Blessed Assurance [A Father's Loss] 11/3/2016

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thought with me..."  Psalm 23:4

Beloved,

Many of you may know that about a month ago, Michelle and I lost a daughter, our kids lost a sister, my parents lost a granddaughter, my sister lost a niece, her kids lost a cousin, Erik lost a girlfriend, a fine crew at Enterprise Car Share lost a teammate and the world lost Taylor Patrice D'Orsey Lewis.  She was just 26 years old.  We only discovered six months ago that she suffered from bipolar disorder.  This surely was a cause of her untimely and tragic death.

As a minister, I am often the person that ministers to the family, provides words of encouragement, assists with the arrangements and conducts the funeral or memorial service in situations such as this.  This time, it was necessary to do those things for my own and myself.  The experience has been both surreal and heartbreaking.  Only those who have lost a child truly know and understand what it is like to lose a child.  It is an unfortunate and sad fraternity.

I'd like to focus, however, on two things.  First, the overwhelming presence and love of God.  As you will hear later (if you indulge me), His comfort was extended to me immediately upon learning of our loss.  He was and is my "go to" and made a way for me not to panic an entire airplane full of passengers, to breathe and pray through my immediate grief reaction and to have the presence of mind to take care of the things that needed to be done.  All that He has equipped me to do for others was made available to me.  It has not been nor is it presently "easy" but He makes me able and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Secondly, the response from those who love us has been the most humbling thing I've ever experienced.  When I say "those who love us," it is times like these that reveal who some of those folks really are and I do not mind telling you that I did not realize how many, which ones and how deeply they do love.  Many times, others were more emotional than we were and for some of us, that is not an easy thing to accomplish.  People came to our aid from all over.  And those who could not come, sent.  And to tie these two things together, know that God shows up in my day every single day in the form of someone different.  Be it a text, email, phone call, card or visit, someone provides God's comfort and blessed assurance to me every single day.

I have always said, "You never realize how much God is all you need until God is all you have."  These honest and heartfelt words, always believed, have taken on a 3D quality.  It is difficult to understand how such pain can bring one even closer to God (who draws near us when we draw near to Him) but I am a living witness that it is true in my life and in the lives of my family.

Lastly, I'd like to share my testimony with you.  There are those who commented after the memorial that they "admire my strength."  Let me assure you that there is nothing in me to admire except the God who lives in me.  It is in Him that I live and move and have my very being (Acts 17:28).  Rather than subjecting you to more reading, I invite you to listen to a father's farewell to his daughter.  It is my prayer that you will find encouragement from these words for whatever trials life may bring to your door.  The God that strengthens and comforts me will strengthen and comfort you come what may.

On behalf of Michelle and our entire family, thank you for your kind support, love and prayers.

Lee

Handling Adversity 9/8/2016

“Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour." John 12:27

Soon after Jesus' triumphant and final entry into the city of Jerusalem, he shares yet another prediction of his own death with his apostles.  He begins by saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified," John 12:23.  This statement is loaded with meaning.  What caused it to be said was a request by Greek proselytes relayed to Jesus by Philip and Andrew, to see him.  Referencing his coming passion, not only does it mean that the Lord, having completed his mission, would regain his heavenly home, but that having done so, these same Greeks (and the whole world) would have access to him that was not available at the moment.

At the same time, Jesus in his humanity was conflicted about the ordeal through which he was about  to go.  Most of us are familiar with his plea to "let this cup pass from me" plea in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The foreknowledge of such a painful death and more importantly, the taking on of the sin of the whole world must have caused unimaginable agony that exceeded even that of the suffering of the cross.  Yet, we are also familiar with his faithful and committed, "Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Beloved, each of us is faced with a variety of monumental situations and decisions throughout our lives.  Though none of them carry the weight and implication of Jesus' sacrifice, there is much that can be learned from how he responded to the most difficult circumstance in history.  Of course this is not an exhaustive list but consider the following:

• He stayed on mission-Jesus knew who he was, whose he was, what he came to do and accomplished the task to the benefit of all mankind our of love for and obedience to the Father.
• He persevered under dire stress-Jesus clearly agonized but remained focused.
• He understood the importance of succeeding-It was so much more about us than it was him.  Not only was the defeat of Satan, the fulfilment of prophecy and our deliverance at stake but so was the example that millions would follow.
• He understood sacrifice-Nothing can be achieved without sacrifice.  Had he not been willing to be that sacrifice, nothing would have been achieved.
• He held close the ultimate faith-Being willing to die, he placed himself in the hands of God, trusting that all things would work together for good and launched himself into the unknown territory of death.

Let us think on these things when we enter diverse trials and tribulations, when we are attacked, when we are temporarily overtaken by sins, when we are delivered from our afflictions and when our eyes are opened to the need of our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to hear this vital story of love.

Practically speaking,

Lee

When God is All You Have 7/28/2016

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction." Exo 16:4

There are times in each of our lives that we feel we have reached the end of our rope.  Our own ideas, knowledge, skills and abilities have taken us as far as we can go.  The people of Israel, having just been liberated from 430 years of slavery and having benefited by the miracle of crossing a parted Red Sea on dry land while their enemies perished, found themselves in such a position.  They were in the wilderness and all the food they brought with them had been consumed.  They had neither the time or the ability to plant crops in an infertile desert that could feed them.  They had most certainly exhausted all that they could do for themselves.

Beloved, what do we do in such situations?  To whom do we turn?  When our health fails and the doctors have no answers, when relationships deteriorate and the counselor throws up his hands, when a loved one passes and the grief is insurmountable and when sin has overcome us and we can no longer see the Light, what do we do?  Reach out to the Master of the universe.  Reach out to the Creator of all things.  Reach out to the One who does all things well.  Go to the Father.

God knew the plight of the Hebrews, not just because He knows all things but because He had been with them the whole time.  There would have been no need to free them from bondage only to allow them to perish in the wilderness.  Hundreds of years earlier, He made known to Abraham that He had a plan for His people.  Though they experienced trials and tribulations along their journey, they were never without the saving grace and provision of the Almighty.  He literally fed them from His own hand when they could do nothing for themselves.  Further, He not only fed the estimated 2 million men, women and children plus livestock day and night, but He did so for 40 years until such time they entered the Promised Land, a place described as being filled with milk and honey, a place that He prepared for them.

As God cared for our progenitors in the faith, He most surely does for us.  Know that even when we are at our lowest, we are never alone and that God has a plan for us.  Sometimes, we have to be in a position where God is all we have in order to fully know, understand and believe that God is all we need.  That same God has a place prepared for you and me.

Practically speaking,

Lee

Seeking Forgiveness for Self 7/22/2016

"Then they kept crossing the ford to bring over the king’s household, and to do what was good in his sight. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he was about to cross the Jordan.  So he said to the king, 'Let not my lord consider me guilty, nor remember what your servant did wrong on the day when my lord the king came out from Jerusalem, so that the king would take it to heart.  For your servant knows that I have sinned; therefore behold, I have come today, the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.'  But Abishai the son of Zeruiah said, 'Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?'”  2 Samuel 19:18-21

David once famously packed up his household and many of his followers and left his home base of Jerusalem in an effort to avoid a war with his son who sought to supplant him by force as the new king.  During one of the lowest times of his life, a man by the name of Shimei came along and began to verbally abuse the king with words that were shocking for a commoner to use against his monarch.  He accused him of being a murderer and a wicked person and said that he deserved all he was suffering.  To add insult to injury, he threw rocks and dirt at the king and all of his company.

As it would happen, the fortunes of David would reverse.  Having put down the insurrection, the king and his cohort began to make his way back into Jerusalem to retake the throne and restore order.  As this was occurring, Shimei appeared and was contrite, humble and repentant as he confessed and asked for forgiveness.

Beloved, how often have we played the role of Shimei in our sinful behaviors?  We can all look back on times when we have done wrong to relatives, friends, acquaintances, co-workers and even members of the church.  In so doing, we shake the fist of rebellion at God by not obeying his command to love him with all we've got and to love others as we love ourselves.  Our behavior can be abhorrent when we are angry and hurt.  Fortunately for us, God is as patient with us as David was with Shimei.  Though well within his right, David did not take Shimei's life when he sinned against him, but let him go.  This gave him an opportunity to come to his senses and he eventually did.

The lesson here is that we must all come to our senses, recognize the wrong we have committed against God and beg for forgiveness with more vigor than that with which we sinned against him.  And we must not be afraid to approach him and ask.  1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  So often we are immobilized by our guilt and shame and decide that we are unforgiveable.  This in and of itself is sinful in that we are not to put ourselves in the place of God.  It is he who has directed us to seek him and his righteousness.  It is up to us to obey.

We do not have a license to sin but we do have a remedy.  If you are overtaken in a fault, go to the only one who can fix it, then accept what he provides, or as Jesus said, "Go and sin no more," John 8:11.

Practically speaking,

Lee

Listen For the Cross-examination 7/7/2016

"In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines." Proverbs 18:17 (NIV)

Imagine the conversation between Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. He was clearly very skilled in making the argument that the things God told her could be otherwise interpreted. In fact, he told her that she would "not surely die" if she partook of the forbidden fruit. One of the things that made his words so effective at introducing doubt was her own desire. We are told that the fruit appealed to Eve's eye, looked delicious for eating and according to the Serpent, had the additional benefit of giving her at least one attribute of God. She therefore ate and introduced disastrous consequences that all of humanity still experiences today. It is submitted for your consideration that we are predisposed to entertain assertions such as those offered by the Serpent because of our own desires. It is written that, "each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust" James 1:17.

Beloved, we ought to praise God for the advocate He has given us in Jesus (1 John 2:1). We can think of him not just as a lawyer who argues our case before God against the accusations of Satan, but one who has also already served our sentence and paid our debt, thereby releasing us from condemnation. You see Satan tried the same thing with Jesus that he did with Eve, however, he completely and utterly failed when the Lord refused him and answered him with the Word of God. He was unwilling to turn rocks into bread after a 40 day fast because it is the Word that sustains. He refused to throw himself toward the ground from dizzying heights to prove God would save him because he was unwilling to put God to the test. And he refused to accept the keys to the world from Satan for the "small" price of bowing down to him because he was only willing to worship God. Jesus knew better and did better because he sought the will of God and not his own.

Today there are many alternative views of what is good, bad, right and wrong. There are many who will tell you of different ways to achieve enlightenment, receive salvation, gain "heaven" and even reincarnate. To some these things are convincing as evidenced by the tremendous number of adherents to these different philosophies. Let us, however, wait for the cross examination. There is more to know than what they say. May the Lord help us to overcome our own desires and seek His.

Practically speaking,

Lee

Believeing in God vs. Believing God 6/30/2016

"Then Barak said to her, 'If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.'”  Judg 3:8

The context of this admittedly obscure passage of scripture is that a man by the name of Barak was told by God to take ten thousand men to a pre appointed place where He would deliver the enemy of Israel into his hand.  This information was delivered by Deborah, a prophetess and judge of Israel.  God was setting him up for success.

Beloved, it is easy to say that we believe in God.  In fact, if you ask most people in this country whether they believe in the one true God, the answer would be a resounding yes.  Unfortunately, that is where it usually stops.  Believing in God is easy because it is conceptual.  It requires no effort whatsoever to believe in an idea, a perceived fact or even an individual.  Believing God, however, is an entirely different matter.  Believing God means not only accepting as true His existence but conducting your life in accordance with this fact.  It means accepting that if He can create the universe then He can most certainly take on flesh, walk on water, still storms, feed five thousand with a few fish and pieces of bread, call the dead to life, forgive our sins and save our very souls.  It means having confidence that He can and will do what He says and it means conducting our lives in a manner reflective of that. 

It is recorded in scripture, "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.  But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?" James 2:19.  Essentially, believing in God is something even the devil can claim but do we believe Him enough to do what he says?

It is clear that Barak believed in God.  He was of the house of Israel and he gave credence to the words of the one who God placed in a leadership position over them.  It is just as clear that Barak did not believe God would deliver the enemy into his hand, opting instead to only obey God if she accompanied him as if He was more likely to keep His promise where she was concerned than to himself whom God actually called.  This, in effect, allowed Deborah to have the preeminence in the situation.  She believed God would do what He said and told Barak, "'I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.' Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh" Judg 3:9.  The enemy was in fact delivered into the hands of a woman.  Believe God.

Practically speaking,

Lee

Death & Faith 6/10/2016

Beloved,

Many of you faithful readers are aware that my wife Michelle's mother was recently called home to be with the Lord.  In my capacity as a minister, it is part of my calling to deal with death and help others find understanding, meaning and hopefully a strengthened faith in the loss of a loved one.  This is the first time, however, it has struck so closely to home.  I have eulogized many but never a relative.

There may be some of you that have endured such a loss or perhaps are dealing with it even now.  If neither of these are the case, there will surely come a time when a knock on the door of your heart will come.  The following preciously written devotional is offered for us all.

***

"Then the Lord struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David, so that he was very sick.  David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.  The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, 'Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!'  But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, 'Is the child dead?' And they said, 'He is dead.'  So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped." 2 Sam 12:15-20

Despite being "a man after God's own heart," David was very human with all of the flaws and weaknesses that can be found in any human being.  He famously sinned with Bathsheba, impregnated her and had her husband killed when he refused to go into her during a weekend pass designed to cover David's tracks.  Despite his contrition and repentance and God's forgiveness, there were consequences for his actions.  One of the consequences unfortunately involved the death of the child. David then experienced a depth of sorrow that every parent dreads.  The illness and expected passing of his baby made him inconsolable.

Beloved, I pray that you will never know such loss, particularly as a result of your own sin. Nevertheless, we all, at some point in our lives, have known or will know despair.  If we haven't yet, we will someday experience pain that is unimaginable.  Despite the best efforts of others to comfort us, there seems to be no word that can be spoken, no medicine that can be taken and no prayer that can be prayed that will deliver us from our sorrow.  This is a normal part of our human existence.  The key is to remain faithful despite these trials and tribulations.

When there was nothing more to be said or done, David cleaned himself up and went to worship. What we learn from him is that despite his sin, punishment and pain, he never lost contact with the God who made Him.  He remained prayerful throughout his ordeal.  Through fasting, he sacrificed to the Lord hoping to find favor.  And when he found that God's judgment was final, he worshiped him.  He never broke faith with God nor lost faith in Him despite having the worst experience of his life.  When his servants asked why he despaired so when the child was still alive but recovered so quickly upon his death, he shared concerning his child, "I will go to him, but he will not return to me," 2 Samuel 12:23. Even this was an amazing display of faith in the Father.  When storms come, let us all be sure to do likewise.

Practically speaking,

Lee