Supreme Friendship

I recently watched an interview of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. No matter your opinion of him, it is an eye-opening piece with surprises. He confessed to his private conservative views, but goes on to discuss how his understanding of the Constitution keeps him from making some decisions he would like to make personally. As a Justice, his judicial understanding and beliefs win out over his own private and personal opinions. His written judicial opinions regarding Supreme Court cases are quite clear about what he thinks, including responses to his fellow Justice’s opposing opinions. One particular Justice is Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal who formerly worked for the ACLU. Some of Justice Scalia’s written opinions have called her opinions “absurd” and “self-righteous”.

Two very different people with different understandings of the very same document. It might cause one to picture a court that spends their life-long appointment despising and attacking each other. However when the interviewer pointed out these judicial disagreements between these two Justices, she also noted her discovery that they were “such good friends”, on and off the court. He replied:

"I attack ideas. I don't attack people. And some very good people have some very bad ideas," Scalia says. "And if you can't separate the two, you gotta get another day job.”

His point was that your ideas, though extremely important, should not affect how you treat people and get along with them from day to day. Justice Ginsburg had very nice things to say about him, and it was said they had even vacationed together. WHAT? They voluntarily spent time together for the purposes of relaxation? What kind of an example is that....?

Jesus told his disciples, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” John 13:34 (also 1 John 3&4). Beyond our likes and dislikes; beyond our opinions, there is something of greater, rather, the greatest importance. Jesus Christ came to show us the supreme and unending love of God, and was quite clear about the importance of us returning that love, day in and day out.

Scalia and Ginsburg on vacation together? The lion lying down with the lamb (Is 11:6)? Wherever will this go if we take Jesus’ words of love and peace to heart? Perhaps our mouths and arms are supposed to be so full of love that we can no longer carry harmful words, spitefulness, revenge or grudges, and instead leave them far behind. What will you choose to carry with you this week?

Nothing But Nets

Ick! Mosquitoes! Their little buzzing sound always means that somebody’s about to be bitten. Boy am I glad I have a home that keeps those things out. But when one sneeks in I don’t rest until it is trash fodder, and then I can sleep in peace. Not everyone sleeps in peace though.

My posting this week is short as I want to point you to another site for information about the Nothing But Nets initiative. This initiative began after people read and responded to a Sports Illustrated column by Rick Reilly who wrote about the horrific malaria problem in Africa. He let out a call for readers to donate funds for the purchase of specially made malaria nets, covered in insecticide and created for families to sleep under and be protected from mosquitoes. His challenge evolved into a grassroots campaign to create a way for the nets to get to the people who desperately need them.

Since then quite a number of groups have come forward to support this effort, one of which is the United Methodist Church. To help raise funds, the Nothing But Nets website is now offering a way for you to learn and have a donation made on your behalf. At their site www.NothingButNets.net, you will find a game to play that has you delivering nets to people in the villages. After you play the game and give them your email (to keep you updated I imagine), and then confirm it, a donation of $10 will be made on your behalf. There is even a place there where you can make your own donation if you choose.

In any case, playing the game will cost you only a few minutes and not a single penny (again, you can donate in addition to that) and will make it possible for a family to sleep mosquito, and therefore malaria, free.

Dabbling in Spanish and Other Things

Estudio español todas los años de mi vida, pero no cada dia. Puedo hablo espanol pero no es bueno. I clearly remember being 10 years old and finding my mother’s old Spanish textbook. My sister and I looked over the first page of vocabulary words and proceeded to recite with each other, “Hola Juan. Como esta usted?” “Bien gracias. Y usted?” I’ve dabbled in learning it ever since then. Prior to traveling to Mexico (which I love to do) I tend to begin my studying with a fresh vigor, which usually declines after I return home.

My daughter, though not fluent, reads and speaks Spanish very well. When I need help, she meets with me because she knows I learn better when there is a teacher and accountability. Sure I can read my many Spanish textbooks and listen to my tapes, but the information sticks better when I am practicing with someone else every week. I could join a class, but who has that kind of time…? I’m pretty busy…, right?

How different is that from life within and around the church? There are those who spend most of their lives in the church, but only dabble in Bible study or Sunday school classes. Some attend worship pretty regularly but view it as doing that one hour of duty to the church that week. Some attend when they feel it is necessary, especially when they need help. I’m not saying that going to church in a time of need is a bad thing. On the contrary, it is a great thing. But too often people either get their prayer answered and return to their “normal” lives, or they get discouraged that God is not answering their prayer according to their timetable or in the way they choose, so they search for answers someplace else. Sure, people can read and study the Bible on their own. They can watch the T.V. preachers on Sunday and call that worship. They can enjoy nature’s beauty at the golf course or the deer stand and call it “worship”, but these things on their own do not build one up in knowledge of God and what it means to be the body of Christ. They could join a community of faith and meet regularly with them, … but who has that kind of time…? They are pretty busy… right?

There must be a reason God set mankind up to be communal creatures. We need each other to keep each other fed, clothed and nurtured. Christ’s followers, the church, is called the body of Christ to give us a picture of how Christian believers are to be joined together as a whole and unified community of faith. Together, we share knowledge and experience. Together we have accountability and encourage each other. We even have local churches where we can regularly join together with other believers to worship, learn, mature, persevere, and love others. The local church is not a place of mere duty, but a place where the family of God comes together out of a sense of joy, responding to God’s love. So, it is not just a question of who has time for church or who has time to do anything there besides that one hour of Sunday pew-warming. Perhaps the God who loves us enough to create us in His own image, and enough to give us eternal life through His Son, and enough to continually offer us a relationship as His beloved children, … perhaps this God is worth more than one hour a week, more than a sporadic prayers for rescue, and more than the change we toss into the plate. Perhaps, if our omnipotent Father set up the church for our benefit, maybe church is a big deal after all.

Du betest. Usted ora. Vous priez. Lei prega. Pray! Take time this week to communicate with your Father in heaven and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to where He wants you to be within the body of Christ.

Take Off Your Shoes and Go

This week I watched a 1998 interview of Charlton Heston in which Robert Osborne (of Turner Movie Classics) visited with the iconic Mr. Heston about his long movie career. Obviously TMC’s timely repeat of this was due to Mr. Heston’s recent death. He was a gifted actor who portrayed larger than life men such as El Cid, Michelangelo, Judah Ben-Hur, John the Baptist, and Marc Antony. But above all he will be remembered for playing Moses, the great role he undertook at the age of 31.

In this interview Mr. Osborne asked Mr. Heston about his memories regarding the making of The Ten Commandments. Heston talked about the scene where Moses had just spoken with God at the burning bush. If you look, you’ll notice that Moses is barefoot as he comes down the mountain. Heston said that he told the director, Cecil B. DeMille, that Moses should come back down without his sandals. When asked why, Heston explained his understanding of that scene. He said that God told Moses to take off his sandals and then revealed His divine plan for the Israelites. Heston thought Moses was certainly in a state of fear and awe as he obediently removed his sandals and listened to the voice of God. Once Moses finally accepted that he must obey God and go back to Egypt, Moses’ mind was reeling with all the miraculous things God had just said and done. So in this state of awe, he immediately left the bush and went down the mountain to go do exactly what God commanded him to do. Heston thought that the very last thing on Moses’ mind was to stop and pick up his sandals.

I like thinking about Moses that way, and when you read the story (Ex 3:1-4:18) you easily notice that he was not jumping for joy about this assignment. There on that mountain God told Moses the plan, told him to go (several times), and answered his questions. With our modern hindsight of this episode, we can easily judge Moses for arguing with God and bombarding Him with questions. But more likely than not, if we had been standing there with Moses, we would have done the same thing. But Heston’s thought about the sandals makes sense. When you have encountered the living God and finally give in to His call on your life, your focus changes. You may still have some fear of the unknown ahead, but God’s plan becomes the priority and sandals get left behind.

God provides. He provides the plan. He provides the materials necessary to accomplish the plan. He provides the leadership and the encouragement that we need to persevere through the plan. He empowers and equips us to boldly walk forward, by faith. And when it’s time to go out into the world with His gracious message of love, we need to get up and go as we are, even if that means leaving our sandals behind. It’s not the shoes that make the journey possible. It is the spirit of God who guides every step we take.

"Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." (Ex 3:5)

Ex 3:10 “So now, go. I am sending you…”
Ex 3:16 "Go…”
Ex 4:12 “Now go…”

BONUS: Ten Commandments trivia (click here for all the answers)

1. What year did the movie come out?
2. Who played the baby Moses in the basket on the Nile?
3. Who played Rameses?
4. Edward G. Robinson played what part.
5. What actor was the future husband of a “10”?
6. What modern day device does Moses wear while standing on a rock?
7. In the film’s opening, the “Paramount mountain” is replaced by what?
8. Who supplied the voice of God?
9. What was used to represent falling hail?
10. The last line of the movie, "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof" was taken from Leviticus 25:10. What American icon also has this printed on it?

Consider the Bluebonnets

This past weekend, I ventured to Austin and witnessed one of Texas’ most beautiful sights: field after field of bluebonnets, which occasionally had just the right mix of blue, white, red and pink flowers. I even felt compelled to stop and take a few pictures before I left that area. As I drove off, “Consider the lilies” rang in my ear (Matt 6:25-34). Jesus taught that God had provided everything that the lilies needed to grow. On those Texas hillsides, God also provided everything that the bluebonnets needed to grow. Jesus’ words tell us that God values you much more than those flowers, which He carefully created and nurtured, and therefore God will provide for you in an even greater way.

God is our great provider who gives us everything we truly need. I can’t remember the last time I went a day without a meal, or had to walk to the office. My home keeps the rain outside and the perfect temperature inside. I can have hot or cold running water at a moments notice and my computer runs smooth and fast. Perhaps your own blessings include exciting vacations, your dream car, or a college education for your children. In my travels on vacation, I’ve witnessed neighborhoods where children are glad to have shoes, and the kitchen consists of a fire-heated pot on the front porch. There are those in the world who are glad to have a tiny open-air church within half a day’s walk, and happy for hard wooden benches when they arrive.

When we consider our blessings and remember that God has blessed us so we will be a blessing to others, it puts the world into a better perspective for us. As stewards of what God has given us to use, we have the opportunity to share what we have. When we tithe and give to mission trips, we enter into God’s plan for feeding, clothing and sheltering those in need. In our Christian understanding, the great joy of “having” is “giving”-giving back to God through our prayers, presence, gifts, and service. I pray that you will celebrate the God who has blessed you and respond to His love according to the Spirit’s guidance.

Enjoy the bluebonnets, smell the roses, and be faithful in worshipping and serving their creator.