Pirates

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” Proverbs 27:1

I would call this passage, the “Pittsburgh Pirates” passage.

On August 8, the Pirates (my second most favorite team) were 16 games above .500.  It was thought, confidently so, that the record string of 19 straight seasons with a losing record was coming to an end.  Not just that; the Pirates were deep in the playoff hunt, so there was much speculation about who they might face in the playoffs, and even how deep into the playoffs they would go.  There was the hint of World Series fever in Steeltown.

Then came the remainder of August.  Abysmal.  Followed by an even uglier September.  And an epic collapse.  Without dwelling in the gory details, the Pirates finished 79-83, four games under 500.  And they reached the much un-coveted 20 years of futility mark. 

A few years ago, Veggie Tales put out a movie called “The Pirates That Don’t Do Anything.”  I did not realize that it was a baseball film.  My goal is not to rag too much on the Pirates, I like the team, and PNC Park in Pittsburgh is the crown jewel of baseball fields.  I love going there. 

My point is this – “do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” You have today.  It is a gift from God.  Make plans, sure, but understand that God controls what your future is.  The good news, if you are in Christ, you can count on that future being grand. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”   Take notice. It is the plans that God has for you.  They may not be your plans, and getting to that prosperity (whatever it may be) may be an uncomfortable road to travel.  But the Lord does want his people to have “hope and a future.” Count on that!

That might even include the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Next year.

(enjoy the Veggie Tales song) 

Trouble

 

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” - Matthew 5:11-12

Uh, this passage is about one of the promises of the gospel.  One that most trusters and followers of Jesus have to admit is true, but also one we’d rather sweep under the rug.  Here’s a reality.  If you are a Christian (more than just in name only), expect trouble to follow.  You won’t have to look for it, if you are his, trouble will find you.

Being a follower of Christ means going against the flow of society. Sometimes stubbornly.  Seems like that is truer these days, but I’m not all that sure.  Being a Christ-ian will mean that you will have to take some very unpopular stands.  And doing so may sting a little bit.  And oh, it will mean taking stands that at times will tick off the left and the right.

Being a Christian will mean that you will have a little more eternal view of things; some of the temporary passions and possessions that we cherish, well, should tarnish quicker. Being a Christian will mean that sin will break your heart over and over again, especially the sin you commit. Especially.

Being a Christian is about eternal life, blessings, truth, and…trouble.  And when you find that trouble, Jesus says, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven….”

If you find that trouble, it means you are doing something right! And you will get something right!

May your day be filled with…trouble.  Uh, and the other wonderful promises of the gospel.

Light

 “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”  - John 3:20-21

Saturday I had to drive south to Fairmont, West Virginia (about 45 minutes away).  The morning here was cool, dark and, for Southwest Pennsylvania, quite foggy.  Everything was gray and damp. Even my Dodger blue vibe took on a dark ashen hue for the trip.  The roads were wet, and the surrounding hills were well hidden in the clinging clouds.

A mile or two into West Virginia, I crested a hill and suddenly the sun broke out, revealing a kaleidoscope of color.  The road went from dark gray to a sharp black, the surrounding trees divulged an explosion of fall color.  My car was blue again! The dark had transformed to a bright and beautiful morning. Almost heaven.

The apostle John frequently contrast light and darkness.  Believers and trusters in Christ are called to follow the light of the world (visit John 8:12); eventually we are told if we follow him we will be light in the world (visit Matthew 5:14)  Christ states that those who follow the light “will never walk in darkness.”  I believe what Jesus says.

However, clearly we can be influenced by the dark.  Sometimes even fooled.  These days, often I do feel that there are forces even within the church that are calling us to march into the darkness.  I’m guessing this is nothing new, just the prevailing march seems awfully murky.  We need to recognize it for what it is.

The good news is this – if we have the light, he won’t allow us to remain in the dark.  His love is far too bright for that.  The cool gray mornings will always be replaced by brilliant sunshine. And “whoever lives by the truth comes into the light….”  Sooner or later.  God wins! I read the book.

Have a great day in the light!

Panda

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

There was a news item earlier in the week about a panda cub that died in captivity at the National Zoo in Washington, DC.  A fact about the death took me by surprise.  No, its not what you think – I understand Pandas are threatened and very difficult to propagate in captivity (or anywhere else, apparently). What surprised me was that they called the Panda a ‘bear.’  A bear?  Really?

When I took college biology 345 years ago, Pandas were classified as sloths.  We were especially told that they were not bears, and that calling them ‘Panda Bears’ was a complete misnomer. Except suddenly I discover in 2012, after all, Pandas are indeed bears.  They are not sloths.  I am crushed.

I get a little kick out of people that insist that science is the only way and the only truth that there is to be found out there.  Not that I am anti-science, I enjoy studying botany, and had I not gotten a D in high school chemistry, I’m certain I’d be a geologist by now.  But.  Science changes.  Things that were taught as scientific facts when I was young (345 years ago) are no longer facts.  The reality is that most science is basically theory that is taught as fact.  Even before I became a Christian, I used to challenge my biology teacher about his teaching theory as fact.  Oh how I would love to find him now and rag on him about the Pandas.

My point is not to downplay science, but to just point out that science, as neat and explanatory as it may seem to be, is mostly theory.  And theory changes.

Scripture says that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Jesus is something that has not changed since the beginning (big bang anyone?) of time (visit John 1:1).  You can count on Jesus being the same Savior now as when you were a child.  And he’ll be the same as we drift  into old age, 345 years from now.  The fact that the very Son of God came, lived, went to the cross and rose from the dead, was a basic summary of the belief of the early church; it remains the basic belief of the contemporary church today.  Jesus is what you  can count on every day, at any moment.

And Pandas…well, I’m not so sure.  Just bear with it.

Peace

 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  - Hebrews 10:30-31

Wait a minute!  Just when I’m thinking that our God is just a love and grace producing machine…I run into a verse like this.  Sobering, but truthful.  No one can love anything unless you know –and experience the opposite.  God is love, but God is just. 

My current favorite Christian thinker, Tim Keller, would remind us that verse like this is what makes Christianity such a peaceful faith.  When we’ve been wronged, we will count on the justice and vengeance of our God, and not the justice, vengeance and anger that we can harbor.  That is why you’re generally unlikely to see followers and trusters in Christ rioting and taking angry vengeance when there is a movie or cartoon that is seen as insulting to our faith.  There will be vengeance, but God will have that final word. As for us, we’re just likely to sigh and think, “Again?”

Isaiah 9:6 calls the Messiah “The Prince of Peace” for a reason.  He is.  But that descriptor includes justice.  His.  Rest in that friends. Peace. Out.