Author: Don

Dear Friends,

The original copy of the Declaration of Independence resides at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Written by a committee of five representatives of the Second Continental Congress, with Thomas Jefferson as its principle author, the Declaration proclaimed the legal separation of the original thirteen colonies from Great Britain.

Writing about the significance of Independence Day, John Adams wrote, “It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.” As we celebrate our independence, let’s take to heart President Adams’ words and acknowledge our dependence as a nation on God.

Our nation is celebrating its 239^th birthday and some, may be wondering if old age is starting to catch up with her. Some rejoice, while others despair about the direction our country may be headed; but one of our favorite authors, Max Lucado, offered these encouraging thoughts, “We have no need to despair. What we need is a good dose of this scripture:

‘Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 4:6-7

“…The headlines may announce decisions of the Supreme Court, but the actions of our Supreme God are unaltered. God is still God and his word is still sure. His sovereign grace never changes. Everything else may change. But He doesn’t.”

This is good advice as we consider what independence means to our country. It is also good advice as we consider what independence means to us as individuals. To a teenager, independence may mean breaking free from the controls of parents. To someone mid-career, it may mean reaching a level of competence that allows independent thoughts and actions. To a ninety year old, it may mean still be able to drive.

As we age, one of the greatest fears we may face is loss of independence. Most of us waltz merrily through life believing we are the master of our fate, until an unforeseen illness, a financial set back, or an accident limits our ability to live as we choose. Accepting dependency on another can be a difficult pill to swallow.

During a recent trip to San Diego, we had occasion to take a trolley to Old Town. As we boarded the trolley, a young man rose from his seat and offered it to us. For a moment, we weren’t sure what to do. Bonnie and I are healthy and in relatively good shape. Should we declare our independence by declining his offer, or should we offer him the opportunity to serve by taking a seat? We chose to sit down and to thank him for his kindness.

True independence can only be found in dependence on God. God knows what is best for our nation and he knows the plans he has for each of us. Take comfort in these words from Isaiah: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4.

Blessings,

Your superannuated friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

This past week we wept over the tragedy that took place at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C. That was a shocking example of prejudice morphing into unquestionable evil. In the wake of Charleston, let’s examine our hearts to see if any seeds of prejudice threaten our walk with Christ.

Surprisingly, the word prejudice is not in the Bible; however, the Bible is full of examples of what we would call prejudice. The open hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans and between the Jews and the gentiles became the backdrop for several of Jesus’ parables.

It’s natural to notice differences between people. It’s how we react to the differences that can lead to sin. Jesus was raised in a culture where the Samaritans were considered to be second-class citizens, but he rejected the norm and related to the Samaritans in love.

Whenever we generalize and allow the sins of a few to color our opinions of an entire group of people, we are setting ourselves up for Judgment. An abundance of verses in the Bible warn us to avoid prejudice.

In Romans 14:10 we read, “You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.”

And in James, Chapter 2 “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.”

Then there is Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Allow me share a personal story about how seeds of prejudice were sown in my life, and what it took to repair the damage. Let me begin by mentioning that I grew up in the predominantly Afro-American Anacostia section of Washington, D.C.. On April 4, 1968, I left my home and drove towards Arlington, Virginia where I was planning to have supper. My drive took me down Pennsylvania Avenue and across the Sousa Bridge. After taking a slight left on Potomac Avenue, I slowed as a man, obviously under the influence, stumbled into the roadway and fell. I pulled over, got out of my car, and helped him to the curb. Seemingly out of nowhere, a crowd of fifteen or twenty angry people surrounded me. Someone shouted, “He tried to run that man over!” Another screamed, “I saw it, let’s teach him a lesson.”

From the midst of the crowd a middle aged African-American cab driver emerged. “That’s not so! I saw him actually helping our brother.” Then, the cab driver turned toward me and in a soft voice asked, “Boy, don’t you know what’s happened?”

I started to explain, “I was helping…” He interrupted me. “No man – get the Hell outta here – NOW!  Somebody just shot Dr. King.”

Somehow I managed to get back into my car and drive away. Less than an hour later buildings in that area were in flames.

I canceled my supper plans and instead went to a hill in Arlington that overlooked Washington. The skyline was aglow from fires that had been ignited around the city. I can’t use the exact words I used. Suffice it to say they were vulgar and hateful. “This is my city, I screamed! I will never forgive THEM!”

That cab driver didn’t stereotype me. He didn’t care about the color of my skin; he saw me as another human being in trouble. His actions probably saved my life that evening. Sadly,I did not show the same kind of compassion for those who, in their anger, had burned “my” city.When it comes to prejudice, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8

Looking at life through a prism of prejudice can lock us in a prison of negativity. Pulling down a flag or changing a law won’t automatically change people’s hearts; in fact, it may harden them.  The question facing each of us is, “What can I do to clean out any seeds of prejudice I find in my heart?”

As a start, we each can pray that God will change our focus from what separates us to what we have in common. God made us all, and any advantage we have is a gift from God.

“For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” 1 Corinthians 4:7

Next, we can try to live the Great Commandment. When Jesus told us, “…thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” he didn’t qualify it. He said, “Love thy neighbor,” and we are all neighbors in God’s eyes. It’s easy to love someone who is like you, but our commitment to Christ can be measured by how we treat everyone else.

How we speak about others also makes a difference. The Apostle James warned us, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. James 3:9.

The Apostle Paul encouraged us to build up each other, rather than tear each other down: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Romans 14:19 

“Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips.” Psalm 141:3

Next, look for a hero. For a long time, the people who set the fires in D.C. were the first ones who came to mind when I thought about blacks. When I finally replaced the arsonists in my mind’s eye with Jim Williams, a compassionate, Christian gentleman – who just happened to be African-American – I saw what the love of Christ is really about.  The bitterness and fear that fueled my prejudice evaporated in the intensity of Jim’s Christian love.

Jim was also the one who taught me the healing power of a smile and (where appropriate) a hug. When you lower your barriers and hug someone, you show them that you accept them as they are.  We cannot cleanse our hearts and begin the process of reconciliation alone. We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will give us all a spirit of forgiveness. In Colossians 3:13 we read, “Make allowances for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember that Christ first forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

Removing the seeds of prejudice is difficult because they are often surrounded by pain or fear birthed by experience. In our minds, an offense by a few can lead us to diminish the value of many. The Christians at Emmanuel A.M.E Church have shown us that we have a choice when we are offended. They reminded us that red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in his sight; Jesus loves the little children of the world – and so can we.

Quotation for the week: Viktor Frankl, a survivor of Nazi death camps, noted in his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” that there are at core only two types of people — decent and indecent.”

Blessings,
Your friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

According to Wikipedia, Father’s Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Signed into law in 1972 by Richard Nixon, Father’s Day is celebrated the third Sunday in June.

When we searched for scriptures that seem appropriate for Father’s Day, Exodus and Proverbs immediately came to mind:

Exodus 20:12: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Today, we honor our fathers by conceding that they did the best they could with the hand they were dealt.

Proverbs 22:6

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Today we recognize that a father’s first duty is to draw his children closer to the Lord.

The Apostle Paul never married, but he included advice to fathers in two of his epistles:

Ephesians 6:4:  “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”  Today we recognize that at times our dads were the “exaperator”… and at times they were the “exasperatee”!

Colossians 3:21: “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” Today we ask God to teach us to be encouragers.

We read in Hebrews 12:9: “Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!”

With these verses in mind, we offer the following:

“A Father’s Prayer”
Lord, I should allow him to vent.
No matter my intent, he’s spent And wonders where hope went.
He needs my ears, not my advice, A smile will suffice, or a touch. Not too much.
What he really needs is You, Lord, to lift him from despair. Please let him know I care.
I’m just his Dad. Today he needs his Father.
Amen

Blessings,
Your friends in Christ

Father’s Day is a great day to remember your dad in prayer.

Dear Friends,

On Flag Day, we are reminded of how, as children, we would stand proudly with our classmates, hands over hearts, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Since those days, we have seen the flag spit on, burned, and desecrated.  Nevertheless, we are encouraged by those who still fly Old Glory and love the country it represents.

Recently we took our grandson to visit the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the National Anthem. The final verses of the anthem are not often sung, but are worthy of consideration:
“Then conquer we must, when our cause is just, And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust’ And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

In 1956, President Dwight David Eisenhower signed a law making the motto of the United States, “In God we trust.” In the Book of Exodus, we read an account of the Israelites battle with the Amelikites that demonstrates what it means to have God with you in the fight.

“While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.”

So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.

After the victory, the Lord instructed Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the Lord is my banner”).” (Exodus 17: 8-15)

This Flag Day, let us proudly raise Old Glory remembering that we are one nation under God.  Let us also raise a prayer that God will remain a protective banner for the United States – In God we trust.

Verse for the Week: Romans 8:31: “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Blessings, Your friends in Christ

Dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth Macaulay and Harry Lindsey.

A poet named Loren Eiseley wrote a beautiful story that I’d like to share with you.

Once upon a time, there was a man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had the habit of walking along the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore; as he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day, so he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing; but instead, he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?” The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing Starfish into the ocean.” “I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing Starfish into the ocean?” “The sun is up and the tide is going out and if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.” “But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and Starfish all along it, you can’t possibly make a difference!” The young man listened politely, then bent down, picked up another Starfish, and threw it into the sea past the breaking waves. “It made a difference for that one.”

This week we are looking at the starfishes in our lives – the people for whom we can make a difference. How can we make a difference? We can start by being an example. There is an old saying, “what you do speaks so much louder than what you say.” Whether we like it or not, as Christians, we serve as walking billboards for Jesus. People listen to what we say, watch what we do, and make judgments about the Gospel based on what they see in us.

You may be familiar with the story about the policeman who pulled a woman over after observing her making some rude gestures to another driver. The policeman demanded that she get out of the car. Lean against the trunk, and keep her hands in sight at all times.

“But officer,” she protested, “what did I do?” “I suspect you are driving a stolen car,” the policeman replied. “But this is my car”, she insisted, “What makes you think it is stolen.” “Well,” the officer explained, “I saw the ‘I love Jesus’ bumper sticker, and the ‘John 3:16’ window decal; then I saw your rude reaction to that other driver. Either the car is stolen or somebody’s been decorating it when you weren’t looking.”

Contrast the lady in the “stolen” car with the lady we saw on TV who uses her meager social security check to feed the homeless in her neighborhood. Which one represents the type of example Jesus would like to see us put forward?

In the 5^th chapter of Matthew, verse 16, we read, “let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Being kind and loving to others is a start, but our responsibility goes beyond just living a Christian life. Jesus commands us, “go into the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

Going back to the story of the starfish, imagine that, instead of a beach covered with threatened starfish, you see your neighborhood full of people facing a spiritual crisis. The Bible tells us, “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27-28)

Like the star thrower, we can make a difference by sharing the Good News.

We all are struggling on this beach we call life, and we are privileged to have the opportunity to offer hope to others. We can invite them to go to church with us, or we can welcome them into a small group or bible study. We can pass along a “Daily Word” magazine, or – if we are moved by the Holy Spirit – we might even share our personal testimony. We can’t save them; but we can make a difference by pointing them toward the One who can save them – Jesus – the original Star Thrower.

Verse for the Week: Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…”

Blessings, Your friends in Christ