What would we think if Abraham (100 yrs old) and Sarah (99 yrs old) had Isaac today?
A few years ago Tony Randall (the actor) sparked ridicule when he, in his 70s, fathered a child. There was a united chorus of detractors pointing out that Tony wouldn’t be able to play catch with his child or probably see him or her graduate from high school. Tony was perceived as being selfish and egotistical to father a child so late in his life.
More recent reproductive conversations have centered on the dangers of pregnancy for women in their 40s, and the ethics of artificial insemination. Today, conventional wisdom is that a woman in her forties is recklessly endangering herself and her child, unless she has some mitigating circumstance. And we have seen that the conversation turns vicious when if an artificially inseminated woman has eight children at once!!
The REAL question we have but are seldom brave enough to ask is: What do we really think of a God who would expose an centenarian couple to the dangers of a pregnancy?
The strange part of Genesis 17 for me is that both Abe and Sarah laughed at the whole idea. Or version today might be, “Yea, right!” But God was serious. Abe became serious, and believed, and is the poster child for faith that God counts as righteousness. So here are the bottom line questions I have…
Do we even hear God’s voice today? I have to assume God has not lost his voice, and is still speaking. Not everything God has to say is how he plans to build nations of people from “dry bones”. But he is still speaking, isn’t he?
If we hear him, might he be saying something just as “crazy” or “irresponsible” to us as he did to Abe and Sarah? Who are we to say what is or is not crazy? Yes, we have experience and science to go on, but our experience has been filtered and is incomplete, and our science is constantly expanding to include more observation. What was yesterday “crazy” and made us laugh, is today normal making us laugh that anyone would have doubted it. So, we must allow God to be “crazy” from time to time, and know that it will look different tomorrow.
Abe and Sarah initially laughed, but came to believe, and trust, and were righteous! When the baby was born, he was named ISAAC, which means “he laughs” – seems appropriate.
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Needy or Wanty?
An email arrived this morning in which a friend wondered if they had become a needy person. Their musing triggered in me this question:
Why is it that people can be 'needy', but are hardly ever admit to being "wanty"?
It seems fairly obvious, but track with me for a moment.
Needs seem to be more honest, more genuine, and often more urgent. On the other hand, wants seem to be less honest, superfluous, or perhaps even selfish desires.
When basic needs aren't met a person is in a real state of deprivation and often desperation. Legitimate needs can exist on all levels of human existence: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual; although we seem focused on the physical needs most of the time. There is no shame in being needy on these levels. If shame exists, it is on those who could provide relief, but who choose not to or remain unconcerned.
However, sometimes our stated or perceived needs are actually wants in disguise. We humans often confuse needs and wants. We so intensely want something that over time we dress up the want in need-clothing. We come to see the want as a need and we claim to be needy, when in fact we are actually "wanty"
Of course God sees right through the disguise and deception, and answers our misguided or deluded prayer for our wanty-needs the only way he can, with pity and waits patiently for us to awaken from our self-induced deception. He may even proactively attempt to rattle us awake by orchestrating some of those pesky life-lessons we so often appreciate only some time after they cross our paths.
So my prayer this morning is...
Lord, help me to see what you see,
and to discern my needs from my wants.
Lord, help me to want what you want,
and to trust you for all my needs.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Psalm 70.5 (NLT)
Yet I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay.
Why is it that people can be 'needy', but are hardly ever admit to being "wanty"?
It seems fairly obvious, but track with me for a moment.
Needs seem to be more honest, more genuine, and often more urgent. On the other hand, wants seem to be less honest, superfluous, or perhaps even selfish desires.
When basic needs aren't met a person is in a real state of deprivation and often desperation. Legitimate needs can exist on all levels of human existence: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual; although we seem focused on the physical needs most of the time. There is no shame in being needy on these levels. If shame exists, it is on those who could provide relief, but who choose not to or remain unconcerned.
However, sometimes our stated or perceived needs are actually wants in disguise. We humans often confuse needs and wants. We so intensely want something that over time we dress up the want in need-clothing. We come to see the want as a need and we claim to be needy, when in fact we are actually "wanty"
Of course God sees right through the disguise and deception, and answers our misguided or deluded prayer for our wanty-needs the only way he can, with pity and waits patiently for us to awaken from our self-induced deception. He may even proactively attempt to rattle us awake by orchestrating some of those pesky life-lessons we so often appreciate only some time after they cross our paths.
So my prayer this morning is...
Lord, help me to see what you see,
and to discern my needs from my wants.
Lord, help me to want what you want,
and to trust you for all my needs.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Psalm 70.5 (NLT)
Yet I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Prayer for the Week
Last week I saw a bumper sticker with which I TOTALLY agree and have repeated many times since seeing it. It goes like this...
"Lord, make me the kind of person my dog thinks I am."
Our dogs naturally possess unconditional love, patience, joy, peace, and untainted optimism. We should take lessons from them, or maybe we all should become more dog-like.
This is an anonymous story to inspire you this week:
---------------------------
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?" "This is Heaven, sir," the man answered. "Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked. "Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."
The man gestured, and the gate began to open. "Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked. "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.
As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?" "Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in." "How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog. "There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.
"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked. "This is Heaven," he answered. "Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too." "Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell."
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."
----------------------
Why not contact your best friend, right now?
pastor bob
Our dogs naturally possess unconditional love, patience, joy, peace, and untainted optimism. We should take lessons from them, or maybe we all should become more dog-like.
This is an anonymous story to inspire you this week:
---------------------------
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?" "This is Heaven, sir," the man answered. "Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked. "Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."
The man gestured, and the gate began to open. "Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked. "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.
As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?" "Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in." "How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog. "There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.
"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked. "This is Heaven," he answered. "Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too." "Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell."
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."
----------------------
Why not contact your best friend, right now?
pastor bob
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Dogmatism or Faith?
A while back, I discovered this quote while reading a 1996 article written by Brian McLaren in Perspective. Perhaps it also works if 'Modernism" replaces "Dogmatism" and "Postmodernism" replaces "Faith". Not literally, so just calm down! : ) Either way, it inspires me to move into the future with hope and openness, rather than despair and harshness. And that is a good thing. Right?
Dogmatism and faith are not identical!
Dogmatism is like stone. Faith is like soil.
Dogmatism refuses to admit doubt. Faith often struggles with doubt.
Dogmatism is brittle, cracks under pressure. Faith is resilient, malleable and teachable.
Dogmatism is defensive, stereotyped, static. Faith rests, but it is never smug, pat or complacent.
Dogmatism is a closed system. Faith is open to reason.
Dogmatism is a tunnel. Faith is a mountain peak.
Dogmatism fills one with pride. Faith inspires awe and reverence.
Dogmatism insists on propositions. Faith knows Christ.
Dogmatism generates bigotry. Faith stimulates understanding.
Richard Halverson, Somewhere Inside of Eternity (Portland, OR.: Multnomah Press, 1918), p50
Saturday, October 18, 2008
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