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Why do we get stoned

March 12, 2016

I want to talk about three instances of stoning in the bible (sorry, for those hoping for an enlightened blog on smoking pot).  Each instance could not be more different than the next and there is a very, very, very important reason why that is.  The first instance I want to talk about is in Joshua chapter 7; the second is in John chapter 8; and the third is in Acts chapter 7. In other words - in terms of the human timeline: pre-Jesus; with Jesus; post-Jesus.  

Being stoned to death seems to me like a really terrible way to die - slow and painful.  It’s torture.  One of those images we suppress when reading scripture or any other reference to it. In an effort to more deeply make the point I wish to make, I reluctantly consulted several bible commentaries I have on the shelf on how one is stoned to death and what were/are the methods used. The first three resources were silent on the topic, and then finally the Bible Encyclopedia offered some insight: there are only a few crimes in the bible worthy of this death sentence - most relating to some form of unfaithfulness to man or God or lack of respect for human life; stonings were accomplished by groups of people - the witnesses of the crime being the first to cast the first stones; and, as feared, the event until death could take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours.  This was pre-baseball, so I’m guessing there were few with a good enough arm to target a critical area of the head for a one-strike kill.  And the size of the stones used were about the size of a tennis ball, so it doesn’t seem as though the intent was a one-strike kill but more of an intentional span of time dedicated to the meaning of the suffering of the accused and the future accused.  Exemplary punishment.  In a more merciful/efficient attempt at expediting the misery, the arms and feet of the accused were bound, and sometimes a hole in the ground dug so that only the upper third of the body was available as a target.  The encyclopedia noted that some middle eastern countries continue to practice this death sentence which sparked curiosity as to whether I could find a live video.  Of course I could.  It’s 2016 and every imaginable and unimaginable thing is on the internet.  The Iranian video I watched was ten minutes long, but I watched only enough to confirm that it was as bad as I thought…slow and painful.  

It’s hard to imagine God instructed Moses to include this brutal form of punishment in the Law.  It’s hard to accept that there was once a time in human history that the forgiving God I know had not yet provided grace (through Jesus).  It’s important to understand that when God was forming the nation of Israel through His promise to Abraham, His nation had to be different from the other nations, uniquely His, and evidenced by different customs and behaviors.  Israel lived in Egypt (a symbol of the world) for over 400 years before the Law was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.  During this time, as the family was growing by the thousands, they picked up a few bad habits from the Egyptians.  Daily customs, spiritual practices, priorities of life, and future ambition.  All of this had to be reworked as God prepared them to become their own nation and disposses lands from people much stronger and mightier than they.   Americans, as much as anyone, should grasp that once we have our minds set on something, it requires extreme measures to deter centuries of evolved bad habits.  

In Joshua chapter 7, Israel had just experienced miraculous defeat in Jericho.  You may have heard about it – they marched around the walled city for 7 days, and then the trumpets blew, the people shouted, and the walls of Jericho fell down and Israel took possession of the city.  It was an amazing and miraculous feat. But even still, there was a remnant of Egyptian mindset among the warriors, and a guy named Achan found in the city and kept for himself extremely valuable items that he was instructed to collect and bring to the priests.  He buried them under his tent and didn’t tell anyone other than his family, and so he knew better.  Shortly after, Israel went out to conquer another city, Ai, and was embarrassingly defeated.   Eventually, it came to light that there was sin in Israel that had to be dealt with before any more advancement could be made.  Joshua 7:25 says,”And all Israel stoned him and those with him with stones, and afterward burned their bodies with fire.” Afterward, there was an exciting rematch with Ai, the city who defeated Israel, and Israel won through a masterful battle strategy that ultimately demonstrated it was well worth it to rid the nation of secret sin.  At this time, there was no other way to deal with sin, other than by punishment.   

It was reading this passage that prompted the study of stoning and the path to try to reconcile then and now.  I immediately thought of the woman caught in adultery in John 8 and how she was spared the lawful punishment for her crime. Why? What was the difference?  The religious crowd brought the woman to Jesus because they knew that Deuteronomy 22:24 clearly prescribes being stoned to death for committing adultery. His response is POWERFUL! I so wish this video was on the internet.   His reaction is such an explosive intersection of Law and Grace.  Jesus wanted nothing to do with the scene and ignored the accusers until He could ignore them no more, and finally: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Ahhhhhhh!!! What???? This is NEW thinking and NOT in the Law for anyone standing by in this moment. Yet no one accused her!! No one threw a single stone! Many sinners were stoned to death under the Law, but this is perhaps the first time that someone deserving of death did not die.  Why??? JESUS.  Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, was there and His presence pricked the consciences of the accusers to the extent that not one single person could admit they had not sinned. His presence made all men equal, all guilty, yet all saved. 

There is something even more beautiful - the only person there who could have thrown a stone at the woman based on the criteria was Jesus.  He had every right to throw a stone, but He didn’t.  He said, “’Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?’ ‘No one, Lord!,’ she said. ‘I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on, sin no more.’” Wow. wow. wow.  This is it.  This is the gospel of Jesus Christ in a very messy life story.  Jesus laid His life on the line and protected a sinner from the due penalty of her sin.  This saving grace was the manifestation of the promise made to Abraham. “In your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” (Gen 22:18) Stoning was part of the curse.  The ultimate purpose of Jesus was to secure the blessing and destroy the curse for anyone who believes in Him.  It is unbelievably, unfathomably, unquestionably good news.  “For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge, reject, condemn, or pass sentence on the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.” (John 3:17, Amplified version).  

What happened to the curse then? Did it just disappear? No! And this is why the love for Jesus is the most compelling force in human history: “Christ purchased our freedom, redeeming us from the curse of the Law and its condemnation by Himself becoming a curse for us…” (Galatians 3:13) In Jesus, there is no more curse, only blessing.  We are no longer punished for our sin or penalized for not being perfectly obedient.  We are not forever identified by our past mistakes.  We are no longer stoned for not keeping the Law.  We are forgiven for everything we’ve ever done, are doing, and will do. We have to believe this because we have to tell people about it. It’s the single most marketable and attractive feature of the gospel of Jesus Christ.   He shed His innocent blood for us - sinners, so that we can have eternal life with God only because He loves us. 

Notice that the goal of the Law and the outcome of the adulterous woman’s encounter with Jesus were the same - Rid Israel of secret sin and “Go and sin no more.”  God’s desire for His creation is that we dwell in His presence.  We spend time with Him and live life with Him now and forever.  God is pure and holy and cannot co-habitate with sin.  It must be removed.  Before Jesus, the result of sin was the curse, and death, whether eventual or immediate, and distance from God Almighty.  Because of Jesus, we are forever reconciled to the Father through faith that Jesus is who He is - our Savior, our Messiah.  

Ok then, third example of being stoned.  If there is no more curse, then why was Stephen, with the face of an angel, full of faith, grace and power, controlled by the Holy Spirit and who worked many wonders and signs among the people, stoned to death? (Acts 6:5,8:15)  When proclaiming the redeeming work of Christ after His resurrection, those who did not believe and who clung to the Law were more adamant than ever that Jesus was not who He and His believers claimed Him to be and they killed Stephen for speaking the truth about Jesus - they stoned him. Here we are again.  Slow, painful death by stoning.  “But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand; and he said, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at God’s right hand!’ But they raised a great shout and put their hands over their ears and rushed together upon him.  Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him…and falling on his knees, he cried out loudly, Lord, do not hold this sin against them! And when he had said this, he died.” (Acts 7:55-60).  So what is this, now??  If Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10), how does being brutally killed for speaking none other than the truth fit in with the message of hope and love? If we may end up getting stoned anyway, what is the point???  

The point is this, and I can’t say it any better than the Apostle Paul (who was one of Stephen’s accusers, by the way (Acts 7:58 & Acts 22:20)): “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21).  What? Just a second ago I wanted to be saved from death, but now I want to die for Christ? Clarification: we do not want to be penalized for our sins by death; but we desperately want to live forever with Jesus, and the quickest way to do that is to die. So we’re suicidal? Also no.  We have the ability to profit others and spread the good news of what Jesus has done for us as long as we live; and Jesus teaches that there are rewards in heaven for living life for Him and for others; but selfishly, we no longer fear death because it’s no longer punishment.  If we have the privilege to die a martyr’s death like Stephen, the accusers may very well think their torture is punishment, but I declare that seeing the heavens open and God and Jesus in all their glory looking right at us as we die for our love and faith for our Savior is a far, far cry from punishment.  If my love for Jesus makes someone angry enough to kill me, I am on the right track.  If I die the death in innocence that was designed for someone who had done wrong, I lived a life worthy of the gospel.  What else is there? What better cause? What else matters? So what do you say - want to get stoned?  

[hkeps-blog]

What plagues you?

A stunning revelation occurred to me today while reading the exodus (Exodus 7-12), the release of Israel from hundreds of years of slavery in Egypt.  Tucked within the captivating story about God’s first vigorous appearance as Yahweh (meaning I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE), when He makes His great name known to all through many undeniable acts and wonders, Satan makes a piddly little attempt to compete with God.  Of all times to steer clear of God Almighty, it’s probably when He is performing the single greatest work in Jewish history; yet the impostor’s appearance does have significance, albeit not what he intended. 

This is not the stunning revelation, but it might impress someone that he does have a minor role in the story (people do seem to get excited about being an “extra”); but it’s just enough of a role to be reminded of how sad, and hopeless, and defeated he is against the great God of gods and King of kings.  As his people - the magicians, wizards and sorcerers, in this case - do their best to compete with the God of universe, I’m reminded of those times when that guy just should have never shown up to compete...the one that’s two feet shorter than everyone else and embarrassingly unaware of his great athletic misfortune. And, no, this is not the little guy in the exciting come back story. This is the story about the guy who is blind to his weaknesses, arrogant in his own strength, and rightfully humiliated. But even still, the defeated contender is so thoroughly committed to stealing God’s identity and lustfully pursuing worshipers of his own, all of history and much of the future is saturated by humans who have believed his lies.  Even his pitiful attempts at duplicating acts of God have lured many into thinking that happiness, peace, love, and success can be attained by some other means than by knowing and loving the Creator of it all.  He tempts with flashy and attractive things and uses eons of data analysis to refine the same tricks that have lured humans away so easily time and time again.  But in this story, things play out just as they should.  

The windbag should have thrown in the towel after the first punch in the gut. Aaron’s rod-serpent swallowed up the serpents brought forth by the magicians (7:11) in a delightful foretelling glimpse into his eternal fate. The second and third attempts at counterfeiting God’s ideas are tolerated - the magicians also turned bodies of water to blood and caused frogs to infest all of Egypt.  But the remaining plagues brought on Egypt in demonstration of God’s supreme power, including the spine-tingling Passover, leave the contender to lick his wounds. Early in the story, the magicians finally fold as they were unable to perform the same wonders, claiming much sooner than Pharaoh, that “this is the finger of God!”  

But the story makes an important point, other than the obvious one that Satan is no match for God.  It is Pharaoh who requests the magicians to duplicate the acts performed by Moses and Aaron; however, even when the magicians are successful, Pharaoh was forced to plead to Moses and Aaron to entreat the Lord to remove the plagues.  He figured out pretty quickly that Satan’s boys were handy in creating chaos yet useless in restoring peace.  Yes.  Of course.  This makes sense.  Satan, the liar, the thief, and the destroyer, takes great pleasure in magically creating serpents, turning water into blood, and multiplying an infestation of slimy frogs to get some glory and attention. However, he has absolutely no desire to remove the plagues and takes absolutely no pleasure in any type of reprieve.  Why would he??! He doesn’t care!!  He very simply put does not have the capacity for mercy.  He was probably quite distraught that the Lord removed every single one of the plagues when Moses and Aaron prayed for Him to do so.  

Which brings me to a very important parallel.  Satan deceivingly strings people along with one fraudulent exchange after the next, convincing them to go their own way in search of love, thrill, recognition, and power.  The choices they make slowly begin to lead to unexpected consequences.  Friendships are strained, priorities are mismanaged, finances suffer, and health begins to decline.  The dangling carrot is ridden with poison and life becomes unbearably lonely, depressing, and resembles nothing of initial hopes and dreams.  And this is where Satan leaves them.  His grand plan is to get them here, but he has no plans to get them out.  He will just as soon leave you and me lying in a ditch until we die alone, sick, and penniless.  It is the mercy of God, and the mercy of God only, that any of Satan’s plans for us are thwarted. Satan exists to plague and torment to death.  God exists to give generously all good things to those who ask.  

How does it happen then?  No one would ever willingly hop in the car with an ax murderer knowing he was an ax murderer.  It happens through deception. He pretends to represent something that he isn’t and promises things that aren’t his to give.  Satan lures with tricks that don’t require righteousness (right standing with God), with ideas that resist submitting to God’s laws, and with progressive thinking that exalts man-made rules and understanding above the knowledge of God.  He deceives humans with bait that promises to bring them joy and freedom, yet his agenda has always been and will always be to deter man from worshiping the one true God.  The enemy’s way may seem less restrictive, more creative, and free from prejudice.  But he’s a liar and the father of it (John 8:44). The enemy comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came that we would have life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). God reprimands those He loves, He corrects those who are hurting themselves and others, He protects His children from harm, He covers our sins and blots them from His memory, and He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  God always leaves us better than when He found us.  Satan always leaves us worse off than when he found us.  

If we recognize that we are being plagued, the origin honestly may or may not be obvious.  There are many “whys” that will go unanswered until we are face to face with Yaweh.  The most important question is not ‘how did we get into this situation?’ but ‘how do we get out?’  Jesus died to get us out of every mess in which we could possibly find ourselves.  There are no exceptions to His redeeming act of love.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is that He came to save us from every possible plague, every possible mistake, every possible secret evil that no one knows about but us.  For anyone who Satan left dying in a ditch, without respect and full of shame, Jesus can get you out.  For anyone who has done things they never thought they would or could do, Jesus can get you out. For anyone who is imprisoned in their bodies and minds, tormented by fears, anxieties, and irrational thoughts, Jesus can get you out.  For anyone who is lost without purpose, confused, and angry, Jesus can get you out. 

Even Pharaoh, whose heart was hardened, learned quickly to bypass the scheming magicians with petty tricks and to entreat the Lord, the God of both righteous judgment and everlasting mercy, for relief from every unbearable plague.  God is always waiting for us to ask Him for help. He created us to need Him.  And He takes great pleasure in taking care of us.  Jesus taught us to  “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11)

[hkeps-blog]

Praising through it

These are lyrics to my favorite battle songs.  Songs I play loud and songs I know well because the lyrics are full of power.  They are songs about who God is, what Jesus did for us, about victory over the enemy in all his forms, and about the blessings of God as stated in His word.  

All of these are found on The Grand Finale album by Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers - a gifted songwriter who we, by good fortune, had the pleasure of hearing live at Living Word church in Forest Park, IL, as fellow members. 

“God”

Oh Thou who knowest my beginning, 

Thou who created the plan, who orchestrated my life's journey; God, You are my God. God of decisions, Creator of answers, Thou who ordained my way, through my transition, held my position; God, You are my God. I will forever give You praise, honor and celebrate Your name, God of the past, present, and Who is to come; oh God, You are my God. Whatever You do with me it's alright, You have my total trust, You have my trust. Glory and honor, dominion and power; God, You are my God. God, oh God, You are the only wise God. Oh Thou who knowest my beginning, God, You are my God. 

“These Nails”

Right after I first believed, 

the cross followed me, yes, it did. And right after I first received, the cross followed me, I know it did. For Christ has nailed my hands, and Christ has nailed my feet, I'm crucified with Christ and these nails keep holding me. There were some things I wanted to do, but I couldn't do them because I love Him too much. And there were some places I wanted to go, but I couldn't go because I love Him too much. My love for Him so strong, it hurts every time I do wrong, I'm crucified with Christ and these nails keep holdin' me  No, it's not I, but it's Christ who lives in me. I'm not my own, I'm bought with a price, paid my price, who gave His life, what a sacrifice; I'm crucified with Christ and these nails keep holding me. No, it's not I, but it's Christ who lives in me. I'm not my own, I'm bought with a price, paid my price, who gave His life, what a sacrifice; I'm crucified with Christ... These nails, these nails, these nails keep holding me, I'm crucified. These nails, these nails, keep holding me, I'm crucified. 

“Giants”

Giants do die, 

the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Giants, they die, just walk around the Jericho wall. Now we come in Your name and we stand on Your word, what is loosed in the heavens, will be loosed on earth. Now we come in Your name and we stand on Your word, what is loosed in the heavens, will be loosed on earth; let God arise, giant, die. Your praise will bring down strong holds. When you pray, you will see miracles. Just pray when things seem impossible and the King of Glory will show His glory; let God arise, giant, die. When you praise, When you praise, When you praise, they gotta come down. When you worship, When you worship, When you worship, they gotta come down. When you shout, just shout. When you shout, they gotta come down. They gotta come down. Let God arise, giant die.

“Blessing of Abraham”

I am the Lord 

who health thee. Oh that you only trust in Me You are the seed my faith receive the blessings of Abraham the blessings of Abraham It’s your inheritance get your inheritance you are the seed my faith receive the blessings of Abraham the blessings of Abraham Whatever you are wherever you go, whatever you touch anointed to grow you are the seed by faith receive the blessings of Abraham the blessings of Abraham It’s your inheritance get your inheritance you are the seed my faith receive the blessings of Abraham the blessings of Abraham It’s yours it’s yours get your inheritance the head not the tail above not beneath 

a lender not a borrower Get your inheritance Get your inheritance you are the seed by faith receive the blessings of Abraham the blessings of Abraham you are the seed by faith receive the blessings of Abraham the blessings of Abraham   get your inheritance

[hkeps-blog]

King of kings; President of presidents

12/5/15

Friends (at least until you read this - eek!), the Lord has already elected our president. God has prepared, positioned and appointed him/her irrespective of our involvement. "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will receive judgment on themselves." (Romans 13:1-2) Verse 4 says that he(/she) is God's minister to you for good.

I am grateful for my hard-earned right and freedom to vote, and so I vote; however, my decision to vote is nothing more than an act of gratitude. It is spiritually blind to think that our vote, opinion, or lobbying determines our leaders. And this statement does not credit the electoral college with this power. The selection of leaders, particularly world leaders, is in God's hands and God's hands alone. Did you know that if not one single person in the general population or in the electoral college showed up to vote, the exact same divinely appointed person would still be crowned the king? The government is upon His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6).

Our God does not do aisles; He does omnipresence (Psalm 139: 7-10). Our God does not debate; His word alone stands (Psalm 12:6-7).

Why do we think we can influence a decision that has already been made by God who does not change His mind?

The apostle Paul exhorts us "first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (I Timothy 2:1-4).

If it angers us and confuses us that God would appoint someone to office with political persuasions that are, in our view, idiotic, asinine, or even evil, we need not try to change it - we need to change us. If the Lord has appointed someone to office who challenges our every idea of leadership, we need to consider that every move of God is intended to search the hearts and minds of His people - to purify us and draw us to repentance.

Perhaps we didn't know the extent of our contempt for people who are not like us and who do not think like us until we became subject to their authority. God's appointment of these people demonstrates His great love toward us, to show US the conditions of our hearts, to reveal to US our pride, to unveil our ability to love is completely and utterly hopeless without the help of a Savior. He already knows our sinful hearts and was never convinced we were anything other than who we really are. The great human fallacy is that we don't know it. Our ways seem right to us and our arguments are bullet proof. Statistics support our point of view, and looky there - the polls finally agree!!!

"Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." (II Chronicles 7:14) This word from God is monumental. It takes a sacrificial amount of humility to pray for leaders who do not share our values. Most would agree, regardless of affiliation, our land... our neighbors' land... all land, is in increasing need of healing. Our life... our neighbors' lives... all lives are increasingly less quiet and less peaceable. And yet, we believe that if our guy or gal is elected, this will somehow change, that corrected or appealed legislation will heal our land, or even that maintaining and defending our national rights and freedoms will bring us peace and quiet. I am, again, grateful for our existing freedoms and for the lives that have been lost to preserve it to date; I am also aware of the trend toward less and less of it. This freedom is a gift we, here in America, have been given, and many of us thank God daily for His mercy and grace toward this country. But friends, WHOM THE SON SETS FREE IS FREE INDEED (John 8:36)!

Are our brothers and sisters in China, for example, less free than we are? If yes, we may be more imprisoned than we think. A visiting pastor from Sri Lanka nailed it for me a couple of weeks ago: "Is God unfair to my people that we live in such poverty when your people live in such prosperity? Or in other parts of the world, with such violence, when you live in relative peace? No! To whom much is given, much is expected. Christians in other parts of the world may have been called to die for Christ - you have been been called to live for Him!"

Accept and do not resist the fact that whoever is elected in 2016 - and in every other election year and in every other country, is elected by God. It's the one and only powerful vote.

Rather than ineffectively debating, persuading, opining and worrying about the fate of our country - or world, we should drop to our knees and begin covering this already elected person in prayer. Le's pray that God would open his/her heart and mind to His truth. Let's pray for his/her counselors to be full of wisdom. Let's pray for meaningful international relationships to develop for the benefit of all nations. Let's pray against the deception of all people, for the revelations of God to awaken us and refine us, and change us.

All that God allows on this earth can (our choice) ultimately be for our good. There is an expanded understanding of "good" available. Good isn't always easy; it isn't always comfortable; it isn't always immediately beautiful or profitable. Good is ultimately anything that points us to Jesus, which ultimately places us in the presence of God for eternity. Joseph, who was clearly elevated to his position of leadership by God against all odds and efforts of his brothers who sold him into slavery, said to them, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." (Genesis 50:20). Let's redefine the fight.

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (I Corinthians 4:17)

I am under no misconceptions that the banter will cease - all are free to do so as I am free to express these thoughts. When this freedom is lost, however, a better freedom remains.

Thanks for reading.

[hkeps-blog]

Stretching the Truth

--- January 24, 2015

I was at the gym last night stretching after my workout, completely unmindful of my good health, and I noticed a young man with a walker aided by two physical therapists (PT) encouraging him in the basics of walking and reciting the names of those in his life - both were a struggle. His speech was slurred and, after noticing a sizeable scar on his head, I realized something traumatic had happened to this guy and I immediately became mindful of many blessings for which I should be regularly mindful. I was snapped out of my guilt as he scooted closer to the stretching area and I overhead him joking with the PTs about how he was going to get a speeding ticket because he was walking so fast...and then somehow the word "butt" came up and there were several childish jokes about that - which I fully appreciated since we apparently have a childish sense of humor in common. His PT noticed I was laughing and invited me to hear his story. After the several minutes it took for them to make it over to an exercise bench and then the very long seconds it took for him to sit down on the bench and then after a few very simple strengthening exercises that challenged his every physical ability, the PT asked me to sit on the bench by him so he could tell me his story. He introduced himself - Scott Laney, and insisted the PT hand him his phone - I assumed so he could show me horrific pictures of whatever had happened to him. Much to my surprise, Scott began to artfully and articulately unfold the details of what happened to him with masterful storytelling skills, including brilliant sequence, details such as dates and mile markers, and with ultimate conviction evidenced by piercing eye contact. My unmasterful summary is that on his way to work on the northern slope he had run out of gas and while walking on the side of the road was hit by a car - head on by a man who was blind in one eye and who did not see him. Both of his legs, his shoulder, and his skull were broken. He died for 5 minutes and explained to me how he remembers walking on clouds and was entering Heaven's beautiful gates - made out of "really expensive red wood and white gold" - and how he was overwhelmed by a complete sense of happiness. And then suddenly he was thrust back into his body. Although there were people, medics and an ambulance present, he recalls nothing and no one but Jesus carrying him, and looking down to see his heart glowing a bright shade of gold as he was being healed and being saved from death. At this point he unlocks his phone and I brace myself for bloody pictures, but instead he shows me this picture. I am obligated to quote this part: "Jesus looked just like this, except his beard was two inches longer and he had two white hairs." His mother had prayed for him the night before, that Jesus would be with him and hold him. I was tearing up at this point, and he ended his story with, "Would you like me to show you how you can find this picture of Jesus?" I agreed to Google it with him and here it is. I had planned to go to the gym to strengthen my body and to burn a few cals; but I drove away from the gym, Scott, and his PTs with far more than bodily strength. Thanks for bearing with me to the end of this very long post - in the time it took me to write it and for you to read it, Scott has probably suffered through one or two steps to wherever he is going to show and tell someone else about his picture of Jesus.

[hkeps-blog]

Memoir of a Final Half-Marathon

I documented the following entry in my personal journal as a record of my commitment to never run another half-marathon.  

 ---9/3/12 

In the last entry I declared that I would never run another half-marathon.  Well, on the same day as having run that last half-marathon, I am here to re-declare that - shy of my future self getting brain washed again into such torment - I have run my last half-marathon.  Just to be clear, this promise also includes anything longer than a half-marathon.  I don't even know my official time yet, and I also do not really care.  Miles 1 - 10 were bearable.  It is everything that happened from 11 to 13.1 that confirmed the disdain.  My ultra-marathon running sister would try to tell me that everything that happened from 11 until the finish line (& beyond) was related to lack of conditioning.  As if I am in any way motivated by this observation...  All of the last 3 miles hurt, each one more so than the last, as if by some sick script, the possibility of such an activity (the one I paid cold hard cash for) ending pleasantly was never even vetted.  At around 11.5, I felt something, and by 'something,' I mean a bone, shift in my right foot.  My glute area/spinal region had started to sting/ache around mile 8, but such things are ignored under the Creed of Long-distance Running.  I started to feel slightly queasy around 11, only to crescendo into outright public vomiting as soon as I crossed the finish line.  I accepted my medal with my left hand while covering my mouth with my right until I reached a relatively vacant patch of grass, oh, about 5 feet from the finish line.  Such finales are so common near the finish line, apparently, that not one human - runner or other - acknowledged my end-of-race punctuation.  Which was fine with me as I was preoccupied with being amused that it was last nights dinner that had appeared rather than the half pound of oatmeal I had eaten 3 hours earlier. Where was the oatmeal??? I finally rejoined other finishers to claim my banana, bagel, and water to find a place to re-hydrate, refuel, and stretch,,, only to be largely limited to the former two as the pea-sized hole in the crotch of my skort had developed into all-out easy-access sex-crazed running attire that prevented me from doing any meaningful stretches.  So I stretched what I could, made my way back to my car soaking wet, unstretched, and entirely unsure what had happened to my foot at mile 11.5.  I drove an hour home and had to use every inch of my car door and steering wheel to overcome not just gravity, but my pride as my fat neighbor was getting around her yard just fine with her never-been-exercised body and non-broken foot.  The rest of this afternoon has been a combination of laying on various surfaces including couch, sofa, and bed, changing locations largely to prove to myself that I can still walk, even though I managed to run 13.1 miles only this morning.  I also achieved taking out the trash, which may have been the most surprisingly pleasant activity of the day because with both hands gripped on the rolling trash bins, I was suddenly and miraculously aided by not one, but two, walkers.  I have continued to chug water most of the day, not so much out of thirst, but to ward off the approximate 800 cramps in my legs and feet that are one wrong move away from contraction.  However, I have to wonder, if such an ending wasn't also scripted into the deceiving tale of The Rewards of Long-distance Running....Already, I am convinced it is, and I am bracing myself for the cramps to come.

[hkeps-blog]

Jesus, you silly rabbit

Jesus cracks me up.  It amazes me that someone who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8) can walk the earth and be so unpredictable.  I said this in an earlier post, and I will repeat it, 1 - because it’s hilarious, and 2 - because it’s on point.  I think that there were times when the disciples thought they were smarter than Jesus for a second.  Almost like Jesus was a foreign exchange student who didn’t fully understand the language or the customs and who sometimes said funny things.  There are many examples of Jesus - or was it the disciples??? - being so far out in left field that it not only totally challenged the way the disciples thought and believed, but it - well, it angered people to the point of killing Him.  

Jesus, the man, was God but shoved into and confined to a human body, with a human mind, and a human soul.  I do not know exactly how it worked, but somehow, Jesus - who IS life and everything that exists, transformed into flesh and bones and had to think and process and live just as we live.  Before Abraham, He WAS (John 8:58); Jesus IS the Word of God that formed all that is (John 1:1); “He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col 1:16-17).  Somewhere in His manly consciousness, He knew and sustained all things; but it seemed that only through prayer - LOTS of prayer - and quality alone time with His Father, that the awareness and expression of all that He was could manifest on the earth. 

The disciples, however, did not have a complete revelation of all this yet (it gets better for them in Acts).  So they questioned Him, and challenged Him, and, at times, seemed very frustrated with Him.  Not unlike us.

When the woman with the issue of blood intentionally touched his clothes (Mark 5:31), Jesus asked out loud who touched Him.  BUT, the disciples -- What do you mean who touched you?? There are a hundreds of people smashing into you.  How are we supposed to know who touched you? (We’ll call this, “Really, Jesus?”)

When the boat they were in was seemingly about to capsize (Mark 4:38), Jesus was sleeping on a pillow (which was a QVC blockbuster, I’m sure, after proof one can sleep on it through a tumultuous storm). BUT, the disciples -- We’re going to diiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeee! (We’ll call this, “Jesus, I’m dying here and you’re doing nothing.”)

When Jesus walked on the ocean water toward their boat (John 6:19) - It’s a ghoooooosttt! (We’ll call this, ”That is terrifying and definitely not Jesus.”)

When Jesus washed the disciples dirty feet (John 13:8) - Absolutely no way, no how are you going to do what you just said you would do. Nope. (We’ll call this, “You’re too good to be true, Jesus. I don’t accept it.”)

And these reactions came from people who spent time alone with Jesus,  people to whom Jesus fully explained his teachings and parables (Mark 4:34). 

The ways and lifestyle of Jesus were maddening to the masses.  He shook up everything they thought they knew, cared nothing about what they cared about, yet He attracted everything and everyone to Him and the earth never saw a more compassionate and authoritative vessel of love.  He embodied it all, everything that is effective and meaningful in this life. 

His effectiveness hinged on obedience to God at all costs, including hurting people’s feelings.  Jesus excluded people in a given moment who hindered His mission, God’s mission, of preaching the gospel to the poor, healing the brokenhearted, setting captives free, restoring sight to the blind, releasing the oppressed (Luke 4:18), and every good thing that He did.   In Mark 5, He disallowed anyone in the crowd to follow Him to Jairus’ house except three disciples, and when He arrived at Jairus’ house, He allowed only the same three disciples and the parents of the dead child to enter her room so that He could be God to the 12-year old girl and restore her breath of life.  

Time and again, the power of Jesus was weakened by large crowds, especially crowds who grew up with Him - quite the opposite of our dearly-beloved “power in numbers” and “good ole home-town” mentality.  Jesus marveled when He went back to his home town, and because of their unbelief, could do “no mighty work there except heal a few sick people.” (Mark 6:5-6).  It is an inspiring and bold example that His next action was to circuit the villages and start teaching.  He saw a problem and immediately addressed it Himself.  They were hindered by past experiences, and did not have the knowledge to recognize their long-awaited savior was among them.  We can not believe in something we know nothing about.  Hosea 4:6 says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”  

He also repeatedly requested of those whom He helped to not broadcast the miraculous events.  Today, He might say, “Do NOT post this on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, and definitely not Snap Chat, although Tumblr is fine.” =) Was He saying to us now to never tell people about the good things God has done for us? NO.  This is not consistent with His other instructions to us.  He was respecting the timing of God and applying wisdom in when and what to say for the good of all (as opposed to what makes us feel good or important in the moment).  

Jesus had a way about Him - THE Way.  Not our way; God’s way.  Jesus was in perfect alignment with the ways of God every day of His human life.  I think about this and am reminded why He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)- because we can’t do what He did! If you think you can, it should occur to you that you haven’t yet (take a peek in the rear-view mirror).  So with that, it’s too late.  It’s already too late for us to be our own savior; it’s already too late for us to live a perfect life; it’s already too late to believe that all our learning and our reading and our healthy diet and our record-breaking lap swim and our husband or our kids and our new house and our missions trip and our new promotion and our volunteering at the cancer center for kids or anything else is the way.  Why? Because we still get angry in traffic; we still lie; we still do things we shouldn’t do when no one’s looking; we still get jealous and hate people who are not like us, even with the house, the volunteering, the healthy lifestyle, and the new title. We need help to be motivated to do good.  We need to be cleansed of our shame, fears, and addictions to be free. We need to experience forgiveness to be able to forgive.  Only Jesus can help.  

God’s ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).  When we’re saying to ourselves, “Really, Jesus?”; “Jesus, I’m dying here and you’re doing nothing.”; “This is terrifying and definitely not Jesus.”; or “This is too good to be true, I don’t accept it,” we should remember that Jesus always did things that seemed strange and not intuitive to the “normal” humans that observed Him.  He did the unexpected and unusual (mixing spit and mud to make miracle cream (John 9:6), healing when He should praying (Mark 3:1-6), and praying when He should be working the crowds (Mark 6:31)).  If our reactions to the events of life are predictable, prescribed, intuitive, common, or popular, Jesus is most likely observing us, somewhat amused, but mostly eager to help when asked, thinking what silly foreign exchange students we are, living on the earth for so long still unknowing and unfamiliar with the language and the customs of the Kingdom of God.  

[hkeps-blog]

Bring them here to Me

I was praying for a young man who is battling alcoholism and my prayer was that God would use his life to impact others; to take all he’s got and do something with it for His name’s sake.  God knows turnaround stories are very influential. He specializes in them.  He loves the brokenhearted and is near to them. (Psalm 34:18, Psalm 51:17)

While I was praising and thanking God for what He would do with this young man’s life, the Holy Spirit deposited an image of Jesus and the disciples passing out the bread to the multitudes.  Having no idea what this had to do with the topic at hand, I knew immediately it was from God. An image of Paul being struck to the ground and spiritually awakened by Jesus, the Bright Light, would have made more sense.  Or an image of the lame man who was finally ready to be made well and Jesus told Him to pick up his things and walk.  But no; somehow Jesus multiplying bread and fish was the better analogy.  Hm. Selah....  I know when to not give myself credit for things, and this was one of those times.  Awesome, a new study topic...let’s go.  

Jesus did this twice.  Once in Matthew 14, Mark 6 and Luke 9.  And again in Matthew 15 and Mark 8.  In both instances, the crowds sought out Jesus.  Big crowds.  Both times, Jesus went away to spend time with His Father, alone.  The scripture doesn’t tell us how long Jesus spent with God, but after those quiet times, Jesus came out and saw the multitudes of people, and He was deeply moved by compassion and He taught them and healed them.  And then they got hungry. Working the crowds was a full day’s work.  There was no sound system or golf carts for Him to project or ride around in to navigate quickly through the crowds.  Spending time with all of them took a significant amount of time and energy.  And at the end of the day, a man’s got to eat.  

In the first instance, it was the disciples who seemed to initiate the need for food.  The disciples did seem concerned for the mass of people who were in the middle of nowhere, with no chance of eating dinner if they didn’t leave soon.  And I’m pretty sure they were hungry, too; between the 13 of them (including the Messiah), they could soon chomp into a decent size chunk of bread and a little protein each. 

Their solution for the crowd was a very natural solution.  It was how they had always solved the problem of hunger, the only means they had ever experienced, and really, the only solution they could imagine.  “Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” (Matthew 14:15).  This makes 100% sense.  Except for Jesus. 

How often do we seek to have our needs met by leaving the presence of Jesus, re-entering the world’s system, and spending our resources without pausing to consider if there is an alternative?  

“But Jesus said to them, ‘They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat.’” (MT 14:16) I would have loved to see the disciples’ faces.  I assume no one said anything for at least a few seconds.  And then they probably started glancing at each other, starting to process these words.  Someone probably got punched for even bringing it up. I do think that there were times when the disciples thought they were smarter than Jesus for a second.  Almost like Jesus was a foreign exchange student who didn’t fully understand the language or the customs and who sometimes said funny things.  This may have been one of those times.  But they probably also knew enough by this point to know that they were the ones who were about to feel really dumb. So they may have started to chew their lip, squint their eyes, and think hard about what might happen next. In all three accounts of this first “feeding,” the scriptures don’t say who said this, but “they said to Him, ‘We have here only five loaves and two fish.” This means that they were likely all on the same page.  Jesus, this ain’t gonna work.  We barely have enough to feed ourselves.  This is by no means enough to feed all of these people.  It occurred to no one that what they had was just enough.  Not because it was already enough to do what had to get done, but because it was a start.  A something, an anything, a seed.  Even if they had had one loaf and one fish, the story would have had the same ending.  The number of loaves and fish was completely irrelevant.  There is nothing magical about having 5 or 2 of something, so don’t go buying these quantities of these things so that the items in your pantry may miraculously multiply.  The point is that there was something there to work with. Jesus knew this, by the way.  He wouldn’t have asked them to do something for which He hadn’t already empowered them.  “Bring them here to Me.”  

The whole gospel is implanted in these five words (Uh oh! Maybe there is something to the number 5!!??). Bring them here to me...  Bring them here to me...  Jesus and the church. Us and Him. Sinners and Savior. YOU bring them here, to me.  We have a part and He has a part.  We bring, He does. We take account of what we do have, acknowledge our limitations, and, if we really do want to make a difference in the lives of others - we bring it to Jesus.  Jesus intentionally did not 1) vocalize the idea to feed the multitudes; 2) pack a lunch only to eventually multiply it Himself; or 3) distribute the food, as we will see.  There are things in this relationship that we can do - and should do.  God created us as very capable and resourceful beings, who in fact, enjoy the feeling of accomplishment.  God also gets the credit for the design of our brains which releases endorphin so that we feel satisfaction and inwardly celebrate accomplishment.  Unless we are really out of balance and off the rails, none of us like to feel helpless or like we cannot contribute.  We are a working species and we enjoy production.  But raise your hand if you’ve ever multiplied anything other than two numbers.  Whereas we are highly advanced as a race, there are things we cannot do - without God.  

The disciples did as Jesus asked.  (Obedience: step 1.)  And then after Jesus commanded the multitudes to sit down on the green (MK 6:39) grass (Rest: step 2), He did what He was sent to do (Grace: step 3).  “And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.” (MT 14:19).   I adore that He broke them.  He could have easily multiplied whole, beautiful, artisan-style bread; but rather He broke the loaves and fed the people until they were “filled and satisfied.”  I love this because we are broken.  And when we give all that we have to Jesus, he asks the Father to bless it, and then He distributes our broken lives to the multitudes so that our stories, our failures, our mistakes, our surrender, and our worship of the One who saved us can help others.  He doesn’t need much; He just needs something. This is the image the Holy Spirit deposited into my prayer.  Bring Me what you have, and I can do with it beyond your wildest imagination.  

[hkeps-blog]

I always kind of felt sorry for the "wicked and lazy servant" who was cast into outer darkness, until...

If you haven't read Matthew 25:14-30, you've no doubt heard the phrase, "Well done good and faithful servant..."  And if you have read it or have been taught from it, the focus was probably on one very important point of the story - being a good steward of what you've been given, regardless of how much, and growing and multiplying and how such stewardship is richly and abundantly rewarded (vs. 20-22).  This part has always made sense; it seemed fair; the boss turned out to be a good guy; it's full of hope and optimism.  Cool. 

And then there's the third guy.  Poor thing.  First of all, he was only given one talent, yet the expectations were the same.  So he started off at kind of a disadvantage anyway. And then he at least buried his money, sort of like how we hide it under a mattress or in a suit pocket or in a safe... I can sympathize with that... it's not like he spent it on riotous living (like Mr. Prodigal son) or donated it to some heathen idolatrous charity.  And then he kind of tells it like it is: "Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed." (v. 24)  And then we see he was scared, and did the best he knew how: "And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours." (v.25) I can kind of see him cowering in the presence of big mean man. He remembered exactly where it was, and he gave it back  - unharmed and in one piece. Sheesh, is this really deserving of death?  Had the boss ever stopped to think about whether the guy had a point? Seems kind of greedy to leave the office for a "long time" (v. 19) and come back and expect everyone else to make money for you.  Sounds like someone could use a little anger management. 

Oh yea...shoot.  Those words were in red so Jesus was telling the story...and oh yea, God is the boss in this story. Sorry, God, I don't really think that about you...  (or do I??? gasp.)

I have never understood the fate of guy #3 and always quickly read through that part getting only 'better not do that' out of it.  But today, I talked to God about it and explained that I did not understand why his punishment was so harsh.  What was I missing in this story that Jesus was trying to teach?  Something isn't clicking because the man seems good and God seems bad.

This is where I will shamelessly plug that the Word of God is an amazing tool and His Holy Spirit is an amazing teacher.  (Hebrews 4:12 says that "the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  And I Corinthians 2:13 says, "These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.") 

The first response I got was a reminder of His character.  Who am I? What am I like?  And is that consistent with what the servant is telling you?  Ok.  Let's see...  I could think of a few right off because my Joyce Meyer devotional this morning listed off these three:

God is just - He will right every wrong

Psalm 89:14 - Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face.

God is good - He is only beneficial

Psalm 25:8 - Good and upright is the Lord; therefore, He teaches sinners in the way. 

God is holy - He is purity

Isaiah 6:3 - And one [angel] cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!"

With this in mind, re-read the story.   

Jesus, God and Holy Spirit...how did I not see that before? The way Jesus told the story caused the exact emotional response that He intended. (Man, He was a good story teller!) Bingo, ouch, whoa.  {Repentance intermission} I felt sorry for him.  Oh dear God.  The guy wanted me to feel sorry for him, and I felt sorry for him.  I sympathized with him and bought his story.  I made excuses for him and even let him warp my opinion of God. I would not have prevented him from suffering his fate because I chose to believe his lies.  I did not stay faithful to God's character and let this man, who knew better, convince me that there was a better way.  Not only did I not prevent his death, but I approved of his disobedience (Romans 1:32).  I am guilty, too. 

"But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.' (v. 26)  He knew.  He knew the drill.  He was hired to do a job that he was completely equipped to do, and he didn't do it. "And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability..." (v. 15).  Let God be true but every man a liar (Romans 3:4).  The guy lied.  He lied! (And I believed his lie!)  He said he was afraid.  But the truth is he was wicked and lazy. And now that I see this, it is a plain as day - he was completely and shamelessly shifting the blame of his disobedience onto the master.  Rather than owning his disobedience and confessing his error, his approach was to point out perceived character flaws in the master as a way out, and then (when he probably saw that that wasn't working) to try and get pity by playing the victim card! "And I was afraid..." Really?? Were you? Or were you just a jerk...and lazy? 

About this time, this guy is just seeming totally pathetic to me.  His true colors are showing and suddenly I don't feel sorry for him at all.  I'm actually pretty disgusted.  With him, and with myself for being dragged into his pity party.  I'm mad that he mischaracterizes God so skillfully and destructively where people will actually believe him.  Just a few verses earlier, God rewarded his faithful stewards richly and abundantly for their obedience.  They did well in managing their few responsibilities, and so God made them ruler of many things.  And he ushered them into the 'joy of your lord.'  He didn't just give them more responsibility, but he offered them happiness, comfort, and laughter.  He is a good God. 

The majority (2 out of 3) got it.  Somehow they weren't mistaken about the mission or misguided about their master.  And do you think that the servants didn't talk to one another? Of course they did! And, we don't know for sure, but the good ones most likely tried to talk some sense into this guy or else they, too, would have been guilty of his flawed outlook.  But he didn't care.  He was set on his excuses and determined to live life his way.  And you know the end of the story.  "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (vs. 29-30). 

This isn't a story about making money.  Or how in His sovereignty, God does what He wants any way He wants it.  It's a story about being honest with yourself for your own good or being in denial with yourself for your own destruction.

This insight really helped me see how I could be furthering someone else's destruction by sympathizing with their excuses.  Because God is just, He does not hold us accountable for things we do not know. Paul reminds us in I Timothy 2:13 & 14, "...I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violently arrogant man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.  And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus."   Remember the boss was gone for a long time.  God is merciful and longsuffering and always gives us enough time to come to him with a broken heart, acknowledging our mistakes, ready to revive our lives into a flourishing garden.  But He is also no pushover and can see straight through lies and excuses and, sadly but rightfully so, in the end, it's not that God never offered grace - it was there all along; it's that a heart that has exalted itself above the knowledge of God refuses grace.  Pride, intelligence, and refusal to yield may for a short time pay off and life seems right and profitable.  But if we know better, there is a cost much higher than we may realize.