I Was Ashamed to Carry My Violin

My violin case was cheap, made from a super-hard cardboard material.  It got me by though, when I didn’t drag it on the floor.  But one particular day I dragged it. I was using it, going from 2^nd to 3^rd period classes, as if it were a walking cane. I was in 9^th grade. I didn’t need a walking cane.

My parents had gotten me started on violin lessons in Decorah, Iowa, where I spent most of my early boyhood. Orinne Docken was a good teacher.  I recall being intrigued when I heard the advanced music a neighbor boy was able to play. He was about five years older.  But now that I was five years older myself, I was at Stewart Junior High in Tacoma, and it wasn’t cool to play violin.   Basketball was cool. Trumpet was cool. But not violin. The walking cane pose was pretty lame, but it helped take the edge off my self-consciousness.

I am now 64.  I teach violin. I serve as a pastor at a rural Midwest church, and I use music teaching to connect with young people.  The surprise for me however, has been that I enjoy it. Teaching music lessons adds a component to my ministry that otherwise would be missing. There are many aspects to this. Certainly I have to keep up my own chops in regular playing. In addition, though, I have the privilege of working with children and helping them develop learning skills.  This takes some extra effort on my part. How does one help a left-handed child develop the many skills necessary in bowing with the right (and correct) hand? The details are myriad. Another is the avoidance and fear of printed music: often kids will favor the intuitive approach, where you just guess at the pitches and try to imitate the teacher’s finger motions.  There are many types of hurdles, but for me one thing stands out. I see myself in the kids, with my earlier period of learning and struggling. I’m still trying to be a learner myself, of course, but I can identify with their struggles. I try to help them through barriers with various means of encouragement and bite-size exercises.

These days, however, I find that I have a treasure to share. What we have to endure when we’re younger can be a pain in the rear. But by God’s grace it can become a treasure, if we don’t run from the toughness of the training. My parents gently but firmly kept encouraging me.  

What did you learn in your growing years?  Can you take it and use it with someone currently in the trenches? Tell them your story may encourage them.  Be there for them and listen to them a bit. However the Lord leads, I hope that you will find things you endured that will help someone else stick with the program.  The alternative, all too often, is to hear a person later in life say what I have heard too many times: “Oh, I wish I had never quit music lessons.” 

Whether its music, mechanical skills, science, or whatever – encourage them. Hang in there! Don’t quit!

His Word Runs Swiftly – How About Yours?

I remember a funny cartoon. It pictures a man with mouth wide open. He is speaking, and you know this because the cartoonist displays prominently the “bubble” of what the man is saying. The head is large – out of proportion – and he’s smiling a big toothy smile as he speaks, obviously pleased with himself.  His words are “Blah, Blah, Blah.”   

I suppose that’s a picture of a lot of us – at least before we learn a few things. At times I have wasted words when I felt my intended meaning was being missed, or deliberately twisted. Frustrated and angry, I would speak louder but wasn’t prepared to clarify anything! I suppose in such situations, if you can identify with that, we are using words as swords. Dueling. Trying to slash back.  Words should rather be used to enlighten or encourage.

The one who created the universe doesn’t waste his words.  The psalmist describes this (Psalm 33:4-9). He says that all of God’s words are upright. None are wasted.  Whenever he speaks, God is doing something worthwhile.

Take Jesus, for example. Matthew records remarkable things about his words in chapter 8 of his gospel. I have often read these words aloud right before praying for desperate people. Matthew shows the connection between Jesus’ healing and his words. A Roman soldier brings an urgent request in regard to his servant who lies paralyzed and “in terrible distress”. This soldier understands authority and “chain of command” because he is a commander himself. Jesus speaks up and says, “Go, and let it be done for you as you have believed.” Matthew writes that the healing took place at the very moment Jesus spoke. 

Another note from the same section:  “He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.” Whether Jesus is teaching or rebuking, we see the same reaction from witnesses. They remark with respect and even shock: “He speaks with authority, and not as the scribes!” They also say, “Who on earth is this?  Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

It’s probably a good time to think about valued words and wasted words. In an election year everyone is running around saying many things. Some are thought through carefully. Some words are just thrown out there to slash away at opponents. It’s a time to take warning. Jesus said, “People will have to account for every careless word they speak,” and “by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

I have been chastised at times because my words didn’t line up with my actions. The warning helped me! Words are important. This thing called speech is one great thing we have over the animal kingdom: we speak as well as act, and our language is complex, highly organized, and useful to kill or heal. We can heal and encourage when speaking God’s word, and of course Jesus Christ is that very word of God – in the flesh.  God’s word to you is “I have come that you might have life. I am the way, the truth, and the life. Your sins are forgiven.” Take his word for it.

Christian Teachers' Club Is Using Public School Facilities

We sometimes say “opposites attract,” and that’s true in some things.  But in a Minneapolis suburb, the opposite is also true. Teachers and Staff in the Minnetonka Public Schools have school employment in common, as well as another factor.

Heather Kohnen is a 21 year veteran teacher of elementary school students in the Minnetonka Public Schools. She is a resident of Chanhassen, and is currently working as a Teacher-Coach with teachers in the district.

In March of 2013, Heather attended a Daniel Weekend in nearby Chaska. Daniel Weekends introduce people to the leadership training ministry of Tentmakers, a longstanding youth ministry organization based in the Twin Cities. These seminars occur fairly often, however something unusual emerged from this particular one. A number of teachers indicated that, although they were around students all day at work, they felt isolated from meaningful adult interaction.

They started speaking up, and a group of them took action. They organized and announced a meeting for the purpose of fellowship and community. They requested, and were given a room in the Media Center of Minnetonka High School.  News of the planned meeting spread quickly by word-of-mouth. Teachers wanted to meet other teachers and school staff who shared similar values and concerns.  A surprisingly well attended meeting resulted.  Kohnen estimates that 40-50 people came.

Two and a half years later, Tonka Staff for Christ is registered with Minnetonka Public Schools as an “outside group”, with access to rooms for their meetings. The group states that its purpose is to “connect, encourage, support, and inform”, and now has 150 members meeting in all the buildings of the district. A need seems to have been discovered.  Sometimes people who are already acquainted see one another at meetings.  They’re heard to say things like, “O, my goodness, you’re a Christian too?!”

Tonka Staff for Christ did a survey. They wanted learn about the needs of the various members. Bible Study materials were mentioned. Respondents also wanted books for a district inspirational book club, outreach opportunities, and a locally held National Day of Prayer Breakfast.  The group is fulfilling its purpose.  They’re connecting and supporting members, encouraging and equipping them to do well the work they feel called to. It appears that students will benefit from teachers and staff who help one another in their calling to serve students who come with a wide variety of educational needs.

Has there been resistance?  Yes, some. Calls were made to the Administration, presumably by people concerned over the use of public buildings by a “religious” group.  The answer given has simply been that TSFC is registered as an “outside group”. They’re legitimate.

In the meantime, Tonka Staff for Christ continues to meet monthly in the many separate buildings of the district. Twice a year they hold a large group meeting in one location. It will be interesting to see whether the idea will catch on in other districts in the country. 

This kind of thing always gets some people riled up. My sense, however, is that this group is legally and respectfully making use of their rights. I suppose those are the key issues. They’re meeting off-hours. They’re registered as an outside group, meaning that this is not an officially sanctioned public school activity. And their purpose is simply to encourage one another in something that is a time-honored activity in the Western world – Christian growth and duty to the community. If somehow, in the process, there’s a by-product of a person coming to trust Christ as Savior, well – I’m certainly not going to apologize for that. 

The Sweetness of God's Presence

Psalm 84; Psalm 18

Have you ever had something chip away at you? Something that gnawed and chewed on you, a little here and there, so that your mind couldn’t rest? For some people this can happen with a sickness that won’t go away. The matter becomes both a bodily thing and a mental thing. In my case, I’m thinking right now of a time a few years back. I was at seminary, and I couldn’t get a certain matter solved that kept coming up in my studies. It kept forcing its way into my thinking, and because it wouldn’t go away, it affected my outlook on my whole future.

The subject was this: Was the God I had always known and trusted really there? Was he the same? Was he dependable? (Some points of view I was hearing seemed to indicate otherwise.) After all, if he wasn’t, there was no reason to go out and proclaim his goodness to other people. I should just bail out and do something different. But I hadn’t done this logic in my mind because I wasn’t ready to begin looking at the idea of doing “something else”. 

This problem, however, involved much more than having to pick a different “career”.  If God wasn’t really there, but was somehow morphing and changing on me, then my whole life was affected.  My wife, my children (our second child had just been born the year before), everything would somehow be seriously altered. And not for the better, since the “rock”, our unchangeable point of reference, might no longer be there.

One Saturday morning I lay in bed, not eager to get up. A despondency was hanging over me. The alarm clock/radio was on, and a song began to play. How lovely is your dwelling place, Almighty Lord. There’s a hunger deep inside my soul.

When you try to fix something, and it refuses to be fixed, you get worn out with the effort. I was feeling worn out, but that morning was one of those “game changers” for me.  (They seem to happen now and then along the way.) The voices sang out a nice melody and nice harmonies – I hadn’t heard the song before. The singers were somehow making a statement: that God is a rock.  He hadn’t changed for them. That’s what I heard them saying through this song.

When it was over, I listened for the D.J. to tell the title and performers because I wanted to be sure to get the recording and hear it again. I recall grabbing a pen to jot down some of the words (and melody line – since I am a musician, and am able to do notation). The announcer gave the information, and I wrote it down. Then I lay back down again, thinking.

But my thinking was now different.

The mind is mysterious, and powerful – what we think and hold in our minds has a way of affecting us. It steers us on this ocean of life. The mind is deeper and bigger than the brain.  Many types and capacities of brains exist.  But the human “soul” – actually the spirit – is probably the bigger issue here. If you’re happy in your spirit, that’s a good thing.  You’re content, you’re interested, and optimistic about the future. If you’re often worried, trying to solve a problem that won’t go away, you’ll become worn out by it.

The thing that helped me the day I heard that song was more than a song. I was hearing a true statement about God that contradicted statements that were playing over and over in my mind. (I suppose I could say, simplistically, that I was hearing two different voices, both from my professors, and from other sources. One message said that God is changing, and another that he is always the same and he is dependable.)

The song on the radio happened to be Psalm 84, from a section in the Bible that has many songs written in it. The Psalms have inspired people over the centuries to compose new melodies to the old words. This “book” is right in the middle of the Bible. You could find it fairly easy by opening near the middle if you have a Bible nearby. Another great psalm (the word in the Hebrew language means “praises”) is Psalm 18.   Its author, King David, writes about his God who doesn’t change or morph or mutate.  Rather, he’s always there, firm, strong, and dependable, like a fortress or large rock. I love you, O Lord, my strength.  The LORD is my rock and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

These words soothe us and heal us – down in our spirit.  You may process them differently than I do, but we all need a place of protection, firm ground on which to stand. After all, everything else changes!  We need a fixed point of reference so we don’t lose our way.  Psalm 18 makes a clear and true statement about God that touches more than a person’s brain. It touches and heals a person’s spirit.  That’s the deep part of each of us that needs to be well.

When I heard Psalm 84 that morning my spirit was being renewed and soothed.  I would call it an experience of God’s sweetness. Sometimes we men avoid such terms, but everyone has to admit that life has its bitterness, and that some sweets are pretty nice at times.  Sickness is bitter; healing is sweet. Anger is bitter; kind words are sweet.

God spoke to me through the song and said, “I’m still here for you, and I am a rock that no one can blast away. Stand upon me, and stand upon the truth in the Bible that I am the one and only Rock.  Everything else might shift, but not me. Stick with what my Word declares about me.”

These few paragraphs are written to encourage anyone who might read them that God is a Rock. Actually, He is the Rock. Stand upon him, and what he tells you about himself in the Bible. If other voices tell you otherwise, figure out a way to dismiss them, and turn back to God’s voice. Those who God’s voice know that this is all about the good news of his love in Jesus Christ.  In him, and only in him can we find peace, forgiveness, and the eventual and certain victory over the very worst – death. 

For this life, this current existence, we will get worn down.  I saw a man taking his final gasps of breath the other day. It wasn’t fun. He died.  We all will die, because it’s a fallen world.  But Christ is preparing for us a New World, and he will raise us from our graves with bodies which will then have the power of eternity, and which will never wear out. This also is a clear statement of truth in the Bible on which we must stand!  (It’s all part of what we call the “gospel”, the Good News.)

If life’s problems are wearing you down, please go to your Bible and open it to the promises of Christ.  He is God – the God who came down to us to actually, truly live “in the flesh”.  He is not “a god way up there” – far from us. Those kinds of far-away gods are false. Some people need to get a grip on the fact that some claims of truth are not true. They are false.  When you trust Christ and his Word, you are latching on to something that won’t change.  This will bring sweetness – albeit sometimes a sweetness in the midst of severe trials.  But guess what – you’ll win.  You are a winner.  That’s the truth of Christ, and the reason he came. 

Blessings on you today!  Blessings on you as you hear his Word, read it, and set your mind on his promises. [A few are listed below.] With your feet on the Rock, you can maneuver in many directions.  Wherever he’s leading you, stay with these truths.  You’ll make it.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=How+Lovely+is+Your+Dwelling+Place+almighty+Lord+maranatha    

(I happened to hear, on the day I described, the original version, from the “Psalms Alive” album.)

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Promises of the Good News in Scripture

John 10:9-11   [Jesus said,]  I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Matthew 11:28-30   [Jesus said,] ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Acts 16:31 … Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.

Joshua 1:9   Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

I John 1:9   If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 4:22-24   That is why his [Abraham’s] faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” ²³ But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, ²⁴ but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, ²⁵ who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification

God is Texting You

When I started driving up the rise just west of Hannaford, I knew I should ignore the phone. But I didn’t.  It was stupid to do grab the thing, but I grabbed, trying to cram in a quick response. I had a good reason. I was going to a hospital visit in Fargo and the day was getting late. Too much to do.

I suppose the reasons we are often glued to our phones (or whatever you get glued to) are good reasons.  We want to stay in touch with people. We want others to think we’re on target with a job – that we’re involved in their lives.  However, my reason this particular day wasn’t good enough to excuse me from almost smashing into another driver. At the top of the rise is saw the car coming. I swerved, and the gravel caused me to skid a bit.  But then he went by and we were both on our way.

We’re wired for relationships, and even the proverbial hermit – the guy who we think always keeps to himself – is really not independent.  He needs the air he breathes, the food others supply, and the clothing they manufacture. And though conversation is rare, he still needs the protection and order that comes from a society of people around him that values community.  If he doesn’t text on his cell phone, he at least stays connected in some ways.

We stay connected.  We join the ball teams and go to parties. People are important to us. There is a text though, that we may not grab for so quickly. It’s the text of the Bible. Some of us grew up hearing the pastor say every Sunday, “The text for today’s sermon is from the gospel of Matthew…”, and then he’d read the passage he would preach on. One seminary prof suggested a few years back that the word “text” was getting old fashioned and that we should call it something else. That’s funny, since the word “text” has been re-born with a whole new twist!  It’s all about being in touch – staying connected. Friends. Family. School. Work.

God has a text for you.  He made you in his image, which means that you’re like him, and talking is a key ingredient.  In the beginning he was talking, and when he spoke, the world came into being. Had this not been the case, if God hadn’t put us here for a good cause, there would be no meaning to it all. Talk would all be cheap. But we have meaning and a purpose for living. How do we know this? God’s Son is the Text. He’s the “Word” that had no much meaning, love and power that he entered the human race to lift us up from the rubble that life can become.

Jesus Christ is the Main Text -  the message that puts the heap of problems together and makes something new and shiny from it. Have you seen him do it in your life? Some people text to say “I’m brushing my teeth”, or they put on Facebook what they’re having for dinner.  If you want to waste your life, live on that level. If you want to really live, read the Real Text (the New Testament). “I came to bring you life – abundant life.”  Read it – with your heart - and live.

Old and New Covenants in Contrast

(2 Corinthians 3; Exodus 34:29-35)

This passage shows again the simple and stark contrast between God’s law and his gospel [Read 2 Cor. 3]. Think of a strict, demanding parent. This illustrates the giving of the law. “Billy, you must always mow the lawn, take out the garbage, be home on time, and get only A’s on your report card. Any failure in these duties will be punished.” Such demands have a noble aim, but they are certain to leave a child with frustration. He labors under the pressure of the expectations, sometimes doing well, but sometimes falling far short. He is like a dog whose owner habitually strikes him, and flinching whenever he comes in view. Such is the law. The Ten Commandments are perfect, but when considered by themselves, they don’t leave us with the hope of finding peace and comfort from God. [Read Exodus 34:29-35, then consider the following:]

“The written code kills….” (2 Cor. 3:6b), and “their minds were hardened. Today, whenever they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted” (3:14). With God’s commands comes the threat of punishment.  He said, I will “by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exod. 34:7). God’s law, when it stands alone, simply shows that he is perfect, and that he demands perfection from us. He never apologized for expelling Adam and Eve from Paradise.  The Law by itself gives no hope. The Christian must learn this well, so that the gospel of mercy and forgiveness is cherished for what it truly is: a priceless treasure. Our calling is of the same type as Paul’s, who said, “We are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word…. (2 Cor. 2:17).” God is watching to see how we speak. We must be clear. Our message must be His message,” clearly law, one the one hand, and clearly gospel, when it’s time for that. One is not to be confused with the other.

Recent revelations, via hidden video recorders, show the darkening side of American immorality. Planned Parenthood officials are shown discussing the selling of the organs of aborted babies as if one might talk of current fluctuations in stock prices. All have sinned, the Bible says. The command “you shall not kill” contrasted with the behavior of the human race shows a world in rebellion toward God. “Through the command, sin is shown for what it really is, and it becomes so large it cannot be measured,” Romans 7:13 says.

Christ died, not for good people, but for ungodly ones. It was while we were still in our sin that Christ died for us (Rom. 5:6, 8). When speaking to people who don’t trust Christ, we must be clear. God’s law still stands.  Yet, it only offers a good look in the mirror. My bathroom mirror show my face clearly, smudges, grime and all. When we tell people the gospel – the good news – a God they can trust for hope and forgiveness comes into view. The law, on its own, will only result in hardening and death. But speak the good news, and eternal life in Christ enters the picture. Cherish the gospel, Tell people the good news! God commissioned you for this. 

Live in the Bunker

Near Port Angeles, Washington stands a concrete bunker. It was built on an oceanside cliff in the early forties. Bunkers stand firm. They are thick concrete structures, built to fortify soldiers, withstand enemy bombardment, and allow for defensive retaliation.  This one was placed by the War Department as the United States entered World War II. My wife and I stood in it a few years back. 

This bunker, however, was different from most.  It had become a house! People were living in it, and had beautified the outside with flowers, and the inside with carpet, various furnishings, and lighting.

Think of your life in Christ Jesus as this bunker. 

The Bible says that no other foundation can be laid except that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. He is firm and solid, as is his love for you and his call upon your life. “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” God tells us. All his promises find their “yes” in Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul wrote. You are firm and safe - in Christ. He knows it, but do you?

The Apostle Peter writes in his second letter, “Because of the treasure of life in Christ, make every effort” to keep growing in him. Keep on! Don’t quit! God in Christ loved you with everything he has! Don’t be fooled by the empty promises of your own mind, or those of the world. They will deceive you.  Stick to his Word!

The Apostle then mentions seven great “things” which spring from that which “his divine power has given” you (verse 3). Think of a full suitcase you take on a trip.

When I travel, I take things I’ll need: toothbrush, clothing, phone, Bible, a favorite book or two, and so on. If you were to go on a trip, you wouldn’t leave your suitcase shut. You’d open it, unpack things and use them. The Apostle says, unpack and use that which is yours, and he names things we are to live with: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.

When I see Biblical lists like this, I tend to get overwhelmed. “I can’t do all that,” I think, and proceed to other passages.  But I have also found that, in re-visiting the promises, words of God’s love and his mighty saving acts, something happens inside me that’s quiet, but real.  God is working to build up my confidence in Him. Peter says: “Be zealous to confirm your call and election.”  God knows he called me.  He is firm. But I forget, looking inward instead of at his call. I need to confirm things, as you might do when you double-check your airline reservation.

How can you confirm your call as a child of God?  Go to his promises, and keep going to them. They will work on your heart and build you up. You will become more assured. And what about all those qualities? Sometimes we don’t see them in ourselves.  Maybe that’s why we have others to encourage us: “Hey, I see good things in your life! Way to go!  I’ll bet you’ve been spending time looking at the Master’s promises for you.” Live in the bunker. (2 Peter 1:3-11)