Not Dead Yet…

         All of us age. Some, better than others. Physically our bodies start deteriorating at about 30-35. Start. We can do something about that. It’s called exercise. We can get up in the morning, go to the gym, workout, or run in the brisk morning air (unless you live in Pittsburg, LA, or New York).

         For myself, I’ve got the age thing down. This September (23) I will turn 80 years old. But the reality is that I don’t feel my age. Mostly. I do wear down toward the end of each day; but, hey, don’t we all. I take more meds than I would like. My stamina isn’t what it used to be.

         But my desire to & make a difference is as strong as it has ever been.

         One of my favorite quotes from G.K. Chesterton (1874 – 1936) is—

“What this world needs now

is a new kind of Prophet.

One who would not tell people

 they were going to die.

But one who would tell them

 they are not dead yet.”

         Too many of us (genuine Christians) already have one foot in the grave. We could be 30, 50, or 70; but we are already dead. Why is that?

         I believe it is because we have given up. We have lost the empowerment given us by the Holy Spirit. It is not so much that we have lost our faith; rather, through the constant war we are in, we have decreased faith.

         Life takes a toll on our fortitude, on our strength. When Scripture reminds us “Blessed are those who are weary.” we get it.

         At some point in life, we will all become “poor in spirit.” This is not a “given” in our faith, but, often, it does come upon us when we least expect it.

         One thing I know about myself, and possibly you as well, is that I am not dead yet. For this, I thank my Lord Jesus Christ. The longer I am a Christian, the more my certitude has morphed toward certainty (1 Corinthians 1:24). The more our world seems to be disintegrating into fragmented chaos, the more genuine Christian faith makes sense to me. It is the one reliable constant in a reality of variables.

         Christ is the Resurrection and the Life! Don’t die yet.

Honor God, honor people…, make a difference,

  Gary

Thoughts On Moving Beyond

      It is a common human experience that we all need to move beyond certain phases in our life and onto another, new, situation. As we do this, the next phase may not be quite as clear as we would like. There are blank areas, there is ambiguity, confusion and, genuine fear about how to move ahead.

       We call this being human.

       Some of us are better at taking risks and moving beyond our present circumstances: others of us, not so much. But this isn’t something born into our DNA. Learning to take risks of faith and moving out can be done safely. Somewhat.

       One thing is certain, if you play it safe and stay where you are stagnation and frustration will eventually creep in. Actually, I’m going through a transition like this in my life right now. The future is not as clear as I would like it.

       But I have to forge ahead! Wherever “ahead” is.

       Here are some thoughts on facing our futures—

1.      You and I need to let go of our pasts; whether successful or painful, LET THEM GO!

2.      Some friendships will stay with you. Many will simply fade to a memory. And that’s OK. It may be sad, but trust in the God who made you to drop new meaningful relationships into your life.

(He kind of does that, doesn’t He. I can live with that. Can you?)

3.      Don’t think all your ducks have to be in line before you press forward. They do not.

4.      You may find some “life-pauses” interrupting your forward motion. That’s OK too. Seriously, where’s the rush?

5.      Get some help with thinking outside the box. Other people can spot your strengths/weaknesses before you can.

6.      Remember God does have your best interests at heart. He is not sitting up there in heaven thinking of ways of screwing you over.

7.      Transitions to a new phase in life make take time. Our Scripture reminds us, “They that WAIT upon the Lord will renew their strength.

       Are you really trying to define your future before it’s time? Bad move. Take things as they come; don’t force the change. God is still in control so you don’t have to be.

Take Courage and move ahead,

Gary

NEXT— EMPulse 26- Marking time

New Eyes of Faith

  Ever notice how your eyes have to adjust when you move from a light room to a darker one? It takes the eyes longer to make out shapes, figures, and people.

       Going through a transition in life into a new phase is similar. You can’t quite make out the new images and shapes of faith you need to adapt to. You truly must become a new person.

       For most of us, God calls us to new shapes of faith throughout our lives. Sometime, those new shapes are simply a rolling over from our last shape of faith. Other times…, not so much. Deeper faith is always a challenge.

       And, there is no going back to the way you were. NO WAY. Your only way out if forward. It’s like going from the light into the dark. You need time to adjust to who you will become now.

      Retirement is definitely a move from light to dark, where the future is not so clear. Things will take time to become clearer.

       So, whatever you are going through now will have to face new images of you, new ways of seeing things. The shape of your faith will have to adjust to this new reality.

       Some of the things we will have to change are—

1.      How we use our time.

2.      Deciding what our new priorities should be.

3.      Changing friendships, meeting new people.

4.      Adjusting to a lower income.

5.      Becoming more just-the-two-of-us.

6.      What it means to be Christian in this new Quantum Era.

       As I’ve aged things I did not understand in my 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s are now making more sense. You will find that in your life as well.

       Progressive perspective.

       If we do not adapt to these new realities we will become stuck in our old ways. There may have been safety there— But we cannot stay there.

       Adapt. Adjust. Become something other than who/what you were. Jesus had to when he came to earth.

Find hope my friend, in the God Who knows you,

Gary

NEXT– thoughts on moving beyond.

Phases and Transitions 2024

       We’ve all gone through numerous phases and transitions in life. Graduating high school, workforce, college, grad school, first professional job, marriage, kids, divorce, world travel surprises. Then there our successes, disappointments, failures, grand triumphs, learning new things. They all play a part in shaping who we are, who we become, throughout our lives.

       One of the most difficult transitions I’ve ever had to face is the one between purpose and retirement. I’ve moved from having great influence in peoples’ lives, with the commensurate travel, to one of silent bewilderment.

       Who am I now? What was I before? What are my definers in this new phase of life? What is, or should, be important to me now?

       Ever been there? This is my first time retiring. And it’s not an easy place to be.

       I used to be good at this stuff— defining the attributes of a phase, understanding the lack of definers when we’re in a transition, etc. And it really is true that we cannot go back to the previous phase. That part of our life is gone. We must move forward.

       But what if you don’t know what forward looks like? Hummm. Impasse? Tough one.

       Is that the time when we should gather a cadre of friends around us, who know us well, and get their input, their take on the conundrum? I think probably yes.

       Still, especially in these days, I fall back on Psalm 42 for its wisdom and admonition.

Why art thou cast down, o my soul?

And why art thou disquieted within me?

Hope thou in God,

For I shall yet praise him,

Who is the health of my countenence,

And my God.

       Our God can sustain me and my confusion through these transitional times without answers, and lead me out the other side.

Find hope my friend, in the God Who knows you,

Gary

…staying the course

       There has been a lot written about staying the course. Very Definitely in the military; even more in the projections in the business & financial communities. Even within the Christian community we are called to stay the course, to persevere, to overcome trials, persecutions, and rejections.

       But this is easier said than done. I know Christians in this world who go through unspeakable persecution, loss of hope, and depths of despair; some even loss of family and life.

       So what about you, or me? Have we experienced persecution? Have we felt the pain of rejection from our community, our family…, our church? There is so much rejection and separation in our world, and in our Christian communities, that there are few of us who have not experienced some form of isolation from those who surround us.

       Keep in mind the admonition of the apostle Paul to his young mentee, Timothy— Suffer hardship with us, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. [2 Timothy 2:3] How will we suffer hardship? Where will it come from?

       FROM ANYWHERE! EVERYWHERE!

       Still, we are admonished throughout Scripture, through the Old Testament and the New, that we are different than the world in which we live. I like the t-shirt from THE CHOSEN docuseries—

Get used to different.

       Many disciples before us have suffered persecutions unimaginable just because they are different. Christians in the West have known little of what those before us, and around this world today, have been subjected to.

       To stay the course, in our era we would do well to heed the words of Paul—

       Therefore I endure

for the sake of the elect,

that they too may obtain the salvation

that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

       Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with Him,

we will also live with Him.

       So, how are you doing? Staying the course? Or, are you too easily going off the mark?

Gary

NEXT–Course correction guide.

Afterthoughts – A Confession

 The saying goes that Confession is good for the soul. Actually, it is good for a lot of things. Whether confessed to a priest, a pastor, or a good friend— admitting wrong, or sin, can start to free your spirit from the burden of guilt you carry for what you have done that did not clear with your own conscience, let alone before the throne of grace.

       By admission, I’ve always wanted to have an impact on the American Evangelical world in the area of evangelism. I’ve come to believe that I have failed. It might be that the way I form my presentations is to obtuse or offensive. I do challenge our simplistic 4-point gospel outlines. Actually, the “canned” gospel approach may have been acceptable for a brief time in the early 1950s, but it has long since lost its effectiveness.

       But back to the point. I have always wanted to make a difference, both in the church and in our world. As I look back over the last 60 years I am not sure I have made that much of an difference. That is my confession. If there is any impact it has been God’s work through my pitiful efforts to matter.

       As I face my 79th birthday next month (gifts appreciated) I am keenly aware that I do not have another 79 years in front of me. So, what’s next?

       On December 31st, I say goodbye to 40+ years of ministry through NEEDinc, I am trying to determine what God has designed me for next. Any ideas.

       When I first started in ministry the Lord defined my calling as such—

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]

                                                              — Isaiah 61:1 (NIV)

Not much has changed from that initial definition. It has been not only a call to action, but a call on my heart as well. I have grown in passion and compassion for those who increasingly have little understanding of the Lords claim on their lives. This has saddened me greatly.

       What has hurt me is the minimal efforts by the evangelical community to care for those around them. The church has become a kingdom unto itself, NOT into the world. May God forgive us all.

       End of confession.

Gary

NEXT— what to do next!?! .

Afterthoughts – The Tyranny of the Urgent

       Early in 1974, a friend of mine, one Charles E. Hummel, released a small book titled—  The Tyranny of the Urgent. It created significant repercussions throughout the Christian community across America. Charlie challenged our persistent need to be constantly busy. He admitted to me that he had struggled with this for most of his life. [I never admitted to anything.]

       Here we are, some 50 years later, still cramming our schedules so full that we barely have time to breathe. We don’t even have time to read a book on time management—  let alone take a course on setting priorities!

       The ramifications of that are inconceivable. Western cultures have become obsessed with filling every little crack in our schedules with…, something.

       To be honest, I used to be this way. Kind of a busy-ness is next to godliness mentality. And I was blind to what I was doing.

         Somewhere along the line I developed one of my not-so-famous axioms. STOP! Give God some room to work. Why is it we always want to run ahead of Him to do OUR work?

         Then we complain we do not have enough time to get everything done. Maybe we need to take a step back and have a good look at how we are filling our time. I don’t believe God needs us to do anything. He does grant us the privilege of serving those around us in His name. Or do we do that in our name but say it is in His?

         As I asserted in the last EMPulse, I was rather arrogant in my younger days. Now, not so much. But what about you? What does your schedule look like? Packed to the gills? No space between appointments?

         Why?

         Do you think you can do more in your lifetime than Christ did in three years?

Gary

NEXT— EMPulse 15 – a confession

Afterthoughts –  Overbooked

  In my early days of joining the marketplace we held an annual Planning Conference for all staff across the country. Wanting to prove that I knew what I was doing I would show up at these Planning Conferences with my schedule for the next year completely prepared.

       Each day was divided by thirds of days, color-coded by arena of operation— for a year in advance. So if you asked me who I was having lunch with on September 12th, I could tell you.

       But it also said a lot about me. I was arrogant. I was showing off by having my calendar prepared before I even arrived at the Planning Conference. And it revealed something about me as well; it unveiled the reality that I thought I was more in control that God.

       As I look back, I realize how insecure I was; how afraid to be out of control.

       It also revealed that I was overbooked in almost every area of my life. Save two— 1) time to spend alone with God, 2) time to be with my wife, Starr. [To do things she wanted to do.]  

       Today, with my days of being an important part of the workforce almost totally behind me, I know the importance of making time for people, of creating time to be with God, and of the critical consequence of being with my wife.

       When I was in my early college days a chapel (manditory) speaker said There is enough time in each day for you to do all of God’s will. Are you doing it?  I’ve never forgotten it. I haven’t always lived up to that axiom, but it still stays with me.

       Later, I became friends with an Indian pastor. He never took a day off. We spent a week at a lakehouse in New Hampshire just resting. By the end of the week he was surprised how rested he was and how ready he was to get back into ministry…, but with a little more awareness of stopping.

       What about you? Are you overbooked? Do you have time to breathe? Can you take time to be alone with yourself, with God? With your wife/husband?

       Proverbs 16:3 reads—

Commit your work to the Lord

And your plans will be established

   ‘Nough said.

Gary

NEXT— EMPulse 13 Waiting on the Lord

Afterthoughts – Forgiveness, Repentance, Empowerment

      There is an intrinsic relationship between forgiveness, repentance, and empowerment. As we each stand (grovel) before the God of the universe we will see our true place is in the grand scheme of things. We are not the measure of all things. (Protagoras. 5th C, BCE) God is.

       Some of us have a sense that we are not the Supreme Being. Others act as if they are. I’m not sure how they come to that conclusion.

       My concern here is to examine the relationship between the three ideas of forgiveness, repentence, and empowerment. Some of us believe that there is a holy God from whom we need to seek repentence; probably for the arrogant lives we’ve led. More of us do not believe there is a god anywhere to which humanity owes anything. Personally, I’d rather go with the first option just to be on the safe side.

       Oddly, when I first repented I felt as if God had already forgiven me. Going into the repentence process it felt as if God was already there ahead of me, welcoming me home. Immediately following I felt cleaner, lighter, and, of course, forgiven. My life prior to my conversion had been convoluted; phiposophy, modeling, dating, and hiding from people. [Yes, for you who know me, I was actually an introvert. Hard as that might be to believe.]

       Being empowered is yet another thing that must come from without. Money often empowers people: so does position. Approval by people you admire, or who are in authority above you also empowers us. Some of us need more kudos more than others. It’s not a weakness: it is simply a dynamic of personality and heritage.

       The greatest empowerment will come from the God who made us— Jesus Christ. It’s not just enablement. It is true empowerment. In my own life I have often asked God to help me get through something. What I should have been asking for is the power to get through it. Those of us who are tied to God through faith have access to the power of God; but we rarely tap into it. Why is that? Have we become so self-sufficient that we now prefer to depend solely on ourselves? There is only so much power in that.

       But all of us need to be empowered at some point in our lives. We do not have it all together. Be sure that your empowerment flows from the Godhead rather than from any other source. Most often, if follows repentence and forgiveness. Good places to start.

Gary

NEXT— EMPulse 12 Overbooked

Afterthoughts –  Rekindling the Fire

   In the last century there was a lot of talk about rekindling the fire. As if the flame of faith had gone out. Given the denominational wars and the liberal/conservative divisiveness a lot of the fire was directed at our fellow Christians. Yet another diversion our adversary throws in our path to keep us from being lights in the world around us.

   As some of us grow older there is a subtle dimming of our flames brought on by simple exhaustion, family responsibilities, health issues, and of being sidelined in Christian service. Granted, it is true that in Scripture the older priests in Temple service were moved to less physically demanding responsibilities. But they never stopped serving.

       In our Western culture there is a prescribed idea that when a person hits 65 they retire from the workforce. But there are some who are just hitting their stride. (Think Colonel Sanders and his Kentucky Fried Chicken.) Nonetheless, across the board, the older a person is, the more pressure there is to drop out.

       Here are some ideas on how to reignite the fire, rather than throwing in the towel.

1.      Eat right.

2.      Exercise! Start small; then go for the Olympics.

3.      Sleep right. As we age we really DO need all the 8 hours we can get.

4.      Socialize! Especially if you are an introvert.

5.      Keep your time with God percolating! Do not get stuck in a rut.

6.      Try something new. Anything! Guitar. Dance lessons. Learn a new language. (Gaelic?) Sky diving. Writing your Memoirs. (If you can remember them.)

7.      Take a course in psychology or Biblical studies. Or start an academic degree program.

8.      SERVE in your church or community. Even politics. Just get out there!

9.      Get back in the workforce in a completely different arena.

10.   Just don’t give up and become a couch potatoe.

       Much of my time is found investing in the lives of other people. Helping them discover things they haven’t thought of yet. Helping them discover who they are and God’s unique design for their life.  

       The point is that you don’t have to lay down and die just because you hit the big 65. You have a lot of life-lessons under your belt that others need to learn.

Gary

NEXT— The Shower— forgiveness, repentance, empowerment