He has made everything beautiful in its time. -Ecclesiastes 3:11a
You can see the two willow trees in my front yard, looking through the window by the kitchen table.
Their drooping, leafless branches seem especially to be weeping at this season of the year.
This morning, however, those branches, covered with a glaze of ice, gave the appearance of a frozen fairy fountain. Sparkling in the low light of the winter's morning sun, each tree rose from the snow-covered lawn twenty feet into the air and cascaded down in a shimmering display of icy brightness.
Reflecting upon that sight and the beauty of yesterday morning's heavy blanket of snow, I was reminded that God made His creation in the perfection of loveliness.
I think of the Garden of Eden as being a picture of springtime lushness and life. And I understand that creation as we now experience it is but a pale reflection of that perfection.
But even that reflection displays God's glory to such an extent, Paul tells us, that we are left without excuse before Him.
How much more are we blessed, then to experience the Maker's world through our other God-given senses?
The sounds; of the music of those wind-driven willows, of great symphonies, of voices raised in hymns of praise, of the familiar voices of dear family and familiar friends.
The tastes; of good food lovingly prepared, of the salty sweat as we labor in the summer sun, of chocolate.
The smells; of impeding rain on the autumn breeze, of fresh cut grass or fresh turned earth, of a busy kitchen.
And the touch; of an infant's tiny hand grasping your finger, of your child's small hand placed lovingly and trustingly in your own, of the calloused grasp of a beloved brother in Christ gripping your hand in friendship and fellowship.
One day, we will experience all these, in the presence of our God and Savior, perfectly, beautifully, and in their fullness.
I look forward to that.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Thank You
And be thankful. -Colossians 3:15b
For some time now I have waged worship war in my own heart and mind.
You've heard the controversy. What forms of worship are fitting? What music is appropriate? Dress-up or casual?
I have been a performer. I have been paid to do something which I would certainly have done for free: to make music with my friends and receive the approval of my listeners. If you made the statement that performing is a drug (of sorts), you would get no argument from me.
It would be a temptation for me to turn an act of praise into an exercise in self-gratification. You see the problem. Vertical worship becomes horizontal.
Yet as one blessed by God with a certain musical talent, I have been called upon to assist in worship. To facilitate the worship of my brothers and sisters, if you will.
And so, "to the teaching and to the testimony," as Isaiah counsels. What guidance can I get from Scripture?
Throughout the Old Testament we see God's people using every musical instrument imaginable in worship. Everything, it seems, but Marshall stacks!
Oh there were very precise instructions for the rest of worship. "Reverence and awe" are definitely indicated and indeed required.
New Testament instructions for worship seem sparse by comparison but two passages stand out in my mind. Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 are nearly identical.
Both are part of longer passages addressing how we are to worship. In Colossians especially, we find the concept of thankfulness. Three times in three verses, the word, or a form of it is used.
Servanthood is also an important concept in NT teaching and must necessarily, I think, be applied to our worship of God. Not only in our relationship to Him, but also to each other.
Paul reminds us that we are each gifted in various ways to serve one another. It goes back, then, to the call to assist in worship.
Outward form is still very important, I think. I would be extremely uncomfortable trying to worship in a setting where the Marshall stacks of amplifiers were used. In fact, I admit to being disinclined toward the use of contemporary music at all in worship.
The New Testament has given us fairly specific instructions on how the church is to be governed. We have a session in place, of elders, who make the necessary decisions (prayerfully) of how we conduct our worship.
My duty, I believe, is to serve in whatever capacity I am asked. I have a further duty, I believe, to express any concerns or reservations I might have, but to bow ultimately to the wisdom of these men we have selected to shepherd the flock. And to serve gladly.
But most importantly I am required to bring a thankful heart to whatever I do in the name of the Lord Jesus.
For some time now I have waged worship war in my own heart and mind.
You've heard the controversy. What forms of worship are fitting? What music is appropriate? Dress-up or casual?
I have been a performer. I have been paid to do something which I would certainly have done for free: to make music with my friends and receive the approval of my listeners. If you made the statement that performing is a drug (of sorts), you would get no argument from me.
It would be a temptation for me to turn an act of praise into an exercise in self-gratification. You see the problem. Vertical worship becomes horizontal.
Yet as one blessed by God with a certain musical talent, I have been called upon to assist in worship. To facilitate the worship of my brothers and sisters, if you will.
And so, "to the teaching and to the testimony," as Isaiah counsels. What guidance can I get from Scripture?
Throughout the Old Testament we see God's people using every musical instrument imaginable in worship. Everything, it seems, but Marshall stacks!
Oh there were very precise instructions for the rest of worship. "Reverence and awe" are definitely indicated and indeed required.
New Testament instructions for worship seem sparse by comparison but two passages stand out in my mind. Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 are nearly identical.
Both are part of longer passages addressing how we are to worship. In Colossians especially, we find the concept of thankfulness. Three times in three verses, the word, or a form of it is used.
Servanthood is also an important concept in NT teaching and must necessarily, I think, be applied to our worship of God. Not only in our relationship to Him, but also to each other.
Paul reminds us that we are each gifted in various ways to serve one another. It goes back, then, to the call to assist in worship.
Outward form is still very important, I think. I would be extremely uncomfortable trying to worship in a setting where the Marshall stacks of amplifiers were used. In fact, I admit to being disinclined toward the use of contemporary music at all in worship.
The New Testament has given us fairly specific instructions on how the church is to be governed. We have a session in place, of elders, who make the necessary decisions (prayerfully) of how we conduct our worship.
My duty, I believe, is to serve in whatever capacity I am asked. I have a further duty, I believe, to express any concerns or reservations I might have, but to bow ultimately to the wisdom of these men we have selected to shepherd the flock. And to serve gladly.
But most importantly I am required to bring a thankful heart to whatever I do in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Monday, February 16, 2015
What Kind of Man?
...but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines til his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. -2 Samuel 23:10a
When I first encountered Eleazar, a single thought occurred to me: what kind of man was this?
I was not incredulous at the numbers of the slain. I have read The Book of Five Rings and the accounts of the samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi. I have read of how Horatius and his two companions stood against the Etruscan army at the bridge.
One might be inclined to discount these stories as exaggerated hero-worship. But then I have also read the Medal of Honor page online http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-archive.php and know that these accounts are no exaggerations but carefully documented descriptions of actual occurrences on the field of battle.
The thing that was most striking about Eleazar was not incredible number of Philistines he killed. But that his "hand grew tired and froze to the sword."
He could not put down his weapon and I wondered, what caused him to take it up in the first place? Surely one does not simply decide to be a "mighty man" and immediately set about slaughtering the enemy.
What was this man's story?
So I began to tell that story. It was easy to imagine the rhythms and patterns of life lived in an agricultural setting. The changing of the seasons and the times of planting and harvesting are very near to my own experiences growing up.
Who hasn't experienced disappointment to learn that people we admire (and perhaps follow) have feet of clay?
Who has not basked in the comfort and quiet joy of friends and family?
Perhaps you have even experienced the disruption of that joy and felt the grief caused by the intrusion of death.
All in all, an easy story to write, though at times bogged in the technicalities of writing and the pursuit of countless details needed to lend a sense of time and place to the account. But the story, nonetheless, of a man with whom I was very familiar.
Solomon, on the other hand, has been more difficult. He is viewed through the eyes of the story's narrator; a policeman, a spy, a secret agent of the king.
How to begin to tell the story of this wise but apostate king? A man who turned away from his God, but still penned inspired verses that we read in Scripture to this day.
Solomon is an enigma to me. I can only hope to make sense of him through sketchy accounts of his relationships even though he seems at times to be a shallow son of privilege.
Most intriguing, I think is the deep love expressed for the woman who is the central character for The Song of Solomon.
Some deny Solomon's authorship of this book, but the emotion expressed here is deeply appealing and perhaps the most accessible trait of this mysterious king.
Shall I name this nameless young woman? Shall her story be an integral part of this story and somehow shape the actions of the secret policeman who narrates it?
How shall I attempt to answer the question: what kind of man was this?
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When I first encountered Eleazar, a single thought occurred to me: what kind of man was this?
I was not incredulous at the numbers of the slain. I have read The Book of Five Rings and the accounts of the samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi. I have read of how Horatius and his two companions stood against the Etruscan army at the bridge.
One might be inclined to discount these stories as exaggerated hero-worship. But then I have also read the Medal of Honor page online http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-archive.php and know that these accounts are no exaggerations but carefully documented descriptions of actual occurrences on the field of battle.
The thing that was most striking about Eleazar was not incredible number of Philistines he killed. But that his "hand grew tired and froze to the sword."
He could not put down his weapon and I wondered, what caused him to take it up in the first place? Surely one does not simply decide to be a "mighty man" and immediately set about slaughtering the enemy.
What was this man's story?
So I began to tell that story. It was easy to imagine the rhythms and patterns of life lived in an agricultural setting. The changing of the seasons and the times of planting and harvesting are very near to my own experiences growing up.
Who hasn't experienced disappointment to learn that people we admire (and perhaps follow) have feet of clay?
Who has not basked in the comfort and quiet joy of friends and family?
Perhaps you have even experienced the disruption of that joy and felt the grief caused by the intrusion of death.
All in all, an easy story to write, though at times bogged in the technicalities of writing and the pursuit of countless details needed to lend a sense of time and place to the account. But the story, nonetheless, of a man with whom I was very familiar.
Solomon, on the other hand, has been more difficult. He is viewed through the eyes of the story's narrator; a policeman, a spy, a secret agent of the king.
How to begin to tell the story of this wise but apostate king? A man who turned away from his God, but still penned inspired verses that we read in Scripture to this day.
Solomon is an enigma to me. I can only hope to make sense of him through sketchy accounts of his relationships even though he seems at times to be a shallow son of privilege.
Most intriguing, I think is the deep love expressed for the woman who is the central character for The Song of Solomon.
Some deny Solomon's authorship of this book, but the emotion expressed here is deeply appealing and perhaps the most accessible trait of this mysterious king.
Shall I name this nameless young woman? Shall her story be an integral part of this story and somehow shape the actions of the secret policeman who narrates it?
How shall I attempt to answer the question: what kind of man was this?
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Something For Nothing
What do you have that you did not receive? -1 Corinthians 4:7b
In one of my favorite movies, there is a line which goes, "Quid pro quo, Clarisse, quid pro quo," whereby the speaker reminds the woman in question that there is a price to be paid for what she is seeking.
One of the themes of this film (and its well-made sequel which I like even more) is the question: how much are you willing to pay to get what you want?
What if I told you it was free?
Yeah right, I hear you saying. We are such cynics, aren't we?
Do you suppose that's the reason we find it hard to claim the love, joy and peace we've already been given?
Is it why, instead of counting our blessings, we list our complaints.
Is this the cause for my being barely able to imagine heaven, I mean its possibility for someone like me, much less what it must look like?
Yet I am assured "the richest of fare" "without money and without price." All the days of this life, I am promised "goodness and mercy."
I read that this is not the result of anything I have done or can do. Even my response to the command, "Come unto me," is because I have been "drawn" to come, given the desire to come.
It really is free.
Already paid for, you see.
Oh it didn't cost me anything, but it cost Someone very dearly.
It cost Him everything.
In one of my favorite movies, there is a line which goes, "Quid pro quo, Clarisse, quid pro quo," whereby the speaker reminds the woman in question that there is a price to be paid for what she is seeking.
One of the themes of this film (and its well-made sequel which I like even more) is the question: how much are you willing to pay to get what you want?
What if I told you it was free?
Yeah right, I hear you saying. We are such cynics, aren't we?
Do you suppose that's the reason we find it hard to claim the love, joy and peace we've already been given?
Is it why, instead of counting our blessings, we list our complaints.
Is this the cause for my being barely able to imagine heaven, I mean its possibility for someone like me, much less what it must look like?
Yet I am assured "the richest of fare" "without money and without price." All the days of this life, I am promised "goodness and mercy."
I read that this is not the result of anything I have done or can do. Even my response to the command, "Come unto me," is because I have been "drawn" to come, given the desire to come.
It really is free.
Already paid for, you see.
Oh it didn't cost me anything, but it cost Someone very dearly.
It cost Him everything.
Friday, January 23, 2015
How Do I Love Thee?
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. It always protects, it always trusts, it always hopes, it always perseveres. -1 Corinthians 13:4-5;7
Sometime ago, I blogged here about the nature of love: http://troalbridge.blogspot.com/2014/09/what-kind-of-love.html
Love has again been on my mind as I look around me.
"You just don't understand," is a common variation on the theme, "Men just don't understand." One hears it so much one has to wonder, why hasn't anybody wrote a symphony around this subject?
Even I, who, as you know, have been blessed with a wife who dotes on me and forgives my many shortcomings, sometimes hear this all-too-familiar tune.
Male- female thing, right? Battle of the sexes and all that?
But I'm not here to hate on the ladies (believe it or not). No.
The thing that concerns me most is how we guys fail to be leaders in our homes and relationships.
I make the assumption that, as Christian people, we are all familiar enough with Scripture to agree on this foundational fact of relationships: The man is supposed to lead. And there are many qualifications, admonitions and instructions to guide us in this concept.
The problem is, I think that we guys in seeking to be sensitive have succumbed to the current definition of LOVE.
Now I am about to step on many toes here and opine that for some, this definition seems to be, "Don't tell me what to do, but affirm me in what I feel is right and proper."
Hmmm? Did I say that? Is that really the mindset of some in defining what they will accept as "love" from their mate, their friend, their co-religionist, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera?
If you think about it, we all have exhibited that very mindset in relating to our Lord and God. True?
If I really and truly love you, am I not responsible to not just question that mindset, but invite you to do so? To lovingly ask, "Is that really what you think?"
Being shaped in part by our environment (who was your mother? who was your father? how did they interact?), we bring certain assumptions to any discussion.
All I'm saying is we need to examine those assumptions in the light of God's word.
And men, we are admonished to seek wisdom, in part, to be able to lead in these discussions.
Sometime ago, I blogged here about the nature of love: http://troalbridge.blogspot.com/2014/09/what-kind-of-love.html
Love has again been on my mind as I look around me.
"You just don't understand," is a common variation on the theme, "Men just don't understand." One hears it so much one has to wonder, why hasn't anybody wrote a symphony around this subject?
Even I, who, as you know, have been blessed with a wife who dotes on me and forgives my many shortcomings, sometimes hear this all-too-familiar tune.
Male- female thing, right? Battle of the sexes and all that?
But I'm not here to hate on the ladies (believe it or not). No.
The thing that concerns me most is how we guys fail to be leaders in our homes and relationships.
I make the assumption that, as Christian people, we are all familiar enough with Scripture to agree on this foundational fact of relationships: The man is supposed to lead. And there are many qualifications, admonitions and instructions to guide us in this concept.
The problem is, I think that we guys in seeking to be sensitive have succumbed to the current definition of LOVE.
Now I am about to step on many toes here and opine that for some, this definition seems to be, "Don't tell me what to do, but affirm me in what I feel is right and proper."
Hmmm? Did I say that? Is that really the mindset of some in defining what they will accept as "love" from their mate, their friend, their co-religionist, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera?
If you think about it, we all have exhibited that very mindset in relating to our Lord and God. True?
If I really and truly love you, am I not responsible to not just question that mindset, but invite you to do so? To lovingly ask, "Is that really what you think?"
Being shaped in part by our environment (who was your mother? who was your father? how did they interact?), we bring certain assumptions to any discussion.
All I'm saying is we need to examine those assumptions in the light of God's word.
And men, we are admonished to seek wisdom, in part, to be able to lead in these discussions.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
I'm not angry, I'm just sayin'...sometimes goodbye is a second chance.- Shinedown
You have noticed, I am sure, that songwriters tend to work out personal issues through their craft. Not always, mind you, but often enough.
In the above-quoted example, the notion is put forth that sometimes the best way to love someone and get along with them is to be apart from them.
I can see the truth in that, can't you? Barring a deep-seated bitterness, we usually remember the good when we recall the past. I think fondly of friends and family who are separated by many years and many miles.
After all, it would be churlish of me to recall the minor slights and annoyances I suffered at their hands, would it not?
I have been blessed with forgetfulness of the occasional wounds that must come when we interact with our fellow fallen humans.
It may just be a product of old age that this is so. Or perhaps all the drugs I did way back in the sixties.
At any rate, I thank God for a short memory. It alleviates a lot of pain, I think.
I would be especially fearful, I were Buddhist, say, of the sin of scorekeeping.
One might come back in the next life as an elephant.
Sounds like a drag.
You have noticed, I am sure, that songwriters tend to work out personal issues through their craft. Not always, mind you, but often enough.
In the above-quoted example, the notion is put forth that sometimes the best way to love someone and get along with them is to be apart from them.
I can see the truth in that, can't you? Barring a deep-seated bitterness, we usually remember the good when we recall the past. I think fondly of friends and family who are separated by many years and many miles.
After all, it would be churlish of me to recall the minor slights and annoyances I suffered at their hands, would it not?
I have been blessed with forgetfulness of the occasional wounds that must come when we interact with our fellow fallen humans.
It may just be a product of old age that this is so. Or perhaps all the drugs I did way back in the sixties.
At any rate, I thank God for a short memory. It alleviates a lot of pain, I think.
I would be especially fearful, I were Buddhist, say, of the sin of scorekeeping.
One might come back in the next life as an elephant.
Sounds like a drag.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
What God Doesn't Know
Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose. -Isaiah 46:10
What interesting conversations we have! To see things through the lens of God's word and in the light of His reality leads us to share our faith with those who might not be Christian by sometimes simply sharing our joy in Christ.
But I think it is with brothers and sisters in Christ that I most enjoy conversing. Speaking with a friend of long-standing the other day, he expressed an astonishing opinion.
"I believe that God has laid out since before time what will come to pass, but He doesn't know exactly how it will happen. That is in our hands."
This is a variation of a notion called "Open Theism." Here is a detailed explanation:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/o-theism/
As I reminded my friend, there are more than a few passages that speak of God's ordaining knowledge of everything that will come to pass and the manner in which these things will occur.
None of which make God the author of sin (Psalms 5:4; James 1:13-14; 1 John 1:5).
The two most well-known are Joseph's reminder to his brothers that God had over-ridden their evil intent toward him to bring about good (Genesis 50:19-21) and Peter's Pentecost message that God in His sovereign foreknowledge turned the most heinous crime ever committed into His greatest gift to mankind (Acts 2:22-24).
Maybe the thought of God's gentlemanly sharing of His power and glory is appealing to some (in fact, who among us has not occasionally attempted to usurp these?). But God has given the lie to this notion (Isaiah 48:11).
Do you agree that we all share the common failing of thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought? We are tempted constantly to elevate the creature above the Creator. Even our worship services may tilt from the vertical to the horizontal if we are not careful.
I think my friend spoke without considering the implications of his words: that a God without all power and all knowledge simply ceases to be God.
And that can never be.
What interesting conversations we have! To see things through the lens of God's word and in the light of His reality leads us to share our faith with those who might not be Christian by sometimes simply sharing our joy in Christ.
But I think it is with brothers and sisters in Christ that I most enjoy conversing. Speaking with a friend of long-standing the other day, he expressed an astonishing opinion.
"I believe that God has laid out since before time what will come to pass, but He doesn't know exactly how it will happen. That is in our hands."
This is a variation of a notion called "Open Theism." Here is a detailed explanation:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/o-theism/
As I reminded my friend, there are more than a few passages that speak of God's ordaining knowledge of everything that will come to pass and the manner in which these things will occur.
None of which make God the author of sin (Psalms 5:4; James 1:13-14; 1 John 1:5).
The two most well-known are Joseph's reminder to his brothers that God had over-ridden their evil intent toward him to bring about good (Genesis 50:19-21) and Peter's Pentecost message that God in His sovereign foreknowledge turned the most heinous crime ever committed into His greatest gift to mankind (Acts 2:22-24).
Maybe the thought of God's gentlemanly sharing of His power and glory is appealing to some (in fact, who among us has not occasionally attempted to usurp these?). But God has given the lie to this notion (Isaiah 48:11).
Do you agree that we all share the common failing of thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought? We are tempted constantly to elevate the creature above the Creator. Even our worship services may tilt from the vertical to the horizontal if we are not careful.
I think my friend spoke without considering the implications of his words: that a God without all power and all knowledge simply ceases to be God.
And that can never be.
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