Versus to Verses – Page 2 – Overcome by writing, not fighting.

Walking the Walk…

I have a book titled Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado. The title begs the question: Is anyone just like Jesus? The short answer is no, no one is just like Jesus. I have another book titled The Imitation of Christ. Those of us who seek to be like Jesus Christ try as best we can to imitate him. Can anyone looking at someone seeking to imitate Jesus see Jesus in that person? That all depends on how close we walk with Jesus.

The picture above is of me and my mom. One day I was taking my mom to church and my sister surreptitiously took the picture. I am walking arm-in-arm with my mother and our steps appear to be in sync. I ask myself: Am I walking arm-in-arm with Jesus and how in sync are we? It is a simple question, but one with great ramifications. How close is my walk with Jesus? That is a question that I ask myself from time to time. Unfortunately, if I am honest, the answer is…not very close. It is a work in progress.

In 1 John 2:6 we read: “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” That is the challenge…how well do we walk the walk? So I undertake this exercise: I imagine that in the picture above it is not me and my mom, but me and Jesus Christ, walking arm-in-arm and, to the best of my ability, in sync. I know, that is a very lofty aspiration, one that is attained by so few, but one worth pursuing. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul states: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” If we seek to walk arm-in-arm with Jesus and imitate him as best we can, then we are, I think, as best we can given our human limitations, striving to be “just like” Jesus.

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September 16

My True Weight

Earlier this week I had a colonoscopy. My first one was ten years ago. One of my sisters asked me how many pounds I lost with the prep. That reminded me of a post from an old website I had and thought I would repost it here, with some minor edits.

As I walked through the wilderness of the world, I came to a place where there was a den. There I lay down to sleep; and as I slept, I dreamed a dream. In my dream I saw a man clothed with rags, standing by a path with a book in his hand and a great burden upon his back. His face was turned from his own house, which stood nearby. I saw him open his book and read, then begin to weep. No longer being able to control his feelings, he broke out with a mournful cry, saying, ‘What shall I do?’
[Pilgrim’s Progress – In Today’s English, John Bunyan – Retold by James H. Thomas (©1964, The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago)]

Recently, I heard about a congressman tweeting that he underwent a colonoscopy. I asked myself “why would anyone want to tweet about that? Then I had my own. I know, not something you really want to hear about. But, believe it or not, I have a positive message. So, back to my story. I was getting ready for the procedure; I did all the prep work the day before and very early the next morning. It occurred to me to weigh myself. I was curious to know how much I weighed after the “cleansing.” I weighed several pounds less than my most recent weight. I went to my wife and told her that I now knew my “true weight.” 😃

In the above quote from Pilgrim’s Progress we find Christian, a character carrying a heavy burden on his back. He felt the extra weight! He felt so weighed down by the burden that he could not move as quickly as he wished towards his destination, the Celestial City. The burden was in fact a handicap. How does Christian unload this burden? When asked by Worldly Wiseman “Whither bound in this burdened manner?” Christian replies:

Burdened indeed, as much as any poor creature can be. And since you ask, I am going to that little gate yonder before me; for there, I am informed, I shall be directed in the way to be rid of my burden.
Pilgrim’s Progress, id. at 19.

We oftentimes go around carrying burdens, some heavier than others, weighing us down. We all bear them in different ways. We meet people along the way, much like Christian does in Pilgrim’s Progress, who either give us additional burdens to carry or who help us carry or ease our loads. But do we ever find anyone who actually relieves us completely of our burdens?

In Jesus Christ we find that extremely rare opportunity:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus wants to unburden each of us and free us from whatever it is that weighs us down, the stuff that keeps us stuck in the mire:

Now, I saw in my dream that just as they ended this conversation they came near a miry slough that was in the middle of the plain. Being careless, they both fell into the bog, which was called the Slough of Despond. Here they floundered for a time in the mud. Soon Christian, because of his burden, began to sink.
Pilgrim’s Progress, id. at 17.

What burdens are you carrying that are causing you to sink in the mire? Jesus Christ can show you “the way to be rid of [your] burden.” He can help you find your true weight.

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August 27

Abracadabra!

This morning I opened my YouVersion app and the verse of the day was Matthew 7:8: “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” There was a short video chat on the verse and one comment caught my attention. The presenter stated that we cannot get everything we seek or ask for because then prayer would be like a magic trick. I know about magic tricks; I’ve been doing magic tricks since I was a kid. While it is true that prayer is not like a magic trick, there are some similarities worth noting, I think. I know, for example, that I need to practice a particular trick over and over before I perform it for anyone. If I don’t, chances are it will not come out right and, more importantly, it will not be convincing. In the same way, we need to practice our faith and our prayer life. That way, when we “present” our prayers to God, and our faith to others, we are more convincing. On the other hand, when I perform a magic trick, it must come off perfectly. If not, again, not convincing! God, on the other hand, does not seek perfection from us. True, in Matthew 5:48 we read: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Thankfully, I believe, that is an aspiration and not a requirement. One final comparison. The magic tricks I perform are primarily for children: “If we all could see the world through the eyes of a child we would see the magic in everything.” (Chee Vai Tang). In Matthew 18:1-5, we read: “Truly I say, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” So, we need to ask, seek, and knock as a child…that is when we truly see how wonderfully we are made. Psalm 139:14. Wow, I feel so inspired, I think I will go practice my magic tricks! Hey, here is the link to one of my tricks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF8LOK3rTdU&list=PLZ18io62pV0Udx0kkj0d7cUe7ocMo_PJR&index=8&t=42s, Check it out! Hope you like it. 😊

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June 29

How did we get here!

Yesterday was the first day of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, one of the four Grand Slams of tennis! Nice to see fans in the stands! Anyone who knows me knows that I love to play tennis and love watching the Grand Slams. So, I turned on the TV to catch some of the action and Andy Murray was playing Nikoloz Basilashvili. Murray was up two sets to love (2-0) and they were tied in the third set 5-5 with Basilashvili serving. So, Murray was looking real good before his hometown crowd, or was he? I heard the commentators expressing concern, not for Basilashvili, but for Murray. I exclaimed “what!” Murray was up two sets and they were on serve in the third! Why the concern for Murray? So I rewound the action to see how the third set got to five-all. And there it was! Murray was actually up 5-0 in the third! I went back to live coverage and, having won seven games in a row, Basilashvili won the third set 7-5! By going back to what happened before I turned the TV on, I understood why the commentators were saying what they were saying and understood the concern for Murray’s performance in the third set.

That got me thinking about a book I am reading: The Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancey. In the book, Yancey discusses the importance of reading the Old Testament (making up, as he points out, three-fourths of the Bible). He explains that while there are things in the Old Testament that some might consider troublesome and perhaps even contrary to how we think as Christians, it is by reading and understanding the Old Testament that one can better understand and appreciate the New Testament. By reading the Old Testament, one can better understand why New Testament writers wrote what they wrote.

So, just as I had to go back to the first ten games of the third set between Murray and Basilashvili to understand why the commentators were concerned for Murray, and why they were saying what they were saying — which upon first hearing made no sense to me — Yancey is saying that one needs to read the Old Testament to understand the New Testament and to better understand God, no matter how challenging the task. And why not? After all, the Old Testament is the Bible Jesus read!

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May 15

Closing the Door

I was at Home Depot recently. I bought some two-by-fours, mulch and a few other things. I loaded up the SUV, but the liftgate would not close. It would slowly go down but start back up once it hit bottom. I figured it was the two-by-fours, so I pushed them in, which was a bit challenging with the mulch on top. I pressed the liftgate button, but, again, the liftgate did not close. I moved the driver’s seat up a bit and pushed the two-by-fours, but same result. I moved around the mulch bags, same result. Anyhow, I realized that what was preventing the liftgate from closing was my granddaughter’s stroller that is usually there by itself, but that I had to move in order to get the other stuff in. I moved the stroller a bit and, wham!, the liftgate closed.

This little experience made me think of times in our lives when we want to “shut the door” and it does not close. We want to shut the door on a bad memory, a bad habit, an unwanted attitude, or a bad relationship. We shift things around in our minds, our lives, in order to accomplish that, but the door does not close. We try moving other things around, but the door still does not close. If we keep working at it, eventually we move the right pieces, in our minds or in our lives, and get the door to close. Wham! Done! We have closed the door on that bad memory, bad habit, unwanted attitude, or bad relationship. Just one thing…if that thing, whatever it is, comes knocking, do not open the door!

As Christians, we pray for God to help us close certain doors, doors representing pain, loss, grief. We also pray that God opens doors for us. Revelations 3:7-8 speaks on this very subject. It is so powerful! Meditate on it.

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you
an open door that no one can shut.
Revelations 3:7-8

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April 1

A Sliver of Christ

If I could be a sliver of Christ
A slim, barely noticeable sliver
If I could convey a sliver of his love
However small it may appear
If I could imitate a sliver of his charity
A sliver of Christ I would be

If I could offer a sliver of his friendship
Narrow as it might seem
If I could exhibit a sliver of his compassion
Though barely visible to the naked eye
If I could model a sliver of his kindness
A sliver of Christ I would be

If I could emulate a sliver of his obedience
No matter how slight it may seem
If I could show a sliver of his mercy
No matter how limited that may be
If I could reveal a sliver of his glory
A sliver of Christ I would be

If I could exemplify a sliver of his humility
No matter how minute such may be
If I could express a sliver of his humanity
For all of humanity to see
If I could reflect a sliver of his divinity
A sliver of Christ I would be

If I could but a sliver be
A sliver of Christ I would be

As Christians around the world quickly approach Good Friday and Easter Sunday, I humbly offer this poem. I have a little book titled The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis. I have had it since high school, more than forty years. I hope that during all that time I have reflected a sliver of Christ to others. The world has been going though a dark winter. May we as Christians shine a sliver of Christ’s light and may all those slivers of light show the way out of the darkness: “I am the light of the world. He who follows me does not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).

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January 27

At First a Stranger, But Only at First

A stranger's eyes met my own
A stranger's eyes saw my needs
A stranger's eyes looked upon me kindly
At first a stranger, but only at first

A stranger's ears heard me weep
A stranger's ears heard my cry
A stranger's ears listened to my problems
At first a stranger, but only at first 

A stranger's voice consoled me
A stranger's voice comforted me
A stranger's voice encouraged me
At first a stranger, but only at first

A stranger's hand touched my forehead
A stranger's hand wiped my tears
A stranger's hand led me out of darkness
At first a stranger, but only at first

A stranger's arms lifted me
A stranger's arms embraced me
A stranger's arms held me tight
At first a stranger, but only at first

A stranger's heart felt my pain
A stranger's heart cried for me
A stranger's heart loved me
At first a stranger, but only at first

It is a beautiful thing when a stranger helps someone in need. I am reminded of the parable of the good Samaritan, how a perfect stranger helped out a man attacked by robbers who was left for dead; how the stranger bandaged the man’s wounds, put him on his donkey, and took him to an inn. As if that wasn’t enough, the stranger promised the innkeeper he would take care of the bill on his way back! A beautiful story. Jesus used this parable to demonstrate what it meant to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Fortunately, there are people out there, day after day, being good neighbors during this time of pandemic, helping out perfect strangers. As in the poem, these strangers are strangers at first, but only at first.

Luke 10:25-37

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November 15

Life’s Odometer

The distance we have traveled in life
Whether one year or one hundred
Cannot be changed or altered
No matter how much we have blundered

We have been where we have been
We have done what we have done
None of that can ever be changed
No matter what we've lost or what we've won

But in Christ we have a rare opportunity
To be renewed, to be "born again"
To start fresh, to start over
No matter our past, no matter our pain

In Christ, we can reset life's odometer
And head in a whole new direction
Renewed in mind, body, and soul
In Him we become a new creation

Reflection: It is human to dwell on the past. We cannot help but hit the playback button of our minds as if we were watching TV reruns. Inadvertently, however, we sometimes trigger some of the same negative behavior simply by focusing on it. In other words, thinking too much about our past sins can keep us trapped in them. In Christ we find the strength to move forward, beyond past negative and sometimes destructive behavior.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

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September 7

The Move

Johnny: “There is nothing to be nervous about, alright? Just relax, be cool, when the time is right, make your move.”

Miguel: “Move, what move, I don’t have a move, what’s my move?”

[From the hit Netflix series Cobra Kai (2018) that continues the rivalry between Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence begun in the 1984 film The Karate Kid]

In my basement there are many trophies on display. All except for one belong to my children. My one trophy is the 102 lb. Wrestling Champ that I won in 1976 when I was in eighth grade. I remember winning that trophy like it was yesterday. I was wrestling a more talented and stronger competitor. He had me beat in points. It was getting late in the third period and I knew that I had to do something. I knew that the only way I would win was with a pin. So, I looked for my opportunity, and I made my move. I stepped around him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and took him down, onto his back. We were near the edge of the matt and he tried to jimmy his way off – out of bounds – to force the referee to break us up. I pressed as hard as I could against his chest, knowing full well that this was it; I would not get a second chance. I closed my eyes and kept pressing his back onto the matt. Then I heard the sound all wrestlers love to hear – unless it is their back against the matt – the sound of the referee’s hand hitting the matt. The next thing I knew, my hand was raised in victory! I remember how excited I was, jumping up and down! It was awesome!

I tell this story because it reminds me that sometimes all you need is that one move. The one move that will turn it all around and allow you to raise your hand in victory. The one move that no matter what has happened until then, you come out on top! You can find yourself in need of that move in sports, work, and in life in general. You might need to resort to the one move that can make all the difference, the one move that will make you jump up for joy! That is what Daniel Larusso did in The Karate Kid when – with one leg injured – he used the “Crane” stance to win the match! So, let me ask you, what is your move?

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August 1

Anxious Moments

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ . . . Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time. . . until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. John 8:3-11

When I read this passage, I sense several anxious moments. A crowd gathered with the purpose of judging a woman and to have her stoned for committing adultery. I sense the woman’s anxiety. I sense the crowd’s anxiety. Amid that anxiety, Jesus simply bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. That act probably baffled the crowd; not what they were expecting. Whatever Jesus wrote has remained a mystery. What we do know is that everyone but the woman – and of course Jesus – left.

In his book Scribbling in the Sand, author and musician Michael Card describes this scene. Card writes:

What Jesus did that morning created a space in time that allowed the angry mob to first cool down, then to hear his word, and finally to think about it, be convicted by it and respond — or not. It made time stand still. It was original. It was unexpected. It was a response to the noise and confusion and busyness all around him, yet it was not in the least tainted by the noise. Instead, Jesus’ action created a frame around the silence — the kind of silence in which God speaks to the heart. In short, it was a supreme act of creativity. It was art. (Scribbling in the Sand, InterVarsity Press, copyright 2002, at p. 16).

We live in extremely anxious times. COVID-19, economic stress, and racial strife are all around us. Responses amid these anxious times vary. T .S. Elliot is quoted as saying, “anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity.” I know this to be true because some of my own poems were born out of anxious moments. Throughout history, God has spoken to us through art. As Card puts it, “This is art through which God is seen and heard, in which he is incarnate, is ‘fleshed out’ in paint and ink, in stone, in creative movement.” (Scribbling in the Sand, at p. 17).

How do you respond to anxiety? How do you handle all the “noise and confusion”? Perhaps you find yourself writing, painting, composing or dancing! These are indeed anxious times. Perhaps it is that “space in time” that fosters the best creative moments. I would add that when creativity is used to honor God, it is indeed worship of the highest order.

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