Oh Tiger

First we were alarmed. “Tiger Woods has been involved in a serious car accident near his home in Florida,” the breathless TV announcer said. We were told he was in critical condition. We were told his wife courageously pulled him from the crumpled wreckage of his Cadillac Escalade. Would he survive? Would he be crippled or maimed? Would one of the greatest golfers of all time have his career cut short?

Then we were confused. The anchor, with the appropriate amount of concern in his voice, told us, “Police now confirm that Tiger Woods crashed into a fire hydrant coming out of his driveway before hitting a tree in his neighbor’s front yard.” Wait a minute. He ran into his neighbor’s tree? How far was he from his driveway? How fast could he have been going? The airbags didn’t deploy?

Then we got suspicious. “Police now tell us that Tiger Woods’ wife, Elin, used a 9-iron to break out the rear window of his Escalade to pull Tiger out of the vehicle.” Let me get this straight…his wife used a golf club to break out the rear window of an enormous SUV to pull a nearly 200 pound man out of the front seat?

Then TMZ.com got involved and the whole internet and cable TV universe was turned upside down.

Why are we so interested in Tiger Woods and his marriage problems? I don’t know. Maybe, like watching an episode of the Jerry Springer show, seeing other peoples screwed up lives makes us feel better about our own. Maybe, as in the case of the governor of South Carolina, we love seeing the mighty knocked down a peg or two. Or maybe it’s because when we see things like this a part of us realizes that no matter how much money, power or fame we amass…it’s still not enough.

Tom Brady, the quarterback of the New England Patriots, told Steve Croft of the TV show 60 Minutes a few years back, “Why do I have 3 Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me…I reached my goal, my dream, my life…I think, God, it’s got to be more than this. I mean, this…can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be.” (11/3/05) This from a guy who is living the life most of us want to live! He’s handsome, rich, famous, a great athlete and has the most beautiful women in the world falling at his feet. And yet, it’s still not enough.

Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer in the world. He may be the greatest of all time. Forbes magazine reported back in October that Tiger Woods was the first athlete in the world to be worth one billion dollars. He’s got a beautiful wife, two beautiful children, a hall of fame career, more money than he could ever spend and yet…it’s still not enough.

This is not a new story, you know. In fact it’s as old as time itself. Back in the Garden of Eden God gave Adam and Eve everything and told them to rule over it (Gen. 1:27-31). But it wasn’t enough. They had God. They had each other. They had dominion over every beast and every bird. And they could eat from any plant or tree in the garden…except one. The rest is history.

Before we clutter up the entire countryside with storage buildings to hold all that other stuff we thought would satisfy us maybe we need to step away from the problem just a bit and gain a little perspective. God told Jeremiah that he’s created us to swim in rivers of living water. But we’d rather dig our own wells. And we keep coming up empty, don’t we. (Jer. 2:13) When will we realize that we can never accumulate enough money or fame or awards or women to satisfy our empty hearts? It’s killing us but maybe if we dig just a bit deeper…

Listen, before you plunge that shovel deeper into that never-ending pit of mud consider this, Jesus said, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) Isn’t that what you’re looking for?

Most Thankful

John had horrible acne as a child. Now, these days there are great treatments for acne that you can buy over the counter but back when John was a child having bad acne meant regular trips to the dermatologist for dry ice treatments, harsh chemicals and time under an ultra violet light. John would later recall that when he left the doctors office his face was red and oozing and swollen and would stay that way for days.

Needless to say John wasn’t the most popular kid in school. So on nights when many of his peers were on dates, John would spend endless hours studying his Bible, underlining passages, talking and crying to God. Though he didn’t understand, then, why a loving God would shackle him with such social burdens, today John Piper is eternally grateful. And so are the millions of others around the world, like me, who have been impacted by his thought provoking preaching and inspiring books such as Future Grace and Don’t Waste Your Life.

Unlike John, Charles had the perfect life, or so it seemed. He was rich, powerful and at 38 in the prime of his life. Then, as if God began pulling at a loose thread, it all began to unravel. His boss was under criminal investigation. But he would never go to jail. Charles, as his right hand man, though, would. Just months after being on top of the world Charles soon found himself in a prison cell, disbarred, disgraced and discouraged. But what seemed like the end of the world to some meant salvation for Charles. Because it was in that prison cell that Chuck Colson discovered the love of God and once he was released founded Prison Fellowship International, the largest prison ministry in the world.

As I was putting together the list of things for which I was most thankful this holiday season I thought about John and Charles. I also thought about Franklin Graham and the Apostle Paul and so many others. You know, it’s easy to thank God for the good things in our lives. I’m overwhelmingly grateful for my beautiful wife, my three healthy children, my house, my job, and my friends. But what about the bad things? What about the times when things don’t go our way? I wasn’t very thankful when my high school sweetheart broke up with me. In fact I cried for months! But if she hadn’t followed her heart I never would have had the opportunity to follow mine and meet the perfect woman God had created for me!

God’s word says, “I know the plans I have for you…plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope!” (Jer. 29:11) But in order for God to bring those plans to pass, in order for God to make “all things work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28) he needs to drive. And oftentimes it hurts when he wrestles control of the wheel away from our hands. But God loves us so much. He knows that we want to be happy. But he also knows the only thing that will make us happy, temporally and eternally happy, is Himself. So John has acne. Charles has a criminal record. I have a broken heart. Lazarus dies. (John 11) and Paul is blinded on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9) What’s your problem?

If we truly want to be the person God created us to be, to live up to our full potential, we need to stop trying to understand God and start trusting him. Then thanking him! Paul says in Ephesians 5:20, “Always give thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God.” Give thanks even when it doesn’t make sense, even when you don’t feel like it. You may not understand why you lost your job but God does. And if you’ll let him, like John and Charles and Paul, he might just turn the worst thing that ever happened to you into the best thing; the thing for which you are most thankful.

The Grip of Grace

I don’t want to write this. But I know I have to.

See, it was just over a year ago that a friend of mine was murdered. But this wasn’t your garden variety murder, if there is such a thing. This was brutality at its worst. This was evil. My friend was a bright light in a dim world. She was special. She was anointed. And the manner in which she was so heinously dispatched still turns my stomach.

But her killer was brought to justice. He was arrested, tried and last week convicted of her death. His sentence was life in prison without the possibility of parole. Did I want the jury to give him the death penalty? Yeah. My belief is that life is such a precious gift that it needs to be protected with the harshest of punishments. Yes, there is malice in my heart toward this guy. I want him to suffer for what he did to my friend. I don’t think I would lose a bit of sleep if he was killed in the same manner in which he so callously killed her. Bitterness? Hatred? Lust for vengeance? You betcha.

But then I read things in my Bible like, “Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27) and I want to scream! God says, “Vengeance is Mine and retribution…The day of their calamity is near…For the Lord will vindicate His people.” (Deut. 32:35-36) Well, that’s all well and good and I know God will have his day but sometimes God just waits entirely too long! I mean, the Israelites were held captive by an oppressor for 400 years! I don’t want to wait 400 years or 4 years or 4 weeks for that matter. I want this monster to pay for what he did and pay harshly right here and right now!

But then I read some more about how when Jesus was being beaten and mocked and scorned before being stripped and crucified by the Romans for crimes he didn’t commit that he looked toward Heaven and said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Lk. 23:34) I’m forced to question the intent of my heart when I see Jesus look to one of the criminals hanging on a cross right next to him and with love in his broken heart he says, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” (Lk 6:43)

And though it tears at the fiber of my being I begin to realize that when Jesus died on that cross He didn’t just die for me but for all of mankind and that includes criminals. Even that monster who killed my friend. No, I don’t want to forgive and I certainly don’t want to forget but if I believe that God wove me together in my mother’s womb and desires that I spend eternity with Him then I must also believe that about Curtis.

In his book, In the Grip of Grace, Max Lucado tells the story of Jeffrey Dahmer. He was the Milwaukee serial killer who cannibalized at least 17 people. Before his death, Lucado writes, “Jeffrey Dahmer became a Christian. Said he repented. Was sorry for what he did. Profoundly sorry. Said he put his faith in Christ. Was baptized. Started life over. Began reading Christian books and attending chapel. Sins washed. Soul cleansed. Past forgiven.” (Pg. 36)

Needless to say when I first read this I was repulsed. But why? Perhaps it’s because I believe deep down, as Lucado says, “Grace is for average sinners like me, not deviants like (him).” But haven’t we all sinned? Haven’t we all fallen short of the glory of God? Aren’t we all guilty of treason? What’s the measuring stick by which it’s determined who gets in and who doesn’t? I’d better hope God’s grace extends to everyone who humbles themselves before him and asks for forgiveness.

Which brings me back to Curtis Lavelle Vance. For over a year I prayed that God would have his vengeance. Maybe now it’s time to pray that God would delay that vengeance until Curtis can come to know the one who died for him, too.

The Names of God

We as Christians serve and worship one God. But that God so defies the height, width and breadth of our understanding that we’re forced to define him with many names…like Jehovah Yahweh, the God of Salvation (Gen. 2:4).  Jehovah Rohi, the Lord our Shepherd (Ps. 23:1). He is Jehovah Shammah, the Lord who is present (Ez. 48:35). And he is also the Lord our righteousness, Jehovah Tsidkenu (Jer. 23:6). I can’t pronounce that last one either.

Yeah, God is so great and so awesome he can’t be contained by just one name. In fact, there are dozens of other names throughout scripture that only scratch the surface of his essence. My wife and her Bible study class are studying those names right now. Maybe some of y’all are as well, names like Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our healer (Ex. 15:26) and Jehovah Shalom, the Lord of peace (Jud. 6:24) and so many others. Isn’t it such a comfort to learn how the Lord has revealed himself to his people throughout the centuries? But here’s a question: How is his character and nature reflected in you?

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome that “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:20) In other words, God and his eternal attributes, his character and nature, are evident through all He created. It doesn’t take much to see the power and majesty of God if we pause long enough to consider his creation. But have you ever considered that in addition to the mountains and the rivers and the sky and seas…he also created you! And you are to “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.” (Mt. 5:16)

I don’t want to be misinterpreted in any way so let me say as clearly as I can that we should all make it a priority to learn and study God’s word. But sometimes we can get so caught up studying the intricacies of God’s word that we lose sight of the big picture. And that is that all of this knowledge is worthless unless it is applied.

Did you ever see that movie, Chocolat?  It came out around the turn of the century. It was about this drab, joyless yet very religious French town which is turned all upside down when this gypsy woman shows up wearing bright red and making chocolate. The very pious town leaders soon pressure the people to boycott the store because the woman won’t go to church or buckle to their narrow interpretation of morality. Is it another Hollywood movie making fun of religious people? Perhaps, but I think it’s also a little closer to the truth than many of us would like to admit.

See, people see our piety. They see our religion. But do they ever see the love of Christ? Can they experience the God who heals because of your touch? Do they know the Lord who provides because of your charity? Can they sense the Lord of peace through your countenance? Do they know the Lord who satisfies because of how you make them feel?

In his new book, The Hole in our Gospel, Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision US, paraphrased Matthew 25:35-39 to more accurately reflect our current Christian mindset. It reads,“For I was hungry, while you had all you needed. I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger, and you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes. I was sick, and you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved.”

Jesus is the light of the world. He is the one people are seeking. He is the peace they’re longing for. He is the way, the truth and the life. And if you’ve made him the Lord of your life…He is in you!

Is he shining?

Coming Home

The young man really had everything anyone could hope for. He was financially secure. He had a father who loved him. And he had a future mapped out before him. But it wasn’t enough. So one day he approaches his dad, says he’s leaving and asks for his fair share of the estate. His father obliges and off he goes.

As he walks away I’m sure the young man felt something he’d never felt before…freedom. Finally, he was free from his obligations. He was free from his father’s rules. He was free from the life that was shackling his true potential. He would soon show everyone what he was really capable of becoming if he only had the freedom to make his own decisions.

You’ve heard the story before. (Luke 15:11-32) The young man soon blows through his money like a hurricane hitting the gulf coast. Like the country song says, “All the muchachas they call me big poppa when I through pesos their way.” But when the money runs out so do the friends. Or as the country song continues, “The senoritas don’t care-o when there’s no deniro.” (Toes, Zac Brown Band)

Soon, the young man’s quest for control left him broken, starving…and homeless. His life was a cheap imitation of what it once was. Heck, even his father’s slaves lived better than he was. Oh, how he would love to be back home again…But how do you get back home when you’ve burned so many bridges?

Well, first the young man had to “come to his senses.” (Lk. 15:17) He had to acknowledge that he’d screwed up. He had sinned. His rebellion against the father led to his current misery. That’s something we all can understand, can’t we? (Rom. 3:23)
Next, he had to make the decision to return to the Father (18). It wouldn’t be easy returning to the place where he’d cause so much pain but even the lowliest servants in the presence of the Master were living life a whole lot better than he was.

Yes, he would go back to the Father and fall on his face and say, “I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.” (18-19) He could only hope that his Father could find some way to forgive him. (I John 1:9)
But never in a million years could he have imagined he would see his Father running toward him with tears in his eyes. He had been waiting for him to come home. The young man tried to apologize. He got out the part about not being worthy to be called his son but the old man cut him off. He was immediately forgiven and there was no way the Father would ever treat a son like a hired servant. (Jn. 3:16, Rom. 8:15-17)

The tough part now for the son was accepting the Father’s forgiveness. It seemed almost impossible to comprehend. After all, he had hurt him. He had rebelled against the one who loved him the most, chosen his own way and realized the consequences. (Jer. 2:13) But the Father had never given up. (Rom. 5:8) He prayed for his return. Though the fellowship was severed the relationship remained. And when the Father spied him from far away his prayers were answered. The son was home.

Home, they say, is where the heart is. It’s easy to allow our hearts to be wrapped around “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.” (I Jn. 2:16) All the stuff we don’t have sure looks a lot better than the stuff we do have, you know. But none of that stuff’s not from the Father and it will soon leave us “chasing after the wind” like King Solomon said or broken like the prodigal son. Neither option sounds very good.

I’d prefer to wrap my heart around the home that, right now, Jesus is readying for my return. (Jn. 14:2-3)