The Journey: Day 5

 The Journey: Day 5

I have never cared for the term, “the new normal.” This phrase is normally invoked when things have gotten bad and appear that they will stay that way from now on. During the height of COVID, I would hear the phrase often. I never accepted wearing masks, social distancing, and fear of human contact as “normal.” It is as far from normal as you can get.

Acceptance of negative change might reduce stress for some, but for me it causes more stress. I never want to settle-for or accept as normal things which are nether good or normal. Let me give you an example. Pancreatic cancer is a very bad disease. The survival rate is very low. I have known several people who have had this dreaded disease, all of whom died from it. Several of the people I knew accepted the prognosis and began preparing to die. 

One had a very different approach. He started fighting from the first day of the prognosis. His mantra was “NEGU – Never Ever Give Up.” He pursued every possible treatment, including volunteering for experimental regimens; anything which he thought would give him another day to live. He lived well beyond the average survival rate. Before any of these that I knew developed the disease, I had read a book by a mathematics professor named Randy Pausch. His book on time management, The Last Lecture, changed my mindset on ways to utilize time to make it productive.

Randy had several young children when he was diagnosed. He wanted to live for them. He did not want them growing up without a father. Through all of his efforts to recover, he lived much longer than originally expected. He left a legacy for his children which could influence them well beyond his grave, including a video for his daughter to view if she ever got married. In it, he was able to say all the things he would have said at her wedding, even though he would not be there to walk her down the aisle.

For all these folks, the prognosis was the same. However, some “accepted” their fate as “the new normal” and others did not. I want to think that I am in the group that would fight tooth and nail to live. I never want to settle for anything less than the “zoe” life Jesus spoke of; a Greek word which means, “life and plenty of it.” There is something more than I have yet to experience. I don’t know what it is, or at this point, even where to search. Until then, I want to squeeze the life out of each day, to live in the moment, and live life to the full. If you want to call it “the new normal,” then so be it. But there is nothing normal about this, and for that, I am thankful.

The Journey - Day 3

 Journey: Day 3

Today was a bitter-sweet day. Time to move all the stuff. It is impossible to actually start over. You’re already alive, with many life experiences behind you. Good times, bad times, mundane times, stressful times, hurtful times, joyous times; a bank of memories which both sooth and haunt you. The reason for a restart is to attempt to separate yourself from the cause of pain and shame in order to experience peace and significance. There are also those you have harmed out of your own woundedness who remain fixed in your mind.

It is very easy to see how some would turn to things like drugs or alcohol to get immediate relief from the constant replay running through their brain. It is nearly impossible to shut it off. Vices only provide a temporary solution. Once the substance wears off, the replay begins. The only way to get lasting peace is to come to a place of reconciliation. This is not necessarily making peace with the individual or individuals involves. Sometimes this is impossible due to logistics or death. Using the concept of reconciling an account is more appropriate. You review the debits and the credits, attempting to determine if things balance out. Can you move forward with the way things stand between you. Perhaps there is something more you need to do before progressing.

For now, you pack up all the things you feel you will need to take on your journey. Traveling is not as easy as being stationary. You have to make some hard decisions about what goes and what stays. Some things you once thought were not optional lose their appeal because there is simply no room for them. Essential becomes preeminent. Only things that have utility go in the box.

There are already some things I miss, simply because I enjoyed knowing I had them. But when you are on a journey sentiment becomes the slave to necessity. Laser focus is required, because you don’t want to miss a thing. There may be milestones which need to be placed, like Ebenezer in the Old Testament, where in 1 Samuel 7:12, Samuel said, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” He then set a “stone of help” (ebenezer) to mark the spot. Some use the expression, “So far, so good.” It’s the same meaning. These markers become reminders that God is faithful. We are able to measure progress and growth as we begin moving toward the next destination, even if we have no idea where it is.

The Start of a Journey

The Start of a Journey

How appropriate to begin a new journey in life in an RV park. As I look around this morning, I’m surrounded by travelers. Where did they come from? Where are they going? Some have apparently been here for a while. Why have they stopped in this place? Is this the destination they were seeking, or is it just a resting place until the figure out the next step? Have they become stuck in the plan they had and cannot find their next destination?

So many questions. For myself, this is a refuge; a quiet place where I can contemplate what has been in light of what will be. I hope it is a place of healing – a time of reflection, reconnection, and restoration. In the process of living, especially moving at the pace required by today’s culture, you may not even know you are wounded. It gets lost in the pain of trying to keep up, trying to maintain, trying to stay alive. Once you discover the wound, you need to begin by stabilizing it to prevent further damage. You have to cleans the area of any remaining debris. Then apply antibiotic to clear up any infection which might have developed. Once the wound is healed, you can begin the process of rehabilitation.

Right now, I’m still trying to sort out the cause of the wound. I’ve been like a injured animal, who sees everything as a threat because they are wounded and do not want to risk further harm. I’ve not allowed anyone near because of the pain. I know that is not a healthy place and I have been working to overcome the fear of vulnerability. Until then, I am taking steps to cleans the wounded place; to bandage it, keep it clean, allow it to heal. The next phase will be rehab.

As for all these other travelers, I hope to hear their stories to learn of their journey, to maybe glean something from them to help with my own trek. I’m excited about the possibilities which lie ahead. When you get a chance to begin again, it is vital you begin from a known place. Without a true sense of “home” it is difficult to know which way to go. For me, in this season, this is home. I will venture out from this place to explore, to discover, to learn, to experience life which is available to me. Knowing I have a place of refuge allows me to learn vulnerability. I’ll be sharing more about the journey. I’m actually living through the last chapter of the book project I’m writing. One day you will be able to read it and hopefully find your way as you journey through life. Until then, keep searching for home.

Eve and the Holy Spirit

 Eve and the Holy Spirit

In light of all the dissension among the Western church regarding the role of women in leadership, I had a thought. At first, I thought it was an original idea. But as Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” As I began researching the topic I found many had already considered the corollary which piqued my interest.

In a conversation about the role of the wife in a marriage relationship, I was reminded of the statement made by God in the Garden of Eden about the need of Adam. Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18) From this verse, a new word was formed which then became the mantra of the male-dominated church. From the KJV, the word “helpmeet”, which later morphed into helpmate, was used to describe the role of the wife. The problem is that is not the correct use of this verse. There are two words used in Genesis 2:18, not one.

The first word is “ezer”, which means, “a help, or helper,” translated here as “help.” The second word is “neged”, which means, “in front of, in sight of, opposite to,” translated here as “meet.” Other translations of scripture use other words for “neged,” like suitable, just right, fit, comparable, complementary, his complement, partner, counterpart, and corresponds. These words speak more clearly the intent God had in creating woman. There is no hint of subordinate, less than, under, or inferior. I believe the intent was more akin to comparing the left hand and the right hand. They are different, but living without one or the other would be very difficult. Together, any task becomes easier to complete.

Just the clarification of “neged” should bring a different view of the role of women in the world. However, that is not the most significant find in this phrase. The first word, “ezer”, is so much bigger than I have ever heard taught by any church I have attended. The word is used twice in reference to Eve. However, there are MANY uses of “ezer” to describe God! The exact same word used for Eve is also used to describe the role God plays in the life of humans. Look them up for yourself. In Deuteronomy 33:26,29, the word “help” is based on the word “ezer”. The same is true for Psalm 33:20, Psalm 115:9-11, Exodus 18:4 (helper), Psalm 70:4-5, Hosea 13:9-11, Psalm 121:1-2, and others. If Eve is in any way secondary to Adam because she is a “ezer”, then God is also secondary to man. Clearly that is not the case.

For men to feel compelled to push down women is a sign they do not understand the role of men or women. Men are not here to dominate. Women are not here to serve. Both were created by God for specific reasons.

Look at one more aspect of the creation of Eve before we move on to the New Testament. When God made Adam, He said, “Let us (The Father, The Word, and The Holy Spirit) make man in our image.” Adam was created as a reflection (image) of the Godhead (body, soul, and spirit). He was complete with every characteristic of God, imbued with every emotion, mental capacity; creative, strong. Adam had within him the complete expression of both male and female. Seeing a singular being, God determined there needed to be more than one being, just as He Himself is not singular, but a trinity. This is when God spoke His plan for Eve. “This new being will be a help to the other being, made to compliment, to be comparable; the literal translation is “in front of, in sight of, opposite to.”

In Genesis 2:21, it states God took a “tsela” from Adam to form Eve. This word is normally translated “rib,” but another definition of this word is “side.” You could just as easily say, “God took a side of Adam and formed Eve.” I believe this more accurately depicts what happened in Eden. There were now two beings, who, when combined together, perfectly represent God’s image, nature, and character. Both Adam and Eve needed each other in order to completely reflect the love of God in the earth.

When you look at this account with fresh eyes instead of adopting by rote the account passed down through millennia by the church, you can begin to see how we have missed it when it comes to denigrating women by forcing them into subservient roles, not only in life, but also in the Church. They are just as vital in expressing God to our world as Eve was in the Garden.

I then turned my attention to the New Testament. As Jesus was preparing to depart, He gave His disciples a promise. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) The Greek word used for the Helper is “parakletos,” which means “called to one's aid.” Other words used to describe parakletos are an advocate, intercessor, a consoler, comforter, helper. 

When Jesus was about to ascend to Heaven, to be seated next to the Father, He told His followers, recorded in John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” We have Jesus, who is referred to as the “second Adam,” telling the new believers that the Father would send a “second Helper.” I think this comparison is not a stretch, but more fully validates the role women have on earth. Just as Eve was created to “complete” Adam, to walk along side, to be complementary (each one contributing to make up the whole), the Holy Spirit was given to “complete” the work of Jesus on earth. The Holy Spirit was not going to replace Jesus. The Holy Spirit was not subservient to Jesus. The reference to “another Helper” (vs. 16) means “one just like me.” The Holy Spirit is a “side” of Jesus. Not less than, not secondary, but fully God.

I’m not saying that women are to be deified. Men are not to be deified either. Both are God’s creation and should have mutual respect and honor. Men tend to take on Jesus as a role model, taken from Paul’s instruction in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the Church.” Where is the godly role model for women? I believe it is found in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to help the Church become like Jesus, to reflect the Father’s glory, to express the Grace of God, and to show mercy to all people. Men without women tend toward law-making; mostly black and white, right and wrong. Women add color, bringing grace and mercy. Both are needed and required to fully represent God in the earth.

Both “beginnings” recorded in scripture have a similar outcome. Genesis brought man and woman into being to work together in caring for the creation. The birth of the Church brought Jesus and the Holy Spirit to work together to establish the Kingdom on Earth. To do this, it requires both men and women, identified with Jesus through salvation and empowered by the Holy Spirit; both working to build the Kingdom. It’s time to drop the pretense that men are somehow more important in the Kingdom than women.

Lastly, let me address the questions which I know will come. Paul said that wives are to submit to their own husband, that women are to keep silent in the church, and that deacons/bishops/elders/pastors should be the husband of one wife. Paul also had Timothy circumcised, even though Paul himself said it was not required for salvation. What about Onesimus, where in Philemon, Paul sent this “slave” back to his “owner,” imploring Philemon to receive him, not as a bondservant, but as a brother. Here Paul is following the current cultural mandates by returning Philemon’s “property” to him, but also calling on him to break from culture and allow Onesimus to live as a free man. Paul also said many things in his writing were “by permission” as opposed to “by commandment.” I firmly believe that some of the things written to the Church in the epistles were dealing with cultural issues of the day; things like, “women must cover their head to worship” or “abstain from meat offered to idols.”

If you subscribe to the “command” that wives are to submit to their own husband, that still does not apply to all women submitting to all men. If that is your belief, then how do you reconcile that with Paul’s other “commands” that we (Christians) are to submit one to another, which he states multiple times in his writings? Folks, I think we have missed some things in the 2000+ years we have trying to do this thing we call “church.” If you take off the glasses and see the Bible texts with unbiased lenses, we will see that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) We have to do better. The current division does not represent Christ, nor His Church. Let’s get back to being “one in Him” so we can further the mission which started in the Garden and reiterated at the birth of the Church. Let us, men and women, labor TOGETHER in the field to gather the harvest.

The Names of God - The Portion of Jacob

The Portion of Jacob 

Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name. Jeremiah 10:16 (ESV)

Many consider Abraham to be Jewish. He was not. He was Hebrew, but not a Jew. Israel, and consequently the Jewish people, came into existence when God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. 

The name, Portion of Jacob, speaks of the value of God. The Hebrew word “kheleq” refers to land lots given as an inheritance or share. Those portions of land were probably the most important and valuable possession a Jew could have. They were a source of life and sustenance. It was their part of the Promised Land given to them by God. In the case of the Levites, God was the one who provided for them, and they had no need to own land. 

When Israel were slaves in Egypt, they had nothing of their own. God delivered them from captivity, brought them into a land “flowing with milk and honey,” and gave every family a piece of ground they could call their own. This not only provided for their needs, but also gave them a sense of worth and wellbeing.

When Jacob was younger he swindled his twin brother’s “first born” inheritance. For reasons only God knows, Jacob was chosen over Esau to be God’s “chosen” people. That’s when God made covenant with Jacob, changing his name to Israel. They were blessed. They lived in abundance. When famine came to the region, God had already placed Joseph in a position of authority in Egypt and was able to provide for Israel and his family to survive, and even to thrive in a foreign land.

When the tide turned against them in Egypt, Israel became captives and forced into slavery. God kept his promise to Jacob/Israel because of the covenant made between God and Jacob. The Portion of Jacob never went back on His promise. He sent a deliverer to bring them out of slavery and carry them to a “promised” land, The Portion of Jacob, called Canaan.

Even though Jacob had gained an inheritance by deceit, God legitimized the true inheritance of Israel and showing the world that The Portion of Jacob is always faithful.

This is all a precursor to what God did for you and me. Our inheritance was lost by Adam. We had no hope, no future, no means of providing for our needs, our sense of worth, and wellbeing. In the Garden, the very day Adam lost our birthright, God made a promise that was eventually fulfilled by Jesus becoming our freedom from captivity. He carried us to a place of fellowship with our Creator, and introduced us to The Portion of Jacob, whose name is now The Portion of Dudley (place your name here). He leads us now by the Holy Spirit to places flowing with milk and honey and gives us back our freedom in exchange for fellowship with Him.

God chose you over everything else, including His own Son, so you could have abundant life. Take it! Live it! There is still more ahead of you than behind you. Take hold of The Portion of Jacob as your very own … and live.

The Church

The Church 

In a comment on a recent blog post, someone recommended that I share what I think the local church should look like. Here’s the problem. There is no description found in scripture as to what the local church should look like. There is much conjecture used to define what today’s church should be. I’ve heard numerous claims of “this is what the New Testament church looked like” when describing a particular service or spiritual experience. Church, as we know it today, is a relatively recent development. Nowhere in scripture is “the church” referred to as a building. The Church in scripture is “the called-out ones.” It’s people who have become identified with Jesus through His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating at the right hand of the Father. It’s those who have been baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit of God. This is the moment where the spirit in a person is recreated, or made alive again, to become a new creation. This is experience in the current vernacular is “saved.” Literally it is being “revived.”

When we are born, we are created in the image of man, god-like, but with a fallen nature bent toward sin. When we experience being “saved” as described above, our fallen nature (spirit of man) is replaced with the life of God through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit comes to live in us and abides in us the rest of our life. We get all of God there is in that moment. This is being made alive again, or revived.

When did “revival” become the focus of the church experience vs. knowing Jesus, and Him crucified?

revival (n.)

1650s, "act of reviving after decline or discontinuance;" specifically from 1660s as, "the bringing back to the stage of a play which has not been presented for a considerable time;" from revive + -al.

The sense of "a general and extraordinary religious awakening in a community" is in Cotton Mather (1702, revival of religion); by 1818 it was used of enthusiastic religious meetings (often by Methodists) meant to inspire revival. In reference to the Victorian popularity of Gothic architecture, by 1850.

The root word in revival is revive, which literally means “live again”. There are many occurrences of revive in scripture, but revival does not appear. Revive is a personal experience one has when we realize something has been lost in relating to God. Revival is a spirited religious meeting. It creates an emotional response in those present but does not reflect a personal experience with God.

The focus of a gathering of Christians should never be to stir emotions, but instead to study the teachings of Christ, the apostles, and other religious teachings, and to edify and exhort other believers. This is so far removed from the current “church” service, where everything done is to evoke a response at the altar call. Most “altar” experiences I have personally witnessed do not cause a change in behavior or attitude, yet the magnitude of response is seen as somehow God-inspired. Unfortunately, it is usually a result of coercion by those leading the meeting.

One challenge I have with the current form of “church” in our Western culture is the elevation to a place of importance of the clergy. Full-time vocational ministers take on a role of spiritual leadership that was never intended for any person since our redemption through Christ, which restored each born-again person to a place of sonship, kings and priests unto God, where we relate to God directly. There is no need for a go-between to intervene to God on our behalf. The ministry of reconciliation, the duty given each Believer, has been relegated for the most part to vocational ministers. There is little effort, and consequently little interest, in the average pew sitter to engage in reaching out to others to show the love of God to their world. It has become convenient to pay the preacher to do the work of the ministry.

Then we build expensive buildings to house “the ministry” which are only used 6-10 hours a week. This requires large budgets to maintain, which in turn places pressure on the vocational ministers to constantly raise funds to meet the budget. COVID exposed the fallacy of this model when many churches had to lay off the vocational ministers, and in some cases close the doors of the church.

Ministry of The Church should never be at the mercy of economy or social developments. It should be a part of life for Believers every day, not just Sunday or Wednesday at a building. I know this sounds ridiculous. I used to think the same thing years ago. My opinion has changed. It may be too late for the Western church. I hope not. We do not need “revival” to fix this problem. We need to learn the truth about God’s intention for The Church and start to live it out every day.