Thanks to You...

“O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.”
- William Shakespeare

"Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people."
- 1 Chr. 16:8

This Thanksgiving week

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. - Col. 2: 6,7


thankfulness "eucharistia" - giving of thanks, expression of gratitude or appreciation

Bible scholar Faussett says as Christian advance to maturity they showgratefulness "to God as the gracious Author of this whole blessing."

I like how Matthew Henry states it: "Being established in the faith, we must abound therein, and improve in it more and more; and this with thanksgiving. The way to have the benefit and comfort of God’s grace is to be much in giving thanks for it. We must join thanksgiving to all our improvements, and be sensible of the mercy of all our privileges and attainments."

Henry reminds us that we should never forget that it is by the mercy of God that we get any blessing, any favor, any benefit - it all comes from Him. In this society, we like to think that our advantages are brought about by our own effort and guile, but it's far, far from the truth. I am reminded of that every time I finish my next novel. There's nothing so humbling as a rejection slip, believe me. When I stare at that short papragraph of polite denial, I realize how fortunate I am to be a published author at all, let alone for these past years. Being a writer is like walking a tightrope. You may feel fine as you inch forward, but you realize you could fall off the rope at any time - meaning, you've got to start peddling your wares right from Square One. I'm thankful for every contract I sign.


And I'm thankful for every blessing God gives. As the late great Walter Fremont used to say, "Thank the Lord for every blessing in your life! Take a day and walk around your house, thanking the Lord for all things - the sofa, the refrigerator, the heating unit, the coffee table, the food in your pantry... everything! And when you finish, you'll have a different attitude about the things about you and the God above you."


How very true.

Burghers of Calais

Occasionally a student will ask me about my favorite work of art.

Without a doubt it is Rodin's The Monument to the Burghers of Calais, seen above. It is presented on a low pedestal so that the viewer may actually "walk alongside" the figures and feel the intensity of the work.

I find this sculpture stunning not only for its realism but for the true story behind it.

In 1347, the city of Calais was laid under siege by Edward III, the King of England. The condition of mercy, relayed to the townsfolk after the long period of suffering by the city was this: send out six of your burghers who will be sacrificed, and the rest of the city would be spared.

Six burghers (Eustache de Saint-Pierre, Jean d'Aire, Jacques and Pierre de Wissant, Jean de Fiennes, Andrieu d'Andres) stepped forward, sacrificing their lives in order to hand over the keys of the city to the King and spare the lives of its residents.

The faces of the six burghers moves me deeply every time I view this monument of self-sacrifice.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art relates the background of this highly emotional story:

"The Burghers of Calais, commemorating an episode during the Hundred Years' War between England and France ... [where} six of the principal citizens of Calais were ordered to come out of their besieged city with head and feet bare, ropes around their necks, and the keys of the town and the caste in their hands. They were brought before the English king Edward III (1312–1377), who ordered their beheading. Rodin has portrayed them at the moment of departure from their city led by Eustache de Saint-Pierre, the bearded man in the middle of the group. At his side, Jean d'Aire carres a giant-sized key. Their oversized feet are bare, many have ropes around their necks..."

Some versions of history state that the queen interceded and the men's lives were spared, but there is speculation that this version of the ending may have been invented by the French chronicler Jean Froissart ... and that the men were beheaded.

As I stood mere inches from the faces of these men, I saw the anguish portrayed in each visage. There is a mixture of emotion - part benevolence for those they have made safe, and part misery for the death that awaits them.

I think of our Jesus and the same decision He made in stepping forward to be the one who would take the condemnation I deserved.

And no artist has come near to successfully capturing even an idea of what Christ's face must have looked like on that long walk to the crucifixion site.

Family

I had an evening I will long remember. I was invited to speak at a concert/rally at Ridgeview Baptist Church here in Knoxville on Friday night. A young college-age band by the name of Two Empty Chairs comprised of the evening program, and I was honored to meet these fine young men who made up the ministry team. They had a true desire to see people learn about Jesus Christ, and it showed as much off the stage as on. Eric Webb was a student of mine about two years back, and he was one of the key components in making this event happen. I am constantly perplexed as to why people will ask me to speak at events such as this - it is truly humbling, considering the vast number of better speakers available. However, I asked the Lord to hide me behind His message, and served as best I knew how.

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The economy and needs of the family have forced me to take on an evening job in addition to my daytime career. This is truly a humbling experience, but it's also been a great teaching time for me. I have had to go back to the classroom to be trained (which is always healthy for me anyway) and it's also put me in a new environment. I am gaining new friends and hope to be sharing the Lord with them soon.

The worst part, however, is being away from the family. I cannot tell you how much I miss my wife, my boys and my little girl each evening. The Greek word for "family" is patria and denotes a people that share. They share the same lineage, the same holidays, hopes, failures, "secret words", jokes and memories. The absence of the sharing time with my family has made the minutes I can be with them more precious, and in the midst of this very hard year for all of yus, I see the Lord slowly binding the five of us together closer than we have ever been. Our patria is knitting tightly. I see Jesus becoming more powerful in our household.

I find this hard to believe that I am actually saying this, but in a way, that makes this all worth it.

Eido - seeing Jesus

I recently saw some pictures of people who are decorating their eyes. One picture shows a close-up of an girl's eyeball with a small heart-shaped icon. What kind of material the heart is made of, I don't know. I get a little squeamish with that.

But the most bizarre picture I saw was of a man receiving a tattoo on his eye - that's right, a tattoo! Actually, the doctors injected a blue ink under the first layer of his eye so that it would float underneath the clear membrane. That's beyond me.

The photos I saw reminded me that people wanted to call attention to thier own sight - they wanted people to view their vision. And I think a lot of Christians get caught up in self-centered pursuits enough to ignore the proper line of vision - the vision of a daily walk with Jesus. In John 12:21 the seekers came to Philip and said "Sir, we want to see Jesus."

That great word for "see" is EIDO. It means more than just perceive with the eyes. It goes deeper in its definition, including "preceiving with other senses." In other words, seeing Jesus with intellect and faith as well. It also means "discover." So they were really asking Philip, "Sir, we want to discover Jesus.

Wouldn't it be great if we Christians got back to discovering Jesus. Discovering that He wants us to imitate His love for the neighbor that lets his dog bark all night. Discover Jesus' caring for sharing a McDonald's meal with the poor kid down the street. Discover Jesus by concentrating hard on enjoying Him in our church service and openly speaking of Him and praising Him. Letting our family know that we really love Christ and are not ashamed to speak His name!

We want to see Jesus!

Compassion beyond words

Mark 1:40-41 -
A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"

COMPASSION - Greek: splagchnizomai (pronounced "splänkh-nē'-zo-mī ")

Definition: "to be moved" "to be moved as to one's inwards (splanchna)" "to yearn"

The ache within Jesus was enough to cause His physical well-being to be interrupted. He was visibly moved, as we say in today's society. Reflect on this: His visage was no doubt changed - perhaps His eyes grew watery, His brow furrowed, and His shoulders stooped in sadness at the sight of this decrepit man whose face was chewed up with the scabbed ravages of leprosy.

Jesus was moved with compassion for the multitudes of spiritual wanderers (Mt. 14:14); toward the blind (Mt. 20:34); and even for the physically hungry but spiritually determined (Mt. 15:32).

I wonder if we can exhibit the same kind of compassion Jesus shows. Note this: the rule of the day was not to touch a leper, but to throw money on the ground and stay a dozen feet away. We know that Jesus could have merely said the words to heal this man, but it strikes me that Jesus touched the man. This shows me a deep, deep truth - that Jesus is "up-close caring."

My mom is a great example of this. When I was a teenager, one of my scholmates, Tom, was a self-centered independetn-minded kid who nevertheless came by our house occasionally for a Pepsi and a chance to show off his new car. He would givemy mom a causal hello.

On the night that his grandfather passed away (his grandad was his guardian since his dad and mom abandoned him) ours was the first house he came to. As soon as he came inside and fell to the couch sobbing, my mom darted into the room and wrapped him in a hug. She didn't preach or give tired cliches. She just sat and held him.

Tom was able to gather himself together. He was deeply thankful. And he never forgot the kindness. He still, whenever possible, gives my mom an expresiion of thanks whenever he is in the vicinity - over thirty years later.

My mom had an "up close caring." So did Jesus. Good lesson for me.

A Controversial Thought About Prayer

I've been pondering over whether I should bring this up, but at the risk of offending some of the various local church leadership groups around the country that read this blog, I'm going to state a very important observation that I think needs to be corrected:

Stop moving during corporate prayer.

When the church body bows its head to pray, this does not mean that a mental curtain has fallen upon the auditorium. It doesn't mean that a song group, acting troupe or usher crew should start darting about the place. It means that we as a church are coming humbly before God, and the attitude ought to be one of respect and awe. Stop moving. Please.

How many little kids become confused because they glance up and see a grown-up skittering offstage while a leader talked to Almighty God? I thought everyone was supposed to be still. We were all taught that prayer meant a quiet and solemn moment - and the adults were the examples. Remember the days whenever one of the family would cry out about another member keeping their eyes open during the meal's blessing? The usual response was: "How would you know? Were your eyes open?"

In other words, everybody is to join in.

Listen to me, music directors: we don't care if it takes another ten seconds for the choir to leave the stage area while our eyes are open... we'll wait.

Please, pastors: ushers should stand still during prayer, not slink about in quiet chores while a member of the church pleads before God. Believe me, we can hear the shuffling and we can feel the quiet breeze as someone brushes by. Distracting.

Hear me, church staff: we are not in that much awe when we raise our heads and see a skit or theatrical production all on stage, ready to start. Honest, we can wait for the lights to be dimmed and the props to be moved.

I ask you: if the church service is about worship and praise to God, then don't you think that "prayer shuffling" takes away the majesty of the service? Doesn't it relegate the prayer time to little more than a diversion so that the "show may go on?"

Just a thought.

I want my children to grow up seeing examples of church leadership showing the reverence for God that we see in the Bible.

Luke 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone’ but by every word of God. ”

αρτος "bread" - the nutrient-filled sustenance of the New Testament times.

Guzik states:

The temptation to eat something inappropriate worked well with the first sinless man (Genesis 3:6), so why not try it on the second sinless man? By this, we also see how temptation often works. Satan appeals to a legitimate desire within Jesus (the desire to eat and survive).
Satan suggests that Jesus fulfill this legitimate desire in an illegitimate way.

Often, this is the essence of temptation. But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’" Jesus countered Satan’s suggestion with Scripture (Deuteronomy 8:3). What Satan said made sense - "Why starve yourself to death?" But what is written makes even more sense. Jesus reminded Satan of Biblical truth, that every word of God is more important than the very bread we eat.

Phlpns 3

Not that I have ... already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.

epilanthanomai is the Greek word for "forget" and it carries a very particular definition. It's more than merely "out of sight, out of mind", but the definition also includes ""no longer caring for", to the point of "neglecting" and even :uncared for" and - get this - "given over to oblivion."

And I look at the past year and the trials that have been landsliding into my life, realizing how we Zockolls took them day by day and step by step. You know? So far we've been all right. Now, I want you to know, if I try to conjure up the memories of the physical pain and the bouts of fear we faced, I might get a little gun-shy about the future.

But I am going to make it a concerted effort - by God's grace and leading - that this stuff is cast into oblivion and out of my memory. I gotta move on. And I will. Thank you, Jesus.

You know, epilanthanomai is a very likeable word to me right now. As I see the light of the Lord's joy straming back into our household, bit by bit, I realize that it's time to start picking myself up and seeing Jesus and Jesus alone. I no longer care for the hurts of the past year. I've got the joy of the Savior in my life, leading me.

Good stuff. Very good stuff.

Now praise we Christ, the Holy One,

The spotless virgin Mary's Son,
Far as the blessed sun doth shine,
E'en to the world's remote confine.

"Now praise we Christ, the Holy One." by Martin Luther, 1483-1546
Text From: THE HYMNS OF MARTIN LUTHER (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1883), pp. 18-19