. It is not for me to judge what caused Will's poor performance, but I am confident that he will bounce back next week.  As I try to imagine how painful it must be for Grier to watch the videos of the game, I know from experience how many times I have buckled under the pressures of life.  Maybe I was unprepared for the situation, or insensitive to others, or too proud to act or react in a humble way. I may have tried to protect my own interests or reputation rather than humbly giving honor to God or another person.  I cannot judge Will Grier, but in many of my cases, the source of problems is my pride.  Proverbs repeatedly warns us against a proud heart.  Proverbs 29: 23 states, A man's pride shall bring him low; But he that is of a lowly spirit shall obtain honor.

Second, the Cyclone defense forced our quarterback to move “out of the pocket.” Will Grier, like many quarterbacks, execute their best passing game when they stay in the pocket, a wall of protection that is formed around him by the offensive line.  The pocket is a safe place where the quarterback can stand, get a good read on the field, choose the best receiver, and deliver a pass that is on target.  However, in last night’s game, the Iowa State defense repeatedly attacked the offensive line so that Grier was forced to move out of the pocket where he was less effective in throwing, having to avoid being sacked. 

Quarterback Will Grier during one of too many sacks by ISU.

This morning, as I replayed in my mind the numerous offensive efforts in which Will Grier chose to leave the pocket, I began to see the spiritual application to my life.  Though I am not a quarterback, I have been a leader in my own home and in my family.  Reflecting back on my leadership, there have been many times that I reacted poorly under pressure “within the pocket” where God had placed me.  But, even worse, there have been times when I have “left the pocket” of God’s order for me as a husband and father, and have sought to “run the play” my own way.  But there is more to learn here.

Usually, the decisions of a quarterback are subject to input from a coach on the sidelines with occasional input from leaders in his offense.  All of his decisions must be made with respect to the rules of the game and situation at hand.  He is not free to operate as a “Lone Ranger” who takes matters into his own hands.  Likewise, when I see an opportunity to encourage or otherwise minister God’s truth and love to another person, I must be careful not to run ahead of God’s plan and purposes.  However, I have sometimes “left the pocket” of God’s protection, a pocket formed by biblical principles and people whom God has provided to help me.  When I have done this, I cannot “execute” in a way that honors God or that shows responsibility to my wife, family, friends, and others.  Then, it is time for "replaying the videos" of my actions, and where necessary, to repent and  make confession of my sin, and pursue forgiveness from God and the one(s) I have wronged.

For example, during my “retirement” chapter of life, I have been afforded more opportunities communicate with family and friends.  Some of my family are in situations brought on by poor decisions in earlier years.  I have watched some who have encountered illness and then died, not knowing what their eternal future will be.  Lest I act in disrespect of another person or seek to influence anyone in my own power, I have offered up many prayers for myself and for them. Yet, I still find it difficult to strike a balance between desiring to share my faith and the principles of life God reveals in Scripture while at the same time not being so zealous that I move “out of the pocket” of God’s order and timing for me.  The Apostle Paul writes (emphasis mine),

For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If one died for all, then all died.  And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised (2 Corinthians 5: 14-15).

Although I believe my “compulsion” is a genuine derivative of God’s Spirit at work in me, I must learn to be a “team player” with Him while listening to the counsel of others.  Just as a successful quarterback earns the respect of his teammates, so I must remember my first responsibility is to God and to my wife and family.  Without their respect and without wise leadership in my home, my usefulness in God’s plan is in jeopardy.   

Finally, I realized a third lesson from offensive football.   West Virginia quarterback Grier must do even more than stay cool under pressure while he depends on his offensive line to protect the pocket.  He must also be discerning as he looks for eligible receivers.  Last night, the Cyclone defense neutralized our receivers by exerting tremendous coverage.  Hence, Grier was delayed in releasing his passes; and, this delay allowed the pocket to collapse, leaving him open to being sacked.

Again, the Apostle Paul expresses his zeal for sharing the love of Christ, in 1 Corinthians 9: 22 (NLT):

When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.

Like a quarterback, my zeal must show a proper balance between “passing” the Gospel message to family and friends while recognizing that not all loved ones are necessarily “eligible receivers,” at least at this point in time.  Like a quarterback, I may want to yell to receivers, “get open,” but I must remember that only God’s Spirit can open the hearts of others to receive.  As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4: 6 (NASB),

For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

I must remember not to be a “little God” or “little Providence” in the lives of others.  As the psalmist realized, only God can change the heart of a person:

No man can by any means redeem his brother,
Or give to God a ransom for him—
For the redemption of his soul is costly,
And he should cease trying forever— (Psalm 49: 7-8)

In summary, my alma mater’s football loss will have some redeeming value for me, and maybe also for you the reader, if we are able to remember and apply several lessons from football strategies.  First, we must realize our total dependence on God if we are to have respected leadership in our homes and among family and friends.  We must spend time with God through prayer and reading of His Word so that we will be calm and poised under day-to-day pressures.  We must also put on the armor God provides (e.g. belt of truth, breastplate of God’s righteousness, helmet of salvation) so that His “pocket of protection” is secured around us against the fiery darts of Satan, the passions of our flesh, and the deceitfulness of our mind.  Finally, we must discern eligible receivers lest we run ahead of God’s Spirit, rely on our own power and plans, and end up disrespecting those who are not ready or yet called unto salvation.  The Apostle Peter’s charge is a fitting end to these lessons learned from a football team on their night of a disappointing loss:

Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3: 14b-15 ESV).

LOVE: Part 2 – It’s “Out of this World”

Brett Kavanaugh and his family with Chief Justice Roberts.

Yesterday, American history and government were at the forefront of U.S. news as Judge Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in to become the newest justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.  But this article is not simply about politics.  It is about what is increasingly absent from politics—and from our culture.  It is about LOVE.  It’s about what Hal David was lamenting about over one-half century ago when he wrote the lyrics to the song, “What the World Needs Now Is Love.”  Last month, in “LOVE: Part 1 - What the World Needs Most,” I responded to Hal David’s lyrics by noting that, according to the Bible, God has provided unlimited love.  The problem is we tend to look for love in the wrong places.

All of us want to be loved, but many enter relationships that end in selfishness, rejection, and abuse.  When we fail to find loving arms to embrace us through thick and thin, we settle for less in a pursuit of love in the wrong places.  For example, when Christine Blasey Ford’s letter alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh, many other hurt people looked to the U.S. Senate to rule against Judge Kavanaugh as a way of bringing an end to their hurt and the hurt of many others.  What the world needs now, is love, sweet love.  But the ultimate source of love is not the U.S. Senate or the U.S. Supreme Court.  In fact, love is not even from this world!

Imagine while you are out hiking that you spot an object with an eerie glow that radiates from what appears to be a machine with many complex parts.  What would you do with this alien-like phenomenon?  Your decision could change your whole life.

This imaginary scenario is not unlike what has happened to many of us who have had a personal, spiritual encounter with God.  We too have discovered something of great value--something that is not from this world.  It is God’s love.  But those of us who have discovered it did not do so because we were smarter, more handsome or beautiful, or more powerful.  In fact, we had heard the word “love” used in so many different contexts that it was humanly impossible for us to find it on our own.  Consider the following examples:

“I just love cherry pie.”
“I love it when I hear that song.”
“From the instant he first saw her, he loved her.”
“If you really loved me, you would/would not….”
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15: 13)

“Love” can mean a strong preference for a certain dessert, or an emotional high we experience from music, or the passion that is stirred by physical attraction for the opposite sex.  Love can also be “leverage” to get our own way with another person. 

Thankfully, there is a “greater love” that represents more than a response to our favorite tastes, sounds, or sights; or the passion that motivates us to do selfish things.  The Apostle John defines ‘love’ from God’s perspective:  Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15: 13).   This love is more than something that brings inner joy or a pleasurable feeling.  The Apostle John reveals that “greater love” becomes evident in the self-sacrificing behavior of a lover toward one who is loved—even to the point of death if necessary.

But where does this “greater love” come from?  Why is it that some people are overflowing with this love while others are very unloving and suspicious of anyone who offers to love them?  According to the Apostle John, this love ultimately comes from God (emphasis mine):

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God (1 John 4: 7).

According to the Bible, love is an integral quality or attribute of God’s character and personal nature.  God’s love is expressed through many of His attributes including mercy, grace, and forgiveness—attributes that cause God to pursue a personal relationship with us earthlings.  God assures us of His great love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, His greatest “Love Gift,” to die on a Roman cross to purchase us for eternity. 

God’s unselfish, sacrificial love for His creation and for mankind is expressed in the Greco-Christian word, agape.  Jesus explained that God so (agape) loves the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus] that whoever believes in Him should not perish [be separated from God forever] but have everlasting life (John 3: 16).

Jesus and His followers used a second Greek word for love.  The word phileo means “brotherly love,” the generous and affectionate love that seeks to make a dear friend happy with no expectation for the kindness to be returned.   In 1 Samuel 18: 1-3, we see phileo love on display in the friendship of David and Jonathan where we read that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. …then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.”

A third Greek word for love, eros, refers to the physical attraction that arises from our God-given capacity for romantic and sexual feelings.  Although the word eros does not appear in the Bible, the Scriptures do include very clear teaching about physical love and sexuality between a husband and wife.  The best example is found in a book by Solomon, called “Song of Solomon.”

Both phileo (brotherly love) and agape (sacrificial love) were used to describe the love of the Father for His Son Jesus; and, to describe the love Jesus has for His followers.  In John 3: 35, Jesus declares, “The Father (agape) loves the Son….”  But, in John 5: 20, Jesus is recorded as saying, “The Father (phileo) loves the Son….”  Think about this!  Before the beginning of time, God the Father (phileo) loved His Son Jesus as a “dear friend or brother;” and, the Father (agape) loved the Son, sacrificially and unconditionally.

When the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to Earth, He was sending the very embodiment of agape and phileo love.  Jesus expressed this love as He built relationships with His disciples and others.  The Apostle John under inspiration of the Holy Spirit humbly uses both Greek expressions of love when he describes himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (agape, John 13: 23; phileo, John 20: 2).  Many years later, an aged John wrote, See [Just look!] what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are (1 John 3: 1)!

So far, we have defined love on the basis of the original Greek language from which we received the New Testament.  We have also noted that this love originates from God, not from us.  The Apostle John knew first hand and wrote about this love the Father has lavished on us…(1 John 3: 1).”  This love of God can transform even the most hateful person into a loving person by a total, spiritual change in his or her disposition.  How is this possible?

No one is “made loving” without a responsibility or action on his or her part.  This is because love is a quality of relationship.  Phileo and agape love are only realized between two or more persons.  Because love is from God, when God speaks through His Word and the Person of His Holy Spirit to an unloving, self-centered person, the person must choose whether or not to respond to God’s love.  But how does God’s love actually bring about this transformation? 

Romans 6: 4 states, Therefore we have been buried with Him [Christ] through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

When a person responds in faith to God’s “Love Gift” of salvation from sin, he or she surrenders their self-centered life and is “born again” with a new heredity.  He or she is delivered from the penalty of the sin nature and becomes a “child of God” (John 1: 12).  The love that God lavishes upon the child of God ignites their spirit within to respond to God’s Spirit.  The person is drawn to love and obey God—i.e. to become a disciple, or “Christ-follower.”  God’s Spirit, in turn, enables Christ-followers to commune with the Father in Heaven, and to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12: 30).   Romans 8: 15 teaches that we have …received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  This expression is like that of a girl or boy saying “Daddy, Daddy” to their earthly father.  This tender intimacy, formed by shared agape and phileo love, is sustained through regular Scripture-fed, Spirit-led prayer.  In this way, the very life and love of God is nourished in us.

To summarize, in “LOVE: Part 1,” we emphasized that we need to stop looking for love in the wrong places and recognize that there is a “greater, sweeter love” freely given to us by God (1 Corinthians 2: 12).  God’s love comes from “another world” as expressed through the Life of His Son, Jesus.  But unlike the alien machine in our imaginary story, we discover God’s love when we encounter that crudely fashioned, splintery, wooden cross on which Christ gave His life so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit… (1 Peter 3: 18).  There we find the true loving arms of God stretched out to embrace us.  There, we find the true love that cannot be found through politics, government, or social justice movements, important as they may be.

At the cross, we are freed from the curse of sin and embraced by God’s transforming power and love.  Personally, I do not want to forget the warmth and relief I found in God’s love and forgiveness when the Living Christ and His cross became real to me.  In “LOVE: Part 3 - Because He First Loved Us,” we will examine how it is that a Christ-follower becomes both a lover of God and lover of others.

LOVE: Part 1 - What the World Needs Most

On April 15, 1965, just six weeks before my graduation from high school, an album of Jackie DeShannon was released that included a song that has become very familiar: 

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No not just for some but for everyone – Hal David

The enduring popularity of “What the World Needs Now Is Love” reflects Hal David’s gift of creating lyrics that resonated with the “interior sadness of daily life;” in particular, the human longing for the sweetness of enduring love.  From what I have read, it seems unlikely that Hal David and musician Burt Bacharach intended their song to be understood from a biblical perspective.  However, the song is both a commentary on human nature and a prayer to God to send more of His love.  The commentary and the prayer remain very pertinent to this day.

Hal David used an additional line in his “prayer” to intensify his point that “the world needs love.”  The song continues, “Lord, we don’t need another mountain.”  Rather, we just need more “sweet love.”

As I listened again to David’s lyrics wafting sadly on the wings of Bacharach’s music, I began to wonder:  Is the world’s problem really that it has too little love?  Or, could it be that there is plenty of love, but many of us have been seeking a lesser love and looking for it in the wrong places?   The answer from the Bible is “yes.” 

The Apostle John, whom Jesus loved, tells us that God loved the world so much that He gave what is often described as His great “love gift” in the form of His beloved Son, Jesus (John 3: 16).   Years after recording those words of Jesus, John declared in 1 John 4: 8, “God is love.”  By this, he meant, that God’s divine Son, Jesus, is not only His “love gift” to the world but Jesus is the very embodiment of love.  And Jesus spoke of His Father’s love to His disciples in this way: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love (John 15: 9).”  As we abide in Jesus’s love, His love, joy, and peace flow out from us to others.  The Apostle John affirms the reality of this flowing stream of love from God through us to others: “We love, because He (God) first loved us (1 John 4: 19).

But, while God’s sweet love is abundantly available, the world continues to plead for more
“love, sweet love” while looking for it where it cannot be found.  Nathanael Blake, in Why Everything Is Wonderful But Nobody’s Happy, And What To Do About It, addresses the concern of many today who realize the inability of material pursuits to substitute for “sweet love.” He laments[JS1] :

…the symptoms of civilizational despair are persistent and worsening. The doleful litany is familiar: Fertility and life expectancy are down; suicides are up; overdose deaths are way up…deaths from alcohol abuse are up. The comforts of modern life have not made us happy, even as material comforts that were once exclusive to the rich have become the norm. Never before in human history have so many, with so much, been so miserable.  Nor has sexual liberation, the last, best hope for materialist pleasure, brought general happiness. …widespread sexual indulgence has left our culture so far from sexual bliss that even The New York Times is running columns lamenting our sexual dystopia.

It seems that Western culture can achieve every goal set before it except to agree upon what  is truly satisfying and enduring.  As social beings, our relational, vocational, recreational, and spiritual lives are incomplete unless we achieve satisfying relationships with others and with God.  We long for assurance and security that can only come from a deeper well than our buckets will reach.  And so, many continue to look for love, meaning, and purpose in vain.  Our frustration from this vain pursuit may explain recent political division and unrest.

Blake suggests that our anxiety over unsatisfied wants is at least partly the cause of the growing percentage of the American electorate who are infatuated with socialism.   However, he notes that expanding government programs are not the answer because prophets, philosophers, and preachers throughout the ages have reminded us, happiness does not consist of the satisfaction of our material desires, for they will never be satisfied. Desire expands to fill the imagination’s capacity.

On the other hand, social and political conservatism holds that true freedom is granted by God, not by government.   We are accountable to God as stewards of His gifts and opportunities to honor Him and benefit our neighbor, not as a means to amass wealth for our own gratification (Ephesians 4: 28).  As Blake explains, those who know that complete happiness is not found in this life…can have gratitude for our material blessings and relief from physical ills, without seeking our happiness in wealth. We can cultivate those virtues (such as humility, charity, patience, and self-control) that mitigate social conflict, and discourage vices (such as envy, pride, jealousy, and lust) that inflame them.

We can also provide an account of human flourishing that explains why happiness and heartbreak are linked. Happiness requires accepting our mortality, but our culture sanitizes and cordons-off death and neglects the philosophical and religious reflection that reconciles us to death and prepares us for it. What our culture needs—recognition of the realities of human nature, the instilling of self-control, living with love and charity in community, and offering hope for the hereafter—is what churches should be preaching and, more importantly, exemplifying.

Unfortunately, we frequently fail in these things (I very much include myself in this indictment), and we will have little to offer an unhappy culture if we are anxious, defensive, and hateful toward our political and cultural opponents. If we do not want those we disagree with to be happy; if we do not model a life of joy for them, why should they bother to listen to us?

The Life and teachings of Jesus as recorded in our New Testament left an unmistakable mark on Christ-followers of the first-century church as described in the Book of Acts.  When the Roman Emperor Hadrian sent a man named Aristides to spy upon the Christians, his report to the Emperor contained these words, "Behold! How they love one another."  The power of Christ’s love among first century Christ-followers was the key to the rapid spread of the “Good News” of salvation across Europe.

Like our world today, the Roman world of the first century was hungry for “love, sweet love”—that ‘greater love’ that comes from God through the “Love Gift” of His Son, Jesus Christ.   In our world where many of us are materially rich but many are also anxious, unfulfilled, and in despair, may we who have God’s love be committed to express His love and lovingkindness (mercy) where it is so badly needed.  Perhaps the lyrics of “Jesus, Friend of Sinners” by Casting Crowns describes our marching orders as redeemed sinners called to love lost sinners:

Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away
We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing
Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see
The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me
Always looking around but never looking up I'm so double minded
A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours

----------------------------------
Coming Next:  In “LOVE: Part 2 – It's "Out of This World” I want to consider how love is defined and shared through our actions.

The Rising Spirit of “the Resistance”

Nearly two years into President Donald Trump’s administration, there has hardly been a week without a new accusation or allegation questioning his legal, or moral, or psychological fitness for the office to which he was elected.  This week was no exception.

First, came the release of Bob Woodward’s new book, Fear:  Trump in the White House (Simon & Schuster).  According to The NY Times, the book “portrays a White House with relentless infighting and a work culture so toxic and volatile that many of President Trump’s top advisers and cabinet members became accustomed to working around their boss, whom they described as unstable and uninformed.”  President Trump and many “top advisors and cabinet members” deny the validity of Woodward’s claims.

Then came the second punch at the President.  On Wednesday, The NY Times, fresh from its commentary on Woodward’s Fear, published an anonymous op-ed letter allegedly written by a member of President Trump’s senior staff.   “Anonymous” confirmed much of Woodward’s account as he/she purports to speak for “the resistance” within the Executive Branch.  “The resistance” allegedly wants the President to succeed while at the same time to protect him from his most dangerous instincts.

Vice President Mike Pence and President Trump’s top advisors and cabinet members have all denied that they are “Anonymous.”  President Trump has labelled this op-ed and “the resistance” as treason, and rightly so.  If “Anonymous” is indeed a top administration official, he/she poses a serious threat to the security of the President and to our nation.  Especially disconcerting is what can be read as a veiled threat by “Anonymous” that “we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over.”

Even if everything “Anonymous” has written is accurate, I believe this action by one individual or a group of unelected individuals charged with the privilege of serving in the Executive Branch of the United States government is arrogant, unethical, and dangerous.  If “Anonymous” believes so strongly in the cause of “the resistance,” why not resign and present his/her case in the public forum along with other allegations against President Trump such as his alleged collusion with Russia which has been investigated for nearly two years without substantive proof?

In spite of the unsettling events that have occurred this week, perhaps we can learn from them.  For instance, should we be surprised at the actions of “the resistance,” regardless of how well intended they are?  Hasn’t our culture become increasingly disrespectful of people in positions of authority?   Is our culture any different than that of the Roman Empire in which the Apostle Paul was a prisoner under the deranged and ruthless emperor, Nero?  Surely, Paul would advise Christ-followers to take some action to “resist” Nero, wouldn’t he?

However, as recorded in 2 Timothy 3: 1-4, Paul wrote,

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.

What are these Scriptures teaching us as Americans, blessed with much more freedom than Roman citizens like Paul experienced under Nero?   Maybe the most obvious lesson is found in Paul’s prediction of what I believe we are now seeing in full bloom; namely, how “disobedience to parents” and ungratefulness has been expanding from our homes into a spirit of rebellion against teachers and civil authorities.  This week, it has reached all the way up to the Commander-in-Chief.  And we should remember, President Trump is not an authoritarian monarch like Emperor Nero, but rather, the leader of the Executive Branch of our federal government, elected by the will of the American people.

So, I am asking what I would do as a Christ-follower if I were “Anonymous” or if I were a colleague who knew him/her?”  I’m not sure, but as a citizen and Christ-follower, I think I would begin by reading and meditating on Paul’s charge to Timothy in verses 10-17.  This is a very uplifting passage for a time such as this week.  May I encourage you to take time to read and meditate on it?  Paul’s earlier charge to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 2: 1-5, calls us to a posture of prayer in submission to our leaders as well as to the purpose of our Heavenly Father who wants everyone to be saved:

Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.

Whoever “Anonymous” is, I’m confident in the outcome.  As important as presidents have been in our history, America owes its exceptionalism to the faithfulness of God Who has so often surrounded presidents with men and women of great faith and integrity.  Thankfully, President Trump is in very good company.  My place is simply to pray for our President and for “all who are in authority.”

Recommended Reading:  “Who is in Charge of the White House?” by Dr. Mark Caleb Smith, Associate Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University, in the blog, Bereans at the Gate.

Stewardship from a “Stone Quarry”

Our family has just returned from a weekend vacation that included a visit to an abandoned sandstone quarry in Akron, Ohio.  I know, that doesn’t sound very exciting.   But, that’s what we did, and a bit more.  

 Our family at the "stone quarry." (Photo by Bradley Silvius)

We wanted to share variety of activities together including the “stone quarry visit,” scenic hiking at Brandywine Falls within Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and several indoor activities like eating, swimming, and a rousing table game of Rummikub at the hotel where we lodged for the weekend.  Included in our party, in addition to Abby and I, was our son Bradley and his wife Raquel; and, our daughter Mindy (Silvius) Salyers with her husband Steve, and two daughters, Kiara Maetta and Della Rose.

But, maybe you are still wondering why we wanted to visit an abandoned stone quarry.  For starters, visitors arriving at the entrance to the property containing the quarry will see a sign, “Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens.”  The name “Stan Hywet” in Old English means “stone quarry” or “stone hewn.”   Our participation in a guided tour of the Manor afforded us with important lessons in local and American history for both the young and old among us.  Abby and I were especially blessed to accompany our offspring in what was our first return to Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens since we enjoyed our junior-senior banquet there at the manor while we were students at Malone College, in 1968.  That was “ancient history” to our granddaughters.
  
Stan Hywet Manor House is the 64,500 square-foot home of the Frank A. Seiberling family, constructed from 1912 to 1915 on the edge of an old sandstone quarry overlooking the Cuyahoga River valley.  The original area of the estate was about 1,500 acres until parts of it were sold for community development or deeded to conserve green space in and around Akron and the Cuyahoga Valley.

In addition to the Manor House are the Gate Lodge and the Carriage House.  All three structures were part of an elaborate landscape plan that integrated the natural landscape with the buildings in order to accentuate the quarry and adjacent rolling hills.

Frank Seiberling, in partnership with his brother Charles, founded the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, named for Charles Goodyear, the man who had invented vulcanization of rubber in 1839.   Although Goodyear developed a number of rubber products, his business misfortunes and poor health left him penniless at his death, in 1860.  On the other hand, F.A. and Charles Seiberling, were very successful as a result of F.A.’s 19 patents.  The most famous patent was his Seiberling State Tire Building machine which was patented in 1908.  The machine mechanized tire building and eventually made Akron, OH the “Rubber Capital of the World.”

The inventive and entrepreneurial success of the Seiberling’s are impressive.  But I am most impressed by the way in which they exercised stewardship of the massive wealth they acquired.   For example, by 1910 F.A. Seiberling and his wife Gertrude began to discuss the construction of a larger home for their growing family.  But when they began land acquisition and plans for the Estate, F.A.’s elderly mother, Catherine, prevailed upon her son and daughter-in-law not to change residences so that their beloved family traditions could continue until her passing.  So, out of respect for their family, F.A., Gertrude, and children rented a house next door to his mother on E. Market St. in Akron.  They delayed creating Stan Hywet until after Catherine’s death, in 1911.

Another example of “Seiberling stewardship” became evident to me when our tour leader pointed to the crest above the Manor House entryway.  The phrase in Latin expressed the attitude of the Seiberling family  toward  their guests:  Non Nobis Solum (“Not for Us Alone”).   Throughout its existence as a family home and in the years since then, Stan Hywet has been a symbol of warm and gracious hospitality to friends, the Akron community, and visitors from all over the world.  According to Wikipedia, “ a 1937 Akron Beacon Journal article, stated on behalf of the Akron community, ‘One reason we all like the Seiberlings is because they never went ‘high hat’ on Akron…’” 

Not only did the Seiberling family open their great home to visitors, but F.A. exercised exemplary stewardship of his great wealth toward the Akron community and beyond.  According to the Akron Beacon Journal article cited above, F.A. Seiberling “used his fortune and influence to create fair housing, build a hospital, improve transportation both locally and nationally, preserve green space for the community’s enjoyment and fund countless arts and culture programs and organizations.  F.A. believed true prosperity was gained through the enlightenment and improvement of every citizen.  …perhaps no other local family ever enjoyed greater prosperity and achievement . . . yet they were never so busy as to turn a disinterested ear to any pleader for Akron’s future or civic welfare . . . No man in Akron ever had a broader conception of Akron’s civic problems than Frank Seiberling.”  The list of F.A. Seiberling’s philanthropic affiliations is extensive and varied.

As our family enjoyed the beautiful Tudor-style architecture and lovely landscaping which afforded wonderful avenues of ripening grapes, birches, and sycamore trees, my belief in the free enterprise system was renewed.  In spite of the positive role of free market economics in American history, we now live at a time when many young Americans are soured against capitalism in favor of the hollow promises of socialism.  Thankfully, the history of F.A.  Seiberling and family demonstrates the explosion of benefits to family, community, and nation that occurs when a successful entrepreneur creates and shares his wealth out of an understanding that his or her success is “Not for Us Alone,” but for the benefit of many.  This is the essence of good stewardship.

Like the sandstone rock foundation beneath Stan Hywet, many of the values of the Seiberling family were supported by a foundation of Christian faith.   According to the Stan Hywet archives, F.A.’s wife, Gertrude, was a devout Christian, raised in the Methodist faith.  After she married F.A. and they moved to Akron, “the Seiberling’s joined Trinity Lutheran Church where Gertrude was active in the choir.  …In 1933, like her daughter Irene and daughter‐in‐law Henrietta, Gertrude became interested in the Oxford Group, a spiritual group that sought enlightenment and self‐improvement in companion with organized religion.”

It was through the same Oxford fellowship of evangelicals that Henrietta Seiberling was instrumental in the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.   When co-founders, Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson, expressed reservations against including a biblical dimension in what became known as the “Twelve Steps” of AA, Henrietta replied,

Well, we’re not out to please the alcoholics.  They have been pleasing themselves all these years.  We are out to please God.  And if you don’t talk about what God does and your faith, and your guidance, then might as well be the Rotary Club or something like that.  Because God is your only source of Power.

In conclusion, our family was enriched to visit Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens together and to learn of the life and contributions of the Seiberling family.   Their example of hard work, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy has left a positive mark on the City of Akron and beyond because of their unselfish stewardship and commitment to something and Someone larger than themselves.  It was indeed fitting that the F.A. and Gertrude Seiberling Estate was named “Stan Hywet” or “rock hewn.”  In the Book of Isaiah, we read a reminder from Almighty God figuratively speaking that we should never forget the quarry from which we were dug, shaped, and given abilities to live a meaningful and fruitful life of service to God and to our neighbor as stewards.  The prophet writes,

Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance--all who seek the LORD!  Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined.

Non Nobis Solum… Ad Dei gloriam,  “Not for Us Alone…To God Be the Glory”

*     *    *    *
Dedication:  I've been inspired to dedicate this article to our friends Roger and Margaret Riffle who live not far from Stan Hywet Hall.  The Riffle's are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today, and I'm blessed to have served as Roger's best man on that special day, August 14, 1968.  Congratulations and much love to you, our dear friends.

Related Reading:
Stan Hywet Celebrates 100 Years 
There’s No Such Thing as Private Property, Oikonomia, March 28, 2015

For Further Thought:
Somewhat like the Seiberling family of the 20^th century is the generous philanthropy of NBA star, LeBron James, of the 21^st century.  It would be interesting to research the lives and the philanthropic impact of each upon the City of Akron and vicinity.  A somewhat related topic would be the potential danger when a community depends too much upon a relatively narrow economic base for its existence as was evident when the Akron community rose and fell in the 20^th century in response to the economic well being of its rubber industry.

Making “Creation Care Connections”

It is a beautiful thing to observe relationships functioning in harmony as God our Creator desires.  We feel joy and satisfaction when we experience or observe the mutual enjoyment of a married couple in love; or the performance of a sports team functioning like a well oiled machine in an exciting contest.  Some of us find a similar satisfying beauty when we experience the interactions of creatures in a forest community or in a prairie landscape or in a colorful, undersea, coral community.

In this article, I will share a few inspiring examples of how a simple willingness to become involved in expressing the love of our Creator to our "human neighbors" and to our "creation neighbors" can help us to form “creation care connections”—i.e. connections that bring our Creator, His creation, and our neighbor together--"for good."

As humans, we experience joy and satisfaction from harmonious relationships because God is relational (i.e. perfect harmony among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and He created and equipped us to love Him and to love our neighbor (Mark 12: 30-31) and to love and care for His creation (Genesis 1: 27-28; 2: 15).  Readers who have put their faith in God’s love gift of His Son as a sacrifice for our sins will understand the Apostle Paul’s words, Above all, be loving. This ties everything together perfectly (Colossians 3:14).  Pure faith in a perfect God provides the oil for well functioning relationships.

New kiosk constructed by Gospel Road 2018 and FMCPT

Now, allow me to share a few inspiring examples of how the exercise of “creation care” can allow us to form “creation care connections”—i.e. connections among our Creator, His creation, and our neighbor. My first example involves our wonderful national and state parks, preserves, and trails.  For many people, especially the majority who live in urban communities, these places may offer the only exposure to the soul-satisfying beauty of the creation.  But parks and trails require continual administration and maintenance in order to provide safe and accommodating services to hikers, equestrians, boaters, and cyclists.  As individuals and families, when we visit parks and natural areas, we can form a “creation care connection” by simply following park rules or by stopping to pick up litter.

Just this past week, approximately 150 high school students, grades 9-12, from all over central Ohio participated in a five-day, mission-focused, work camp called the Gospel Road 2018.  The students along with their adult chaperones and volunteers represent Catholic churches and schools throughout the Diocese of Columbus.   According to Wayne Roberts, Executive Director of the Friends of Madison Co. Parks and Trails (FMCPT), the workers devoted their time and energy to approximately 46 projects.

Gospel Road 2018 workers at refurbished kiosk (London, OH)

Of particular interest to me are two of the projects completed by the Gospel Road 2018 teens involving the FMCPT.  First, they constructed a kiosk for the Little Darby State Scenic River Preserve north of London, OH, in Monroe Twp. of Madison Co.  The teens also contributed their “elbow grease” and skills to sanding and staining the kiosks near and around the Prairie Grass Trailhead at London, Ohio. 

According to Roberts, “both the student volunteers and the instructors-adult leaders were generous, good-hearted people.”  Needless to say, these teens and their leaders formed a “creation care connection” with their neighbors from the FMCPT, with bicyclists and other users of Madison Co. parks, and with the living creatures that reside in the parks and trials and give them structure and beauty.  Through their hard work, the Gospel Road 2018 group left an aroma of the “good news” for the benefit of both God’s creation and future park visitors through the caring connections they formed.

My second example to illustrate the formation of a “creation care connection” has a more expansive scale; one that spans two continents.  Beginning June 20, a small team used their skill of stand up paddle boarding (SUP-ing) to travel from Cooperstown, NY on a 444-mile trip down the Susquehanna River.  The paddle boarders were led by Peter Savard, assistant professor of nursing at Cedarville University.  The team included Savard’s daughter, Ainsley, a high school student; Jared Mitchell, a 3-D modeling and design teacher at Troy Christian School, and students from Cedarville and Wright State Universities. 

#SUP4WATER paddlers and portable clean water equipment

Prof. Savard is founder and chairman of Global Water Consortium which supports sustainable clean water projects in remote areas of the world.  As quoted in the Wyoming Co. Press Examiner in Tunkhannock, PA., Savard stated, “Throughout the trip, we will carry the same water equipment used to establish clean water projects in developing countries to showcase its mobility in remote locations.” 

The #SUP4WATER paddle board trip was completed last week.  During the time devoted to this 30-day trip, Water Consortium statistics estimate that 126,540 children in Kenya and India will die due to unsafe water.  According to Savard, “The goal is to raise $1 for each of these children and to bring increased awareness for sustainable water projects around the world.  Those who wish to donate to #SUP4WATER may do so at the Global Water Consortium website.  Additional details of the Susquehanna trip are provided through social media:  Facebook.com/GlobalWaterConsortium, Instagram.com/global_water_consortium, and Twitter.com/@peteGWC Global Water Consortium.

#SUP4WATER member, former student, and friend, Jared Mitchell

Both of my examples of “creation care connections” have featured a common invitation rooted in the biblical commands to be stewards of the Earth.  Stewardship of the creation is the fundamental context within which we express through our actions a supreme love for our Creator and love for our neighbor.  While we find satisfaction and “re-creation” in beautiful parks and along scenic trails, we should also look for ways that we can contribute to the stewardship of these places. 

Local park districts and allied citizen’s groups often invite volunteers to join in work day efforts while many states have the Adopt-a-Highway program.  As in the case of stand up paddle boarding to improve water quality in needy areas of the world, the steward first sees the need; then, is convinced of the importance of that need; and finally, becomes involved in making a “creation care connection.” Here, the connection was prompted by love for our “human neighbors” on another continent and the expression of that love through caring for the “creation neighbor,” in this case, the water quality upon which our human neighbor depends for life.  When environmental stewardship done for the glory of God, the connection is complete because God, humanity, and creation are all served—a beautiful and satisfying result.

Co-Leaders of the Prairie Grass Trail Ride at a remnant prairie

Immediate Application:
If you live in Eastern U.S.,  I would welcome you to make your own “creation care connection” by joining us on Saturday, July 28 at the trailhead of the Prairie Grass Trail in London, OH at 8:00 am for a leisurely bike ride through some scenic remnants of the original prairie in SW Ohio, preserved along a former railroad right-of-way.  Here, you can connect with members of the Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails, and representatives of other local public and private organizations who are interested in management of these prairie wildflower and grass communities.  Of special emphasis this year will be how to connect with creation by learning to collect seed and grow native wildflowers and grasses in your garden or on other land over which you exercise stewardship.  See Prairie Grass Trail Ride online poster and I hope to see you there.

But Isn't Loving My "Creation Neighbor" a Distraction?
I'm glad you may be asking this question.  I have written more on this topic in a previous Oikonomia under the title, Fundamentals of Conservation, Part 3 "Serving with Our Neighbor"  That article includes reference to my friend Lynn Holtzman's master's thesis entitled “Nature as Neighbor: Aldo Leopold’s Extension of Ethics to the Land.”  I would urge you read more on this important subject, beginning with my previous article.  For now, allow me to summarize my point about our responsibility to both "creation neighbor" and "human neighbor."

God revealed His design for relationships in the Genesis 1 account of the origin of creation where we read of His mandate to Adam and his offspring to exercise dominion over creation (Genesis 1: 27-28).  Genesis 2 elaborates on the nature of the Dominion Mandate.  We are to live as “servant rulers,” or stewards, of creation (Genesis 2: 15).  Indeed, servanthood was to be the primary occupation through which humans would demonstrate their obedience to 2 other fundamental commands –to love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12: 30-31).  These three commands form a tri-unity because God asks us to (1) choose carefully our activities as stewards of His material creation in light of whether or not they (2) express our love to Him and (3) love to our neighbor.  Conversely, we demonstrate our love for God and for our neighbor by the way in which we exercise “creation care” through proper handling of the material gifts God has entrusted to us to manage and use for the greatest good.  Indeed, we cannot love “our human neighbors” without proper love and respect for “our creation neighbors,” the soil, water, air and creatures, upon which “our human neighbor” depends for life.  Hopefully, the two examples cited in the main article above illustrate how volunteering our time, energy, and resources can express our love to God through acts that help both our neighbor and the creation context upon which his life depends.

What to Do about ‘Fireworks’ in America

When I was an elementary school student, in the 1950’s, we were regularly asked to stand and participate in the Pledge of Allegiance.  I do not remember ever saying the pledge without the words “under God.” These words had been added by Congress in 1954 in the face of the threat of godless communism.

Today, the words “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” are still recited by all who are willing to make this pledge.  However, it has become clear that many Americans no longer submit to God, and many no longer consider America a “godly nation” if indeed it ever was.  Our nation is deeply divided, particularly over competing visions of what America ought to be with respect to “liberty and justice for all.”

On this Fourth of July, the deep moral and ideological divisions are manifested in social and political turmoil that centers upon President Donald J. Trump and his administration.  Mr. Trump is one of the most controversial and, some would say, divisive and even hated presidents in modern history.  Many on the political left despise him because they believe he stole the presidential election of 2016.   They have resorted to attempts to tarnish and disrupt the Trump presidency by convicting him of collusion with the Russians.  There are also attempts to trap him in regard to inflammatory social issues, most recently his now cancelled policy of separating illegally immigrating children from their adult “guardians.” 

Meanwhile, many in the evangelical community disrespect President Trump because they believe he falls short of God’s moral and spiritual standards for the office he occupies.  Evangelical mistrust and moral criticism of the president continues in spite of his successful appointment of one excellent Supreme Court justice, and his intention to appoint a second.  In addition, President Trump’s policies seem to flow from his genuine respect for America, his emphasis on free enterprise and a good work ethic, and his respect for the sanctity of human life.

It is clear that the "fireworks" of political division in America will continue long after this Fourth of July.  Instead of arguing over competing visions of what America ought to be and the best ways to get there, I believe that Christ-follower’s, those who have surrendered their lives to the Person of Jesus Christ and His Word, are called to pray.   I do not see praying as a convenient cop-out from the “real world problems” we face.  Instead, those who have studied American history will know the vital part the providential hand of God played in the birth of our nation. 

Today in the midst of storm clouds of disruption and division, it is only fitting that Christ-followers pray for America and for her leaders.  The commands in Scripture to pray include those from the inspired pen of the Apostle Paul:

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.  Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth (1 Timothy 2: 1-4 (NIV)).

Paul is urging Christ-followers to enter into spiritual communication with God through the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Our access to God is made possible by the shed blood of Christ who sits at the right hand of God.  Christ is glorified when we enter worshipful prayer in His Name.  [Click on box, “What Happens When We Pray?”] 

When we commune with God in prayer, we ought to realize that we are not in a position to inform Him of what He doesn’t know.  Rather, as Gordon T. Smith (The Voice of Jesus, IVP 2003) writes (p. 163):

…in true prayer God has a “privileged voice,” one might say.  And the final objective of prayer is not experienced in our speaking so much as in our allowing God to speak, to have the final word, but more, to have THE word that speaks into our lives. It is this word that empowers, liberates, sustains and guides; it is the word we long to hear.

Referring back to 1 Timothy 2: 1, the Scripture commands us to pray in several ways.  First, we are to petition (make requests of ) God according to His character and purposes.  Then, notice Paul also calls us to intercede (pray on behalf of the needs of others) and offer thanksgiving to God for others and for the blessings (and trials) He brings our way.

How then should we pray for our nation and specifically “for kings” on this Fourth of July, or on any other day?  After all, we do not have a king ruling over us as was the case when Paul wrote to Timothy around AD 63.   In fact, when Paul wrote the command to Christ-followers to pray “for kings and all who are in authority,” the godless Roman emperor Nero was in power.  The date of Paul’s writing was approximately one year before the Great Fire in Rome.  Nero, who many believe may have been involved in starting the fire, laid the blame on Christians and ordered the execution of many innocent believers. 

Instead of an unelected, godless emperor, we have a president who was elected to serve as the executive of a democratic, republican government.  Historically, presidents elected by the will of the people have been shown respect even among those who did not vote for him.  By all indications as I have already indicated, President Trump is sincerely trying against much opposition to keep his campaign promises for the benefit of our nation.  However, hatred of Mr. Trump and his conservative policies is continually expressed by vicious personal attacks as well as verbal attacks upon his wife, family, and members of his administration.

Christ-followers ought to expect a disregard for authority from those who disregard the authority of God’s Word.  But the souls of both nonbelievers and believers are worth much more than winning political arguments.  Therefore, Christ ought to be honored in all of our conversations and actions.  If we return to the Apostle Paul’s writing in 1 Timothy we can find Paul’s basis for showing respect for authority and being civil in conversation.

Immediately preceding Paul’s command to “pray for kings,” he writes, “I urge, then….” which may be translated “I urge, therefore...”  If we back up to 1 Timothy 1: 15-16 (NASB), we can see what the “therefore” is there for.  Paul reveals his own humility in the face of Christ’s patience toward him.  He writes (emphasis mine),

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.   Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

As Christ-followers perform the important work of praying for our nation and all those in authority, including President Trump and his administration, we ought to meditate on Paul’s testimony as the “foremost of all” sinners.   Like Paul, we should never forget that we were also forgiven an infinite debt of sin.  Then, as we confess our own sin and take the log out of [our] own eye…so we can see clearly to take the speck out of [our] brother's eye (Matthew 7: 5), perhaps our prayers will be heard and answered for the benefit of our own personal relationships, our families, and our nation,  that by God's grace it could be “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Application -- What About You?
If you are like me, you read lots of articles and books but fail to make specific applications to your own spiritual life as a believer and Christ-follower.   For example, you may have just read my article, "What to Do about 'Fireworks' in America" and are asking, "What will I do?"   If you are asking this question, here's a suggestion. 

The heart of this article is a call to PRAY.  If you re-read or scan the article, you will notice some thoughts on what prayer is and how to pray.  My thoughts on prayer are derived from what Daniel Henderson calls "Scripture-Fed, Spirit-Led Prayer."  For the past 20 months I have been blessed to pray in a small group at our church in which we use Henderson's approach, led by a former student and now brother in Christ, Kirk Fairhurst.  May I encourage you to read more about "Scripture-Fed, Spirit-Led Prayer" by checking out the following links, and then beginning to practice praying in this way individually and, as God allows, with other Christ-followers.  To God be the glory, great things He has done!
Links from Daniel Henderson's Strategic Renewal website:

The Power of Praying From the Bible
PRAYzing!  Fear Not!