Two is Greater than One

February 22, 2022

*/Disclaimer: This article has claims of God (spiritual movement) among us. /*

I really like counting things and therefore I really like data & numbers.  There is not always significance behind a sequence of numbers, but it is fun to explore and celebrate anomalies.  One interesting sequence occurred today.   Today is 2-22-22 in the western (Gregorian) calendar.  No superstition, no “planets aligning”, but still a point of interest.

On a different note, something powerful is happening in my church community.  A powerful 40 hours of prayer weekend in January has overflowed into stirred passion and connection among people.  Just this morning (2-22-22) a couple spoke of a woman who shared about some of her darkest self-doubts with her caring husband.  Later in the morning, a women’s group shared a time of study, prayer and many tears. In another room, the group of people I was with read Psalm 22 and confessed feelings of sadness so big, that we hardly dare pray for a better result – because the probability of disappointment is too great to bear.

What is something you hope for so badly, what are dreams you don’t dare tell anyone else? What system of dysfunction or family disconnection do you “just live with” because “that is just the way it is”?

Well, I encourage you to find someone to share this burden with and read Psalm 22 together.  Psalm 22 starts with David crying out to God “Why have you forsaken me?  Why are you so far from me?”  The writer describes his overwhelming troubles, his life “poured out like water.”  A few of the verses from this Psalm are quoted by people at the crucifixion of Jesus.   But the Psalm does not end in sadness. “Deliver me…rescue me… and I will declare your name to my people, I will praise you!” Psalm 22:20-22 NIV. It is interesting that Jesus’ death is right there at the intersection of pain and praise.

A group of my close friends read Psalm 22 and each revealed heavy concerns that we dare not really hope for. Most of our hardships were with broken relationships or family difficulties. Reading Psalm 22 and “sharing secrets” was quite a comfort.  

What if our friends could support us (pray for us) in our darkest fears?  God will meet us there. Two is greater than one.

The opposite of fear is hope.  The opposite of hate is love.  The opposite of withdrawal is connection.  The opposite of doubt is trust. Perhaps it is time to move beyond the former and pursue the latter with the support of another.  Two is greater than one.  So today, I encourage you to read Psalm 22 with another friend and ask like you have never asked before for God to intervene in the areas where you have little hope.

Psalm 22 NIV

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
    you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11 Do not be far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me;
    strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions that tear their prey
    open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me.
15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;  you lay me in the dust of death.

16 Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.

19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
    You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
    Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.

25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—
    may your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
    all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!

And We Hoped for a Fresh Start

January 7, 2021

Well, seven days into the new year and the national news has shocked us yet again.  Trauma used to be limited to individuals or communities, but not anymore. The troubles of 2020 on multiple fronts are still awaiting us as a nation.  It reminds me of an observation a wise friend of mine recently prayed at the end of December,

 ‘At the end of this very challenging year, it seems our hearts are filled with vain hope that the turning of the calendar will somehow eradicate injustice in our world, that singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ will remove discord and division in our society, that simply the start of a new year will be sufficient to ease our old fears, end our unrest, and eliminate our vices and weaknesses.”

Wow, vain hope it will all just go away.   The virus, the national unrest and our pattern of despising one another is alive and well in 2021.  But this does not have to rob us of hope.

The conditions we hope for ‘health, prosperity, breakthrough conversations & peace’ are still possible.  Yet, they just do not happen overnight.  Change takes hard work.  For peace to return to our society, something has to change in our individual hearts collectively.  I suggest for a breakthrough to succeed, we must change what we consume & how we react. This seems to work in several areas, physically (food & exercise), emotionally (what we hear & think) & relationally (conversations & reactions).

A brighter future of meaningful change requires not only new decisions on my part today, but also processing past anxieties and anger. I imagine if you are a news watcher the happenings at the US Capitol building are quite upsetting.  However, what I also noticed for me was that my unsettled feelings over the unrest from the summer of 2020 was also bubbling over in my veins.  

 So, I ask the questions of emotional health for each one of us:

• How are you doing emotionally? 

• What exactly is giving you the most anxiety?  What is the root of the stress?

• On a personal level, what needs to happen to help process any anger/pain and find peace again?

 For me, I am reminding myself of the fundamentals that work for me:

1.       Avoid bingeing on the news (‘ya right’). 

• Remember the media thrives of this divided nation of racism, hatred & turmoil.

2.       Don't translate this anger into hating individuals (real or imagined villains).

• For me, don't dive into any toxic social media (‘oh so tempting...’).

3.        Seek safe therapeutic conversations with friends & the Lord Jesus.

What are your fundamentals for healthy emotional living? I’ve realized life is too short for losing friendships & peace of mind over events I can’t change.  Now my reactions, that surely can change.

We need to consume Good News. 

Aiming at Depth

As a new parent of three young children twenty years ago, I often told a joke that said: ‘I want to write a parenting advice book called, “How to Parent without Getting Up from the Couch – The Art of Raising Children from Across the Room.” ‘   I imagined chapter titles like:

1. “Hey, stop that.” 

4. “Don’t make me come in there.”  

6. “Leave your brother alone.”

9. “Go to sleep already!”

A book like that tells of my exhaustion of parenting and even a laziness.  Shouting without a commitment to growth.  “I just need some peace and quiet.”  I sound just like my Dad, who once told me, “When we were raising you four children, one was crying and another had a poopy diaper for ten years straight!”  Yeah, right, from a guy who likely never touched a diaper.

However, speaking of exhaustion, many of us now realize in 2020, as a society we are suffering from Chronic Anxiety/News Turmoil (CAN’T). Some of us just cannot handle any more drama, divisiveness or debate.  CAN’T is a crafty disorder that tells us the lie, “You can handle another 30 minutes of news and it won’t wreck your mood or any of your relationships.”

So, here is the title of my next book in my self-help relationships series:

“Aiming at Depth – How Labels and One-liners Aren’t Good Enough Anymore.”

I want to grow emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually to a level of depth that increases my ability to hold thoughtful conversations and have more mature responses.  I wish to aim at relationships and explore new concepts.  I wish one day to find myself above the fray of easy labels and one-liner put downs.  I desire to shed a combative attitude when presented with thoughts that conflict with my understanding of the complex world around me.  I aspire to ask profound questions and appreciate real factual expertise.  Discussions with a commitment to growth.

So, here is the soapbox.  Labels (‘old-fashioned’, ‘liberal’, ‘racist’, ‘woke’, ‘phobic’) do not help anything.  They prevent us from seeing another person as a real person.  One, two or three-liners stashed away about a topic might ‘shut-someone-else-up’ but fail to really develop a dialog to understand a point-of-view.  Personally, I wish to aim at depth, a posture of inquiry, fact-finding, pages of knowledge, and respectful dialog where ideas can be explored, opinions shared and discoveries made.  Wisdom. Will you join me?

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”    Philippians 4:8 NIV

Dear America

‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…’  I John 4:18

 My parents were very influential in grooming my interests. My father planted in me a deep love for sports. My mother instilled in me a life-long commitment to the news, travel, and books.  Every Sunday was spent at the Lutheran church in the morning, watching NFL football in the afternoon, and enjoying the CBS news show 60 Minutes in the evening.   With our modest blue-collar income, every summer my family took a single week-long trip across America to some historic location that my mother had read about.

For my mother and I election night was a holiday.  Every four years, we spent the entire evening eating popcorn and splitting a single 16 oz. soda bottle. I was enamored with the maps of the United States, the suspenseful newscast, and the thrill of political history unfolding right in front of us. We watched the elections with a devotion to America, respect for the Presidency and a love for history.

But one sentiment we did not share was hatred for either political party.  I gather we were moderates. Out of respect for one another my siblings and I, to this day, do not discuss who we are voting for (although sometimes it is clear.)  Our relationships are more important than where we stand politically.

When I came across my mother crying in our basement TV room, watching Nixon’s departure from the White House that August morning in 1974, her tears were for America.  My mother’s fear was “she didn’t know what was going to happen to America.” This week, many of us share that fear.

During Nixon’s resignation speech, out of respect for the country, Nixon publicly admitted he had lost the support of the congress, that he deeply regretted any wrongs or injuries he had caused, and he hoped that “America could start the process of healing that was so needed.”  Oh, we need that sentiment today.

Dear America, with all my heart I plead with you.  Stop hating. 

The battle for our nation is not with the partisan news stories. As Jason Anderson said, “A huge game of Red Rover with two sides yelling, and no one coming over.”  The strategy of divisive politics is obvious.  Fear is the easiest thing to sell.  Yet fear breeds hate.  The only antidote to hate is love.  We must find our way out of the minefield and learn how to not destroy our nation overreacting to divisive lies. 

The battle for America is in the heart of every citizen. And that is exactly where the love of God can make all the difference.  Jesus was kind, teaching us to treat our neighbors as ourselves.  Our democracy is complicated, but it is a blessing.  We have so much in common, and we have so much to lose.  Our job is to fact-check, vote and then love.    

Hourglass

Most mornings, we miss the brilliance.

Yet indeed, the glory is there.

Beautiful, ever different.

A spectacular display of grace.

The faithful promise of the Lord.

“I am here with you – you are not alone.”

Brilliant warmth and a gentle breeze.

Sand slides through the hourglass.

This new day, like every day holds valuable purpose.

What can be accomplished, this day, like no other?

The leaves whisper, the Spirit is moving.

“I have plans for you – and they are good.”

Yet, evil prepares to rob us.

Liars & thieves, cruel greedy men tear our country apart.

And sickness steals our stamina.

The wood bird houses are empty now.

Red leaves warn of the approaching winter.

And we acknowledge, “Sadness is coming.”

No sunrise is ever the same.

While the sun is always the star,

it’s the clouds that determine the view.

Significant subtle change hides in our daily routines.

And even in the darkest of shadows, wisdom declares –

“The Son is always with you.”

Experiencing Another's Sorrow

A serious cancer diagnosis of a close friend of mine has changed my devotional time with God.  Her condition is constantly on my mind. All of a sudden, it seems all Scripture is about God’s faithfulness in times of suffering.   Finding comfort in God’s Word demonstrates that God is with us, even in the darkest moments.

I cannot comprehend the anguish of hearing the words “stage 4 cancer”.  I cannot fathom the agony of enduring chemo-treatment.  I have not truly experienced the sorrow of knowing one’s days are limited.  Yet, I am called to be present and to provide comfort and support to my friend.  Sharing in the suffering of another demonstrates to us that “life is really not about me”.  We are here for the sake of others.

The apostle Paul tells followers of Jesus in Romans 12:15 “to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”  

• Hope is the valuable treasure overflowing from the encouragement we receive from the Lord working in our life.  Hope trusts that God is good.

• Patience is the irreplaceable foundation that helps us persevere in affliction.   Even in the face of great grief and troubles, the endurance we receive from the Lord holds life together.  Patience believes that God is full of compassion.

• Prayer is our most powerful weapon to combat pain and suffering.    Prayer demonstrates that we understand God is in charge.  We cannot control the difficulties that happen to us.   Prayer understands that God is gracious.

Paul further supports the idea of us being beacons of hope with a Scriptural triad expressed flawlessly in Romans 15:4  [The Word of God: Endurance + Encouragement = Hope]. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

Finally, Psalm 116 beautifully explains our dependence upon God in times of trouble.

“I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me;  I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!” The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”

Speak to us Word of God! I trust that each of us have people we support.   Lord, help us carry one another’s load.