Monthly Archives: October 2013

Chapter-a-Day

The Conflict of Dual Citizenship

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Vote 12345
Vote 12345 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 1 Timothy 2:2 (NLT)

As I continuously make my way through God’s Message, I am repeatedly amazed at the lack of discussion around certain things. Slavery, for example, is accepted as a way of life. There is no call to action against it, merely an admonishment towards individuals to conduct themselves properly in their roles and relationships within it. Politics is another subject on which Jesus, and eventually the fathers of the church, had little to say.

The time and place that Jesus lived and taught was a period of Roman occupation. The same was true of the Greek towns where Paul established small communities of Jesus followers. The political landscape was boiling with political zealots seeking to throw off the chains of Rome’s political and fiscal persecution. Jesus said very little about it, other than to deal one-on-one with those who were embroiled in the controversy one way or another. In those situations he concerned himself, not with their politics or nationality, but with their faith and relationship with God. Jesus said nothing of politics, he spoke only of our heart condition, our relationship with God, our resulting behavior towards others, and the Kingdom of God.

The type of representative republic in which I live was unheard of in Jesus’ day. A common man having citizenship, a vote, and the right of free speech was unthinkable. Living in America, or any other free country in the world, we have rights and responsibilities that simply didn’t exist in Jesus’ day. Therein lies the rub. I often struggle with the notion of how my faith and my political opinions are to coexist as a follower of Jesus. After many years of the journey I have come to decide on a few basics to guide my way…

  • My first responsibility is to love, both in word and action, every person regardless of their social standing, race, creed, color, nationality, or political views. If my political views become an obstacle to love, then my politics have taken too great a place in my heart, mind and life.
  • My second responsibility, because I am to be led and motivated by love, is to pray for those in earthly authority over me, no matter who that is or how much a agree or disagree with their political views and actions.
  • My primary citizenship is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God’s priorities are with eternal matters of life and the heart in individuals. If my citizenship in the country where I live, my political views, and my political interests in this world erodes or creates obstacles to faith, love and individual relationships, then I have misplaced my priorities.
  • As a citizen with rights, I should faithfully and prayerfully exercise my right to vote with clarity of conscience, allowing for others to differ in their opinions (even fellow believers) and not allowing it to create anger or division between us.

These thoughts have come to greater clarity in my heart over a long period of time and through many elections, political discussions, and personal experiences. I never want to diminish my rights and responsibilities as a citizen of a representative republic, but I never want my citizenship to a government of this Earth to trump my greater responsibilities to the eternal Kingdom of God.

Chapter-a-Day

Articulating the “One Thing”

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Preparing my Next Sermon
(Photo credit: the tartanpodcast)

The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 (NLT)

Whenever I prepare to deliver a message, whether it is in a classroom, stage, boardroom, or sanctuary, I always start by identifying and articulating the one thing I want to communicate. If I can nail that, then the rest of the message become much easier to prepare. If an idea, explanation or illustration does not serve to lead the hearers to the articulated purpose of my message, then I’m wasting my time and theirs. Without a clear purpose, a message will become lost as it meanders in different directions.

In today’s chapter, Paul is instructing his young protege Timothy whom he left behind in the city of Ephesus to teach the followers of Jesus there. Paul clearly articulates the purpose of his instruction: Love from a pure heart, clear conscience, and genuine faith. As I read this I thought of all the messages I have heard through the years that seemingly had little or no clear purpose. I thought of many messages I’ve heard in which the purpose seemed to be judgement, condemnation, and shame.

I’m taking Paul’s purpose with me into my day as I think about all that I think, and say, and do. Is my purpose today an increasing measure of love in my own heart, love that flows from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith in Jesus, the One whom I follow?

 

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Tom's Photos

Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel

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Canon EOS 6D f/10 1/320 ISO100
Canon EOS 6D f/10 1/320 ISO100

Here’s my postcard shot. It was pretty close to a cloudless sky so it was nice to catch the chapel against the “wild blue yonder.” It felt appropriate.

Tom's Photos

Sunlight and Stained Glass

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Canon 6D f/10 1/200 ISO100
Canon 6D f/10 1/200 ISO100

I visited the Air Force Academy last week to see the Cadet Chapel that I’d seen a million times on postcards and from the interstate. The sun was going down and I loved the way I caught it through the window as it illuminated the strip of stained glass above. It’s such a surreal and beautiful work of architecture. I was only bummed that we couldn’t go inside. It was closed because of the government shut down. Apparently the military is considered “essential” to keep funding during the shutdown, but not the military’s chapel.

Tom's Photos

Late Night Conversation

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2013 09 27 Late Night Conversation
Canon 6D f/4 1/10 ISO12800

I shot this on a quick whim the other night. It’s far from a perfect shot, but I immediately fell in love with it. I love Suzanna’s awkward teenager stance and the fact that her socks are different colors. I love that Wendy is turned away from her desk and leaning in towards Suzanna.

One of the things I have learned while working with youth and raising teenagers is that important conversations often happen late at night. Perhaps it’s that our guard comes down at night when we’re weary of trying to hold it up. Perhaps it’s that the phone isn’t ringing and there’s no one rushing off to some immediate appointment. Perhaps it’s a combination of things. Whatever the reason, I relish the opportunity to have meaningful conversations with kids who are honestly just trying to figure things out in an increasingly complex world.

Chapter-a-Day

Responsibile Conduct

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Never blame any day in your life. Good days gi...
Never blame any day in your life. Good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience, and the worst days give you a lesson. (Photo credit: deeplifequotes)

For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
Galatians 6:5 (NLT)

I’m on the road this week working with a client. I find it fascinating working with different businesses and interacting with employees at different levels from the executive suite to the new front-line employees. Every business has its’ own unique culture, and it’s interesting to experience those different cultures.

Part of my job is helping my clients understand what their customers really want, and to consistently deliver a service experience that will lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty. We do the research to know the customer, to know what’s really happening in customer interactions and we base all of our recommendations, training and coaching on data. The data from our research often reveals that what the company, a department, a team or an individual is doing and saying needs to change if they want to satisfy their customers. That’s when the fun begins.

When I begin challenging people to change and do the work required to deliver a higher level of service, I hear every excuse:

  • “You don’t understand. Our team is different.”
  • “This is just the way I have always been.  I can’t change.”
  • “Your data is wrong.”
  • “I can’t let my manager see your report. I’ll get fired.”

Human nature is a funny thing. It’s really no different in every day life. Rather than doing the work of change we make up every excuse. We blame others. We blame genetics. We blame brain chemicals. We blame depression. We blame our family. We excuse our poor habits and behaviors as if we have no choice in the matter.

But, we do. We have a million choices each day in what we do, what we say, and how we choose to interact with others. We are each responsible for our own conduct.

Let’s conduct ourselves in such a way that we make a positive change today.

Chapter-a-Day

To Religious Rule Keepers: Go Castrate Yourselves

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I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves. Galatians 5:12 (NLT)

What we read in God’s Message can easily be confusing without the historical context. Paul’s letter to the Jesus followers in Galatia is a great example.

At the time Paul was writing his letter, the rite of circumcision in which the foreskin of the male penis is cut off and removed had been part of the Jewish religion for over a thousand years. The tradition dated back to the days of Abraham in the book of Genesis. In the early days of Christianity there was a huge debate raging whether you could be a follower of Jesus without keeping the labyrinth of Jewish laws, rules and regulations such as circumcision. Because Jesus  and all of the disciples had been Jews, many were teaching that following Jesus required converting to Judaism with all of its requisites, including circumcision.

Paul had gone to Galatia and taught the message of Jesus which is actually very simple: turn away from your wrong doing, believe in Jesus and invite Him into your heart and life. Then, follow Jesus teachings and love others. Many in Galatia believed and there was a growing group of Jesus followers in the town. Paul left to go to other cities and in his absence some men came to town claiming to be of greater authority than Paul. They started telling all the Jesus followers that they were required to convert fully to Judaism. All the men who believed in Jesus would have to have the foreskins of their penises cut off.

Paul was righteously ticked off. In fact, the English translators who translated what we read from the original Greek language in which Paul wrote are always  so careful with the verse above. In the original Greek, what Paul is really saying is “I wish those who are teaching that you have to be circumcised would go all out. They shouldn’t stop with the foreskin of the penis, they should go ahead and castrate themselves.”

We can scarcely imagine what huge theological issues the early church grappled with as those who followed Jesus differentiated themselves from the Jewish traditions from which they emerged. The entire letter Paul writes to the Jesus followers in Galatia is about this one major theme. Jewish tradition was about zealously keeping all the rules of the law of Moses. It was a system built on rules, rites and sacrifice. Paul is telling them to forget the letter of the law and focus on the Spirit of the law: love God, love others.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. We no longer have these same theological conflicts, but the heart of the conflict remains. People still like to make faith in Jesus about keeping rules and regulations so as to appear righteous before others. Just last night I had a conversation with my daughter who has been recently chastised by someone for not toeing the line of their religious rules. My advice to her came right from Paul’s letter: Follow Jesus and choose love.

I didn’t add “let the religious rule police go castrate themselves”….but I thought it. Like Paul, I felt a little ticked.

Chapter-a-Day

A Teacher’s Love

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GDR "village teacher" (a teacher tea...
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.. Galatians 4:7 (NLT)

Several years ago my mother was greeting at church and a woman asked her if she was Tom Vander Well’s mother. “I am,” my mother answered. The woman told my mother that she had been my first grade teacher and she wanted my mother to say hello to me. I was blown away to know that Mrs. Avery would remember me after all those years. I loved her. She changed my life by giving me a love for school and for learning. I made a point of visiting her a few weeks later to tell her that and to thank her. Sitting in her living room, she pulled out my old class photo and began naming each student and talking about each one as if we were the previous year’s class. When she told me that she prayed for each of her students, I wasn’t surprised.

I’ve been teaching a class this fall on creativity. It’s been several years since I’ve taught, and I’ve been amazed to remember how intensely I feel for those in my class. In my morning quiet times I find myself thinking of each one, naming them individually and praying for them. During the week I feel concern. I wonder how their week is going and what God is doing in their lives through the assignments and material.

I identified with Paul when in today’s chapter he described his feelings of responsibility for those he taught in Galatia as labor pains. On one hand it seems a bit of an odd metaphor because, face it, neither Paul nor I can really understand true labor pains. I think Paul used the metaphor because as a teacher you realize that something is being birthed in your students. There are new thoughts, new perceptions, and there is new life emerging when God’s Spirit is at work. And that is the key. God and the students are doing that hard work. I’m just a facilitator and conduit. Nevertheless, when I’m involved in the facilitation of that process, I experience a love and commitment to those in my charge.

Wayfarer's Journal

A Day with Madison

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I flew to Denver yesterday morning and then drove down to Colorado Springs to spend the day with Madison. It was so good to see her, to spend time with her, to chat, and to get some long overdue hugs. We met at Colorado Mountain Brewery for lunch and I got to see Madison’s red hair for the first time. Over the years I’ve seen Madison with about every conceivable color of hair. Her natural hair always had a bit of a red tint to it, but she really want all out with this color. It’s cute. I told her she looked like a Scottish lass.

After lunch Madison took me to UCCS for a quick visit of the campus. She wanted to show me the place in the library she studies with a breathtaking view of the mountains and Pike’s Peak out the window. From there we headed to her apartment and I got to hang out and chat for a while.

Madison’s friend Mike showed up a while later. Mike is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and agreed to take us for a personal tour of the base. It was a gorgeous day for it. Mike gave us the low down on what life is like at the academy as we hung out by the iconic cadet’s chapel. Unfortunately, we found the doors locked due to the government shut down. We tried to sneak in through a side door when we saw a cadet entering. Mike did his best to convince an officer to let us sneak up to take a few pictures, but the request was denied. Bummer.

We headed downtown to a restaurant called the Rabbit Hole. You enter through what looks like a subway entrance. The restaurant is below ground and has a rather cavern-like feel. The menu features a lot of unique dishes using wild game. I was tempted by the rabbit meatloaf, but opted for the pork cordon bleu. We enjoyed a leisurely meal and conversation before heading back to pick up my car. I headed to Denver where I crashed by the airport for my early morning flight to Texas.

I have to admit that I felt a little sad this morning. I enjoyed my time with Madison immensely, but am reminded at how infrequent these personal visits have become since she moved to Colorado. I miss her and her “Maddy hugs.” Fortunately, we’re gathering in Colorado for Thanksgiving with her so it’s only going to be a few weeks until I get another fix.

Chapter-a-Day

Questioning the Rules

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So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. Galatians 3:11 (NLT)

I find myself asking a lot of questions this morning. If “it is clear the no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law,” then

  • Why do I see so many people trying to keep all the rules so that can be “good enough” to earn God’s favor?
  • Why do we treat some rules as if they are a litmus test for showing that someone is right with God?
  • Why do some of us believe that breaking certain rules is evidence of not being right with God?
  • Why do I believe that my obedience to certain rules makes me more right with God than someone who has broken those rules?
  • If being made right with God has nothing to do with keeping the rules, then why do we make such a big deal out them?

I want my faith to be more about my relationship with Jesus and less about keeping rules. I want to simply love others instead of measuring them up by what they do or say.
I want to extend to others the unmerited favor that God has extended to me.

 

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