Nurture Faith with Dr. Doug Hood

The following mediation is from Dr. Doug Hood\’s upcoming book, Nurture Faith; Five Minute Mediations to Strengthen Your Walk with Christ, volume 2.

“Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. Love puts up with all things, trust in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (Common English Bible)

              The other day I came across a piece written by Earl Nightingale that he titled, How to Be Miserable. He provided remarkable clarity about some of the things I have been wrestling with recently, clarity about self-inflicted misery. Nightingale writes, “The first step to real, professional-type, solid, unremitting misery is to get all wrapped up in yourself and your problems – real or imagined. Become a kind of island, surrounded on every side by yourself. By turning all of your thoughts inward upon yourself, naturally you cannot spend much or any time thinking about others and other things. And so, finally, the outside world – the real world – will disappear into a kind of Hitchcock-type fog.”[i]

              Nightingale continues with a stinging observation that the type of person who chooses misery, who turns inward upon himself or herself doesn’t have much in the wisdom department. Otherwise, they simply wouldn’t do it. With the absence of wisdom, they turn inward and discover that there is not much there. There is a kind of vacuum, and they have to embellish perceived, or real, hurts and slights from others or invent things entirely. Negative – and harmful – behavior is then directed outward toward those who have caused them harm. This behavior may simply be for punishment, to cause pain equal to what they are experiencing, or to manipulate others to meet some relational expectation.

              Where Nightingale provides an unpleasant portrait of a miserable person, the apostle Paul provides divine knowledge – or wisdom – for fleeing from misery: love others, particularly when that love is difficult. Paul beautifully expresses the very nature of love by its positive attributes – “love is patient, love is kind.” Paul provides additional wisdom by sharing what love isn’t and doesn’t do – “it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints.” What Paul provides is a different portrait from Nightingale, a portrait of a person who actively participates in the unity and well being of relationships with another.

              It is widely embraced that the Christian faith is less to do with right beliefs and more to do with right behavior. A person may have a grasp of the Holy Scriptures that is unparalleled, able to articulate a particular theological position with uncommon clarity and yet remain untouched by God’s transforming power – the transformation that deepens love for God and love for others. Such a faith is a lazy faith because it requires no effort. Love requires effort. Love demands that we struggle against an impulse to turn inward and compile a record of complaints against another. Such love “puts up with all things, trust in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.” It is a love that knows no misery.

 Joy,

“He lifted me out of the pit of death, out of the mud and filth, and set my feet on solid rock. He steadied my legs.”

Psalm 40:2  (Common English Bible)

Here is a life that many of us understand. Life is characterized as being a “pit of death – a life of mud and filth.” This poignant description betrays that present circumstances did not simply fall upon the one who speaks. “Mud and filth” are not the consequence of disadvantage, not the result of some disaster or illness that comes without personal consent. Rather, this decay of a personal experience of life has been fashioned by intentional choices, one bad choice following another. Perhaps the choices made were hesitant at first, slow and then questioned. But once a descent into careless living began, movement became more swift and confident. Delight in drinking, or gambling, or immoral behavior brought increasing pleasure. 

Then comes the collapse of all self-worth, a reckoning of the internal depravity that begins to reveal itself in physical appearance and behavior. The face can no longer hide the ruin of the interior life. Others clearly see the writing of the unfortunate choices written upon the man or woman. The signs of rot and disorder grow stronger, clearer. Any good or decency that remains continues to diminish until it is nearly smothered as the tyranny of the immoral life assumes command. The individual – both body and soul – once a sweet habitation of all that is good, decent, and holy now entertains what is corrupt and evil. Choices, once deliberate, now are in control. The man or woman is now held hostage in a “pit of death.”

Then comes a cry for help. What once was pleasurable has become agony – what once was pursued has become a master. The cry of desperation is made to Almighty God. Some years ago when my daughter, Rachael, was quite young I overheard her telling other little girls her faith story. With four other sets of eyes mesmerized by the narrative that flowed from her libs I heard, “I was a slave girl in Egypt and Pharaoh was so mean to me. But my God is bigger than Pharaoh and God came one day, beat Pharaoh up, and brought me home.” For a four-year-old girl, this was her understanding of the Exodus story she had heard from her father so many times. The message was clear and certain. She could count on God.

The one who shares this faith story in Psalm 40 knows they can count on God. A cry of desperation is made to Almighty God to come, overwhelm the master that holds them captive in “a pit of death” and to bring them home. The cry may be made at the eleventh hour but God comes. God comes without ridicule, without mockery, or taunts of “I told you so.” God simply comes. From the place of captivity of whatever enslavement, whatever addiction that holds a grip upon the man or woman, the hand of God appears. That hand is stronger. Once more, the enslaved is brought home. His or her feet are set on solid ground, strength is returned to the legs and life is steadied. A nightmare of horrible dreams ends.

Joy,

The following meditation will be published in Dr. Hood’s upcoming book,

Nurture Faith: Five Minute Meditations to Strengthen Your Walk with Christ, vol. 2.

\”Love is patient, love is king, it isn\’t jealous, it doesn\’t brag, it isn\’t arrogant.\”

 “A time for crying and a time for laughing.”

Ecclesiastes 3:4a (Common English Bible)

Samuel Butler said, “The one serious conviction that a man should have is that nothing is to be taken seriously.” I remember early in my ministry a man took exception to my humor during worship, “Worship should be religious and not a time for laughter.” In fairness, he didn’t object to laughter. He had a wonderful sense of humor and his laughter was contagious. His contention was that laughter didn’t belong in worship. I suppose he could have built a sturdy argument from this lesson in Ecclesiastes. There is not present in this book of the Bible an objection to laughter. Only that there is a proper time for it and, perhaps, worship is not that time.

On the other hand, I remember the prominent preacher, Thomas Long once commenting that worship is “dress rehearsal” for life in the kingdom – for our eternal life with God following our resurrection from death. In the drama of worship we learn the vocabulary for that life, specifically, the language of praise and adoration of God, and the posture for that life, the posture of humility. But – and perhaps most importantly – we learn something of the nature of God and how God desires to be in relationship with us. Worship becomes a moment that provides a glimpse of ordinary life with our creator. If that is true, then laughter belongs in worship. Without it, we could easily lose it.

Naturally, we are to be serious about some situations. When someone becomes ill or suffers an injury there is simply no room for laughter. The death of a loved one or news of the devastating loss of a marriage, financial security, or estrangement from someone we hold dear present moments when we rather quickly become serious. Samuel Butler would concur with Ecclesiastes that these are moments not for laughing but for crying and mourning. Yet, we should not let these moments last for very long. Not any of the moments represent the sum total of a life. That is precisely the argument of Ecclesiastes. When we lose our ability to laugh, those other moments have the potential to tear our life apart.

Recently I learned of the work of artist Deb Minnard. She has completed nearly a dozen paintings of Jesus laughing. These works are a delightful contrast to the wide depiction of Jesus as serious or somber. On February 3, 2013 I stood in the pulpit to welcome the congregation to worship. That Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday and the Baltimore Ravens were facing the San Francisco 49ers for the NFL championship. With my own team, the Philadelphia Eagles eliminated for the season, I threw my support to the Ravens. In my welcome that morning I simply noted for the congregation that I was wearing a purple necktie – the Ravens’ team color. I believe that Deb Minnard captured in her paintings Jesus’ response.

Joy,

The following is from Doug Hood\’s upcoming book,

Nurture Faith: Five Minute Mediations to Strengthen Your Walk with Christ, Vol. 2  

“Train yourself for a holy life! While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come.”

1 Timothy 4:7b, 8 (Common English Bible)

Thoreau said, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams…he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”[i] Advancement in a chosen direction is intentional movement, not simply a longing or a dream. One is aspirational; the other is a determined pursuit. One person may aspire to learn the Italian language; another enrolls in language class. Therefore, we need to ask ourselves, “Have I determined a pathway for realizing my dreams? Am I now pursuing that path?” Success, says Thoreau, belongs to those who begin to move in the direction that is right for them. That is when things start to go our way.

In this letter to Timothy, Paul uses an athletic metaphor to describe, “Advancing confidently in the direction of a holy life.” He urges the reader to “Train yourself,” that is, to advance intentionally and confidently in the direction for living as Christ. The Greek word Paul uses for “train” is the word from which we get “gymnasium.” It would be odd for anyone to go to a gym simply to watch others train. Gyms have value, not as “observation posts” for people who dream of better health, but as an “action center” for advancing toward better health. When Paul speaks about training in holy living, he is talking about activities that engage us – activities that make a demand upon us.

It is good for us to reassess our priorities from time to time. Often we speak of our aspirations: an aspiration to learn a musical instrument, an aspiration to travel, or an aspiration to return to school. Yet, without “advancing confidently in the direction of our dreams,” they remain aspirations. Absent is a commitment and plan to advance toward them. Someone once observed that our priorities are transparent for the world to see – they see our priorities in what we do each day. The mature person understands that what is important receives time, energy, and intentionality. If consistently arriving to work on time is important for job security, we arrive to work on time.  

Thomas Long writes that if the holy life is our aim, we go to the theological gym to do curls, crunches, and run laps to train, not to run a marathon but in order to be people of love.[ii] Naturally, observes Tom Long, it does not take much training to love the lovable. However, when Christ calls us to love those who are difficult to love – or to love our enemies – then, that takes practice. That takes time in the theological gym. “Train yourself for a holy life!” writes Paul. The great Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung said that the supreme goal of men and women is to fulfil themselves – to honor their unique calling in life. The apostle Paul is asking that we now honor our baptismal vows – to become like Christ.

Joy,

“‘I really thought that I ought to oppose the name of Jesus the Nazarene in every way possible. And that’s exactly what I did in Jerusalem. I locked up many of God’s holy people in prison under the authority of the chief priests. When they were condemned to death, I voted against them. In one synagogue after another – indeed, in all the synagogues – I would often torture them, compelling them to slander God. My rage bordered on the hysterical as I pursued them, even to foreign cities.’”

Acts 26: 9-11 (Common English Bible)

 Snoopy, of Peanuts comic strip fame, was sitting on his doghouse writing another novel. No Ernest Hemingway, he begins his novel as he begins all his novels, “It was a dark and stormy night.” Lucy comes along, looks at Snoopy’s draft and begins to berate him. “How silly you are,” she says, “for such a beginning. Everyone knows that every great novel begins with, ‘Once upon a time.’” In the next frame, Snoopy starts again. “Once upon a time it was a dark and stormy night.” Perhaps you feel that way some days. In your heart it is a dark and stormy time. For many people, the inner storm is the result of guilt, guilt for failures that have hurt those we love. Lucy fails to understand that no turn of phrase can settle the storm.

 It seems to me that most people today live with some guilt. For some, the burden of guilt diminishes their posture, shoulders pushed down and eyes that are heavy. Guilt is felt for what has been done and for what has been left undone. In one church that I served a man confessed that he cheated on his wife during a business trip. He asked that I tell her for him, “She will take it better from you. She respects you.” Naturally, that comment was code that he no longer carried any self-respect. He was ashamed of himself, knew that his wife deserved better. He continued that there remained nothing his wife could do to make him feel worse. The shame would remain on his back forever, he told me.

This story from Acts is the third account of Paul’s conversion to the Christian faith. As in the previous two times the story is told, Paul details his persecution of the church. Paul holds nothing back. Paul does not gloss over the details. Paul locked up many of God’s holy people. When they were condemned to death, Paul voted against them. In synagogue after synagogue, Paul tortured Christians for their belief in Jesus and compelled them to slander God. When Christians ran to foreign cities to flee Paul’s persecution, Paul pursued them, Paul’s behavior often becoming hysterical. What is striking to the reader is that Paul confesses his evil but never demonstrates any sense of shame. Not one word of dark remorse is spoken.

 What is Paul’s secret to a life without shame? Well, according to the Bible, true guilt follows the judgment, not of others, but of God. It is our refusal to live in dependency upon God. That refusal results in behavior that harms our relationship with others. Shame is the felt condemnation of the brokenness that follows. Yet, pay attention to the moment Jesus confronts Paul with Paul’s sin – Jesus does not beat Paul down with shame. Jesus tells Paul to stand on his feet. It is only then that Paul can return to God. Jesus does not use Paul’s guilt to disgrace him but to change him. It is then that Paul learns that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. Without condemnation, without God’s judgment, there is no shame.

Joy,

“This is the day the Lord acted; we will rejoice and celebrate in it!”

Psalm 118:24 (Common English Bible)

 Here and Now is a high energy, uplifting country song by Kenny Chesney that muses on living in the present moment. The track begins with memory of things past, the skyline in New York City, fireflies in Tennessee, and enjoying the sun sinking into the sea from a dozen different islands, “Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and hat.” The track then moves forward to the “Here and Now.” This is Chesney’s favorite place, “Ain’t no better place, ain’t no better time than Here and Now.” Those familiar with Chesney’s work will recognize a regular message of savoring life in the present moment, free of longing for the past or waiting for tomorrow. Chesney’s contention is that the present moment is what we have now – why wait for something in the future and miss what is abundantly available now. The song weighs how we live now against what we want sometime in the future.

There are people who cling very tightly to the past. They are unable to let go. They hold on beyond anything that is reasonable. Consequently, they are unable to live fully in the present. The result is despair: despair for what is lost. Other people are very future-oriented. They carry a daily planner that contains pages for the present year and for the next year or two. I am that person. My wife and children tease me because I am presently planning our vacation for March of 2023 – two years away! It is tough for me to be in the present and enjoy the promise of what this day seeks to offer. Planning is not necessarily bad. In some respects, planning demonstrates responsibility such as planning carefully for retirement. However, thinking about the future can keep you from appreciating the only day we can live in and that is the present day.

Perhaps this is why Psalm 118 is one of my favorite Psalms. The twenty-fourth verse seems to leap-off the page – “This is the day!” Often, that is the reminder that I need to let the future remain in the future and to enjoy what God desires for me to possess today. It is true for all of us. This is the day that God gives for our work and enjoyment – for us to experience blessings and to bless. This is the day that we may notice God, rejoice, and celebrate. If we look in one direction or another, look to the past or look to the future, God sneaks up, taps us on the shoulder, and asks that we pay attention to the here and now. God softens the longing for what has past and asks that we trust what is to come to God’s care. The present offers pure astonishment, wonder, and delight in the pursuit of God’s ongoing activity in the world.

Kenny Chesney seems to acknowledge that it is tough to be present and to be “in the moment” and try to live with enthusiasm and wonder in that space, “Everybody’s waiting, but they’re waiting on what? Better get to living, ‘cause all we’ve got is here and now.” The best place, the best moment is here and now. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Not next year. Nor March of 2023. If we fail to claim this, we find that we miss everything that matters. The Lord is active this day, active right now. All of our yesterdays and all of our tomorrows are unable to offer the opportunity that is available in the present moment to experience life as it unfolds all around us. Chesney brings his song to a close, “A lotta people dreaming ‘bout a one-day-some-days waiting just around the bend. I used to be one, wonderin’ when they’d come. But now I’m livin’in Here and Now.” This Psalm invites the same.

Joy,

 The following is from Doug Hood\’s 

\” Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.\’\”

Matthew 5:3 (Common English Bible)

Crowds again gathered near to Jesus. Wherever Jesus seemed to travel, word would quickly move among the community and people would drop whatever activity that engaged them to listen for a word from Jesus – any word. Such was the power of the spoken word that fell from the lips of Jesus. That day was no different than today. As the old maxim goes, “Time is money.” If people stopped whatever they were doing to hear a word from Jesus, there was perceived value in that word. The value was simply that Jesus addressed life – life, as we have to live it. Jesus’ words were never dissociated from life. They were deliberate, vital, life-giving. Jesus never spoke to simply capture an ear. Jesus came to solve problems with living.

On this particular day, the first word spoken by Jesus was, “Happy.” It is not possible to over-estimate the significance of that beginning. This was not a chance word – a word chosen at random. Jesus could not begin his sermon that day with any other word. It was an inevitable word. The whole point of God coming to God’s people in flesh and blood, to live life as we lived life, was to experience life as we experienced life. Life is difficult. Daily, the determination to be happy, to experience life as God intends, meets with disappointment, inequity, and struggle. Our experience is Jesus’ experience. In the final analysis, Jesus sought to lessen the struggle. So, Jesus chooses this day to offer practical guidance for a happy life.

It is a welcomed word. The world is captive to an instinctive desire for happiness. Many may struggle for happiness day following day on what seems an endless journey. We might imagine that to be the story for many who gathered that day to listen to Jesus. Yet, the desire remains undiminished. However painful life may become, people cling to the hope – the possibility – that happiness might be claimed. Each of us believes in it, we seek it, the thought of happiness possessing us, demanding to be possessed. It is as though the great verdict of the world is that God intends that we are happy and Jesus has come do what is necessary to deliver on God’s intention.

As the people listened that day to Jesus, they heard God’s manifesto – they heard God’s singular concern for the well-being of all people. This would be the driving purpose, the driving force at the center of Jesus’ ministry. The absence of happiness was the cause of the world’s misery. The broken, the listless, the weary gathered at the foot of a mountain that day to be encouraged that hope remained in their grasp. Lives scorched by sin, lives on the cusp of despair nevertheless hoped against hope that there might be another day with beauty available to them. Matthew tells us that such a number gathered that they were a crowd. Looking at them, Jesus sat down and taught them. He began with one word, “Happy.”

Joy,