I’m a dad. My oldest boy is 11 years old and I’m beginning to ask questions like, “Okay so what is it I’m supposed to be doing with these kids besides getting them to church, school, practice, playing Nintendo, wrestling and taking turns pulling fingers, etc? I mean what is my dad job really?”

I was recently looking at the story of the birth of Christ (it’s December – go figure!). It struck me in  a profound way, that Joseph (Jesus’ earthly father) is not in the picture after Jesus hits age 12. I mean we see that Joseph is getting Jesus to all the places he needs to go (in the one story we have of Jesus’ adolescence, Joseph takes the family to Jerusalem for the traditional pilgrimage), and then we don’t really hear any more after that.

But what we see of Joseph in this story is as profound as any earthly dad story can be. And, I believe, is reflective of what our job as dads really is. You probably remember the story -  (look in Luke). Jesus is 12 years old, the family travels to Jerusalem, a little miscommunication occurs and Jesus’ parents leave Jerusalem thinking he’s in the back seat of someone els’s station wagon safe and sound?

Wrong. Jesus is left in Jerusalem. So three days, one ancient Amber Alert, and lots of prayers later, Joseph and Mary find Jesus back in Jerusalem at the temple hanging out with the teachers and priests. As any very frightened parents would, they ask, “Why did you do this to us? Didn’t you know we were looking for you?” Some of us might have added some more colorful phrasing.

Jesus simply says, ‘Why were you looking for me. Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Whatever your take is on Jesus’ response, let’s focus on Joseph for a moment. Why is it that from this moment on – we don’t see or hear from Joseph anymore? Did he die? Did he leave the family? Did he transfer to northern Africa with some carpenter work-trade program? Truth is – we don’t really know.

Reading between the lines, we learn that Joseph did the one thing that every dad hopes to accomplish. At least what every dad should like to accomplish. That is – Joseph, as an earthly father, brought Jesus to a place where he finally realized that the Heavenly Father was his REAL Father. And here – Jesus turns his vocation not to carpentry, but to the work of God.

My dad job is to get my kids to that same place. I don’t know that it will happen when they’re twelve. It might take a few weeks or months longer (years for some?). But the point is the same. If I can bring my kids to a place in life where they finally turn their lives over to God – their heavenly Father – then I’ve done my job. I don’t really need to be in the story after that.

I heard this song on the way to taking the kids to school this morning – and thought of all my kids. My thoughts for them are sure there. It’s a great song. Take a listen!

With that in mind, I recently undertook a sermon series about just that topic. I have only one of the sermons under my belt, but already I am getting positive feedback.

I’m sure that we’re not all going to agree about “end times” issues, etc. etc., but what I think we can all agree on is that heaven is going to be much more than floating on a cloud, playing harps and singing hymns. Not that I have anything against any of those activities, but for ever? Would’t that get boring after a while?

Anyway – my first sermon was directed specifically at the resurrection and the excitement to come on the day of our entering into this thing Paul calls the “spiritual body” in 1 Corinthians 15. When you think of some of the details given – the voice of an archangel, the trumpet of God (and I bet God can outplay Dizzy, Doc and Wyntan any day), being brought up from the earth to join Christ in the skies. All of it is fantastically intriguing. Wonderfully exciting.

This week I’m going to pursue even more on the “spiritual body” from a perspective of Jesus’ resurrection activities. We’ll have to keep in mind that Jesus was interacting in a physical world, but it should give us some insight into what the resurrection body is like – or at least a very tiny bit of what we’ll be capable of in that “spiritual body.”

If you’re interested in listening to the first sermon, you can catch it here.

But really, whether I like the book or not is irrelevant. What is relevant to me is that it made me think about something. I have a hard time being gracious to myself. More specifically, I have a hard time feeling as if God would, could, or is gracious toward me. And, it isn’t that I think God is incapable of grace. I mean after all, I don’t have any probelm seeing God as capable of being gracious and forgiving toward any and all others. He forgives murderers, rapists, liars, and all kinds of immorality every day. But something in my mind always says, “Yeah, but that’s somebody else. Then, there’s you! (me).” And grace, or at least feeling grace, doesn’t come easy.

Usually, for me, this comes out in thoughts about quitting ministry. I think about it. I wouldn’t say often, but I would say regularly. I sometimes wish I had some job that I could go to and just do it and then come home and nobody would care whether I was perfect or not – whether I had everything “together” or not. I wouldn’t feel pressured to wear a plastic smile or ask people how they’re doing when I really don’t feel like hearing about it.

Here’s why I stay in. If I leave the ministry and if everyone else who struggles with sin leaves the ministry, there won’t be anyone left. The ones who will be left will be the ones who always wear their plastic smiles, and ask you how you’re doing when they really don’t care. On the surface, it will be nice for everyone. But there will be no genuineness coming from those in ministry.

I appreciate Manning’s works. I appreciate his struggle with alcoholism. I appreciate that he is able to understand grace in the midst of it. I appreciate his understanding that God doesn’t expect perfection and that, in fact, we are created in such a manner that God actually expects us to be imperfect. And so we are.

I was thinking of Paul’s thorn in the flesh. We don’t know what it was, but we understand the nature of it. It is that thing in our life that makes us wonder, “Is God’s grace sufficient — for me.” And so, like Paul, we repeat our pleas for rescue from the thorns in our flesh. By faith, we must accept that God’s answer to us is as it was for Paul, “My grace is, indeed, sufficient for you.”

I found myself last night praying – Lord, is your grace sufficient for me? Today I find myself in two places. First, in my head, able to tell myself that God’s grace is, indeed, sufficient. But finding it more difficult to feel inwardly. But it is comforting to remember that Jesus befriended, ate with, and socialized with people who were mired in sinful lives. It gives me hope to know that were he here with me in the flesh, he would have no problem sitting at my table.

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I ask this because it relates to Open Theism – the idea that God only knows the future insofar as he is able to predict natural and human behavior. This reasoning could perhaps be used as a defense of it, but I don’t introduce it here necessarily as such. But in short – love is risk. The more one loves, the greater the risk. The less we are willing to risk – the less we are able to engage in and experience what true and deep love is.

That said – is it also true of God? If God truly loves us – then God is also a risk taker. And, if God knows the future in definite terms, then is he truly taking a risk? If God knows who will and who won’t reject him – there is essentially no risk – no surprise. If the risk is reduced – is His love also reduced?

Now – on to ice storms. We just experienced the worst ice storm we’ve ever been through in Kansas. Okay, well, we’ve only been here six months and it is, in fact, the ONLY ice storm we’ve ever weathered in Kansas. But it’s been pretty bad. Thousands of people without electricity. We’ve been very fortunate in our neighborhood that we have kept electricity. We’ve had people at our house enjoying the warmth while their house gets colder by the minute. Those who are really suffering are those who have well water. They rely on on-site electric pumps for water. No electricity – no water – no heat. The exception is those who, of course, have generators and fire places.

I feel confident we will survive in one form or another.

Malachi 3:3 says, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

The next week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.” She asked the silversmith if it was true that had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eye on it the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, ‘How do you know when the silver is fully refined?’ He smiled at her and answered, ‘Oh that’s easy, when I see my image in it.’

I don’t know if that story is true or not, but it is an excellent reminder of the character and nature of God and his loving gentle care of us as he brings us to a more excellent way.

My Prayer, Lord, is one of gratitude. I love you Lord for taking the time, having the energy and the will to sit patiently with me as the impurities are being removed. I have a long way to go, Father. Be patient still. Amen.

It’s one of my favorite and one of the most popular movie lines. William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson) in Braveheart, leads his fellow Scots (and one scrappy Irishman), into battle against the English for nothing less than their independence from the tyrant, Edward Longshanks. This is his battle cry and it is a truth that men have fought for, not just in Great Britain, but all over the world.

The truth is this: Freedom is a gift worthy dying for. In fact, sometimes, it takes dying to have it, to keep it, or to gain it. Our freedom is worthy dying for, especially the freedom from the rot and psychological damage of guilt and shame and sin. And precious as it is, our freedom was gained through nothing less than the death of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

Christ died to set us free. And now, we are free, in Him, from the law of sin and death. Now, in fact, we are not merely free from the law of sin and death, but we are set free from fear! For those in Christ, there simply is nothing to fear — nothing at all (except for a healthy respect for our God)!

I watched a video clip today that shook me. It was a clip containing image after image of the Karen people of Burma who had been and are being ravaged by the brutal Burmese army and tyrannical leadership there. The women are raped, children are forced into slavery or into the Burmese army, men are tortured and killed. Homes destroyed. And as I watched the video, it was brought to my attention that some of these people are Christians. And I recognized that the truth of Jesus gift of eternal life that cost him is life means that these Karen Christians do not have anything to fear. No reason at all to live in fear. Not one iota. Not one ounce of doubt. Not even the tiniest fright. Not really. I mean – the Burmese army can hurt or kill the body. But after that – they are left with nothing.

But God, on the other hand, is able to restore body soul and spirit and preserve them all for the day of our redemption which is unto eternal life with God in Christ. And praise God for this indescribable gift. To live free of guilt and shame! Free of fear! No more need to worry how men treat us or shame us or disregard us! Fear not for we have been given life!

In the spirit of Braveheart, who died on the Highland battlefield for his freedom, never taken from him; we offer this battle cry to the tyrants of hopelessness today’s world – “You may take our lives. But you’ll never EVER take our FREEDOM!