Author: Robert

I hate it when I work out a blog post in my mind while I am in the haze of sleep and then forget it after I go back to sleep. I usually have a pad and pen on my nightstand for writing down things that relate to Tapestry’s messages, but I didn’t do it with this idea and now I can’t remember what I was thinking. I do remember that at the time I thought “oh, I like the way that works together” and that it was dealing with Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s announcement that Texas will no longer accept resettlement of new refugees. I can’t remember what it was but let’s just assume that it was one of the more brilliant things that I have ever written or said, and leave it at that.

Since I can’t remember what I was going to write about the Texas governor’s response to more refugees I’ll post a section from the Shepherd of Hermas dealing with helping the poor.

You may have never heard of the Shepherd of Hermas. It is devotional writing from the 1st century, very early in the history of the church. It isn’t scripture but it is Christians figuring out how to live out their transformation from the Lord and what we are taught in scripture. It is some of the best devotional writing that the church has ever produced. The writing in the Shepherd has continued to guide people in the church in how to walk as followers of Christ because it has consistently given insight into what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

This portion is the second similitude of the third book of the Shepherd:

“As I was walking in the field, and observing an elm and vine, and determining in my own mind respecting them and their fruits, the Shepherd appears to me, and says, What is it that you are thinking about the elm and vine? I am considering, I reply, that they become each other exceedingly well. These two trees, he continues, are intended as an example for the servants of God. I would like to know, said I, the example which these trees you say, are intended to teach. Do you see, he says, the elm and the vine? I see them sir, I replied. This vine, he continued, produces fruit, and the elm is an unfruitful tree; but unless the vine be trained upon the elm, it cannot bear much fruit when extended at length upon the ground; and the fruit which it does bear is rotten, because the plant is not suspended upon the elm. When, therefore, the vine is cast upon the elm, it yields fruit both from itself and from the elm. You see, moreover, that the elm also produces much fruit, not less than the vine, but even more; because, he continued, the vine, when suspended upon the elm, yields much fruit, and good; but when thrown upon the ground, what it produces is small and rotten. This similitude, therefore, is for the servants of God — for the poor man and for the rich. How so, sir? said I; explain the matter to me. Listen, he said: The rich man has much wealth, but is poor in matters relating to the Lord, because he is distracted about his riches; and he offers very few confessions and intercessions to the Lord, and those which he does offer are small and weak, and have no power above. But when the rich man refreshes the poor, and assists him in his necessities, believing that what he does to the poor man will be able to find its reward with God — because the poor man is rich in intercession and confession, and his intercession has great power with God — then the rich man helps the poor in all things without hesitation; and the poor man, being helped by the rich, intercedes for him, giving thanks to God for him who bestows gifts upon him. And he still continues to interest himself zealously for the poor man, that his wants may be constantly supplied. For he knows that the intercession of the poor man is acceptable and influential with God. Both, accordingly, accomplish their work. The poor man makes intercession; a work in which he is rich, which he received from the Lord, and with which he recompenses the master who helps him. And the rich man, in like manner, unhesitatingly bestows upon the poor man the riches which he received from the Lord. And this is a great work, and acceptable before God, because he understands the object of his wealth, and has given to the poor of the gifts of the Lord, and rightly discharged his service to Him. Among men, however, the elm appears not to produce fruit, and they do not know nor understand that if a drought come, the elm, which contains water, nourishes the vine; and the vine, having an unfailing supply of water, yields double fruit both for itself and for the elm. So also poor men interceding with the Lord on behalf of the rich, increase their riches; and the rich, again, aiding the poor in their necessities, satisfy their souls. Both, therefore, are partners in the righteous work. He who does these things shall not be deserted by God, but shall be enrolled in the books of the living. Blessed are they who have riches, and who understand that they are from the Lord. [For they who are of that mind will be able to do some good. ] “

The reason I quote this text is because I believe far too often we who are followers of Christ (I’m not speaking for those here who aren’t) view people who are struggling as burdens that interrupt our lives rather than opportunities for us to extend and to personally experience the grace of God through these individuals. I believe this is why the author of the letter to the Hebrews (13:2) records, “to [not forget to] show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

If you were raised in a tradition that holds to sacramental theology then you were a part of a tradition with the belief that there are certain events and elements are means of God extending/communicating His grace (yes sacramental friends I know it is more than that). I have some serious problems with sacramental theology (right Conor😁) but if I did believe scripture taught that there were visible means of extending grace of His invisible act of grace (outside of the crucifixion and resurrection) it would be through those in need, the weak, and poor. When we help our brothers and sisters in need we minister tp the hidden Christ and there we find Him in grace.

The refugees who are coming to us out of fear of what will happen to them in their home countries (because that is what is happening here – refugees aren’t people trying to steal jobs, but people fleeing their homeland to protect themselves and their families) are opportunities for us to show and experience the grace of God. Instead we often respond with “I can’t help anymore” (which often just means “I don’t want to”) and turn our back on grace.

Knowing that it could be Jesus standing at our door should guide a Christian’s response to not only this situation but every situation. The Lord stands at the door and is knocking. He is hungry and needs safety. Do we open the door or say “we’ve done more than our fair share Lord”?

Grace stands at our doors. What will we do? What will I do?

Recently I have been thinking a lot about how much we are defined by our production or doing. We have numbers all around us telling us whether we are doing a good job of accomplishing our own or other people’s goals for us. I have to admit I like many of these numbers. I enjoy recording on goodreads that I have finished another book and seeing my number of books for the year go up. I like that the Bible app I often use for reading my Bible records how many days I have read scripture in a row. I have a goal for the number of steps I walk/run each day, I have a goal for how much money I save throughout the year, I record what I do for work, etc., etc., etc.

These aren’t bad things – in fact, sometimes they help motivate me to be who I believe I have been called to be.

But being who I have been called to be is the key.

We aren’t what we produce. I am not the numbers that I can record. Instead the numbers I record should help me to live out who I am. The opposite is so often the way we are viewed and, even worse, how we view ourselves. We accept the lie that we are what we produce and that our value comes from the value of what we accomplish/produce. Thus our companies, decades ago, moved from departments of personnel, concerned with the people who the company employed, to departments of human resources, concerned with making sure that the humans who are resources to the company are most effectively used just as the materials department is concerned that the company’s material resources are best used for the company’s goal. You are not just a resource to be used.

I think determining our value by our production is also why we usually first ask a person what they do for work when we are introducing ourselves. “What is your production value?” “Well I am retired now, BUT I used to produce this and it was of high value.” Or we ask our spouse and kids at the end of day “so what did you do today”, as if what was done is the most important part of a day. You and I are not just the value of what we do.

Our value comes from the One who loves us and created us, not for the numbers we produce. Still our choices do help us to live out who He proclaims us to be. I am a father, my choices help me to live out being a good or a bad father. I am a son, my choices help me to live out being a son. I am a friend, my choices determine what type of friend I am. I am a child of God, my choices shape what type of child I am.

I like something that the Danish Philosopher and believer Søren Kierkegaard wrote on the subject. He wrote,

“Now, with God’s help, I shall become myself.”

Søren Kierkegaard, Papers and Journals, Page 295

I like the quote because it acknowledges that we can’t make free choices without God’s help (scripture says we are slaves to sin) but that the goal of His help is to enable us to make choices that are consistent with who we are and who we are becoming. We aren’t just our production, but what we produce should be consistent with who we are (or as I understand it, who we have been proclaimed to be by a gracious and loving God). The numbers in our lives aren’t bad, but they can become so when we think those numbers are who we are. You are so much more than those numbers. You are claimed by God. I am the brother to the Lord.

I believe one of the saddest things of this whole situation is that using our production to determine our value actually robs us of the joy and pride that we should be able feel when we accomplish something. Instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment, we immediately feel the need to do more. Rather than being able to recognize that we just accomplished some good work, we see the faults that are present and believe we must still improve on our work. When your production determines your value then your production has to be of ultimate value … and that is something that nothing we can produce can ever give us. Ultimate value being placed on things that were never meant to provide ultimate value destroys not only our joy, but also the portion of joy that those things used to be able to provide us.

One of the parenting things that Pam and I did when the boys where significantly younger was to teach them that advertisements would often promise things or make claims that the product could never deliver on because the promise was for a need that the product wasn’t design to meet. For example, if you buy this truck you will suddenly be the type of person who does work requiring a truck. If you buy North Face gear then you will become someone who spends lots of time outdoors. If you buy this product the your family will begin to love spending time together. So much advertising uses values that are way beyond the product, to try and sell the product to us. This product will bring you community, hope, meaning, etc., etc.

Nope, it won’t

So we taught the boys to shout out at the TV “That’s a lie!” when they saw a commercial that was obviously saying it could deliver something that was beyond’s its scope. I hope it helped them learn that many things make promises that they could never fulfill. I know their tiny voices screaming at the television helped me learn that lesson.

This Adam Sandler SNL skit is along a similar vein.

So maybe when we begin to feel the need to define ourselves based off what we produce we need to remind ourselves that our production can’t determine our value. Therefore, our work is not who we are, our hobbies don’t have to be productive, we don’t have to be using every second effectively, we did a good job (not a perfect job) and that is okay. You and I are so much more than what we produce and do. So be comfortable with just being, rather than always doing.

As the old cliché goes, “You are a human BEING, not a human DOING.” It is clichéd, but it is also true.

This short video is pretty awesome … well unless you are the owner of the sailboat. I don’t think the sea lions care that this sailboat wasn’t really designed to function as a resting rock for them, they are going to use it for this purpose anyhow. I love the fact that a third sea lion tried to get on the boat but was denied by the other two. That would have been very interesting.

I’m sure there is an illustration in there somewhere concerning using things in our life for purposes they weren’t meant for (for good or bad) but it is December 30th and such thoughts are beyond me at the moment.

I really hoped the sailboat survived without too much damage.

ht Jami

The photo attached to this post is from my favorite chaplaining discussion from yesterday. The doodle on the right side of the image is my attempt at describing a stack pole. A “stack pole” is an ancient agricultural concept that I learned while studying theology. Within theology is was meant to convey the central idea that gives shape and structure to all of your other theology. In the image attach to this post the stack pole is the dark line that is draw in the center of what is supposed to be a haystack. (Don’t judge my haystack – this was a conversational doodle, not an attempt at art).

I am not a farmer, nor the son of a farmer (though I did have a step-grandfather that was a hobby gardener and really liked to use all his step-grandkids as free labor on his hobby garden – but we didn’t deal with hay so I didn’t learn this from him, however I have dug more potatoes and picked more green beans and tomatoes than I care to remember), but I learned about stack poles because of the theological discussion.

A stack pole is the pole in the center of a haystack that gives the stack structure for stability, shape, and aeration. The stack pole makes the haystack sound and reliable. Without a stack pole the haystack has to have some other form of structure or it will fall down on itself, become unmanageable, or even worse, combust from the heat that accompanies a lack of aeration.

So often in discussion I describe a “stack pole” to people in an attempt to help them figure out what is the person/concept/thing that lends structure to everything else in their life. What is the ultimate “yes” in my life that determines whether I say “yes” or “no” to everything else? This stack pole gives and shapes meaning to everything else. For me this stack pole is Jesus.

For far too many people I believe there is no “stack pole” in their lives, or, maybe even worse, what they have as their ultimate “yes” is nowhere near strong enough to be the center pole of their lives and thus can’t handle the weight such need for meaning brings – this can lead to chaos. In a post in September I mentioned Søren Kierkegaard’s famous quote, “purity of heart is to will one thing,” which is another way of expressing, and probably a better way because it is from Kierkegaard after all, what I mean by “stack pole”. I hope you have a stack pole that gives structure to your life. If not, or if you are realizing that what has been your “stack pole” isn’t up to snuff, then I know a great God that is the perfect “stack pole”.

Any how this post was really about two things:

• first, I love what I get to do in life
• two, I love when a conversation leads to a doodle.

Today, thanks to my wonderful wife, we are trying out what I believe will become a new Terrell Thanksgiving lunch tradition. Our friends and family who gather today will participate in a shared reading. Pam found this reading on The Rabbit Room and we both love it because of the idea of our meal as a battle against the lie of the enemy. God says you are loved and He invites you into communion. The adversary says you are alone and separate from everyone else. Thus a meal in the name of Christ becomes a battle against the power of the enemy. My wife has really cool ideas.

Here’s the reading.

CELEBRANT: To gather joyfully is indeed a serious affair, for feasting and all enjoyments gratefully taken are, at their heart, acts of war.

PEOPLE: In celebrating this feast we declare that evil and death, suffering and loss, sorrow and tears, will not have the final word.

But the joy of fellowship, and the welcome and comfort of friends new and old, and the celebration of these blessings of food and drink and conversation and laughter are the true evidences of things eternal, and are the first fruits of that great glad joy that is to come and that will be unending.

So let our feast this day be joined to those sure victories secured by Christ,

Let it be to us now a delight, and a glad foretaste of his eternal kingdom.

Bless us, O Lord, in this feast.

Bless us, O Lord, as we linger over our cups, and over this table laden with good things, as we relish the delights of varied texture and flavor, of aromas and savory spices, of dishes prepared as acts of love and blessing, of sweet delights made sweeter by the communion of saints.

May this shared meal, and our pleasure in it, bear witness against the artifice and deceptions of the prince of the darkness that would blind this world to hope.

May it strike at the root of the lie that would drain life of meaning, and the world of joy, and suffering of redemption.

May this our feast fall like a great hammer blow against that brittle night, shattering the gloom, reawakening our hearts, stirring our imaginations, focusing our vision

on the kingdom of heaven that is to come,

on the kingdom that is promised,

on the kingdom that is already, indeed, among us,

For the resurrection of all good things has already joyfully begun.

All participants now lift their glasses or cups.

May this feast be an echo of that great Supper of the Lamb,

a foreshadowing of the great celebration that awaits the children of God.

Where two or more of us are gathered, O Lord, there you have promised to be.

And here we are.

And so, here are you. Take joy, O King, in this our feast.

Take joy, O King!

Glasses are clinked with celebratory chime, and participants in the feast savor a drink, admonishing one another heartily with these sincere words:

Take joy!

All will be well!

Participants take up the cry:

All will be well!

Nothing good and right and true will be lost forever. All good things will be restored. Feast and be reminded! Take joy, little flock. Take joy! Let battle be joined!

Let battle be joined!

Now you who are loved by the Father, prepare your hearts and give yourself wholly to this celebration of joy, to the glad company of saints, to the comforting fellowship of the Spirit, and to the abiding presence of Christ who is seated among us both as our host and as our honored guest, and still yet as our conquering king.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, take seat, take feast, take delight!

I think I referenced Augustine of Hippo‘s famous quote “Love and do what you will” during our small group Tuesday night (BTW if you are not in a small group of people who are trying to do faith together, 1) I think you should be, and 2) you are more than welcome to join us – we meet on Tuesday nights at the Terrell abode and we bring things to share a common meal as we read and talk about faith), but if it wasn’t there then I referenced it in another conversation recently. Therefore, I thought I would post the context from which it comes. Here’s its context:

What I have said so far applies to actions that are similar. When they are different, we find people made fierce by love; and by wickedness made seductively gentle. A father beats a boy, while a kidnapper caresses him. Offered a choice between blows and caresses, who would not choose the caresses and avoid the blows? But when you consider the people who give them you realize that it is love that beats, wickedness that caresses. This is what I insist upon: human actions can only be understood by their root in love. All kinds of actions might appear good without proceeding from the root of love. Remember, thorns also have flowers: some actions seem truly savage, but are done for the sake of discipline motivated by love. Once and for all, I give you this one short command: love, and do what you will. If you hold your peace, hold your peace out of love. If you cry out, cry out in love. If you correct someone, correct them out of love. If you spare them, spare them out of love. Let the root of love be in you: nothing can spring from it but good.

You can find the entire sermon here. I’ve got nothing to add to that. Love and do what you will.