Henriet's Blog

Unity Disguised

Nietzsche once said, "Show me your redeemed life, and I will be inclined to believe in your Redeemer."

People are watching!This ought to be sobering to us if we're serious about our faith. As a community of believers, how are we living out and demonstrating our unity?

When I was looking for a story on unity, I had trouble finding any. I'm sure there are some but they didn't jump out. (On a side note, Wednesday's post on unity was among the least read. Apparently unity is not a hot topic for us!)

The earthquake story reminded me of a time when the church I belonged to acted in unity. In fact, all people seem exhibit this kind of unity in a crisis situation--just remember September 11. How many of us had flags on our cars? People in New York became polite to each other, the honking even subsided.

Shouldn't the church exhibit a different kind of unity? Everyday? What are we going to do about it? The world is watching! If Christ is real and we believe in him, shouldn't it be obvious by our unity?

Living in Unity

Recently, I was discussing the concept of unity with some people. What is unity? The Apostle Paul, in the book of Philippians, tells us it means to be like-minded. He addresses the believers in Philippi and encourages them to "be like-minded, having the same love, being on in spirit and purpose" (Phil. 2:2).

In our individualistic society, unity and like-mindedness might seem like uniformity, but they are different. Uniformity relates to acting and looking the same. Unity is not loving the same thing but having the same love--Jesus' love. It involves humility. (Humility is an accurate assessment of ourselves--see Putting On Humility.) The secret to living in unity is to not seek our own interest, nor to pursue a selfish advantage and not to seek our own glory.

According to Jesus, unity is the outward demonstration of being a Christian. It ought to exemplify and define us. Unity is the essence of the Christian life because it is the display of a living God at work in our individual lives. How are we doing?

Living in unity takes effort. The Apostle Paul tells the Ephesian believers (and us) to, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Keeping the unity is hard work. It requires acceptance, forgiveness, kindness, humility and love.

Don't despair, there is hope! Jesus prayed for us to have unity:

"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believed that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:20-23

Shaken Together

October 17, 1989 the earth shook significantly. The clock read 5:04 p.m. The day was Tuesday. The quake registered 7.1 on the Richter scale, its epicenter in the Santa Cruz mountains of California. They called it the Loma Prieta earthquake and it shook for 15 seconds--an eternity when the earth rolls under your feet.

Almost as soon as it hit, I slipped under my desk at the church office. We knew nearly immediately that this quake was a big one. When it stopped rolling I looked outside and saw my car rocking front right to left rear--a very odd sight. I ran out the door and drove home to my 4 months old puppy. He had disappeared. The sliding glass door had a star-shaped hole in it. I found the shivering dog behind a bush in the backyard. His legs and lip were cut and bleeding. I took him to the animal hospital across town. They had gone outside and  planned to close down. One look at the dog had them reconsider and reopen. I ran the intake part of the hospital as they worked on my dog. Everyone worked together.

The people of the church I worked at also united. They helped each other throughout the recovery. First with checking out homes for damage. Supplying people with shelter. During the following days, they gather to rebuild damaged structures. Everyone donated time, labor and materials. When one place was fixed, the group moved to another home until everyone was taken care of.  Additionally, they reached out to neighbors to help them recover and rebuild.

The earthquake was scary but the aftermath was awesome. Seeing people help each other and unite for the common good was an inspiring experience.

Humility Quotes

"I long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."       Helen Keller

 

"Religion is to do right. It is to love, it is to serve, it is to think, it is to be humble."                      Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? lay first the foundation of humility."                                             St. Augustine

Add your own quote on humility...

President Fred? Revisited

On June 4, I wrote about the need for more great Freds. Fred Thompson, possible Republican candidate for the 2008 presidential election, was one of the Freds mentioned in President Fred?

In a recent poll Thompson showed up as the Republican front runner--and he's not even running yet. Imagine that, a Fred taking the lead. 

President Fred...sounds kind of nice, don't you think. Again I say, "run, Fred, run!"

Any Fred fans out there? And, if so, why?

Putting On Humility

What does it mean to be humble? To many it conjures up images of people who are willing to take one on the jaw without retaliation. I think most of us admire humility in others--seeing it as kind and good. However, how many of us aspire to be humble? Or to exhibit true humility?

I have never felt particularly humble. Does anyone feel humble? Does Billy Graham feel humble? A recent story in the Christianity Today online newsletter indicated that Ruth Bell Graham might have had a lot to do with Billy's humility. She "had disdain for the trappings of fame and power" and is said to have kept him steady.

So what is humility? According to the Bible humility entails an accurate self-assessment. It requires thinking of yourself honestly. In Philippians 2:3, the Apostle Paul encourages people to "do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."

In this Bible verse and others, humility sounds like a choice, an attitude and a lifestyle rather than a feeling. In Colossians, Paul writes, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." The word clothe indicates that humility is something to be put on.

The Apostle Peter, you know the guy who always acted before he thought and seemed brash, wrote in 1 Peter 5:5, 6: "All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."

I think humility means that you know yourself well--both strengths and weaknesses--and employ the strengths in an other-focused way without attracting attention to yourself.

What's your definition of humility? Do you feel humble?

A Humble Man of God

The Bible records that Moses was the most humble man--ever. I think that in our day, Billy Graham exhibits Moses' like qualities.

The 88-year old Graham, received praise and accolades during the opening of the Billy  Graham Library on May 31, 2007. Hailed as the most well-known minister of all time, he impacted an estimated 210 million people in 185 countries over six continents in his 60 years of service. That's something to be proud of.

Billy Graham's childhood home, left, and the new Billy Graham Library, right, are shown in Charlotte, N.C.as shown on MSNBC.msn.com.

During the Library Dedication ceremony, three presidents--President Carter, President George H.W. Bush and President Clinton--paid tribute to the elderly statesman of the Gospel. President Bush called Graham a "spiritual gift to all of us." That kind of praise could go to your head.

Franklin Graham addresses the guests at the library dedication while his father and three presidents look on.

Billy Graham, frail and leaning on his son Franklin, briefly spoke after having received the accolades and praise from presidents and others. He said, as reported on CBSNews.com, "This building behind me is just a building. It's an instrument, a tool for the Gospel. The primary thing is the Gospel of Christ."

Other guests reported that Billy and Franklin Graham's main concern for the event was that this same Gospel was preached to those who attended the ceremony. Well done, good and faithful servant. You are a humble man of God.

Sadly, Billy Graham and his family, returned to the library for his wife's burial yesterday, June 17, 2007. Ruth Graham was laid to rest at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway in the woodsy Prayer Garden.

Living Jesus' Way?

"Isn't being missional simply doing what Jesus said to do in the first place?"

Someone asked me this question in response to Wednesday's post. I'd like to answer: "Exactly!"

The second part of the question read, "By attempting to do this missional stuff, are we trying to earn brownie points by increasing our 'good deeds' or are we showing up because we realize that we aren't doing what Jesus told us to do?"

The distinction matters greatly. Doing good works so that we feel better becomes about "us" and is self-serving. To the recipients of these "good deeds" it smacks of charity.

Living genuinely missional means 'loving your neighbor as yourself' in response to God's love for us--without an agenda. It means showing up and living Jesus' way.

How do you see it?

Genuinely Missional

Rapidly achieving buzz status, the word missional shows up everywhere. Churches schedule 72-hour service projects. Ministries and leaders create missional programs. Missional books featuring the missional concept proliferate.

As human beings, especially in the West, we tend to embrace the next thing so tightly that we squeeze the life out of it. Are we at risk of squeezing the genuinely missional out by our well-meaning enthusiasm?

Pastor Tim lives a genuinely missional life. I doubt that he's read many of the books. He just lives it. Tim's harvesting, fighting fires and responding to medical calls because he loves people and wants to serve them in Jesus' name.

I want to be genuinely missional. Living in Jesus' name and showing His love because it's the right thing to do--all the time.

What's your view of living a genuine missional life?

On Mission With Tim

The second week of each month, I will focus on people who live missionally--on a daily basis. This week meet Tim:

This summer you're likely to find him him driving truck alongside a big Case combine, catching the 3.2 bushels per second being released from the grain bin.  To do his job he needs to drive the right speed as the grain dumps out because the combine keeps going. If he miscalculates, the grain spills costing the farmer money.                                                                   Case Combine

When he's not driving the truck to help during the harvest, he might respond to a medical call. Tim also serves his community as an EMT.

Tim also serves his neighbors, the local wheat farmers, in another capacity. When fires break out in their fields, he answers the call of duty as one of the local volunteer fire fighters. He might drive the wild land fire truck or be part of the crew manning the
"Tim's" Fire Truck                 hoses atop the truck platform.

None of these tasks, truck driver, EMT and fire fighter, are  Tim's real jobs. His neighbors know him as Pastor Tim. His church is the local Christ Lutheran Church.

He befriends his parishioners and neighbors with his jovial manner and heartfelt hospitality. His attitude and authenticity make him a great pastor, friend and leader. His desire to serve makes him a great neighbor. He lives missionally, intentionally--showing his neighbors the love of Jesus in practical and meaningful ways.