Pita Bread and Blasphemy

It was well rehearsed and performed with passion. Talented young voices singing in perfect harmony. The ballad rose dramatically in energy and intensity. "The goodness inside you will be your guide to the God in others. We are God. God is us." Thousands cheered. Some shouted, "Amen!" and stood to their feet, moved by melody and ability.

I was stunned. How could so many people, so quickly embrace a song that was so clearly blasphemous?

Blasphemy is not a word I use frequently, it sounds too 'churchy', but it is the most accurate word. Blasphemy: the act of claiming the attributes of deity.

Spiritual truth is in short supply today; sometimes even in our churches. But inside each human there is a latent spiritual hunger for truth that's craving satisfaction, and many will eagerly grasp spiritual passion even when it is devoid of spiritual truth.

Yet this was something more; these were not merely empty words - void and without truth - these were deceitful words, poisonous to the soul. Spiritually deadly words.

Why was the reaction of the crowd nearly universal? Why was my reaction so different? Maybe it has something to do with pita bread.

I used to work in Detroit and I have to admit - there are several things good about Detroit. One of those things is food. You could experience the entire, wonderful, culinary world and never leave the Detroit Metro area. Greek food. Polish food. Jewish food. Chinese, Mexican, Japanese, Soul, Thai. And then I discovered the Islamic bakery.

I thought I knew what pita bread was, but that was before I experienced the Islamic bakery. Nothing compares to fresh hummus, tabbouleh, and a warm pita fresh out of the stone oven behind the counter. I would buy several pitas and take them home to eat throughout the week, but after about five or six days, the pita lost it's wonder and began to taste like the stuff you get in the grocery store.

To this day, I can't taste a pita without wishing I was standing at that counter waiting for a warm, fresh, wonderful, authentic pita. And maybe that explains my reaction to the young voices singing about "being God".

Most people can quote that phrase, "... you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" but few know what Jesus said right before that. To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

When stores and banks train their employees about counterfeit money, they don't start by showing the fake bills. They study real money. The reason? The more you study the genuine currency, the easier it is to detect an imitation.

Art connoisseurs can easily spot a fraud because they have studied the artist closely. They know his or her style, how they held the brush, what colors they favored, what subjects moved them to create their masterpieces.

What Jesus told those who believed him was, "If you study my teachings and apply them to your lives, you will be free. You will know me and my character, and you will easily see through false claims that can enslave you." The implication is that if we do not study and apply Christ's teachings to our lives, we will be easily deceived by false claims - we won't know what authentic pita bread tastes like.

People are so hungry for truth, they eagerly consume imitations. Our job as Christ followers is to tell them about the "stone oven behind the counter" and "the bread of life." The strategy isn't just to take them to the bakery; our goal should be to give them some of the bread we've discovered. Not week old bread, but warm bread that we receive fresh every day.

When you see or hear something that is blasphemous or spiritually offensive, it's not usually because the people are evil. It's almost always because they are hungry. Listen to Jesus as he gently prods, "You've got fresh bread. You feed them."

Depression Is Real - Kate Spade

Kate Spade was 55 years old with a 13 year old daughter. Kate was a very successful fashion designer. But Kate was in a life or death struggle with depression. Yesterday depression won. 

Today I'm reposting an article from August 2014 because the struggle with depression is real … but it doesn't have to win.

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Monday evening social media exploded. Many say they are mourning. Most are simply remembering a great entertainer; mourning our loss of a source of entertainment. Robin will be missed because he brought joy and laughter.

I never met Robin Williams. Most who did meet him probably didn't KNOW him.

But genuine mourning for Robin Williams is occurring. The loss of a father, a husband, a creative partner. They will miss the person, Robin Williams. Those types of losses are enormous, and the mourning will be great.

Christian scriptures frequently address mourning, but most people try to avoid it. The death of Robin Williams gives us an opportunity to think about subjects we try to avoid including mourning and depression.

Depression is real. Deal with it.

The author of Psalm 42 writes, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God." Jesus mourned over Jerusalem saying, "how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." There's even a whole book in the bible called Lamentations, grieving the judgment being poured out on God's people.

Depression has many causes, and is rarely only a spiritual issue. When Elijah was depressed and running away from Jezebel, God wouldn't even talk to him until Elijah got some good sleep and started eating right. If you are depressed, make sure you are eating healthy foods and getting enough rest.

God has given each of us an incredible machine called the human body. When you exercise, your body is designed to produce and release hormones that make you feel great. These hormones can help you dig out of depression, and start enjoying life again.

Also, people have a more positive view on life when they have fun in the sun. Many avoid depression during the dark winter months by simply sitting in front of a lamp that replicates the kind of light that is only found in sunlight.

But sometimes your body stops working the way it was designed. Hormone levels are abnormally low, or blood sugar levels develop wild swings, and your emotions, along with that feeling of wellbeing, take a dive.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with clinical depression. All I wanted to do was sit on the back porch and stare at the clouds. Some people with depression just sit on the couch and watch TV. Others never make it out of bed. These conditions are serious and need to be addressed.

In my case, we attacked depression from every angle. I got more rest. I reduced my stress level. I started eating right. I started exercising more. I invested a few hours in talking with a Christian counselor. I read the bible more and prayed more. And I started supplementing low hormone levels with medication under the direction of my doctor. (By the way, he also prays with his patients and prescribes select passages of scripture!)

In addition to depression, here are a few more topics we avoid.

First, suicide is no joke. If someone starts talking about taking their life, even as a joke, tell someone. Most people who commit suicide talk about it before they attempt it.

Secondly, hurting people, hurt other people. Sometimes hurting people make others laugh. Be sensitive to the bullies and the comedians around you. They may be suffering through wounds that you can't see on the outside. Pray for them and with them. Encourage them and bring God's healing into their lives.

Finally, life is short. Death is certain. Keep short accounts. Paul told the church in Ephesus, "Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry." Say the things you need to say to the people you love before it's too late.

Jesus came to give life and He grieves when we throw it away. His followers should be sources of living water, not parched deserts of gloom.

As we mourn the death of a brilliant comic, don't miss this opportunity to deal with some of these issues in your own life or those around you. Carpe Diem! Seize the day!

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You Feed Them



Photo Credit: Pinterest

Another crisis, this time a school shooting, and grief and anger sweep over us in a sea of emotions. The response is the same as the last crisis, the last dozen crises, nearly every crisis we experience - “How can government save us?”

 

We’re like baby birds in a nest that has just been jostled. We open our mouths and expect someone else to feed us.

 

Why has that become our first response?

 

One day my daughter brought home her U.S. History textbook from school. I asked her if I could flip through the pages and quickly noticed that the historical timeline had been divided into multiple sections, each a decade or two long. The sections were called units, and each unit introduction used this same structure: identify the pressing issue for that time, and then ask, “How can the government fix this?”

 

Prior to that moment I was concerned with whether U.S. History was being presented accurately. Most errors in history books are not found in what they include, but in what they selectively and systematically leave out. A good editor can shape what we learn by how the information is organized and presented, and what information they intentionally refuse to show us.

 

What I learned that day was that the class wasn’t just teaching history, it was also teaching a worldview. Multiple times a year the students were presented with a problem and then asked, “How can government fix this problem?” It was indoctrination that I should have been concerned about, not historical inaccuracies.

 

I recently posted a question on social media and asked, “If you could do one thing to make Henry County better, what would that be?” Surprisingly, most of the answers were statements about what “we” should do - “we” meaning government. Very few answers included a personalized, “Here’s what I would do.”

 

I believe that people should be held responsible for their own actions. Personal responsibility. You can dodge, deflect, and blame someone or something all you want, but each of us is responsible for our own actions.

 

However, personal responsibility goes further. What are WE going to do? You and me, not government. What is OUR responsibility? We are not powerless, we’ve just forgotten that we each have the power to make a difference.

 

One of the most striking things that Jesus said was when he looked at the hungry crowds and said to his disciples, “You feed them.” They were dumbfounded.

 

They thought, doesn’t he know how many people there are and how much money it would take to purchase the food? We don’t have nearly enough workers and we don’t have the authority to do anything that would make a difference. Yet this unreasonable command still hung in the air. “You feed them.”

 

In moments they would find out just how much they could accomplish with a little boy, who was willing to give everything he had, and the blessing of God.

 

Here we are, once again. Overwhelmed by a crisis. Our culture desperately looking to government with open mouths and begging, “Feed me!” But that cannot be our first response; not if we want to live free.

 

Our first response should be, “What can I do to make a difference?” “What is my responsibility?” “Where are our ‘troubled teens?’” “How can I protect our children?”

 

Our first response should never be, “How can government fix this?” We are called to respond to one of the most shocking commands ever given. In the face of overwhelming need, and recognizing our inadequate resources, how will we respond to this command? “You feed them.”

 

Will we be like hungry baby birds in an unsteady nest, or will we give what we have, in child-like faith, knowing our efforts will be blessed?

 

The choice is yours. Choose well.

 

 

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Nefarious Integers Standing In The Way Of Our Understanding!

Some would say, it’s all Steve’s fault – Stephen Langton. He was really trying to be helpful and, to his credit, he has made the study of the bible much easier. It was the early 1200’s and Mr. Langton was actually Archbishop of Canterbury Cardinal Stephen Langton. (By the way, Archbishop Langton was responsible for the creation and acceptance of the Magna Carta, “The Great Charter of Liberties”, but that’s a story for another time.)

Until this point in history you had to work very hard to study scripture. For one thing, you needed to know either Greek, Hebrew, or Latin (all three if you wanted to get a full understanding of the Old and New Testaments). But, even if you knew all three languages, in the 1200’s most copies of scripture lacked any kind of “address system”. There was no “John 3:16” there was only John, Isaiah, Genesis, etc.

If you knew Jesus had a conversation with Nicodemus, AND if you remembered John was the one who recorded it, then you would open the book of John and scan each paragraph until you found it. You had to work very hard to study scripture and there were no cross-references.

To help make study easier, Archbishop Cardinal Langton added chapter divisions to the bible. Prior to this you simply had the book of Psalms, now you have 150 chapters of Psalms. Before this system was added, Proverbs was one large book; now you have 31 chapters of Proverbs. Finally, after twelve centuries, there were milestones to guide you along the way as you were reading the bible, and bible study became less of a chore.

Three hundred years later a printer named Robert Estienne added verse divisions, and study of scripture became that much easier. Instead of turning to John chapter 3 and scanning the whole chapter, you could jump right to John 3:16.

Jump another 500 years forward and you arrive in 2018. Now you have dozens of translations and interpretations stored in your phone and available at the touch of a button. We have hundreds of reading plans available to us that divide the bible into topics, and some that simply give us the “Verse of the Day,” or as they say in France “Verset du Jour.”

Accessing the scripture has become so effortless you can have scripture read to you while you are driving to work, or taking a shower. You don’t even have to read it for yourself, just keep the soap out of your ears and your eyes on the road.

Each of these advances are truly wonderful. We live in extraordinary times! Our access to scripture, it’s various interpretations, commentaries, cross-references, and maps has become less demanding – which is fantastic … and, also, a drawback. Usually we make very little effort to study scripture beyond a few taps on a touchscreen and, as a result, we frequently miss out on a new richness of understanding; an understanding that was beyond imagination just 800 years ago; before there were chapter numbers. That’s a problem.

For instance, have you ever included John 2:23-25 along with the story of Jesus and Nicodemus found in John 3:1-21? The chapter number “3” might be getting in the way of a new revelation about why Jesus was so excited to talk with Nicodemus.

Consider the unsurmountable barrier called the number “5”. Have you ever noticed that Matthew 4:23-25 really should be included with chapter 5, what we call the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount? Could these verses offer insight into what Jesus was really talking about in the Beatitudes? (By the way, the word “Beatitudes” didn’t make its way into the bible until 1540 – and then only as a section title. “Beatitudes” is not found in the scripture text. But that’s another story for another time.)

Perhaps there are additional places in scripture that invite a closer examination. Could it be that there are other nefarious integers, or combinations of digits, that passively hinder us from a fresh understanding of God’s word? Or is it that we no longer need to labor at tilling the soil of God’s Word, so we don’t make the effort? Have we settled so long, surviving on volunteer heads of grain, that we no longer understand the possibility of a record-breaking harvest of truth and life?

I am thankful for people like Archbishop of Canterbury Cardinal Stephen Langton, who made an extra effort to make my study of scripture easier. Now I can focus my efforts on other areas of studying scripture – like, what does Ephesians 5:16 have to do with Ephesians 6:13? Or, can Luke 6:20-26 help me understand Matthew 5:3-12?

By the way, if it wasn’t for a guy named Steve in the early 1200’s and a guy named Bob in the 1500’s, I wouldn’t have been able to write those last two sentences. Thanks, Steve! Thanks, Bob!

Now, who’s ready to work?

You can find me on FACEBOOK at my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719). Here's a link to my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/) Thanks for reading!

On A Cold, Dark December Evening

I was reminded today about a moment twenty years ago during the Christmas season. I was on my way home from a rather contentious meeting. We were going to be leaving Holland, Michigan soon (not knowing that we would end up in New Castle, Indiana). Cheryl had just given birth to our second daughter, Emily. Other than that bright spot, 1997 had been a rough year.

The year began with terrorist Mir Qazi being sentenced to death for a rifle attack outside CIA headquarters, killing two. The top-ranking enlisted soldier, Sergeant Major of the Army, was suspended for allegations of sexual misconduct. The U.S. government acknowledged a “secret war” in Laos. Timothy McVeigh is convicted of his role in the Oklahoma City bombing and sentenced to death. Thirty-Nine Heaven’s Gate cultists committed mass suicide. A New Jersey high school senior gave birth in her school and left the newborn to die in the trash. Ramzi Yosef was convicted of planning the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Michael Carneal opened fire on a prayer group in a Paducah, Kentucky high school killing three people.

On this particular evening the air seemed especially cold, and the night very dark. I remember asking myself, exhausted from the long, hard meeting, “What are we doing bringing another child into this crazy, messed-up world?”

I was tired and overwhelmed, and felt guilty and a little selfish for being excited about Emily’s recent birth. What kind of future would Emily and Kaitie face? Would their days be even darker than this December night? Would there be any hope?

Fast-forward twenty years and we’re still talking about terrorists, sexual misconduct, and school shootings. But there is also hope; something that doesn’t make the news. Something that we frequently take for granted.

Kaitie is busy ministering the love of Christ in various ways. From a smile and hard work at camp, to children’s ministry at church, she is sharing the hope we can each find in God. She also works in an “outpost” called elementary school shining a light for young lives to see and emulate.

Emily is serving God as a ministry student, extending hope and joy to her fellow students. Among other duties, she serves as a dorm chaplain. Sometimes the road is hard, and the days are long and stress-filled, but she sees the fruit of her efforts every day.

I am thankful for a God who knows and holds the future. A God who does not get tired of speaking words of hope to his children lost in despair or depression.

On a cold, dark December evening things can look very bleak. Sorrow can easily consume you, and the future can be obscured by doubt and fear. But I can tell you that, twenty years later, you will see hope. Like the first tulip of the spring peeking through the last blanket of snow, new life will quietly break through and brighten your horizons.

Don’t lose sight of hope. All is not lost. The future is not as cold and dark as it seems tonight. Christmas can be a season of hope and expectation. The light has come.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:1-5 NIV


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I'm Blessed, Not Guilty

The “thankful” posts I’m seeing on social media started me thinking. I have, without question, many things to be thankful for. Unfortunately, there is a sport swelling in our culture where contestants redefine some of those gifts as “privileges” and I refuse to play that game.

All the blessings in my life are gifts from God. They were not handed down to me by some imaginary elite class of ancestors. Everything good and perfect in my life is only there because God ordained and orchestrated it.

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” - James 1:16-17 NIV

Every good and perfect gift — each one was a gift from the Giver. I was entitled to none of the gifts. We’ve all been given gifts, but none of us were gifted identically.

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” - Romans 12:6a NIV

Many of us have common gifts. We all have received the gift of life and breath. Most of us have received the gifts of sight and hearing. Each individual has been offered the gift of eternal life, but not everyone has received that gift. In this we see that we can reject, or ignore a gift. And sometimes we can be ignorant that the gift has even been offered.

We have not all been given the same gifts. Only a little over 4% of the world population was born in the United States. Only six of every ten U.S. citizens are non-Hispanic, non-Latino, whites. On average, out of 2048 individual U.S. citizens, 1048 will be male. Counting these three gifts alone, I belong to the 1.2% subset of white male U.S. citizens in the world.

When you add to this the various facts that: I was born in Ohio, raised in Michigan, live in Indiana, and had a father who was a tool and die maker for GM - I belong to a fraction of a percent of the global population. And I’ve not counted the gifts of education, income level, family structure, religion, denomination, congregation, and blood type.

A person with all of the same gifts that I’ve been given falls into a very, very small micro-fraction of the world population. And if I believe scripture, every one of those gifts were given to me by God.

Because these are gifts from God, I shouldn’t feel guilty for my male-ness or my white-ness. I can’t apologize for being a U.S. citizen, because if I did I would be saying - in effect - God was wrong. Each of these “good gifts” were given by Him and for His glory. And each one has special value.

I will never know the joy of giving birth to another life. Only women, and not even all women, have been given this gift. No matter how deeply I desire this gift, I have not been wronged if I haven’t been blessed with it.

I have not received the gift of being born into a large Italian family. I will never experience the food, and fun, and heritage that would come with a gift like that. But I have not been deprived of those things. Those are gifts that belong to another and, if I have a problem with that, I have a problem with the Giver of those gifts not the one receiving them.

Yes, I have been blessed with many gifts that are valued very highly in our society. But I will not disown or disrespect those gifts simply because others think it’s unfair.

The modern pastime of renaming gifts as privileges overlooks a significant truth. Gifts come with responsibilities.

God has given me good gifts and it is my responsibility to steward those gifts, and to leverage those gifts for His purposes. I will be held accountable for how I use the gifts I’ve been given.

“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” - Luke 12:48b ESV

Some have squandered their gifts, and others have misused their gifts resulting in horrible, sometimes unthinkable, consequences. But that doesn’t mean the gifts were bad, or inappropriate. Every good and perfect gift comes from God, but what we do with them can turn them very dark, or simply ineffective.

Each person reading these words, and every person you meet today, has been given gifts. Some of your gifts are identical to the gifts I’ve received. Many of your gifts are different from mine, and some are unique only to you.

I am thankful to the Giver of every good and perfect gift, and I will not apologize or feel guilty for what He has given me. I choose to be grateful and the depth of my gratitude reinforces my desire to steward those gifts well.

During this season of thankfulness, do not discard, disown, or distance yourself from the good gifts you’ve been given. Do not feel guilty, or apologize, for the many ways you’ve been blessed. And do not neglect your responsibility to steward those gifts and blessings well. God gave you those gifts and blessings. Celebrate each one and do nothing to insult, or break the heart of, the One who gave them to you.

Yes, I have been blessed! I will forever be grateful – guilt-free and unapologetically. What will you do with your blessings? Will you gratefully embrace them without apology? Or will you play the game, feel the guilt, and insult the Giver?

The choice is yours. Choose well.

You can find me on FACEBOOK at my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719). Here's a link to my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/) Thanks for reading!