Faith in the Dark

Note that I am re-purposing this blog for religion based blogging. You may get a jar if you keep reading after this post. You've been warned!

 You can send comments or questions to perrylassiter@yahoo.com.

FAITH IN THE DARK

Life is difficult.


But as soon as we accept that difficulty, life is no longer as difficult.


We keep expecting to turn a corner and find peace, but it's more like we fled from a lion only to meet a bear. For those who are into sports, there's always another game and another season. For most wives there's always another meal to cook, clothes to wash, and beds to make. Life throws up one problem or difficulty after another. We all know “This wasn't supposed to happen to ME” feeling. Sorry friend, but yeah – something of the sort happens to everybody. And when you accept that only occasionally do you get to call time out and float in peace on a calm lake, life gets better.


I have just quoted, paraphrased, and amplified the first two pagers of The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck. It's an older book, but I strongly recommend it, especially the first two pages that are worth the price of the book. (You may even be able to read those pages free on Amazon by clicking on the book picture and arrow that says “Look Inside.”)


Shelli asked me to deal with ways to fight life, darkness, doubt and somehow hang onto your faith. You know there are volumes written on that right? But fools rush in and so do I. Here's a summary of where I think I'm headed:


1 – Recognize you will always find trouble in life. Everyone does.
2 – It's okay to get upset and want to rebel. Bible heroes did.
3 – Remember what He has carried you through thus far.
4 – Find a safe person who will keep their mouth shut and talk about it .
5 – Take a look at some of the resources I will suggest.


It's OK to argue with God.


Yes, I know you have been taught otherwise. But the great saints of the faith are recorded arguing with the Lord to the point of sarcasm.


Moses – In Exodus 3 God comes to the shepherd in a burning bush, sounding excited about liberating his people. Moses throws up excuse after excuse which the Lord keeps swatting down. Finally Moses sarcastically points out that he was a stutterer and that hasn't changed since God started speaking to him fifteen minutes ago. God did start to sound peeved, but He didn't throw Moses away. He continued to work with him and created a great leader and deliverer.


Elijah – After that great prophet called down fire from heaven and executed all the prophets of Baal, he announced the coming of rain. But Queen Jezebel owned those prophets and sent Elijah a telegram to get out of town by sundown or his head would roll. This formerly bold prophet broke and ran for his life, not stopping until he fell exhausted. When God caught up with him and asked what he was doing there, he POUTED! “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I'm going to go eat worms.” Well, not really, but it might as well have been. “I've been faithful to you and done all you called me to do, now I'm the only one left, and they're trying to kill me.” Note that God did not chide him or discard him. He gave him food and let him rest. Then He gave Elijah a fresh experience of Himself and a fresh vision of his calling.


Job – If you've read the book, you recognize that the “patience of Job” is not true. It's a New Testament translation in the KJV that would be better expressed by the word “endurance.” He did endure and persevere, but he wasn't patient about it. He screamed at God repeatedly. Why did this happen to me? Show me my sin if I'm being punished for something. Kill me, and get me out of this misery. Vindicate me to my accusers and show them I'm innocent. The reader knows this was a test, but Job and his accusers never did. Indeed, the book was probably written to show that bad things do happen to good people. One explanation – the test – disproves the whole system that bad fortune was always payment for sin. But Job yells at God, begs Him, and doesn't let go until the Lord reveals Himself.


Note: All three of these guys argued with God and did not like their situation at all. Therefore we can argue with that same God and pour out before Him our complaints at what life is bringing us. No fear He will reject us. Rather dumping that emotion can free our minds to hear His direction.


Turning to a more positive direction, let's take a look at Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:


23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

When I read this, I wonder why I am griping. But often we do hurt, so what do we do about it? remember Paul has also been through almost unendurable circumstances. Let's look at some of how he handled it in Philippians 4:

...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Note Paul says “I have learned...” He learned. He learned from experience over time, not given it along with his salvation and mission. How did he learn? Look back at 2 Corinthians 11. I wonder how many times Paul doubted and wondered whether he was in the right place. Did you see the sleepless nights and sometimes lack of food? From where he stood years later (probably under house arrest in Rome, or maybe in Ephesus). He now looks back and sees that God brought him through, so Paul can now say he is ready for anything in Christ.

We like to quote “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” We quote it as a positive in tackling a task. It was written more for your situation as you hurt. It is as if Paul said, “I have learned the hard way that I can get through anything as long as I hang onto Christ.”

Paul fought his way through all this triumphantly, as have thousands of others. And so can you. If thousands of others have fought through trial and come out in triumph, so can you. It may take awhile, and you may feel as if you got through by the skin of your teeth, but you will get through.

Remember what you have already come through.

What have you already come through? You are close to an impossibility in your conception and birth. There is no one else like you. You are a miracle. You made it into this world at birth, and have come through multiple sicknesses, allergies, falls, and perhaps surgeries. You got through schools, got married, had kids. You have lost family and friends along the way. And you're still going. How many times along the way has God helped you and carried you through?

Remembering all of that as Paul did can call forth your faith. God has been with you all your life. Why would He stop now?

Share you experiences with someone.

I love the following that I have seen ascribed to several different people.

O the comfort, the inexpressible comfort

of feeling safe with a person,

having neither to weigh thoughts, nor measure words,

but pouring them all out

wheat and chaff together,

certain that a faithful hand will sift them,

keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness

blow the rest away.

This means choosing the right person, sometimes a trained professional counselor. Many times it means talking to a close friend who can keep their mouth shut. Someone you feel safe with – and are safe. Talking it out can break up the viciously spiraling thoughts spinning through your head. Instead of whirling around in one continuous circle, over time your emotions begin to back down and your thoughts open out to new ways of dealing with life. The feeling of acceptance and companionship can lessen the pain and replace it with love.

Theological questions

Shelli wrote me the following that kicked all this off:

Not long ago in our Sunday School class we discuss these following quotes from our lesson: "found it easier to believe their doubts and fears" and "held captive by the things we expect to happen to the point that we close our minds to any contrary evidence". I left wanting to hear more about these thoughts.

In response to a question she spoke of a relative's divorce and someone's friend who had cancer in her close family. Beneath this I hear them asking where is God in all this. How can I continue to trust Him with all this chaos breaking into my world?

Dorothy Sayers wrote a remarkable book called Creed or Chaos. In it she points out that if God is indeed guilty of allowing our troubles, “he at least had the courage to take his own medicine.” She meant He allowed His Son Jesus to die on the cross. Even before that, Jesus lived a complete human life in a third world country occupied by foreigners. Almost certainly his father Joseph died, and it's likely he lost other siblings in the typical family until the day of modern medicine of the last hundred years.

Many turn to this verse, Romans 8:28 for assurance.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 8:28 Or that all things work together for good to those who love God, who; or that in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good—with those who
   

I include the note, because the Greek is ambiguous, and the last choice is my preferred choice. Paul is not saying that everything that happens is good. Obviously that's not true. It's obviously not true that everything always turns out for the best. For example, the world would be much better had the Holocaust never happened, had Hitler and Stalin and Saddam Hussein never risen to power. But Paul does say that nothing so bad can happen that God cannot re-shape it by His creative power for Good to emerge triumphant - good as defined by God. The supreme example is the Cross. By Christian theology no sin can be greater than the Crucifixion. Killing the Son of God. Essentially, saying God, get out of my life. I don't want you messing with me. I'd rather kill you than obey you - or even let you love and forgive me.

But God took that sin and transformed it through the resurrection into the greatest act in history – the salvation of the entire world! If God can do that, He can deal with my life and yours. He can take those tragedies, and over time transform them into many good things.

NOW SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE

Give it time. Time helps in healing.

Socialize your pain by talking with someone with whom you share mutual love and trust.

Talk to God about it. Read the above and recognize you don't have to play nice with Him. He's big enough to take it without striking you down.

>Make sure your pain doesn't mess up other people in your daily life. You must take care of your children and your spouse – or find someone else to do it while you take a break.

Exercise helps a lot of people, especially walking or jogging.

Get adequate sleep – maybe an extra hour.

NEWS FLASH

Read a column by a young nun based in Philadelphia, Colleen Gibson. She is writing about her experiences during Holy Week and along the way makes these observations that seem to me to fit in here:

“Faith is what we carry with us through the darkness; it burns brightly when we cannot see.”

She shares a special problem of hers this Holy Week: the desire to repeat the comfortable experience God gave her in prior years. Catholic or whatever, don't we all sometimes seek that and are disappointed when it does not come? Especially in darkness we wonder whether the light will ever shine for us again. Listen again to Sister Colleen:

“Nothing was as I expected or desired. I wanted what I already had and I realized, as the days rolled on, that was exactly what I wasn't going to get. This [Easter] would be different.

Then she quotes Raymond Carver “written as he teetered on the edge of death:

And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved,
to feel myself
beloved in the earth.”
“God seemed to be inviting me beyond the constraints of my own knowing, beyond the bounds of the four walls of the church. All I needed to do was be free enough to receive the grace being given – to relinquish control and let God, in God's time, lead me through the mystery of these days.”

Can you see how this transfers to those times we walk in darkness and wonder how and why we can still believe? God can use those experience – awful as they are and not changing their awfulness – when tragedy and sorrow thrust us outside the box that has become out comfort zone. He can orient us out of our disorientation, and bring creation from our chaos.

Sister Gibson even puts in an a specific reference to the resurrection, which relates directly to the lesson and quotes that called forth Shelli's questions.

“I wonder how the disciples processed all that was going on. … that first morning when they arrived at the tomb, what did they believe? That the body had been taken or that Jesus had risen? What they faced was the unknown, the unbelievable transformed by belief.

That transformation is made by grace, one small movement at a time.”

AND A FACEBOOK FRIEND, WHOSE FAMILY I USED TO PASTOR made a comment about a loss in her community. I wrote he and sent her a copy of about half of this in first draft stage. Here is her reply:

This loss while sad, doesn't hit near as close to home as Colin's passing. He was 18, a friend of my son, Justin's, and I shot his senior portraits. We were just acquaintances with his mom and dad....they'd invited us to their church several times...we knew they went to a large church, and wasn't really interested in being part of a large church at the time. Colin was their youth music minister...he was headed to college to become a music minister as his vocation. The summer after graduation, he went away with 5 of his closest friends. It was a "guy" senior trip. They went to the lake...there was a small island across the lake and all of the boys decided to make the swim...of course the island seemed closer than what it actually was to them. They all made it to the island fine, but they had to swim back to shore. After a long rest, they set out....only this time, the waves were coming against them and there was a great deal of wind. Two of the boys started to fall behind - they were getting sick while they were swimming because they were taking on water. Colin noticed. He told the guys he was swimming with that he was going to go back and check on the other two. He swam back to them, checked on them, and told them to swim ahead that he'd be following. They made it to an unexpected sandbar, turned around and Colin was gone. His picture has been my cover photo for a long time now. When we learned what happened, I was so broken for this mom and dad and I repeatedly asked God, "WHY???" in my prayers...I couldn't pray without asking...and it didn't seem that He was giving me the answer. I know God doesn't "cause" bad things to happen to those He loves, but He does allow them and the word promises that all things work together for the good of those who love Jesus. (Roman 8:28) (I know you know the verse, I just can't type it without the reference...seems wrong.) Dean and I decided to go to his mom and dad's church - just to offer support during that time. When we got there, we were shocked to see they had a HUGE group of friends well established in that church and they had a LOT of support. We were so amazed by the support the congregation showed them that we simply never left. It's been 2 years and 10 months since that time, and we're still there. Many months after we joined the church, God answered my prayer...my question, "why?" His answer to me was simply, "You...you were part of the reason, along with all of the hundreds maybe even thousands of people who'd seen how Colin lived, heard of his death, watched his parents remain faithful through it all, and came to know Christ because of it all." I know there's more...there's probably a lot more that God being God has done with that situation, that me being human, created to worship Him, doesn't understand and never will quite understand in this lifetime. The end all lesson that I've come to know is to place my faith in Roman 8:28 and let Him be God and me be me. After Colin's passing, I've seen God bless his family over and over and over again...with support, with love, with peace...they've been a real testimony of faith to our community. As the mom's now best friend, I've also see the daily struggle and heartbreak...I've watched as she's screamed at God in anger, and as she's been broken from the anger and literally been covered in His peace right before my eyes.

Check the references below, or Google “grief.”

REFERENCES:

Scott Peck – The Road Less Traveled – First two pages, especially. An excellent book with an emphasis on personal discipline. A great life guidepost.

Granger Westberg – Good Grief – a basic work, reprinted in 2010 on its 50^th anniversary. It's that good.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross – On Grief and Grieving – Her first book, On Death and Dying became a classic.

You may know others.

My blog on Counseling for Laity is intended for those lay folk that people talk to, but you may find help in the chapter on Grief. You will need to scroll down til you find it. I have begun work on changing it to an ebook, but until then:

http://aplj234.blogspot.com/

FAITH IS OF NO VALUE WHEN YOU FEEL SECURE.

Put your hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee.

Faith may appear as a flashlight, showing you where to take the next step.

FAITH IN THE DARK

Life is difficult.


But as soon as we accept that difficulty, life is no longer as difficult.


We keep expecting to turn a corner and find peace, but it's more like we fled from a lion only to meet a bear. For those who are into sports, there's always another game and another season. For most wives there's always another meal to cook, clothes to wash, and beds to make. Life throws up one problem or difficulty after another. We all know “This wasn't supposed to happen to ME” feeling. Sorry friend, but yeah – something of the sort happens to everybody. And when you accept that only occasionally do you get to call time out and float in peace on a calm lake, life gets better.


I have just quoted, paraphrased, and amplified the first two pagers of The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck. It's an older book, but I strongly recommend it, especially the first two pages that are worth the price of the book. (You may even be able to read those pages free on Amazon by clicking on the book picture and arrow that says “Look Inside.”)


Shelli asked me to deal with ways to fight life, darkness, doubt and somehow hang onto your faith. You know there are volumes written on that right? But fools rush in and so do I. Here's a summary of where I think I'm headed:


1 – Recognize you will always find trouble in life. Everyone does.
2 – It's okay to get upset and want to rebel. Bible heroes did.
3 – Remember what He has carried you through thus far.
4 – Find a safe person who will keep their mouth shut and talk about it .
5 – Take a look at some of the resources I will suggest.


It's OK to argue with God.


Yes, I know you have been taught otherwise. But the great saints of the faith are recorded arguing with the Lord to the point of sarcasm.


Moses – In Exodus 3 God comes to the shepherd in a burning bush, sounding excited about liberating his people. Moses throws up excuse after excuse which the Lord keeps swatting down. Finally Moses sarcastically points out that he was a stutterer and that hasn't changed since God started speaking to him fifteen minutes ago. God did start to sound peeved, but He didn't throw Moses away. He continued to work with him and created a great leader and deliverer.


Elijah – After that great prophet called down fire from heaven and executed all the prophets of Baal, he announced the coming of rain. But Queen Jezebel owned those prophets and sent Elijah a telegram to get out of town by sundown or his head would roll. This formerly bold prophet broke and ran for his life, not stopping until he fell exhausted. When God caught up with him and asked what he was doing there, he POUTED! “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I'm going to go eat worms.” Well, not really, but it might as well have been. “I've been faithful to you and done all you called me to do, now I'm the only one left, and they're trying to kill me.” Note that God did not chide him or discard him. He gave him food and let him rest. Then He gave Elijah a fresh experience of Himself and a fresh vision of his calling.


Job – If you've read the book, you recognize that the “patience of Job” is not true. It's a New Testament translation in the KJV that would be better expressed by the word “endurance.” He did endure and persevere, but he wasn't patient about it. He screamed at God repeatedly. Why did this happen to me? Show me my sin if I'm being punished for something. Kill me, and get me out of this misery. Vindicate me to my accusers and show them I'm innocent. The reader knows this was a test, but Job and his accusers never did. Indeed, the book was probably written to show that bad things do happen to good people. One explanation – the test – disproves the whole system that bad fortune was always payment for sin. But Job yells at God, begs Him, and doesn't let go until the Lord reveals Himself.


Note: All three of these guys argued with God and did not like their situation at all. Therefore we can argue with that same God and pour out before Him our complaints at what life is bringing us. No fear He will reject us. Rather dumping that emotion can free our minds to hear His direction.


Turning to a more positive direction, let's take a look at Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:


23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

When I read this, I wonder why I am griping. But often we do hurt, so what do we do about it? remember Paul has also been through almost unendurable circumstances. Let's look at some of how he handled it in Philippians 4:

...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Note Paul says “I have learned...” He learned. He learned from experience over time, not given it along with his salvation and mission. How did he learn? Look back at 2 Corinthians 11. I wonder how many times Paul doubted and wondered whether he was in the right place. Did you see the sleepless nights and sometimes lack of food? From where he stood years later (probably under house arrest in Rome, or maybe in Ephesus). He now looks back and sees that God brought him through, so Paul can now say he is ready for anything in Christ.

We like to quote “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” We quote it as a positive in tackling a task. It was written more for your situation as you hurt. It is as if Paul said, “I have learned the hard way that I can get through anything as long as I hang onto Christ.”

Paul fought his way through all this triumphantly, as have thousands of others. And so can you. If thousands of others have fought through trial and come out in triumph, so can you. It may take awhile, and you may feel as if you got through by the skin of your teeth, but you will get through.

Remember what you have already come through.

What have you already come through? You are close to an impossibility in your conception and birth. There is no one else like you. You are a miracle. You made it into this world at birth, and have come through multiple sicknesses, allergies, falls, and perhaps surgeries. You got through schools, got married, had kids. You have lost family and friends along the way. And you're still going. How many times along the way has God helped you and carried you through?

Remembering all of that as Paul did can call forth your faith. God has been with you all your life. Why would He stop now?

Share you experiences with someone.

I love the following that I have seen ascribed to several different people.

O the comfort, the inexpressible comfort

of feeling safe with a person,

having neither to weigh thoughts, nor measure words,

but pouring them all out

wheat and chaff together,

certain that a faithful hand will sift them,

keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness

blow the rest away.

This means choosing the right person, sometimes a trained professional counselor. Many times it means talking to a close friend who can keep their mouth shut. Someone you feel safe with – and are safe. Talking it out can break up the viciously spiraling thoughts spinning through your head. Instead of whirling around in one continuous circle, over time your emotions begin to back down and your thoughts open out to new ways of dealing with life. The feeling of acceptance and companionship can lessen the pain and replace it with love.

Theological questions

Shelli wrote me the following that kicked all this off:

Not long ago in our Sunday School class we discuss these following quotes from our lesson: "found it easier to believe their doubts and fears" and "held captive by the things we expect to happen to the point that we close our minds to any contrary evidence". I left wanting to hear more about these thoughts.

In response to a question she spoke of a relative's divorce and someone's friend who had cancer in her close family. Beneath this I hear them asking where is God in all this. How can I continue to trust Him with all this chaos breaking into my world?

Dorothy Sayers wrote a remarkable book called Creed or Chaos. In it she points out that if God is indeed guilty of allowing our troubles, “he at least had the courage to take his own medicine.” She meant He allowed His Son Jesus to die on the cross. Even before that, Jesus lived a complete human life in a third world country occupied by foreigners. Almost certainly his father Joseph died, and it's likely he lost other siblings in the typical family until the day of modern medicine of the last hundred years.

Many turn to this verse, Romans 8:28 for assurance.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 8:28 Or that all things work together for good to those who love God, who; or that in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good—with those who
   

I include the note, because the Greek is ambiguous, and the last choice is my preferred choice. Paul is not saying that everything that happens is good. Obviously that's not true. It's obviously not true that everything always turns out for the best. For example, the world would be much better had the Holocaust never happened, had Hitler and Stalin and Saddam Hussein never risen to power. But Paul does say that nothing so bad can happen that God cannot re-shape it by His creative power for Good to emerge triumphant - good as defined by God. The supreme example is the Cross. By Christian theology no sin can be greater than the Crucifixion. Killing the Son of God. Essentially, saying God, get out of my life. I don't want you messing with me. I'd rather kill you than obey you - or even let you love and forgive me.

But God took that sin and transformed it through the resurrection into the greatest act in history – the salvation of the entire world! If God can do that, He can deal with my life and yours. He can take those tragedies, and over time transform them into many good things.

NOW SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE

Give it time. Time helps in healing.

Socialize your pain by talking with someone with whom you share mutual love and trust.

Talk to God about it. Read the above and recognize you don't have to play nice with Him. He's big enough to take it without striking you down.

>Make sure your pain doesn't mess up other people in your daily life. You must take care of your children and your spouse – or find someone else to do it while you take a break.

Exercise helps a lot of people, especially walking or jogging.

Get adequate sleep – maybe an extra hour.

NEWS FLASH

Read a column by a young nun based in Philadelphia, Colleen Gibson. She is writing about her experiences during Holy Week and along the way makes these observations that seem to me to fit in here:

“Faith is what we carry with us through the darkness; it burns brightly when we cannot see.”

She shares a special problem of hers this Holy Week: the desire to repeat the comfortable experience God gave her in prior years. Catholic or whatever, don't we all sometimes seek that and are disappointed when it does not come? Especially in darkness we wonder whether the light will ever shine for us again. Listen again to Sister Colleen:

“Nothing was as I expected or desired. I wanted what I already had and I realized, as the days rolled on, that was exactly what I wasn't going to get. This [Easter] would be different.

Then she quotes Raymond Carver “written as he teetered on the edge of death:

And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved,
to feel myself
beloved in the earth.”
“God seemed to be inviting me beyond the constraints of my own knowing, beyond the bounds of the four walls of the church. All I needed to do was be free enough to receive the grace being given – to relinquish control and let God, in God's time, lead me through the mystery of these days.”

Can you see how this transfers to those times we walk in darkness and wonder how and why we can still believe? God can use those experience – awful as they are and not changing their awfulness – when tragedy and sorrow thrust us outside the box that has become out comfort zone. He can orient us out of our disorientation, and bring creation from our chaos.

Sister Gibson even puts in an a specific reference to the resurrection, which relates directly to the lesson and quotes that called forth Shelli's questions.

“I wonder how the disciples processed all that was going on. … that first morning when they arrived at the tomb, what did they believe? That the body had been taken or that Jesus had risen? What they faced was the unknown, the unbelievable transformed by belief.

That transformation is made by grace, one small movement at a time.”

AND A FACEBOOK FRIEND, WHOSE FAMILY I USED TO PASTOR made a comment about a loss in her community. I wrote he and sent her a copy of about half of this in first draft stage. Here is her reply:

This loss while sad, doesn't hit near as close to home as Colin's passing. He was 18, a friend of my son, Justin's, and I shot his senior portraits. We were just acquaintances with his mom and dad....they'd invited us to their church several times...we knew they went to a large church, and wasn't really interested in being part of a large church at the time. Colin was their youth music minister...he was headed to college to become a music minister as his vocation. The summer after graduation, he went away with 5 of his closest friends. It was a "guy" senior trip. They went to the lake...there was a small island across the lake and all of the boys decided to make the swim...of course the island seemed closer than what it actually was to them. They all made it to the island fine, but they had to swim back to shore. After a long rest, they set out....only this time, the waves were coming against them and there was a great deal of wind. Two of the boys started to fall behind - they were getting sick while they were swimming because they were taking on water. Colin noticed. He told the guys he was swimming with that he was going to go back and check on the other two. He swam back to them, checked on them, and told them to swim ahead that he'd be following. They made it to an unexpected sandbar, turned around and Colin was gone. His picture has been my cover photo for a long time now. When we learned what happened, I was so broken for this mom and dad and I repeatedly asked God, "WHY???" in my prayers...I couldn't pray without asking...and it didn't seem that He was giving me the answer. I know God doesn't "cause" bad things to happen to those He loves, but He does allow them and the word promises that all things work together for the good of those who love Jesus. (Roman 8:28) (I know you know the verse, I just can't type it without the reference...seems wrong.) Dean and I decided to go to his mom and dad's church - just to offer support during that time. When we got there, we were shocked to see they had a HUGE group of friends well established in that church and they had a LOT of support. We were so amazed by the support the congregation showed them that we simply never left. It's been 2 years and 10 months since that time, and we're still there. Many months after we joined the church, God answered my prayer...my question, "why?" His answer to me was simply, "You...you were part of the reason, along with all of the hundreds maybe even thousands of people who'd seen how Colin lived, heard of his death, watched his parents remain faithful through it all, and came to know Christ because of it all." I know there's more...there's probably a lot more that God being God has done with that situation, that me being human, created to worship Him, doesn't understand and never will quite understand in this lifetime. The end all lesson that I've come to know is to place my faith in Roman 8:28 and let Him be God and me be me. After Colin's passing, I've seen God bless his family over and over and over again...with support, with love, with peace...they've been a real testimony of faith to our community. As the mom's now best friend, I've also see the daily struggle and heartbreak...I've watched as she's screamed at God in anger, and as she's been broken from the anger and literally been covered in His peace right before my eyes.

Check the references below, or Google “grief.”

REFERENCES:

Scott Peck – The Road Less Traveled – First two pages, especially. An excellent book with an emphasis on personal discipline. A great life guidepost.

Granger Westberg – Good Grief – a basic work, reprinted in 2010 on its 50^th anniversary. It's that good.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross – On Grief and Grieving – Her first book, On Death and Dying became a classic.

You may know others.

My blog on Counseling for Laity is intended for those lay folk that people talk to, but you may find help in the chapter on Grief. You will need to scroll down til you find it. I have begun work on changing it to an ebook, but until then:

http://aplj234.blogspot.com/

FAITH IS OF NO VALUE WHEN YOU FEEL SECURE.

Put your hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee.

Faith may appear as a flashlight, showing you where to take the next step.

FAITH IN THE DARK

Life is difficult.


But as soon as we accept that difficulty, life is no longer as difficult.


We keep expecting to turn a corner and find peace, but it's more like we fled from a lion only to meet a bear. For those who are into sports, there's always another game and another season. For most wives there's always another meal to cook, clothes to wash, and beds to make. Life throws up one problem or difficulty after another. We all know “This wasn't supposed to happen to ME” feeling. Sorry friend, but yeah – something of the sort happens to everybody. And when you accept that only occasionally do you get to call time out and float in peace on a calm lake, life gets better.


I have just quoted, paraphrased, and amplified the first two pagers of The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck. It's an older book, but I strongly recommend it, especially the first two pages that are worth the price of the book. (You may even be able to read those pages free on Amazon by clicking on the book picture and arrow that says “Look Inside.”)


Shelli asked me to deal with ways to fight life, darkness, doubt and somehow hang onto your faith. You know there are volumes written on that right? But fools rush in and so do I. Here's a summary of where I think I'm headed:


1 – Recognize you will always find trouble in life. Everyone does.
2 – It's okay to get upset and want to rebel. Bible heroes did.
3 – Remember what He has carried you through thus far.
4 – Find a safe person who will keep their mouth shut and talk about it .
5 – Take a look at some of the resources I will suggest.


It's OK to argue with God.


Yes, I know you have been taught otherwise. But the great saints of the faith are recorded arguing with the Lord to the point of sarcasm.


Moses – In Exodus 3 God comes to the shepherd in a burning bush, sounding excited about liberating his people. Moses throws up excuse after excuse which the Lord keeps swatting down. Finally Moses sarcastically points out that he was a stutterer and that hasn't changed since God started speaking to him fifteen minutes ago. God did start to sound peeved, but He didn't throw Moses away. He continued to work with him and created a great leader and deliverer.


Elijah – After that great prophet called down fire from heaven and executed all the prophets of Baal, he announced the coming of rain. But Queen Jezebel owned those prophets and sent Elijah a telegram to get out of town by sundown or his head would roll. This formerly bold prophet broke and ran for his life, not stopping until he fell exhausted. When God caught up with him and asked what he was doing there, he POUTED! “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I'm going to go eat worms.” Well, not really, but it might as well have been. “I've been faithful to you and done all you called me to do, now I'm the only one left, and they're trying to kill me.” Note that God did not chide him or discard him. He gave him food and let him rest. Then He gave Elijah a fresh experience of Himself and a fresh vision of his calling.


Job – If you've read the book, you recognize that the “patience of Job” is not true. It's a New Testament translation in the KJV that would be better expressed by the word “endurance.” He did endure and persevere, but he wasn't patient about it. He screamed at God repeatedly. Why did this happen to me? Show me my sin if I'm being punished for something. Kill me, and get me out of this misery. Vindicate me to my accusers and show them I'm innocent. The reader knows this was a test, but Job and his accusers never did. Indeed, the book was probably written to show that bad things do happen to good people. One explanation – the test – disproves the whole system that bad fortune was always payment for sin. But Job yells at God, begs Him, and doesn't let go until the Lord reveals Himself.


Note: All three of these guys argued with God and did not like their situation at all. Therefore we can argue with that same God and pour out before Him our complaints at what life is bringing us. No fear He will reject us. Rather dumping that emotion can free our minds to hear His direction.


Turning to a more positive direction, let's take a look at Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:


23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

When I read this, I wonder why I am griping. But often we do hurt, so what do we do about it? remember Paul has also been through almost unendurable circumstances. Let's look at some of how he handled it in Philippians 4:

...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Note Paul says “I have learned...” He learned. He learned from experience over time, not given it along with his salvation and mission. How did he learn? Look back at 2 Corinthians 11. I wonder how many times Paul doubted and wondered whether he was in the right place. Did you see the sleepless nights and sometimes lack of food? From where he stood years later (probably under house arrest in Rome, or maybe in Ephesus). He now looks back and sees that God brought him through, so Paul can now say he is ready for anything in Christ.

We like to quote “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” We quote it as a positive in tackling a task. It was written more for your situation as you hurt. It is as if Paul said, “I have learned the hard way that I can get through anything as long as I hang onto Christ.”

Paul fought his way through all this triumphantly, as have thousands of others. And so can you. If thousands of others have fought through trial and come out in triumph, so can you. It may take awhile, and you may feel as if you got through by the skin of your teeth, but you will get through.

Remember what you have already come through.

What have you already come through? You are close to an impossibility in your conception and birth. There is no one else like you. You are a miracle. You made it into this world at birth, and have come through multiple sicknesses, allergies, falls, and perhaps surgeries. You got through schools, got married, had kids. You have lost family and friends along the way. And you're still going. How many times along the way has God helped you and carried you through?

Remembering all of that as Paul did can call forth your faith. God has been with you all your life. Why would He stop now?

Share you experiences with someone.

I love the following that I have seen ascribed to several different people.

O the comfort, the inexpressible comfort

of feeling safe with a person,

having neither to weigh thoughts, nor measure words,

but pouring them all out

wheat and chaff together,

certain that a faithful hand will sift them,

keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness

blow the rest away.

This means choosing the right person, sometimes a trained professional counselor. Many times it means talking to a close friend who can keep their mouth shut. Someone you feel safe with – and are safe. Talking it out can break up the viciously spiraling thoughts spinning through your head. Instead of whirling around in one continuous circle, over time your emotions begin to back down and your thoughts open out to new ways of dealing with life. The feeling of acceptance and companionship can lessen the pain and replace it with love.

Theological questions

Shelli wrote me the following that kicked all this off:

Not long ago in our Sunday School class we discuss these following quotes from our lesson: "found it easier to believe their doubts and fears" and "held captive by the things we expect to happen to the point that we close our minds to any contrary evidence". I left wanting to hear more about these thoughts.

In response to a question she spoke of a relative's divorce and someone's friend who had cancer in her close family. Beneath this I hear them asking where is God in all this. How can I continue to trust Him with all this chaos breaking into my world?

Dorothy Sayers wrote a remarkable book called Creed or Chaos. In it she points out that if God is indeed guilty of allowing our troubles, “he at least had the courage to take his own medicine.” She meant He allowed His Son Jesus to die on the cross. Even before that, Jesus lived a complete human life in a third world country occupied by foreigners. Almost certainly his father Joseph died, and it's likely he lost other siblings in the typical family until the day of modern medicine of the last hundred years.

Many turn to this verse, Romans 8:28 for assurance.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 8:28 Or that all things work together for good to those who love God, who; or that in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good—with those who
   

I include the note, because the Greek is ambiguous, and the last choice is my preferred choice. Paul is not saying that everything that happens is good. Obviously that's not true. It's obviously not true that everything always turns out for the best. For example, the world would be much better had the Holocaust never happened, had Hitler and Stalin and Saddam Hussein never risen to power. But Paul does say that nothing so bad can happen that God cannot re-shape it by His creative power for Good to emerge triumphant - good as defined by God. The supreme example is the Cross. By Christian theology no sin can be greater than the Crucifixion. Killing the Son of God. Essentially, saying God, get out of my life. I don't want you messing with me. I'd rather kill you than obey you - or even let you love and forgive me.

But God took that sin and transformed it through the resurrection into the greatest act in history – the salvation of the entire world! If God can do that, He can deal with my life and yours. He can take those tragedies, and over time transform them into many good things.

NOW SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE

Give it time. Time helps in healing.

Socialize your pain by talking with someone with whom you share mutual love and trust.

Talk to God about it. Read the above and recognize you don't have to play nice with Him. He's big enough to take it without striking you down.

>Make sure your pain doesn't mess up other people in your daily life. You must take care of your children and your spouse – or find someone else to do it while you take a break.

Exercise helps a lot of people, especially walking or jogging.

Get adequate sleep – maybe an extra hour.

NEWS FLASH

Read a column by a young nun based in Philadelphia, Colleen Gibson. She is writing about her experiences during Holy Week and along the way makes these observations that seem to me to fit in here:

“Faith is what we carry with us through the darkness; it burns brightly when we cannot see.”

She shares a special problem of hers this Holy Week: the desire to repeat the comfortable experience God gave her in prior years. Catholic or whatever, don't we all sometimes seek that and are disappointed when it does not come? Especially in darkness we wonder whether the light will ever shine for us again. Listen again to Sister Colleen:

“Nothing was as I expected or desired. I wanted what I already had and I realized, as the days rolled on, that was exactly what I wasn't going to get. This [Easter] would be different.

Then she quotes Raymond Carver “written as he teetered on the edge of death:

And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved,
to feel myself
beloved in the earth.”
“God seemed to be inviting me beyond the constraints of my own knowing, beyond the bounds of the four walls of the church. All I needed to do was be free enough to receive the grace being given – to relinquish control and let God, in God's time, lead me through the mystery of these days.”

Can you see how this transfers to those times we walk in darkness and wonder how and why we can still believe? God can use those experience – awful as they are and not changing their awfulness – when tragedy and sorrow thrust us outside the box that has become out comfort zone. He can orient us out of our disorientation, and bring creation from our chaos.

Sister Gibson even puts in an a specific reference to the resurrection, which relates directly to the lesson and quotes that called forth Shelli's questions.

“I wonder how the disciples processed all that was going on. … that first morning when they arrived at the tomb, what did they believe? That the body had been taken or that Jesus had risen? What they faced was the unknown, the unbelievable transformed by belief.

That transformation is made by grace, one small movement at a time.”

AND A FACEBOOK FRIEND, WHOSE FAMILY I USED TO PASTOR made a comment about a loss in her community. I wrote he and sent her a copy of about half of this in first draft stage. Here is her reply:

This loss while sad, doesn't hit near as close to home as Colin's passing. He was 18, a friend of my son, Justin's, and I shot his senior portraits. We were just acquaintances with his mom and dad....they'd invited us to their church several times...we knew they went to a large church, and wasn't really interested in being part of a large church at the time. Colin was their youth music minister...he was headed to college to become a music minister as his vocation. The summer after graduation, he went away with 5 of his closest friends. It was a "guy" senior trip. They went to the lake...there was a small island across the lake and all of the boys decided to make the swim...of course the island seemed closer than what it actually was to them. They all made it to the island fine, but they had to swim back to shore. After a long rest, they set out....only this time, the waves were coming against them and there was a great deal of wind. Two of the boys started to fall behind - they were getting sick while they were swimming because they were taking on water. Colin noticed. He told the guys he was swimming with that he was going to go back and check on the other two. He swam back to them, checked on them, and told them to swim ahead that he'd be following. They made it to an unexpected sandbar, turned around and Colin was gone. His picture has been my cover photo for a long time now. When we learned what happened, I was so broken for this mom and dad and I repeatedly asked God, "WHY???" in my prayers...I couldn't pray without asking...and it didn't seem that He was giving me the answer. I know God doesn't "cause" bad things to happen to those He loves, but He does allow them and the word promises that all things work together for the good of those who love Jesus. (Roman 8:28) (I know you know the verse, I just can't type it without the reference...seems wrong.) Dean and I decided to go to his mom and dad's church - just to offer support during that time. When we got there, we were shocked to see they had a HUGE group of friends well established in that church and they had a LOT of support. We were so amazed by the support the congregation showed them that we simply never left. It's been 2 years and 10 months since that time, and we're still there. Many months after we joined the church, God answered my prayer...my question, "why?" His answer to me was simply, "You...you were part of the reason, along with all of the hundreds maybe even thousands of people who'd seen how Colin lived, heard of his death, watched his parents remain faithful through it all, and came to know Christ because of it all." I know there's more...there's probably a lot more that God being God has done with that situation, that me being human, created to worship Him, doesn't understand and never will quite understand in this lifetime. The end all lesson that I've come to know is to place my faith in Roman 8:28 and let Him be God and me be me. After Colin's passing, I've seen God bless his family over and over and over again...with support, with love, with peace...they've been a real testimony of faith to our community. As the mom's now best friend, I've also see the daily struggle and heartbreak...I've watched as she's screamed at God in anger, and as she's been broken from the anger and literally been covered in His peace right before my eyes.

Check the references below, or Google “grief.”

REFERENCES:

Scott Peck – The Road Less Traveled – First two pages, especially. An excellent book with an emphasis on personal discipline. A great life guidepost.

Granger Westberg – Good Grief – a basic work, reprinted in 2010 on its 50^th anniversary. It's that good.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross – On Grief and Grieving – Her first book, On Death and Dying became a classic.

You may know others.

My blog on Counseling for Laity is intended for those lay folk that people talk to, but you may find help in the chapter on Grief. You will need to scroll down til you find it. I have begun work on changing it to an ebook, but until then:

http://aplj234.blogspot.com/

FAITH IS OF NO VALUE WHEN YOU FEEL SECURE.

Put your hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee.

Faith may appear as a flashlight, showing you where to take the next step.

WORDS WITH FRIENDS TIPS

I’ve been playing Words with Friends about a year now. It resembles Scrabble, but Scrabble takes an hour to play, and WWF can be played a couple of minutes at a time and scattered over the day or saved until several contests appear at once. I often wait for four or more.

Why offer tips? Do I think I’m a master? Far from it. Yesterday I won a game by 100 points and lost to someone else by the same amount. However, I’ve lost by 100 to the one I beat, and won a few from the one who demolished me.  However, I do have learned some stuff, and perhaps you’ll comment to sharpen these tips and add others – or maybe even show I’m wrong! I WAS wrong once. I think. And btw, some of these apply also to Scrabble, but you get to argue in that game over whether a word is permissible. In WWF, there’s no appeal from the software.

1 – Play defense. The single thing that is most likely to improve you game is not setting up your opponent. The biggest thing to watch out for is the triple word and triple letter squares, especially if both are open. Try not to play in the other three if you can’t land on the triple word square. To do so is to make it too easy for your opponent to hit the triple word for a big score. An exception is when you can play an 8 or 10 point word on the triple letter for 24 -30 points.

2 – Try to save and play S and ED where words join, thus making two words plural at the same time. Double points. Occasionally you can join two closely placed words with another letter. Watch for it. Make every S count. Unless it extends a word to a double or triple word score, save your S for better use. Otherwise it only counts one point.

3 – Same advice for the blank tiles, which I most often use as an extra S. But they can also finish out a word on the ever important triple letter/word areas.

4 – Aim for as many triple word/letter combos as possible. And note the game first totals the triple letter, then multiplies that by three. So if you have a choice, put the biggest point letter on the triple letter square.

5 – To a lesser degree this also applies to double words. Don’t forget to see whether you can put a big letter on a nearby double or triple letter square.

6 – Two double letter squares are only five letters apart. One of the strongest scoring moves is to play a five or more letter word across them. Thus a good use of S is to gain entry to that area. Often you can pluralize a word with the S at the first or last of the two spaces, leaving only a four letter noun to pluralize for points.

7 – Luck – Equal players’ games will often be run by the luck of the draw, not only by whether you get high value points, but whether you get tiles that allow you to play those high value points. I have won and lost by 100 points in consecutive games with the same person. Over time, the more skilled will win more games.

8 – All consonants or all vowels. The first makes you look for open vowels to bracket with consonants to make a word. With all vowels you often can only play one letter, which makes it harder to add consonants, but sometimes you can play that vowel next to a Z, J, Q, or X and collect a few.

9 – If you are new, you will soon find weird words that work: ZA, XI, XU and QI. For some reason they don’t allow IQ or IV, which are ok in most Scrabble games I play in. And OK isn’t ok? Huh?

10 – Be careful about swapping letters. It’s tempting to get rid of useless letters in hopes of getting better letters. But consider: when you swap, you not only get NO points, but your opponent does continue to play. Most of the time, I think I’m better off playing one or two letters for 8 or 12 points than getting none at all. Even two beats nothing.

11 – An exception may be at the end of the game. Recently I had four I’s with less than a dozen letters left. I swapped all four and was able to eke out a win in a close game. Note that I also left four I’s for my opponent to draw.

12 – Cheating. Is using a helper app such as Win Every Game (a website that is an acronym finder) cheating? People differ. I won’t use it against beginners or weaker players. I will use it against strong players, especially if I think they are using it against me. I have a personal rule not to use really weird words that I have no clue about. I only use it as a memory jogger to see possibilities. Remember, you still have to select the word and put it on the board in the best place.

13 – A teen I play taught me to keep trying letters even if I don’t know the word meanings. He opposes “cheating” (see #12) but freely substitutes one letter after another until the computer accepts one. I recently played “pung,” on this principle and scored points!

14 – Don’t get discouraged. This should probably have been #1, but I’m not going back and change all the numbers now! When you begin, you will likely get your plow cleaned by most or even all those you play. Keep playing and keep learning. Soon you will win a game here and there, then more. Eventually you will become an experienced player and win more than half your games.

15 – Control addiction. Don’t play when you don’t have time. It’s ok to skip a day or even a week. You don’t have to accept every game or sign up for a new one as soon as you finish the last one. Pick it up when you have time and always play for a good time, not as a duty.

Well, that’s it for now. Add in your comments below and help us all out!

To war or not to war???

Just finished reading Seal Team Six by Howard Wasdin, a Silver Star and Purple Heart winner. He game me a view on the Mogadishu raid somewhat different from what I found in Blackhawk Down and news reports. The prevailing view is that the raid was a defeat, and we pulled out of Somalia. Wasdin makes a good case that it was a victory, losing 18 men, but killing hundreds of the bad guys. The troops expected to go back in the next day and finish the job. But TV carried the dragging of two of our men's bodies through the street, and Clinton backed us off.

This is a pattern ever since Korea. I'm not at all sure we should have gone into those places, now including Iraq and Afghanistan. But we need to quit thinking we can fight a limited war. WWII resulted in unconditional surrender, and we owned those countries. Many civilians were killed, both by the atomic blasts and the carpet bombing in Germany. But we won, and neither land is threatening world peace at the moment. On the contrary, they are among our closest allies.

Where did we get the idea that we could fight a limited war? Look at the problems in the wars we have "lost" or at least have not yet "won."

Korea and Vietnam both had the same problem. We drew a line across the country with the intention of throwing communists out of the South, but not attacking the North. Now kids, if I play football with you, there's no way I'm going to let you be free to score on me while I'm promising never to cross your fifty yard line. That's just stupid.

We were afraid of China. Maybe we were right to be scared of them, but in that case, we should have stayed out of the war. If we go into a war, we should go whole hog and end up owning the country.

Consider the Gulf War. We had 34 allied countries fighting with us. We could easily and popularly have rolled on to Baghdad and on the other side. We would never have needed to consider the second attack on Iraq and might well have avoided some of the tribal problems by a military governorship long enough to give them an infrastructure - roads and utilities and teach them how to run them.

Perhaps it is true the media's showing the terror of war puts a lot of pressure on the politicians and military. If this pressure is going to keep us from winning, then DON'T GO IN. As I recall we went into Iraq then with half a million troops, but left because we had accomplished the mission of kicking Saddam out of Kuwait.

20/20 hindsight is famous, but we repeatedly keep thinking we can fight a nice war, never killing civilians or staying within arbitrary limits. When we do that, we lose or appear to lose. Our military has never lost a war. Our politicians regularly lose the will to fight, bombarded by public opinions.

Again, let me be clear. I am by no means a warmonger. With perfect hindsight, it would have been better to roll up Iraq in the 90's and then leave them to themselves. I do think we had to invade part of Afghanistan after 9/11, but probably with at least 300,000 men with a goal of owning the place. Neither would I pussyfoot with Pakistan. By now, I think we should own that territory that keeps giving us so much trouble with a promise to give it back to them, cleaned out and in better shape.

Just one man's opinion. Stay out completely or go all in.