Our Best Defensive Position?

It is my intent to put up a mini discussional/devotional each day of Lent. But, I may fall of that pace. I'd ask anyone who reads this to keep me accountable to it, however. Lent is a time for us to reflect and grow, and I feel that with each day brining a new discussional/devotional and a prayer combining our program theme and Lent we can accomplish each of those in a better way.

In John 18, we read about the arrest of Jesus, and we learn about Peter's reaction to the arrest. He draws his sword and attacks. He is, of course, rebuked by Jesus.

Today, I hear a lot of people talk about "defending our faith" and "defending our values" and other such things.

And I wonder if all too often we, as Christians, follow Peter's approach and use aggression and our metaphorical (except in the Crusades) sword to defend our faith, our values, and our savior. We are harsh, abrasive, and mean when I think sometimes being gentle, loving, and kind would be the way Jesus might instruct us.

My call to us today is that we move forward and try to defend our faith, our values, and our savior without aggression and attacks, but with love, compassion, and kindness.

Help me in this task. If we all join together, it might just change the world.

Join me in this prayer:

Sovereign Lord,

Thank You for providing a better way
A way that goes against the means and norms of this world
A way that is truly better and a higher calling

Thank You for providing an example of the ultimate way to follow this way
Thank You for being our example
One that we can look to in times that seem too difficult

Let us be followers of the way
In all ways
Not just the convenient ones

Bring me to atonement
Bring me to you
Bring me to love

Amen.

Do We Have to Understand Every Detail?

It is my intent to put up a mini discussional/devotional each day of Lent. But, I may fall of that pace. I'd ask anyone who reads this to keep me accountable to it, however. Lent is a time for us to reflect and grow, and I feel that with each day brining a new discussional/devotional and a prayer combining our program theme and Lent we can accomplish each of those in a better way.

In the twenty-second chapter of the Book of Genesis, we're given a strange tale. It's the story of Abraham and Isaac, and how Abraham was tested by being instructed to offer his only child, Isaac, as an offering to the Lord. This is odd for two reasons: 1) it seems unusual that God would ask anyone to kill their child and 2) Isaac was the vessel by which God was to deliver his promise to Abraham.

And yet, without full understanding of the why, Abraham obediently followed God's instructions, and at the end of the day, all was well, as God provided a substitutional sacrifice for Isaac.

I imagine that in the face of the cross, the followers of Jesus were confused as to how their leader dying on a cross and facing public humiliation was really a part of God's plan. Many of them probably wondered why Jesus didn't use his trial to show His power, and free His people. But they were asked to trust, obey, and follow, and they were rewarded by being a part of the most amazing events in the history of the world.

Today, there are many things I don't understand. I don't understand why God allows suffering, poverty, and disease, despite a population of wealthy people who could do something to fix it, many of whom claim to be His followers. I don't understand why God asks me to give up certain things when others are allowed to keep them.

But as I journey to the cross, I'm comforted to know that I don't need to know all the details. All I need to know is that my God and my Savior is in control, and He will lead me down the path of best returns. So, while it's okay for me to ask "why?", it's also okay for me to not get the answer that really explains things.

I ask that you join me in seeking an attitude of "trust and obey" rather than "give me all the details first". Let's be like Indiana Jones and take the step, even when we can't see the bridge.

Join me in this prayer:

Sovereign Lord,

Thank You for providing a blueprint
To follow You in all times

When it doesn't make sense
When alternatives seem smarter
When public scorn will result
When public praise will result
When our thoughts seem clearer than Your way

Thank You for helping to keep us on Your path
And may You always guide us along it

Bring me to atonement
Bring me to you
Bring me to love

Amen.

How?

It is my intent to put up a mini discussional/devotional each day of Lent. But, I may fall of that pace. I'd ask anyone who reads this to keep me accountable to it, however. Lent is a time for us to reflect and grow, and I feel that with each day bringing a new discussional/devotional and a prayer combining our program theme and Lent we can accomplish each of those in a better way. If you have a discussional/devotional for Lent that you'd like me to include, send it to me via e-mail at vicepresident@sigmatheta.org

It's easy to look at Jesus' path to the Cross as we journey through Lent and be amazed at Him. His composure, His focus, His desire, His love ... all in light of an end He knew before He started the journey.

It's also easy to get overwhelmed. To say "That's Jesus, I can't duplicate that", and then not even try. But is that really what we're called to do? Are we really called to see a problem, decide we're not able to overcome, and then not give it our all?

I think not. I think the Psalmist had it right when he wrote the 121st Psalm:

I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

He won't let you stumble,
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel's
Guardian will never doze or sleep.

God's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.

God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.

Let us not forget where our strength comes from. And let us not forget how powerful He is that strengthens us, and what He can accomplish, if we only have faith.

Join me in this prayer:

Sovereign Lord,

Help me
Help me to remember my strength is not the end
To remember that my strength comes from You

Guide me
Guide me to those tasks where my own strength is not enough
To those tasks where I will need to rely on You

Always stand beside me
Always stand beside me to offer encouragement in my tasks
To offer encouragement to me and a darkened world

Thank You for being my strength
Thank You for being my guide
Thank You for being my light

Bring me to atonement
Bring me to you
Bring me to love

Amen

Call me and Lean

It is my intent to put up a mini discussional/devotional each day of Lent. But, I may fall of that pace. I'd ask anyone who reads this to keep me accountable to it, however. Lent is a time for us to reflect and grow, and I feel that with each day bringing a new discussional/devotional and a prayer combining our program theme and Lent we can accomplish each of those in a better way. If you have a discussional/devotional for Lent that you'd like me to include, send it to me via e-mail at vicepresident@sigmatheta.org

As we journey to the cross, we often think about the people involved in the story of Christs last days. Pilate, Herod, Simon Peter, John, Mary Magdalene, Mary his mother, Simon of Cyrene, and so many more. And we try to find parallels for our lives, and inspiration.

But what about Judas Iscariot?

Here's a guy who was surrounded by the Lord himself, and by 11 of the closest friends he could ask for; people who honestly and literally followed Jesus alongside himself. And yet (pick your theological reason) he betrayed Jesus and handed him over to be crucified.

But that's not where Judas' story ends. His story has a much sadder ending, as he's driven to the edge by this, and he commits suicide, hanging himself. And I can't help but wonder if he'd reached out to the 11, or some of the 11, or another follower of Christ in true repentance if he wouldn't have found love, acceptance, and forgiveness.

And I wonder how many of us even today are surrounded by a great number of witnesses, and not only those who have gone before, but also those who run beside us now in Sigma Theta Epsilon, at our jobs and in our classes, in our churches and in our community organizations find themselves lost, depressed, and feeling alone. And how many times do they/we/I forget to reach out to the people around me, who love me and accept me, and find support from them to battle through, to keep my promises, and to live life to the fullest for Christ.



Let's not go through life alone. Let's not deal with our troubles by ourselves. Let's reach out to each other in our times of need and get help, support, and love.

Join me in this prayer:

Sovereign Lord,

Thank you for surrounding me
With people of faith, love, and joy
People who emulate and simulate You

Thank you for the encouragement they provide
To continue life running after you
And to be able to do so together

Help me to remember
To not only help a friend in need
But to get a friend when I am in need

Bring me to atonement
Bring me to you
Bring me to love

Amen

Christ vs. The Agenda

It is my intent to put up a mini discussional/devotional each day of Lent. But, I may fall of that pace. I'd ask anyone who reads this to keep me accountable to it, however. Lent is a time for us to reflect and grow, and I feel that with each day bringing a new discussional/devotional and a prayer combining our program theme and Lent we can accomplish each of those in a better way. If you have a discussional/devotional for Lent that you'd like me to include, send it to me via e-mail at vicepresident@sigmatheta.org

I wonder, sometimes, what can be learned from the story of Barabbas. The man who, by custom, was released from his sentence instead of Jesus.

It is likely that Barabbas was part of a Jewish militia, seeking to overthrow Rome and the occupiers of the Holy Land. Therefore, it is also likely that the people who requested that Barabbas be released were also members of this militia, and wanted to have their man released so they could accomplish their political goals.

And I wonder if even today, we continue to do this, even on a metaphoric sense. Individually, corporately as the universal church, corporately as Sigma Theta Epsilon, and corporately under other banners of Christian organizations, do we leave Christ to be crucified and left on the cross in order to promote our own political agendas? Do we sometimes use Christ as a means to accomplish what we want, rather than seeking to further our relationship with Him, and allow Him to use us to accomplish His will?

I'm sure if we all thought about it, we could identify specific times we've used Christ as a political tool, and not as an agent of love. That we've sought to win an argument, advance a goal, or put forth a cause and twisted scripture and/or misrepresented Jesus in and to our world. And to that, I say, let's stop. Let's not throw Christ under the bus, but rather let's make an effort to seek Christ first, and seek His will, and share His love and His message with the world.

Let the motivation for our will and our agendas decrease, and let the desire for the will of God to be done to increase.

Let's work together to see how we can do this better.

Join me in this prayer:

Sovereign Lord,

I confess I am not perfect
I have sinned against you
I have put my thoughts
I have put my will
I have put my agenda
Opposite that of the greater good
Opposite that of Yours

I ask for your forgiveness
And your guidance
To help me avoid repeating these sins

Help me to shine Your light
And spread Your will
Into this dark world

Bring me to atonement
Bring me to you
Bring me to love

Amen

The Wow Factor

It is my intent to put up a mini discussional/devotional each day of Lent. But, I may fall of that pace. I'd ask anyone who reads this to keep me accountable to it, however. Lent is a time for us to reflect and grow, and I feel that with each day bringing a new discussional/devotional and a prayer combining our program theme and Lent we can accomplish each of those in a better way. If you have a discussional/devotional for Lent that you'd like me to include, send it to me via e-mail at vicepresident@sigmatheta.org

Sundays in most traditions of Lent, and with anyone I've known that has practiced Lent, are traditionally viewed as "mini resurrections". They do not count towards the forty days of fasting/abstaining from *whatever*, and are days when we focus more on the resurrection than on the crucifixion. That will be my focus on Sundays, as well.

If you're like me, you love to be amazed. You love when something makes your jaw drop and you say "wow".

Maybe the moment occurs when watching a sports game. Someone climbs the outfield fence and robs someone of a homerun and you say "wow". Someone hit a ball five-hundred feet, and you say wow. Someone caught a football after absorbing a big hit and having to jump several feet in the air, and somehow maintained his balance, and you say wow. Someone chipped a golf ball in to the hole from a sand trap, and you say wow. Someone splits three defenders and throws down a tomahawk dunk and you say wow.

Maybe the moment occurs when watching a movie. There's a giant explosion, and great special effects and you say wow. There's a beautifully done plot twist that you didn't see coming, and you say wow. There's a great speech that moves you and makes you emotional and you say wow.

Maybe the moment occurs when you hear a speech. Someone talks about their missionary work, and you say wow. Someone talks about their desire to help battle poverty, AIDS, and malnourishment, and you say wow.

There are an almost unlimited number of examples I can cite here. But the fact remains, we like the wow factor. We like to be amazed. We like to tell other people about it. And we like to tell other people about what it is that wowed us.

And I can think of nothing more amazing that a resurrection of the dead. I cannot fathom anything that can make me say wow more than someone overcoming death itself. And that's exactly what Jesus did.

Wow. Our God is amazing. Now what are we gonna do about it?

Join me in this prayer:

Sovereign Lord,

You are truly amazing.
Thank you for amazing us
And for giving us that emotion.

Motivate us to respond
To your amazingness
In an appropriate manner

Help us to motivate others
And share your wow factor
With them to motivate others

Thank you for atonement
Thank you for you
Thank you for love

Amen.

Reactionary Faith

It is my intent to put up a mini discussional/devotional each day of Lent. But, I may fall of that pace. I'd ask anyone who reads this to keep me accountable to it, however. Lent is a time for us to reflect and grow, and I feel that with each day bringing a new discussional/devotional and a prayer combining our program theme and Lent we can accomplish each of those in a better way. If you have a discussional/devotional for Lent that you'd like me to include, send it to me via e-mail at vicepresident@sigmatheta.org

Do you ever stop to think about what your actions cause others to do? Of course we do, it's human nature. We all understand basic cause and effect.

But do we stop to think about what our actions cause others to believe? Do we stop before doing something and ask if it will effect someone's perception of faith, of us, of Sigma Theta Epsilon, or of Jesus himself?

When you think about it, every action we take could have a direct impact on how others perceive Jesus Christ. When we see a representative of Microsoft say something or do something, it creates an impression of Microsoft. When an NBA player is arrested for drug possession or domestic violence, we get a negative impression of the NBA.

And it's the exact same thing with Jesus, and with our faith. We're representatives of Jesus here on earth. We're representatives portraying why someone might want to have faith in Christ. And, as we journey towards the cross, are we providing people with a picture we can be proud of? Are we projecting Jesus in a light he wants to be projected? Are we careful with the faith reaction of our actions?

Join me in reflecting on this thought, and reflecting on these song lyrics:

Well I see him on the TV
Preaching about the promised land
he tells me believe in Jesus
steals the money from my hands
some say he was a good man
Lord I think he sinned.... yeah

Twenty two years of mental tears
cries a suicidal Vietnam vet
Who fought a losing war
on a foreign shore
to find his country didn’t want him back
their bullet took his best friend in Saigon
our lawyers took his wife n kids no regrets
In a time I don’t remember
in a war he cant forget
he cried “forgive me for what I done there
Cause I never meant the things I did”

and give me something to believe in
if there’s a lord above
and give me something to believe in
oh, lord arise

My best friend died a lonely man
in some Palm Springs hotel room
I got the call last Christmas Eve
and they told me the news
I tried all night not to break down n cry
as the tears rolled down my face
I felt so cold n empty
like a lost soul out of place
and a Mirror mirror on the wall
sees my smile it fades again

and give me something to believe in( I give me something to believe in)
if there’s lord above
and give me something to believe in ( I give me something to believe in)
Oh, lord arise

Sometimes I wish to God I didn’t know now
things I did know then,
Road you gotta take me home

I drive by the homeless
sleepin’ on a cold dark street
like bodies in a open grave
underneath the broken old neon sign
used to read “Jesus saves”
A mile away way live the rich folk
and I see how they’re livin’ it up
but while the poor they eat from hand to mouth
the rich are drinkin’ from a golden cup
and it just makes me wonder
how so many lose and so few win

Ha give me something to believe in
give me something to believe in
I said the lord above
give me something to believe in
oh lord arise
give me something to believe in
you take the high road
give me something to believe in
and I’ll take the low road
give me something to believe in
you take the high road
and give me something to believe in
and I’ll take the low road

there’s some times I wish I didn’t know now
things I did know then

and give me something to believe in

I do believe we're all called to a higher standard of living. Not for us, but for the Almighty that we represent. Let's do him proud. Together.

Join me in this prayer:

Sovereign Lord,

Thank you for giving me faith
And giving me a reason to have faith
And for continuing to grow my faith.

Help me to cultivate faith in others
That their desire for you might increase
That your name would be greater on the earth

Help me to represent you well
That others would want to find you
And have something to believe in

Bring me to atonement
Bring me to you
Bring me to love

Amen