Caroling, Caroling

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I did something I haven’t done in a long, long time. Not since college. Maybe even high school. I went caroling, complete with printed sheets of lyrics and everything. Just like it was back in the late 1900s.

It’s been that long.

Back in the day, we’d all gather together and carpool from place to place with our arsenal of festive seasonal classics. I’m sure we were joyful and triumphant in our attempts to pull off the carols and jingles. We probably came closer to making a joyful noise than anything else. I couldn’t tell if the guy next to me was trying to harmonize or was just really off-key, but it didn’t really matter in the end. A good time was had by all.

Tonight, we started off visiting the house of a deacon who very recently had been fighting for his life. It was heartwarming to see him standing in the doorway, a sort of miracle in itself, with his wife wiping away tears of gratitude as we sang loudly and zestily (if not always in tune or in the same key).

Then we headed over to my pastor’s parent’s to do more yuletide crooning. They’ve both had health issues and have had a rough 2022, but they were both pleased and grateful to see us gathered in their front yard, singing about those herald angels.

The last stop was the next-door neighbor who was a founding member of Brentwood Baptist Church along with her late husband. She lost him around this time last year, and I’m sure she was thankful for the company. Christmas is a beautiful time, but sometimes I forget that it’s not the easiest season if you’re missing a loved one.

I snapped a picture of this forlorn little reindeer in one of the yards. Hopefully, someone got a good snapshot of all of us singing in different keys and sometimes different verses at the same time. The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir we were not.

But I’d do it all again tomorrow night if I could. In fact, I hope this caroling thing becomes another tradition that I can look forward to through the spring, summer and fall.

The Most Reluctant Convert

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I did something that I rarely do these days — I went to an actual movie in an actual movie theater. It’s been a while.

Normally, I like to wait for it to hit streaming services because few films are worth paying the current price of movie tickets. But in this case, I made an exception. I wanted to support a faith-based film from a group that I’ve grown to respect as I’ve gotten to know about them, the Fellowship for Performing Arts, led by one Max McLean.

The film is centered around the story of C. S. Lewis’ 10-year journey from atheism to Christianity. Without giving away too much, the narrative device they use to tell the story is unique and compelling. I feel like Mr. McLean masterfully portrayed the title character and the filming locations gave the production a note of authenticity.

But what captivated me most was the way the movie used Lewis’ own words. I believe a lot of the narrative came directly from his autobiography Surprised by Joy. For once, it’s a faith-based film that actually succeeds at being a good film first, and without being preachy or didactic.

It will make you want to dive deep into the writings of C. S. Lewis, both apologetic and fiction, as well as possibly leading you to check out some of writers who inspired him such as George MacDonald and G. K. Chesterton. I can’t recommend it highly enough for anyone who wants a quality movie about the nuances of faith and intellect.

Do Thou for Me

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“Do Thou for me, O God the Lord,
Do Thou for me.
I need not toil to find the word
That carefully
Unfolds my prayer and offers it,
My God, to Thee.

It is enough that Thou wilt do,
And wilt not tire,
Wilt lead by cloud, all the night through
By light of fire,
Till Thou has perfected in me
Thy heart’s desire.

For my beloved I will not fear,
Love knows to do
For him, for her, from year to year,
As hitherto.
Whom my heart cherishes are dear
To Thy heart too.

O blessèd be the love that bears
The burden now,
The love that frames our very prayers,
Well knowing how
To coin our gold.  O God the Lord,
Do Thou, Do Thou” (Amy Carmichael).

There are times when we simply don’t know how to pray for a circumstance or a loved one. Try as we may, the words will not come.

I think even then God hears the groans and sighs of our petitions and knows what they mean. He hears the deepest desires of our hearts and knows best how to grant them.

Even when we have words, they aren’t always the best ones. Sometimes, we ask without such a limited point of view. Sometimes we ask selfishly. Sometimes we have too small a view of God and ask too little.

In Jan Karon’s Mitford series, Father Tim Kavanaugh always has his go-to prayer, or “the prayer that never fails,” as he calls it. The prayer goes “Thy will be done.”

You can never go wrong with leaving the matter in God’s hands.

Taking it Back to 1850

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I ran across another hymn that I wish we could bring back. I’m a fan of modern worship, but sometimes I think we miss out by eliminating the old hymns completely. This is one that could possibly use a newer arrangement but the words are still powerful:

“Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away.
Change and decay in all around I see.
O thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need thy presence every passing hour.
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like thyself my guide and strength can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.

I fear no foe with thee at hand to bless,
ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes.
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me” 1 Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

2 Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away.
Change and decay in all around I see.
O thou who changest not, abide with me.

3 I need thy presence every passing hour.
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like thyself my guide and strength can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.

4 I fear no foe with thee at hand to bless,
ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

5 Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes.
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me” (Henry Francis Lyte).

Sing with Your Conduct

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“Don’t let your life give evidence against your tongue. Sing with your voices… sing also with your conduct” (St. Augustine).

I think it was Brennan Manning who once said that the greatest single cause for atheism in the world are Christians who profess Jesus with their lips, and then walk out the door of worship and deny Him with their lifestyle.

That’s the classic definition of a hypocrite — pretending to be something that you’re not. And the best way to determine a phony is not what comes out of their mouth but how they act, especially when they think no one’s watching.

That’s the reasoning behind Romans 12:1-2. Worship isn’t just singing. Worship is sacrifice.

Anyone can sing songs about God. Anyone can get caught up in the moment and say it’s worship. But then again, you can do the same thing at a secular concert or at a football game.

True worship isn’t an event but a lifestyle. It doesn’t start at 9:30 on Sunday morning but from the moment you wake up until you lay your head on the pillow at night.

Yes, sing to the Lord. Sing loudly — even if you sound like a dying moose. But also sing with your actions as well as your words. Sing with your work ethic. Sing with your compassion to those in need around you. Sing with how well you love your spouse and your family. Sing with your life.

The Joy of Jesus

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“The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father–the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do. Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest).

Lord, I pray that that same joy of Jesus will be our joy. I pray that we will live every moment in self-surrender and self-sacrifice, longing only to do Your will. Lord, slay in us any desires that aren’t of You and help us to love what You love so that we might pray in Your name and in accord with Your will.

Jesus, You didn’t see Your lofty position as something to be held onto tightly, but You emptied Yourself and took the form of a slave. You were obedient in every waking moment all the way up to Golgatha and laid down Your life for us so that we might be set free and live. May Your example be ours as well. Amen.

Barrenness and Desolation

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“What is my barrenness? It is the platform for His fruit-creating power. What is my desolation? It is the black setting for the sapphire of His everlasting love.

“I will go in poverty, I will go in helplessness, I will go in all my shame and backsliding, I will tell Him that I am still His child, and in confidence in His faithful heart, even I, the barren one, will sing and cry aloud” (Charles Spurgeon).

This goes out to anyone who has ever felt like a screen door on a submarine (with much thanks to Rich Mullins for that rich metaphor). You know . . . useless. Pointless. As in why do I even exist?

The moment of your confession of barrenness and desolation is the very moment where God shows up. The moment you confess your inadequacy is when you find that God is more than able. The moment you cry aloud and boast in your very weakness is when God shows that His strength is perfect.

The bad news is that we’re all profoundly messed up because of our sin condition. The good news is that God in Christ has already done something about that. The good news is that for those who have trusted Jesus for salvation, God in Christ has made you new and doesn’t see failure but sees the perfection of Christ’s righteousness in you.

In that great mercy, go to God with all your shame and backsliding. Sing and cry aloud. Tell God and remind yourself that you are still His child. Remember that you are never alone, never forsaken, never hopeless. God is with you.

A Different Mindset

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“The prayer of a Christian brother who was in prison for years in Romania during the difficult years of the cold war. He prayed:

‘Lord, I look forward to the great day I see you and your family in heaven. I look forward to seeing the great evangelists standing before you. I look forward to the day I see all the missionaries coming home rejoicing with their sheaves. I look forward to hearing all the great singers of the world praising you. I look forward to seeing the great preachers of the ages standing before you.

“But Lord, I have one special request. When that day comes, allow me to be there in the clothing of a prisoner. I want to praise you throughout eternity in my prisoner’s clothes to always remind me that I was a prisoner for you.'”

Sometimes, it feels like the faith of persecuted people is different than our comfortable brand of Christianity. We tend to deconstruct or quit when our lives get difficult, but these people endured prison and sometimes even death and would not waver. They were committed to the cause, no matter what.

I don’t want to paint with too broad a brush, but I think our comfort may be our biggest culprit. We’ve associated our faith too long with material prosperity and favor. We’ve forgotten what Jesus meant when He said that following Him meant taking up your cross daily.

The people in Jesus’ day knew exactly what that meant. Taking up your cross meant that you were heading toward your death. Crosses weren’t gold-plated symbols of fashion. They were instruments of torture. Jesus was essentially saying what Dietrich Bonhoeffer would later say, “When Christ calls a man [or woman], He bids him [or her] come and die.”

I don’t want to be morbid. I don’t want to come across as looking forward to pain and suffering. I know Jesus said that in this life, we all will have tribulation and trials and trouble. But the good news is that He has overcome, and to the ones who endure, He will grant a crown of victory.

Lord, help us to be followers who will seek obedience over convenience and faithfulness over comfort. Help us to live out your words and be ready to take up our own crosses and follow You, no matter what the cost. Because You died for us, we will live for You. Amen.

The Race That Knows Joseph

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Lately, I’ve been listening to Anne’s House of Dreams, the fourth book in the Avonlea series by L. M. Montgomery. Those of you who grew up reading and watching Anne of Green Gables are probably very familiar with these books.

In this book, the author uses a phrase repeatedly — someone is of the race that knows Joseph. That basically means that person is a kindred spirit or a lifelong friend as opposed to a seasonal acquaintance.

It comes from the passage in Exodus where it states that a new pharaoh arose who didn’t know Joseph and subsequently had the Israelite people made into slaves.

I’ve learned that real and true friends are rare. People who are willing to invest in you and make time for you are precious in the sense of something that is expensive because it is rare and hard to find.

If you are of the race that knows Joseph, it means you are dependable and can be trusted. If you have those kind of people in your life, you are blessed indeed.

The Word

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“Christians are persons who no longer seek their salvation, their deliverance, their justification in themselves, but in Jesus Christ alone. They know that God’s Word in Jesus Christ pronounces them guilty, even when they feel nothing of their own guilt, and that God’s Word in Jesus Christ pronounces them free and righteous even when they feel nothing of their own righteousness…

Because they daily hunger and thirst for righteousness, they long for the redeeming Word again and again. It can only come from the outside. In themselves they are destitute and dead. Help must come from the outside; and it has come and comes daily and anew in the Word of Jesus Christ, bringing us redemption, righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. But God put this Word into the mouth of human beings so that it may be passed on to others. When people are deeply affected by the Word, they tell it to other people. God has willed that we should seek and find God’s living Word in the testimony of other Christians, in the mouths of human beings. Therefore, Christians need other Christians who speak God’s Word to them. They need them again and again when they become uncertain and disheartened” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).

The quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi says to preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary to use words.

I think if we want to communicate the gospel clearly, it’s always necessary to use words. Otherwise, we are teaching and preaching a gospel of good works and good actions. What we do flows from who we are, and if we are truly born again and made alive, then our actions will match.

Also, the Bible states that part of the salvation experience is to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. That part isn’t what saves you. It’s grace through faith that saves you. But the confession shows that you are truly a child of God and are trusting in Christ alone.

That said, we need to preach the gospel to ourselves and to others over and over again. I’ve heard it said that we never outgrow our need for the gospel. We may learn deeper meanings and uncover more truths and applications to our lives, but we always circle back to John 3:16 in the end.

Having a Bible is great. Carrying one around is even better. But what makes a difference in your life is when you spend time reading it, studying it, meditating on it, memorizing it. That’s when the gospel really takes root and real change happens. That’s where you learn to discern truth from half-truths and falsehoods. You recognize when someone is teaching error or heresy.

Lord, help us never to get past your gospel. Help us to preach it to ourselves and each other regularly. Help us to love and treasure Your Word above anything else, so we can grow in maturity and become more like You every day. Amen.

RIP, Dolly

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It still doesn’t seem real. I drove by her Brentwood property on my way to work and saw all the flowers and the sign that read “We will always love you.”

I was only 5 years old when Elvis Presley passed away, but this has that kind of feeling to it. It’s not just another celebrity passing or even the death of an icon. This is a once in a generation kind of loss.

I’ve read a lot about Dolly’s faith lately. Ultimately, the only ones who can know for sure where she stood with God are God and Dolly Parton. In these days, anytime anyone dies who is even remotely famous, no matter what kind of life they led, they are automatically assigned to heaven in most people’s eyes.

But I believe that Dolly won’t get into heaven because of her generosity. All those millions she donated and all the programs she funded aren’t a ticket to paradise. It won’t be because she was caring or had a good heart.

And it’s also not about having the correct views about issues and doctrines. Obviously, there are some essentials that you have to believe, but it’s not about having a 100% correct theology or worldview.

If Dolly is in heaven right now, it will be because she said yes to Jesus. The Bible says that if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. That and that alone are what get you into heaven.

I’m hopefully optimistic that Dolly is in heaven. I believe that she trusted in Jesus for her salvation. Was her faith perfect? Even she would admit that she’s a sinner like any of us. But was her faith real? I think so.

I hope most of all that at her funeral someone will be bold enough to proclaim the gospel of God so loving the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life. That’s how you get into heaven.

Have You Room in Heaven for One More?

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“HAVE YOU A DOG IN HEAVEN? Have you a dog in Heaven, Lord?
And do you pat its head?
Does he sit up and beg each night
before he goes to bed?

Does he look up with shining eyes
when he sees Your smilling face?
Does he wag his stubby little tail
when he wants to run a race?

Have You a dog in Heaven, Lord?
Is there room for just one more?
Cause my little dog died today;
he’ll be waiting at Your door.

Please take him into Heaven, Lord.
And keep him there for me,
just feed him, pet him, love him, Lord,
thats all he’ll ask of Thee” (Anonymous).

I haven’t lost any dogs lately, but I ran across this little poem and I know several reading this have had to say goodbye to their furry babies lately. It’s never easy, even when the animal is older and in poor health. It’s like losing a part of yourself.

I hope these words will be a comfort to anyone grieving a pet. May God bless you and grant you comfort in your time of need.

God’s Never-Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love

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“I love God because he listened to me, listened as I begged for mercy. He listened so intently as I laid out my case before him. Death stared me in the face, hell was hard on my heels. Up against it, I didn’t know which way to turn; then I called out to God for help: ‘Please, God!’ I cried out. ‘Save my life!’ God is gracious—it is he who makes things right, our most compassionate God. God takes the side of the helpless; when I was at the end of my rope, he saved me.” (Psalm 116:1-2, The Message)

Recently, I’ve been reading through the Jesus Srorybook Bible. I know I’m a bit outside of the targeted demographic for this children’s book, but I love how every story in this Bible finds its way back to Jesus. Every book in the Bible points in someway to the coming Messiah or to the Incarnate Words now revealed.

My favorite phrase in the Jesus Storybook bible is the one about “God’s Never-Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love,” I love that, especially when author Sally Lloyd-Jones reads it in her impeccable English accent. I think that’s the best way I’ve ever heard to describe what unconditional agape love looks like. That’s what God’s love for me looks like, especially when I deserve it least but need it most.

At the end of another Monday, I’m thankful for the love of God that never stops, never gives up, never breaks down, and lasts forever. Thank You, God for Your Never-Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love. Amen.