Tuesdays with Morris

Today, I randomly received a verse of Scripture through an e-mail from an organization that our church is currently working with. The verse is quite encouraging to me. Yet, I’m not sure how to apply it at this moment. Here’s the verse:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Many of my readers and friends are most likely aware that I’ve been a bit discouraged lately. The timing of receiving this verse is spot on. The call to be strong, courageous, unafraid, and not discouraged give me this inner sense of hope and peace. Be reminded that God is with us, wherever we go seems like Vacation Bible School knowledge. But, I too easily forget this in the midst of frustrations.

I’ve had several thoughts on what God is leading me to do at this point in my journey. I believe this verse is encouraging me to be strong and courageous…calling me to not worry so much…to not be afraid or discouraged…but instead to look for what God is doing and where He’s leading.

Over the last couple of days, I’ve had to take some bold risks in communicating my frustrations. And, I believe this verse is encouraging me that I’ve done the right thing and that I need to not stop short. To not step out in strength and courage, to buckle under the weight of fear and frustration could potentially hinder what God is trying to accomplish in and through me at this moment.

The reason I call this “strange encouragement” is because I normally delete all junk messages from Christian organizations…but this one I read. Strange, eh?

Well, it didn’t take long to start writing again. I decided I just need to write…only I’m not going to write about the church for a while. So, here’s a little something about cell phone towers.

I am one of the first people to applaud all the amazing advances in technology. I love the fact that I’m sitting in my living room pirating some else’s wi-fi connection. I love the fact that I have a cell phone and can get in touch with just about anyone at any place and any time. I think the new iPhone’s are incredible. I believe all the digital photography and recording capabilities are going to open up so many new possibilities in the arts.

However, I’m also deeply bothered by some of the destruction to our environment that has taken place in order for me to have one more bar light up on my cell phone.

As my family drove to and from Florida, I was deeply troubled by the number of cell phone towers I saw throughout the country. Driving through the Smokies, I was awed by the breath-taking views. Then, on top of the mountains, I’d see a cell phone tower and a path of trees that had been cut down in order to place the tower on top of the mountain.

It just destroys the beauty of creation…all to provide me better cell phone service…And, I didn’t even use my cell phone on vacation. Sometimes progress just isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Well, I haven’t written much lately. I’m doing a bit of self-editting. Every time I sit down to write, I find myself unleashing my frustrations. I think it is extremely healthy to get things “out there.”However, I think I need to avoid writing until I have something positive to say. So, don’t be surprised if I don’t post any thing for a while. Let’s just say that transitions I’m currently facing are more difficult than I imagined they would be.

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says, ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame…but you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in this world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:2-6, 9-12)

Wow! That was a long passage of Scripture to start off my newsletter article! Either I’m trying to fill up space…or just maybe I believe this passage has much to say to each of us. I’ll go with the latter and hope you do too!

This passage has many wonderful statements and calls to those of us who believe. I could easily write page after page on this passage. This passage calls us to: grow up (vs. 2); to offer spiritual sacrifices (vs. 5); to know that we will never be put to shame if we trust in Jesus (vs. 6); to declare praise (vs. 9); to abstain from sinful desires (vs. 11); live good lives (vs. 12). I could go on and on about these things. However, I’m going to briefly deal with two that stick out most to me this day.

In this passage, we are referred to as “aliens and strangers.” Isn’t that interesting? Isn’t that peculiar? Have you ever thought of yourself as an alien? We may have felt like strangers from time to time…but aliens? I was born in this land…I’m not an alien…am I??? So, why are we called aliens and strangers? Well, this is not our home. We are waiting for something better to come. Just as the Hebrews writer says, we should be looking for a country of our own, a better country – a heavenly one. Isn’t it comforting to know that a better home awaits us? (Now, this is where it ended in the actual newsletter article. A lot of people at my church eat up the “Some day when we all get to heaven” idea. However, I believe we’re called to bring a bit of heaven on earth. The Kingdom is supposed to be a present and living reality. Some of the language of the church makes our faith sound like a “one day” kind of belief…that eventually we will go to heaven. That lets us off the hook for living out the kingdom in the here and now.)

In this passage, we are also called to “live such good lives” that others “may see your good deeds and glorify God.” The idea behind this is that we are to live in ways that others will see good, that they will see the light and come to know Jesus. We can “do good” on a daily basis by performing random acts of kindness. These aren’t done for recognition, but simply out of our love for God and for others. The possibilities are endless. You could: open doors for people around town, buy a cup of coffee for a stranger, pick up someone’s tab randomly when out to eat, pay for someone’s gas or groceries, let someone out in front of you on McGalliard, pick up trash in a park or around your neighborhood, mow someone’s lawn, the list could go on and on. The main idea is that we find ways to “do good” in our community and our world. As we do these things, God will get the glory because he is our motivation.

What can you do today to let others see the love of God by the way you live?

While doing some devotional reading, I found myself reading through the Genesis flood story. It’s an extremely powerful story of God’s dissatisfaction with the humans He created. However, there was one man, Noah, that won God’s heart. And so, God provided a way out for Noah, his family, and the animals.

What really strikes me about the story is the first verse of chapter 8. The earth had been flooded for 150 days and then, as we read, “…God remembered Noah.”

Those words are so amazing. “God remembered Noah.” Imagine being Noah or part of his family. Stuck on an ark for days, weeks, months with loud, stinky animals. I’m sure there were days when Noah and the family wondered “when is this whole flood thing going to be over.” And, they probably wondered if God was still aware of them. I get antsy being in a car for more than 3 hours. I can’t imagine being on an ark with the smelly animals and my smelly family (I don’t think this was a cruise ship with luxury bathing facilities) for 10 days, let alone the amount of time Noah’s family spent together.

“But, God remembered Noah.” This is an amazing statement for me. Why? Because it reminds me that God remembers me too. In the midst of struggles, in the midst of joy, God remembers me. God remembers you.

I believe that’s what I’m going to meditate on today…the fact that God remembers me.