SEEDS: 24 hrs to Zero

A Docent's Stash of Arboretum Finds - - and a stowaway walnut

So, in 24 hours AmZyg must emerge a fresh, wailing bundle of midlife energy, awaiting the LORD of Life to garnish the mysteries of biologic gestation with two simple ingredients from His arsenal of parental responsibilities: time and nourishment. His TLC and prayerful NURTURE* are what bring forth life from the womb, and what carries a life from the dirty inadequacies of an imperfect world into the possibilities of becoming MORE than a "selfish eater."

To be mature at midlife means to finally forsake living just to fill my selfish needs.

The day I started this blog I was frustrated that I am not one of those blessed ones who get the message, the grace, the skilled nurture from human parents to become less than selfish waaaaay back at the outset. At infancy, at toddlerhood, at elementary age...at  puberty.  No, for whatever reason, I was SEED INTERRUPTED.

Yet hope abides.  The Careful Parent, Christ, whose whole purpose is to witness our betterment, lives to see us enter our full purpose, adding grace upon grace where our fallen experience could not.  In Him, our possibilities are pre-determined: we get to become living, breathing fruit of His Spirit.  What a dream world to imagine. All of us patient, loving, serving, joyful, peaceful, good, kind and full of self-control. Well, it could happen... In a New Jerusalem, anyway.

The only impediment to this dream life is my willfulness; as the Bible Club ladies say so well in public classrooms full of Southern CA 2nd-6th graders, it's "our want-to" that gets in the way of the Savior having His way with us. Like a seed whose little sprout decides to travel south instead of upward to sunlight. Or, maybe a seed who, instead of reaching a pre-determined end as an oak or willow, gives in to the neighborhood and instead aspires to be a mere weed.

I expect becoming fifty will require, then, a commitment to a new identity as WEED INTERRUPTED.

As birthday cards roll in, I love to recall fond moments from early life when one sister provided a little island of hope amidst a sea of confusion. Mart was my model for everything cool and careful, tender and encouraging.  Her nickname for me was Tige, from 'Tigger,' borne of a time before WinnieThePooh was a Disney windfall. Her Christopher Robbin books, I'm pretty sure, were brought back from England after Dad's two year transfer there.  Well, I felt loved. So much more-so than when a high school friend renamed me Hot Chocolate. Nicknames have such power.

- - - - - - - - - -

It breaks my heart to know that, in the sterile world of the AMA, children are still disposed of legally as late as the ninth month with the full approval and encouragement of the entire medical profession. So, as I approach the end of my nine month term of expectant waiting-for-midlife, I cry at the thought of children brutally tortured to death by practitioners of elective abortion who take money to kill, bringing full circle a mindset opposed to "selfish eaters," but for a whole different set of Godless reasons. Eugenic mercy and similar drivel.  And I cry for the countless women who are lied to about the procedure, and for the ones who go into it knowing full well what it means. AmericanZygotes of heart and mind. Infantile, uninformed, in denial and in limbo. On behalf of all of them, I repent as if their fault were mine. Like Nehemiah, beseeching God for the deliverance of his people, I confess the sins of abortion minded women and beg God's mercy, healing, restoration.

LORD have mercy on the United States of America. Bring her many seeds to full sun. Oaks of righteousness, every one.



*Christ, the Creator and Architect of this universe, is said to "intercede on our behalf."

OK,OK, You Think It's Too Long

Here's the point to ponder with me: 


"As long as we don't care whether or not church leaders disciple their wives and children... we will never require other men to take seriously their role as family shepherds..."


Baucham's talkin' reform here, but the outcome reverberates beyond the pew. Men with new minds are what revolutions are all about.


The cultural ramifications reach into every strata of the North American experience, beyond  legalized abortion, normalization of same sex attraction, graffiti, illiteracy and litter.


My favorite example:


As long as colleges don't require classes in basic record keeping, the essentials of the stock market, investing and check book balancing, they are NOT DOING THEIR JOBS, AND PARENTS GET ROOKED. They are paying all that tuition for a half baked, HUGELY inadequate education. Why don't colleges require life skills training? Because parents don't demand it.  Why not? Because they are compromised idolators*, lazy, embarrassed at what they haven't figured out themselves, and too caught up trying to pay the horrendous college tab. (*it is idolatry to imagine college will cure what ails us)


Similarly, as long as churches do not major on the men, on mentoring them, exhorting them, discipling and training them to BE MEN, families have little hope of winning the battle for their children in a post-Christian culture.  If the home life of every family remains of little concern to pastors and church leadership in general, men will continue to go home to the privacy of their compromised lairs, mediocre in character and luke warm in their role as shepherd-priest.


An armorless fool in the battle against sin and stagnation.


Ken Burk, where are you?

Voddie Baucham, You are TheMan!

Last night, when I read aloud Baucham's indictment of modern youth ministry and parents who enroll their kids in public schools, I heard groans from the prayer warrior daughter who is heavily invested in her twice weekly youth ministry volunteering; the dear middle child who woke me up Saturday morning wailing on the piano with missions buddy, Heather, singing crazy loud hymns and blessing,  once again, all the stray cats and neighbors.


So, dear SLB, this blog's for you. And since, just this morning, your dear Da' confessed his sorrow at not discipling his kids, and since I have to take a break from Zygote while I process the new damands of adult responsibilty --I must turn 50 in a few short days (!dread!)-- 


I bring you my hero, Pastor Voddie Baucham:

"The list of elder qualifications in Titus chapter one is divided into three categories.  These categories are 1) the elder's home/family, 2) the elder's personal character, and 3) the elder's teaching ministry.  


A closer look at each of these categories reveals not only what elders are called to do, but also what they are called to model, and to whom.

The Elder's Home/Family

The first category of elder qualifications focuses on the elder's family life.  Paul writes, "if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination." (Titus 1:6-7) Obviously, this is an area in which all Christian men are called to excel.  Moreover, not one of us would be willing to say that marriage and family are areas in which we are willing to compromise in the training of our sons.  Hence, elders serve as models for younger men as to what it means to be a husband, father, and manager of a home.

This matter is crucial to our purpose.  I believe one of the greatest obstacles to biblical family shepherding is the way we view elders.  Today, most churches call men to the office of elder/pastor/bishop (the terms are used interchangeably in the New Testament) without the slightest examination of their family.  I know senior pastors who have been voted into churches before their wives ever dawned the door.  How could we possibly be serious about elders modeling biblical family life to the benefit of their flock if the subject is never broached? 

And yet, Paul's teaching could not be clearer.  That is, unless we take his other writings into consideration.  Paul expands on his family-based qualifications in his first letter to Timothy.  There he adds that a man must "manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive." (1 Tim 3:4)  He goes on to ask the rhetorical question, "[I]f someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?" (1 Tim 3:5)  Clearly the apostle intended to emphasize the importance of a man's track record as a family shepherd in determining his suitability for leadership in the church.

As long as we don't care about whether or not a man disciples his wife and children when we are considering him for leadership in the church, we will never require other men to take seriously their roles as family shepherds.  Therefore, the first part of this reformation must occur in the pulpit.  My prayer is that pastors will take it upon themselves to 1) embrace biblical family religion, 2) instruct their churches as to the importance of the practice, 3) model family shepherding to their flocks, and 4) make a concerted effort to lead the church to examine the home life of all future candidates for leadership.

The Elder's Personal Character

In addition to an elder's family life, he must also model general Christian character.  Paul shares this first from the perspective of what a godly man is not:  "For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain." (Titus 1:7)  He then moves on to the affirmative and teaches what an elder should be, such as:  "hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined." (Titus 1:8-9)

Far from being a list of esoteric requirements attained only by men who take vows of poverty, or silence, or celibacy; this is the stuff godly Christians are made of. Granted, elders must be exemplary in these areas, but that is due in large part to their mandate to be examples to the flock (1 Pet. 5:2).  And flowing forth from such godly character is godly instruction.

The Elder's Ministry of the Word

I once saw a job posting for a Senior Pastor on an online career site.  I don't remember where the church was, but I do remember two things.  First, I remember that it was a very large church (between 5,000 and 10,000 members).  I remember this because one of the requirements was that an interested candidate have a track record of growing a church of that size.  The other thing I remember is their extremely specific requirements in the area of teaching.  They were looking for a candidate who was a strong communicator, and "proficient with incorporating PowerPoint in his messages. PowerPoint!  What a far cry from "He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it." (Titus 1:9)

VB"

High (Priest) Jinx

A Good Friday Paucity

It happens so often that once-upon-a-time I kept a log of the phenomenon. The little pad of paper listed each instance when a word confluence occurs: when the words falling under my eyes jinx with what emanates from the radio/CD player. The silly hope was that some really cryptic message would appear; an extra-biblical word from God or something, because it would happen all the time, and even multiple times a day.

I tossed it in the trash last year after finding it long forgotten in a drawer. Just a bunch of dates and notes on the time of day, which word, who said it and what I was reading... No, the entries did not seem to spell out any urgent sense of meaning.  How just like my dad to feel singled out by God for some serious, urgent MESSAGE. "Be-- sure-- to -- drin---k -yo--our-- O-- VA--L--TINE!"

I confessed this silly need for attention, and confessed the immaturity as the Emergent Church type of sin that it is... I figured if God wants to jinx people, He'll do it while they're reading scripture, not listening to NPR.

But earlier this month, an unprecedented (jinx: Silvia Poggoili just said unprecedented in a story on Good Friday celebrations... no kidding! OOOH!) such coincidence did take my breath away recently. And there I went again, scribbling down the event, date and time and all. I was searching non profit websites wondering where to pay a tithe on $$ from my Mum. As I scrolled down a Living Well Medical Clinic blog [dated 12/28/09, posted 11:48PM!], my eyes stopped at some indented scripture:

             For we do not have a high priest who is 

unable to empathize with our 

weaknesses, but we have one who 

has been tempted in every way, 

just as we are —yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ 

Let us then approach God’s 

throne of grace with confidence, 

so that we may receive mercy 

and find 

grace to help us 

in our time of need

(Hebrews 4:15-16)

Well. There on my radio was Mr. Chas Stanley doing what he does so well, practically yelling in that emphatic, scolding way of his, reciting the exact passage, word for word, same translation, at the same instance and in the same cadence.  Like a slap in the face jolts and stings and turns your head, I had no choice but to take notice of this Word Incarnate begging me to listen. And what was my first thought in response? I am ashamed to say. I wished this word had come from anyone BUT Charles Stanley, my least favorite radio teacher.  Ewwww... I sense the LORD here, taking my critical spirit to task. (--BUT, I say back to Him,  how many needy folk did YOU long to lambast, tempted in every way as you were?!  And, well now, you did call the Pharisees a few names, so name calling is warranted, because you were WITHOUT SIN! I doubt, however, any pharisee reminded Jesus of his dad. In my mind, Stanley and JGM (dad) are so alike in their brassy, demanding overtones. Unlike, I hope, St. Joseph.)

Well, I see a call to pray. To deny self-abasement. To trust Grace. To win confidence by rejecting fear. To recognize The High Priest as my Good Friday LORD, Saviour, Healer, Friend. (AND...to honor your father more?)


Good Friday. Good Saviour. Good Healer. Good Friend. (Good Father!)

Oh, and. It was April 4, 2011. 9:48 AM.  Just so you know.

Still Born

The plans are forming for a fiftieth observance. I will run away. Yay!

Suspending Fear, Refusing (SELF) Judgment

When you are reviled  for past ugliness, and you know you deserve it,  it's hard to go on. It's hard to be forward thinking and not consumed by a dull, background hum of defeat. Apologies done,  now the solution is to shed the power of the accuser by faith, through belief in One Greater who promises restoration. By that faith, you become more than your past.  THEN you SHOULD be able to put on love.  But there is the rub.  He does restore and He does forgive and heal.  People, on the other hand, are not Him. When you don't get the same message from your betters, what then?

Heading to church in an hour. Think LOVE, not fear of judgement. PUT - ON - LOVE  (Colossians 3:14 (New International Version, ©2011) ...

"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

"My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches of understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." - - Colossians 2:2-3 

LORD, keep me from feeling small over a past I cannot change, focused instead on your mandate to plan acts of love, and be about building a future I can change.