Change

There's an old Baptist joke that goes something like this: How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb? CHANGE!?!?!?!?! Now the joke may lose a little something as it makes its way through the blogosphere, but the idea translates well in most any environment....most of us don't like change!

Yet, at the heart of the Christian faith is the undeniable message of change. In Matthew 18, Jesus said, "...unless you change...you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Paul wrote in II Corinthians 5:17 that "if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!" (TNIV) To find forgiveness and grace in the living Christ is to find change every day. Faith calls us out of the ruts that trap us in the predictable patterns of daily living and challenges us to walk along new pathways that are defined by the steps of Christ. As he called his disciples to join him, he said simply, "Follow me."

We are certainly cautious about change, but apart from it, what a dull world this would be. As people of faith, our hope is built on the transformation that comes through faith in the risen Christ. CHANGE!?!?!?!?!? Yes, and thank God for it!

An Arlington Afternoon

I officiated at a graveside service at Arlington Cemetery recently. To stand in that place and view row after row of marble head stones, representing lives of men and women who have made such sacrifice and offered such willing service to their country is inspiring to say the least. As the caisson carried the remains, the soldiers marched in step, the guns were fired, and Taps was played, everyone who participated in the moment was reminded of the value of every life and of the call to service that many answer on behalf of their country. One does not witness such an event without being challenged to realize that life is precious, and that commitment to complete the tasks we are given is vital to the success of a nation.

Most of us won't visit Arlington Cemetery too often, but its hallowed hills quietly remind us when we visit that we are indeed debtors to the sacrificial service of others. It is a place that reminds us all of the significance of service and the blessing of the freedoms we too often take for granted.

If you haven't been to Arlington lately, take an afternoon, walk the grounds and witness for your self the sense of reverence and gratitude that are experienced when one finds one's self in such a place. In doing so you will honor the service and sacrifice of others, and perhaps be challenged to consider anew how you might better serve.

Jim Abernathy

9/11...When Peace Overcomes Fear

"Do not fret because of evil men..." (Psalm 37:1)

The words of the Psalmist seem somewhat naive in this twenty-first century world. There are men and women who do evil things, sometimes in the context of greed and for personal gain; sometimes out of a warped sense of allegiance to their country or in support of their particular ideological perspective; sometimes in the name of religion.

September 11 reminds us of evil that has been done for reasons listed above. I had only been at Westwood a few weeks, when the events of 9/11 literally exploded before our eyes. I remember the sense of shock that came as we listened to the radio broadcasts in the church office and later watched the painful video replays of those devastating moments. Fear, anger, suspicion, and uncertainty were unwelcome guests as that day unfolded, and one could argue that they still lurk just beneath the surface in many of our minds in anticipation of another such attack.

David knew the joy of victory and the terrible sting of personal loss and grief. He wrote in the thirty-seventh Psalm, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret...it leads only to evil." In the aftermath of evil acts, one can easily allow the emotions of the moment to overcome, clouding one's perspective...motivating one to act on the darkest expressions of human weakness. But there is another choice. Again, David writes in Psalm 37, "Turn from evil and do good." These are words that speak of intentional actions that do not destroy in fits of retaliation, but build in expectation of a better day. This wisdom is summed up in verse 37 of this great Psalm; "...there is a future for the man of peace."

I stood in the pulpit at Westwood Baptist Church on the Sunday after 9/11, and preached from this text. The following is an excerpt from that sermon.

"Amidst the rubble of broken buildings and broken lives...amidst the austerity of shattered dreams and unfulfilled promise...amidst the painful questions of faith that have no easy answers, again we are reminded that there is a future for the man, the woman, of peace. Understand that this peace is not defined by ceasing hostilities or hushed rhetoric. It is not gained through crushing military victory or hasty retaliation. It is defined by a relationship which empowers a person to face the dangers and uncertainties of this world with confidence and hope. This peace is defined by the One who said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you, therefore, let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.'"

The message on 9/11/09 is the same as it was in those dark hours of 9/11/01..."Do not fret because of evil men." May the peace of Christ be with you on this day and every day.

JKA

Haley Schmitz recently returned from Uganda where she spent several weeks this summer on behalf of Campus Crusade for Christ. She shared some of her experiences in a recent worship service and at Faith Station with our youth. Haley spoke of the challenges she and others faced throughout their journey. These were not the kind of things a travel brochure would include in trying to make a destination sound appealing. Among them, dysentery, poisonous snakes, large spiders, outdoor toilets, language barriers, limited food choices, etc. These and other challenges would be more than some would choose to overcome. I asked Haley, "You knew about these challenges before hand, and you still wanted to go?" "Yes," she answered. I then asked her if she would go again, and without hesitation, she once more answered, "Yes." What drove Haley to go in the first place and I believe will lead her to go again someday is the realization that the needs are so great and that she can make a difference.

The apostle Paul faced great challenges as he went to faraway places to share the good news of Christ. In II Corinthians 1:8-9, he writes, "We do not want you to be uniformed about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God..." For Paul, and for Haley, to go and to share the love of Christ in distant and challenging places was made possible and further empowered by the God who went before them and sustained them on their journeys.

You may not be facing the extreme challenges that Haley faced in Uganda or that Paul experienced on his missionary journeys, but in the challenges before you and the needs of others that are ever before us, God can empower you for the task, enabling you to make a difference. Paul wrote, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Yes...you can, too!!

Jim

It Ain't Over Until...

My son Clayton and I went to a Nationals game a few nights ago and learned a good lesson. We are certainly not die-hard fans of the team, however we follow them on occasion and try to get to a few games every season. We arrived at the park earlier than usual, mainly because it was "T-Shirt Tuesday" and if there is anything a 15 year-old boy needs, it's a new t-shirt! We settled into our seats and began munching on the Hard Times, Frito Chili Pie we had purchased after entering the stadium. (The baseball may not be the greatest, but the food at Nationals Stadium is indeed a hit!) Little did we know that the Chili Pie would be the highlight of the game, at least for the first seven and one-half innings. Marlin pitcher, Jeff Johnson, who came into the game with a 10-2 record, proved why he was the ace of their pitching staff. After Josh Willingham got a hit in the first inning, the next twenty Nationials batters did not reach first base, while the Marlins scored three times, including a home run by the Marlins pitcher! It was not the competitive game we had hoped for. As the seventh inning came to a close, I leaned over to Clayton and said, "If the Nats don't score in the eighth, let's go home." With disgust he nodded his approval. To add insult to injury, the Marlins scored again in the eighth inning to go ahead 4-0, and we almost left the ballpark. Then, the most unlikely scenario unfolded...the pitcher who had been unhittable through seven innings suddenly became hittable. With men on base, Ronnie Belliard, hitting under .200 as a pinch hitter, lined a double to left field and before we knew it, the game was tied. A few moments later, Adam Dunn came to the plate with a man on base. He had looked miserable all night, striking out three times. As he stepped to the plate, the voice of Phil Collins was heard throughout the stadium singing, "I can feel it coming in the air tonight, hold on..." Sure enough, Adam Dunn felt something different and he slammed a two-run homer that put the Nats ahead for good, 6-4. Wins have been difficult for the Nats to come by this season, particularly come from behind wins, but there it was, in big, bold numbers on the scoreboard, punctuated by exploding fireworks in the night sky, "Nationals win, 6-4!"

In the darkest days of World War II, Winston Churchill challenged his countrymen to "never, never, never, never give up!" There are certainly times in this life when circumstances seem stacked against us, and yet, there is hope. As Christians, we are resurrection people...people who face life's greatest challenges, even death, with hope because Jesus Christ has overcome. In the fourteenth chapter of John's gospel, Jesus encourages his disciples as he says, "Don't let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me." There is our message of hope, even when all seems hopeless.

Baseball can be a teacher of life lessons. We have not necessarily looked to the Nationals to teach lessons of hope and victory, but maybe last Tuesday night's game is a signal that things are changing...maybe there is hope for the Nats...maybe the old baseball wisdom is true..."it ain't over until it's over!"

Jim

Postitively, Absolutely...Maybe

Who have you been listening to lately? I try to remain informed about current events by listening to a variety of news and media outlets every day. Claims are made by the various news organizations that they are balanced, even objective in their approach to reporting the news, but sometimes it is difficult to identify the difference between fact and opinion. Truth be told, that challenge is true in many areas of life, including our spiritual journey. Ask a group of Baptists their opinions on a particular subject and you are liable to get quite a few different responses. One of the great principles of our Baptist heritage is the autonomy of the soul, celebrating the freedom of the individual to seek and be led by the Spirit of God. This soul competency speaks to the accountability of each person, and as a gift from God, is not to be forfeited to or held captive by the viewpoints or interpretations of others. To do so is to ultimately take one's eyes off of Christ, chasing after things that are not of eternal significance. For the follower of Christ, it is Christ first, last, and always...finding there grace, mercy, love, and salvation. We find ourselves at times debating a great many things, however, that which unites us is not our different ideological, political, or even theological viewpoints...that which unites is Christ.

As the words of a beautiful hymn encourage:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face,

and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.

The varied opinions we encounter often confuse and confound...one moment speaking with certainty, the next with ambiguity. Focusing our attention on Christ helps keep other things in their proper perspective.

Jim Abernathy

And That's the Way it is...

Two items in the news this past weekend captured my attention. The first was the magnificent play at the British Open in Turnberry, Scotland. The British Open is one of four major tournaments sanctioned by the PGA each year and as a major event, it lived up to its hype, but for reasons far different than anyone would have expected. TW, Tiger Woods, draws attention and crowds whenever he plays, but after two rounds, he was gone, failing to make the cut in a major tournament for only the second time in his career. TW, however, was the story of the Open, only this TW was a 59 year-old American, Tom Watson. That someone other than Tiger Woods wins a major golf tournament is not necessarily surprising, but that a man nearly sixty almost pulled it off is indeed a big story. This TW had won the British Open five times before, so he was not a stranger to winning, but it had been a long time since he had won on the PGA tour. To lead a round at his age was more a novelty, it seemed, than anything else. Greg Norman had done it a year ago at age 53. This, however, was different for this TW led, off and on, Friday, Saturday, and right up to the last hole on Sunday before losing his lead and ultimately the championship to American, Stewart Cink. When asked if he was surprised at his performance, Watson answered emphatically, no, for he wouldn't have been there, he said, if he hadn't come to win.

The second story of note for me on the weekend was the death of Walter Cronkite, the venerable anchor of the CBS Evening News for more than two decades. As the tributes rolled throughout the weekend, the term used again and again to describe the respected journalist was "integrity." The video clips played and pictures shown during these tributes were obviously dated, but the concept of integrity appeared timeless. The reverence with which some spoke of Cronkite implied an absence of integrity in contemporary journalism, and some might say, in general, the world in which we live. Millions of Americans trusted that when Cronkite said "And that's the way it is..." at the close of the newscast every night, it indeed, truly was as he had said.

These two events may not seem to have a common thread, and yet, in each, I see the human story and the impact of one person's story on many lives. We are at times surprised by the courage and strength of those whose efforts touch our lives, and challenge us as a result to set the bar a little higher for ourselves. One commentator over the weekend said that there were probably many fifty and sixty year-old men hopping off couches to grab their golf clubs and get back into the game as a result of Tom Watson's performance, while others mused that the renewed spotlight on Walter Cronkite's journalistic integrity could be a lesson for a new generation of journalists.

As a person of faith and an ever-interested student of human nature, I thank God for the continuing lessons of life learned from the examples of people like Tom Watson and Walter Cronkite. There is still much to learn and much to live...and that's the way it is.

Jim Abernathy