He Is Not Here

Posted on April 20, 2014 by wisdomfromafather

I don’t usually re-post, but as we approach this Easter season, I thought it appropriate since there are a lot more followers than a year ago. So, for my new-found friends, this is for you. And for my regular readers, this is a reminder.

Once again, I’m dipping into some words from my pulpit days at Tyre Reformed.

I’m not a preacher so you’re not going to get a sermon this morning. But I am a journalist and editor, so you’re in for an editorial comment.

My wife may have disagreed with me, but I feel my training as a journalist has made me a listener. And I know one of my God-given gifts is discernment. It is with that background I offer these thoughts on the Scripture we’ve heard.

As a journalist, we’ve been trained to not only listen to words, but to connect the rhetoric to a broader picture. Often, what is said is secondary. The real story is the circumstance in which those words are uttered.

I intentionally chose the four readings we’ve heard [Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16: 1-7, Luke 24:1-9; John 20:1-8].

Four witnesses. Essentially, they recount the same story from four different perspectives, each subtly different, yet remarkably the same. The skeptics may dismiss them as repetitious. Of course, they reason, the stories are the same. It is to reinforce a message … not necessarily true. Of course the Scripture of the New Testament fulfills the prophecy of the Old Testament. The New Testament is hollow without fulfillment.

You know what I say to the skeptics?

Be damned … and that’s exactly what will happen.

I can say this because of the four accounts we heard. He is not here. That’s the story.

We have a tendency at this time of year to focus on the cross. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). It is the suffering Jesus we look to. We remember the pain we caused. We know He died on the cross for our sins. We know He died on the cross for our sins. Praise God.

If that was the end of the story, though, I seriously doubt we would be here today celebrating the empty tomb. I seriously doubt this cult we call Christianity would have grown and flourished. I seriously doubt we would have any real understanding of what it was God did for us through His Son Jesus Christ on Calvary.

It’s ironic. Those who were closest to this man Jesus Christ knew Him only superficially. The Twelve, the followers, the people of the time saw Him and His miracles and looked at Him as the Messiah. Only they were looking in the wrong place. They were looking at the temporal …. They were seeing only the fluff … They were awed by the miracles … They were expecting liberation in their lives …

Yet those who were furthest from Jesus knew Him better. They recognized this Jesus was not a threat to the temporal life. They knew this Jesus was after people’s eternal soul. They knew when people accepted Jesus and His teachings they would view life differently and not accept the tired teachings of the day. They knew they would lose control. They saw beyond the fluff and the miracles. And that is why this Jesus was so dangerous.

Doesn’t that same irony exist today? As Christians, followers of Christ, don’t we complacently sit back and watch as the world self destructs? Haven’t many of our church leaders compromised the foundation of our Christian belief — this book … Holy Scripture — for the sake of political correctness? Haven’t we Christians allowed the agnostics and atheists around us — the minority few — to dictate to us what we can and can’t do in the name of Christ? Haven’t we heard enough about tearing down crosses in cemeteries and taking prayer out of school and allowing the wanton carnage of innocent life in the womb?

It has been 2,000 years since the Word of God became flesh and dwelled among us, but the world was not thereafter immunized from evil. Given the extraordinary development of modern science and technology, we have witnessed instead a dramatic increase in our capacity to inflict ever more horrifying evils upon one another and the created order itself.

We know Christ. We say we follow Christ. Yet we allow this to happen.

The anti-Christians also know Christ … better than we. And the legion of Satan is doing its best to make sure we are blind-sided. It was that way in the beginning. Our readings stopped short. In Matthew 28: 11-15, for example, we are told of the great cover-up. The chief priests and elders told the guards to say His disciples came during the night and stole Him while we were asleep … and this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. And it remains that way to this very day.

No, the story didn’t end with Jesus’ death. It couldn’t have ended there. There had to be another ending. There had to be a connection that brought the whole business of redemption full circle. And that connection is the empty tomb.

Christ came into this world as a bridge, allowing sinful man an avenue, an access back to God. That bridge is the empty tomb.

Easter is at the heart of Christian faith and worship. The empty tomb is the  saving event that gives the entire New Testament its theological shape and direction because the Resurrection is the centerpiece of the paschal mystery, the Lord’s passing over for the sake of our salvation from life through death into eternal glory at the right hand of the Father. If Christ has not been raised, Paul wrote, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins (I Corinthians 15:17).

The death-to-resurrection dynamic remains at the core of the whole Christian life, and indeed, of all human life as well. We can only truly live if we are prepared to die to self and to live for others, in fidelity to the truth. As Jesus told us Himself, Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds (John 12:24).

Today will echo the traditional profession of faith “He is risen.” The air will be filled with “Alleluias” and the mood in our churches will be appropriately festive.

On Monday morning, however, the world will look just about the same as it did yesterday. Violence, poverty, homelessness, oppression, hatred, greed and injustice will continue unabated. The light of the risen Christ, so joyfully proclaimed today, will not have penetrated the earthly nooks and crannies of sin and apathy.

This shouldn’t shock or disorient us. We know sinners don’t automatically cower under the shadow of the cross, nor does the world become instantly cleansed by the sunlight of morality at the first intonation of the Easter Gloria.

And yet we continue to plod along, stumbling along just like the chosen ones waiting for the infusion of the Spirit, ready to do whatever we can to push back the forces of evil by becoming ourselves weak and imperfect instruments of the grace of the Risen Lord.

Because He died, we are saved. But because He lives we live alive in the hope, knowledge and confidence all Christ said, did and promised — as documented in this book, Holy Scripture — is true and accurate. But it’s not the words. They can be interpreted in many ways. It’s the message. He promised to be with us always. He promised us a resurrection. He promised us eternal life. Not an easy life … just an eternal life.

Because He lives. Not because he lived. He lives. In the present tense, an active verb.

That’s the miracle of Easter. That is what Easter is all about.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Prayer is listening for God to call your name.

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Five Minute Friday — Glue

Posted on April 18, 2014 by wisdomfromafather

Here’s this week’s installment of Five Minute Friday where hundreds of us  write for five minutes on a specific prompt word. The initiative was started by Lisa-Jo Baker (http://lisajobaker.com/2014/04/five-minute-friday-glue/) who thought why not take five minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing.

This week’s prompt is GLUE. The timer is set and the clock starts NOW.

Don’t you wish there was some kind of human glue to put ourselves back together again after a fall. We all fall. We all are broken. We all have little chips in our armor. Many of us are more shattered.

Well, we do have “glue.” He came from heaven — a gift from our Father — lived among us and died — traditionally on this very day, bruised, battered, bloodied and broken. But He put Himself back together and walked out of his cave/tomb to give us a similar metamorphosis. All we have to do is ask … and listen. All we have to do read what He did for us. All we have to do is trust and believe.

Jesus is the answer, not only during this Good Friday but always. We may not like the answers, but they are there for us nonetheless. We just have to apply them and our brokenness will be healed. The shattered pieces will be made whole. The chinks in the armor will be smoothed out… STOP

… Look for the glue in Jesus this Easter season.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: God knows you. He wants to relate to you as just you. He knows what’s in your bank account, what’s in your heart, what’s in your closet, what’s in your future, what’s in your deepest feelings. He wants to speak to you. He wants to love you.

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The Empty Tomb

Posted on April 17, 2014 by wisdomfromafather

I don’t usually re-post, but as we approach this Easter season, I thought it appropriate since there are a lot more followers than a year ago. So, for my new-found friends, this is for you. And for my regular readers, this is a reminder.

There are two “major” celebrations on the church calendar – Christmas and Easter. One we celebrate with joy and festivity. The other we generally celebrate quietly, with a little more reserve and certainly a lot more reverence and solemnity.

The latter, of course, is Easter – actually a compilation of the days that begin on Palm Sunday and end with Christ’s resurrection, encompassing His passion and His reprehensible death along the way.

But to look at Easter season with sadness, I feel, is missing the whole point. These few days are the foundation of our entire faith. Without the pain, suffering, death – and most important – resurrection, Jesus was just another kind-hearted man with a vision.

Certainly, the agony is worth remembering. In fact, the agony is worth feeling. But it is the resurrection we should focus on … and that should give us reason to celebrate – really celebrate.

When I was growing up – as, probably, most of us can remember – the emphasis of Lent was denial. And being just average kids, we looked forward to Sundays because we could “forget” the denials – candy, ice cream or whatever. It was a “day off.”

Then came Holy Week. The palms were nice, but again, the focus shifted immediately into the passion and for the next few days, Jesus’ suffering was drummed into our heads. Good Friday was a day of quiet, reflecting on Jesus’ death.

Somehow, that was almost the end of the message. Easter Sunday was anti-climactic. We spent so much time dwelling on the death of Jesus, His resurrection almost got lost.

At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Despite the commercialism that has grown, as a faith community we can sense the joy of the season. It is truly a celebration.

What about Easter? Is that same joy present? Is there any joy present?

I don’t think so.

Over the years I’ve theorized about why. Perhaps it is because there is no fixed date. Perhaps it is because we are, generally, still depressed from a long winter.

But perhaps it is also because we reduce the entire Lenten season – particularly Holy Week and Good Friday – to the suffering Jesus. As humans, we don’t like suffering … in ourselves or in others.

As a result, our minds and emotions shut down around Good Friday. It’s just too painful for us to watch this Jesus die this death. It becomes even more painful when we consider He died for us, our sins contributed to the weight of the cross, the sting of the nails, the labored breathing, the disgraceful death.

The focal point of the season should be 36 hours later … Easter, the empty tomb. We should have our eyes on that empty tomb at Easter – just as we have out eyes fixed on the crib at Christmas.

While sharing the Eucharistic meal, we should recognize the Jesus of the empty tomb. While recalling the passion of Jesus, we should be looking to that empty tomb. While reflecting on the crucifixion, we should contemplate its meaning as a necessary step from this world to the empty tomb. As we ponder the mystery of the risen Christ at Vigil, Sunrise or Easter services, we should see the mystery in light of that empty tomb.

A moved rock, nothing but a shroud, an empty tomb. That’s the foundation of our faith. Jesus’ resurrection makes it possible for us to be resurrected. And just as Jesus replaced His spot in the tomb for a place at His Father’s table, so, too, will our tomb be emptied and we will join Father, Son, Spirit and our fellow believers at that same table.

That’s cause for celebration.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Jealousy will trap you right where you are. Instead, learn to let other people’s success inspire you. If God did something for them, He can certainly do it for you.

This originally was written while I was editor at the Catholic Standard, newspaper for the Archdiocese of Washington, DC, and re-published in my newspaper, Reveille/Between the Lakes. I thought I would share it with this audience as well.

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The Navigator and the Map

Posted on April 13, 2014 by wisdomfromafather

As I have mentioned before, one of my regular devotional reads is Ron Hutchcraft. It’ s even better when I can hear him, but in case I miss his commentary on the radio, I subscribe to his daily A Word With You e-mail.

I like Ron because he is down to earth and prefaces his message with real-life experiences and examples. I can relate to him. He doesn’t preach at me … he talks to me {and countless thousands others}.

Periodically, I share some of these nuggets. This is one on The Navigator and the Map. I hope you enjoy it and get the point as much as I did.

Most women have learned men are never lost. Oh no! Or so men think. Some man is driving, let’s say, from Chicago to L.A., and his wife says, “Honey, why did we just enter Pennsylvania?” Is he lost?

Oh, no, no! He’s exploring a new scenic route.

Now, I have to be realistic and admit I can get lost; especially if it’s in an area I’m unfamiliar with. And it really depends on my sense of direction, which isn’t much sense at all.

My wife on the other hand? Oh, she’s the farm girl; great sense of direction. I’ve learned over the years she’s great with a map. And, she’s very good at evaluating our options and picking the road that will get us there the fastest.

So, on a typical trip you would see me driving and her with an atlas in her lap, telling me the road or the exit that’s next. I don’t need to see the map; I’ve got a great navigator.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about The Navigator and the Map.

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 37:3-5; wonderful advice for the choices, the challenges you may have ahead of you right now, and maybe for the road that is pretty new to you. You’ve got questions about what to do, where to go, or when, or how. Well, listen to God’s Word. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this. Or as the King James says, He will bring it to pass. That’s one of the anchor verses of my life and my wife’s life right there.

Now, as you look at what’s ahead, you probably wish you had a detailed map. I would like to have one, but you don’t have one. Even if you did, it’s subject to all kinds of variables beyond your control. There’s nothing in these verses about trusting in the plan or in the map. You don’t have a map, but you do have a Navigator, and He has the map. Just like my wife and me on a trip in new territory. I don’t have to see the map. I just need to trust the Navigator. I need to pay attention to the Navigator.

Our job as Jesus followers?

Well, it says, Trust in the Lord, not in a map. Delight yourself in the Lord, not in the map. Commit your way to the Lord.

Just as I ask my wife, “What’s next, Honey?” You and I just stay close to our Lord and ask Him, “What’s the next step, Lord?” My wife the navigator doesn’t usually tell me the next five turns we’re going to take. I’d probably get them confused. All I really need to know is the next step. That’s how your divine Navigator wants to take you through this next phase of your journey, showing you one next step or turn at a time.

In changing seasons, in uncertain seasons we tend to focus on God’s will; that perfect cosmic plan that seems like such a massive mystery. But the focus isn’t supposed to be on the plan. It’s supposed to be on the planner. Not on the map, but on the Navigator. It’s easy for God to show you what He wants you to do. It’s hard to get you to do what He wants.

So these times of choice and challenge are designed to draw you deeper into Him; to motivate you to spend greater amounts of time in God’s Word and in God’s presence, and to get you to release your schemes and your dreams so He can lead you into His dream; to sensitize you to recognize and obey those inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. And as we need guidance and we need to know what next step to take, it drives us into His Word. It drives us into needing Him and to learning to listen to His Holy Spirit. It’s good stuff.

Maybe you’re on some bumpy road right now because you started handling the map and choosing the roads. None of us is designed to be our own navigator. When we are, we will inevitably get lost. The map is God’s business; don’t worry about it. Your job is to listen very carefully to your Lord, the Navigator. I love the old saying, “God reserves His very best for those who leave the choice to Him.” He will show you the road you were made for one obedience at a time.

To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, visit http://www.anewstory.com/ or call (888) 966-7325.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Expectation is the byproduct of faith.

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My Jesus

Posted on April 12, 2014 by wisdomfromafather

This may come off as irreverent, but trust me, it isn’t. But when you’re talking about the human Jesus, well, the words can be misconstrued.

I don’t particularly like “religious” movies depicting Jesus, saints or patriarchs. I don’t have a problem with content, but I do take exception at the depiction of the characters. Generally complete with ethereal music and lighting, I lose the authenticity of the characters.

Moses received the Ten Commandments and parted the Red Sea. I know the plot of the Greatest Story Ever Told and cringe at the Passion of the Christ. My life was changed just as Marcellus Gallio, the Roman Centurion charged with overseeing the crucifixion who won The Robe {Christ’s robe} in a gambling game at the foot of the cross.

I don’t question the events, but, well, maybe the specifics of the events which have been perhaps embellished for movie fans.

Specifically, I’ll speak about Jesus. We know what we know … but it’s really just a slice of His life — the highlights if you will. What was He like as a kid? What did He do before He started His ministry? Or for that matter, while out preaching, teaching and healing? Why was He such a threat to the Pharisees? What was His relationship with His disciples? What was He like during “down” time?

Let’s face it. The gospels were originally oral traditions after Jesus’ death and written down well after the fact. Other New Testament writings generally are letters directed to specific churches or audiences with universal appeal. They are written to reflect Christ-ian response to political, cultural, economic and ecological issues facing followers in the post Christ era. But the writings generally don’t fill in the blanks.

All this was brought together canonically for conformity (?). Christian Bibles range from the 66 books of the Protestant canon to the 73 books in the Roman Catholic canon to the 81 books of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church canon. And that doesn’t include other apocryphal texts like the Gospel of Thomas and Gospel of Judas which contain information — right or wrong — not consistent with canonical thinking.

The Bible was initially “collected” at the Synod of Hippo in 393 but didn’t get its “final” current form until the Council of Trent (1545-63). The Protestant Reformation questioned whether other books, especially Old Testament texts, should be included in its canon.

But enough of the history. I want to talk about the Jesus I know.

I’m thinking He was just a normal kid who bruised His shins and ripped His clothes. I’m sure He hit his thumb with a hammer more than once learning His carpentry trade. We know He studied the Torah, but we’re just speculating He was a true rabbi (teacher) under Jewish law. I think He saw how things were going and was willing to speak up about them. He offered hope in a hopeless time for a hopeless people.

But, more important, one of the questions I have is His relationships, especially with His disciples. I can hear Him, for example, calling Peter a “woss” when he failed faith tests. I can hear the disciples arguing as they trudged from town to town. I can hear Him telling James the Younger to “go behind the tree” and then telling the others to run ahead. I can hear him arguing with Judas about money. {I mean, they needed some sort of support during these mission trips.} I can see Him pulling practical jokes on Thomas. I can just imagine the conversations around the campfire at dinnertime. These weren’t genteel folk; they were generally fishermen and laborers with, I’m sure, a salty vocabulary. I can see Jesus telling these guys to pipe down as He loads His spoon {or whatever utensil is on hand} with porridge and flinging it at the unruly group {food fight!}.

That’s my Jesus. Not a superhuman God-man, just an ordinary guy {while on earth} with an extraordinary Godly pedigree who came with lessons for us all. He came to bridge the gap between us and God, but I don’t buy into the ethereal. I see Jesus showing us how to enjoy life … here and forever.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Ideas not coupled with action never become bigger than the brain cells they occupied.

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Five Minute Friday — Paint

Posted on April 11, 2014 by wisdomfromafather

Another Friday. Another Five Minute Friday (FMF) post.

You might remember the task is to write for five minutes on a specific prompt word. The initiative was started by Lisa-Jo Baker (http://lisajobaker.com/) who thought about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And she figured, why not take five minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing.

This week’s prompt is PAINT … an odd word to write about. But, remember, in a FMF post on WRITE, I made the following statement, “… I like to think a successful story, whether fiction or non-fiction, reporting or papers, have a common ingredient — painting a word picture in the reader’s mind. As an editor I always tell my reporters a story is successful only if readers can paint that image in their mind’s eye. They have to feel like there were there. They have to connect. They have to respond …”

So, with that backdrop, here’s what going through my mind today. The timer is set … so here goes. {clock starts now}

True story. This morning I had an early doctor’s appointment so last night I went to bed early. Sometime through the night, I entered into dreamland with visions of this week’s Five Minute Friday swirling in my head, despite the fact I hadn’t checked the prompt. My dreamy subconscious insisted the word for the week was MONSOON. As dreamland slipped away to allow for a mid-night potty break, I remembered the dream and just couldn’t figure out why the word MONSOON would be in my mind. But, I quickly fell asleep again and this time started arguing with myself. It couldn’t be MONSOON, it must be MAROON. Even that didn’t make sense I argued while still in dreamland.

Today when I checked Lisa Jo’s site, I saw the word was PAINT. Not even close, unless, of course you consider maroon as a color on the palette.

What was the lesson from my pre-Lisa Jo check and my dreams?

First,  … STOP

… I must really look forward to my ventures with FMF, and

Second, I need a life.

Well, that’s what popped into this mind this week.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.

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Eyelids to the Mind

Posted on April 10, 2014 by wisdomfromafather

I think I might be a little weird. Okay, those who know me know I’m weird … but I think I confirmed it.

A couple of weeks ago, when I dozed off — I like to do that at night while watching television — I noticed there was activity on the inside of my eyelids. There it was, Facebook images scrolling down the eyelid … the inside of my eyelid. Multitasking as I was, I was actually scrolling Facebook while watching television just before I dozed off. I could feel my hand using the non-existent mouse.

Now, I know I was dreaming, but the inside of my eyelids was a giant screen playing the images from my mind. It was soooo cool.

So, I thought I would investigate this phenomenon further. I paid attention to my eyelids as they started to droop. Sure enough, the lids served as that gigantic screen. There was the data scrolling endlessly after a computer session in Excel. There were images suddenly appearing on the inside of my eyelids. There were color bars and exploding stars and all sorts of visual stimulation … all playing out on the inside of my eyelids.

Unfortunately it doesn’t usually last long. I fall asleep very quickly so dreaming takes over. But those short power snoozes sure are enjoyable.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Self-trust is the first secret to success.

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Five Minute Friday — Writer

Posted on April 4, 2014 by wisdomfromafather

Well, it’s Friday. Time to join the hundreds over at Lisa Jo’s place for a Friday free for all writing frenzy.

You remember, each Friday we congregate at Lisa Jo’s place (http://lisajobaker.com/) to throw in our two cents worth on a specific prompt word for the day. The only rule — keep it to five minutes {or so} and write because we love words and the relief it is to just write them without worrying if they’re just right or not. The joy is in the process no matter how messy the result.

This week’s word du jour is WRITER in honor of Lisa Jo’s foray into publishing {Surprised by Motherhood}. The timer is set and off we GO…

We are all writers. Everyone who as ever jotted down a thought in diary, journal or more formally on paper {okay, screen} is a writer. Yes, even essays in school count.

Oh, we’re not all good writers, but the basic premise is writing means putting those thoughts down to be remembered or captured. Some people just jot down thoughts without structure; other are more formal with syntax and proper spelling and punctuation. Some write poetry, others prose. Some write fiction; other very personal stories.

The point is, we all write … something.

A true writer, however, is more polished. They bring their thoughts out AND their readers in. The reader becomes involved in the emotion of the writer’s thoughts and feelings, regardless of genre or writing style.

That my friends, is the tricky part. Take, for example, the sentence “Lisa got into her car.” It makes a statement, but contrast that with the thought, “Lisa adjusted … STOP

… her straw bonnet and she slid behind the wheel of her yellow VW Bug. Slowly, she retracted the convertible top, stretched, turned the ignition and was ready to take off on another adventure.”

We involved the reader in the premise of the story line. Hopefully, your mind’s eye could “picture” Lisa. In just a few extra words, we discovered what kind of car it was, which opened our imagination into what kind of personality Lisa had. We found out why she was in the car and that begged the question where she was heading.

Hmm, now that I think about it, that opening line might work if we decide to write another Wednesday Writing series. What do you think? Should we give it a whirl?

To understand what Wednesday Writing is all about, visit https://wisdomfromafather.com/2012/10/10/wednesday-writing/. To see where it ended up 24 weeks later, visit https://wisdomfromafather.com/2013/07/03/heaven-shining-through/.

As always, that five minutes went fast and needed a little boost!

That’s what popped into this pea brain this week. Pop over to Lisa Jo’s place to see what the others came up with.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: You can’t make some else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.

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Surprised by Motherhood

Posted on April 2, 2014 by wisdomfromafather

Everybody has a story to tell. And my blogging friend Lisa Jo Baker has told her story.

book-sidebar-300x330Surprised by Motherhood (http://lisajobaker.com/2014/04/surprised-by-motherhood-everything-i-never-expected-about-being-a-mom-book-release-day/) was released Tuesday (April 1) and from initial reports, it has been receiving good reviews and raves.

Lisa Jo and I became blogging friends a couple of years ago. I was struck by the honesty of her writing and was following her. Of course, she is the same person who thought of Five Minute Friday (FMF), and after reading a couple week’s worth of samples I sheepishly asked if I could join her writing exercise clan. After all, most were young mothers and I was, well, an interloping senior male. She and the group have welcomed me with open arms and I look forward to my five minute Friday writing exercise and following at least some of what the hundreds of  fellow FMF devotees contribute each week.

Lisa Jo is a lawyer with a well-stamped passport and a passion for human rights. She never wanted to be a mom. And then she had kids. Having lost her own mother to cancer as a teenager, Lisa-Jo felt lost on her journey to womanhood and wholly unprepared to raise children.

Surprised by Motherhood is Lisa-Jo’s story of becoming and being a mom, and in the process, discovering all the “what to expect” and “how to” books in the world can never truly prepare you for the sheer exhilaration, joy and terrifying love that accompanies motherhood.

Set partly in South Africa and partly in the U.S. (with a slight detour to Ukraine along the way), Surprised by Motherhood is a poignant memoir of one woman’s dawning realization that being a mom isn’t about being perfect — it’s about being present.

I must admit, I have not read the book, but I did preview a few of the opening chapters. As a father and husband, I couldn’t relate to the same depth a woman and mother could. That being said, even in the short time I spent on the pages, I could hear myself telling my Karen — It’s okay to have Cheerios crushed in the carpet …  Take some time for yourself … Enjoy the kids, they grow up too fast … The most important thing you can do is mother your children … Motherhood is a vocation unto itself … Never sell yourself short … So what if the house isn’t pristine …

Lisa Jo figured it out. she has discovered three key things about motherhood. One, motherhood is hard. Two, motherhood is glorious. Three, motherhood is very hard.

This book is a reminder being a mom isn’t about succeeding at some parenting checklist — it’s about what motherhood prepares women for while they’re busy preparing for it; how a new identity brings new meaning for their future and new appreciation of their past; and how there is wonder to be found in the daily merry-go-round of dishes, laundry and tiny humans.

Since each of us is unique, it stands to reason our children are each unique. So, throw away the checklist. There is no parenting manual. There is just a sorority/fraternity of fellow parents doing the best they can with what they have. They key is not doing it right, but being there. It’s acknowledging we are not perfect so we can’t expect our kids to be perfect. It’s being supportive and taking time to join in the wonder of youth. It’s jumping in with an open heart filled with love.

I’m not going to tell you to buy Lisa Jo’s book {although I know she would love it if you do}, but I am suggesting you check out the reviews and watch the trailer. I know she wrote it for everyone — new moms, “my brain is more important than having your babies” woman, motherless mothers, dog days of motherhood when you want your money back, husbands who wish they knew what their wives were thinking, daughters who are trying to make sense of their mothers, those who may not have kids of their own but mother on regardless, mothers of strong-willed kids and empty nesters who already know the hard truth … we will miss this — but I think it might be most appropriate for the new mom or soon mom to be. This might just give them some insight into what to expect.

http://

The book is available in print and eBook through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, DaySpring, Books-A-Million, CBD, LifeWay, Parable, Mardel and Walmart. If you want to hear it read in her own confused South African/American accent – the audio book is also available at Amazon, Books-A-Million, CBD and Walmart.

For my international friends, you can pick it at Koorong in Australia; amazon.ca in Canada; thinkivp.com, amazon.co.uk, eden.com, CLC Book Shops and any other Christian retailer in the UK; Manna Books in New Zealand; Faith Mission in Northern Ireland; special order from SKS Books and Tecman in Singapore; and CUM stores, Leisure Books, CNA, Bargain Book and others in South Africa.

If you do read the book, I would love to hear your take. I know Lisa Jo would too.

Everybody has a story to tell.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: You can’t make some else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.

Posted in encouragement, motherhood, relationships, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Blind Spots

Posted on March 30, 2014 by wisdomfromafather

Just sharing my thoughts from the pulpit today.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

I heard a joke awhile ago that fits this week.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine, they laid down for the night and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. “Watson, look up and tell me what you see.”

Watson replied, “I see millions and millions of stars.”

“What does that tell you?” Holmes said.

Watson pondered for a minute. “Astronomically, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see God is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Why, what does it tell you?”

Holmes said, “Watson you idiot, someone has stolen our tent.”

Sometimes we are blind to what is going on right in our midst, and in a spiritual sense, we can be blind to what God is doing so well for us.

Okay, now we can get down to business, but you’re going to participate. I want everyone to cover their eyes. Come on, no cheating.

Now, I want you to take one hand away. What do you see?

Okay, now take off your second hand. Is the picture clearer and more complete?

Clear vision. Let’s see if we get some.

I’m not sure whether I am the blind man or Jesus’ disciples or the Pharisees in today’s Gospel. I’m probably a little of each … and I’m going to share some personal testimony to illustrate what I mean. It’s a little lomg-winded, but you need to know the context and history before it all comes together {I hope}.

As most of you know, I was raised in the Catholic tradition and was an altar boy for eight or nine years through high school. At one time, I thought my vocation might be the priesthood. I could “preside” at a mock Mass, knowing every part, every word … and back then it was in Latin! The only thing that stopped a trip to the seminary was the realization those pesky little girls grew up into very good looking young women.

Now, Karen and I came to “faith” from different paths. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t trust in the Lord with all my heart. I made that commitment formally when I received confirmation way back in grade school. At that time, I pledged my heart and soul to the Lord.

Karen’s journey was a little different. While she, too, was raised in the church as a youngster, it wasn’t until March 1977 when she fully understood and accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior.

I traveled the traditional path. Karen enjoyed a rebirth. I focused on the Old Testament as a foundation for the New Testament. Karen reveled in the New Testament as a fulfillment of the Old Testament. I was more comfortable with orthodoxy and hymns. Karen enjoyed good worship music and energized services. I had an exclusive personal relationship with the Lord. Karen was more inclusive. I wasn’t comfortable sharing my faith. Karen was quite comfortable sharing her faith. I was reluctant to lead prayer. Karen was open and willing to lead prayer. Karen introduced me to contemporary Christian music. I taught her how to discern matters of faith. Karen opened my world to diversity and evangelization. I drew her into a deeper personal relationship with Jesus. Karen showed me how to share my faith. I showed her how to live her faith.

She was supportive as I embarked in my ministry in the Catholic press and behind me all the way when I was became an elder at Tyre Reformed, jokingly referring to me as “Pastor Joe” when I delivered my first sermon. I encouraged her to start Manna, a Christian magazine, and pushed her – without too much resistance – into being active in the church. We were Eucharistic ministers at St. Ignatius and prayer partners for each other throughout the years, although, regrettably, we did not often pray together.

But it wasn’t always so. I vividly remember a “discussion” we had shortly after Karen was “reborn.” We were at a crossroads … she was attending a more Pentecostal church while I was going to the Catholic chapel at the local hospital. Our finances were unraveling. Our 8% ARM was adjusted up the maximum 2%. One of the kids was a;ways sick. We were facing stress-related health issues. I was spending more time working and less time at home while she was spending more time at home dealing with five children.

On day we got into a terrible argument about something I don’t even remember. I flew out of the house and peeled out, spending the next few hours at the park in Belvidere just reflecting. When I got back home, ready and willing to apologize, I was greeted with “Do you feel like a man, now?” referring to my rubber-burning departure. I simple said, “No,” and went to bed (although that was an impressive strip of rubber).

The next couple of days were strained to say the least. That weekend she went off to her church and I went off to mine. When we got back I said, “We have to talk about this.” She said, “Yes, we do.”

So we set aside the time to just talk. Neither one of us could remember what sparked the original argument, but the conversation quickly turned to our faith journeys. I told her I was uncomfortable with her church which, to me, was too Pentecostal and had some questionable doctrines. I liked the pastor and the people, but it seemed too divisive. The church seemed too willing to separate the sheep and to cast non-members as non-believers who should be avoided … even if they were spouses. Karen wanted to be baptized again at that church. I told her I wouldn’t stand in her way, but before she made that decision, she should pray on it and check out its doctrines, especially concerning speaking in tongues as a prerequisite for believers. Just because the pastor says something doesn’t make it true.

She told me she wasn’t comfortable in a Catholic church. “All you do is stand up, sit down, kneel down, stand up,” she noted. “There’s no worship, no songs of praise. Even during the sermons, rarely do you hear a priest talk about Scripture or the plan of salvation. It’s the same thing, over and over. And when was the last time you saw a Catholic with a Bible? They don’t even bring them to church.”

The debate lingered. My defense was simply my faith was in Jesus Christ; I believed Jesus Christ was the promised Savior; He became man and died to free my personal sins; through Jesus Christ I was assured salvation. My religion was an extension of that faith.

But she pressed me further and asked if I was a Christian (remember, she had been “reborn” just a few months back). I answered a resounding “Yes!” but I was taken aback. How could this baby in faith question me … who had walked the walk for years?

“I thought so,” she replied. “But I never was sure.”

It was sobering moment for me. I guess I may have walked the walk, but I certainly didn’t share that walk, especially with Karen. But the discussion became an opportunity for us to get on the same faith page. We both learned – sometimes to our regret – congregations can become so wrapped up in the form of faith, they forget the substance of faith. Going to church can become an obligation rather than the celebration it was intended to be … a celebration of praise and thanksgiving to our Father for the gift of His Son through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives … a celebration of repentance for our transgressions against God and our fellow man … a celebration of prayer and fellowship with others … a celebration of our faith as told through Scripture … a celebration of our victory in Jesus Christ through the actuality of Eucharist.

Karen taught me those truths. I had blind spots. She was my Jesus spitting in the dirt, putting mud on my eyes and healing my eyesight.

The disciples in today’s Gospel didn’t get it. They asked the wrong question. The Pharisees certainly didn’t get it. Many of them were more concerned with the fact Jesus healed on the Sabbath rather than He healed a man blind from birth. The Pharisees should have been jumping for joy that a blind man could now see.

The man’s parents didn’t get it. They were so afraid of being put out of the synagogue they deferred questions to their son rather than acknowledge this Jesus guy.

The man got it. “I was blind but now I see! …” he tells the Pharisees. “You don’t know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes. We know God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does His will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” To this the Pharisees replied, “How dare you lecture us!” Sound familiar?

Before we criticize these Pharisees too much, we have to acknowledge they were religious leaders, well trained, educated and respected in the community. They could speak doctrine with the best of them. They were known for their spirituality, for their religious observance. Good church member material were these Pharisees.

We often chide them for their hypocrisy, for their outward displays of piety when God was looking at their inward feelings of haughtiness and arrogance. That outward stuff, those things we with mere mortal discernment can ascertain, spoke very highly of the Pharisees … praying all the time, reading the scriptures on a daily basis, strictly adhering to religious law. But they had a spiritual blind spot when it came to Jesus and Jesus is pointing out here, even if you are spiritually gifted, there are still going to be some blind spots.

Those same blind spots appear in our first Scripture reading. Samuel was commanded to visit Jesse of Bethlehem and choose one of his sons to be king.

Samuel didn’t get it. He initially was afraid. The elders didn’t get it … they were filled with fear. Jesse didn’t get it. He paraded his sons before Samuel. The Lord spoke to Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Send for him …”

So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

From that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.

Now David, to me, is hardly a model of faithfulness to YHWH. He is and has always been one of my blind spots. Succeeding stories about him certainly show a great destiny. But, what about his sordid affair with Bathsheba, the subsequent cowardly murder of her husband, Uriah, or his deathbed command for Solomon to seek revenge on one of his old and helpless enemies, the act more of a Mafioso don than a king of Israel? In what way is David “a man after YHWH’s own heart”?

So you see, no matter who you are, no matter your theological training, no matter your years of experience at being a religious person, everyone has a blind spot. And when you have a blind spot you are unwilling to check on, or maybe unwilling to admit you have, then you just might miss out on what God is doing right here in your midst.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.

How we live is vitally important. I believe Paul is concerned with two things:
When our actions or way of life get in the way of Christ (the light of the world) they cast a shadow over the world. Our actions block the light of God’s love. Those who should be receiving Christ’s love do not, and we are to blame.
But, as we “live in the light” we reflect the light of God’s love into the world. We share the love of God for all humanity into a darkened world. Those who could not see because of darkness are illuminated!

Every one of us has blind spots. Every one of us is susceptible to not seeing things God is doing, to not seeing how our behavior affects people adversely. All of us do it. None of us is immune to this kind of blindness.

Okay, put one hand over one eye again.

Now completely cover your eyes.

The hope of the Gospel is we will acknowledge our blindness, we will be aware of our blind spots, we will proceed with caution toward others. If we insist on maintaining our arrogant attitudes and our self-righteous spirituality, if we fail to recognize we, too, are blind, then we limit the ability of Jesus to give us spiritual eyesight.

Uncover your eyes … Open your heart … And let the faithful say Amen.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Sever the ignorant doubt in your heart with the sword of self-knowledge.

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