Awake, Awake Oh Sleeper

I awoke at about 2am this morning after a series of very vivid and disturbing dreams.  In each of the four sequences of the dream, I was a different person at different times in modern history.  In each sequence I began having a conversation or engaging a person, only to find that I was dead and the other person was the spouse that I had left behind.  Each sequence was reliving the memory of how we met or a favorite date and the spouse was always lonely and also reliving the same situation.  It’s as if the spiritual self I was in and the widow were meeting to celebrate some profound mutual memory of a landmark time in our relationship.  It was so real and so painful, that I’m tearing up, even as I write this.

During my dream, after awaking and even now five hours later while writing this, I felt the vivid pain of being both the widowed spouse and the frustrated  lover that couldn’t comfort the person that had been left behind.  The pain was not for myself, but because in each sequence I couldn’t convey to the widow that I was in a better place and I was deeply sorry for their continued pain. 

The thing most interesting to me about the times of reflection in each sequence – the times that the four couples were recalling were not wedding days, expensive cruises or elaborately planned holidays.  The most impactful monuments being recognized in the sequences were holding hands and gazing upon one another at a quite restaurant, the first corny pickup line at a social event, holding each other during a benign movie and walking in the rain at a park.  These are the times when each couple felt the strongest connection and most peace in their relationships. 

I’m glancing around my living room now and wondering what random movie, conversation or trinket would stir such profound sorrow in me, should anything happen to my wife.  I have a blessed marriage – an incredible gift from God – that I daily take for granted.  I’m sure to tell her how much I love her and to spend as much time pursuing her as humanly possible – I would be loss without her.  It’s not always been this way, and that makes me even more grateful for what we’ve been given.

Referred Pain

I have no real understanding of what it feels like to lose a close love one.  I’ve faced the pain of others that have.  The closest I came was in 1986 when a favored grandmother passed away, but I was too young to truly appreciate the value of life and still was comforted by the thought of an angelic patriarch looking over me.  I’ve never faced the loss of an immediately family member.  Even my dog is 16 years old and seems to have no will to sleep eternally. 

My theology is such that I do not believe we’ll be floating around as ghosts after we’re dead, looking for ways to fix our loved one’s lives.  I feel that Bible is clear on this issue that you will end up in one place or another.  So, I feel the dream was symbolic or instructive.  Rarely do I have such full-color, vivid and emotional dreams.  This meant something more.

I assume that this is tied in to my upcoming missions trip to Haiti, where we’ll be running a medical clinic and taking time to counsel the survivors of the tragedy.  I’ve been studying the country, culture, history and time since January’s devastating earthquake.  These are a people who have suffered much since their existence.  They aren’t strangers to pain and suffering, but this magnitude is so pervasive.  All I can do is pray for our team to be able to provide some comfort.  I’ve never been to the country, but I know that in the practice of medical care that providers can sometimes forget about the non-physical pain that others are going through. 

Even outside of going to another country, there should be an ongoing effort in our daily lives to identify and be sympathetic to non-medial pain…

The Pain of a Savior

I can’t help but think of the unbearable pain of Christ as I write this.  I got just a glimpse of four lives torn apart by loss in my dreams last night and only that glimpse has given me profound sorrow.

I Peter 2:24 – 24 He took our sins on himself, giving his body to be nailed on the tree, so that we, being dead to sin, might have a new life in righteousness, and by his wounds we have been made well.

It reminded me that in my daily life, in my struggles and in my times of frustration that Christ is there.  He is present during my pain and wishes more than anything, that I would know that it’s going to be ok and His comfort is like no other. 

Here is my sermon from February 21, 2010…

 

 Why Outsiders Matter [55:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

My Superbowl Expectations

On Sunday night, I like many Americans, tuned in to the 2010 Superbowl.  With anticipation I watched the commercial spots to see how offensive they would be this year.  I wasn’t let down, I was pretty offended after the first 90 second, back to back underwear commercials.

I watched with special interest for the controversial Tim Tebow Focus on the Family ad spot. 

See, I went into the evening knowing that most of the ads would be sleazy GoDaddy-ish marketing ploys.  I knew that most would portray men as morons (which they did) and women as somewhat more intellectual, but still ever-present sources of sin.

The commercials were designed to be just a tad controversial, because as any good marketer will tell you – controversy and offense will typically yield the highest emotional response.  Emotional responses drive memory recall.  Offensiveness yields conversations that outlast the 30 second ad spot.

Tim Tebow – Ad Spot

Iniquitous or Powerful?

Admittedly upon watching the Tim Tebow spot, we had to rewind it twice and play it again.  We had a few couples from church there as well and most said “Is that what 2.5 million will get you?  I hope that’s the start to a series…  What was the message?”

I had to think it though, but I though it was very clever – from a marketing standpoint. 

I think too many Christians wanted a “Yeah!  In your face!” kind of moment and didn’t get one.  What we got was far more effective.  The point of the commercial was seemingly not the 30 second spot but the larger message.   A message that was delivered weeks before the ad and will be discussed afterwards. 

Focus on the Family used this as an opportunity to say “Let’s celebrate Life” and “I can’t imagine not having the happiness that I enjoy because of my child.”  Those are powerful messages and are often lost by the sign carrying, name calling, seemingly angry Christians that are normally portrayed by the general media.  I think there is a place for showing the world and legislators that there is a strong stance against infant-murder.  But, for those who are not in the heat of battle – for those who are on the fence about this issue – they would most likely not be offended about this commercial. 

Trying to reach someone’s heart is most often not done through offense. 

I think anyone who was not on the extreme of this issue one way or the other would say “What was the Pro-Choice people so afraid of?  Is this it?”   It shows a special type of shallowness and fear of the truth to have such an exaggerated response to such a pure message.  I think that’s a brilliant way to get to get the real message across that life is precious. 

The Desire to Offend

Christians are far too eager to offend non-believers. It feeds our self righteousness, it gets a response, it makes us feel accomplished.  However, we fail to remember how we feel when the ACLU takes away our rights or attacks our way of believing.  Has anyone ever been converted away from God because non-Christian organizations offended us or attacked us?  No.

Why then do we feel the need to attack other people in the interest of changing their hearts?  Conversion are done by God and we are vessels.  Let’s not strive together to work against Christ in this process.  I think the simple message of “Life is Precious” is exactly what would have appeared in red letters on a Superbowl Sunday.

Here is Pastor Cash’s sermon for January 17, 2010.

 

 Sermon: Don't Look Back [59:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is not a political statement.  It’s one of values.  It shouldn’t be debated in courts, it shouldn’t be reliant on one horrible courts decision from 38 years ago.  It should be an issue that is left to the individual…  It’s a matter of killing innocent children before they even get to enjoy their first laugh, first ray of sunshine on their face and the love of a family. 

I don’t understand how anyone could think this was ok.  I don’t understand how we can sit in a room and talk about abortion as if it were an option.  I don’t understand how it’s wrong to cut down trees and drive an SUV, but people think it’s ok to murder an infant. 

God, how far we’ve fallen.  How we repent for the sins of our “leaders” as they drive us down this path. 

John Piper gave this response to President Obama’s backing of Roe v Wade.  It’s short – it’s powerful.

The Practicality of Psalms

Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west,  So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

The funny thing is that even though God forgives, people don’t.  There are always those who will hold your mistakes against you.  Oddly enough those who will readily accept forgiveness will not extend it.  The church seems to the highest level of self-righteousness.  It’s as if the miracle of Christ’s death was reserved solely for them and any other failure is left for them to exploit or judge. 

It makes it difficult for those who are trying to move on with their lives to do so.  Recently, I received a series of emails from a friend on-line who then called me.  He did so because he was having an affair, which he terminated and wanted to go to his wife and Pastor to ask for forgiveness and face the consequences.  However, the fear of judgment from his church was what was keeping him from confessing. Think about that for a minute.  This guy’s biggest fear was how his church would treat him.  If this isn’t the most backwards thing I’ve heard, I don’t know what is.  Honestly – I completely understand his fear.

Now, he’s left with not wanting to tell either his wife (who would share with her Pastor) or the Pastor.  Of course I’ve encouraged him to tell his wife and Pastor anyway.  We prayed and I wish that I had more to offer him.  Yes, you must face the results of sinful decisions but that’s for God to order – not man. 

I want to close this post with this – If the God of Creation and most Holy of Holy can disburse sin as far as the east is from the west, than who are we mere mortals to “punish”, gossip, harass or re-introduce a failing? 

Today I shared on obeying God as both a recipient of his word and delivering his word.

 

 SermonCast: Obey Anyway: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Anyone who’s every read this blog knows that I am not a supporter of the Prosperity Gospel.  A matter of fact, I think it’s the single most damaging theology out there aside from atheism.  In this short video, John Piper explains how a Believer can accept this deceit.