Calm and Assertive

I will confess, I am a huge “Dog Whisperer” fan. Every Friday night I watch each episode on National Geographic channel.

For those unfamiliar with the program, Cesar Millan has been working with dogs most of his life. His creed is that he “rehabilitates dogs and trains humans.” The point being, in most instances, misbehavior in dogs is not an issue with the dog, it is an issue with the owner.

His training mantra is for the owner to be calm and assertive in order to elicit the correct behavior from the dog.  For example, when walking my dog, if I get nervous and anxious when a bicyclist comes by, that energy is transferred to my dog and he gets nervous and anxious. Consequently, he may lunge at the bike, or bark uncontrollably.

Not too many years ago, I was attacked by a couple of stray dogs while out on a bike ride. One was at my front, another was circling behind me. I was yelling for help at the top of my lungs and several cars went around “us” in spite of my attempts to stop them for help. At that moment, I truly thought I was going to die. I thought to myself, “this is going to hurt like hell.” Fortunately for me, someone finally came by and put their car between me and the dogs and the situation was diffused. I have never forgotten that and it is a major reason why I am not riding today.

Now, because we live in NC and many irresponsible dog owners do not fence or tether their dogs, Eli (my dog) and I can often be confronted by dogs on our walk. As you might guess, I am seldom “calm and assertive” and I transfer my fear of that confrontation to my dog and he goes crazy.

I want to be calm. I want to be assertive. However, memory and fear take over. Of course Eli knows nothing of my previous experience, he just picks up on my emotions.  Until I can overcome that fear, I can never expect to calm my dog.

Of course, you may be wondering what the heck this has to do with one’s spiritual journey.  For me, a great deal.

Much of what I do is surrounded by a fear that I will not be successful. Not in my writing. That is a by-product of my life in Christ. My fear relates to being a follower of Christ. I have failed before in that aspect and I fear failing again.  This may be something many of you may not identify with. But for me it is a daily struggle.

• I fear that sin may cancel all I hoped to accomplish in a day.
• I fear that God will see me – not my efforts – but me, as not useable in His kingdom work.
• I fear that if I am honest with people they will not like me or respect me.
• I fear that sometimes I am fooling myself into believing I can resurrect a meaningful life.
• I fear that one day I may again have my heart hurt in such a way that it evokes anger and frustration at God.
• I fear that my mind will never be whole and in tune with the power of scripture.

I fear a lot of things. I am seldom “calm and assertive” as I move forward in following Christ. My steps are often tentative and seem mired in the mud of my past.

This issue is not entirely one of forgiveness. It also involves restoration.

Father, I bring my fear to you. I lay it at the foot of the cross and ask that you would release me from its grip.

Technorati Tags: Discipleship

Things to Share

Technorati Tags: Bible Software,Bible Study,Bible

Post #2

From time to time there are just some things you must share with others. In this event, it is Bible study tools and web sites that might provide benefits to your study and growth as a follower of Christ.

What spurred this thinking again was my Pastor’s recommendation of a Bible study software program that he called “amazing.”  It indeed is amazing and rather expensive. Nevertheless, nosey me, decided to check it out and see what it offered. This lead me on a comparison search of other Bible software programs in the marketplace. Looking at, comparing, and reading reviews for many of the programs out there, I actually decided to stay with my freebie. It offers much of what some of the more expensive programs offer and not a lot of stuff I would probably never use. Plus, I can add modules as they become available – some free and some require a purchase.

Therefore — What’s the there for? — I decided to share a bit of what I found.

What my Pastor recommended was the Bible Scholar from LOGOS Bible Software.  There are several different versions of their software available with varying content and pricing. The nice thing is, you can start small and then build your electronic library as funds allow. One caution – these sources us a proprietary reader. As long as that software is supported you are in good stead. If not, well…..

WORDsearch also offers a variety of programs at different price points. They do have a program called “Bible Explorer” that you can download for free. If has several features that, if you do not have a Bible software program, may be attractive to you.  (I found it cumbersome to use and not as intuitive as my E-Sword software.)  This software also uses a proprietary reader called STEP. Same goes here as with the LOGOS series.

If you are into the original languages and like a more in-depth  and scholarly approach to that type of study, try BibleWorks. According to my PhD pursuing son in-law, that is what most of the graduate students prefer and use.

Now, if you’re like me and like free…there are several options. Some you download and others you use on-line.  My favorite is E-Sword. They offer an extensive array of Bibles, Commentaries, Dictionaries, Word Study aides, and more – much of it free.  I’ve used it for about a year and enjoy it a lot. My son in-law uses the “pocket version” designed for PDAs and similar devices.    Now as with many free programs donations are what keep these guys in business and allow additional programs to be offered. So I make sure I support them.

In addition, there are many web sites that you can visit to access different translations and resources.  Here are just a few that I have visited;  www.biblegateway.com, www.bible.org, www.lifeway.com, and www.studylight.org    You may find these or others useful and that’s great.

If you are serious about Bible study and if you teach or lead a small group, these tools can be very helpful. Plus, they don’t take up room on your bookshelf!

Find what works for you and enjoy the benefits of high-speed study.

Dual Allegiances

In a recent Christianity Today article, Dual Allegiance there is an interesting dilemma presented that should chill our hearts. It speaks of a Nigerian pastor and his wife jailed for using a human head in an occult ritual designed to bring prosperity (financial, physical, or spiritual). This pastor is a “Christian” pastor stuck between the strained religious practices of his past and those of his faith in Christ. He says of his ministry,

“Yes, I am a man of God. But I do this outside church hours. I am both a native doctor and a man of God. This is my personal practice; I do it to compliment my church job, and I have been assisting a lot of people with it.” 

When reading that article I suspect many would say, “This cannot be! A person cannot be a Christian during the day and practice voodoo at night.”  But that is exactly what is happening in many churches across West Africa. As one former missionary to the area says, “One out of 10 self-named Christians in this region practices only Christianity.”

In reality, I do not suspect it is much different than what we do in America. We practice our go-to-church faith on Sundays and then our what’s-in-it-for-me, grab-all-ya-can lifestyle the rest of the week. Then, in a pharisaic fashion we look askance at those who do the same in a more public manner.

Can one practice Christianity and witchcraft and be a genuine Christian? Can a person seeking self-indulgence and the camel make it through the same eye of a needle? I suspect the Bible has something to say about it all. The real issue is, when we cut to the chase, are the people in West Africa different than we tend to be? Of course I would like to think so. My hope is that I am not that far afield of proper faith and practice, but then again…

The element missing that neutralizes dual allegiances is that of discipleship. Even though many churches in West Africa oppose the mixed allegiances, the former missionary Hegeman says, “They are fighting an uphill battle. Perceptions must change, starting with the help of one-on-0ne discipleship.”

Discipleship is the key component to dispelling a variety of mixed issues. It is the foundation for personal Christian growth. To ever believe we can develop spiritually without discipleship, in some form, is to deceive ourselves.

If we were to peel back the layers of our life, it might be that many of us have so-called dual allegiances. It may be true that “born again”, “conformed to the image of Christ,” the “renewal of our minds,” all have certain ramifications that we do not always reconcile at a personal level with previous, or even current beliefs.

Do you have a dual allegiance? Not one that deals in human heads, but one that deals with the human heart.

 

[ Laurie Fortunak, Dual Allegiance, CT August 2008, 16-17 ]

Technorati Tags: Discipleship,Dualism

Women’s Aide Society

In reality we know more about the sinful past of the women who followed Jesus, than we do of the select twelve disciples. It’s true. Outside of Matthew, we know little of the past of the disciples. We get hints perhaps by their names, James and John “Sons of thunder” or Simon “the Zealot”, but in reality we are told little of their past in the Gospels.

The women mentioned in Luke’s gospel (8:1-3) are described as ones who had been “healed of evil spirits and infirmities.” True, not a definitive description, but I believe more than we receive about the twelve specifically selected by Jesus.

These woman, Mary, Joanna, Susanna and many others follow the Christ and his disciples providing for them “out of their means.” This must have been a considerable entourage and certainly one that we tend to forget about when thinking of Christ’s ministry.

Often, when we ask the question, “How many disciples were there?” You get an answer of  twelve. But in reality there were dozens, perhaps hundreds or even thousands that were followers of Christ and attending to the needs of his more intimate group. Something we don’t think about very often.

These particular women were perhaps the first Women’s Missionary Aide Society. Ever present in the background, but vital to the on-going support of the ministry of Christ. We might even say these were the first “deaconesses.” For they were serving – diakonéō – Christ and his disciples, just as the seven men in Acts were chosen to serve the widows (Acts 6).

When we come to Christ – most of us will not be center stage in our service for the Lord. However, we can, as these women, give and serve to the support of those on the front line. Seeking ways to say “how can I?” is what our ministry to the cause of Christ is all about.

"The Sign"

My father in-law is one great guy. He’s not one to carry on an extended conversation, but he is one who exemplifies the word “wisdom.”

As he was fathering nine children, he got in the habit of putting a sign in the backyard with quips and quotes that might find their way into the minds and hearts of his kids. The sign was directly visible from the dining room window and the window above the kitchen sink. So, during every meal and after every meal as they were cleaning up, the kids could see that sign.

Of course, most of the kids thought the sayings like, “I Shoulda, why didn’t ya!” or “There’s no ‘I’ in team”, corny and a bit off the wall. Nevertheless, they indulged their father’s quirky habit.

Now, as his children are grown with children of their own, I can’t begin to count the number of times I have heard one of the kids make reference to that sign on the hill. They would quote one of the sayings that stuck in their mind and how it had provided guidance in their life.

To me that whole process is a fleshing out of Proverbs 22:6,

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

I suspect this verse in Proverbs has caused many sleepless nights for parents. Those parents who felt like they had done most of the right things in raising their children only to find them seriously off “the way” and in a life or lifestyle dramatically different than what they had been taught.

Psychologist, counselors, and pastors have gone to great lengths to justify why this waywardness exists, but there is often little comfort to the parents involved. After all, it is what it is.

There is no real suave for the anguishing wounds that come from a wayward child. Even two children raised in the same home with the same “guidance” may choose two different paths, much to the dismay of the parents as they observe the visible fruit of their labors.

Perhaps the key to the wisdom of Proverbs 22:6 is not the first part of the verse which emphasizes the training, but the last part of the verse – “even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

The older I get the smarter my parents become. That does not mean they were ignorant in the beginning, it simply means I was not inclined toward their instruction. Now, as I age in my own understanding of life, I realize that perhaps they did know what they were talking about in many instances.

If one magnifies that and puts a child in the environment of a Christian home, there may indeed be great hope and consolation in this verse. As I observe many times in my wife’s family when the sign on the hill bears it’s own kind of fruit in it’s own season.

The seeds planted, the example provided, the encouragement given by God-fearing and God-loving parents, may indeed bear fruit as the children mature and realize the value of the instruction they received in “the way”.  That is the hope.

I was not exposed to all the messages on the sign. But I am often exposed to the fruit of those messages and the godly influence of a dad who wrote them. I get the privilege to see and learn how godly parents influence the lives of their children. It’s not just the sign, it is the life lived inside the home that has the message of the way.