Posts By Dteb
DTEB, “Don’t Hold Your Breath!”
Today’s post begins with the lyrics from a wonderful song by Jonny Diaz.
“Alarm clock screaming bare feet hit the floor
It’s off to the races everybody out the door
I’m feeling like I’m falling behind, it’s a crazy life
Ninety miles an hour going fast as I can
Trying to push a little harder trying to get the upper hand
So much to do in so little time, it’s a crazy life
It’s ready, set, go it’s another wild day
When the stress is on the rise in my heart I feel you say just
Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe
Third cup of joe just to get me through the day
Want to make the most of time but I feel it slip away
I wonder if there’s something more to this crazy life
I’m busy, busy, busy, and it’s no surprise to see
That I only have time for me, me, me
There’s gotta be something more to this crazy life
I’m hanging on tight to another wild day
When it starts to fall apart in my heart I hear you say just
Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to take it in, fill your lungs
The peace of God that overcomes
Just breathe (just breathe)
let your weary spirit rest
Lay down what’s good and find what’s best
Just breathe (just breathe)
Just breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe
Just breathe”
(https://www.google.com/search?q=lyrics+Just+Breathe!+Christian+song&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS844US844&oq=lyrics+Just+Breathe!+Christian+song&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30j0i390.14281j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8, accessed 11-01-2022)
I had an interesting exchange of emails this morning with a guy that I am sponsoring in my 12-step group.
“Dear N.,
I was especially struck by this sentence: “I drive myself crazy trying to get the things I think I want, forgetting that if I just let go, I’ll probably get better than I can imagine.” Yes!
Your words about love also touched me deeply. You are absolutely right about the love always being there. You are also right, I think, about the fact that we can only experience that love when we let go and are doing what we can to receive and participate in that love.
In terms of the letting go part, the thought occurred to me that, in fact, we do this all the time. It is called breathing. We let go of one breath in order to take another. Many religions, philosophies, and non-descript approaches to life emphasize breathing. I am struck that, in my own tradition, Christianity, breath is mentioned at the very beginning of the second creation story in Genesis 2:7. This original breath was breathed into us by God. Perhaps every breath is breathed into us by God. None are guaranteed. All are freely given. I think I’m a bit more aware of this because of having blood clots on my lungs on a couple of occasions.
In fact, the same Hebrew word (ruah) can mean “spirit, wind, or breath”. It is sometimes hard to decide which translation is the best in a particular text of the Bible. The same word in Greek (pneuma) is also used in similar ways in the Greek New Testament.
So, in a sense, with every breath, I am breathing in God’s breath. Maybe what we are really beathing in is love, but we don’t have the sense to know it. And, unfortunately, I am forever trying to hang on to my last breath when God has a fresh one for me.
“Be the Change, Even When You Can’t See the Change”
Here is my response to my sponsee, concerning things changing:
“Dear __________,
I was struck by the following sentence which set me thinking: “Still feeling ready for things to be different, still feeling willing to do whatever it takes for that to happen, and enjoying having a nice day as opposed to the miserable days I’ve had recently.”
“. . . ready for things to be different . . . .” Yes! I suspect that we all are. But, as you suggest, that is somewhat in our own hands. I think that it is not so much that things need to be different (in a good way) as it is that we need to be different.
But here is the problem, at least, as I see it: We become different—in a good or in a bad way—little by little, day by day. It is such a gradual process that we can hardly notice that it is even occurring.
George MacDonald, a writer from the late nineteenth century, spoke of “being a doer of the work.” I think that the immediate context went something like this: “He who would be a hero will barely be a man, but he who is a doer of the work, he will be blessed in his work.”
You, sir, are indeed a doer of the work. And remember what we say at the end of each meeting: “It works if you work it and give a lot of love.”
You can be the change, but you will probably never see the change.”
None of likes process, but life is primarily process. So, most of us don’t like our lives very much.
I hear someone asking, “But don’t you believe in miracles?” And the answer is, yes, I do. However, I also believe in process. Often, the process is the prelude to the miracle. Much of the time, the process is the miracle. And even when wonderful miracles unfold slowly, in a process manner, they are still miracles. Amazing things, even if they are so gradual as to be imperceptible to us, are still amazing things.
“Pleasing God: Sharing What You Have”
“15 Through him [i.e., Jesus] then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:15-16, English Standard Version)
In yesterday’s post (), I wrote about the sacrifice of praise (vs. 15). Today, I am going to take a quick look at vs. 16 and sharing what you have.
Almost all of us have something that we could share with others. Money? Well yes, that of course. And we do have some money. Like everybody else, I like to complain about inflation. I do this along with my fellow-complainers while we are in line at restaurants.
Oops! I guess that indicates that I am contributing to inflation myself. It also indicates that I can probably share some of my wealth.
But helping others financially, as important as it is, is just one expression of the larger matter of doing good. Doing good is mentioned first. It has become a term of contempt to call someone “a do-gooder”. I wonder if that doesn’t say something quite disturbing about our society. Since when did doing good become a bad thing to do?
There are probably thousands of ways to do good. I remember a lady that I didn’t know at all gave me a smile one time when I had a raging headache. It was a tremendous act of kindness to be, though she never knew.
A kind word, a nice home-cooked meal, a small bouquet of flowers, a card that doesn’t even have to be an expensive Hallmark card—these and many more can be forms of doing good. One of the ladies at our church, Betty, prays for everybody and their dog—literally! John, another guy at our church, is always ready to greet someone at the door or to offer an umbrella on a rainy day. When the executive minister of our church found out that my wife and I had covid, she was immediately asking what she could do to help. In addition to being our executive minister, she is a wife and a mom of several little ones. Her kind offer was help enough. I have friends who do good by having listening ears and non-judgmental spirits.
The list goes on, but I will not. Each of us needs to make our own lists.
John Wesley, the father of Methodism, said it this way:
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
Sounds like a pretty good plan to me.
“Pleasing God: When Praise is a Sacrifice”
“15 Through him [i.e., Jesus] then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:15-16, English Standard Version)
Biblically speaking, pleasing God is not difficult to understand. It’s just hard to do consistently. It involves sacrifice, and I am very possessive. My philosophy of life, far too often, may be summarized as follows: “What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is yours.” Sometimes, I’m afraid that it is even worse than that. Sometimes, my philosophy is: “What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is also mine.” Taking a more generous approach to life is a sacrifice.
The verses that lead off this post speak of a couple of ways to please God. One is to offer the sacrifice of praise. The other sacrifice is doing good to everyone. Tomorrow, I will be dealing with doing good to everyone. Today, I am focusing on the sacrifice of praise.
What does it mean to praise? It means, among other things, to “. . . acknowledge his [i.e., God’s] name”? The name in the ancient world often stood for someone’s character. This is certainly true in the Old Testament. And remember that the author of Hebrews was soaked in the Old Testament. Old Testament quotes and echoes abound in the book of Hebrews. When I recognize and acknowledge God’s name— who God is—praise becomes a natural result.
Well, maybe it is not always natural. There are times when praise flows freely. There are times when we can’t help but praise God.
But the author of Hebrews speaks of praise as a sacrifice. Let’s speak the truth here. There are indeed times when praising God does not flow so naturally. There are aspects of God’s character that I don’t always like. God seems to be a God who meddles in my life. God wants my priorities to be healthy. God and I do not always agree at this point.
So, I have to be willing to sacrifice my own priorities in order to praise God for who God is. And I don’t like that.
Furthermore, to praise God means that I have to sacrifice my feeling that I deserve good things, that I am somehow a self-made person. I frequently resent making that admission. To acknowledge my need of God and God’s goodness goes against the grain. I want my own goodness, thank you very much! Whether such a thing even exists in isolation from God is another matter entirely . . . or perhaps it is not another matter. Perhaps that is the matter and also what is the matter with me.
The Greek verb for offering this sacrifice is in the present tense. The present tense in New Testament Greek usually suggests something that is ongoing or continuous. As if that weren’t enough, the author of Hebrews makes it very clear by a little phrase which literally means “though all”. Does this mean “through all things” or “through all times”? Yes!
So today, I am going to sacrifice my praise to God. I don’t always like my lot in life. I don’t always like myself and the way I am living. But God is still God, and God is still worthy of my praise.
“S.L.A.P.!”
My vocabulary, like my wardrobe, is looking old and drabby these days. When I look in the mirror, I find someone looking back at me who is also old and drabby. (I need to get a new mirror!)
Clothes are expensive, and it is hard to change your face and body, but vocabulary can be fairly easily updated. So, when my sponsor responded to my daily report today with JKDTNRT (just keep doing the next right thing), I decided on a plan. I would come up with my own acronym to counterbalance his acronym. Immediately, the letters S.L.A.P. came to mind.
(I am tempted at this point to make a really bad pun (is there any other kind?), but . . . , oh well, why not!? Here it is! My sponsor and I have a very acronymious relationship. If I have to explain this bad pun to you, you need to look up the word “acrimonious”. Of course, with puns—as with real jokes—if you have to explain them, they aren’t that good.)
So, S.L.A.P. stands for “Sounds like a plan!” Then I thought to myself, well, before I claim originality, perhaps I should find out if someone has already copyrighted the phrase. The internet is a very sharp tool for puncturing the illusion of originality. My first hit was as follows:
“‘Sounds Like A Plan’ is the most common definition for SLAP on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.”
Now, I am barely on Facebook. I recognize the other platforms as being involved with the internet somehow or another. However, despite my disappointment in finding out the S.L.A.P. was already a thing, I was strangely encouraged. After all, I had come up with something on my own that connected with modern ways of communicating.
There are some larger issues here, however. There is nothing wrong with acronyms, I suppose. We all use them at times. Who wants to watch television when you can just turn on the tv? I will admit that, when a student in a formal academic paper writes LOL, I do not laugh either out loud or to myself. In fact, I may deduct a point or two form that student’s score.
However, there may a more serious problem with our lust for acronyms. Is it possible that this tendency toward radical abbreviation is part of our tendency to value speed and ease over accuracy?
Take “my” acronym” for example. S.L.A.P. is nice because it is brief and actually spells a real word. However, what does this acronym say about the quality and nature of what I am saying? What if I’m planning to rob a bank or leave my wife? (I’m not doing either of those two things. I figured that I had better be clear about that before someone called the F.B.I. or my wife.)
S.L.A.G.P. does not spell a real word and doesn’t sound very nice either. However, the question that I need to ask myself early and often is this: Does this sound like a good plan? The truth is that plans can be good, or they can be many other things—bad, impractical, overly ambitious, self-centered, and a host of other not-so-good modifiers. In Jeremiah 29:11, we are told that God has good plans for Israel after their exile. But in Genesis 6:5, the Bible says that people’s hearts planned evil all the time. The same Hebrew word is used for “plans” in both of these Scriptures.
So, before I start slapping around a bunch of acronyms in the name of updating my vocabulary, I had probably better think about the accuracy of my words. Just because a word is clever or rolls off the tongue easily doesn’t make it the right word for the moment.
“Kintsugi: The Art of Repairing Broken Things”
“Psa. 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.” (English Standard Version)
At the Hyde Park Art Show last Sunday, I encountered an intriguing word: the Japanese word kintsugi. Kintsugi is the art of using gold to repair broken things. I always thought that repairing broken things was a matter of making do, but apparently it is also one way of making art.
A personal observation: We are probably all more than a little broken. Oh, yes, I know. You have a friend who sends these wonderful, Hallmark-like Christmas newsletters that you secretly hate to receive. Her family is so together! However, maybe you don’t know your friend as well as you think you do. I say it again: We are probably all more than a little broken.
We tend to be a throwaway society. Planned obsolescence and mass production are our gods. But the true God is a God who heals those who are broken. Yes, even given your present brokenness, there is hope. Gather up the fragments of your shattered existence and place them in God’s hands. Who knows what golden beauty God can make of your brokenness?
God only knows.
“Transforming Pain into Beauty”
When I was in my thirties, I had migraines. They were especially frequent during my three years of seminary. Light was a problem, and everybody was yelling.
So, when I went to the Hyde Park Art Festival last Sunday, I was intrigued to chat with a migraine artist. Here is picture of a package of coasters I bought from her:
I haven’t had the courage yet to use these as coasters. Too pretty.
The artist, Priya Rama, has a wonderful slogan for her business: “Transforming Pain into Beauty”. When I had migraines, I never saw the beauty that she apparently does see. I saw squiggles, but they were grey.
However, I suspect that we can all transform pain into beauty in some way or another. Don’t get me wrong. Pain is still pain. But I’ve met people—real people—who found ways to transform pain into beauty.
In the midst of Judah’s exile to Babylon, the prophet Isaiah spoke the following words to a discouraged people who were in desperate pain:
“Is. 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
Is. 61:5 Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
6 but you shall be called the priests of the LORD;
they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their glory you shall boast.
7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
they shall have everlasting joy.
Is. 61:8 For I the LORD love justice;
I hate robbery and wrong;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.
Is. 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations.” (English Standard Version)
Apparently, God is an ancient practitioner of turning pain into beauty.
Many centuries later, Jesus would use these words (or at least some of them) as the basis of his inaugural sermon in his hometown (Luke 4:14-30). While he did not quote the bit about beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3), Jesus did speak a lot about pain. The story goes that he later took our sins, our pains, our guilts on himself at the cross. The cross, which was an ugly instrument of pain and torture, became a beautiful thing in Jesus. For those of us who are following Jesus, however stumblingly, this is the ultimate transformation of pain into beauty.
“The Process is the Miracle”
“Miracle is simply the religious name for event. Every event, even the most natural and usual, becomes a miracle, as soon as the religious view of it can be the dominant. To me all is miracle.” (Friedrich Schleiermacher, On Religion: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers)
(Source: https://quotepark.com/quotes/1723576-friedrich-schleiermacher-miracle-is-simply-the-religious-name-for-event-ev/, accessed 09-01-2022)
For me, process is itself a miracle. Let me explain.
I do believe that sometimes God interrupts the natural course of things and does something extraordinary. However, God has set the universe up as a place where things generally work according to regular (and fairly predictable) processes. Again, I am not saying that God doesn’t or can’t do miracles. I am simply saying that God doesn’t routinely do miracles. If God did that, we wouldn’t call it “miraculous”. We would call it “chaotic”.
In my case, process is the miracle. I am a fairly chaotic person. I am impulsive and sometimes downright lazy. I don’t like of to think my health in terms of diet and exercise. No, I’m not fond of processes at all!
So, when I actually go through a process—consistently and successfully—I call that “a miracle”. And it may well be a miracle. Even God may be amazed when I stick with a process.
Now, I am not opposed to praying for miracles, but maybe you are like me. Perhaps you too need to pray for the miracle of process.
“Hope, Grace, and Power Washing the Driveway”
“1 Pet. 1:13 ¶ Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (English Standard Version)
“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” – Barbara Kingsolver
I suppose that most of us feel hopeless at times. There may be a few people who never do, but I am skeptical about them. Perhaps they aren’t paying sufficient attention.
Sometimes the hopeless feelings come from outside us. When we look at the hydra-headed monsters outside of our heads—war, politics, the environment, the economy, the pandemic du jour—there are plenty of things to feel hopeless about. And then there are our families.
But I don’t have to look around me if I want a fresh batch of hopelessness. No, I sometimes feel hopeless when I look within. Last night, for example, I had nightmares. They were not very realistic, but the symbolism was all too real. I woke up feeling hopeless.
What to do when I feel hopeless? Keep on hoping anyway.
“Set your hope!” says Peter. “There is a grace yet to be revealed when Christ returns!” It sounds as if I am supposed to do the setting. That is probably because I do, in fact, need to do the setting. Christ will do the gracing.
. . .
So, I am finishing writing this post late in the day. The three dots just above this sentence indicate the passing of time. I am going to bed more hopeful than I got out of it this morning. I went to a 12-step meeting this morning, did other recovery work, talked with a friend who called me, graded presentations that my students are turning in, and (with a lot of help from my savvy and patient wife) put together our new power washer. I power washed a bit of driveway. It has been a grace-filled day even if Jesus didn’t return.
There are times when power washing the driveway is an expression of hope and grace.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- “Witnessing Versus Being Witnesses” September 19, 2024“Acts 1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, Acts 1:2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. Acts 1:3 He presented himself alive to them after […]
- “A Bathroom Prayer for Hurting Hands” September 11, 2024A week ago Sunday, my hands were hurting so badly at church that I went to the bathroom to run hot water over my hands. Arthritis perhaps, or carpal tunnel, or general orneriness—I don’t know why my hands hurt, but they do. They have for years. So, while I was running hot water over my […]
- “Waiting and Seeking” September 10, 2024“Lam. 3:19 ¶ Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! Lam. 3:20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. Lam. 3:21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Lam. 3:22 ¶ The steadfast love of the LORD […]
- “A Pastor or a Teacher?” September 8, 2024I went to the Asbury University President’s Brunch yesterday morning with Sharon. It was billed as a non-fundraiser. I have learned to be skeptical of such claims. However, it really wasn’t a fundraiser! It was a wonderful time. The university paid for everything, including valet parking. It was good to meet new people, all of […]
- “Even When We Mess Up” September 8, 2024One of my students in the Luke-Acts course I’m teaching right now online made a very perceptive comment in a post to another student’s work. She and the other student, Mackenzie, agreed on an excellent point: God can even use our mess-ups for his purposes and glory. Here is Victoria’s comment: “Mackenzie, your perspective on […]
- “On Playing Chimes and Being Jesus” September 6, 2024“John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (English Standard Version) One of my students did […]
- “A Confrontation in a Kroger Parking Lot” September 4, 2024My wife was waiting for a lady to pull out from a parking spot in a Kroger parking lot. She had waited for quite a while, but when the lady finally pulled out, another “lady” who had just come around the corner from the other direction whipped into the parking space. My wife is not […]
- “The Crushing Debt I Owe to God” September 3, 2024“A Sinful Woman Forgiven Luke 7:36 ¶ One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. Luke 7:37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought […]
- “Only Two Kinds of People?” September 1, 2024“Psa. 5:1 ¶ Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Psa. 5:2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. Psa. 5:3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning […]
- “On Being a Good Ad” September 1, 2024I was buying candy corn for a friend at Ollie’s the other day when I eavesdropped on an interesting conversation. The lady behind me said to the cashier, “This is a really good store with good prices, but I didn’t even know it was here. You should advertise more!” The young cashier replied, “If we […]
Recent Comments