A backfire is a technique to help prevent the spread of a wildfire. As I understand it, firefighters start a new fire in the path of an approaching wildfire. The goal is for the new fire to consume fire fuel the already blazing inferno would use to continue to spread. That weakens the approaching fire. In a sense, this is fighting fire with fire.

As you can imagine, though, a backfire can be dangerous. A quick change in wind direction easily intensifies the already consuming fire. In other words, a backfire can backfire.

In the realm of human relationships, several well-known quotes portray this scenario. You've probably heard that fighting fire with fire only makes more fire. Or if you fight fire with fire, everyone gets burned. People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes.

All that to say that our personal backfires can backfire, too. So, be careful when you match word for word, resentment for resentment or anger for anger. An eye for an eye isn't fire talk, but one familiar quote follows our train of thought today: An eye for eye makes the whole world blind.

The world wants to fight fire with fire. Where would our favorite movies and stories be without more fire? As God's people, can we not find another way to put out the fires of hostility, injustice and inequality? Surely God has called us to.

With the dangers of a backfire in mind, listen to some of the words from Psalm 37 again: "Do not fret because of the wicked." "Trust in the Lord and do good." "Refrain from anger and forsake wrath."

How willing are you and I to forsake wrath in all its many forms today?

I can't with full confidence call myself a pacifist. But I do know pacifism isn't what most of us think. Pacifism isn't a sit-aside-and-do-nothing approach to the fires of the world. That would be immoral. Pacifism means "peace making." And that's how I read another line from today's psalm: Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act" (37:5).

Commit your way to God's way. That means to live our your life in the way of Jesus. It doesn't mean we sit amongst ourselves and do nothing, waiting for some action to fall from heaven. It means our actions and our words demonstrate the way of heaven.

Stay blessed...john

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." That's the singsong lie we repeated as kids. I don't recall how much we ever believed that or not. But I'm sure we knew the truth. Words can hurt. They do hurt. They hurt us as children who get made to feel unworthy or unloved. And they sting the ego and confidence of many adults just the same.

And yet we know words can bring life as well. After all, we are a people that cling to the words of God. Christians affirm with joy "The word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!"

Today's reading offers a two-fold reminder for us about words. First, the words that hang over our lives can be of great burden. How often do we hold on to a snide remark someone made years ago? A comment they soon forgot or even, perhaps, meant little by? Greater still is the pain of the intentional insults that come our way. Or the steady dose of verbal abuse.

The psalmist cried to the Lord, "Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue" (Psalm 120:2). Lying lips carry hurtful words. And not merely hurt-my-feelings hurt. But an agony that impacts who someone is. Can you imagine the psalmist's deep anguish over having to defend himself repeatedly? To, day after day, listen to baseless accusation after accusation?

Still, the psalmist tried. He sought peace. He tried to speak peace. It isn't always that simple, but it is always that important. His words of peace weren't moving the needle of war amongst those against him. So, he prayed. And I imagine he kept speaking peace.

Hurtful words are all around us. Lord knows we do not need more mouthpieces for lies and slander. No, we need people who will speak peace. As difficult as it may be. As hurtful as waring words may be. Peace is not the option. It is the way.

Stay blessed...john

Yesterday, after worship, a young saint told me she was going to Walmart to buy a guitar. I told her how excited I was that she was going to learn how to play. She corrected me. She was going to buy the guitar because "that man showed us how to play."

A church member joined the children's class, ukulele in hand. He showed them the sounds of the instrument and taught them how to sing along to "Jesus Loves Me." That lesson inspired my young friend to get her own guitar. In her mind, of course, she knows how to play. As good a teacher as I'm sure our member is, we know she still has a lot to learn.

That is one of the great treasures of the church's connection together. We get to learn from one another. The Holy Spirit leads us all to new understanding and insight. At times, that's a discovery we make in unison. Most times, though, we piece together God's wisdom from one another.

The apostle Paul wanted the Corinthian Christians to understand his message and purpose. God's power motivated all Paul shared with the church. Even if some of them didn't believe or trust him. Some may not even have acknowledged him. Still, he wanted them to keep growing and he was thankful that they "have already understood us in part" (2 Corinthians 1:14).

"In part" motivates me. As much as God and the church has taught me, it's only in part to what God's wisdom may reveal to us all. With anticipation and thanksgiving, I look forward to the many more lessons the Lord will offer to me and to us. It may be our knowledge will always be in part, but at least we'll know what is most important. We'll have the greatest lesson we'll need to inspire us to move forward. That God's power raised Jesus from the dead.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Stay blessed...john

One of the hopes of the epistle of 1 Peter is to encourage Christians to maintain their faith in Jesus. They had already endured through struggle and hardship related to their Christian convictions. It's quite likely they would do so again. Suffering would be a familiar cadence.

Peter recognizes that "various trials" had already landed weary blows (1 Peter 1:6). Still, the message is to rejoice. He insists that Christians reorient their view of persecution and suffering. Learn to see the hope of God through it all. So much is his insistence, church history dubs him the "apostle of hope."

All that to say, there is hope in the struggle of life. But not only the persecution kind of struggle.

The apostle finished the first chapter with a reminder of the good work of Jesus on our part. As a result, God "raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your trust and hope are in God" (1:21). There's that hope again.

Peter then turns to our connection with one another, reminding us we are "born anew" (1:23). Chapter 2, then, directs us to "rid" ourselves of "all malice and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander" (2:1). Often, when I read that, I recall conversations with people who respond by saying, "I'm trying!"

No one seems to be as sincere as they want to be. We try, but envy is sneaky. And we don't even realize how broad slander can be. Many of us feel it useless to keep trying. Nobody's perfect, after all.

Remember, though, there is hope. And our hope extends to the greatest of our sufferings, but also to the depths of our beings. Therefore, what we want to become, with God's help, we can. After all, as the apostle of hope has said, "through him (Jesus) you have come to trust in God" (1:21). So, if God can raise us from the dead, the Lord can surely also help us become the holier versions of ourselves. Have hope!

Stay blessed...john

Reading your Bible daily is a luxury many Christians have not had. Even today. More than half of the world's languages don't have a complete Bible translation. I'm convinced we take for granted the gift we have of the biblical text. 

You and I have access to every translation of the Bible available. We can choose the prettiest covers or the font size that helps you see better. You can buy a Bible at the dollar store or do a Google search for "premium Bibles" and spend hundreds of dollars.

All that, and biblical literacy continues to decline.

To be fair, reading any kind of book doesn't excite a lot of people. Kids are reading less, as are adults. Men seem to be the least likely to read.

Thankfully, illiteracy has never impeded the Holy Spirit. Please do not misunderstand me. I want you to learn to love the Bible. Love it enough to read it and know it. But let's reflect on a scene from Acts 13 to appreciate our relationship with scripture.

Paul and "his companions" were at a synagogue in Antioch. The people worshiped there and had heard "the reading of the Law and the Prophets" (Act 13:15). Afterwards, someone asked Paul for an exhortation. Paul retold the history of God's people that led to Israel's Savior, Jesus. Part of that story, of course, was the people's rejection of Jesus. Paul said Jesus' opponents didn't understand "the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath" (13:27).

Every Sabbath, the people of God heard scripture. But they didn't see what God was leading them toward. Paul reminded the people that day who had just heard the Law and the Prophets that it's easy to not hear. You and I gather weekly to hear scripture proclaimed. Whether you've read your Bible or not, it can still be easy for us to not hear as well.

What happens to our hearing when you're not there? As a church family, we can't fully hear what God is speaking to us when we have better things to do than gather for worship.

Oh, this is another note about the gift of reading the Bible and having personal devotions. But it's also a reminder that God speaks to us in the reading and hearing of scripture together. Let's hear the Spirit drawing us to Jesus.

Stay blessed...john

Whether it's in film or another form of storytelling, we all fill in the blanks of the Bible. Think about when we tell of Jesus choosing his disciples. We realize we don't know much about them. Gospel accounts may offer information about their vocation. Particular names may appear so much that we draw conclusions about their attitudes and personalities. But that's all we can do.

Take Levi (Matthew) as an example. What does Luke tell us about him? Only that he was a tax collector. We know Levi hosted a dinner for Jesus after the Lord called him. Does that mean he was generous? Or was he hoping to score some points with the new teacher? Fill in the blanks.

There's something else we can, perhaps, know about Levi. When it's time to talk about Levi, preachers usually throw in something about tax collectors' reputations. People despised them. They stole from and cheated the people. John the Baptist warned them to stop collecting more than what they should (Luke 3:13). Were all tax collectors the same? Maybe not. But they do get lumped together with sinners and prostitutes.

At Levi's dinner, religious leaders join in the dining and mix in their grumbling. Questioning Jesus, they ask, "Why do you eat with tax collectors and sinners" (Luke 5:30)? Now, Jesus could've separated Levi at this point, indicating he wasn't a bad guy like people thought. Instead, he answered, in part, like this: I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (5:32).

So, for all practical purposes, it seems Levi was one of those sinners. But that's good news. Not only did Jesus come to lead them to repentance, Jesus even chose them as his disciples.

I'm struck by the conversations many of us have about discipleship. It's like discipleship is a graduate-level course of faith. It is not, of course. There's no filling in the blanks for Jesus. He knows who we are; God knows you by name. And with everything the Lord knows about you, the invitation remains the same: Follow me. You are a disciple of Jesus. Whatever your reputation was before, let your new life in Christ be what people know now.

Stay blessed...john

In Psalm 115, the psalmist appeals to God's sense of credibility. That is, because of God's steadfast love and faithfulness, other nations shouldn't question God. Why should they question God's presence and power? After all, the psalmist goes on to say, they follow idols made from human hands. These idols make no sense because they have no sense. Crafted from silver and gold, they only sit in place. The psalmist confronts the idol worship of the nations by declaring Israel's God can do "whatever he pleases" (115:3).

Interestingly, as impotent as those idols may have been, they sure had an allure for Israel. There are many times in scripture we read of the people of God turning to gods and idols from other nations. What was it about God's steadfast love and faithfulness that deterred them?

That's a question for you and I to reflect on together. After all, they is us. In one sense, we are not ancient Israel. So, we have our own other-nation gods, too. While often cloaked in spiritual platitudes, they still have their own allure and pull. At the same time, we are the people of God today. We know and have experienced God's grace and mercy. Still, we are often willing to liberate ourselves from God's holiness and love.

I suppose I can understand why are we like that. The human will is strange. but then I can't help wondering why are we still like that.

"You can't be great without the greatness of others." If you know me, you know I didn't miss last night's game. My team won and, of course, we celebrated. I even watched the post game interviews for fun. That's where I heard that quote from our head coach.

You hear a lot of clichés in sports. But that quote stuck with me because right before the game I read the passage for today's devotional. Yes, even as I cheered on my team, I was reflecting on scripture.

The prophet Deborah and the military leader, Barak, sang a song of victory, recorded in Judges 5. My team has a great fight song, but nothing like Deborah's. Hers recognizes the power of God. God won the battle Israel celebrated. As the song recounts the details of the battle, the assumption is God must've been at work for the people. After all, "was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel" (5:8b)? But notice the greatness Deborah leads with.

The NRSV translates Judges 5:2 like this: "When locks are long in Israel." Have you ever seen professional sports players not touch their hair during a particular part of their season? This might be something similar. Warriors may have decided to leave their hair as is as a sign of dedication. Other translations make the idea a bit more simple to grasp. "When the princes in Israel take the lead (NIV)" means when leaders lead, people follow.

What Deborah is getting to is that Israel rallied as a people to win their battle. Yes, Deborah recognized God's greatness in battle. First, though, she praised God for the people coming together. The leaders couldn't be great without the people and the people couldn't be great without their leaders.

Praise the Lord when we recognize what God can do through us when we join our efforts. Yes, it is good and pleasant when we dwell in unity (Psalm 133:1). And it's great when we learn to trust and depend on each other's faith. 

Stay blessed...john

When the Lord allowed Moses to see the land given to the Israelites, Moses asked God to appoint a new leader. His successor, Joshua, would be someone "who shall go out before them and come in before them" (Numbers 27:17). In scripture, that is a sign of leadership and authority. The young king, Solomon, asked God for "wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people" (2 Chronicles 1:10). In the 1 Kings 3 version of that story, Solomon says he doesn't know how to come in and go out. Presumably, he knew how to use a door. What he didn't know was how to lead.

And in the New Testament, the early apostles affirmed Paul as a new disciple. So much so that "he went in and out among them" (Acts 9:28). That was important because there were disciples who questioned Paul's presence, understandably. Quickly, though, Paul became an authority figure in the church. His personal testimony and ability to speak "boldly in the name of the Lord" catapulted him into leadership. As a result, in a few sentences, disciples went from fearing Paul to helping him escape death.

Many of us will have catapult moments. They may not be as quick for some of us as for others. But a transition happens. That may mean you find yourself, like Paul, in a leadership role. The church asks you to come in and out to further the mission of Jesus. As far as we can tell, Paul didn't ask for his position. Others recognized something in him. You may not feel prepared for that, but neither did, apparently, Solomon.

Or you become a part of the work in a different way. You go from being fearful of what may be to actually being a part of what is happening. Those disciples who helped Paul escape may have shaped not just church history but world history. When you respond to God's calling, who knows the impact your ministry might have!

Stay blessed...john

In high school, I had a math teacher that wrote a quote on the chalkboard every day. He wanted to give us an encouraging or challenging message to think about when we came to his class. I'll confess there were many days I focused on that side of the board and not the equations he wrote on the other side. Each day's quote came from familiar sources. In quoting them, he taught us names of world leaders, famous philosophers and masterful artists. I appreciated what he wrote for class. They were messages related to self motivation, discipline, hard work and learning.

One day, though, he shocked me. What surprised me was I knew that day's quote. He wrote: "Don't go chasing waterfalls. Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to." If you don't know, that's a line from an extremely popular song from the 1990's. At the time, it was one of the biggest songs in the world. How did he know that song, I wondered. He was, after all, an old man--about the same age I am right now.

I learned two things from that day that I still carry. As a teenager, I just liked the music I liked. I didn't recognize many of the underlining messages expressed through the art. As a preacher, that's shaped how I view our many artforms. Learning to see those messages has helped me better sense the hopes, dreams, fears and insecurities of our culture.

My math teacher gave me another invaluable lesson. I don't know how much he knew of or liked about the music he quoted that day. My impression was he had other musical inclinations. But he recognized the wisdom in what he heard in that song. And learning to hear wisdom in unfamiliar places can be difficult.

Think of how Christians felt when the man who not long before had persecuted them for their faith in Jesus was now teaching them about faith in Jesus. Indeed, Saul "confounded" a lot of people. But what great wisdom he offered to anyone willing to listen to such an unfamiliar source.

Stay blessed...john

An Episcopal bishop addressed specific hopes during a recent homily. That the hopes carried strong political overtones surprised many people. Quite frankly, many took offense. This homily garnered much attention since its setting was the inaugural prayer service. I won't say the sermon sparked debate. Much of what I've read isn't debate but spewing. There's no dialogue. There's no listening to what each other has to say. Many of us are not talking to the image of God in others.

Some will say if the pastor wants to get political, tax the church. Then there are those who are confident faith has nothing to say to politics. Jesus never did, right? Maybe all the years of telling each other to not talk about politics and religion in good company has marred us.

Our faith teaches us Jesus was a real person. He had a real life and real feelings. But everything we know about his life comes from the gospel accounts. According to those stories, all Jesus talked about was religion and politics. So, we should be more comfortable with religious and political topics in church. There's no barrier between the two.

Jesus wept for Jerusalem because the people didn't recognize "the things that make for peace" (Luke 19:42). Jesus didn't weep because people didn't have a personal, religious peace. A sweet feeling in their hearts. Could Jesus have been talking about a peace that had political and social implications? Well, he saw ramparts set up against Jerusalem. The city's enemies would crush them. Plus, we know the people that rejected Jesus the loudest, those with influence and authority, used political means to quiet him. Don't think politics isn't a part of the gospel.

So, what do we do with this idea? First, maybe we should weep more for our cities. Then realize to pray for God's kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven has political ramifications. How could it not? God's peace is no mere feeling. It is a way of living with God, of course. So, pay attention to how peace directs your faith in Jesus. But peace also impacts how we live with each other. Peace on earth, therefore, is political. Get comfortable talking about that in faithful, God-honoring and image-bearer-honoring ways.

Stay blessed...john

God added a particular bit of information to the command for Elijah to go to Zarephath. The Lord said, "I have commanded a widow there to feed you" (1 Kings 17:9). There is important to this story. The prophet was leaving Israel. He would visit a foreign place and be confronted with foreign gods and a foreign queen's wrath. But he went there with the promise God would take care of him.

We don't know, but I assume the widow of Zarephath didn't get that memo. How did God command her? Again, we don't know what that means. At the least, perhaps, we can say she wasn't expecting a prophet of God to come to her. She didn't imagine her dire situation would get any better. For her, there was the place she was about to die.

It's worth noting, then, that sometimes we have a sense of what God is doing. Maybe there's a promise we know God has given us. Or we can see what is unfolding right in front of our eyes. Wherever the there is, near or far, you're sure of how God will care for you. Praise God when you have that assurance. Other times it may not be so obvious. You may have no idea what God is doing. That makes there all the more troubling.

Even still, at the heart of this short story is God. It's tempting to focus first on the obedience of the widow or Elijah. Indeed, we can learn something about faith from them both. But it is God's faithfulness that drives the story. Elijah can go there because God told him about the widow who would feed him. The widow may not have been brought up to speed with what was happening, but God still brought life to her family.

So, remember God's faithfulness and care as the center of this experience. The same God that lives in the story of the widow of Zarephath is the same God that cares wherever there is for you.

Stay blessed...john