Category: Brother Al (Page 66 of 68)

At the last “wild man” Saturday, I shared honestly with the men, that I had been in a cave, or an abyss, as I called it in an earlier blog.  I didn’t get very far in, but it was dark enough to give my wife some concern.  In my struggle, I continued to cry out to Jesus for grace and mercy.  I put my trust in him as best I could.  Today I would say that I am at the entrance to the cave, in the sunlight, wanting to move on.  I was surprise at the response of the men.  I have been the spiritual director of this group for years.  So as leader, I should have it together.  It was hard for me to humble myself and show my wounds.  But it caused a deep sharing by every other man about their own pain and the resulting time in a cave.

I was reminded of Paul’s words in II Cor 1:4-5.  “…who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”  One of the lessons I am learning from my “cave time” is the realization that God can use my weakness for good.  When I am willing to show my “emotional scars” and the help I am receiving from God, it can be used in the life of another men.  It is also a good step in humility.  Men, I encourage you not to hid your scars.

Listen to what Brennan Manning has to say in this regard, “Christian who remain in hiding continue to live the lie.  We deny the reality of our sin.  In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift.  If we conceal our wounds, out of fear or shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.  But when we dare to live as forgiven men and women, we join the wounded healers and draw closer to Jesus.”

I hope this blog can be an encouragement to some man, who is existing in a spiritual and emotional “cave” to be willing to share his pain.  To hide is to flee from reality.  But as we share our struggle we help other in their struggle. This is what real life is all about.  We need to face the pain of our struggles, and not keep it to ourselves.  We become  “wounded healers,” helping illuminate the road to recovery for someone else.

Matthew West in song entitled “The healing has begun” has a verse that talks about “our beautiful scars.”  “There is a world full of people dying from broken hearts, holding unto their guilt thinking they fell too far.  So don’t be afraid to show them your beautiful scars.  They’re the proof, you’re are the proof.”   So don’t hide your scars.  Share it for your sake and for someone else who can learn from your story.  Don’t waste you pain.

There is a new movie, now showing,  about the baseball career of Jackie Robinson, who as we all know was the first African-American to break baseball’s color barrier.  He had to endure a get deal of racial prejudice when he broke into the majors with the Dodgers.  There were unbearable insults and even physical attacks on the field.  The film is entitled “42,” the number that Robinson wore.   What is given little attention in movie is the personal faith of Jackie Robinson, which gave him the strength and courage to go through his ordeal.  It is said that Branch Ricky, the general manger of the Brooklyn Dodgers was looking for a player “with the guts enough not to fight back.”

Both Ricky and Robinson had in common a devout Christian faith.  Ricky knew that Robinson’s strong faith would help him face all the injustice he would face.  Robinson earlier in his career had be mentored by a Methodist pastor who taught him,”that exploding in anger was not the Christian answer to injustice”.  He learned that a  life lived in submission to Christ was not weakness but actually heroic.  Before he got the the Dodgers, Robinson began to see that the path to justice  would come not through anger, hate and violence, but through love and restraint.

Each of us will face injustice and even opposition.  How will we react?  Our  first impulse is to defend ourselves, justify our position,  probably get angry, causing the other person to only get upset.  Men, it is not easy when relationships aren’t fair.  But with the Spirit of Jesus living within, we can cooperate with Jesus who has overcome the world by demonstrating the power of love to change lives. Paul exhorts us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:21).  We are faced with a choice.  By the grace of God we can purpose to act in love and compassion.  It will not be accomplished in by having “the guts enough not to fight,”  but by yielding to the Spirit of Jesus within us.

Paul reminds us that we have one debt that we owe everyone.  That is the debt of love.  “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Rom 13:8).  So when we make the choice to love instead of reacting negatively, we are fulfilling God purpose in our lives.  The reminder that we owe others the debt of love helps us practice caring for the other, rather then reacting when our rights are being violated.  We are called to love.  That is the will of God for us, plain and simple.  God gives us the capacity to do so, as we surrender to his will for our life.  May God not only give us the “guts” not to fight back, but rather the love to do so.

Some of you may have heard of Kenny Luck.  He is the head of a men’s ministry entitled “Every Man Ministries.”  At a recent “Ignite” conference he gave this challenge  to men.  “The world doesn’t need any more men that are simply “affiliated” with God or the Christian faith.”  What the world needs are men who are “activated” for Christ.  He challenged men to move from the audience in terms of their relationship with God to that of an army.  The big difference  being in an audience versus being in an army, one is in the fight and one is not.

He quotes Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:35, “Good things come out of the good man because of the good that is stored up in him.  Evil things come out of the evil man because of the evil that is stored up in him.”  “Faith is seen,” explains Luck, “by what faith does.  That is why men of God ignited, catching fire, is important – particularly the younger men – because there is such a crisis around the world when it comes to men.  The world is wondering where have all the good men gone?”  When Godly men get together there is something that is ignited.  Men begin to catch the fire from others.  Something is being “caught”  in the process

I believe this is an important point.  Men who become energized in their walk with God will have an influence on others.  It is the old principle of “iron sharpening iron.”  Men are “rising up” to take back  their communities for God.  As Luck observes, “Pain and suffering  caused by a  broken male culture creates a need and longing for men who bring hope, help, and health to the social darknesses plaguing them.”

Men are being called by God to rise above culture, self and evil  with a desire to be more Christ-like.  The way Luck puts it, men are being called to, “empower health in every space and in every relationship they can be means of a living and active faith in Christ.”  In  other words, men are going about their every day lives wanting to bring healthy change, as they attempt to reflect the love of Christ.  They are activated.

So the challenge is for us to be activated in our faith.  As we relate to other men who are “ignited” for God, we will be motivated to take back our culture for God.  We acknowledge that men have brought much darkness into our culture.  This we do not deny.  But we want to be agents of light.  I close with these words for Hebrews 10:24-5, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another..”  Look for men who are “activated” and join them on the journey

As I prepare to write this blog, I confess that I feel as though I have little  to say.  I know it is the season that I am going through.  I struggled with being honest as I write, but in the end I felt that my honesty might speak to some man who reading this blog.  My recovering from hip surgery has knocked me for a loop.  It is not only the time it takes to get back to normal, but I fret about all the work that needs to be done around our place here on the lake.  I must confess, that my wife at this time is my pillar. I  confess my weakness.

I have been learning to live once again in a simple trust in the goodness  and unfailing love of my heavenly Father.   I have held on to passages of scripture that talk of trust.  Here are two of them.  “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid (Ps 56:3-4)  I literally get afraid at times.  It is in those moments that I cling to the Lord in trust.  “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go for to you I entrust my life (Ps 143:8).  When I get up in the morning I cling to the reality of God’s unfailing love.  I have to depend on the Lord to show me the way.

The image of an abyss has been very helpful for me.  If I let my mind go to all the fears, worries and uncertainties that I feel in my life, I find myself sinking into an inner abyss that get my focus off the Lord and on to me.  That is not good.  The focus needs to be the Lord and not Al and his problems.   I identify with the words of the Psalmist in Ps 40:1-2 when he says  “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit; out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand.”  My only solid place is in Jesus.

I can testify that I do find  firm place to stand.  But I must continually practice focusing on the Lord and trusting him.   So if you feel like me at times, being drawn into a abyss that has you focused only on you and your issues, I strongly urge you to take the step of simple child like trust and put your life circumstance into the hands of your heavenly Father.  His unfailing love will see you through.  That is what I am learning to do in new ways as I go through this season of my journey with Christ. Lord, give me grace and be merciful so that I can learn from this season of my life.

I have been thinking about Jesus’ words to us about not being orphaned.  “I will not leave you as orphans.  I will come to you.” (John 14:18).  What does it feel like to be an orphan?  We certainly get a visual example of being orphaned when we see all the refugees who are homeless from the wars that rage throughout the world.  It is difficult to image a child being orphaned in such a circumstance.  Do men ever feel orphaned?

While a man might not be physically orphaned, there are ways that men live their lives in “lonely isolation,”  feeling emotionally orphaned.  The sense of abandonment can be a very frightening reality that men have difficulty acknowledging.  This can happen when a man lives  a self-referenced, self-enclosed life. It is a life turned in on self.  One can live a very functional, productive life, but be alone on the inside.  Why?  Because we are meant for relationship.  That is, we are to live not just from our heads, but also from our hearts.  Men, we need to pay attention to our heart connections.

Jesus was abandoned at the end of  his life by all those around him.  He was all alone.  But listen to his words to us. “You will leave me all alone.  Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.” (John 16:32)  Earlier Jesus said, “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone…” (John 8:29).  Jesus whole ministry was that  of doing his Father’s will.  Because of his intimate connection with the Father, he was able to endure total rejection.

In Jesus’ example we find the key to not feeling orphaned.  It is in our relationship with our heavenly Father.  Men, I want to say with get emphasis, as if I were with you in a one- on-one conversation, that God loves you deeply.  He know all your thoughts and attitudes.  You can’t hide a thing from him.  Ps 139 expresses this so well.  David said, for example, “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.” (Ps 139:2).  He sees you in that dark, lonely corner of your heart.   He comes to you in love, wanting you to know that you can stand up and walk with him into the light of his healing presence.

Listen to how David experienced this darkness. “Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Ps 139: 12).  Our heavenly Father waits for us to invite him into the darkness of our loneliness.  When I feel abandoned and alone, I simply cry out to my heavenly Father to come to me.  I open my heart as best I can, and ask for the light of his presence.  He comes to me in the person of his Son, who is the light of the world.  Through Jesus, I can come to the Father and know that I am safely home.

Throughout the history of the church one of the the approaches to understanding the  Song of Songs has been to view the book as a allegory of Jesus and his relationship to the believer and the church.  In Chapter 2:1 Jesus is called “lily of the valleys.”  As most of you know, Easter Lilies have a special place in the celebration of Easter.  I have memories of the altar filled with beautiful Easter Lilies.  I found this interesting piece on the history of Easter Lilies in Conversation magazine.  I thought I would share it with you men.

“The Easter season coincides with the beginning of spring, a time of renewal and new life.  Often called the “white-robed apostles of hope,”  lilies are said to have been found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane after Christ’s agony, wherever His tears had fallen. Before fully opening, lilies assume a trumpet shape.  The shape represents God the Father calling his Son Jesus home, which is a great source of joy for believers in Christ.  White lilies represent purity and freedom from sin through Jesus’ death on the Cross.”

Remember Jesus referred to lilies in wanting us to see that our heavenly Father will take care of our every need. “Look the lilies and how they grow.  They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here, today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.  Why do you have so little faith?” (Luke 12:27-28).

So men, here are two “take-aways” from the Easter Lilies you will all enjoy this Easter Season.  First, think of that lily you are looking at as a “trumpet.”   It is the reminder that the Father called his Son back home to heaven for our sake.  Jesus promised he would not leave us orphaned, because when he went to the Father, the Holy Spirit, the very presence of Jesus would be with us and in us.  “I will not leave you as orphans: I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.”  (John 14:18).

The second “take-away” is the care our heavenly Father has for each of us.  It is personal, intimate and loving.  He knows all our needs and will take care of them.  Listen to the way the Message puts it. “If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? (Luke 12:28).   Jesus reminds us in Luke 12:7, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

I am in the rehab portion of my recovering from hip replacement surgery.  I had a pastor tell me years ago, that when you are put in bed it is similar to going into God’s “school house”.  I sure have been experiencing the reality of being taught by God.  It is not what one would choose, but rather a circumstance in which God is wanting to get my attention.  I am sure that some of you have experienced this kind of schooling, or at least someone who is near and dear to you. I want to share a verse that has become one that I have been clinging to in my situation.  It is from Ps. 131:1-2.  “My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.  But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.”

There have been some rough nights for me.  I have had fear, uncertainty and many “what ifs” that have flooded my mind.  I have not slept well because my focus is on my problems and the future with an artificial hip.  I share this with the men who read this blog, as a kind of confession.  I thought it would be good for you to know that I still have my struggles as a follower of Jesus.

One night as  I was reading this passage, I simply pictured my heavenly Father carrying me in his arms.  I did what I could to calm and quiet myself like a weaned child before my Father.  I have kept that image now for several days.  I would literally pray a prayer something like this.  “Father, I come to you as your child. I give my whole circumstance to you.  It is in your care. I surrender it all to you.  Thank you, for watching over me.”  This imagery has helped me to come to rest in my circumstances.  As long as my focus is on my heavenly Father,  I stay “above water” as it were.  Just on the edges of consciousness, all the ‘what ifs” dwell.  But in simple childlike faith I keep my focus on Jesus

Men, I hope my immediate story of  having to cry out to God can be an encouragement to some one who is reading this blog.  There will be times when you feel overwhelmed in your situations.  Two vital things I have been learning these last couple days.  First, Al get your focus off yourself.  Worry will not help you.   Secondly, by faith and the trust that comes with that faith, literally cry out to Jesus for help.  Remember blind Bartimaeus, who was desperate for help.  He prayed “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” I hope my vulnerability with my rehab from hip surgery can be of some help to a man ready this blog.  I close with Paul’s word to the Philippians in 4:6-7 from the message.  These have really helped my keep my focus. “Don’t fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, pray.  Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.  Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.  It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

This monk up in the North Woods has been laid low.  Last Thursday (7th) I had a hip replacement on my left hip.  It was about time.  Now for the recover process.  So my blogs will be much shorter.  It takes me time to think through what I want to say.  I don’t want to slow down in getting something out each week.  For any man who reads this blog, I want you to know that I am committed this work.  I did not choose this avenue of ministry.  For me it is a calling.  As long as I know there are a few men out there who benefit from this blog, I will stay motivated.

Any way, this last week I was able to take in the election of the new Catholic Pope, Pope Francis.  I considered this to have been a special time for myself, as I entered into the life of the Catholic Church.  You, men must know that I am not Catholic with some concerns and questions about doctrine. Yet I have, however, tasted deeply of the spiritual life of the Catholic spiritual tradition.  I am not one of those evangelicals who completely “writes off” the Catholic Church.  We can learn from each other.  I think in the days to come we will need each other to combat the rapid rise of ” hostile secularism.”

As some of you may recall, I believe God is calling men to “fight the good fight of faith” in new ways.  I have said that we are to wage subversive warfare with the weapon of love and humility.  The Way of Jesus is a minority path, opposed in our cultural environment.  With that in mind here are four observations I have taken away regarding Pope Francis that relates to the subversive battle we are waging.   First, the pope is a sincere follower of Jesus.  He has already said that “Jesus in head of the church.  Second, this pope is a humble man.  He lived in a small apartment and took the bus to work. Thirdly, he is also a simple man.  He took the name “Francis” for Saint Francis of Assisi.  Fourthly, Pope Francis has a heart for the poor.   This is counter-cultural and subversive.   We will be hearing a lot more about this pope in the days to come.

Men, I just have to write a blog about this story I read this morning (4/4/13), reported by Reuters about the controversy regarding Finnish toilet paper.  My ancestry on both sides is Finnish, so when I read this story about Finnish toilet paper, I know that I would have do a blog. I warn you in advance, I am not neutral in this controversy.  Of course, some of what I have to say can be taken in jest.

It seems that a Finnish toilet paper maker, Metsa Tissue, removed quotes from the Bible, after protests from some Norwegian church leaders.  They only realized their mistake after they received feedback from quotes picked out from Facebook submissions.  In wanting to convey messages of love, the company accidentally included these words from Jesus: “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”  “People like to read small, happy messages while sitting on the toilet,” said a company spokesperson.  “The vast majority of the feedback has been positive.  Our intention was to spread love and joy, not religious messages.” Well, some Norwegian clergy did not like the idea.  They objected to the way scripture verses had been used. The Bishop of Tunsberg had this to say: “This is bad taste and shows lack of respect.  Bible verses do not belong on a roll of toilet paper”.

The company which regularly features witty quotes, poetry or  philosophical messages, said it would continue the product line but with more stringent vetting.  So the question becomes, “should scripture be found on toilet paper?” So here is my take on this controversy, as someone who is rather proud of his Finnish heritage.  I hope some of you Norwegians out there will side with me.  First, the whole idea is great.  What a great way to get a man’s attention. You have a captive audience.   A man sitting there, needs something to do.  Why not take a chance that a scripture reference would give him something positive to think about.  Who knows, some guy in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, or Finland could come out of the “john” thinking some positive thoughts about himself and the world he is going back to encounter.   It sure is worth a try.

My second thought has to do with asking “why the controversy?”  I just don’t get why a bishop in the Lutheran Church of Norway would be offended by a guy reading a scripture passage in the “john.”  This has nothing to do with “bad taste” or “lack of respect.”  The bishop should know that the Word of God might be offensive to a guy sitting in the “john.”   It has all to do with the Word of God being able to speak to another searching soul.  Of course, the bishop might be influenced by what a NY Times article  about religion in the Nordic countries called “benign indifference.”  Religion was more about being nice.  “Jesus was a nice man who taught some nice things.”  Well, bishop, I’m sorry, the way of Jesus is not about being only nice.  It is about conversion and change.  It confronts us with our sinful self. I have one more thought on this “gem” of a story.

I don’t think the Metsa Tissue company should back down.  I agree, “people like to read  small, happy messages while sitting on the toilet.”  There is no better way to spread a message of “love and joy” then to share a something about “the Good News” of Jesus and his kingdom.   So my encouragement to the folks in the land of my ancestors is to go for it.  Keep preaching the gospel through small pieces of toilet paper, that can reach a captive audience in the “john.”  Who knows, some lonely, searching man might see the light right there in the dark shadows of a “john” somewhere in Finland.

Recently I was reading the Exodus story in my devotions.  I came across this passage in Exodus 13:17, where God said this about his people. “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”  I took those words to heart.  I thought of myself and the many men who want to make a difference in our increasing secular culture.  Would we today, change our minds and go back to Egypt, when we begin to face a more determined and intentional opposition?  God has called us to leave Egypt, that is, being enslaved to cultural norms that hinder our life with God.  The Israelites left the slavery of Egypt, but they still had a slave mentality.  It would be easy to go back to the familiar.

Like the Israelites, we will need to trust God to give us a new mind set. Just as Pharaoh hardened his heart and came after the people of God, beginning their journey in the wilderness, so there will a hardening of the opposition of those who are followers of Jesus in our day.  Like the Israelites, who found they had to face the army of Pharaoh, we will face formidable opposition.  They were  terrified by Pharaoh’s army.  They cried out, “Weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die?  What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt?  Back in Egypt didn’t we tell you this would happen?  Didn’t we tell you, ‘Leave us alone here in Egypt – we’re better off as slaves in Egypt than as corpses in the wilderness” (Ex 14:11-12 – The Message).  Their fear had distorted reality.  In fact God had heard their cry for help and came to the rescue.  But they were blinded by their fear.

Men, don’t let the fear of opposition, which will come, blind you to the truth that God is leading you out of cultural slavery into freedom.  Don’t let yourself be drawn back into cultural captivity. What Moses had to say to the people should be words we all memorize for the coming days. “Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Ex. 14:13-14).  Why did they have only need to be still and let God win the battle by destroying Pharaoh’s whole army in the Red Sea?  Because God would be glorified, that is, recognized as God.  “”I’ll use Pharaoh and his entire army, his chariots and horsemen, to put my Glory on display so that the Egyptians will realize that I am God” (Ex 14: 18 – The Message).  May God be recognized through faithful men, talking a stand.

As I was preparing to write this blog I read on line an interview with Brother Andrew, the bible smuggler.  He knows first hand the persecution of Christians around the world.  He said of us in the West, “our problem is that if we have a little opposition we call it persecution.  That’s ridiculous.  Every Christian is tested; every Christian has and will have opposition.”  When he prays for the church, he prays, “not for God to remove persecution, but to use it to purify the church.”  Wow.  That puts some of our coming opposition into perspective.  It is not the same as persecution.  But it will begin to purify us.  I must warn you men.  When the opposition comes, you will have to examine our motives, life style and commitment.  Don’t turn and run back to Egypt.  Remember God is there with you.

I found it interesting that in one of those Super Bowl ads there was an ad that appealed to the bravery of men.  Remember the Audi ad, with the catchy phrase at the end, “Bravery; it is what defines you.”  Somehow we are supposed to be brave when we drive an Audi.  Pretty far fetched!  But the hook is the appeal to bravery.  Is there a stirring in the soul of American men to want to make a difference?  I hope so.  I have always believed – that the hope for renewal of our culture and society are godly men.  It’s time to “man up.”  It is God who strengthens the hearts of men to go forward on the journey, and not return to Egypt.